Miklas Scholz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Miklas Scholz

The performance of a novel industrial membrane bioreactor (MBR) comprising denitrification, nitri... more The performance of a novel industrial membrane bioreactor (MBR) comprising denitrification, nitrification and ultrafiltration for the secondary treatment of primary treated animal rendering wastewater has been compared with an experimental, low-cost and novel vertical-flow constructed treatment wetland planted with Typha latifolia L. The process wastewater followed pre-treatment by dissolved air flotation (DAF). The DAF effluent gave highly variable chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia of 5200 (± 2050) and 490 (± 270) mg/l, respectively. The MBR effluent for COD and ammonia was 45 and 63 mg/l, respectively. The treatment performance of the constructed wetland for COD, ammonia and suspended solids was 167, 63 and 15 mg/l, respectively.

This study assesses the potential of constructed wetland systems to treat tannery effluent (TE) a... more This study assesses the potential of constructed wetland systems to treat tannery effluent (TE) and mixed industry effluent (MIE). After each of the three influent cells acting as settling cells, three treatment cells in horizontal series along with a Control were applied. Each of the cells was subjected to horizontal surface flow and planted with Hemarthria compressa (L.f.) R.Br. (perennial whip grass). The percent decline in heavy metal concentrations between settling and Cell 3 over a period of 60 days varied as follows: zinc (Zn; 35.83-95.59), chromium (Cr; 30.63-95.49), copper (Cu; 24.3-97.05) and nickel (Ni; 20.3-93.2). The drop in chemical oxygen demand (COD mg L − 1) ranged between 3.95 and 72.14%, whilst the total dissolved solids (TDS g L − 1) decline was between 3.23 and 98.75%. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) drop ranges were between 1.4 and 11.72% along with up to 92.92%, respectively. The determined decline rates of pollutants and the cumulative biomass yield of H. compressa at p = 0.05 were between 0.76 and 0.96 (20 d − 1). The heavy metal tolerance index for H. compressa in TE and MIE were 0.25-3.25 and 0.25-2.2, respectively. Although treated TE and MIE discharged from Cell 3 of each of the effluent treatment series on the 60th day had Zn, Ni, Cr and Cu concentrations greater than the local permissible limits (Punjab Environmental Quality Standards) of Liquid Industrial Effluents. The treated water through the constructed wetland system proved safe for cultivation of okra (Abelmoscus esculentus (L.) Moench) vegetables.

Agronomy

Accumulation of trace elements, including heavy metals, were evaluated in soil and fruits of chil... more Accumulation of trace elements, including heavy metals, were evaluated in soil and fruits of chilli plants (Capsicum annuum L.) grown under both laboratory-controlled and semi-controlled greenhouse location conditions. Chilli plant biomass growth in different development stages and fruit productivity were evaluated and compared with each other for the impact of growth boundary conditions and water quality effects. Treated synthetic greywaters by different operational design set-ups of floating treatment wetland systems were recycled for watering chillies in both locations. Effluents of each individual group of treatment set-up systems were labelled to feed sets of three replicates of chilli plants in both locations. Results revealed that the treated synthetic greywater (SGW) complied with thresholds for irrigation water, except for high concentrations (HC) of phosphates, total suspended soils, and some trace elements, such as cadmium. Chilli plants grew in both locations with differ...

Water

Currently, it is important to develop strategic frameworks to support the selection of sustainabl... more Currently, it is important to develop strategic frameworks to support the selection of sustainable resource recovery solutions. This study applies a new framework for planning, implementation, and assessment of resource recovery strategies for a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in São Paulo megacity. The framework comprises several steps based on case study-specific data and information from current literature. Data were collected from various sources: a survey with a wastewater treatment utility, national and regional databases, and review of local regulations and international literature. Treatment configuration, wastewater and by-products composition, potential demand (for water, energy, and phosphorus), stakeholder identification, and local legislation were thoroughly discussed regarding decision-making on resource recovery. Scenario analysis was used to explore suitable nutrient and energy recovery measures based on indicators. Biogas recovery and sewage sludge comp...

