Membrane aerated biofilm reactor in recirculating aquaculture system for effluent treatment.

The implementation of fish farming has been increasing worldwide over the last decades, as well the search for alternative production systems and the treatment of their generated effluent. Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) is a compact solution for future intensive fish farming. However, few configurations of treatment technologies were tested in RAS, such as systems with a Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR). In this scene, this study aimed to evaluate the RAS effluent treatment efficiency device for intensive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) production, the fish species most cultivated worldwide. The novel RAS configuration was composed of a cultivation tank (CT), a Column Settler, and a MABR. The RAS performance was evaluated by pH, temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total solids (TS), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The obtained results in average values for temperature, pH, and DO inside the CT were 25.22 ± 1.88°C, 7.61 ± 0.33, and 3.80 ± 1.30 mg L-1, respectively, as ideal for tilapias survival. Average removal efficiencies found in the RAS for turbidity, COD, TN, nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, and TS were 50.0, 40.5, 11.7, 40.2, 13.1, 35.0, and 11.4%, respectively. Overall, we observed removals for all parameters studied, with good results, particularly, for COD, turbidity, nitrite, and ammonia. The evaluated system proved an effective alternative for water reuse in RAS capable of maintaining water quality characteristics within the recommended values for fish farming.

Development of water quality index as a tool for urban water resources management.

Urban stream monitoring programs rarely consider the daily cycle of water quality. Furthermore, water quality indexes (WQIs) often rely on an excessive number of correlated parameters. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study used both the principal component analysis (PCA) and the daily cycle of the water quality of urban streams to create better WQIs. In this context, the present study aimed to develop a novel urban WQI (WQIurban) considering these two factors. Moreover, the main WQI in Brazil for water quality assessment for public supply (WQIcetesb) was used as a starting point (parameters: total solids (TS), temperature, turbidity, biochemical oxygen demand, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and thermotolerant coliforms (Escherichia coli)). The selected parameters to integrate the WQIurban received weights according to their importance for the conformation of water quality and a quality value was assigned to each parameter as a function of its concentration or measure. The developed WQIurban (parameters: pH, TS, E. coli, and DO) was able to maintain the seasonal and daily patterns of the urban stream water quality compared to the WQIcetesb. Nevertheless, the spatial relationship among the sampling sites was somewhat lacking. Our findings can help environmental managers, policy planners, and local researchers to improve their urban stream monitoring programs, saving money, time, and resources. Moreover, the WQIurban can be helpful during exceptional circumstances in which the water quality of urban streams must be quickly assessed.

Temporal changes in the water quality of urban tropical streams: An approach to daily variation in seasonality.

Using water quality indices (WQIs) is one way to monitor watercourses for water quality. Currently, there is a lack of information about their behavior in the diurnal cycle because sampling is often carried out in the morning. Also, few articles focus on assessing the urban impact on the spatial variability of WQIs in tropical first-order streams. Such streams receive many pollutants varying in intensity according to population habits, justifying the possible diurnal variation in water quality in addition to climatic attributes. This paper aims to evaluate the fluctuations in Brazilian WQIs and their parameters (temperature, turbidity, total solids [TS], hydrogen potential, dissolved oxygen [DO], biochemical oxygen demand [BOD], total phosphorus [TP], total nitrogen [TN], and Escherichia coli) between the morning (8 AM), afternoon (2 PM), and night (7 PM) periods for an urban first-order tropical stream. Overall, the lowest DO concentrations and highest values of TS, turbidity, BOD, TP, TN, and E. coli were obtained in the morning, possibly representing population habits: the greatest generation of pollutants occurs overnight and in the early morning because there are clandestine domestic wastewater inputs into the stream, whose hourly periodicity generates a similar periodicity in the WQI of the evaluated stream. Although there was a significant variation in WQI average values between morning (15.50 ± 1.97) and afternoon (20.83 ± 5.42) only during the dry season (p < 0.05), different results were common throughout the day in all months, and the water quality was often classified in distinct categories: very bad, bad, and regular. Our findings present another dimension to be considered when assessing urban water quality, leading to direct benefits to the management and use of urban waters. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1260-1271. © 2021 SETAC.

