Eternal engine of progress

Качество услуг водоснабжения и водоотведения за первые двадцать лет XXI века вывело на новый уровень развития ГУП «Водоканал Санкт-Петербурга» благодаря внедрению инновационных технологий в системах водоснабжения и водоотведения. Использование технологий, таких как двухступенчатое обеззараживание питьевой воды, дезодорирование полигонов, геотубирование, применение центрифуг «Флоттвег», порошкообразного однокомпонентного флокулянта, порошкообразного активированного угля, внедрение системы измерения осадков, осуществлялись при активном участии Федора Ивановича Лобанова – помощника генерального директора ГУП «Водоканал Санкт-Петербурга» по работе с промышленностью, которому в ноябре 2021 г. исполнилось 80 лет. The quality of water supply and wastewater disposal services over the first twenty years of the 21st century has brought SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» to a new level of development owing to the introduction of innovative technologies in water supply and wastewater disposal systems. The use of technologies, such as two-stage disinfection of drinking water, odor control of landfills, geotubing, the use of Flottweg centrifuges, powdered one-component flocculant, powdered activated carbon, the introduction of a precipitation measurement system, were carried out with the active participation of Fedor Ivanovich Lobanov, Assistant to the General Director of SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg» on dealing with industries, who turned 80 in November 2021.

Specific features of the static calculation of underground pipelines of gravity wastewater disposal systems

Необходимым условием экологически безопасной и надежной эксплуатации подземных трубопроводов самотечных систем водоотведения является определение требований к прочностным характеристикам элементов строительной конструкции (труб, фасонных частей), которые формируются на основании статического расчета трубопровода. При статическом расчете определяются и анализируются прямые и косвенные нагрузки, действующие на трубопровод, и производится оценка их влияния на конструкцию. Рассматриваются существующие подходы к выполнению статического расчета. На основании результатов исследований российских и зарубежных авторов утверждается, что выбор параметров труб, используемых при строительстве подземных трубопроводов, зависит не только от свойств конструкционных материалов, но прежде всего от свойств грунта, условий укладки и монтажа, а также от действующих нагрузок и степени деформации трубопровода. An essential pre-requisite for environmentally safe and reliable operation of underground pipelines of gravity wastewater disposal systems is specifying the requirements for the structural behavior of building construction elements (pipes, fittings) that are determined on the basis of a static calculation of the pipeline. In the process of the static analysis, direct and indirect loadings acting on the pipeline are determined and analyzed, and their impact on the structure is estimated. Existing approaches to performing a static analysis are considered. Based on the results of the studies carried out by Russian and foreign authors, it has been argued that the choice of the pipe parameters used in the construction of underground pipelines depends not only on the properties of structural materials, but primarily on the soil properties, conditions of laying and installation, as well as on the existing loadings and degree of pipeline deformation.

Problems of water and wastewater utilities with technological regulation and introduction of industrial environmental control

Приведены требования природоохранного законодательства при переходе к технологическому нормированию на основе технологических показателей наилучших доступных технологий, организации производственного экологического контроля, в том числе систем автоматического контроля сбросов и выбросов загрязняющих веществ. Представлен анализ нормативных правовых актов природоохранного законодательства, а также ряд проблем, возникающих при реализации требований этих актов при внедрении наилучших доступных технологий и организации производственного экологического контроля на объектах водоотведения предприятий водопроводно-канализационного хозяйства. Проблемы представлены в отношении следующих факторов: невозможности или избыточности проведения инвентаризации сбросов по ряду загрязняющих веществ; недостаточности предельного срока 7 лет для реализации программ повышения экологической эффективности и планов мероприятий по охране окружающей среды при наличии нескольких объектов I и II категорий негативного воздействия на окружающую среду; избыточности требований установления технологических нормативов сбросов на уровне «от достигнутого»; противоречий нормативных актов, затрудняющих внедрение систем автоматического контроля. В статье использованы: опыт строительства и реконструкции ГУП «Водоканал Санкт-Петербурга» очистных сооружений централизованных систем водоотведения; практика производственного экологического контроля, а также результаты взаимодействия отраслевого сообщества организаций водопроводно-канализационного хозяйства; выводы, полученные при актуализации в 2021 г. ИТС 22.1-2016 «Общие принципы производственного экологического контроля и его метрологического обеспечения». Предлагаются пути решения проблем. The requirements of the environmental legislation in the process of transition to technological regulation based on the process parameters of the best available technologies, the introduction of the industrial environmental control including systems for automatic control of pollution discharges and emissions, are given. An analysis of the regulations of the environmental legislation is presented, as well as a number of problems arising in the implementation of the requirements of these regulations in the introduction of the best available technologies and industrial environmental control at the wastewater facilities of water and wastewater utilities are described. Problems are highlighted in relation to the following factors: impossibility or redundancy of conducting an inventory of discharges for a number of pollutants; inadequacy of the 7-year deadline for the implementation of the programs for improving the environmental efficiency and plans of action for environmental protection in presence of several objects of the I and II categories of the negative environmental impact; redundancy of the requirements for establishing technological regulations for discharges at the level «from the achieved»; contradictions in the regulations that complicate the introduction of automatic control systems. The paper describes the experience of the construction and upgrade of the public wastewater disposal facilities operated by SUE «Vodokanal of St. Petersburg»; the practice of industrial environmental control, as well as the results of the interaction between the sectoral community of the water supply and wastewater disposal utilities; the conclusions drawn during updating ITS 22.1-2016 «General principles of industrial environmental control and its metrological support» in 2021. The ways of addressing the problems are proposed.