Hydrology

It has become necessary to estimate the quantities of runoff by knowing the amount of rainfall to... more It has become necessary to estimate the quantities of runoff by knowing the amount of rainfall to calculate the required quantities of water storage in reservoirs and to determine the likelihood of flooding. The present study deals with the development of a hydrological model named Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC-HMS), which uses Digital Elevation Models (DEM). This hydrological model was used by means of the Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension (HEC-GeoHMS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to identify the discharge of the Al-Adhaim River catchment and embankment dam in Iraq by simulated rainfall-runoff processes. The meteorological models were developed within the HEC-HMS from the recorded daily rainfall data for the hydrological years 2015 to 2018. The control specifications were defined for the specified period and one day time step. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve number (SCS-CN), SCS Unit Hydrograph and Muskingum methods were used for loss, transformation a...

Sustainability

Performance appraisal reports provide vital information for making strategic decisions. Uniting H... more Performance appraisal reports provide vital information for making strategic decisions. Uniting HR practices and IT is an attempt to maximize value creation. Organizations are transforming their performance management systems from traditional to web-technology based systems to enhance accuracy and objectivity. The present study is an effort to assess employees’ perception of the accuracy of e-performance appraisal systems. To that effect, 500 close-ended questionnaires were administered to randomly selected employees working for a non-for-profit organization where e-performance appraisal is practiced. A total of 352 questionnaires were included for analysis and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results indicate that rater competence and the possibility to challenge performance appraisals judged as unfair or inaccurate highly influence the employees’ perception of accuracy of e-performance appraisals. Furthermore, a clear communication of standards and th...

Water

A severe water scarcity challenge is facing Iraq, which is predominantly due to the absence of wa... more A severe water scarcity challenge is facing Iraq, which is predominantly due to the absence of water management policies, negatively impacting the water quantity and quality provision from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Moreover, these practices have led to the intrusion of the Arabian Gulf salinity wedge into the Shatt Al-Arab River (SAR), which is the main water source for most water treatment plants (WTPs) in Basra city. In addition, the inadequate management and operation for most WTPs is another reason for the deterioration of water quality provided to Basra province. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the main WTP within Basra province and to subsequently make recommendations for decision-makers to come up with new management strategies and policies. The effluents from eight WTPs were selected to study the quality of water supply for Basra city during the period between January 2018 and December 2018. The results showed that all WTPs were in...

Journal of Water and Climate Change

There is scientific evidence of accelerated sea level rise and saline intrusion. Some impacts, su... more There is scientific evidence of accelerated sea level rise and saline intrusion. Some impacts, such as stratification and estuarine circulation, are subtle; others are dramatic including shifts in salt-sensitive habitats and limited water availability of suitable quality for industrial and municipal uses. These results have become a remarkable reality resulting in a set of integrated surface water organisation issues. Tremendous population increases overwhelming many coastal areas have expanded the problem. These challenges have been studied from many perspectives using various objectives and methodologies, and then arriving at different findings. However, all research assured that significant rises in sea level have influenced estuaries and tidally affected rivers, and these observations are expected to become rapidly worse in the future. This study introduces, categorises, critically investigates, and synthesises the most related studies regarding accelerated sea level rise and ch...

