Srdjan Roncevic | University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Economics Subotica (original) (raw)

Papers by Srdjan Roncevic

Introduction: The Great Bačka Canal (GBC) is an integrated part of the large Danube-Tisa-Danube H... more Introduction: The Great Bačka Canal (GBC) is an integrated part of the large Danube-Tisa-Danube Hydro-system (DTD system). It is built at turn of the 19th century primarily for drainage of flooding areas and to expand inland navigable routes in this part of Europe. The GBC is 118 km long canal which links the Danube at Bezdan with Tisa at Becej (Fig. 1). Nowadays, GBC is practically non-navigable and without runoff due to accumulation of around 400,000 m 3 of sediment in the 6 km section of canal that runs through urban area of the Vrbas city (Fig. 1). The pollution in the GBC came in the second half of the 20th century as a result of the rapid development of industry and non-existent or inadequate treatment of communal and industrial wastewaters of the cities of Vrbas, Kula and Crvenka. This has resulted in poor water quality and impossibility of river transport because accumulation of sediments has resulted in a water depth of less than 0.5 m. It also represents a huge ecological ...

The sorption-desorption hysteresis of naphthalene and phenanthrene onto Danube sediment was inves... more The sorption-desorption hysteresis of naphthalene and phenanthrene onto Danube sediment was investigated. Hysteresis indices (HI) are calculated for three equilibrium concentration (Ce=1%, 5% i 50% of the solubility in water). The results of sorption-desorption hysteresis indicated that it exists for both investigated sorbates on the Danube sediment. For more hydrophobic compound, phenanthrene (logKOW< 4.55) hysteresis is less pronounced in comparison with naphthalene (logKOW< 3.36). In the case of naphthalene, the existence of hysteresis may be due to irreversible pore deformation of the sorbent which causes the formation of meta-stable states in the sorbate mesopores.

Zastita materijala

The subject of this study was to investigate the adsorption behavior of selected divalent metals ... more The subject of this study was to investigate the adsorption behavior of selected divalent metals (Cu (II), Cd (II), Pb (II)) on amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes, MWCNT-NH 2 , at four selected pH values (3; 4.5, 6, 11), in order to estimate the possibility of using MWCNT-NH 2 to remove ion metal from aqueous solutions at relatively low concentrations (0.01-0.1 mg L-1). The focus of the study was to determine the adsorption mechanism at the experimental conditions. The adsorption of divalent metal ions on MWCNT-NH 2 was best described by the pseudo-second order kinetics model, which indicates that adsorption can be attributed to the chemical interactions between the adsorbates and the binding groups on the surface of the adsorbent. Modeling the adsorption rate by the Weber-Morris diffusion model indicated that intra-particle diffusion, although a slower step than external diffusion, is not the only limiting step in the adsorption process, and that the interaction of the investigated ions with the binding sites on the adsorbent surface also control the adsorption rate. Assessment of the impact of pH on the adsorption rate has shown that the pH value, in the investigated range, has the highest effect on the adsorption efficiency of Cu (II) and the lowest for the removal of Cd (II).

Kragujevac Journal of Science

Paper monitors seasonal dynamics of heavy metals bioaccumulation (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb) of emerg... more Paper monitors seasonal dynamics of heavy metals bioaccumulation (Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb) of emerged plant Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. on two localities (Necik and Sinjak) in the area of Bardača fishpond (BiH-Republic of Srpska). Dynamics of heavy metals bioaccumulation varied depending on sampling period, locality and plant organ. Concentration, transfer (transport) and accumulation of metals from sediment to rhizome above ground plant part was evaluated based on biological concentration factor (BCF), translocation ability (TA) and bioaccumulation factor (BAC). The highest average BCF value in researched species was determined for Fe (0.87) and the lowest for Zn (0.18). Bioaccumulation coefficient was the highest for Mn (0.82) and the lowest for Fe (0.20) whereas TA was the highest for Zn (2.28) and Mn (2.70). For Fe, it was significantly lower (0.24). Based on values for BCF, TA and BAC, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. could be identified as accumulator for Mn and indicator for metals Fe, Zn and Cu and it has good potential for application in phytoremediation techniques, especially in phytostabilization and phytoextraction of polluted land. Considering the fact that higher degree of bioaccumulation was recorded in the period at the end of season, we could take this period as a signal for their removal from water ecosystems.

Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering

The objective of this study is to enable a better understanding of the effectiveness of solidific... more The objective of this study is to enable a better understanding of the effectiveness of solidification/stabilization (S/S) technique in treating polluted sediment, and provide the much needed validation of the longevity of the technology. In this research kaolinite and montmorillonite, with a certain proportion of lime, were used for S/S treatment of sediment polluted with metals. Leachability of metals was examined using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) and the German standard leaching test (DIN 3841-4 S4) prescribed in national legislative. Results indicated successful S/S treatment using both clays and lime, from the aspect of all leached metals even with pH variations over time and slight changes in structural integrity of specimens. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses and porosity measurement were also performed on the prepared monolithic matrices. XRD qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis proved hydration and pozzolani...

Journal of Environmental Management

Phytotechnologies have been used worldwide to remediate and restore damaged ecosystems, especiall... more Phytotechnologies have been used worldwide to remediate and restore damaged ecosystems, especially those caused by industrial byproducts leaching into rivers and other waterways. The objective of this study was to test the growth, physiology, and phytoextraction potential of poplar and willow established in soils amended with heavy-metal contaminated, dredged river sediments from the Great Bačka Canal near Vrbas City, Serbia. The sediments were applied to greenhouse-grown trees of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. clone 'Bora' and Salix viminalis L. clone 'SV068'. Individual pots with trees previously grown for two months were amended with 0, 0.5 and 1.0 kg of sediment containing 400 mg Cr kg −1 , 295 mg Cu kg −1 , 465 mg Zn kg −1 , 124 mg Ni kg −1 , 1.87 mg Cd kg −1 , and 61 mg Pb kg −1. Following amendment, trees were grown for two seasons (i.e., 2014, 2015), with coppicing after the first season. In addition to growth parameters, physiological traits related to the photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism were assessed during both growing seasons. At the end of the study, trees were harvested for biomass analysis and accumulation of heavy metals in tree tissues and soils. Application of sediment decreased aboveground biomass by 37.3% in 2014, but increased height (16.4%) and leaf area (19.2%) in 2015. Sediment application negatively impacted the content of pigments and nitrate reductase activity, causing them to decrease over time. Generally, the effect of treatments on growth was more pronounced in poplars, while willows had more pronounced physiological activity. Accumulation patterns were similar to previously-published results. In particular, Zn and Cd were mostly accumulated in leaves of both poplar and willow, which indicated successful phytoextraction. In contrast, other metals (e.g., Cr, Ni, Pb, Cu) were mostly phytostabilized in the roots. Differences in metal allocation between poplar and willow were recorded only for Cu, while other metals followed similar distribution patterns in both genera. Results of this study indicated that the composition of heavy metals in the sediments determined the mechanisms of the applied phytoremediation technique.

The Journal "Agriculture and Forestry", 2015

Efficiency of water and soil phytoremediation often depends upon the proper selection of species ... more Efficiency of water and soil phytoremediation often depends upon the proper selection of species and in some cases even adequate cultivar within selected species. This paper presents researches conducted during selection of poplar and willow clones for phytoremedation of water and sediments. Selection focused on two types of contamination: (1) nitrate groundwater and freshwater and (2) river sediments contamination. Results of selection for nitrate phytoremediation showed potential of investigated clones through accumulation and assimilation. Sediments in waters with high amount of wastewater efflux can pose severe threat to the water ecosystems and environment, therefore, its removal and safe disposal or remediation is needed. Authors investigated the use of extracted sediment from Great Bačka canal for fertilization of one poplar and one willow clone in two concentrations in the experiment performed as greenhouse pot experiment with application of 0.5 and 1 kg sediment per pot. During the experiment, growth and physiological parameters were measured in order to estimate the effect of sediment applications and preliminary results did not show negative effect on all investigated parameters.