Dinâmica temporal da qualidade da água em um córrego urbano / Temporal dynamics of water quality in an urban stream

RESUMO A urbanização conduz ao acréscimo de superfícies de baixa permeabilidade nas bacias hidrográficas, o que resulta em aumento no volume de água pluvial escoado superficialmente nos terrenos e, consequentemente, na ampliação de poluentes carreados aos cursos de água receptores, o que pode prejudicar a qualidade de suas águas. O objetivo principal da presente pesquisa foi analisar a variação da qualidade da água ao longo do dia em um córrego impactado por área urbana por meio do índice de qualidade das águas (IQACETESB) e dos parâmetros envolvidos no seu cálculo. A coleta de amostras foi realizada uma vez ao mês, durante o período de sete meses, nos seguintes horários: 8h, 14h e 19h. No geral, foram encontradas baixas concentrações de oxigênio dissolvido e altos teores de matéria orgânica e nutrientes no córrego avaliado. A amostragem em diferentes períodos do dia foi eficiente em relação ao entendimento dos processos antrópicos que acontecem na sub-bacia estudada (e.g., lançamento de esgoto doméstico in natura e aporte intenso de fósforo no período da manhã). Além disso, foi observada uma oscilação significativa no valor do IQACETESB entre os três períodos do dia, tal como em junho de 2018: 52 (manhã) e 23 (noite). Dessa forma, a avaliação do IQACETESB conduzida em apenas um horário do dia pode deixar passar informações essenciais para os gestores ambientais, resultando em uma visão errônea do problema.

ABSTRACT Urbanization leads to the addition of areas of low permeability in watersheds, which results in an increase in the volume of rainwater drained superficially and, consequently, in the expansion of pollutants carried to the receiving watercourses, which may impair the quality of their waters. The main objective of this research was to analyze the variation in water quality throughout the day in a stream impacted by urban areas through the water quality index (WQICETESB) and the parameters involved in its calculation. Sample collection was performed once a month, for a period of seven months, at the following times: 8:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 7:00 pm. In general, low concentrations of dissolved oxygen and high levels of organic matter and nutrients were found in the stream evaluated. Sampling at different times of the day was efficient in terms of understanding the anthropic processes that take place in the studied sub-basin (e.g., the release of fresh domestic sewage and intense phosphorus input in the morning). In addition, a significant fluctuation in the value of the WQICETESB was observed between the three periods of the day, as in June 2018: 52 (morning) and 23 (night). Thus, the evaluation of the WQICETESB conducted in only one hour of the day can pass on essential information for environmental managers, resulting in an erroneous view of the problem.

Uso da cafeína como indicador de poluição por esgoto doméstico em corpos d'água urbanos / Use of caffeine as an indicator of pollution by domestic sewage in urban water bodies

RESUMO Nos centros populacionais, os ambientes aquáticos estão em constante degradação em consequência das atividades desenvolvidas nas bacias de drenagem, sendo o despejo de esgoto doméstico uma das maiores fontes de poluição. Monitoramentos ambientais de qualidade da água refletem os poluentes gerados nas áreas de influência e dão indícios das prováveis origens. Todavia, são as substâncias de uso exclusivamente antrópico que podem comprovar a existência do lançamento de tais cargas poluidoras. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a eficiência da cafeína como indicador de poluição por esgoto doméstico. O método analítico utilizado para a sua identificação foi a cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência. Com o intuito de relacionar os resultados obtidos para a cafeína com a diluição e as fontes difusas de poluição, foram aferidos, ainda, dados de precipitação, oxigênio dissolvido e demanda bioquímica de oxigênio. A cafeína foi encontrada em todas as amostras analisadas, com concentrações variando de 0,01 a 7,80 mg.L−1. Os maiores valores foram observados no período chuvoso, relacionados ao transbordamento e ao vazamento de esgoto doméstico. Este estudo inferiu a utilização da cafeína como eficiente indicador de poluição por esgoto doméstico.

ABSTRACT In population centers, aquatic environments are in constant degradation due to the activities carried out in watersheds, with the release of domestic sewage being one of the biggest sources of pollution. Environmental monitoring of water quality reflects the inputs generated in the areas of influence and gives evidence of likely origins. However, it is the substances for exclusively anthropic use that can prove the existence of the release of such polluting loads. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of caffeine as an indicator of pollution by domestic sewage. The analytical method used for its identification was high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In order to relate the results obtained for caffeine with the dilution and nonpoint sources pollution, data on precipitation, dissolved oxygen, and biochemical oxygen demand were also measured. Caffeine was found in all samples analyzed, with concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 7.80 mg.L−1. The highest values were observed in the rainy season, related to the overflow and leakage of domestic sewage. This study infered the use of caffeine as an efficient indicator of pollution by domestic sewage.