Water Resources Management

The aim of this article is to determine how human interventions in upstream countries coupled wit... more The aim of this article is to determine how human interventions in upstream countries coupled with drought events are affecting the flow regime of downstream countries using the Nile River basin for illustrative purposes. This has been addressed by assessing climate change in the study area through analyses of precipitation data obtained from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and detecting if there is a trend, and subsequently calculating drought events in the main basins impacting on the downstream flow. Then river discharge data were analysed using different hydraulic indices at key stations in the downstream country and measuring the alterations occurring in the flow. The degree of alteration is a function of the number of civil engineering projects being in operation and classified by time windows; pre-alteration is between 1900 and 1925, while the alteration period is between 1933 and 2012. The alteration period was classified into three periods based on the degree of alteration. The findings revealed that there are changes in the river flow regime caused by both changes in the rainfall pattern in addition to the regulation in the upstream countries. There is a direct relationship between the interventions in the upstream countries and changes in the flow regime especially when coupled with drought events. By increasing the water usage upstream, there is an increase in the alteration of the flow downstream. The years between 2000 and 2012 were linked to the highest alterations between the modified years.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The release of untreated dye textile wastewater into receiving streams is unacceptable not only f... more The release of untreated dye textile wastewater into receiving streams is unacceptable not only for aesthetic reasons and its negative impacts on aquatic life but also because numerous dyes are toxic and carcinogenic to humans. Strategies, as of now, used for treating textile wastewaters have technical and economical restrictions. The greater part of the physico-chemical methods, which are used to treat this kind of wastewater, are costly, produce large amounts of sludge and are wasteful concerning some soluble dyes. In contrast, biological treatments such as constructed wetlands are cheaper than the traditional methods, environmental friendly and do not produce large amounts of sludge. Synthetic wastewater containing Acid Blue 113 (AB113) and Basic Red 46 (BR46) has been added to laboratory-scale vertical-flow construction wetland systems, which have been planted with Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed). The concentrations 7 and 208 mg/l were applied for each dye at the hydraulic contact times of 48 and 96 h. Concerning the low concentrations of BR46 and AB113, the unplanted wetlands are associated with significant (ρ < 0.05) reduction performances, if compared with planted wetlands concerning the removal of dyes. For the high concentrations of AB113, BR46 and a mixture of both of them, wetlands with long contact times were significantly (ρ < 0.05) better than wetlands that had short contact times in terms of dye, colour and chemical oxygen demand reductions. Regarding nitrate nitrogen (NO 3-N), the reduction percentage rates of AB113, BR46 and a mixture dye of both of them were between 85 and 100%. For low and high inflow dye concentrations, best removals were generally recorded for spring and summer, respectively. Keywords Acid Blue 113. Basic Red 46. Chemical oxygen demand. Common reed. Environmental pollution control. Textile wastewater Abbreviations AB Acid blue ABSA 3-Aminobenzenesulfonic acid ANOVA Analysis of variance ANSA 5-Amino-8-(phenylamino)naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid AO Acid orange AY Acid yellow BR Basic red CASRN Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number COD Chemical oxygen demand DAN 1,4-Diaminonaphthalene DO Dissolved oxygen DY Disperse yellow EC Electric conductivity HF Horizontal-flow N N i t r o g e n N/A Not applicable

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

This study compares the performance of simulated shallow ponds vegetated with Lemna minor L. unde... more This study compares the performance of simulated shallow ponds vegetated with Lemna minor L. under controlled and semi-natural conditions for the treatment of simulated wastewater containing textile dyes. The objectives were to assess the water quality outflow parameters, the potential of L. minor concerning the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and four azo dyes (Acid blue 113, reactive blue 198, Direct Orange 46 and Basic Red 46) and the plants' growth rate. Findings show that all mean outflow values of COD, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower within the outdoor compared to the indoor experiment except the dissolved oxygen (DO). The COD removal was low for both experiments. The outflow TDS values were acceptable for all ponds. The pond systems were able to reduce only BR46 significantly (p < 0.05) for the tested boundary conditions. Removals under laboratory conditions were better than those for semi-natural environments, indicating the suitability of operating the pond system as a polishing step in warmer regions. The mean outflow values of zinc and copper were below the thresholds set for drinking and irrigation waters and acceptable for L. minor. The dyes inhibited the growth of the L. minor.

Water Resources Management

Climate change (CC) and drought episode impacts linked with anthropogenic pressure have become an... more Climate change (CC) and drought episode impacts linked with anthropogenic pressure have become an increasing concern for policy makers and water resources managers. The current research presents a comprehensive methodology but simple approach for predicting the annual streamflow alteration based on drought indices and hydrological alteration indicators. This has been achieved depending on the evaluation of drought severity and CC impacts during the human intervention periods to separate the influence of climatic abnormality and measure the hydrologic deviations as a result of streamflow regulation configurations. As a representative case study, the Lesser Zab River Basin in northern Iraq has been chosen. In order to analyse the natural flow regime, 34 hydrological years of streamflow (1931-1965) prior to the main dam construction were assessed. The Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) method has been applied to quantify the hydrological alterations of various flow characteristics. In addition, an easy approach for hydrological drought prediction in relatively small basins grounded on meteorological parameters during the early months of the hydrological year has been presented. The prediction was accomplished by implementing the one-dimensional drought examination and the reconnaissance drought index (RDI) for evaluating the severity of meteorological drought. The proposed methodology is founded on linear regression relations connecting the RDI of 3, 6, and 12 months and the streamflow drought index (SDI). The results are critical for circumstances where an early exploration of meteorological drought is obtainable. Outcomes assist water resources

