An analytical procedure for total arsenic and arsenic species quantification in marine organisms has been developed. Fresh materials are freeze-dried and reduced to powders before analysis. Arsenic is determined either by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) directly or by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP/OES) after microwave digestion. Arsenic speciation is performed on the extracted sample using liquid chromatography coupled to ICP/OES for arsenobetaine and arsenocholine determination and to the hydride generation-quartz furnace atomic absorption spectrometric technique for arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsinic acids quantification. Special precautions are taken to avoid losses or contaminations as well as to prevent analytical errors during the quantification stage. Other methods are applied and the corresponding results compared for each step of the procedure. The method is finally validated by means of intercomparison studies within the Measurements and Testing Programme of the European Community (formely BCR).
Treated municipal wastewater is considered a valuable non-conventional water resource. However, a substantial number of wastewater treatment plants installed in the Mediterranean region have proven to be unsuccessful copies of systems operating in technolo-gically advanced countries. In addition to high operating and maintenance cost, these systems are often unsuited to address the local challenges of wastewater treatment. Therefore, treated municipal water is commonly under-exploited throughout the region. To address these challenges, the AQUACYCLE project aims to develop an eco-innovative wastewater treatment process scheme, comprised of anaerobic digestion, constructed wetlands and a solar photocatalytic reactor, for cost-effective treatment of urban wastewater and maximum environ-mental benefits. This paper presents the distinct features of the novel process scheme and the characteristics of three such demonstration units to be installed in Tunisia, Lebanon and Spain to test and validate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the hybrid system.
This paper offers a concise overview of the main strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, as derived from the institutional, policy and regulatory framework governing wastewater treatment and reuse in three Mediterranean countries. The SWOT analysis is based on a desk review of available reports, assessment studies and interviews with representatives of the public authorities involved at the national, regional and local level in Tunisia, Lebanon and Spain. This stakeholder-based SWOT analysis was performed to develop a strategic action plan for the implementation of an eco-innovative domestic wastewater treatment process scheme that is promoted in the aforementioned countries through pilot demonstration and operational application, with the aim to change the present paradigm of viewing wastewater as an unsafe effluent, to that of an abundant all-year-round resource that has multiple uses.
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