Ammonia emission factors from broiler litter in barns, in storage, and after land application

We measured NH? emissions from litter in broiler houses, during storage, and after land application and conducted a mass balance of N in poultry houses. Four state-of-the-art tunnel-ventilated broiler houses in northwest Arkansas were equipped with NH? sensors, anemometers, and data loggers to continuously record NH? concentrations and ventilation for 1 yr. Gaseous fluxes of NH?, N?O, CH?, and CO? from litter were measured. Nitrogen (N) inputs and outputs were quantified. Ammonia emissions during storage and after land application were measured. Ammonia emissions during the flock averaged approximately 15.2 kg per day-house (equivalent to 28.3 g NH?per bird marketed). Emissions between flocks equaled 9.09 g NH? per bird. Hence, in-house NH? emissions were 37.5 g NH? per bird, or 14.5 g kg(-1) bird marketed (50-d-old birds). The mass balance study showed N inputs for the year to the four houses totaled 71,340 kg N, with inputs from bedding, chicks, and feed equal to 303, 602, and 70,435 kg, respectively (equivalent to 0.60, 1.19, and 139.56 g N per bird). Nitrogen outputs totaled 70,396 kg N. Annual N output from birds marketed, NH? emissions, litter or cake, mortality, and NO? emissions was 39,485, 15,571, 14,464, 635, and 241 kg N, respectively (equivalent to 78.2, 30.8, 28.7, 1.3, and 0.5 g N per bird). The percent N recovery for the N mass balance study was 98.8%. Ammonia emissions from stacked litter during a 16-d storage period were 172 g Mg(-1) litter, which is equivalent to 0.18 g NH? per bird. Ammonia losses from poultry litter broadcast to pastures were 34 kg N ha (equivalent to 15% of total N applied or 7.91 g NH? per bird). When the litter was incorporated into the pasture using a new knifing technique, NH? losses were virtually zero. The total NH? emission factor for broilers measured in this study, which includes losses in-house, during storage, and after land application, was 45.6 g NH? per bird marketed.     

Does iodine gas released from seaweed contribute to dietary iodine intake?

Thyroid hormone levels sufficient for brain development and normal metabolism require a minimal supply of iodine, mainly dietary. Living near the sea may confer advantages for iodine intake. Iodine (I₂) gas released from seaweeds may, through respiration, supply a significant fraction of daily iodine requirements. Gaseous iodine released over seaweed beds was measured by a new gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based method and iodine intake assessed by measuring urinary iodine (UI) excretion. Urine samples were obtained from female schoolchildren living in coastal seaweed rich and low seaweed abundance and inland areas of Ireland. Median I₂ ranged 154–905 pg/L (daytime downwind), with higher values (~1,287 pg/L) on still nights, 1,145–3,132 pg/L (over seaweed). A rough estimate of daily gaseous iodine intake in coastal areas, based upon an arbitrary respiration of 10,000L, ranged from 1 to 20 μg/day. Despite this relatively low potential I₂ intake, UI in populations living near a seaweed hotspot were much higher than in lower abundance seaweed coastal or inland areas (158, 71 and 58 μg/L, respectively). Higher values >150 μg/L were observed in 45.6% of (seaweed rich), 3.6% (lower seaweed), 2.3% (inland)) supporting the hypothesis that iodine intake in coastal regions may be dependent on seaweed abundance rather than proximity to the sea. The findings do not exclude the possibility of a significant role for iodine inhalation in influencing iodine status. Despite lacking iodized salt, coastal communities in seaweed-rich areas can maintain an adequate iodine supply. This observation brings new meaning to the expression “Sea air is good for you!”     

The influence of pigmentation patterning on bumblebee foraging from flowers of Antirrhinum majus

Patterns of pigmentation overlying the petal vasculature are common in flowering plants and have been postulated to play a role in pollinator attraction. Previous studies report that such venation patterning is significantly more attractive to bee foragers in the field than ivory or white flowers without veins. To dissect the ways in which venation patterning of pigment can influence bumblebee behaviour, we investigated the response of flower-naïve individuals of Bombus terrestris to veined, ivory and red near-isogenic lines of Antirrhinum majus. We find that red venation shifts flower colour slightly, although the ivory background is the dominant colour. Bees were readily able to discriminate between ivory and veined flowers under differential conditioning but showed no innate preference when presented with a free choice of rewarding ivory and veined flowers. In contrast, both ivory and veined flowers were selected significantly more often than were red flowers. We conclude that advantages conferred by venation patterning might stem from bees learning of their use as nectar guides, rather than from any innate preference for striped flowers.     