Heliyon, 2016

This study aims to assess the potential of trees for integration in urban development by evaluati... more This study aims to assess the potential of trees for integration in urban development by evaluating the damage caused by trees in relation to various tree characteristics. Tree damage to permeable pavement systems and other urban structures such as impermeable pavements, kerbs, roads, retaining walls, footpaths, walls and buildings were assessed to identify the most suitable trees for the urban environment. One hundred square sites of 100 m × 100 m were randomly selected in Greater Manchester for this representative example case study to demonstrate the assessment methodology. Among tree species in this study, Acer platanoides L. (Norway maple) occurred most frequently (17%); others were Tilia spp. L. (Lime; 16%), Fraxinus excelsior L. (common ash; 12%), Acer pseudoplatanus L. (sycamore; 10%) and Prunus avium L. (wild cherry; 8%). The study concludes that 44% of the damage was to impermeable pavements and 22% to permeable pavements. Other damage to structures included kerbs (19%), retaining walls (5%), footpaths (4%), roads (3%) and walls (3%). Concerning the severity of damage, 66% were moderate, 21% light and 19% severe. Aesculus hippocastanum L. (horse chestnut) caused the greatest damage (59%) expressed in percentage as a ratio of the tree number related to damage over the corresponding tree number that was found close to structures.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016

In order to avoid environmental pollution and eliminate the need for using fertiliser, this study... more In order to avoid environmental pollution and eliminate the need for using fertiliser, this study assessed for the first time the optimum performance of mature (in operation since 2011) vertical flow constructed wetlands in treating domestic wastewater (with and without hydrocarbon) and the subsequent recycling of the outflow to irrigate chillies (De Cayenne; Capsicum annuum (Linnaeus) Longum Group 'De Cayenne') grown in a greenhouse. Various variables were investigated to assess the treatment performance. Concerning chilli fruit numbers, findings showed that the highest fruit yields for all wetland filters were associated with those that received inflow wastewater with a high loading rate, reflecting the high nutrient availability in treated wastewater, which is of obvious importance for yield production. Findings also indicated that wetlands without hydrocarbon, small aggregate size, low contact time and low inflow loading rate provided high marketable yields (expressed in economic return). In comparison, chillies irrigated by filters with hydrocarbon contamination, small aggregate size, high contact time and high loading rate also resulted in high marketable yields of chillies, which pointed out the role of high contact time and high inflow load for better diesel degradation rates.

Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2011

The relationships between pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll a in aquaculture and non-aqua... more The relationships between pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll a in aquaculture and non-aquaculture waters are assessed in this paper. The research includes the evaluation of field and experimental studies at the Panjiakou Reservoir (between Aug and Oct 2009) and the review of international data covering two decades. The results indicated that typical eutrophic non-aquaculture water had mean concentrations of chlorophyll a of higher than 10 μg L −1 , and significant positive correlations were found between pH, DO and chlorophyll a. When the mean concentration of chlorophyll a was less than 10 μg L −1 , no correlation was found between DO and chlorophyll a for waters with a high exchange rate or heavily organically polluted natural waters. Diurnal variations were found for both pH and DO. A corresponding significant positive correlation was found between both water quality parameters. In general, when the mean concentration of chlorophyll a was less than 10 μg L −1 within aquaculture waters of low exchange rate, only a weak or no correlation at all was found between pH, DO and chlorophyll a during summer and autumn. On the other hand, a significant positive correlation between pH and chlorophyll a and a significant positive correlation or no correlation between DO and chlorophyll a were found for aquaculture waters with a high exchange rate during summer and autumn. Strong diurnal variations for both pH and DO were identified. A significant positive linear correlation between pH and DO was found for field enclosure experiments.

Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, May 1, 2008

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 09593330 2013 866170, Feb 6, 2014

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) design and retrofitting is predominantly based on expert opin... more Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) design and retrofitting is predominantly based on expert opinion supported by descriptive guidance documents. The aim of this paper is to develop an innovative rapid decision support tool based on novel ecosystem service variables for retrofitting of key SuDS techniques. This unique tool proposes the retrofitting of a SuDS technique that obtained the highest ecosystem service score for a specific urban site. This approach contrasts with methods based on traditional civil engineering judgement linked to standard variables based on community and environment studies. For a case study area (Greater Manchester), a comparison with the traditional approach of determining community and environment variables indicates that permeable pavements, filter strips, swales, ponds, constructed wetlands and below-ground storage tanks are generally less preferred than infiltration trenches, soakaways and infiltration basins. However, permeable pavements and belowground storage tanks also received relatively high scores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water quality improvement and flood control, respectively. The application of the proposed methodology will lead to changes of the sustainable drainage infrastructure in the urban landscape.

Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 2006

The performance of a novel industrial membrane bioreactor (MBR) comprising denitrification, nitri... more The performance of a novel industrial membrane bioreactor (MBR) comprising denitrification, nitrification and ultrafiltration for the secondary treatment of primary treated animal rendering wastewater has been compared with an experimental, low-cost and novel vertical-flow constructed treatment wetland planted with Typha latifolia L. The process wastewater followed pre-treatment by dissolved air flotation (DAF). The DAF effluent gave highly variable chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia of 5200 (± 2050) and 490 (± 270) mg/l, respectively. The MBR effluent for COD and ammonia was 45 and 63 mg/l, respectively. The treatment performance of the constructed wetland for COD, ammonia and suspended solids was 167, 63 and 15 mg/l, respectively.

This study assesses the potential of constructed wetland systems to treat tannery effluent (TE) a... more This study assesses the potential of constructed wetland systems to treat tannery effluent (TE) and mixed industry effluent (MIE). After each of the three influent cells acting as settling cells, three treatment cells in horizontal series along with a Control were applied. Each of the cells was subjected to horizontal surface flow and planted with Hemarthria compressa (L.f.) R.Br. (perennial whip grass). The percent decline in heavy metal concentrations between settling and Cell 3 over a period of 60 days varied as follows: zinc (Zn; 35.83-95.59), chromium (Cr; 30.63-95.49), copper (Cu; 24.3-97.05) and nickel (Ni; 20.3-93.2). The drop in chemical oxygen demand (COD mg L − 1) ranged between 3.95 and 72.14%, whilst the total dissolved solids (TDS g L − 1) decline was between 3.23 and 98.75%. The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) drop ranges were between 1.4 and 11.72% along with up to 92.92%, respectively. The determined decline rates of pollutants and the cumulative biomass yield of H. compressa at p = 0.05 were between 0.76 and 0.96 (20 d − 1). The heavy metal tolerance index for H. compressa in TE and MIE were 0.25-3.25 and 0.25-2.2, respectively. Although treated TE and MIE discharged from Cell 3 of each of the effluent treatment series on the 60th day had Zn, Ni, Cr and Cu concentrations greater than the local permissible limits (Punjab Environmental Quality Standards) of Liquid Industrial Effluents. The treated water through the constructed wetland system proved safe for cultivation of okra (Abelmoscus esculentus (L.) Moench) vegetables.

Agronomy

Accumulation of trace elements, including heavy metals, were evaluated in soil and fruits of chil... more Accumulation of trace elements, including heavy metals, were evaluated in soil and fruits of chilli plants (Capsicum annuum L.) grown under both laboratory-controlled and semi-controlled greenhouse location conditions. Chilli plant biomass growth in different development stages and fruit productivity were evaluated and compared with each other for the impact of growth boundary conditions and water quality effects. Treated synthetic greywaters by different operational design set-ups of floating treatment wetland systems were recycled for watering chillies in both locations. Effluents of each individual group of treatment set-up systems were labelled to feed sets of three replicates of chilli plants in both locations. Results revealed that the treated synthetic greywater (SGW) complied with thresholds for irrigation water, except for high concentrations (HC) of phosphates, total suspended soils, and some trace elements, such as cadmium. Chilli plants grew in both locations with differ...

Water

Currently, it is important to develop strategic frameworks to support the selection of sustainabl... more Currently, it is important to develop strategic frameworks to support the selection of sustainable resource recovery solutions. This study applies a new framework for planning, implementation, and assessment of resource recovery strategies for a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in São Paulo megacity. The framework comprises several steps based on case study-specific data and information from current literature. Data were collected from various sources: a survey with a wastewater treatment utility, national and regional databases, and review of local regulations and international literature. Treatment configuration, wastewater and by-products composition, potential demand (for water, energy, and phosphorus), stakeholder identification, and local legislation were thoroughly discussed regarding decision-making on resource recovery. Scenario analysis was used to explore suitable nutrient and energy recovery measures based on indicators. Biogas recovery and sewage sludge comp...

Hydrology

It has become necessary to estimate the quantities of runoff by knowing the amount of rainfall to... more It has become necessary to estimate the quantities of runoff by knowing the amount of rainfall to calculate the required quantities of water storage in reservoirs and to determine the likelihood of flooding. The present study deals with the development of a hydrological model named Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC-HMS), which uses Digital Elevation Models (DEM). This hydrological model was used by means of the Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension (HEC-GeoHMS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to identify the discharge of the Al-Adhaim River catchment and embankment dam in Iraq by simulated rainfall-runoff processes. The meteorological models were developed within the HEC-HMS from the recorded daily rainfall data for the hydrological years 2015 to 2018. The control specifications were defined for the specified period and one day time step. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve number (SCS-CN), SCS Unit Hydrograph and Muskingum methods were used for loss, transformation a...

