Papers by Ramiro Escalera
Ashdin Publishing Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research, 2024
Naturally occurring arsenic in geological formations is a major source of groundwater contaminati... more Naturally occurring arsenic in geological formations is a major source of groundwater contamination worldwide, including Bolivia. Physicalchemical studies have identified high concentrations of arsenic in water from deep and shallow wells in various Bolivian regions. In the Lake Poopó basin, arsenic levels in shallow wells exceed Bolivian and WHO standards by up to 25 times. In Cochabamba, groundwater arsenic content reaches up to 113 μg-As/l. Chronic arsenic exposure poses health risks such as neurological, dermatological, and carcinogenic effects. To date, no measures have been taken to mitigate this issue, posing a serious threat to the health and livelihoods of the rural population. In this study, iron and iron oxide nanoparticles obtained from recycling were used to filter arsenic, successfully reducing concentrations below Bolivian drinking water standards.
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A semicircular section tubular photoreactor has been constructed, characterized and applied to th... more A semicircular section tubular photoreactor has been constructed, characterized and applied to the treatment of groundwater contaminated with As(V) by means of the SORAS (solar oxidation and removal of arsenic) technique, using ferrous and citrate salts. The solar concentrator was built with recyclable waste materials: glass tubes from fluorescent lamps and 6-inch diameter PVC pipes cut in half and covered by aluminum foil. The reactor concentrates solar radiation up to 2.8 times its natural intensity. Batch irradiation experiments followed by controlled agitation (shear rate = 30-33 s -1 ; 20 min agitation period) showed that the photoreactor accelerates the formation of settleable floccules (Dp > 0.5mm), compared with a fluorescent lamp glass tube alone and a 2 L PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle. Irradiation times necessary for floccule formation in the photoreactor, the fluorescent lamp tube and the PET bottle were 15 min, 25 min and 60 min, respectively. Continuous flo...
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Current Approaches in Science and Technology Research Vol. 14, 2021
A practical low-cost treatment system of suitable capacity was developed in order to satisfy drin... more A practical low-cost treatment system of suitable capacity was developed in order to satisfy drinking water consumption needs of people living in small rural villages affected by arsenic contamination. The system is based on a semicircular section tubular photo-reactor which has been constructed, characterized and applied to the treatment of groundwater contaminated with As (V) by means of the solar oxidation and removal of arsenic (SORAS) technique, using ferrous and citrate salts. The solar concentrator was made from recyclable waste materials such as fluorescent lamp glass tubes and 6” PVC pipes cut in half and covered in aluminium foil. Solar radiation is concentrated to 2.8 times its natural intensity in the reactor. When compared to a fluorescent light glass tube alone and a 2-liter PET bottle, batch irradiation trials followed by controlled agitation (shear rate = 30 – 33 s-1; 20 min agitation period) revealed that the photo-reactor promotes the development of settleable floc...
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Revista Boliviana de Química, 2021
El agua subterránea es la principal fuente de consumo en muchos centros urbanos y áreas rurales d... more El agua subterránea es la principal fuente de consumo en muchos centros urbanos y áreas rurales de Bolivia, tal es el caso del Municipio de San Pedro ubicado en el departamento de Santa Cruz. El presente estudio se realizó con la Received 04 12 2021 Accepted 04 26 2020 Published 04 30 2021 Vol. 38, No.1, pp. 46-55, Ene./Abr.2021 Revista Boliviana de Química 38(1), 46-55, Jan./Apr. 2021 Bolivian Journal of Chemistry DOI: 10.34098/2078-3949.38.1.5 REVISTA BOLIVIANA DE QUÍMICA ISSN 0250-5460 Rev. Bol. Quim. Paper edition ISSN 2078-3949 Rev. boliv. quim. Electronic edition Lizangela Huallpara L. et al. RBQ Vol.38, No.1, pp. 46-55, 2021 Downloadable from: Revista Boliviana de Química. Volumen 38 Nº1. Año 2021 http://www.bolivianchemistryjournal.org, http://www.scribd.com/bolivianjournalofchemistry 47 Received 04 12 2021 38(1); Jan./Apr. 2021 Accepted 04 26 2021 Published 04 30 2021; DOI:10.34098/2078-3949.38.1.5 finalidad de determinar la calidad fisicoquímica del agua subterránea de con...
