16
sAFety iN the PLANt
Peristaltic technology tackles
endocrine disrupting chemicals
Chemically-disrupted
water streams are
causing a substantial
increase of ‘intersex’
fish. Nicola Martin
reports on how peristaltic
technology is being used
to address the problem of
water pollution through
more effective treatment
techniques.
Les courants d’eau
chimiquement perturbés
engendrent une
importante occurrence de
poissons intersexués.
Nicola Martin examine
comment la technologie
péristaltique sert à
résoudre le problème de
la pollution des eaux par
l’intermédiaire de
techniques de traitement
t’s the story that has become an Fig. 1. Fish tanks containing native roach are
plus efficaces.
I
international curiosity: male fish being used to assess the effects of different
swimming in Europe’s rivers have water supplies.
Chemisch verseuchte
begun spontaneously developing female
Wasserläufe verursachen characteristics.
example, trickling filters are likely to remove
eine wesentliche Research dating back more than 15 years less EDCs than a nitrifying activated sludge
Zunahme an
has revealed that the underlying cause of this plant, and processes such as ozone and granular
„intersexuellen“ Fischen.
‘intersex’ fish phenomenon lies in improved activated carbon treatment are likely to remove
Nicola Martin berichtet,
water quality allowing fish to colonise rivers even more. Further research is imperative.
wie
Peristaltiktechnologie
which were previously fishless. This has meant An initiative has been launched in the
verwendet wird, um das
that fish are surviving in the upper reaches of UK, where the Environment Agency, in
Problem der
urban river systems and are more exposed to collaboration with the government and the
Wasserverschmutzung
treated sewage effluent. water industry, has co-ordinated a £40 million
durch effektivere It is believed that endocrine disrupting national programme to examine EDCs and
Aufbereitungsmethoden
chemicals (EDCs) such as natural and synthetic assess the effectiveness, costs and benefits of
zu lösen.
hormones in the wastewater effluent are their removal in existing or enhanced sewage
causing the intersex effect in male fish such as treatment. The programme is gathering data
the appearance of oocytes (egg cells) in their from 13 different types of sewage treatment
testes. It is a problem that has been under the works across England and Wales. This includes
spotlight of the European Chemical Industry a notable project at Ilkeston sewage treatment
Council for more than a decade now. works near Derby in the English midlands.
EDCs are typically found in wastewater Undertaken by Severn Trent Water, the
at concentrations of less than one part per Ilkeston project requires the company to
ten billion and are a minute fraction of all carry out a side-by-side evaluation of three
the organic material present. This means different advanced treatments for removal. In
that the processes traditionally used to addition, the company is carrying out fish tests
treat contaminants found in wastewater are using native roach to determine the effects of
insufficient for their complete removal. For different waters on them (Fig. 1).
www.engineerlive.com
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