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Water treatment combining advanced oxidative processes with subsequent exposure to biological activated carbon (BAC) holds promise for the attenuation of recalcitrant pollutants. Here we contrast oxidation and subsequent biofiltration of treated wastewater effluent employing either ozone or UV/H2O2 followed by BAC during pilot-scale implementation. Both treatment trains largely met target water quality goals by facilitating the removal of a suite of trace organics and bulk water parameters. N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation was observed in ozone fed BAC columns during biofiltration and to a lesser extent in UV/H2O2 fed columns and was most pronounced at 20 min of empty bed contact time (EBCT) when compared to shorter EBCTs evaluated. While microbial populations were highly similar in the upper reaches, deeper samples revealed a divergence within and between BAC filtration systems where EBCT was identified to be a significant environmental predictor for shifts in microbial populations. The abundance of Nitrospira in the top samples of both columns provides an explanation for the oxidation of nitrite and corresponding increases in nitrate concentrations during BAC transit and support interplay between nitrogen cycling with nitrosamine formation. The results of this study demonstrate that pretreatments using ozone versus UV/H2O2 impart modest differences to the overall BAC microbial population structural and functional attributes, and further highlight the need to evaluate NDMA formation prior to full-scale implementation of BAC in potable reuse applications.

One of the two main objectives of this study is to use two pass membrane desalination system and to oxidize permeate of the first pass with ozone, as disinfection by products (DBPs) formed by ozone are rather limited. Second objective of this work; is to increase the pH levels to 10 in the permeate of the first desalination pass in order to promote dissociation of boric acid (B(OH)3) to borate (B(OH)4−). Negatively charged borate can easily be removed by membrane systems because of the charge repulsion. Oxidation efficiency of ozone under pH 10 conditions and the buffer effect of borate were also focused on in this study. Double pass nanofiltration/ reverse osmosis (NF/RO) membrane filtration systems were used for the desalination of model seawater. Permeate of the first membrane filtration was adjusted to pH 10 and oxidized with ozone for 30 mins. Oxidized permeate was then fed to the second membrane filtration in order to investigate boron removal and bromate formation and removal. Boron removal was imp...

This article examines the human rights implications of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), which are a specific and unique example of a type of power commonly referred to as a ‘civil preventive order’ (CPO). PSPOs deal with a particular problem in a particular area that is ‘detrimental to the local community’s quality of life, by imposing conditions on the use of that area’. These mechanisms differ from other CPOs, which are all imposed under civil law procedures but carry criminal sanctions for any breach, in several fundamental ways. As such, this article argues that PSPOs demonstrate, simultaneously, the evolution and devolution of the ‘preventive state’, whilst the mechanisms also challenge the nature and very purpose of public spaces. On the one hand, PSPOs signify evolution by departing from the established practices of other CPOs, but on the other hand, PSPOs also demonstrate devolution by conferring significant discretion upon local authorities when imposing them. Despite empowering local communities, PSPOs represent a potentially dangerous politicisation of hybrid law-making, with ramifications for human rights in public spaces, including those rights pertaining to political participation.

So-called ‘Magnitsky laws’ in various jurisdictions are turning unilateral sanctions into normalised instruments for the international promotion of the rule of law. However, the considerable regulatory and executive flexibility introduced by these laws is at strain with the fundamental requirements of the rule of law, both domestically and internationally. Despite a growing literature on sanctions, a systematic and comparative assessment of Magnitsky laws against both the national and international requirements of the rule of law is still lacking. This paper offers a first comparative analysis of the compatibility of US, Canadian, UK, and Australian unilateral sanctions laws with the formal and procedural principles of the rule of law that constitute the common core of both its national and international notions. By analysing the formal aspects of the legal basis, design and application of these laws, our study identifies and conceptualises the legislative techniques that enable the normalisation of Magnitsky sanctions. We find that these techniques, which we name the ‘generalisation’ of sanctions laws, are not inherently incompatible with the rule of law, but so far national legislators have failed to ensure the right balance between the flexibility introduced by such techniques and the rigorous requirements of legality. The principled recommendations we propose based on our findings seek to help lawmakers around the world to strike the right balance between form and flexibility.