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En este estudio se diseno, implemento y evaluo el desempeno de una planta piloto de tratamiento d... more En este estudio se diseno, implemento y evaluo el desempeno de una planta piloto de tratamiento de aguas residuales domesticas, basada en contactores biologicos rotatorios (CBR). La demanda de fuentes de agua en zonas semi- aridas ocasiona que se reutilicen aguas residuales en agricultura, aunque no tengan ningun grado de tratamiento. Los CBR son sistemas de tratamiento aerobio llevado a cabo por microorganismos adheridos sobre discos que rotan lentamente a traves de un flujo de agua residual. Entre las ventajas del sistema se puede mencionar, los niveles potencialmente altos de eficiencia, que ocupan poco espacio y se pueden ampliar modularmente; sin embargo, son sistemas costosos de implementar, debido a que se requiere de la importacion de los discos. En este estudio se escogio el poliestireno por su disponibilidad local y se verifico que es un medio de adherencia adecuado para los microorganismos. Las eficiencias maximas alcanzadas por el CBR una vez concluido el periodo de acli...
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Water Practice and Technology
This study aims to determine the seasonal variability on the performance of a medium size populat... more This study aims to determine the seasonal variability on the performance of a medium size population wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Bolivia. The semi-arid area where WWTP is located, is characterized as agricultural land, with an annual rainfall of 500 mm and a mean temperature of 17 °C. The WWTP is built up of 5 modules, each one compromising two treatment trains composed by UASB reactor and Horizontal Gravel Filter. The performance of the full process has been determined based on water quantity and quality. Seven monitoring campaigns of chemical and physical wastewater characteristics were performed from March to December 2017. The measured effluent showed average removal efficiencies of 83 ± 8% and 37 ± 60% for total COD and TSS, respectively. The treatment system has proven to be efficient to remove organic matter and total suspended solids, despite the occurrence of high COD and TS influent concentrations, the accumulation of solids at all the processes and the variabilit...
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INVESTIGACION & DESARROLLO
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INVESTIGACION & DESARROLLO
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INVESTIGACION & DESARROLLO
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INVESTIGACION & DESARROLLO
El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar el desempeño de la planta de tratamiento de aguas re... more El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar el desempeño de la planta de tratamiento de aguas residuales (PTAR) de una zona conformada originalmente por lagunas de estabilización, la cual fue ampliada. La ampliación se llevó a cabo a través del dragado y mejoramiento del sistema de lagunaje. El aumento de capacidad consistió en la implementación de un Reactor Anaeróbico Compartimentado (RAC), un sistema de pre-tratamiento mejorado que incluye rejas, un tamiz mecánico, un desarenador con una cámara desgrasadora, y lechos destinados al secado de lodos provenientes del RAC. La PTAR actualmente atiende a una población de 20 000 habitantes aproximadamente y trata un caudal de 2 416 m3/d. El RAC implementado contribuye principalmente a la reducción de DBO, DQO y especialmente de SST. El acondicionamiento de las lagunas demostró mejorar la capacidad de tratamiento de la PTAR. La eficiencia global de la PTAR es de: 55, 67, 54, 80, 15 y 26 % para los parámetros de DBO5, DQO total, DQO solub...