Sumarski List

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology where plants are used for environmental cleanup. Crude... more Phytoremediation is an emerging technology where plants are used for environmental cleanup. Crude oil contami-nated soils are one of the most challenging tasks for phytoremediation applications due to the complexity of the proc-ess aff ected by variability in chemical composition of oil, plant-microorganism interactions and phytotoxicity of contaminants. Although signs of phytotoxicity are very oft en easily visible, sometimes plant physiological processes can indicate stress in plants due to the presence of xenobiotics in cases without visible signs. Th is paper presents in-vestigation of the potential of various poplar (Populus sp.) clones for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with crude oil through assessment of physiological parameters. Biomass production together with: (i) nitrate reductase activity; (ii) net photosynthesis/dark respiration, (iii) proline content (iv) chlorophyll fl uorescence and (v) pigments contents were studied. Investiagted clones showed various react...

Hemijska industrija, 2014

This work is concerned with exploring the possibilities of using solidification/stabilization (S/... more This work is concerned with exploring the possibilities of using solidification/stabilization (S/S) treatment for toxic sludge generated in dye effluent treatment, when pyrite cinder is used as catalytic iron source in the modified heterogeneous Fenton process. S/S treatment was performed by using different clay materials (kaolin, bentonite and native clay from the territory of Vojvodina) and fly ash in order to immobilize toxic metals and arsenic presented in sludge. For the evaluation of the extraction potential of toxic metals and the effectiveness of the S/S treatment applied, four single-step leaching tests were performed. Leaching test results indicated that all applied S/S treatments were effective in immobilizing toxic metals and arsenic presented in sludge. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of pozzolanic products, and compressive strength measurement proved the treatment efficacy. It can be concluded that the S/S technique has significant potential for solv...

RSC Adv., 2015

This work studies the adsorption of four chlorinated phenols (2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichloro... more This work studies the adsorption of four chlorinated phenols (2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and pentachlorophenol) in aqueous solutions on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT).

Desalination and Water Treatment, 2014

Separation and Purification Technology, 2014

ABSTRACT A novel technique of continuous ECF using bipolar Al electrode was attempted in this stu... more ABSTRACT A novel technique of continuous ECF using bipolar Al electrode was attempted in this study to efficiently remove arsenic from groundwater rich in hydrophobic NOM (9.31 ± 0.52 mg C/L). The effects of several operational parameters such as, initial groundwater pH, evolution of temperature, conductivity and pH, electrode polarity time change on As and NOM removal efficiency were comprehensively examined by conducting 6 h long experimental runs. The average residual As in treated groundwater was 4.6 ± 0.4 lg/L. NOM removal according to UV254 absorbance, DOC and SUVA was 89%, 70%, 64%, respectively. The highest As and NOM removal with the optimal residual Al below 0.2 mg/L was obtained at the same groundwater pH = 5.3 ± 0.3. The change of electrode polarity at 30 min successfully prevented electrode passivation and enabled highest As removal with the optimal residual Al in treated groundwater. Specific reactor electric energy and electrode consumption for operational current density of 8.86 mA/cm2 was 3.03 kW h/m3, 0.059 kg Al/m3, respectively. Indicative reactor’s operating cost at the optimal operational conditions was estimated at 0.25 €/m3.

Two multiwalled carbon nanotubes-based composites modified with bismuth and bismuth-oxychloride p... more Two multiwalled carbon nanotubes-based composites modified with bismuth and bismuth-oxychloride particles were synthesized and attached to the glassy carbon electrode substrate. The resultant configurations, Bi/MWCNT-GCE and BiOCl/MWNT-GCE, were then characterized with respect to their physicochemical properties and electroanalytical performance in combination with square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). Further, some key experimental conditions and instrumental parameters were optimized; namely: the supporting electrolyte composition, accumulation potential and time, together with the parameters of the SWV-ramp. The respective method with both electrode configurations has then been examined for the trace level determination of Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) ions and the results compared to those obtained with classical bismuth-film modified GCE. The different intensities of analytical signals obtained at the three electrodes for Pb(2+) and Cd(2+) vs. the saturated calomel reference electrode had indicated that the nature of the modifiers and the choice of the supporting electrolyte influenced significantly the corresponding stripping signals. The most promising procedure involved the BiOCl/MWCNT-GCE and the acetate buffer (pH 4.0) offering limits of determination of 4.0 μg L(-1) Cd(2+) and 1.9 μg L(-1) Pb(2+) when accumulating for 120 s at a potential of -1.20 V vs. ref. The BiOCl/MWCNT electrode was tested for the determination of target ions in the pore water of a selected sediment sample and the results agreed well with those obtained by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2014

