Design of a representative and cost-effective sampling programs for industrial wastewater with examples from bleached kraft pulp and paper mills

The diagram constructed for selection of sampling methods indicates that, for a systematic error, E ≤ 13%, grab sampling (GS) may be used to characterize effluents with variation coefficient of flow ≤ 120% and of contaminant concentrations ≤ 10%. For the whole studied range of variation coefficient of contaminant concentrations (2–82%), time-proportional compositing (TC) method may be applied with E ≤ 10% for effluents characterized by variation coefficients in flow < 90%. The more complicated flow-proportional compositing (FC) method is required only for effluents with larger variation coefficients or to produce more precise results. The diagram constructed for selection of sampling frequencies indicates that sequential sampling at intervals of approximately 60 min may be applied with E ≤ 10% for effluents characterized by variation coefficients ≤ 30%. Practical application of the diagrams, constructed using normal series, was checked against monitoring data from two pulp and paper mills in Vietnam. The two diagrams provided results on sampling methods and frequencies in good agreement with those obtained from actual monitoring data with percentages of agreement cases of 80 and 75%, respectively. The approach was applied in design of a monitoring program at the Bai Bang integrated pulp and paper mill in Vietnam.     

Transforming systems of consumption and production for achieving the sustainable development goals: moving beyond efficiency

The United Nations formulated the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2015 as a comprehensive global policy framework for addressing the most pressing social and environmental challenges currently facing humanity. In this paper, we analyse SDG 12, which aims to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” Despite long-standing political recognition of this objective, and ample scientific evidence both on its importance and on the efficacy of various ways of promoting it, the SDGs do not provide clear goals or effective guidance on how to accomplish this urgently needed transformation. Drawing from the growing body of research on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), the paper identifies two dominant vantage points—one focused on promoting more efficient production methods and products (mainly through technological improvement and informed consumer choice) and the other stressing the need to consider also overall volumes of consumption, distributional issues, and related social and institutional changes. We label these two approaches efficiency and systemic. Research shows that while the efficiency approach contains essential elements of a transition to sustainability, it is by itself highly unlikely to bring about sustainable outcomes. Concomitantly, research also finds that volumes of consumption and production are closely associated with environmental impacts, indicating a need to curtail these volumes in ways that safeguard social sustainability, which is unlikely to be possible without a restructuring of existing socioeconomic arrangements. Analysing how these two perspectives are reflected in the SDGs framework, we find that in its current conception, it mainly relies on the efficiency approach. On the basis of this assessment, we conclude that the SDGs represent a partial and inadequate conceptualisation of SCP which will hamper implementation. Based on this determination, this paper provides some suggestions on how governments and other actors involved in SDGs operationalisation could more effectively pursue SCP from a systemic standpoint and use the transformation of systems of consumption and production as a lever for achieving multiple sustainability objectives.     

An ecotoxicological approach for hazard identification of energy ash

Within the EU, ash should be classified by its inherent hazardous effects under criterion H-14 (ecotoxic) in the Directive on waste (2008/98/EC). Today, however, there are no harmonized quantitative criterions for such a classification, but it is stated that biological test systems can be used. In this study seven ash materials were leached and characterized, both biologically and chemically. The objectives were to evaluate if (a) clear concentration-response relationships could be achieved for the selected toxicity tests (bacteria, algae, crustacean and fish), (b) some test(s) are generally more sensitive and (c) the toxic responses were consistent with the chemical analyzes. Interestingly, our results indicate that high concentrations of non-hazardous components (Ca, K) influenced the toxicity of almost all ash eluates, whereas hazardous components (e.g. Zn, Pb) only influenced the toxicity of the eluates ranked as most hazardous. If considering both hazardous and non-hazardous substances, the observed toxic responses were relatively consistent with the chemical analyzes. Our results further showed that the (sub)chronic tests were much more sensitive than the acute tests. However, the use of extrapolation factors to compensate for using the less sensitive acute tests will likely lead to either over- or underestimations of toxicity. Our recommendation is therefore that classification of waste according to H-14 should be based on (sub)chronic test data. Finally, given that treatment of the eluates prior to toxicity testing has a major significance on the concentration and speciation of released substances, further studies are needed in order to propose a relevant testing scheme.     

