New citation of research: Water Self-purification in Ecosystems ~ CookingFood.Org

New citation of the research: Water Self-purification in Ecosystems.
http://5bio5.blogspot.com/2013/05/new-citation-of-research-mvlomonosov.html

The Cited Russian publication:

Ostroumov, S.A. (1999). Water Self-purification in Ecosystems and Sustainable Development.

In: Aquatic Ecosystems and Organisms, Dialogue-MSU press, 236 pp.

**
Notification from Internet on a new citation of the research that was done at M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University:

[PDF] How Does the Niagara Whirlpool Get Involved in Niagara River Self-Purification?

AI Fisenko - arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.1255, 2013

The paper of Moscow University that was cited:

... [Moscow University, Faculty of Biology] (1999). Water Self-purification in Ecosystems and Sustainable Development.
In: Aquatic Ecosystems and Organisms, Dialogue-MSU press, 236 pp.

Affiliation of the author who cited this publication: ONCFEC

ONCFEC Inc.is the consultancy company. The service covers the following area of expertise:

Environment Protection and Remediation.

Abstract of the paper:

How Does the Niagara Whirlpool Get Involved in Niagara River SelfPurification?

Anatoliy I Fisenko

ONCFEC, Inc., 909 Lake Street, Suite 909, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 5Z4, Canada

Full text:

How Does the Niagara Whirlpool Get Involved in Niagara River SelfPurification?

Anatoliy I Fisenko

ONCFEC, Inc., 909 Lake Street, Suite 909, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 5Z4, Canada

