Multiple kinetic Langmuir modeling to predict the environmental behaviour of As(v) in soils

A soil with a relatively high Fe content (2.82% [w/w]) was loaded for up to one year with As(v) by equilibrating it with a solution containing 1000 mg l(-1) As(v) at a soil mass-to-solution ratio of 0.1 kg l(-1). The incorporation of As(v) into the soil and its distribution over the soil phases were monitored by sampling at strategic time intervals using an operationally defined five-step sequential extraction procedure (Wenzel et al., Anal. Chim. Acta, 2001, 436, 309) and subsequent As measurement. A multiple kinetic Langmuir model was developed to retrieve the dynamic parameters (adsorption and desorption rate constants, capacities and Langmuir equilibrium constants) for each of the soil phases by numerical fitting of the experimental adsorption data to the model. Under the equilibration conditions used the adsorption rate constants for all five operationally defined soil phases were very similar but the desorption rate constants decreased by a factor of ca. 150 from soil phase 1 (non-specifically sorbed As) to 5 (residual phases). This implies that As(v) incorporation "deeper" into the soil leads to stronger binding which is associated with the Langmuir equilibrium constants (adsorption rate constants/desorption rate constants). Equilibration of the soil with As(v) was complete in ca. 10 days with As(v) predominantly bound to soil phase 2 (specifically sorbed As) and soil phase 3 (amorphous and poorly crystalline hydrous oxides). X-Ray absorption spectroscopy techniques revealed that these binding characteristics may be related to adsorption of As(v) on Si- and/or Al-containing structures and natural hydrous iron oxide (HFO) surface sites, respectively. Since the model is independent of the initial As(v) concentration in the solution and the soil mass-to-solution ratio, the behaviour of the thus characterized soil-As(v) system can be predicted for a range of conditions. Simulations showed that in an accidental As(v) spill the soil studied would actively scavenge As(v) by instantaneous adsorption onto all soil phases followed by redistribution of As(v) from weaker binding sites to stronger ones over time.     

Gasification of dried sewage sludge: status of the demonstration and the pilot plant

The disposal of sewage sludge from municipal waste water treatment plants is suffering from raising costs.The gasification is an alternative way of treatment, which can reduce the amount of solid residues that must be disposed from a water treatment plant. The produced gas can be used very flexible to produce electrical energy, to burn it very cleanly or to use it for upgrading.The gasification in the fluidised bed and the gas cleaning with the granular bed filter has shown successful operation. A demonstration plant in Balingen was set up in 2002 and rebuilt to a larger throughput in 2010. As a next step a demonstration plant was built in Mannheim and is now at the end of the commissioning phase. Nowadays the product gas is blended with biogas from sludge fermentation and utilized in a gas engine or combustion chamber to produce heat. In the future the process control for a maximized efficiency and the removal of organic and inorganic impurities in the gas will be further improved.     

Ökotoxikologische Charakterisierung von Nonylphenol Isomeren

Background, Aim and Scope

Acute toxicity and estrogenic potency of six nonylphenol isomers, with nearly the same chemical structure and the same physico-chemical properties, were investigated in this study. Thes datasets give some insight into how far structure activity relationships can be used for these modes of action.

Methods

The toxicity of the isomers was investigated by the daphnia immobilisation test as well as the duckweed growth inhibition test. The estrogenic potency of the p-NP isomers was analyzed by MVLN-Reportergen-Assay.

Results

No differences between the isomers were found for baseline toxicity, neither in the daphnia immobilisation test nor in the duckweed growth inhibition test. Estrogenic potency of the isomers in the MVLN reportergen assay was markedly different for the tested isomers. The highest estrogenic potency was found for p353-NP, whereas p262-NP and p22-NP exhibited no estrogenic, but partial antagonistic potency in this assay.

Discussion

The results from this study clearly indicate how far simplification and structure activity relationships can be used in risk analysis. For bioconcentration and baseline toxicity structure activity relationships are possible and will allow simplification of the risk analysis. For special modes of action simple structure activity relationships are per se impossible. This was shown especially for the estrogen receptor interactions, where only small structural differences can lead to different modes of action.

Conclusions

It seems possible to reduce the effort for risk analysis, using combinations of measured data and predictive models. At the moment it seems unlikely that predictive models alone will and can be used for risk analysis.     

Das Komplementsystem: Ein Funktionsträger für Infektabwehr und Immunregulation

Complement is a physiological constituent of bloodplasma. In its activated state complement is able to stimulate various cells for special performance, e.g., monocytes, macrophages, granulocytes, platelets, but also T- and B-lymphocytes. The biological functions of the complement system cover the following areas: induction of inflammation, defence against microbial infections, handling of immune complexes, and modulation of the immune response.     

Enrichment of fetal nucleated cells from maternal blood: Model test system using cord blood

The presence of small numbers of fetal nucleated red cells in the maternal circulation has been a stimulus for the development of technologies for non-invasive prenatal genetic analysis. Our laboratory has been assessing the feasibility of density gradient centrifugation followed by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) of cells expressing CD32 and CD45, to deplete maternal nucleated blood cells. We have examined the efficiency of each of the steps of this procedure using cord blood from term pregnancies as a source of nucleated red blood cells. Cord blood was shown to contain highly variable numbers of nucleated red cells. Three different density gradients were examined. There was no major difference in the performances of the double and triple gradients. Density gradient centrifugation resulted in enrichments of nucleated red blood cells of about 1000-fold relative to the total cell count. However, it was apparent that the selection of the cell layers which were most enriched for these cells would result in significant losses of nucleated red cells in other layers. MACS sorting of cells using CD45 resulted in white cell depletions ranging from 7 to 34-fold. These data provide a foundation for comparison with other methods and for optimization of the MACS technique.