Sustainability

Performance appraisal reports provide vital information for making strategic decisions. Uniting H... more Performance appraisal reports provide vital information for making strategic decisions. Uniting HR practices and IT is an attempt to maximize value creation. Organizations are transforming their performance management systems from traditional to web-technology based systems to enhance accuracy and objectivity. The present study is an effort to assess employees’ perception of the accuracy of e-performance appraisal systems. To that effect, 500 close-ended questionnaires were administered to randomly selected employees working for a non-for-profit organization where e-performance appraisal is practiced. A total of 352 questionnaires were included for analysis and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The results indicate that rater competence and the possibility to challenge performance appraisals judged as unfair or inaccurate highly influence the employees’ perception of accuracy of e-performance appraisals. Furthermore, a clear communication of standards and th...

Water

A severe water scarcity challenge is facing Iraq, which is predominantly due to the absence of wa... more A severe water scarcity challenge is facing Iraq, which is predominantly due to the absence of water management policies, negatively impacting the water quantity and quality provision from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Moreover, these practices have led to the intrusion of the Arabian Gulf salinity wedge into the Shatt Al-Arab River (SAR), which is the main water source for most water treatment plants (WTPs) in Basra city. In addition, the inadequate management and operation for most WTPs is another reason for the deterioration of water quality provided to Basra province. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the main WTP within Basra province and to subsequently make recommendations for decision-makers to come up with new management strategies and policies. The effluents from eight WTPs were selected to study the quality of water supply for Basra city during the period between January 2018 and December 2018. The results showed that all WTPs were in...

Journal of Water and Climate Change

There is scientific evidence of accelerated sea level rise and saline intrusion. Some impacts, su... more There is scientific evidence of accelerated sea level rise and saline intrusion. Some impacts, such as stratification and estuarine circulation, are subtle; others are dramatic including shifts in salt-sensitive habitats and limited water availability of suitable quality for industrial and municipal uses. These results have become a remarkable reality resulting in a set of integrated surface water organisation issues. Tremendous population increases overwhelming many coastal areas have expanded the problem. These challenges have been studied from many perspectives using various objectives and methodologies, and then arriving at different findings. However, all research assured that significant rises in sea level have influenced estuaries and tidally affected rivers, and these observations are expected to become rapidly worse in the future. This study introduces, categorises, critically investigates, and synthesises the most related studies regarding accelerated sea level rise and ch...

Water Resources Management

The aim of this article is to determine how human interventions in upstream countries coupled wit... more The aim of this article is to determine how human interventions in upstream countries coupled with drought events are affecting the flow regime of downstream countries using the Nile River basin for illustrative purposes. This has been addressed by assessing climate change in the study area through analyses of precipitation data obtained from the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) and detecting if there is a trend, and subsequently calculating drought events in the main basins impacting on the downstream flow. Then river discharge data were analysed using different hydraulic indices at key stations in the downstream country and measuring the alterations occurring in the flow. The degree of alteration is a function of the number of civil engineering projects being in operation and classified by time windows; pre-alteration is between 1900 and 1925, while the alteration period is between 1933 and 2012. The alteration period was classified into three periods based on the degree of alteration. The findings revealed that there are changes in the river flow regime caused by both changes in the rainfall pattern in addition to the regulation in the upstream countries. There is a direct relationship between the interventions in the upstream countries and changes in the flow regime especially when coupled with drought events. By increasing the water usage upstream, there is an increase in the alteration of the flow downstream. The years between 2000 and 2012 were linked to the highest alterations between the modified years.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The release of untreated dye textile wastewater into receiving streams is unacceptable not only f... more The release of untreated dye textile wastewater into receiving streams is unacceptable not only for aesthetic reasons and its negative impacts on aquatic life but also because numerous dyes are toxic and carcinogenic to humans. Strategies, as of now, used for treating textile wastewaters have technical and economical restrictions. The greater part of the physico-chemical methods, which are used to treat this kind of wastewater, are costly, produce large amounts of sludge and are wasteful concerning some soluble dyes. In contrast, biological treatments such as constructed wetlands are cheaper than the traditional methods, environmental friendly and do not produce large amounts of sludge. Synthetic wastewater containing Acid Blue 113 (AB113) and Basic Red 46 (BR46) has been added to laboratory-scale vertical-flow construction wetland systems, which have been planted with Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. (common reed). The concentrations 7 and 208 mg/l were applied for each dye at the hydraulic contact times of 48 and 96 h. Concerning the low concentrations of BR46 and AB113, the unplanted wetlands are associated with significant (ρ < 0.05) reduction performances, if compared with planted wetlands concerning the removal of dyes. For the high concentrations of AB113, BR46 and a mixture of both of them, wetlands with long contact times were significantly (ρ < 0.05) better than wetlands that had short contact times in terms of dye, colour and chemical oxygen demand reductions. Regarding nitrate nitrogen (NO 3-N), the reduction percentage rates of AB113, BR46 and a mixture dye of both of them were between 85 and 100%. For low and high inflow dye concentrations, best removals were generally recorded for spring and summer, respectively. Keywords Acid Blue 113. Basic Red 46. Chemical oxygen demand. Common reed. Environmental pollution control. Textile wastewater Abbreviations AB Acid blue ABSA 3-Aminobenzenesulfonic acid ANOVA Analysis of variance ANSA 5-Amino-8-(phenylamino)naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid AO Acid orange AY Acid yellow BR Basic red CASRN Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number COD Chemical oxygen demand DAN 1,4-Diaminonaphthalene DO Dissolved oxygen DY Disperse yellow EC Electric conductivity HF Horizontal-flow N N i t r o g e n N/A Not applicable