E-mail: afisenko@oncfec.com
Abstract. The Niagara River self-purification through the natural formation of froth at a site of
the Niagara Whirlpool basin has been investigated. It is shown that the naturally formed froth on
the water surface of the Niagara Whirlpool contains a greater concentration of nutrients, trace
metals and phenol in comparison to subsurface water. The natural pollutants removal process is
explained in detail. As a result, the Niagara River at the Niagara Whirlpool basin possesses its
own natural capacity to self-purify through the natural formation of froth. We can conclude that
the Niagara Whirlpool is a natural source of Niagara River self-purification. The necessity for
the long-term research on the sites of Niagara River for developing the remediation strategies is
pointed out.
Key Words: natural froth formation; Niagara River, Niagara Whirlpool, non-point sources,
pollution, self-purification.
1. Introduction
It is well-known that rivers have a natural environmental capacity to self-purify their polluted
sites, including the entire water and the benthic soil, through a complex of the chemical
(oxidation, hydrolysis, photochemical reactions and others), the physical (sedimentation,
evaporation, aeration and others), and the biological natural self-purification processes (Drinan
and Spellman, 2001; Beyers and Odum, 1993; Grice and Reeve, 1982; Ostroumov, 1999; Klein,
1957; Vavilin, 1983; Loo and Rosenberg, 1989; Sommer, 1998; Hily, 1991; Mandi et al., 1996;
Robach et al., 1991; Stimson et al. 1996; Otsuki et al. 1988; Logan and Hunt, 1987). The biological self-purification processes play an essential role in the river selfpurification via both the decomposition of total organic matter (natural and man-made) by fungi,
bacteria and other microorganisms (Klein, 1957; Vavilin, 1983) and the utilizing of several
functional biological filters (Loo and Rosenberg, 1989; Sommer, 1998; Hily, 1991; Mandi et al.,
1996; Robach et al., 1991; Stimson et al. 1996; Otsuki et al. 1988; Logan and Hunt, 1987). In the
process of decomposition, the entire water and the benthic soil are periodically enriched with a)
biological surfactants such as amino, pyruvic, fatty and other acids; and b) the generated
dissolved biogases – oxygen, ammonia, carbon dioxide and others.
Natural functions of the biological filters in the self-purification processes are the
following: a) filtering water by filter-feeding organisms for removing phytoplankton and algae in
the water, thus preventing the aquatic system from the rapid eutrophication (Loo and Rosenberg,
1989; Sommer, 1998; Hily, 1991). A typical example of these organisms are: rotifers, bryozoans,
crustaceans, and others; b) filtering water by communities of aquatic plants in order to prevent
the entry of pollution such as nitrogen and phosphorus from the surrounding land into stream
water (Mandi et al., 1996; Robach et al., 1991); c) filtering water by benthic organisms for
preventing the entry of polluting particles and biogenic elements into stream water from the
benthic soil (Stimson et al. 1996). Some of the latter are Tubifex, Chironomus, Asellus, green
macroalgae, Dictyosphaeria cavernosa, and others; d) filtering water by attaching
microorganisms to the particles suspended in stream water (Otsuki et al. 1988; Logan and Hunt,
1987).
In earlier work (Fisenko, 2004), a new self-purification process of streams - natural froth
formation was discovered and described. It was shown that the proper complex of the biological
self-purification processes, such as the decomposition of total organics, together with the
physico-chemical ones, caused by the proper level of turbulence, lead to the natural formation of
the froth on a stream surface. The naturally formed froth collects all kinds of polluting particles,
including organic, inorganic and the pathogenic bacteria, from the entire water body and the
benthic soil. Based on the new insights into the stream self-purification, a new long-term instream on site clean-up method, dealing with the non-point (unregulated) sources of pollution has
been proposed.
In subsequent works (Fisenko, 2006; Fisenko, 2008), the self-purification process
through the natural froth formation has been studied for several streams. It was shown that the collected froth samples contain much greater concentration of the investigated polluting particles
than water samples. These studies supported our idea that streams possess the self-purify
activities through the natural formation of the froth.
The present paper is devoted to the subsequent development of the long-term in-stream
on site remediation approach, which was previously proposed in (Fisenko, 2004). By way of
example, a site of Niagara River at the Niagara Whirlpool basin (Ontario, Canada), where the
natural formation of the froth takes place, has been studied. The preliminary test analysis showed
that the naturally formed froth collects the tested polluting particles. As a result, the Niagara
Whirlpool basin is a proper site where the natural self-purification of the Niagara River takes
place.
2. Methods
On July 15, 2008, the subsurface water and the froth samples were collected downstream from
Niagara Falls. The collecting site was a site at the Niagara Whirlpool basin. See Photo 1a.
Photo 1: Froth on the Niagara Whirlpool. 1a, on the water surface; 1b, on the bank.
1a 1b
The Niagara Whirlpool is located about 6 km downstream from the Niagara Falls. The Niagara