Historical exposure to wastewater disposal reinforces the stability of sediment bacterial community in response to future disturbance

Given that long-term treated wastewater discharge may alter the microbial community of the recipient coast, it is important to evaluate whether and how the community's stability is impacted. We constructed microcosms using coastal sediments with (near-coast) and without (far-coast) a wastewater disposal history and compared the communities’ responses to p-chloroaniline (PCAN, a typical organic pollutant) in low (10 mg/L) and high (100 mg/L) concentrations. Compared to the far-coast community, the near-coast community drove faster PCAN attenuation and nitrate generation. More significant negative correlations were observed between the alpha-diversity indices and PCAN concentrations in the far-coast communities than the near-coast ones. The community turnover rate, represented by the slopes of the time–decay curves, was slower for the near-coast community (−0.187) than that for the far-coast community (−0.233), but only when the PCAN was added in low concentration. Our study revealed that the long-term wastewater disposal may cause the sediment bacterial community to be less sensitive and more stable in response to a future disturbance, demonstrating a significant historical effect of environmental context on the coastal microbial community's stability.

Creation of a cartographic geoinformation system of the river basin with plotted riverbed quarries

Information and geoinformation technologies can be widely used on inland waterways and water transport facilities. Solving problems related to monitoring the state of water quality, its changes as a result of anthropogenic impact, forecasting the quality of water resources, analyzing water consumption and wastewater disposal – this is not the whole list of opportunities that open up to the user when creating a cartographic basis for the geoinformation system of a river basin. Mathematical and cartographic modeling of content and conventional signs is the basis of the method for creating electronic maps. Basin maps of large and small rivers represent models of the studied objects and intermediate links between the objects and the researcher. Information about the situation in the river basin is constantly changing. Electronic maps have an indisputable advantage over paper ones in their ability to transmit this information in real time, constantly making any changes that occur in the study area. Various analytical operations can be performed with information that is entered into the GIS and applied to an electronic map of the river basin. The possibilities of GIS technologies in creating a cartographic basis for the river catchment area will affect the ability to transfer the assessment and management system of water resources and water quality to a more modern and high-quality information level, taking into account the real capabilities of the current control system in the field of environmental management.

Earthquakes Induced by Wastewater Disposal near Musreau Lake, Alberta, 2018–2020

Although hydraulic fracturing-induced earthquakes have been widely reported in Alberta, Canada, only one seismic cluster (the Cordel Field) has thus far been linked to wastewater disposal (WD). In this study, we report a statistically significant spatiotemporal correlation between recent earthquakes and nearby WD wells near Musreau Lake—the second disposal-induced earthquake swarm in Alberta. This newly occurred swarm contains five events with local magnitudes ML>3 from January 2018 to March 2020, forming into three tightly spaced clusters. The refined locations and focal mechanisms suggest a ∼10 km long northwest–southeast-trending rupture along the northern Rocky Mountains that developed over time, during which both poroelastic effects and static stress transfer played key roles. Through a statistical analysis of all reported induced earthquake clusters in the western Canada sedimentary basin (WCSB), we propose a linear predictive relationship (i.e., the “Interpolated Strike Orientation” model) between fault rupture direction and fault distance to the Rocky Mountains. This observation-based model, which is supported by both the focal mechanisms of the natural earthquakes and the nearby northwest-striking geological faults, is a new and useful reference for future assessments of seismic hazard in the WCSB.

