Bacterial and fungal communities vary with the type of organic substrate: implications for biocontrol of soilless crops

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Biocontrol strategies using organic substrates such as wood fibers and biocontrol agents such as Trichoderma are currently developed to control soil pathogens such...     

Removal of a red dye using noncommercial peroxidase extracted from rice bran

The present study investigates the application of a noncommercial peroxidase enzyme, which was extracted from rice bran, to decolorize wastewater that was simulating effluent from a textile manufacturer using a red dye in its coloration process.     

Assessment of multi-contaminant exposure in a cancer treatment center: a 2-year monitoring of molds,mycotoxins, endotoxins,and glucans in bioaerosols

Indoor air quality in health care facilities is a major public health concern, particularly for immunocompromised patients who may be exposed to microbiological contaminants such as molds, mycotoxins, endotoxins, and (1,3)-ß-D-glucans. Over 2 years, bioaerosols were collected on a monthly basis in a cancer treatment center (Centre F. Baclesse, Normandy, France), characterized from areas where there was no any particular air treatment. Results showed the complexity of mycoflora in bioaerosols with more than 100 fungal species identified. A list of major strains in hospital environments could be put forward due to the frequency, the concentration level, and/or the capacity to produce mycotoxins in vitro: Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus melleus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus versicolor, Cladosporium herbarum, Purpureocillium lilacinum, and Penicillium brevicompactum. The mean levels of viable airborne fungal particles were less than 30.530 CFU per m³ of air and were correlated to the total number of 0.30 to 20 μm particles. Seasonal variations were observed with fungal particle peaks during the summer and autumn. Statistical analysis showed that airborne fungal particle levels depended on the relative humidity level which could be a useful indicator of fungal contamination. Finally, the exposure to airborne mycotoxins was very low (only 3 positive samples), and no mutagenic activity was found in bioaerosols. Nevertheless, some fungal strains such as Aspergillus versicolor or Penicillium brevicompactum showed toxigenic potential in vitro.     

Regulatory structures and operational environment in the Portuguese waste sector

This research computes the influence of the operational environment on the efficiency of the Portuguese urban solid waste services. A sample of 29 solid waste utilities encompassing the whole continental country was used for this purpose. Particularly, we apply the non-parametric double bootstrap model to estimate the effect of various explanatory factors on robust data envelopment analysis estimates. In general, we find a significant influence of the environmental context on the solid waste utilities’ performance. The environmental context is characterized by gross domestic product per capita, distance to treatment facilities, population density, regulation, type of management, composting and incineration services.     

Ethnobotany and Management of Dimorphandra gardneriana in a Protected Area of Chapada do Araripe Semiarid Ceará, Northeastern Brazil

The development of conservation strategies for nontimber forest products requires the characterization of the management systems and ethnoecological knowledge of the used species, as well as the analysis of the biological impacts of these processes. This study aimed to evaluate management systems and extractivist areas and related ethnoecological knowledge of Dimorphandra gardneriana (fava d’anta) in the semiarid region of Ceará, Northeast of Brazil. Fava d’anta produces fruits with high concentration of bioflavonoids, substances with various pharmacological properties, being exploited by extractivist communities in the mosaic of protected areas in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará. Ethnoecological knowledge has been concentrated on collectors who have been in activity for a longer time and/or plant the species. We identified three management systems that can impact in different ways on fava d’anta populations, depending on the area and level of human interference with the species. The extractivists respect the zoning of protected areas and do not enter in the full protection area, choosing areas with the highest tree density. The different systems produce a mosaic that creates different extraction opportunities and modifications to the local landscape and to fava d’anta populations. Factors that may have effects on the conservation of the species are the lack of supervision and overexploitation of the resource in native areas, while the factors that affect the health of extractivists are the infrastructure of the work and exposure to wild environments.     