Evaluation of Quicklime Incorporation in Bench-Scale and Full-Scale Lime Stabilized Biosolids Using a Flat Surface pH Electrode

Abstract

Uniform lime incorporation into sewage sludge is critical for biosolid lime stabilization processes. There is no class B biosolids regulation for lime incorporation. The slurry method is currently used to evaluate the pH of limed biosolids, but this method homogenizes the biosolids and potentially masks poor lime mixing. In this study, a flat-surface pH electrode was used in bench-scale and full-scale experiments to measure the pH of lime-stabilized biosolids without creating slurries. The standard deviation of 15 pH measurements at different locations in a biosolid sample was used to assess mixing quality. The bench-scale experimental study showed that well-mixed limed biosolids had consistently high pHs (~12) with low standard deviations (<0.5 pH units), whereas poorly mixed biosolids had areas with low pH (<10) and high standard deviations (>2 pH units). Poorly mixed biosolids exhibited rapid and marked pH reduction, as well as offensive odor generation, whereas well-mixed biosolids resisted pH reduction and offensive odor generation. The full-scale study aimed at improving lime incorporation and biosolids quality confirmed the use of a flat surface pH electrode to capture low pH regions in biosolids that were masked by the current slurry method.     

PFAS Experts Symposium: Statements on regulatory policy,chemistry and analytics,toxicology, transport/fate,and remediation for per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination issues

Sixty leading members of the scientific, engineering, regulatory, and legal communities assembled for the PFAS Experts Symposium in Arlington, Virginia on May 20 and 21, 2019 to discuss issues related to per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) based on the quickly evolving developments of PFAS regulations, chemistry and analytics, transport and fate concepts, toxicology, and remediation technologies.  The Symposium created a venue for experts with various specialized skills to provide opinions and trade perspectives on existing and new approaches to PFAS assessment and remediation in light of lessons learned managing other contaminants encountered over the past four decades. The following summarizes several consensus points developed as an outcome of the Symposium:

• Regulatory and policy issues: The response by many states and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to media exposure and public pressure related to PFAS contamination is to relatively quickly initiate programs to regulate PFAS sites. This includes the USEPA establishing relatively low lifetime health advisory levels for PFAS in drinking water and even more stringent guidance and standards in several states. In addition, if PFAS are designated as hazardous substances at the federal level, as proposed by several Congressional bills, there could be wide‐reaching effects including listing of new Superfund sites solely for PFAS, application of stringent state standards, additional characterization and remediation at existing sites, reopening of closed sites, and cost renegotiation among PRPs.
• Chemistry and analytics: PFAS analysis is confounded by the lack of regulatory‐approved methods for most PFAS in water and all PFAS in solid media and air, interference with current water‐based analytical methods if samples contain high levels of suspended solids, and sample collection and analytical interference due to the presence of PFAS in common consumer products, sampling equipment, and laboratory materials.
• Toxicology and risk: Uncertainties remain related to human health and ecological effects for most PFAS; however, regulatory standards and guidance are being established incorporating safety factors that result in part per trillion (ppt) cleanup objectives. Given the thousands of PFAS that may be present in the environment, a more appropriate paradigm may be to develop toxicity criteria for groups of PFAS rather than individual PFAS.
• Transport and fate: The recalcitrance of many perfluoroalkyl compounds and the capability of some fluorotelomers to transform into perfluoroalkyl compounds complicate conceptual site models at many PFAS sites, particularly those involving complex mixtures, such as firefighting foams. Research is warranted to better understand the physicochemical properties and corresponding transport and fate of most PFAS, of branched and linear isomers of the same compounds, and of the interactions of PFAS with other co‐contaminants such as nonaqueous phase liquids. Many PFAS exhibit complex transport mechanisms, particularly at the air/water interface, and it is uncertain whether traditional transport principles apply to the ppt levels important to PFAS projects. Existing analytical methods are sufficient when combined with the many advances in site characterization techniques to move rapidly forward at selected sites to develop and test process‐based conceptual site models.
• Existing remediation technologies and research: Current technologies largely focus on separation (sorption, ion exchange, or sequestration). Due to diversity in PFAS properties, effective treatment will likely require treatment trains. Monitored natural attenuation will not likely involve destructive reactions, but be driven by processes such as matrix diffusion, sorption, dispersion, and dilution.

