A comparative study on the autoxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) comparison with diethyl ether (DEE) and diisopropyl ether (DIPE)

The Japanese government is planning to introduce DME as a substituted energy for oil and LNG. Introduction of DME could contribute greatly to both the prevention of global warming and the formation of resource-recycling societies. In these circumstances, a safety assessment of DME is very important when DME is used on a large scale. There is a possibility that prolonged exposure in air induces autoxidation to produce explosive organic peroxides during transportation and storage of DME. Therefore, the reactivity of DME with oxygen and the mechanism of the autoxidation were investigated. Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC) was used to evaluate the thermal stability of DME and DIPE, a known peroxide producers, under adiabatic and various atmospheric conditions. In ARC studies of DME under oxygen, exothermic decompositions were detected although its self-heating rate was low in comparison with DIPE. Oven storage tests were carried out and iodimetry was used to measure the concentration of peroxides produced from DME in comparison with DIPE and DEE. However, no products could be found for DME either by GC/MS or by iodimetry, while some evidence of autoxidation of both DEE and DIPE were obtained from these experiments.     

Host preference of a symbiotic flatworm in relation to the ecology of littoral snails

Some polyclads associate with other marine invertebrates such as gastropods, but how these associations evolve is not well understood. This study examined the relationships between a polyclad, Stylochoplana pusilla, and six species of snails in 10 eulittoral sites in Mutsu Bay, northern Japan, in 2010 and 2011. Of the six potential host snail species, Monodonta labio was present at all sites and the prevalence of S. pusilla in the snails’ mantle cavities overall was 82.6 %. Four other snail species occurred at five or six sites in comparable densities, but of these, only Chlorostoma turbinatum and Omphalius rusticus had S. pusilla in their mantle cavities (prevalence of 42.0 and 15.4 %). A congener of M. labio, Monodonta neritoides, occurred at only one site and had no S. pusilla. The mantle, which provides habitat space for S. pusilla, was proportionally the longest in M. labio. In laboratory experiments, the flatworms preferentially entered M. labio over other snail species with the same mantle length. Observed vertical distributions of snails in the littoral zone indicate that M. labio is present in the eulittoral at both high and low tides, while C. turbinatum and O. rusticus are usually found in the sublittoral. In an evolutionary sense, the relationship between S. pusilla and its host may have developed as a mechanism for the flatworm to avoid predation by living in the eulittoral and to avoid desiccation by establishing commensal relationships with certain snails.     

Impacts of converting from leaded to unleaded gasoline on ambient lead concentrations in Jakarta metropolitan area

Total suspended particulate mater （TSP） concentrations were monitored for one year from July 2000 and for one year from April 2003 in Jakarta City. Thirteen elemental TSP components, aluminum （Al）, sodium （Na）, iron （Fe）, lead （Pb）, potassium （K）, zinc （Zn）, titanium （Ti）, manganese （Mn）, bromine （Br）, copper （Cu）, chromium （Cr）, nickel （Ni）, and vanadium （V） were analyzed by a sequential X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Al, Na, Fe, K, and Pb were major components at most of the sampling locations in 2000. However, only Pb in 2003 dramatically decreased to one tenth. The phase-out of leaded gasoline began on July 1, 2001 in Jakarta City and lead content in gasoline decreased to one tenth, too. The decrease in Pb concentration was a result of the phase-out of leaded gasoline, as lead emissions mainly are exhaust gas from vehicles.     

Setting the most robust effluent level under severe uncertainty: Application of information-gap decision theory to chemical management

Decisions in ecological risk management for chemical substances must be made based on incomplete information due to uncertainties. To protect the ecosystems from the adverse effect of chemicals, a precautionary approach is often taken. The precautionary approach, which is based on conservative assumptions about the risks of chemical substances, can be applied selecting management models and data. This approach can lead to an adequate margin of safety for ecosystems by reducing exposure to harmful substances, either by reducing the use of target chemicals or putting in place strict water quality criteria. However, the reduction of chemical use or effluent concentrations typically entails a financial burden. The cost effectiveness of the precautionary approach may be small. Hence, we need to develop a formulaic methodology in chemical risk management that can sufficiently protect ecosystems in a cost-effective way, even when we do not have sufficient information for chemical management. Information-gap decision theory can provide the formulaic methodology. Information-gap decision theory determines which action is the most robust to uncertainty by guaranteeing an acceptable outcome under the largest degree of uncertainty without requiring information about the extent of parameter uncertainty at the outset. In this paper, we illustrate the application of information-gap decision theory to derive a framework for setting effluent limits of pollutants for point sources under uncertainty. Our application incorporates a cost for reduction in pollutant emission and a cost to wildlife species affected by the pollutant. Our framework enables us to settle upon actions to deal with severe uncertainty in ecological risk management of chemicals.     

