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Allen P Davis

Publications and source records attributed to Allen P Davis.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Heavy metal fates in laboratory bioretention systems.

Key to managing heavy metals in bioretention is to understand their fates in bioretention facilities. In this study, pot prototypes filled with bioretention media were built to simulate the conditions of natural growth of plants. Synthetic runoff with different heavy metal loadings (copper, cadmium, lead, and zinc) was periodically applied. Metal accumulations in tissues of grasses -Panicum virgatum, Kentucky-31, and Bromus ciliatus, were investigated after 230d of growth and multiple runoff treatment events. After 183d of periodic runoff application, the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd with low and high loadings had the same trends in the plant tissues, Zn>Cu>Pb>Cd, following the trend of the input metal concentrations. The fates of input metals were 88-97% captured in soil media, 2.0-11.6% not captured by bioretention media, and 0.5-3.3% accumulated in plants. Compared to the metals retained by the soil, the percentages of input metals taken up by plants were relatively low due to the low plant biomass produced in this study. Greater biomass density would be required for the vegetation to have a valuable impact in prolonging the lifetime of a bioretention cell.

Metals, Heavy↗
PubMed2006

Effect of contact order on the adsorption of inorganic arsenic species onto hematite in the presence of humic acid.

The speciation of aqueous and adsorbed As forms of arsenic (As) is a major environmental concern in the presence of humic acid (HA). The speciation during As adsorption process by the effect of contact order were evaluated in various equilibrated ternary systems consisting of As, HA and hematite. One ternary system was composed of the preequilibrated As(III)- or As(V)-HA complex, with the subsequent addition of hematite ((As-HA)-hematite system), and the other consisted of the preequilibrated HA-hematite, with the addition of As(III) or As(V) (As-(HA-hematite) system). The presence of HA led to a decrease in the As adsorption, opposite to cationic adsorption. The order of the amounts of As adsorption were found to follow as: As(V)-hematite>hematite-(As(V)-HA)>As(V)-(HA-hematite)>As(III)-hematite>hematite-(As(III)-HA)>As(III)-(HA-hematite). Free As(V) and As-HA complex were preferentially adsorbed onto the hematite surface. The immobilization of As can come from adsorbed HA on mineral surfaces, and formation of As-HA complex, following their slow kinetics.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

Sustainable oil and grease removal from synthetic stormwater runoff using bench-scale bioretention studies.

One of the principal components of the contaminant load in urban stormwater runoff is oil and grease (O&G) pollution, resulting from vehicle emissions. A mulch layer was used as a contaminant trap to remove O&G (dissolved and particulate-associated naphthalene, dissolved toluene, and dissolved motor oil hydrocarbons) from a synthetic runoff during a bench-scale infiltration study. Approximately 80 to 95% removal of all contaminants from synthetic runoff was found via sorption and filtration. Subsequently, approximately 90% of the sorbed naphthalene, toluene, oil, and particulate-associated naphthalene was biodegraded within approximately 3, 4, 8, and 2 days after the event, respectively, based on decreases in contaminant concentrations coupled with increases of microbial populations. These results indicate the effectiveness and sustainability of placing a thin layer of mulch on the surface of a bioretention facility for reducing O&G pollution from urban stormwater runoff.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2006

Water quality improvement through bioretention media: nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

High nutrient inputs and eutrophication continue to be one of the highest priority water quality problems. Bioretention is a low-impact development technology that has been advocated for use in urban and other developed areas. This work provides an in-depth analysis on removal of nutrients from a synthetic stormwater runoff by bioretention. Results have indicated good removal of phosphorus (70 to 85%) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (55 to 65%). Nitrate reduction was poor (< 20%) and, in several cases, nitrate production was noted. Variations in flowrate (intensity) and duration had a moderate affect on nutrient removal. Mass balances demonstrate the importance of water attenuation in the facility in reducing mass nutrient loads. Captured nitrogen can be converted to nitrate between storm events and subsequently washed from the system. Analysis on the fate of nutrients in bioretention suggests that accumulation of phosphorus and nitrogen may be controlled by carefully managing growing and harvesting of vegetation.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2005

Effect of background electrolytes and pH on the adsorption of Cu(II)/EDTA onto TiO2.

Cu(II)/EDTA adsorption onto TiO2 has been studied with a variation of pH, ionic strength, and type of background electrolytes. Cu(II) adsorption onto TiO2 increased as ionic strength increased when NaClO4 was used as a background electrolyte. This can be explained by the increase of exp(-FPsi/RT) as a part of the electrostatic correction within a surface complexation model. Model predictions described experimental adsorption trends. Types of background anions (ClO4, Cl, NO2, NO3, SO3, and PO4) did not affect adsorption trends and adsorption amounts of Cu(II) onto TiO2. However, different trends were observed with various types of background ions used as ionic strength in EDTA and Cu(II)-EDTA adsorption. EDTA adsorption was decreased by using Na2SO3 and Na3PO4 as background ions, while NaClO4, NaCl, NaNO2, and NaNO3 showed negligible interference on the EDTA adsorption, which matched well with model predictions. The presence Na2SO3 and Na3PO4 also interfered with Cu(II)-EDTA adsorption, to a somewhat greater extent compared to EDTA adsorption, especially at lower pH. This interference was also noted in Cu(II)-EDTA adsorption with a variation of Cu(II)-EDTA concentration at constant ionic strength (3 x 10(-3) M) by using Na2SO3 and Na3PO4, especially at lower ratios of Cu(II)-EDTA to Na2SO3 and Na3PO4. These results suggest that the ratio of Cu(II)-EDTA to Na2SO3 and Na3PO4 is an important factor for the controlling of competition between these background ions and Cu(II)-EDTA onto TiO2. Model prediction generally matched well with experimental adsorption using NaClO4, NaCl, NaNO2, and NaNO3 as backgrounds ions, while a severe deviation was observed in the presence of Na2SO3 and Na3PO4. These results suggest that the mobility of copper ions as Cu(II)-EDTA can be increased from polluted area in the presence of multivalent background ions, especially as the ratio of adsorbates/background ions decreased.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Kinetics and mechanism of As2S3(am) dissolution under N2.

