| 1. |
- Bakyayita Kizito, Grace
(författare)
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Equilibrium and Kinetic Batch Studies of Cadmium and Lead sorption using Low Cost Biosorbents
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Agricultural wastes; Albizia coriaria, Coffea canephora, Cyperus papyrus, Erythrina abyssinica and Musa spp were evaluated for uptake of aqueous Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions in single- and binary-component solutions. Untreated, base-treated and peroxide-treated biomasses were employed in batch studies. The optimal conditions for Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions biosorption were pH 3.5 – 5 for contact time 3.0 – 3.5 hours and biosorbent dosage 10 – 12.5 g/L. Base-treated biosorbents showed a 10 – 17 % sorption enhancement for Cd2+ ions and a 1.6 – 2.3 % uptake reduction for Pb2+ ions. The sorption capacities for Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions for base-treated biosorbents were between 1.738 and 1.760 mg g-1 compared to 1.415 – 1.539 mg g-1 for untreated materials. The maximum biosorption of peroxide treated materials in single component media was between 0.819 and 1.595 mg/g for Pb2+ ions and between 0.044 and 1.343 mg/g for Cd2+ ions while in binary component media it was between 0.472 and 1.303 mg/g for Pb2+ ions and between 0.008 and 0.195 mg/g for Cd2+ ions. The pseudo-second order kinetic model suitably fitted the Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions biosorption data with regression coefficients (R2); 0.892 – 1.000 for peroxide-treated materials and 0.9784 – 0.9999 for base-treated biosorbents which implied that the biosorption was mainly a chemisorption process. The base treated biosorbents had better sorption performance for Cd2+ ions than peroxide treated materials and untreated biomass whereas the order for Pb2+ ions biosorption was untreated > base treated > peroxide treated materials. All materials showed superior selectivity for Pb2+ ions biosorption in comparison to that of Cd2+ ions in single- and binary-component media. A. coriaria performed best of the base treated biosorbents while C. canephora performed best amongst peroxide treated materials for Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions biosorption in single-and binary-component media. In the competitive biosorption, Cd2+ ions showed higher synergistic effects than Pb2+ ions although Pb2+ ions were preferentially sequestered even when the Cd2+:Pb2+ ions ratio was increased through 3:2, 2:1, 3:1 and 5:1. Of the three isotherm models evaluated against the experimental data, the Langmuir model generally fitted the sorption data for both metals. Regression coefficients for the Langmuir model were; 0.983 ≤ R2 ≥ 1.000 for single-component and 0.939 ≤ R2 ≥ 1.000 for binary-component solutions which revealed that the biosorption was potentially monolayer. The biosorption equilibrium coefficient values and change in Gibbs’ free energy values showed that Pb2+ ions biosorption was more thermodynamically favoured than that of Cd2+ ions in single-component and binary-component media. The materials studied displayed potential for use as biosorbents for remediation of aqueous Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions.
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| 2. |
- Cucarella Cabañas, Victor
(författare)
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Phosphorus recycling from wastewater to agriculture using reactive filter media
- 2007
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis focused on testing the suitability of reactive filter media used for phosphorus (P) removal from wastewater as fertilizers, thus recycling P to agriculture. The work compared the P sorption capacity of several materials in order to assess their suitability as a source of P for plants. The selected materials (Filtra P, Polonite and wollastonite) were saturated with P and used as soil amendments in a pot experiment. The amendments tended to improve the yield of barley and ryegrass compared with no P addition. The amendments also increased soil pH, P availability and cation exchange capacity in the studied soils. The substrates studied here can be of particular interest for acid soils. Of the materials studied, Polonite appears to be the most suitable substrate for the recycling of P from wastewater to agriculture
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| 3. |
- Rijk, Ingrid, 1985-
(författare)
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Effects of heavy metal contamination on carbon and nitrogen cycling : An ecological approach to assess risks to soil functions
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Soil contamination with heavy metals may disrupt soil microorganisms with important roles in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. However, there is a lack of understanding on how microorganisms are affected in soil, which may lead to a mismatch when assessing risks of contaminants to field soils.The overall aim of this thesis was to assess effects on C and N cycling in heavy-metal contaminated soils under realistic conditions. Two historically contaminated sites and two outdoor field trials were studied. A variety of microbial responses, such as in situ microbial soil respiration, biomass, and N cycling microbial guilds was applied, which were linked to slower responding plant and soil variables and stable isotopic content δ13C and δ15N.Lower microbial activity, accumulation of soil C and a lower soil and plant δ15N showed that high lead (2000 mg kg-1) content was slowing down C and N cycles in a grassland area. In a former wood impregnation site, microbial biomass ceased below 5 cm depth while no effects in upper soil (2300 mg kg-1 copper) were observed. In a mesocosm study, responses of N cycling microbial guilds were mostly shaped by soil type. Neither total nor soluble copper, a proxy for bioavailability, could explain the effects on N cycling microbial communities. Finally, addition of biochar and peat to a moderately contaminated soil was shown to immobilize contaminants and N simultaneously, thereby being a promising remediation method to improve ecological soil quality in situ.In summary, this thesis provides an increased understanding and a reality-check on effects on C and N cycling in heavy-metal contaminated soils. The different intensities of the ecosystem effects in the two field soils, and soil specificity of microbial responses in the N cycle, stress the need for site-specific approaches.