Optimization of compost fermentation of glycerol by-product discharged from biodiesel fuel production process

Development of a cheap system for reuse of glycerol by-product discharged from the biodiesel fuel (BDF) production process is needed in parallel with development of a low-cost BDF production system. In this article, optimization of compost fermentation of glycerol by-product was studied. The type and amount of additive nitrogen source was studied, and good utilization of glycerol was observed when 0.5 g of urea was added to a mixture of 625 g dry sawdust, 25 g of microbial seed, and 50 g of glycerol by-product. To achieve efficient compost fermentation, repeated batch fermentation was applied and five batch cultures were repeated. Although the pH level and nitrogen and water contents were maintained at suitable levels for microbial growth, the glycerol consumption rate gradually decreased with accumulation of oily compounds in the compost. Finally, a material cost evaluation of the compost fermentation proposed in this study was performed. The total material cost decreased to ￥0.57 /l of BDF when employing an existing compost system for the fermentation process, although sawdust used for mushroom cultivation was used in this study at the very high cost of ￥123 /kg dry sawdust. However, the cost of disposal of the glycerol byproduct as an industrial waste was ￥5.2 /l of BDF produced; therefore, there might be an economical advantage to compost fermentation of glycerol by-product from BDF production.     

Correlation between stomach temperatures and ambient water temperatures in free-ranging loggerhead turtles,Caretta caretta

Instruments were attached to loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, at Kamoda Point, Japan in 1989 and on the Senri-coast, Japan in 1991. We simultaneously obtained stomach temperatures, ambient water temperatures and diving depths from four free-ranging loggerhead turtles during the internesting periods, using small recorders. These data were analyzed to understand how body temperature was maintained. Ambient water temperatures changed coincidentally when turtles moved up or down, but a stable stomach temperatures was maintained despite water temperature fluctuations of ca. 20 to 90 min in duration. Loggerhead turtles also experienced water temperature fluctuations longer than 24 h. Stomach temperatures responded to those water temperature changes with a time lag of several hours (160, 170, 230 and 240 min). Stomach temperatures were higher than ambient water temperatures throughout the experimental periods. The median values of the thermal difference between stomach and water temperatures were 1.1, 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7°C. The higher stomach temperatures are thought to be caused by metabolic heat production.     

Dynamics of PCDDs/DFs and coplanar-PCBs in an aquatic food chain of Tokyo Bay

Concentrations and accumulation profiles of PCDDs/DFs and coplanar-PCBs (co-PCBs) in aquatic biota (e.g., plankton, shellfish, benthic invertebrate, and fish) and sediment from Tokyo Bay were examined to elucidate the relationship between bioaccumulation and trophic level in the food web as determined by the stable nitrogen isotope analysis. Bioaccumulation patterns of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs varied greatly among congeners. Accumulation patterns of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs are not solely explained by their physicochemical properties. Biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) for co-PCBs in biota from Tokyo Bay were significantly greater than those of PCDDs/DFs. Furthermore, the slopes of the plots of delta15N and BSAF values and water solubility of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs were highly correlated. The results of our study would provide the valuable information to understand the accumulation properties of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs that can be used as a scientific basis to determine the sediment quality criteria of PCDDs/DFs and co-PCBs.     

Evaluation of an ecosystem model in ecological risk assessment of chemicals

We used a Lake Suwa version of Comprehensive Aquatic Systems Model (CASM_SUWA) to demonstrate the risk estimation of 10 different chemicals and examined the applicability and reliability of the model in ecological risk assessment by qualitatively and quantitatively comparing with the results of studies on multiple species using mesocosm tests. The qualitative comparison of the model results with those of the reported mesocosm tests indicated that some evidence observed in mesocosm studies supported the indirect effects predicted from simulation using the model. The comparison of the concentration levels at which 20% biomass reduction (BR20) in the most sensitive population estimated from the model with the no-observed effect concentration values derived from multiple species mesocosm tests (MS-NOEC) suggested that both data were related to each other and the model can be used to help in the determination of an ecological acceptable level of chemicals in aquatic environments. The analysis of the potential of indirect effects of a chemical for fish population indicated that the magnitude of the potential of indirect effects was quantified based on the ratio of BR50 to LC50 for fish population.     

A GIS-based evaluation of the effect of decontamination on effective doses due to long-term external exposures in Fukushima

Despite the enormous cost of radiation decontamination, there has been almost no quantitative discussion on how much it would reduce the long-term external radiation exposure in the Evacuation Zone and Planned Evacuation Zone (restricted zone) in Fukushima. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of decontamination and return options and to identify important parameters for estimating the long-term cumulated effective dose (CED) during 15, 30 and 70 year period using data on land-use, population and decontamination in the restricted zone (about 1100 km²) in Fukushima.