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Toxicity of zinc, copper, cobalt, and chromium ions and their binary interactions were studied at varying test levels by using a battery of two tests, Microtox and duckweed with Vibrio fisheri and Lemna minor as test organisms, respectively. The type of toxic interaction at each test combination was assessed by a statistical approach based on testing the null hypothesis of "additive toxicity" at 95% confidence level. The interactions were called "antagonistic," "additive," or "synergistic" in accordance with the statistical significance and the sign of the difference between the tested hypothesis and the value of the observed toxicity at the binary test level concerned. In the majority of the combinations studied by the two bioassays, the interactions were of antagonistic nature. Additive toxicity was the next frequently predicted interaction in both test results, the frequency being much higher in Microtox responses than in those of duckweed. Finally, synergism was found to be a rare interaction in Microtox results, but totally unlikely in duckweed within the selected test combinations.

Treatability of textile dyebath effluents by two simultaneously operated processes comprising adsorption and advanced oxidation was investigated using a reactive dyestuff, Everzol Black-GSP (EBG). The method was comprised of contacting aqueous solutions of the dye with hydrogen peroxide and granules of activated carbon (GAC) during irradiation of the reactor with ultraviolet light (UV). Control experiments were run separately with each individual process (advanced oxidation with UV/H2O2 and adsorption on GAC) to select the operating parameters on the basis of maximum color removal. The effectiveness of the combined scheme was tested by monitoring the rate of decolorization and the degree of carbon mineralization in effluent samples. It was found that in a combined medium of advanced oxidation and adsorption, color was principally removed by oxidative degradation, while adsorption contributed to the longer process of dye mineralization. Economic evaluation of the system based on total color removal and 50% mineralization showed that in the case of Everzol Black-GSP, which adsorbs relatively poorly on GAC, the proposed combination provides 25% and 35% reduction in hydrogen peroxide and energy consumption relative to the UV/H2O2 system. Higher cost reductions are expected in cases with well adsorbing dyes and/or with less costly adsorbents.

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