Whirlpool is a basin 518 m long by 365 m wide with depths up to 38 m (Niagara Falls and Great
Gorge. Facts & Figures. (http://www.niagaraparks.com/). The whirlpool is located in the middle
of two sets of rapids where the Niagara River takes a ninety-degree turn and continues to flow
towards Lake Ontario. The rapids upstream of the whirlpool have depths up to 15 m and the water speed can reach as high as 9 m/sec. The Niagara Whirlpool basin has the circular water
motion clockwise. Below the whirlpool is another set of rapids, which drops about 12 m.
Subsurface water samples were collected in 0.5 L polyethylene bottles at about 15 cm
depth. During sample collection the bottles were opened and closed at the sampling depth. Froth
samples were collected from the bank of the whirlpool by using a polyethylene collector. See
Photo 1b. Filtrations of the samples in which investigated polluting particles were measured were
performed in the laboratory. For preparing samples for test analysis, the froth samples as well as
the subsurface water samples were poured through filters with pores of 1μm. One filter was
necessary for filling of 10 mg of the filtered mixture from the froth samples. In this case, the
particles larger than 1μm had remained in the filters. Therefore, the test results were obtained for
particles smaller than 1μmin size. This range covers polluting particles in the colloid and the
ionic states.
All samples were analyzed for nutrients, heavy metals, phenol, and turbidity by using the
Palintest Photometer 5000 instrument (Palintest Ltd., www.palintest.com). The Palintest
Photometer 5000 measures the color intensity, which is produced when reagents are added to the
sample solution. The color intensity is proportional to the concentration of the investigated
parameters under test. Reagents are supplied in the form of test tablets. The Photometer shows
different chemical elements in the water samples in varying the color intensity. It is simple to use
in field research and has been demonstrated to be very accurate.
3. Results and Discussion
Table 1 shows the comparison test results for concentrations of nutrients, heavy metals,
phenol and turbidity in the froth and the subsurface water samples. Table 1 Comparison test results for samples taken from a site of the Niagara Whirlpool.
CHEMICAL ELEMENTS:
Filtered Water
From
Subsurface
Water Samples,
mg/L
Filtered Mixture
from
Froth Samples,
mg/L
1) Turbidity: 5 FTU 95 FTU
2) Hexavalent Chromium (CrVI) 0.01 0.07
3) Aluminium (Al): 0.04 0.25
4) Nitrate (N): 0.21 0.58
5) Molybdate HR (MoO4): 1 4.2
6) Phenol (C6H5OH): 0.07 0.35
7) Phosphate (PO4): 0.02 0.14
As clearly seen in Table 1, the concentrations of nutrients, trace metals and phenol in the
filtered mixture, obtained from the froth samples, is much greater than those in the filtered
subsurface water samples. Thus, phosphate rates seven times greater. Phenol rates five times
greater. As for aluminium, its concentration is more than sixfold. As for turbidity, the
concentration of undissolved substances in the froth samples rates nineteen times greater than in
the subsurface water samples. Here it is important to note that the mixture from the froth
contains contaminants in the suspended state and the heavily particles, too. This means that our
test results do not provide full information regarding the concentration of pollutants in the froth.
However, as clearly seen in Table 1, the concentration of the studied contaminants in colloid and
ionic states is significantly higher than that in the subsurface water samples. As a result, the
naturally formed froth collects the polluting particles from the Niagara River at the site of the
Niagara Whirlpool.
Now let us consider the removal process of polluting particles by the natural formation of
froth. It is well-known that for providing the flotation, the chemical reagents such as frothers and collectors should be added to water (Considine, D.M. and Cousidine, 1989). Frothers are surfaceactive chemicals, which form an adsorbing film on bubble surfaces, and the latter could obtain an
electrical charge. Collectors are surface-active organic chemicals. They form an adsorbing film
on particle surfaces and could, like the frothers, also obtain an electrical charge. In the Niagara
River as well as in the Niagara Whirlpool basin, the flothers and the collectors are already
presented. Indeed by decomposing the total organics in the entire water body and in/on the
benthic soil by fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms, the biological surfactants such as
amino, fatty and other acids are produced. Man-made surfactants such as detergents, soap and
others in the river and the whirlpool are also present.
The proper level of turbulence or good mixing, created by the rapids upstream from the
whirlpool, generates a large amount of dissolved air and air bubbles in river water. Then water
enriched with the latter enters the whirlpool. Furthermore, the whirlpool basin itself is also
enriched with dissolved biogases, generated during the decomposition processes therein. The
generated air and biological bubbles could adsorb the available surface-active chemicals and
obtain an electric charge. Besides, when the polluting particles adsorb the surface-active organic
chemicals, they also obtain an electric charge. Upon being charged, the polluting particles are
attached to the bubbles and form the bubble-particle aggregates. Then rise to the whirlpool water
