Impact assessment of traffic-induced vibration on natural gas transmission pipeline

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of impact assessment of the traffic-induced vibration on a buried natural gas transmission pipeline. The basic assumption in this study is that the traffic on pipeline-transportation route crossing might have a significant impact on natural gas pipeline structural integrity due to the traffic-induced vibration which propagates from the road surface through the soil and excites the buried natural gas pipeline. The resulting dynamic stress causes pipeline material fatigue loading which consequently may cause pipeline failure with the gas release into the environment exposing the population and the buildings in pipeline vicinity to a significant threat. The experiment on operating buried natural gas pipeline was conducted where measurements were performed on the road surface, the two operating buried natural gas pipelines of external diameter 500 mm and 250 mm and on corresponding casing pipes. The measurement data analysis was performed and the results were used for determination of pipeline lifetime period in the model for theoretical estimation of pipeline lifetime which has been exposed to traffic-induced vibration. The findings of the study in this paper show that the traffic-induced vibration on given buried natural gas pipeline is detectable, however this vibration, compared to the other factors which are influencing pipeline's structural integrity, does not have a significant impact on pipeline lifetime period.     

Release of mobile forms of hazardous elements from glassworks fly ash into soils

The release of hazardous elements from the wastes of high-temperature processes represents a risk to the environment. We focused on the alteration of fly ash (FA) from glassworks collected from an electrostatic filter. FA contains elevated concentrations of Zn and Ba, among other elements. Overtime, small amounts of FA have been emitted from the factory and settled into the surrounding environment (soil). In order to assess the possible risks to the environment, samples of FA were placed in small nylon bags and deposited in 11 different soil horizons (containing diverse vegetation cover such as spruce and beech and also unforested areas). Samples of the FA in bags were exposed in the soils for 1 year. Then, the bags were collected, and the exposed soils in the direct vicinity of the FA bags were sampled. The total concentrations of Zn and Ba in the FA, as well as in the soil samples (original and exposed), were determined by ICP MS. The “mobile fraction” was determined as the exchangeable (acid extractable) fraction of the modified BCR sequential extraction procedure (SEP). The SEP results indicate that Zn and Ba may pose a potential environmental risk. Their concentrations in the first, most mobile, and bioavailable fraction increased in all the exposed soils. The most significant increases were observed in the upper soil horizons (litter and A horizon). The risk to the environment was evaluated on the basis of the Risk Assessment Code.     

Oral and inhalation bioaccessibility of potentially toxic elements in household dust from former Hg mining district,Idrija, Slovenia

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - One of the main sources of potential chronic exposure to potentially toxic elements is household dust, especially in an environment with known point sources...     

Using historical ecology to reassess the conservation status of coniferous forests in Central Europe

Forests cover approximately one‐third of Central Europe. Oak (Quercus) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) are considered the natural dominants at low and middle elevations, respectively. Many coniferous forests (especially of Picea abies) occur primarily at midelevations, but these are thought to have resulted from forestry plantations planted over the past 200 years. Nature conservation and forestry policy seek to promote broadleaved trees over conifers. However, there are discrepancies between conservation guidelines (included in Natura 2000) and historical and palaeoecological data with regard to the distribution of conifers. Our aim was to bring new evidence to the debate on the conservation of conifers versus broadleaved trees at midelevations in Central Europe. We created a vegetation and land‐cover model based on pollen data for a highland area of 11,300 km² in the Czech Republic and assessed tree species composition in the forests before the onset of modern forestry based on 18th‐century archival sources. Conifers dominated the study region throughout the entire Holocene (approximately 40–60% of the area). Broadleaved trees were present in a much smaller area than envisaged by current ideas of natural vegetation. Rather than casting doubt on the principles of Central European nature conservation in general, our results highlight the necessity of detailed regional investigations and the importance of historical data in challenging established notions on the natural distribution of tree species.     

Determination of total and bioaccessible metals in airborne particulate matter from an urban and a rural area at Sarajevo

Airborne particulate matter of up to 10 µm collected at an urban and a rural area at Sarajevo in 2013 and 2014 was acid digested for determination of total concentrations or extracted with synthetic gastric juice for the bioaccessible fractions of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn and determined by graphite furnace and flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The total concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and V were higher at the urban site, while those of Cd, Ni, and Zn were virtually equal at both sites. The average bioaccessible fractions exhibited the following trend at both sites: Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Pb > Cr > V > Ni > Cd. Enrichment factors and daily intake of metals by inhalation were calculated.     

Integrated evaluation of aerogenic pollution by air-transported heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Zn, Mn and Cu) in the analysis of the main deposit media

The composition of the ambient air is constantly changing; therefore, the monitoring of ambient air quality to detect the changes caused by aerogenic pollutants makes the essential part of general environmental monitoring. To achieve more effective improvement of the ambient air quality, the Directive 2008/50/EC on ‘Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe’ was adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council. It informed the public and enterprises about a negative effect of pollution on humans, animals and plants, as well as about the need for monitoring aerogenic pollutants not only at the continuous monitoring stations but also by using indicator methods, i.e. by analysing natural deposit media. The problem of determining the relationship between the accumulation level of pollutants by a deposit medium and the level of air pollution and its risks is constantly growing in importance. The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the response of the main four deposit media, i.e. snow cover, soil, pine bark and epigeic mosses, to the long-term pollution by aerogenic pollutants which can be observed in the area of oil refinery influence. Based on the quantitative expressions of the amounts of the accumulated pollutants in the deposit media, the territory of the oil refinery investigated in this paper has been referred to the areas of mild or moderate pollution.