Cationic Dye Degradation and Real Textile Wastewater Treatment by Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton, Using a Novel Natural Catalyst

A photo-Fenton process using a local iron oxide as a natural catalyst was compared to Fenton and UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation processes for degrading crystal violet (CV) dye in aqueous solutions. The catalyst was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. The optical properties proved that the catalyst represents a good candidate for photocatalytic activity. The impact of different parameters (catalyst dose, initial CV concentration, initial H2O2 concentration, pH) on the photo-Fenton efficiency was evaluated. A photo-Fenton process operated under UVC light irradiation, at spontaneous pH, with 1.0 g/L of catalyst and 30 mg/L of H2O2 was the most effective process, resulting in 98% CV dye removal within 3 h. LC-MS and ion-chromatography techniques were used to identify demethylated organic intermediates during the process. Furthermore, a regeneration study of the catalyst showed its stability and reusability (after three treatment cycles, CV dye degradation decreased from 94% to 83%). Finally, the photo-Fenton process was tested in the treatment of real textile wastewater, and the effluent was found to be in compliance with standards for industrial wastewater disposal into sewerage.

DOPO-Modified Cellulose Microsphere: Preparation and Application for Selective Adsorption U(VI) under Acidic Solutions

Effective radioactive wastewater disposal is of great significance to the wide use of nuclear energy. In this work, 4, 4ˊ-[1, 4-phenyl-bis (9, 10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-yl) dimethyneimino)] diphenol (t-DOPO) was used to modify microcrystalline cellulose microsphere (t-DOPOR) to further enhance it affinity toward U(VI) through radiation method. The t-DOPOR were characterized for structural, morphological, and thermal properties by FTIR, SEM and TGA, which prove that t-DOPO is successfully modified on cellulose. Combination the advantage of cellulose and t-DOPO, t-DOPOR possessed abundant functional group (-OH, -NH and P=O), and exhibited extremely strong affinity toward U(VI) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 51.51 mg/g at pH 3. Particularly, A large distribution, KdU, up to 2.54×104 mL g−1 is found, implying extremely strong affinity toward U(VI) than Ln(III) (La(III), Eu(III), Dy(III), Yb(III)) at the binary system. Dynamic column experiment confirmed that t-DOPOR could separate selectively U(VI) in column experiment. In addition, even in the simulated groundwater trace amount of U(VI) was also eliminated efficiently by t-DOPOR. Lastly, the adsorption mechanism elaborated by XPS analysis was inner-sphere surface complexation between U(VI) and -OH, -NH and P=O groups of t-DOPOR. Overall, the synthesized t-DOPOR may be utilized as a promising adsorbent for separation and remediation of U(VI) from wastewater.

Towards a poroelastodynamics framework for induced earthquakes

Earthquakes can be triggered after pore pressure perturbations activate critically stressed seismogenic faults, where the perturbations can originate from natural causes like earth tides, rainfall, snowfall or anthropogenic causes like wastewater disposal, CO$_2$ injection, oil production, or groundwater extraction. As the faults slip under the action of the induced stress field, seismic waves are spawned from the hypocenter location. The waves propagate through the domain with a velocity that evolves with the evolving pressure and stress fields. The effect of these waves on the surrounding rock and the seismic velocity recorded on the seismograph can be modeled accurately only by incorporating elastodynamics in the deformation model coupled with flow-induced pressure perturbations. Hitherto, most of the literature in the realm has been limited to elastostatics coupled with flow within a prescribed/kinematic or quasi-dynamic fault slip framework. In this work, we provide a framework for coupling of wave propagation with pore pressure perturbations using one-way coupled poroelastodynamics in the presence of faults in which the pore pressure is specified apriori as a spatiotemporal function.We present results from analysis of displacement and velocity fields in the domain and tractions and slip evolution on the fault. The rendition of two-way coupled poroelastodynamics in which the flow problem is also solved is proposed as future work.