Iranian Journal of

Background and Objective: Scaling and corrosion both are destructive to materials (usually metals) in water supply systems. A dataset (from 2002 to 2013) of groundwater resources (including springs, qanats, deep wells and semi-deep wells) were examined for water tendency to corrosion or scaling in rural regions of Kashan, a city in Isfahan, central Iran.
Materials and Methods: Water quality parameters including pH, temperature, Ca (mg/L), CO₃^2- (mg/L), HCO₃^-(mg/L) and TDS (mg/L) were used to estimate water stability indices. Value of qualitative indices including Langelier (LSI), Ryznar (RSI), Puckorius (PSI) and trend of Calcium Carbonate Precipitation Potential (CCPP) as a quantitative index were calculated and analyzed for all water resources.
Results: Mean of LSI, RSI and PSI for all water resources were estimated to be 0.41±0.02, 6.39 ± 0.03, and 7.40±0.02, respectively. The CCPP value found to be 17.23±3.16, 15.66±1.38, 41.23±11.22, and 23.15±4.46 mg/L for springs, qanats, deep wells and semi-deep wells, respectively. The CCPP index was significantly increased from 2002 to 2013, with an average of 1.6 units per year.
Conclusion: A significant scaling tendency was observed. This tendency in decreasing order was observed in deep wells, semi-deep wells, springs and qanats. The estimated CaCO₃ scale weight per cubic meter of water was 21 g on average, which may be problematic for water distribution systems. Water withdrawal management and reduction in TDS of water resources, perhaps through decrease in agricultural drainage, can be effective to reduce the scaling tendency.   
 

Background and Objective: It is important to determine the quality of the compost to use compost properly. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of mixing ratio of bulking agent on stability and maturity indices in poultry waste compost.
Materials and Methods: Two piles of sawdust mixture with poultry wastes and volume ratios of 1:1 (W1) and 2:1 (W2) were prepared by Windrow method and a pile containing poultry manure was used as control (W0). In order to determine the stability and maturity indices in compost, the most important physicochemical and biological parameters were studied.
Results: The thermophilic phase lasted about 7 weeks for W1 and about 4 weeks for W2. The initial C/N ratios in the W0, W1 and W2 were 27.10, 31.40 and 56.24, respectively, which eventually reached less than 20. The reduction of organic matter in the three piles was 8.30%, 62.59% and 85.53%, respectively. The thermophilic phase caused a sharp decrease in the population of indicator and pathogenic microorganisms in all piles. The highest dehydrogenase activity in W1 pile was 2.95 mgTPF/gDW.h and by decreasing temperature until the last day, its value decreased to 0.29 mgTPF/gDW.h.
Conclusion: The best ratio for mixing sawdust with poultry manure was 1:1 (v:v). Microbial and enzymatic activities are useful parameters for monitoring poultry composting process and determining the rate of compost stability, and the use of this compost in agriculture will improve soil quality.