Soil-based treatment of partially treated liquid swine manure.

A soil-column system was tested for the removal of soluble organics and nutrients from partially treated liquid swine manure. The liquid manure was applied to the 900 mm deep (300 mm of local topsoil and 600 mm of local subsoil) soil columns continuously for an eight-week period, and leachate as well as soil samples were analysed. An effective liquid manure application rate of 17 mm d(-1) was determined based on a preliminary liquid manure soil-based treatment experiment. It was found that more than 90% of five-day biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total Kjeldahl and ammonia nitrogen, and total phosphorus could be effectively removed from the liquid manure by the soil system. Nitrogen contents accumulated in the soil matrix mostly within the 0 to 300 mm depth, while no significant increase was observed in sub soils. Soil analyses indicated the occurrence of nitrification and denitrification in the soil columns. Nitrogen balance showed that about 42% of the applied nitrogen was lost from the system during the liquid manure soil-based treatment experiment, suggesting the emission of ammonia and other gaseous nitrogen generated through nitrification and denitrification. The leachate of the soil treatment system was used to irrigate Bermuda grass. No negative effect of leachate was observed on the plant growth.

UV inactivation of bacteria in raw and pretreated liquid swine manure.

The study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for inactivating coliform bacterial indicators in liquid swine manure samples using a laboratory-scale, low-pressure UV collimated beam apparatus. Raw liquid swine manure was brought from the field and stored at 4 'C for preliminary settling for 24 hours, which was followed by alum treatment in a jar test apparatus. Both pre-settled and alum-treated supernatants were filtered separately through different pore-sized polycarbonate membrane filters. The unfiltered and filtered pre-settled and alum-treated supernatant samples were exposed to a range of UV fluences (i.e., doses) to determine the fluence-response relationship. After preliminary settling, alum treatment, and membrane filtration, UV absorbance values of undiluted swine manure samples at 254 nm varied between 4.0 and 4.2 cm(-1) with total suspended solids concentrations of 800 to 1,800 mg l(-1). Total coliforms were reduced by 2 - to 2.5-log10 at UV fluences of 80 to 100 mJ cm(-2). Relatively small log reductions (< 0.5-log10) were observed at lower fluences (below 20 mJ cm(-2) ) in undiluted manure samples. To reduce the UV absorbance of liquid swine manure, raw manure was diluted 1:50 and 1:10 with deionized water in subsequent experiments. Almost complete inactivation (> 4 to 5 log10) was achieved at UV fluences of 20 mJ cm(-2) or higher in the swine manure samples diluted to 1:50. Based on these findings, it was proposed that UV inactivation of coliform in the undiluted liquid swine manure was limited by association of bacterial cells with particulate matter of less than 10 microm in size. Dilution may have disrupted and reduced the association between the bacteria and this fine particulate matter resulting in better dispersion and more complete inactivation by UV.

Screening of Coprinus species for the production of extracellular peroxidase and evaluation of the enzyme for the treatment of aqueous phenol.

The production of extracellular peroxidase by twenty-five strains of Coprinus species was investigated for the purpose of its application to the removal of phenolic and other aromatic compounds from industrial waste streams. After initial screening experiments, the production of peroxidase by three superior strains of C cinererus UAMH 4103, UAMH 7907 and IFO 30116 was monitored over a 15-day period. Peroxidase activity was detected after 3 days of growth and had reached itspeak another 6 days later. The peroxidase activity appeared to increase with a corresponding depletion of glucose concentration and rapidly declined immediately after the exhaustion of glucose. The effectiveness of the cultivated C. cinereus peroxidase (CIP) for the removal of aqueous phenol was evaluated in the presence and in the absence of additives including polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chitosan, and compared with those of purified horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and Arthromyces ramosus peroxidase (ARP). The addition of PEG and chitosan enhanced the efficiency of phenol transformation catalyzed by CIP by the factor of 1.5 and 1.3, respectively. Although the efficiency of phenol transformation was higher with CIP than those with purified HRP and ARP in the absence of addtives, its superiority diminished in the presence of PEG. This suggests that the by-products of fungal culture in the crude CIP solution, presumably polycarbohydrates and proteins, have protective effects on the enzyme against inactivation during catalytic transformation of phenol, and the addition of PEG provides small effects on further protection.

Color and toxicity removal following tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation of phenols.

The products of phenol oxidation catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase (polyphenol oxidase, EC 1.14.18.1) were assessed in terms of their residual color and toxicity. The addition of aluminum sulfate had little effect on the removal of colored products from phenol solutions treated with tyrosinase. Although chitosan was used successfully to remove the color when added before the reaction initiation or after the reaction completion, the required dose of chitosan was lower when it was added after the reaction. In this case, the minimum doses of chitosan required to achieve 90% color removal were proportional to the logarithm of the initial concentration of phenol. The color removal induced by chitosan addition appeared to be the result of chemical interaction followed by a coagulation mechanism. All treated solutions of phenol and chlorophenols, except 2,4-dichlorophenol, had substantially lower toxicities than their corresponding initial toxicities, as measured using the Microtox assay. Chitosan addition significantly enhanced the reduction in toxicity. The toxicities of the phenol solutions treated with tyrosinase were markedly lower than previously reported toxicities of solutions treated with peroxidase enzymes.

Effects of a weak diffuse-brain-stimulation on insomniacs with vibration syndrome.

To verify the efficacy of a weak diffuse-brain-stimulation (DBS) method that was specially devised by this research team, a weak DBS was administered to seven male inpatients, who had vibration syndrome due to a prolonged use of a vibratory tool and who were simultaneously complaining of insomnia. Sleep data obtained from the polygraphic recordings on the DBS-treated night were compared with those on the pseudo DBS-treated. As the result, this DBS method proved to be effective in improving patients' sleep initiation and/or maintenance, and also their subjective ratings on the quality of actual sleep. In conclusion, the present DBS was determined to produce a decrease in the sympathetic tone which is needed at the onset of sleep.