Organic compounds in domestic wastewater have a highly differentiated composition, which depends on the source of wastewater. Detailed fractionation of organic pollutants is indispensible to determine their transformation during treatment processes. Mathematical modeling requires the division of organic compounds in wastewater into the fractions: dissolved, suspended, biodegradable, and unbiode...

Treatment process models are efficient tools to assure proper operation and better control of wastewater treatment systems. The current research was an effort to evaluate performance of a submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) treating combined municipal and industrial wastewater and to simulate effluent quality parameters of the SMBR using a radial basis function artificial neural network (RBFAN...

The objective of this work is studying the use of chemicals to enhance primary treatment in municipal wastewater treatment plants, thereby reducing the cost of the secondary treatment stage. Jar tests using chemicals, polymers and sea water have been conducted to determine the best performing chemicals, alone and in combinations. The process performance parameters studied were pH, type and dosa...

Biologically derived polyesters known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) represent a potentially "sustainable" replacement to fossil-fuel-based thermoplastics. However, current commercial practices that produce PHA with pure microbial cultures grown on renewable, but refined, feedstocks (i.e., glucose) under sterile conditions do not represent a sustainable commodity. Here, we report on PHA produc...

The aim of the paper is to present alternative to conventional (i.e., the commonly used biological treatment plants) wastewater treatment systems, appropriate for small communities and settlements. These systems are the natural treatment systems. The emphasis here is given on constructed wetlands (CWs). First, advantages and disadvantages of these systems are presented compared to conventional ...

Municipal wastewater treatment plants emit methane. Since methane is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, the abatement of the emission is necessary to achieve a more sustainable urban water management. This requires thorough knowledge of the amount of methane that is emitted from a plant, but also of the possible sources and sinks of methane on the plant. In this study, ...

AIM To determine Salmonella enterica serovars and antibiotic resistance (ABR) in the human waste stream. METHODS AND RESULTS Sampling of influent wastewater at municipal treatment plants in two California cities was performed by collecting composite samples, over a 24-h period, from the treatment plants on five to six occasions. Serial water quantities were filtered and cultured with a Salmon...

Municipal wastewater effluent can impact its receiving environment. In the St. Lawrence River, male fish living downstream from Montreal exhibit increased hepatic vitellogenin, intersex, delayed spermatogenesis and altered immune function. Few studies have examined genome-wide effects associated with municipal effluent exposure in fish to decipher the mechanisms of toxicity. The present objecti...