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| 4. |
- Svensson, Magnus, 1965-
(författare)
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Carbon dynamics in spruce forest ecosystems - modelling pools and trends for Swedish conditions
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Carbon (C) pools and fluxes in northern hemisphere forest ecosystems are attracting increasing attention concerning predicted climate change. This thesis studied C fluxes, particularly soil C dynamics, in spruce forest ecosystems in relation to interactions between physical/biological processes using a process-based ecosystem model (CoupModel) with data for Swedish conditions. The model successfully described general patterns of C and N dynamics in managed spruce forest ecosystems with both tree and field layers. Using regional soil and plant data, the change in current soil C pools was -3 g C m-2 yr-1 in northern Sweden and +24 g C m-2 yr-1 in southern Sweden. Simulated climate change scenarios resulted in increased inflows of 16-38 g C m-2 yr-1 to forest ecosystems throughout Sweden, with the highest increase in the south and the lowest in the north. Along a north-south transect, this increased C sequestration mainly related to increased tree growth, as there were only minor decreases in soil C pools. Measurements at one northern site during 2001-2002 indicated large soil C losses (-96 g C m-2 yr-1), which the model successfully described. However, the discrepancy between these large losses and substantially smaller losses obtained in regional simulations was not explained. A simulation based on Bayesian calibration successfully reproduced measured C, water and energy fluxes, with estimated uncertainties for major components of the simulated C budget. Site-specific measurements indicated a large contribution from field layer fine roots to total litter production, particularly in northern Sweden. Mean annual tree litter production was 66% higher at the most southerly site (240 g C m-2 yr-1 compared with 145 g C m-2 yr-1 in the north), but when field and bottom layers were included the difference decreased to 16% (total litter production 276 g C m-2 yr-1 and 239 g C m-2 yr-1 respectively). Regional simulations showed that decomposition rate for the stable soil C fraction was three times higher in northern regions compared with southern, providing a possible explanation why soil C pools in southern Sweden are roughly twice as large as those in the north.
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| 5. |
- Toller, Susanna
(författare)
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Environmental assessment of incinerator residue utilisation
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In Sweden, utilisation of incinerator residues outside disposal areas is restricted by environmental concerns, as such residues commonly contain greater amounts of potentially toxic trace elements than the natural materials they replace. On the other hand, utilisation can also provide environmental benefits by decreasing the need for landfill and reducing raw material extraction. This thesis provides increased knowledge and proposes better approaches for environmental assessment of incinerator residue utilisation, particularly bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI).A life cycle assessment (LCA) based approach was outlined for environmental assessment of incinerator residue utilisation, in which leaching of trace elements as well as other emissions to air and water and the use of resources were regarded as constituting the potential environmental impact from the system studied. Case studies were performed for i) road construction with or without MSWI bottom ash, ii) three management scenarios for MSWI bottom ash and iii) three management scenarios for wood ash. Different types of potential environmental impact predominated in the activities of the system and the scenarios differed in use of resources and energy. Utilising MSWI bottom ash in road construction and recycling of wood ash on forest land saved more natural resources and energy than when these materials were managed according to the other scenarios investigated, including dumping in landfill. There is a potential for trace element leaching regardless of how the ash is managed.Trace element leaching, particularly of copper (Cu), was identified as being relatively important for environmental assessment of MSWI bottom ash utilisation. CuO is suggested as the most important type of Cu-containing mineral in weathered MSWI bottom ash, whereas in the leachate Cu is mainly present in complexes with dissolved organic matter (DOM). The hydrophilic components of the DOM were more important for Cu binding than previously understood. Differences were also observed between MSWI bottom ash DOM and the natural DOM for which the geochemical speciation models SHM and NICA-Donnan are calibrated. Revised parameter values for speciation modelling are therefore suggested. Additions of salt or natural DOM in the influent did not change the leachate concentration of Cu. Thus, although Cl and natural DOM might be present in the influent in the field due to road salting or infiltration of soil water, this is of minor importance for the potential environmental impact from MSWI bottom ash.This thesis allows estimates of long-term leaching and toxicity to be improved and demonstrates the need for broadening the system boundaries in order to highlight the trade-offs between different types of impact. For decisions on whether incinerator residues should be utilised or landfilled, the use of a life cycle perspective in combination with more detailed assessments is recommended.
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