Reuse of refinery's tertiary-treated wastewater in cooling towers: microbiological monitoring.

The study was planned to quantify the distribution of bacteria between bulk water and biofilm formed on different materials in an industrial scale cooling tower system of an oil refinery operating with clarified and chlorinated freshwater (CCW) or chlorinated tertiary effluent (TRW) as makeup water. The sessile and planktonic heterotrophic bacteria and Pseudomonas aeruginosa densities were significantly higher in the cooling tower supplied with clarified and chlorinated freshwater (CTCW) (p < 0.05). In the two towers, the biofilm density was higher on the surface of glass slides and stainless steel coupons than on the surface of carbon steel coupons. The average corrosion rates of carbon steel coupons (0.4-0.8 millimeters per year (mpy)) and densities of sessile (12-1.47 × 10(3) colony-forming unit (CFU) cm(-1)) and planktonic (0-2.36 × 10(3) CFU mL(-1)) microbiota remained below of the maximum values of reference used by water treatment companies as indicative of efficient microbial control. These data indicate that the strategies of the water treatment station (WTS) (free chlorine) and industrial wastewater treatment station (IWTS) followed by reverse electrodialysis system (RES) (free chlorine plus chloramine) were effective for the microbiological control of the two makeup water sources.

Effect of potassium on the leaching of chemical species in a soil treated with sewage sludge

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a interferência do potássio, utilizado como adubo suplementar, na lixiviação química de íons, em um solo que fora tratado com lodo de esgoto alcalinizado (LEA) e cultivado com milho em 2001. O estudo foi desenvolvido na casa de vegetação do Setor de Ciências Agrárias em Curitiba, em 2002/2003, instalado em colunas de PVC de 60cm de altura e 7,5 cm de diâmetro. Mediante a análise dos resultados do experimento com LEA, verificou-se na solução lixiviada aumento da concentração de potássio e cloreto, bem como a redução da concentração de Al3+, à medida que se aumentou a adubação potássica no solo, nas quatro lixiviações. A presença de lodo de esgoto alcalinizado aumentou a concentração de NO3-, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+ e Al3+ nas soluções na maioria das lixiviações. Verificou-se valores de Al+3 superiores a 0,1 mg L-1 nas quatro lixiviações, para o solo com LEA. Para o nitrato, todas as soluções apresentaram valores superiores ao valor máximo permitido pela legislação vigente (10 mg L-1).

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in blood donors in Salvador, Northeast-Brazil.

Helicobacter pylori plays an important role in the etiology of peptic ulcer disease. Its prevalence appears to be higher in developing countries. We evaluated the seroprevalence of H. pylori and risk factors associated with infection in voluntary blood donors who attended the main blood center of the city of Salvador, Brazil. The subjects responded to an epidemiological questionnaire, with information about sex, age, race, lifestyle, social-economic level indicators, and residence and hygiene conditions. Anti-H. pylori antibody was determined by ELISA (Cobas Core, Roche). Three hundred and seven subjects were included in the study. Anti-H. pylori antibody results were indeterminate in 33 individuals (10.8%), who were excluded from analysis. Among the remaining 274 subjects, 187 (68.2%) were anti-H. pylori positive. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis three variables were found to be significantly associated with a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection: absence of plumbing in the residence during childhood, a history of rainwater invading the dwelling during childhood, and low ingestion of milk.

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection in blood donors in Salvador, Northeast-Brazil

Helicobacter pylori plays an important role in the etiology of peptic ulcer disease. Its prevalence appears to be higher in developing countries. We evaluated the seroprevalence of H. pylori and risk factors associated with infection in voluntary blood donors who attended the main blood center of the city of Salvador, Brazil. The subjects responded to an epidemiological questionnaire, with information about sex, age, race, lifestyle, social-economic level indicators, and residence and hygiene conditions. Anti-H. pylori antibody was determined by ELISA (Cobas Core, Roche). Three hundred and seven subjects were included in the study. Anti-H. pylori antibody results were indeterminate in 33 individuals (10.8 percent), who were excluded from analysis. Among the remaining 274 subjects, 187 (68.2 percent) were anti-H. pylori positive. Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis three variables were found to be significantly associated with a higher prevalence of H. pylori infection: absence of plumbing in the residence during childhood, a history of rainwater invading the dwelling during childhood, and low ingestion of milk.