Revista Ambiente & Água - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Science

1-12

Authors: Larissa Coelho Auto Gomes; Barbara Costa Pereira; Renato Pereira Ribeiro; Jaime Lopes da Mota Oliveira

Biological wastewater treatment processes with biological nitrogen removal are potential sources of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. It is important to expand knowledge on the controlling factors associated with N2O production, in order to propose emission mitigation strategies. This study therefore sought to identify the parameters that favor nitrite (NO2-) accumulation and its influence on N2O production and emission in an anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor with biological nitrogen removal. Even with controlled dissolved oxygen concentrations and oxidation reduction potential, the first aerobic phase promoted only partial nitrification, resulting in NO2- build-up (ranging from 29 to 57%) and consequent N2O generation. The NO2- was not fully consumed in the subsequent anoxic phase, leading to even greater N2O production through partial denitrification. A direct relationship was observed between NO2- accumulation in these phases and N2O production. In the first aerobic phase, the N2O/NO2- ratio varied between 0.5 to 8.5%, while in the anoxic one values ranged between 8.3 and 22.7%. Higher N2O production was therefore noted during the anoxic phase compared to the first aerobic phase. As a result, the highest N2O fluxes occurred in the second aerobic phase, ranging from 706 to 2416 mg N m-2 h-1, as soon as aeration was triggered. Complete nitrification and denitrification promotion in this system was proven to be the key factor to avoid NO2- build-up and, consequently, N2O emissions.

1-18

Authors: Cynara de Lourdes da Nóbrega Cunha; Ada Cristina Scudelari; Danilo de Oliveira Sant'Ana; Teresa Elane Bezerra Luz; Mariana Kummer da Rocha Pinheiro

The Mundaú-Manguaba Estuary Lagoon Complex is located on the coast of Alagoas state in Northeastern Brazil, and consists of two shallow lagoons, Mundaú and Manguaba, that form a system of choked lagoons which are connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a series of narrow channels with a single outlet which dynamically alters its position. This study uses the Hydrodynamic Environmental System, SisBaHiA® to investigate how variations in river discharge and wind influence hydrodynamic circulation, water renewal, salinity and temperature in the lagoons. The free surface positions, obtained by model, were compared with the free surface positions measured at two points of the complex, showing good agreement. The analyses were carried out for dry and wet seasons and extreme events with very high freshwater discharge. The channel system of the lagoons is an efficient filter in reducing tidal variability inside the lagoons. The tidal ranges in the Manguaba and Mundaú Lagoons are 90% and 80% lower, respectively, as compared with the values in the open boundary. The residence time calculated varied between 11 and 365 days and between 2 and 180 days for the Manguaba and Mundaú Lagoons, respectively, making it possible to identify possible stagnation areas. The results from the salt and heat transport model show a prolonged period with low salt concentrations and slow salinity recovery after the rainy season; the water temperature in the lagoons shows little spatial and temporal variation.

1-14

Authors: Matheus Duarte de Araújo; Rui de Oliveira

In view of the water crises historically experienced by Brazil’s semi-arid region, it is necessary to search for methodological tools that allow us to propose efficient alternatives for managing water demand. In this regard, the present study developed and applied a hybrid approach of flow network modeling and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) combined with Shannon’s entropy for simulating and prioritizing water demand management alternatives in the Epitácio Pessoa Reservoir in the Brazilian semiarid region. The approach initially performed simulations of the hydro system flow network to explore rational alternatives that evaluated the following criteria: meet the demands of human supply, meet the demands for irrigation, maintain the reservoir above the target volume, and reduce consumption. Subsequently, Shannon's entropy was used to assess the importance of the criteria and the multicriteria analysis of ranking of alternatives was built. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the model was performed regarding the dependence on respective weights of the criteria. The results made enabled evaluation of the hydro system’s water security, highlighting insufficient supply by the single measure of water management transposition of the São Francisco River, and based on the hierarchy of alternatives, suggesting actions to improve the sustainability of water use, such as reuse of water, reduction of losses in supply systems and increasing irrigation efficiency. The proposed hybrid approach permitted the synthesis of the simulation’s results, which may simplify and support the decision-making process in water-demand management.

1-9

Authors: Barbara Santos Ritt ; André Luís Teixeira Fernandes; Geraldo Thedei Júnior

The quality of water for human consumption has been a concern for large organizations and researchers, since the disinfection process, a step of great importance in water treatment plants, has not achieved its proper purpose. There have been frequent reports of the ineffectiveness of bacteria inactivation by the use of chlorine, which is the most used in Brazil, and also due to the formation of by-products such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids that are considered toxic to human health. The method of disinfection by ultraviolet radiation (UV) has been widely explored, due to its effectiveness in inactivating a wide variety of pathogens, in addition to the absence of by-product formation. The combined chlorine+UV process as chemical and physical disinfectants, respectively, is complementary and essential when looking for the safety of water for human consumption. The objective of this research was to statistically analyze the performance of disinfectants, chlorine and UV radiation, both separately and together, by inactivating the bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and then incubating for 48 hours after having received the treatments. The statistical method showed that chlorine and UV obtained the same significance of 100% bacteria inactivation, and that within the determined time of 48 hours after the treatments the bacteria did not show reactivation. Thus, the study affirmed the usefulness of applying UV radiation as a complement to systems that use chlorine, with a special focus on residential water systems and supply.