Erosivity, surface runoff, and soil erosion estimation using GIS-coupled runoff–erosion model in the Mamuaba catchment, Brazil

This study evaluates erosivity, surface runoff generation, and soil erosion rates for Mamuaba catchment, sub-catchment of Gramame River basin (Brazil) by using the ArcView Soil and Water Assessment Tool (AvSWAT) model. Calibration and validation of the model was performed on monthly basis, and it could simulate surface runoff and soil erosion to a good level of accuracy. Daily rainfall data between 1969 and 1989 from six rain gauges were used, and the monthly rainfall erosivity of each station was computed for all the studied years. In order to evaluate the calibration and validation of the model, monthly runoff data between January 1978 and April 1982 from one runoff gauge were used as well. The estimated soil loss rates were also realistic when compared to what can be observed in the field and to results from previous studies around of catchment. The long-term average soil loss was estimated at 9.4 t ha^?1 year^?1; most of the area of the catchment (60 %) was predicted to suffer from a low- to moderate-erosion risk (<6 t ha^?1 year^?1) and, in 20 % of the catchment, the soil erosion was estimated to exceed >?12 t ha^?1 year^?1. Expectedly, estimated soil loss was significantly correlated with measured rainfall and simulated surface runoff. Based on the estimated soil loss rates, the catchment was divided into four priority categories (low, moderate, high and very high) for conservation intervention. The study demonstrates that the AvSWAT model provides a useful tool for soil erosion assessment from catchments and facilitates the planning for a sustainable land management in northeastern Brazil.     

Roles of regional hydrodynamic and trophic contamination in cadmium bioaccumulation by Pacific oysters in the Marennes-Oléron Bay (France)

The Marennes-Oléron Bay, hosting the largest oyster production in France, is influenced by the historic polymetallic pollution of the Gironde Estuary. Despite management efforts and decreasing emissions in the Gironde watershed, cadmium levels in oysters from the bay are close to the consumption limit (5 μg g⁻¹ dw, EC). From mid April to mid July 2009, we investigated the role of tidal resuspension and regional hydrodynamics on Cd speciation (seawater, SPM, phytoplankton, sediment, microphytobenthos) and bioaccumulation in 18 month-old oysters (gills, digestive glands, rests of tissues) reared under natural conditions (i) at ∼60 cm above the sediment and (ii) on the sediment surface. Dissolved and particulate Cd concentrations in surface and bottom waters were similar and constant over tidal cycle suggesting the absence of Cd release during sediment resuspension. Temporal dissolved and particulate Cd concentrations were closely related to Gironde Estuary water discharges, showing increasing concentrations during flood situations and decreasing concentrations afterwards. Cd depletion in the water column was associated with increasing Cd in the [20-100 μm] plankton fraction, suggesting Cd bioaccumulation. After 3 months, enrichment factors of Cd in tissues of oysters exposed in the water column and directly on the sediment were respectively 3.0 and 2.2 in gills, 4.7 and 3.2 in digestive glands and 4.9 and 3.4 in remaining tissues. Increasing Cd bioaccumulation in gills, digestive glands and remaining tissues can be related to elevated dissolved Cd in the bay, suggesting gill contamination via the direct pathway and subsequent internal redistribution of Cd to other organs and tissues. Elevated Cd contents in oysters reared on tables could be attributed to different trophic Cd transfer (phytoplankton versus microphytobenthos) or to different oyster metabolisms between the rearing conditions as suggested by metallothionein concentrations.     

Characterization of oily sludge from a wastewater treatment plant flocculation-flotation unit in a petroleum refinery and its treatment implications

Partly due to the complex and variable composition of oily sludge generated by the petroleum industry, cost-effective treatment and proper disposal pose considerable challenges worldwide. In this study, an extended component-based analysis of the oily sludge from a flocculation-flotation unit of a wastewater treatment system in a refinery in Sweden was carried out over 1 year. The heterogeneity of the oily sludge is illustrated by the wide ranges of concentrations found for different chemical components, particularly metals. Among the petroleum hydrocarbons, the most abundant compounds were nonpolar aliphatic hydrocarbons (63.7 ± 16.7 g kg⁻¹); from the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene group, xylenes (91–240 mg kg⁻¹) were most abundant; and among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthalene (25.7 ± 21.4), fluorene (27.25 ± 10.0), and phenanthrene (43.8 ± 18.4 mg kg⁻¹) were most abundant (all results in terms of dry matter). Based on the EU guidelines and the mean concentration values for metals found in the oily sludge, e.g., Pb (135.4 ± 125.8), Cu (105.2 ± 79.1), Hg (42.8 ± 31.3), Ni (320 ± 267.4), and Zn (1321.7 ± 529.9 mg kg⁻¹), disposal of oily sludge even in landfills for hazardous waste is not allowed. The organic content of the sludge can be reduced through biotreatment, but not the metal content. A multistep component-based treatment scheme is therefore needed.