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RESUMEN Se ha desarrollado un sistema de reciclaje de aguas residuales provenientes de la etapa d... more RESUMEN Se ha desarrollado un sistema de reciclaje de aguas residuales provenientes de la etapa de adición de colorantes orgánicos en el proceso de teñido de jeans, a nivel de laboratorio, que consiste en dos procesos: la foto-degradación por el método foto-Fenton del color y de la materia orgánica, utilizando un foto-reactor solar tubular de sección semicircular de un solo eje y la precipitación/filtración de hierro remanente en las aguas foto-degradadas. El colector-concentrador solar, que posee una capacidad de concentración de radiación UV-A de 2,88 soles, fue construido reciclando materiales desechados: tubos de vidrio proveniente de lámparas de Ne y tubos de desagüe sanitario de 6" (PVC), recubierto por láminas de aluminio. Se realizaron pruebas de optimización del proceso de foto-degradación mediante un modelo estadístico factorial de multiniveles, dando como resultado concentraciones óptimas de Fe 2+ 35 mgL -1 y de H 2 O 2 1400 mgL -1 , pH óptimo entre 2,35 a 2,40 e int...
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RESUMEN Se han construido y caracterizado cuatro foto-reactores tubulares de sección semi-circula... more RESUMEN Se han construido y caracterizado cuatro foto-reactores tubulares de sección semi-circular, y se aplicaron al tratamiento de aguas subterráneas contaminadas con As(V), utilizando las técnica de la Remoción de Arsénico por Oxidación Solar (RAOS). Los concentradores solares fueron construidos reciclando materiales desechados: tubos de vidrio proveniente de lámparas de Ne, tubos de desagüe sanitario de 6" (PVC) y láminas de hojalata comercial, recubiertos por láminas de aluminio. Los diámetros de los foto-reactores fueron de 15 cm, 31,7 cm, 47,6 cm y 70,7 cm. Poseen una capacidad de radiación equivalente a 2,47, 4,73, 6,88 y 10,02 soles, respectivamente. Pruebas simultáneas sin agitación en los cuatro foto-reactores, mostraron que la remoción de As en el foto-reactor de mayor diámetro es más rápida, con remociones mayores al 80% en todos los casos. Los tiempos de crecimiento de los flóculos hasta tamaños mayores a 0,45 µm (tamaño del microfiltro) fueron de 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 y ...
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Two non-destructive methods were developed and validated for the determination of chromium salt c... more Two non-destructive methods were developed and validated for the determination of chromium salt concentrations in residual tanning li quors usually occurring in leather manufacturing processes: A spectrophotometric method and a derived colorimetric method. The methods were developed by analyzing the absorption-wavelength spectra of standard solutions prepared with the same commercial chemical reagents used by a currently operating tannery, over the
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Page 1. 1 TRATAMIENTO DE OLORES PROVENIENTES DEL PROCESO DE SAPONIFICACION DE BORRAS DE SOYA Rami... more Page 1. 1 TRATAMIENTO DE OLORES PROVENIENTES DEL PROCESO DE SAPONIFICACION DE BORRAS DE SOYA Ramiro Escalera, Ariel Baldivieso, Claudia Villegas y Marianela Cavero Centro de Investigaciones de Procesos Industriales Universidad Privada Boliviana ...
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Analytical Chemistry Insights, 2011
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ABSTRACT Dissolved arsenic (As) concentration in drinking water collected during rainy season fro... more ABSTRACT Dissolved arsenic (As) concentration in drinking water collected during rainy season from drilled wells in Cochabamba, Bolivia showed a range from <3.0 to 153 µg/L and averaged 30.0 µg/L, while As concentrations collected during dry season ranged from <3.0 µg/L to 581 µg/L and averaged 168.3 µg/L, showing a wide variation in the distribution between seasons. A tubular photo-reactor was designed and constructed with a solar concentrator having different diameters. It can be seen that As removal exceeding 80% were achieved within 3 minutes in the 64-cm diameter solar concentrator. The other solar collectors achieved such removal at 4, 5 and 8 min. These As removal times are significantly lower than those reported in the literature for PET bottles. Therefore, these low-cost solar concentrators, built with readily accessible materials can be used for the treatment of groundwater naturally contaminated with As.
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