Is ionizing radiation effective in removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Wastewater and effluent discharges are the main causes of receiving water body pollution and important challenges in water quality management. Among...     

Activated carbon produced from waste coffee grounds for an effective removal of bisphenol-A in aqueous medium

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bisphenol-A is widely used chemical in industry and unfortunately often detected in natural waters. Considered as an emerging pollutant, bisphenol-A...     

Nutrient baselines of Cerrado low-order streams: comparing natural and impacted sites in Central Brazil

The aquatic systems responsible for water supply in the Brazilian Federal District (FD) have been threatened by anthropogenic pressures, especially considering the expressive demographic increase in the region during the last decades. The purposes of this research were: (a) to assess the water quality in streams located in the FD by monitoring physical–chemical variables; (b) to define baselines for these variables among different ecological status categories. The 14 investigated streams were sampled between 2006 and 2009, in the dry (August–September, 2006, 2008, 2009) and rainy (March–April, 2008, 2009) seasons. All sampling sites were classified in four categories (“very impacted”, “impacted”, “in transition” and “natural”) using an adaptation of a rapid habitat assessment protocol. Differences in water quality among sites were generally well predicted in the four ecological status categories defined by the protocol, which showed a gradient in nutrient concentrations from reference sites classified as “natural” (medians: electrical conductivity?=?7.3 μS cm^?1; nitrate?=?0.040 mg L^?1; ammonium?=?0.039 mg L^?1; soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP)?=?<0.001 mg L^?1; total phosphorus (TP)?=?0.006 mg L^?1; ) to those classified as “very impacted” (medians: electrical conductivity?=?87.7 μS cm^?1; nitrate?=?0.247 mg L^?1; ammonium?=?0.219 mg L^?1; SRP?=?0.010 mg L^?1; TP?=?0.035 mg L^?1). Point sources inputs were the main factor for water quality deterioration. The nutrient baselines reported were relatively low when compared to data collected from reference areas in Brazil (e.g., São Paulo State) or temperate regions, especially for TP.     

Garnering support for Pigouvian taxation with tax return: a lab experiment

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - To test if tax return can effectively and efficiently increase the acceptance of externality taxation, a laboratory experiment with a negative...     

Ecological literacy and beyond: Problem-based learning for future professionals

Ecological science contributes to solving a broad range of environmental problems. However, lack of ecological literacy in practice often limits application of this knowledge. In this paper, we highlight a critical but often overlooked demand on ecological literacy: to enable professionals of various careers to apply scientific knowledge when faced with environmental problems. Current university courses on ecology often fail to persuade students that ecological science provides important tools for environmental problem solving. We propose problem-based learning to improve the understanding of ecological science and its usefulness for real-world environmental issues that professionals in careers as diverse as engineering, public health, architecture, social sciences, or management will address. Courses should set clear learning objectives for cognitive skills they expect students to acquire. Thus, professionals in different fields will be enabled to improve environmental decision-making processes and to participate effectively in multidisciplinary work groups charged with tackling environmental issues.     

An urban emissions inventory for South America and its application in numerical modeling of atmospheric chemical composition at local and regional scales

This work describes the development of an urban vehicle emissions inventory for South America, based on the analysis and aggregation of available inventories for major cities, with emphasis on its application in regional atmospheric chemistry modeling. Due to the limited number of available local inventories, urban emissions were extrapolated based on the correlation between city vehicle density and mobile source emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Emissions were geographically distributed using a methodology that delimits urban areas using high spatial resolution remote sensing products. This numerical algorithm enabled a more precise representation of urban centers. The derived regional inventory was evaluated by analyzing the performance of a chemical weather forecast model in relation to observations of CO, NOx and O₃ in two different urban areas, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. The gas mixing ratios simulated using the proposed regional inventory show good agreement with observations, consistently representing their hourly and daily variability. These results show that the integration of municipal inventories in a regional emissions map and their precise distribution in fine scale resolutions are important tools in regional atmospheric chemistry modeling.     

Effects of drill cuttings discharge on meiofauna communities of a shelf break site in the southwest Atlantic

The present study investigates the effects of drill cutting discharges on the structure of meiofauna communities in an area of the shelf break at Campos Basin, Southeast Brazil. Drilling activities were operated, in a first phase, with water-based fluid and, in a second phase, with synthetic fluid paraffin-based (NAF-III). A total of 135 samples taken at a pre-drilling situation (MS1) and two post-drilling moments (MS2 and MS3—3 and 22 months post-drilling, respectively) were analyzed. Effects on meiofauna were dependent on two main factors: 1—the impact received during drilling operation, if water-based or synthetic/water-based drilling fluid and 2—the background state, if it already presented signs of previous drilling activities or not. Based on univariate and multivariate analysis, there were evidences that the most affected area after drilling was those under the influence of synthetic-based fluid and that already had signs of previous drillings activities. The region impacted only by water-based fluid was less affected and the only one that completely recovered after 22 months. Nematodes and copepods had different responses to the impact. While copepods flourish in the impacted area and recovered 22 months after drilling, nematodes were adversely affected shortly after drilling and the community structure only recovered where hydrocarbons had been depleted.     

Assessment of the labile fractions of copper and zinc in marinas and port areas in Southern Brazil

The dissolved labile and labile particulate fractions (LPF) of Cu and Zn were analyzed during different seasons and salinity conditions in estuarine waters of marina, port, and shipyard areas in the southern region of the Patos Lagoon (RS, Brazil). The dissolved labile concentration was determined using the diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT). DGT devices were deployed in seven locations of the estuary for 72 h and the physicochemical parameters were also measured. The LPF of Cu and Zn was determined by daily filtering of water samples. Seasonal variation of DGT–Cu concentrations was only significant (p?<?0.05) at one shipyard area, while DGT–Zn was significant (p?<?0.05) in every locations. The LPF of Cu and Zn concentrations demonstrated seasonal and spatial variability in all locations, mainly at shipyard areas during high salinity conditions. In general, except the control location, the sampling locations showed mean variations of 0.11–0.45 μg?L^?1 for DGT–Cu, 0.89–9.96 μg?L^?1 for DGT–Zn, 0.65–3.69 μg?g^?1 for LPF–Cu, and 1.35–10.87 μg?g^?1 for LPF–Zn. Shipyard areas demonstrated the most expressive values of labile Cu and Zn in both fractions. Strong relationship between DGT–Zn and LPF–Zn was found suggesting that the DGT–Zn fraction originates from the suspended particulate matter. Water salinity and suspended particulate matter content indicated their importance for the control of the labile concentrations of Cu and Zn in the water column. These parameters must be taken into consideration for comparison among labile metals in estuaries.     

A soil sampling intercomparison exercise for the ALMERA network

Soil sampling and analysis for radionuclides after an accidental or routine release is a key factor for the dose calculation to members of the public, and for the establishment of possible countermeasures. The IAEA organized for selected laboratories of the ALMERA (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity) network a Soil Sampling Intercomparison Exercise (IAEA/SIE/01) with the objective of comparing soil sampling procedures used by different laboratories. The ALMERA network is a world-wide network of analytical laboratories located in IAEA member states capable of providing reliable and timely analysis of environmental samples in the event of an accidental or intentional release of radioactivity. Ten ALMERA laboratories were selected to participate in the sampling exercise. The soil sampling intercomparison exercise took place in November 2005 in an agricultural area qualified as a “reference site”, aimed at assessing the uncertainties associated with soil sampling in agricultural, semi-natural, urban and contaminated environments and suitable for performing sampling intercomparison. In this paper, the laboratories sampling performance were evaluated.