Assessment of Comamonas testosteroni strain PT9 as a rapid phthalic acid degrader for industrial wastewaters

A low-cost wastewater disposal system was commissioned in 1959 to treat domestic and industrial wastewaters generated in the Latrobe River valley in the province of Gippsland, within the State of Victoria, Australia (Figure 1). The Latrobe Valley is the centre for large-scale generation of electricity and for the production of pulp and paper. In addition other industries have utilized the brown coal resource of the region e.g. gasification process and char production. Consequently, industrial wastewaters have been dominant in the disposal system for the past twenty-five years. The mixed industrial-domestic wastewaters were to be transported some eighty kilometres to be treated and disposed of by irrigation to land. Several important lessons have been learnt during twenty-five years of operating this system. Firstly the composition of the mixed waste stream has varied significantly with the passage of time and the development of the industrial base in the Valley, so that what was appropriate treatment in 1959 is not necessarily acceptable in 1985. Secondly the magnitude of adverse environmental impacts engendered by this low-cost disposal procedure was not imagined when the proposal was implemented. As a consequence, clean-up procedures which could remedy the adverse effects of twenty-five years of impact are likely to be costly. The question then may be asked - when the total costs including rehabilitation are considered, is there really a low-cost solution for environmentally safe disposal of complex wastewater streams?

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Management and Status of Japanese Public Waters

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1991.0395 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 23 (1-3) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Takeshi Goda

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Coastal Waters ◽

Industrial Wastewater ◽

Quality Standards ◽

Water Bodies ◽

Industrial Wastewaters ◽

Quality Of Water ◽

Japanese Rivers ◽

Per Capita

The management and status of public water bodies in Japan is discussed. The environmental quality standards which have been set and the levels of compliance with these standards are shown. The water quality of Japanese rivers, lakes, reservoirs, wetlands and coastal waters is described, and eutrophication problems are mentioned. The effects of changes in population density and levels of recycling of industrial wastewaters on the quality of water bodies are discussed. Almost 75% of industrial wastewater is now recycled. Per capita availability of freshwater in Japan is comparatively low, and the construction of 530 dams, in addition to the 2393 dams already in operation, is planned. Irrigation effluents from paddy fields are a major factor which influences river water quality in Japan. The improvement of water quality using various methods is discussed.

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