Investigating biodiversity trajectories using scenarios – Lessons from two contrasting agricultural landscapes

Agriculture is the major land use at a global scale. In addition to food production, multifunctionality of landscapes, including values and ecosystem services like biodiversity, recreation and culture, is now focus for management. This study explores how a scenario approach, involving different stakeholders, may help to improve landscape management for biodiversity conservation. Local farmers and executives at the County Administrative Board were invited to discuss rural development and conditions for farmland biodiversity in two Swedish landscapes. The potential biodiversity for three future land use scenarios for the two landscapes was discussed: nature conservation, outdoor recreation and energy production, and compared with current and historical landscapes in each region.Analyses of habitat areas, connectedness and landscape diversity suggested that the energy and recreation scenarios had a negative impact on farmland biodiversity, whereas the nature conservation scenario, the current and historically reconstructed landscapes had a higher potential for biodiversity. The farmers appreciated the nature conservation scenario, but also the energy production scenario and they highlighted the need of increased subsidies for management of biodiversity. The farmers in the high production area were less interested in nature quality per se. The executives had similar opinions as the farmers, but disagreed on the advantages with energy production, as this would be in conflict with the high biodiversity and recreational values. The local physical and socio-economical conditions differ between landscapes and potentially shaped the stakeholders emotional attachment to the local environment, their opinions and decisions on how to manage the land. We stress the importance of incorporating local knowledge, visions and regional prerequisites for different land uses in conservation, since site and landscape specific planning for biodiversity together with a flexible subsidy system are necessary to reach the conservation goals within EU.     

Codling moth males do not discriminate between pheromone and a pheromone/antagonist blend during upwind flight

Discrimination between conspecific and heterospecific signals is a key element in the evolution of pheromone-mediated communication in insects. Pheromone antagonists prevent heterospecific attraction. They are typically pheromone synergists in other species and enable specific communication in closely related species, using partly the same chemicals. In codling moth, Cydia pomonella, as in other moths, upwind flights to a pheromone/antagonist blend were slower and more convoluted than to pheromone. However, this deteriorated flight behaviour did not account for the strong decrease in male attraction. The pheromone/antagonist blend blocked instead the onset of upwind flight. This was corroborated by placing a separate source of pheromone close by, which restored male attraction. Males flying upwind did not discriminate between pheromone and the adjacent pheromone/antagonist blend, and landed on either source. This indicates differences in the neural regulation for initiating and maintaining a behavioural response to pheromone.     

Mercury sorption to sediments: dependence on grain size, dissolved organic carbon, and suspended bacteria

A combination of laboratory scale derived correlations and measurements of grain size distribution, DOC (dissolved organic carbon) concentration, and density of suspended bacteria promises to be useful in estimating Hg(II) sorption in heterogeneous streambeds and groundwater environments. This was found by shaking intact sediment and fractions thereof (<63-2000mum) with solutions of HgCl(2) (1.0-10.0ngml(-1)). The intact sediment was also shaken with the Hg(II) solutions separately in presence of DOC (6.5-90.2mugml(-1)) or brought in contact with suspensions of a strain of groundwater bacteria (2x10(4)-2x10(6)cellsml(-1)). Hg(II) sorption was rather weak and positively correlated with the grain size, and the sorption coefficient (K(d)) varied between about 300 and 600mlg(-1). By using the relative surface areas of the fractions, K(d) for the intact sediment was back calculated with 2% deviation. K(d) was negatively correlated with the concentration of DOC and positively correlated with the number of bacteria. A multiple regression showed that K(d) was significantly more influenced by the number of bacteria than by the grain size. The findings imply that common DOC concentrations in groundwater and streambeds, 5-20mugml(-1), will halve the K(d) obtained from standard sorption assays of Hg(II), and that K(d) will almost double when the cell numbers are doubled at densities that are common in aquifers. The findings suggest that simultaneous measurements of surface areas of sediment particles, DOC concentrations, and bacterial numbers are useful to predict spatial variation of Hg(II) sorption in aquifers and sandy sediments.     