Hemijska industrija, 2012

The Krivaja River is the longest natural water body (109 km) that flows completely within the bor... more The Krivaja River is the longest natural water body (109 km) that flows completely within the borders of Serbian province of Vojvodina. In the absence of national legislation, the sediment quality was assessed in accordance with the Dutch classification methodology. It was found that the river sediment is highly contaminated with copper and zinc (192 mg kg-1 and 1218 mg kg-1 respectively), and as such is an extreme risk to the environment and human health. The solidification/stabilization (S/S) treatment with local clay, that has high capacity of cation exchange 70.2 meq/100 g and specific surface area of 630 m2 g-1, was employed for remediation of the contaminated sediment. The sequential extraction procedure showed that the copper and zinc have medium risk for the environment, with the percentage in the carbonate fraction of 18 and 22% respectively. The results of sequential extraction are not in full agreement with the results of pseudo-total metal concentration in the sediment, ...

Water Science & Technology: Water Supply, 2015

This work investigates the effects of ultraviolet (UV)/H2O2 advanced oxidation on the content and... more This work investigates the effects of ultraviolet (UV)/H2O2 advanced oxidation on the content and characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) originating from two different groundwaters (3.03–9.69 mg/L total organic carbon (TOC), 2.71–4.31 Lmg−1m−1 specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA)). Application of UV irradiation resulted in a minor reduction in the total content of NOM. Using UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation led to a significant reduction of the aromatic character of NOM (SUVA was reduced by up to 80%) and an increase in the hydrophilic character of the residual NOM, with the optimal UV/H2O2 treatment conditions depending on the water type. In addition, fluctuations in trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) were observed depending on the UV/H2O2 process conditions, with a maximal reduction of about 40% achieved for both waters.

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2015

This work compares the biodegradation potential of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (p... more This work compares the biodegradation potential of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene and benzo(a)pyrene, chosen as representatives of the 3, 4 and 5 ring PAHs) with their desorption from sediment by XAD4 resin and methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MCD). The biodegradation study was conducted under various conditions (biostimulation, bioaugmentation and their combination). The results show that total PAH removal in all treatments except biostimulation gave similar results, whereby the total amount of PAHs was decreased by about 30-35%. The desorption experiment showed that XAD4 desorbed a greater fraction of phenanthrene (77% versus 52%), and benzo(a)pyrene (44% versus 25%) than MCD. The results for four ring PAHs were similar for both desorption agents (about 30%). Comparing the maximum biodegraded amount of each PAH with the rapidly desorbed XAD4 and MCD fraction, XAD4 was found to correlate better with biodegradation for the high molecular PAHs (pyrene, chrysene, benzo(a)pyrene), although it overestimated the availability of phenanthrene. In contrast, MCD showed better correlation with the biodegradation of low molecular weight PAHs.

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2012

The performance of the laboratory scale electrocoagulation/flotation (ECF) reactor in removing hi... more The performance of the laboratory scale electrocoagulation/flotation (ECF) reactor in removing high concentrations of natural organic matter (NOM) and arsenic from groundwater was analyzed in this study. An ECF reactor with bipolar plate aluminum electrodes was operated in the horizontal continuous flow mode. Electrochemical and flow variables were optimized to examine ECF reactor contaminants removal efficiency. The optimum conditions for the process were identified as groundwater initial pH 5, flow rate=4.3 l/h, inter electrode distance=2.8 cm, current density=5.78 mA/cm(2), A/V ratio=0.248 cm(-1). The NOM removal according to UV(254) absorbance and dissolved organic matter (DOC) reached highest values of 77% and 71% respectively, relative to the raw groundwater. Arsenic removal was 85% (6.2 μg As/l) relative to raw groundwater, satisfying the drinking water standards. The specific reactor electrical energy consumption was 17.5 kWh/kg Al. The specific aluminum electrode consumption was 66 g Al/m(3). According to the obtained results, ECF in horizontal continuous flow mode is an energy efficient process to remove NOM and arsenic from groundwater.