Elsa Marcela Ramírez-López

• Autonomous University of Aguascalientes

Acute diarrhoea diseases (ADDs) are one of the major health problems in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Due to the risk of significant increases of ADDs in the hot season, it has been necessary to determine the weather conditions that might lead to escalating ADD events. The effects of El Niño and La Niña phenomena on the morbidity rate of ADD (MRADD) in t...

Architecture of bioflocks from labscale anoxic stabilization ponds enriched with activated sludge, used to remove efficiently high concentrations of chromium VI, until 153 mg/l with near 99% of removal efficiency, was determined by scanning electronic microscopy. This flocculated biomass showed a biofilm-like architecture formed by cylindrical towe...

Respiratory pathogens are the main health problem in the swine industry worldwide. These pathogens are transmitted by direct contact between animals or by aerosols and however are not well known yet, if the environment works as its reservoir, inoculum and/or dispersion medium. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of respiratory...

Bacteria are organisms that live in communities know as biofilms. Oral biofilm are the most studied communities that have a very complex organization. This chapter review this importance in the metabolism of the oral cavity.

Aguascalientes is a state located in Central Mexico, with a surface area of 5,589 km2 (0.3 per cent of Mexican territory; CONAGUA, 2000). Most of the state of Aguascalientes (87 per cent) has a semi-dry climate, with annual average precipitation of 600 mm (rainy season in the summer) and an annual average temperature of 18°C. Some locations in Agua...

Palabras clave: contaminación del agua, índice de calidad, variación espacial, río San Pedro RESUMEN El presente estudio evaluó la variación espacial y temporal de las concentraciones de materia orgánica, nutrientes, tóxicos orgánicos, organismos coliformes y metales pesados en el río San Pedro, principal corriente del estado de Aguascalientes. En...

he San Pedro river is the main surface water body in the state of Aguascalientes. It crosses the state from north to south, covering a distance along a straight line of approximately 90 km until it meets the Santiago river in the state of Jalisco. In order to determine the level of pollution in the river and the probable infiltration of pollutants...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal variations in the concentrations of organic matter, nutrients, organic pollutants, coliforms and heavy metals from the San Pedro River, which is the main superficial water body of Aguascalientes State. In the course of the river, approximately 90 km through the State, it receives the co...

The attachment of microorganisms onto biotic surfaces to form biofilm structures on the support media of a biofilter has great impact on biodegradation systems. This study examined the composition of the microbial community that developed on grape seeds (GS) used as support media in methanol degradation biofilters. They were analyzed using conventi...

Biofiltration consists of a filter-bed of organic matter serving both as carrier for the active biomass and as nutrient supply, through which the polluted gas passes. The selection of a suitable medium material is of major importance to ensure optimum biofilter efficiency. Peanut shells are an agricultural byproduct locally available in large quant...

Biofiltration is a promising technology for the degradation of organic vapors emitted in great amounts from industrial gaseous streams. The use of grape seeds as a support media in a biofiltration system was studied. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of organic vapors using grape seeds with low and high water content was analyzed. Using grape see...

A quantitative study of toxicity levels of the San Pedro River and its main tributaries around the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico was conducted. Our study determined individual CL(50) values for each sampling point at 3 different times of the year corresponding to the main seasons of the year in terms of the hydrological cycle (dry, low rain and hi...

The addition of acclimatized activated sludge has been suggested as an effective enrichment procedure to increase the biological activity of waste stabilization ponds. This enrichment results in higher degradation rates compared to non enriched stabilization ponds. However, the comparison between enriched and non enriched ponds has been observed du...

The occurrence of Gram-negative pathogenic and opportunistic species, was studied for two years on air. soil and leachate from the San Nicolás Landfill. Aguascalientes, Mexico. For soil and leachate four samplings were done, two during the dry season and two during the rainy season. For soil there were 15 sampling points, the leachate samples were...

Biotechnology has been applied to find green and low cost environmental processes. In the waste gas treatments (odours and volatile organic compounds VOC) one of the main biological systems used is biofilters. This technology works at normal operating conditions of temperature and pressure, and therefore it is relatively cheap with high efficiencie...

Biofiltration is the most commonly used biological gas treatment technology and is extensively used for the treatment of polluted air with gas flow rates of up to 2 x 10(5) m(3)/h. It involves a filter bed of organic matter serving both as carrier for microorganisms and as nutrient supplier. Polluted gas passes through the filter bed and is cleaned...

Biotechnology has been applied to find systems to decrease the level of pollution. The main biological systems used in the deodorisation of waste gases are biofilters, biotrickling filters and bioscrubbers. These technologies work at normal operating conditions of temperature and pressure, and therefore they are relatively cheap with high efficienc...

A hydrodynamic study and an ethanol biodegradation were carried out in an experimental biofilter using wood bark as packing material. The Comiti and Renaud model was used in order to determine, from pressure drop measurements, the tortuosity and the dynamic specific surface area of the packing material, and its structural parameters, considering th...