Browsing by Author "Yeh, Kuei-Jyum"

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    Degradation of gasoline oxygenates in the subsurface
    Yeh, Kuei-Jyum (Virginia Tech, 1992)
    Tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) are compounds with the potential for use as oxygenates in reformulated gasolines. Being relatively soluble in water, these organics, if accidentally discharged into the subsurface, may rapidly spread and pose threats to groundwater. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the biodegradation potential of these oxygenates in soils and to determine the influence of subsurface environments on their degradation. Biodegradation was evaluated in static soil/water microcosms. Aquifer material was collected from various depths at three sites with different soil characteristics. Potential electron acceptors including O₂ in the form of H₂O₂, nitrate or sulfate were added to induce the desired metabolism (aerobic respiration, denitrification, sulfate reduction, or methanogenesis). In each metabolic process, the influence of several subsurface environmental factors on biodegradation was investigated. The data show that biodegradation potential of MTBE, ETBE and TBA varied substantially with site and depth. TBA was the easiest compound to biodegrade, whereas MTBE was the most recalcitrant. Cleavage of the ether bond is the first and rate-limiting step in the degradation of ETBE and possibly MTBE. Addition of H₂O₂, caused chemical oxidation of MTBE and ETBE. The chemical oxidation was faster in the organically rich soils, but slower in the organic-poor soils. Soil microorganisms were able to catalyze the cleavage of the ether bond in ETBE but not MTBE. This biological reaction was not significant when chemical oxidation occurred. TBA, on the other hand, was aerobically biodegraded in all soils. Under denitrifying and anaerobic conditions TBA degradation occurred in all soils but the degradation of ETBE and MTBE was only observed at one of three sites. TBA degradation was enhanced by nutrient addition in the nutrient-poor soil but hindered by the presence of other easily-degraded organic compounds. Degradation of MTBE and ETBE occurred only in soils containing low organic matter with a pH around 5.5. No degradation of MTBE and ETBE was observed in the organic-rich soils and in the organically poor soils, the addition of ethanol inhibited MTBE and ETBE degradation.
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    The influence of cations on activated sludge behavior
    Yeh, Kuei-Jyum (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1988)
    This study investigated the influence of cations on biopolymer characteristics and sludge properties. Settling and dewatering properties of sludges were measured and correlated to the biopolymer characteristics. In addition, effects of cations on sludge conditioning with polymer were studied. Experiment mainly consisted of two parts, reactor study and batch study. In re- actor study continuous-flow reactors were operated. Variables used included varying types of substrate, addition of magnesium or sodium, and changes in pH. The batch study included conditioning tests on the sludges with combinations of cationic polymer and salts. Biopolymers were extracted using alkali extraction followed by gel filtration and subsequent carbohydrate and protein analysis. The sludge settling and dewatering were measured in terms of SVI and specific resistance, respectively. Sludge filtering rate (TIF) was used to measure the conditioning efficiency. The results indicated that the influence of cations depended on the type and concentration of salt. An optimal concentration of Mg was found to improve biopolymer binding. The organic composition of feed also affected biopolymer characteristics. A higher pH combined with a high amount of sodium released biopolymer and resulted in sludge deflocculation. A relationship between unbound biopolymer and soluble effluent COD was observed but no discernible relation between biopolymer binding and sludge settling and dewatering properties was found. Cations were found to reduce polymer requirement during sludge conditioning. In addition, the amount of extractable biopolymers by alkali extraction was greatly influenced by salt. Magnesium inhibited the release of biopolymer, but sodium im- proved the efficiency of biopolymer extraction.