surface, the aggregates concentrate in the froth and the surrounding thin top layer of surface
water. As a result, the resulting froth comprises a high concentration of the tested polluting
agents such as nutrients, trace metals and phenol. By the circular water motion, the froth with a
high concentration of polluting particles is moving around the whirlpool basin close to the bank
and part of the froth concentrates on the bank. See Photo 1b. As the current moves the thinning
froth mass around whirlpool, the bubbles in the froth gradually disappear. As a result, the heavier
polluting particles could precipitate to the whirlpool benthic soil and the lighter ones with less
amount of polluting particles is still in the whirlpool water body and flowing along the Niagara
river downstream from the whirlpool.
As a result, the pollution removed from the Niagara River is concentrated in the Niagara
Whirlpool basin. The latter allows a reduction in nutrients and a decrease in trace metals in the
Niagara River. Therefore, the quality of river water that leaves the whirlpool is better than the
water quality upstream from it. Consequently, the farther from the whirlpool, the lower will be
the concentration of polluting particles in the river until a new kind of polluting sources (point or non-point) are encountered. This natural self-purification process through the froth formation
should be work during a year. However, the verification of this hypothesis would require
additional research.
The froth on rivers and creeks is caused by both natural processes and man-made
pollution. The froth on river and creek surfaces results from a combination of the following: a)
the presence of natural organic matter (e.g., dead fauna and flora), and/or industrial organic
pollution; b) the activity of bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms decomposing the entire
organic matter that is present in polluted sites of rivers and creeks: c) the inorganic pollution
(e.g., detergents and chemical contaminations); and d) the turbulent water flow or good mixing.
The amount of froth formed on a surface of the Niagara Whirlpool and on a surface of any river
downstream from weirs, rapids, waterfalls and other obstacles, creating the shallow-turbulent
character of water current strongly depends on the concentration of natural and man-made
surfactants, the generated biogas and air bubbles as well as good mixing. The pollution removal
effect in rivers will also depend upon these conditions.
In previous work (Fisenko, 2004) it was shown that the biological foam, created by fungi,
bacteria and other microorganisms is a part of the natural froth. The biological foam plays an
essential role in the stream self-purification. The similarity of processes involved in the foam
formation in a stream and in activated sludge plants was pointed out in recent work (Fisenko,
2008). However, more research related to the identification of the proper groups of bacteria
involved in the formation of froth in a stream should be conducted. This topic will be a point of
discussion in subsequent publications.
In conclusion, it is important to note that there are several articles related to the testing of
the froth and the subsurface water qualities on the Niagara River that support our results. As an
example, the work done by the authors (Johnson et al., 1989), the concentrations of the trace
metals such as Cu, Cd, and Zn, the dissolved and the particulate carbon, and some classes of
lipids were tested in the subsurface water and the froth samples taken below Niagara Falls. It was
shown that the concentrations of the tested elements were much greater in the froth samples in
comparison to the subsurface water ones. Similar results were obtained for a variety of
radionuclides. (See (Platford and Joshi, 1989)). 4. Conclusions
The preliminary test analysis showed that the natural formed froth on a surface of the Niagara
Whirlpool comprises a greater concentration of the investigated impurities in comparison to
subsurface water. The latter collects pollutants, ranging from the nutrients, trace metals, phenol
to the turbidity, taken from the Niagara River. The explanation of the contaminants removal
process is considered in detail. Here we can conclude that the Niagara Whirlpool basin is the
proper natural source of the Niagara River self-purification. At present, there is an essential
interest in the expanding our research on the same site of the Niagara Whirlpool basin for
obtaining a similar natural pollution removal effect throughout the year in order to observe this
natural self-purification process by the froth formation at different seasons.
It is also very important to conduct a long-term research on other sites of Niagara River
where the natural froth formation takes place. A special attention should be taken for the sites
near Niagara Falls. In this case, research should be conducted for comparative analysis of the
removed froth and water samples taken both the upstream and the downstream from Niagara
Falls. As a result, a new long-term on site remediating approach for Niagara River could be
developed. These and other topics will be points of discussion in subsequent publications.
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to Mr. Brad Hill, the lead for Environment Canada's Niagara River Water
Quality Monitoring Program, for his attention to our work done and the powerful discussions.

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