Arsenic presence in ground and surface waters poses a risk to ecosystem and human health; consequently, detailed information is needed on the factors that govern arsenic fate and transport in the environment. As2S3 is commonly found in hydrothermal and geothermal environments, hot springs, and in gold deposits, but the dominant reaction pathways and rates of dissolution are not well understood. The objectives of this research were as follows: (1) to understand the effect of pH on the dissolution of As2S3 under nitrogen-purged conditions, (2) to examine arsenic and sulfur speciation upon dissolution, and (3) to develop kinetic data for modeling the dissolution of As2S3. Studies were performed in batch reactors for a range of pH from 2 to 8. Results indicate that As2S3 dissolution is kinetically slow but very much dependent on pH. A J-shaped dissolution rate versus pH curve is described by the following expression: rate (microM h(-1)) = 0.9 + 610[OH-](0.3). Rate trends seem to follow As2S3 solubility as a function of pH. A surface dissolution mechanism is proposed, leading to dissolved As(III) species. Results indicate that under anaerobic conditions, an increase in pH will act to promote the arsenic sulfide dissolution rate.

Arsenic↗
PubMed2003

Stabilization of available arsenic in highly contaminated mine tailings using iron.

To evaluate the stabilization of available As in contaminated tailings from two abandoned metal mines of South Korea (the Myoungbong and Daduck Mines, 6670 and 56,600 mg/kg total As, respectively), characteristics of the tailings were investigated, and the tailings were treated through precipitation of amorphous iron compounds. Steep decreasing trends of extractable (5% NaOCl) As with increasing initial Fe(III) additions were observed in both treated tailings. In general, the treated tailings had the lowest extractable As concentration at pH 6. Available As, defined as the sum of As concentrations for the first four steps of a sequential extraction, was reduced from 2090 to 428 mg/kg (80% reduction) in the Myoungbong tailings and from 1320 to 395 mg/kg (70% reduction) in the Daduck tailings. As levels in the treated tailings decreased even more after a 1-month dormant period. Adsorption/coprecipitation tests performed with mixed As(III) and Fe(III) solutions demonstrated dramatically increased As sequestration via interaction with amorphous iron compounds with increasing pH. The bulk of the As appeared to be affiliated with stable Fe precipitates.

Arsenic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Water quality improvement through bioretention: lead, copper, and zinc removal.

Intensive automobile use, weathering of building materials, and atmospheric deposition contribute lead, copper, zinc, and other heavy metals to urban and roadway runoff. Bioretention is a low-impact-development best management practice that has the potential to improve stormwater quality from developed areas. The practice represents a soil, sand, organic matter, and vegetation-based storage and infiltration facility used in parking lots and on individual lots to treat runoff. Investigations using pilot-plant laboratory bioretention systems and two existing bioretention facilities documented their effectiveness at removing low levels of lead, copper, and zinc from synthetic stormwater runoff. Removal rates of these metals (based on concentration and total mass) were excellent, reaching close to 100% for all metals under most conditions, with effluent copper and lead levels mostly less than 5 microg/L and zinc less than 25 microg/L. Somewhat less removal was noted for shallow bioretention depths. Runoff pH, duration, intensity, and pollutant concentrations were varied, and all had minimal effect on removal. The two field investigations generally supported the laboratory studies. Overall, excellent removal of dissolved heavy metals can be expected through bioretention infiltration. Although the accumulation of metals is a concern, buildup problems are not anticipated for more than 15 years because of the low metal concentrations expected in runoff.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Engineered bioretention for removal of nitrate from stormwater runoff.

A bioretention unit is a simple, plant- and soil-based, low-impact treatment and infiltration facility for treating stormwater runoff in developed areas. Nitrate, however, is not attenuated in conventional bioretention facilities. Thus, this study systematically evaluated a reengineered concept of bioretention for nitrate removal via microbial denitrification, which incorporates a continuously submerged anoxic zone with an overdrain. Experimental studies were performed in four phases. In the first two phases, column studies demonstrated that, overall, newspaper is the best solid-phase electron-donor substrate for denitrification out of the set studied (alfalfa, leaf mulch compost, newspaper, sawdust, wheat straw, wood chips, and elemental sulfur) based on superior nitrate removal and effluent water quality. The nitrate loading and hydraulic loading studies in the second phase provided design information. In the third phase, system viability after 30- and 84-day dormant periods was evaluated in column studies, demonstrating that newspaper-supported biological denitrification should be effective under conditions of intermittent loadings. Finally, in the fourth phase, pilot-scale bioretention studies demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed design, showing nitrate plus nitrite mass removals of up to 80%. These results indicate that engineered bioretention for the removal of nitrogen from stormwater runoff has the potential for successful application as an urban stormwater treatment practice.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