Fungi are known to be more resistant to toxic compounds and more effective in removing recalcitrant organics such as phenols than bacteria. Here we examined the removal of phenols (as a component of Zopliclone drugs), added to non-sterile pharmaceutical wastewater with continuous treatment fungal bioreactor by its augmentation with mono-species of white-rot fungi (WRF) Trametes versicolor. Results showed that WRF in a sterile reactor (a batch mode) were moderately effective for removal of phenols (40% in seven days); however, native wastewater microbes at optimal conditions for fungi (pH 5.5, 25 °C) were more effective (90%, both in batch and continuous flow modes). In continuous flow mode, addition of WRF was an effective way to mitigate high loads of phenols (up to 400 mg/L), by both fungal enzymes (growth rate 0.075 h−1, laccase enzymatic activity 4 nkat/mL) and biosorption. The study confirmed that naturaly occuring fungi in combination with fungus-augmentation is an effective approach for treatment of high-strength pharmaceutical wastewater.

Phenol is a major contaminant in the industrial water effluent, including pharmaceutical wastewaters. Although several physic-chemical methods for removal of phenol exist, they are of high cost, low efficiency, and generate toxic byproducts. Thus, there is a need to develop technologies for biological removal of phenol from wastewater. In this study, the degradation of phenol in pharmaceutical wastewater by monoculture of white-rot fungi was studied. The degradation rate of total phenol in batch flasks by four fungal monocultures of Trametes versicolor, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Gloeophyllum trabeum and Irpex lacteus in synthetic medium was compared. The results showed that white-rot fungus T.Versicolor was the most effective of the species. Further selection tests of optimal conditions of biomass concentration, pH and temperature were done, indicating that optimal conditions of degradation are at pH 5-6, temperature 25 o C, and biomass inoculum 10% (v/v). Under optimal conditions, total phenol was reduced by 93%, concentration of total phenol decreasing from 420±12 mg/l to 29±1 mg/l in seven days, with T.Versicolor specie. This study suggested that biological treatment with fungi may effectively be used as a pre-treatment stage for removal of phenol before polishing wastewater with conventional biological methods.

Abstract. The effect of pipe fittings (mainly T-pieces) on particle accumulation in drinking water distribution networks were shown in this work. The online measurements of flow and turbidity for cast iron, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride pipe sections were linked with analysis of pipe geometry. Up to 0.29 kg of the total amount mobilized in T-pieces ranging from DN 100/100-DN 250/250. The accumulated amount of particles in fittings was defined as J and introduced into the existing turbidity model PODDS (prediction of discoloration in distribution systems) proposed by Boxall et al. (2001) which describes the erosion of particles leading to discoloration events in drinking water network viz sections of straight pipes. However, this work does not

The effect of pipe fittings – mainly T-pieces – on particle accumulation in drinking water distribution networks is shown in this work. The online measurements of flow and turbidity for cast iron, polyethylene and polyvinylchloride pipe sections have been linked with the analysis of pipe geometry. Up to 0.29 kg of the total mass of particles was found to be accumulated in T-pieces ranging from DN 100/100–DN 250/250. The accumulated amount of particles in the fittings was defined as <i>J</i> and introduced into the existing turbidity model PODDS (Prediction of Discolouration in Distribution Systems) proposed by Boxall et al. (2001), which describes the erosion of particles leading to discoloration events in drinking water networks, viz. sections, of straight pipes. It does not interpret the mobilization of particles in pipe fittings, however, which have been considered in this article. T-pieces were the object of this study and depending on the diameter or daily flow velocity, the coefficient <i>J</i> varied from 1.16 to 8.02

Corrosion in water supply networks is unwanted process that causes pipe material loss and subsequent pipe failures. Nowadays pipe replacing strategy most often is based on pipe age, which is not always the most important factor in pipe burst rate. In this study a methodology for developing a mathematical model to predict the decrease of pipe thickness in a large cast iron networks is presented. The quality of water, the temperature and the water flow regime were the main factors taken into account in the corrosion model. The water quality and flow rate effect were determined by measuring corrosion rate of metals coupons over the period of one year at different flow regimes. The obtained constants were then introduced in a calibrated hydraulic model (Epanet) and the corrosion model was validated by measuring the decrease of wall thickness in the samples that were removed during the regular pipe replacing event. The validated model was run for 30 yr to simulate the water distribution system of Riga (Latvia). Corrosion rate in the first year was 8.0–9.5 times greater than in all the forthcoming years, an average decrease of pipe wall depth being 0.013/0.016 mm per year in long term. The optimal iron pipe exploitation period was concluded to be 30–35 yr (for pipe wall depth 5.50 mm and metal density 7.5 m³ t⁻¹). The initial corrosion model and measurement error was 33%. After the validation of the model the error was reduced to below 15%