Environmental Science and Pollution Research

This study compares the performance of simulated shallow ponds vegetated with Lemna minor L. unde... more This study compares the performance of simulated shallow ponds vegetated with Lemna minor L. under controlled and semi-natural conditions for the treatment of simulated wastewater containing textile dyes. The objectives were to assess the water quality outflow parameters, the potential of L. minor concerning the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and four azo dyes (Acid blue 113, reactive blue 198, Direct Orange 46 and Basic Red 46) and the plants' growth rate. Findings show that all mean outflow values of COD, total dissolved solids (TDS) and electrical conductivity (EC) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower within the outdoor compared to the indoor experiment except the dissolved oxygen (DO). The COD removal was low for both experiments. The outflow TDS values were acceptable for all ponds. The pond systems were able to reduce only BR46 significantly (p < 0.05) for the tested boundary conditions. Removals under laboratory conditions were better than those for semi-natural environments, indicating the suitability of operating the pond system as a polishing step in warmer regions. The mean outflow values of zinc and copper were below the thresholds set for drinking and irrigation waters and acceptable for L. minor. The dyes inhibited the growth of the L. minor.

Water Resources Management

Climate change (CC) and drought episode impacts linked with anthropogenic pressure have become an... more Climate change (CC) and drought episode impacts linked with anthropogenic pressure have become an increasing concern for policy makers and water resources managers. The current research presents a comprehensive methodology but simple approach for predicting the annual streamflow alteration based on drought indices and hydrological alteration indicators. This has been achieved depending on the evaluation of drought severity and CC impacts during the human intervention periods to separate the influence of climatic abnormality and measure the hydrologic deviations as a result of streamflow regulation configurations. As a representative case study, the Lesser Zab River Basin in northern Iraq has been chosen. In order to analyse the natural flow regime, 34 hydrological years of streamflow (1931-1965) prior to the main dam construction were assessed. The Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) method has been applied to quantify the hydrological alterations of various flow characteristics. In addition, an easy approach for hydrological drought prediction in relatively small basins grounded on meteorological parameters during the early months of the hydrological year has been presented. The prediction was accomplished by implementing the one-dimensional drought examination and the reconnaissance drought index (RDI) for evaluating the severity of meteorological drought. The proposed methodology is founded on linear regression relations connecting the RDI of 3, 6, and 12 months and the streamflow drought index (SDI). The results are critical for circumstances where an early exploration of meteorological drought is obtainable. Outcomes assist water resources

