Lack of clean water is one of the most important public health challenges in less developed communities. Due to insufficient financial and technical resources in places in need, development of low-cost water treatment technologies can play a key role in sustainable water provision. In this context, this PhD research investigated the removal of pathogenic microorganisms in simple sand filtration set-ups supplemented with low-cost adsorbents (hydrochar) produced via hydrothermal carbonization of biowastes.

Two types of hydrochar, derived from hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural residue...

Selenium (Se) is a chemical element of concern due to its toxicity and increasing anthropogenic release to the environment. Se oxyanions, selenite and selenate, are water-soluble, bioavailable and toxic, whereas elemental selenium, Se(0), is solid and less toxic. Nevertheless, Se(0) is potentially harmful as particulate Se(0) has been reported to be bioavailable to bivalves, to fish and also prone to re-oxidation. In the current work we investigated the reduction of selenite and selenate using pure and mixed microbial cultures. A novel strain of Pseudomonas moraviensis showing high Se...

Constructed Wetlands (CWs) are among the few natural treatment systems that can guarantee an efficient wastewater treatment and an appealing green space at the same time. However, they require large areas for their construction, which is not available in many cases.
In this thesis, two domestic wastewater treatment options were designed and studied with the purpose of having a low space requirement: the Duplex-CW and the Constructed Wetoof (CWR). The Duplex-CW is a hybrid CW composed of a vertical flow CW on top of a horizontal flow filter. The stacked arrangement is the key for reducing the...

The enhanced biological removal of phosphorus (EBPR) is a popular process due to high removal efficiency, low operational costs, and the possibility of phosphorus recovery. Nevertheless, the stability of the EBPR depends on different factors such as: temperature, pH, and the presence of toxic compounds. While extensive studies have researched the effects of temperature and pH on EBPR systems, little is known about the effects of different toxic compounds on EBPR. For example, sulphide has shown to inhibit different microbial activities in the WWTP, but the knowledge about its effects on EBPR...

The book presents documentary evidence of the insufficiency of rehabilitation works to close the gap between the irrigation service and actual area irrigated of publicly funded national irrigation systems in the Philippines. It outlines a methodology for formulating a modernisation plan for national irrigation systems with focus on the mostly ungauged, medium to small canal irrigation systems. The proposed methodology adaptively modified some known modernisation concepts and techniques and integrated them in a more holistic framework in the context of changing weather patterns and river flow...

International cooperation for reaching development goals has expanded gradually since the 1950s. The effectiveness of the Overseas Development Aid (ODA) has become a topic of great public interest. A growing body of experience exists to demonstrate that finance alone is not sufficient for development, and capacity and knowledge are increasingly seen as the constraints to proper decision making, absorption of funds, and effective results on the ground. This book presents the investigation into the role of Knowledge and Capacity Development (KCD) in public water resources management in...

Hydrological research in humid tropics is particularly challenging because of highly variable hydrological conditions and high socio-economic stresses caused by rapid population increase, as is the case of Nicaragua. The objective of this research is to understand the surface and subsurface runoff generation processes in a poorly gauged coastal catchment in Nicaragua under variable humid tropical conditions. Specifically, it focuses on identifying geomorphological and hydro-climatic controls on catchment response at different spatio-temporal scales and studies the link between hydrological...

The Gezira Scheme is Sudan's oldest and largest gravity irrigation system. The scheme has played an important role in the economic development of the country, and is a major source of foreign exchange. The farming system of the Gezira Scheme is dominated by crop production. The main crops grown are sorghum, wheat, groundnut and the oilseed crop sesame. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an important oil crop in the world and a new edible oil crop in Sudan. Knowledge of the effects of irrigation scheduling on sunflower production and water productivity under water stress conditions is...

The Ning-Meng reach of the Yellow River basin is located in the Inner Mongolia region at the Northern part of the Yellow River. Due to the special geographical conditions, the river flow direction is towards the North causing the Ning-Meng reach to freeze up every year in wintertime. Both during the freeze-up and break-up period, unfavourable conditions occur which may cause ice jamming and ice dam formation leading to dike breaching and overtopping of the embankment. Throughout history this has often led to considerable casualties and property loss. Enhanced economic development and human...

Water resources in tourist islands have been severely threatened, especially in the Galápagos Islands, where the increased local population has generated attractive income from the tourist services. In addition, the data regarding water supply and demand are scarce. This study investigates water supply and demand in Santa Cruz, the most populated island of Galápagos. The research encompasses a thorough assessment of the water supply crisis, as well as the quantification of water demand from different categories (domestic, tourist, restaurants and laundries) through surveys, in the absence...