Benthic response to sedimentation of a spring phytoplankton bloom: Process and budget

The response of benthos to sedimentation of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Kiel Bight (Western Baltic Sea) is described in terms of biomass (ATP) and activity (heat production and ETS-activity). Input of the bloom (11.5 g C m^-2) over a period from March 25 to April 19, 1980 to the sediment surface was in the form of cells and fresh phytodetritus as indicated by low C/N ratios (7) and high energy charge values (0.78). Benthic microbial activity was immediately stimulated by this input as heat production doubled and the activity of ETS tripled over winter values within 12 d in the absence of a significant increase in ambient temperature. A comparison of the two activity parameters suggests that anaerobic metabolism is more important during the winter (February and March) than after input of the bloom. Meiofauna was not able to take part in the first activity outburst. Benthic ATP-biomass (excluding macrofauna) doubled in late April due to microbial production, and doubled again in early May when meiofauna started reproductive activity. For macrofauna a general statement was not possible, although the sediment surface feeder Macoma baltica commenced a build up of glycogen and lipid resources immediately following bloom input whereas Nephtys ciliata, feeding on sediment and small macrofauna, showed a less pronounced and delayed effect from this input. An energy budget based on heat production measurements was calculated. A daily heat loss of the benthic community of 21.7 KJ m^-2 d^-1 (35.5 KJ m^-2 d^-1) was found, when a depth of 3 cm sediment (5 cm) was assumed. Heat production of macrofauna contributed less than 5% of this activity. The input of the bloom was burned within 21 (13) d. Preliminary estimations for an annual budget suggest that the vertical transport of particulate organic matter via sedimentation can only explain 25% (15%) of the benthic activity in the shallow water ecosystem of the Kiel Bight. This indicates the presence of other sources of organic carbon such as benthic primary production or other transport processes providing carbon to the sediments.Publication No. 384 of the Joint Research Program of Kiel University (Sonderforschungsbereich 95)     

Chlorinated guaiacols and catechols bioaccumulation potential in bleaks (Alburnus alburnus, Pisces) and reproductive and toxic effects on the har-pacticoid Nitocra spinipes (Crustacea)

The bioaccumulation potential in bleaks (Alburnus alburnus, Pisces) and acute toxic and reproductive effects on Nitocra spinipes (Crustacea), of 4,5,6-trichloroguaiacol (I), tetrachloroguaiacol (II) and tetrachlorocatechol (III) was investigated. Continuous flow tests with I and II (10 μg/l) gave a rapid bi-phasic uptake in the fish with I and II reaching a level of 4 μg/g fresh weight after 14 d. An equally rapid excretion was determined with the detection limit of I and II being reached after 10 days in pure water. The 96-h LC50 values for I, II and III to N. spinipes was determined to 5.2, 3.9 and 3.3 mg/l, respectively, in static tests. The fecundity of N. spinipes was reduced to 50 % of the control values at 37±6 and 54±4 μg/l (II) per liter in static and continuous flow tests, respectively.     

Post-deposition transport of radionuclides in fruit

This paper considers two main pathways for contamination of fruit by radionuclides: (i) absorption after deposition directly to exposed fruit surfaces, and (ii) absorption after deposition to other exposed plant surfaces followed by translocation to fruit. The aim is to collect the available information on fruit from temperate regions, identify the factors affecting post deposition processes in fruit plant systems, identify gaps in knowledge and give recommendations for future work. The majority of information available on above-ground absorption and further translocation to fruit concerns 134Cs and 85Sr in soluble form in apple, strawberry and grapevine. In general, 85Sr is absorbed and translocated to a lesser extent than is 134Cs. The rate of absorption and translocation depends on the physiological stage and age of the plant, and varies between different plant species and varieties.