The consensus message from the Symposium participants is that PFAS present far more complex challenges to the environmental community than prior contaminants. This is because, in contrast to chlorinated solvents, PFAS are severely complicated by their mobility, persistence, toxicological uncertainties, and technical obstacles to remediation—all under the backdrop of stringent regulatory and policy developments that vary by state and will be further driven by USEPA. Concern was expressed about the time, expense, and complexity required to remediate PFAS sites and whether the challenges of PFAS warrant alternative approaches to site cleanups, including the notion that adaptive management and technical impracticability waivers may be warranted at sites with expansive PFAS plumes. A paradigm shift towards receptor protection rather than broad scale groundwater/aquifer remediation may be appropriate.     

Stereochemistry affects sesquiterpene lactone bioactivity against an herbivorous grasshopper

Sesquiterpene lactones are defensive compounds which protect plants against a variety of herbivores and other natural enemies. Sesquiterpene lactones from higher plants can be divided into two groups based on the stereochemistry of their lactone ring junction, either cis-fused or trans-fused. It is unclear whether and how this variation affects potentially important ecological interactions. To investigate whether stereochemical variation in sesquiterpene lactone ring junctions can influence resistance to herbivorous insects, we performed controlled feeding trials with two pairs of diastereomeric sesquiterpene lactones and examined the deterrent effect of each compound on feeding by the polyphagous grasshopper Schistocerca americana (Drury). Sesquiterpene lactone stereochemistry and concentration significantly influenced feeding behavior with grasshoppers consuming less of the trans-fused compounds than the cis-fused compounds. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that sesquiterpene lactone ring junction stereochemistry influences the feeding behavior of herbivores. Because this stereochemical trait polymorphism is widely distributed in nature, it could have substantial consequences for the ecology and evolution of large groups of plants, particularly the Asteraceae.     

Heavy metals in wastewater: Modelling the hydroxide precipitation of copper(II) from wastewater using lime as the precipitant

The effect of effluent composition (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻ or CO₃²⁻) on the efficiency of the hydroxide precipitation of Cu(II) modelling lime (CaO) as the precipitant has been predicted using the solubility domain approach and has been experimentally validated. Solubility domains were based on the phases that were found to be solubility-limiting for systems representing potential effluent chemical composition limits. The generated solubility domains generally encompassed the experimentally observed solubilities, thereby providing effluent treatment quality assurance ranges for the hydroxide precipitation process. The presence of gypsum (CaSO₄.2H₂O) and calcite (CaCO₃) as secondary precipitates had little effect on the observed residual Cu(II) solubilities, with Cu(II) mobility being governed by the least-soluble kinetically precipitated (rather than thermodynamically favoured) phase in the system under study.     

MATHEMATICAL GENERALIZATION OF STREAM TEMPERATURE IN CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND1

ABSTRACT: The empirical fit of an annual harmonic function to stream temperature measurements in central New England can be improved by considering a harmonic period of less than 365 days instead of 365 or 366 days. Generalized equations, developed using periodic temperature data from 27 streamflow stations, allow predictions of stream temperature at any site given (1) the mean basin altitude (E), in meters above mean sea level, and (2) station latitude (LAT), in degrees. Stream temperature t, in degrees Celsius, on day number d, in days starting with January 1, is estimated as: in which, M = 31.48 – 0.0025 (E) ? 0.4635 (LAT) with standard error of estimate of 0.62°C, and τ= 1228.88 – 21.01 (LAT) with standard error of estimate of 14.1 days.     

A DECISION MODEL TO PREDICT SEDIMENT YIELD FROM FOREST PRACTICES1

ABSTRACT: In order to choose among “best management practices,” forest managers need to predict sediment yield to perennial streams following various forest land operations. The “universal soil loss equation” (USLE) is not directly applicable to forest operations because of the heterogenous soil surface conditions left by harvesting, site preparation, and planting. A sediment hazard index is proposed, to be based on the amount of exposed mineral soil and its proximity to streams. The model offered includes rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility and average land slope, together with the index W. A paired watershed experiment in the central Georgia Piedmont was used to estimate parameters in the model. The experimental basin (80 acres) was clearcut, drum roller chopped twice, and planted by machine. The standard error of estimate of sediment yield was computed to be about 50/lbs/ac per sampling period (four months). Use of William's erogivity index (storm flow times peak flow) reduced the standard error to 33/lbs/ac.