Heliyon, 2016

This study aims to assess the potential of trees for integration in urban development by evaluati... more This study aims to assess the potential of trees for integration in urban development by evaluating the damage caused by trees in relation to various tree characteristics. Tree damage to permeable pavement systems and other urban structures such as impermeable pavements, kerbs, roads, retaining walls, footpaths, walls and buildings were assessed to identify the most suitable trees for the urban environment. One hundred square sites of 100 m × 100 m were randomly selected in Greater Manchester for this representative example case study to demonstrate the assessment methodology. Among tree species in this study, Acer platanoides L. (Norway maple) occurred most frequently (17%); others were Tilia spp. L. (Lime; 16%), Fraxinus excelsior L. (common ash; 12%), Acer pseudoplatanus L. (sycamore; 10%) and Prunus avium L. (wild cherry; 8%). The study concludes that 44% of the damage was to impermeable pavements and 22% to permeable pavements. Other damage to structures included kerbs (19%), retaining walls (5%), footpaths (4%), roads (3%) and walls (3%). Concerning the severity of damage, 66% were moderate, 21% light and 19% severe. Aesculus hippocastanum L. (horse chestnut) caused the greatest damage (59%) expressed in percentage as a ratio of the tree number related to damage over the corresponding tree number that was found close to structures.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016

In order to avoid environmental pollution and eliminate the need for using fertiliser, this study... more In order to avoid environmental pollution and eliminate the need for using fertiliser, this study assessed for the first time the optimum performance of mature (in operation since 2011) vertical flow constructed wetlands in treating domestic wastewater (with and without hydrocarbon) and the subsequent recycling of the outflow to irrigate chillies (De Cayenne; Capsicum annuum (Linnaeus) Longum Group 'De Cayenne') grown in a greenhouse. Various variables were investigated to assess the treatment performance. Concerning chilli fruit numbers, findings showed that the highest fruit yields for all wetland filters were associated with those that received inflow wastewater with a high loading rate, reflecting the high nutrient availability in treated wastewater, which is of obvious importance for yield production. Findings also indicated that wetlands without hydrocarbon, small aggregate size, low contact time and low inflow loading rate provided high marketable yields (expressed in economic return). In comparison, chillies irrigated by filters with hydrocarbon contamination, small aggregate size, high contact time and high loading rate also resulted in high marketable yields of chillies, which pointed out the role of high contact time and high inflow load for better diesel degradation rates.

Water Air and Soil Pollution, 2011

The relationships between pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll a in aquaculture and non-aqua... more The relationships between pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chlorophyll a in aquaculture and non-aquaculture waters are assessed in this paper. The research includes the evaluation of field and experimental studies at the Panjiakou Reservoir (between Aug and Oct 2009) and the review of international data covering two decades. The results indicated that typical eutrophic non-aquaculture water had mean concentrations of chlorophyll a of higher than 10 μg L −1 , and significant positive correlations were found between pH, DO and chlorophyll a. When the mean concentration of chlorophyll a was less than 10 μg L −1 , no correlation was found between DO and chlorophyll a for waters with a high exchange rate or heavily organically polluted natural waters. Diurnal variations were found for both pH and DO. A corresponding significant positive correlation was found between both water quality parameters. In general, when the mean concentration of chlorophyll a was less than 10 μg L −1 within aquaculture waters of low exchange rate, only a weak or no correlation at all was found between pH, DO and chlorophyll a during summer and autumn. On the other hand, a significant positive correlation between pH and chlorophyll a and a significant positive correlation or no correlation between DO and chlorophyll a were found for aquaculture waters with a high exchange rate during summer and autumn. Strong diurnal variations for both pH and DO were identified. A significant positive linear correlation between pH and DO was found for field enclosure experiments.

Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, May 1, 2008

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 09593330 2013 866170, Feb 6, 2014

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) design and retrofitting is predominantly based on expert opin... more Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) design and retrofitting is predominantly based on expert opinion supported by descriptive guidance documents. The aim of this paper is to develop an innovative rapid decision support tool based on novel ecosystem service variables for retrofitting of key SuDS techniques. This unique tool proposes the retrofitting of a SuDS technique that obtained the highest ecosystem service score for a specific urban site. This approach contrasts with methods based on traditional civil engineering judgement linked to standard variables based on community and environment studies. For a case study area (Greater Manchester), a comparison with the traditional approach of determining community and environment variables indicates that permeable pavements, filter strips, swales, ponds, constructed wetlands and below-ground storage tanks are generally less preferred than infiltration trenches, soakaways and infiltration basins. However, permeable pavements and belowground storage tanks also received relatively high scores, because of their great potential impact in terms of water quality improvement and flood control, respectively. The application of the proposed methodology will lead to changes of the sustainable drainage infrastructure in the urban landscape.

Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 2006