Physical separation,mechanical enrichment and recycling-oriented characterization of spent NiMH batteries

Nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) batteries contain high amount of industrial metals, especially iron, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements. Although the battery waste is a considerable secondary source for metal and chemical industries, a recycling process requires a suitable pretreatment method before proceeding with recovery step to reclaim all valuable elements. In this study, AA- and AAA-type spent NiMH batteries were ground and then sieved for size measurement and classification. Chemical composition of the ground battery black mass and sorted six different size fractions were determined by an analytical technique. Crystal structures of the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Results show that after mechanical treatment, almost 87 wt% of the spent NiMH batteries are suitable for further recycling steps. Size classification by sieving enriched the iron content of the samples in the coarse fraction which is bigger than 0.25 mm. On the other hand, the amounts of nickel and rare earth elements increased by decreasing sample size, and concentrated in the finer fractions. Anode and cathode active materials that are hydrogen storage alloy and nickel hydroxide were mainly collected in finer size fraction of the battery black mass.     

Sulfur isotopes link overwinter habitat use and breeding condition in Double-crested Cormorants.

North American Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) populations have increased greatly. Both breeding and overwintering ground factors have likely contributed to these increases. However, demonstrating how overwintering conditions may affect breeding birds has not been possible because of the difficulty in linking breeding birds to their wintering grounds. Here, we demonstrate the utility of stable sulfur isotopes to elucidate overwintering habitat use by cormorants breeding on Lake Erie. Sulfur isotopes in feathers grown on overwintering grounds provided insights into the degree to which birds used freshwater vs. marine environments. The proportion of birds utilizing freshwater habitats increased through time. This change may have reflected increases in freshwater aquaculture (i.e., catfish) in the U.S. south. Examination of body condition in birds returning to breed on Lake Erie indicated that those individuals that solely used marine habitats for at least a portion of the overwintering period were in poorer condition than birds using freshwater. Enhanced foraging opportunities at aquaculture facilities may improve the fitness of individuals that have returned to breed after overwintering at such locations. This study is the first to demonstrate a linkage between overwinter habitat use and breeding ground parameters in Double-crested Cormorants. These results underscore that factors throughout the Mississippi flyway are likely acting together to regulate cormorant populations.     

Temporal Trends of Young-of-Year Fishes in Lake Erie and Comparison of Diel Sampling Periods

We explored temporal trends of young-of-year (YOY) fishes caught in bottom trawl hauls at an established offshore monitoring site in Lake Erie in fall during 1961–2001. Sampling was conducted during morning, afternoon, and night in each year. Catches per hour (CPH) of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) YOY were relatively low and exhibited no temporal trend. This result was consistent with the species’ intolerance to Lake Erie’s adverse winter water temperatures. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) YOY decreased sharply after 1991, which was consistent with recent oligotrophication of the lake. Following the establishment in 1979 and rapid increase of white perch (Morone americana) YOY, white bass (Morone chrysops) and freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) YOY decreased. Trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) YOY decreased during 1986–1991, but recovered to previous levels during 1991–2001. The recovery coincided with the resurgence of mayflies (Ephemoptera) in the lake. CPH of spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius) and emerald shiner (N. atherinoides) YOY exhibited no temporal trend between 1961 and the late 1970s to early 1980s. CPH of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) YOY decreased during 1961–1988, and walleye (Sander vitreum) YOY increased overall during the time series. These observations were consistent with published studies of adults in the region. CPH of 4 of the 10 species of YOY considered were greatest during night. CPH for walleye YOY was higher in the morning than in the afternoon, but there was no significant difference between night and morning abundances. The results suggest that (1) CPH of YOY fishes may be a useful monitoring tool for Lake Erie, and (2) offshore monitoring programs that do not include night sampling periods may underestimate recruitment for several common species.     

Cyanotoxin management and human health risk mitigation in recreational waters

The occurrence and severity of harmful cyanobacterial or blue-green algal blooms (HABs) have increased in recent decades, posing a serious threat of illness to humans. In some countries, water contaminated with cyanotoxins that is used for drinking or haemodialysis has posed a particularly serious risk. However, it is now recognized that recreational exposure to natural toxins by skin contact, accidental swallowing of water or inhalation can also cause a wide range of acute or chronic illnesses. In this review, we focus on the importance of cyanotoxin management in recreational waters. The symptoms related with HAB poisonings, the recommended safety concentrations limit for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in such waters, as well as early health hazard indicators of their presence and their monitoring are all discussed. We also present in this review an overview of the methods developed in recent decades for eliminating cyanobacteria and the toxic compounds that they produce.     

Development of Bioactive Packaging Structure Using Melt Electrospinning

Recent research attention is shifting towards the use of bioactive antimicrobial and/or antioxidant packaging materials and their fabrication with non-toxic techniques. The process of melt electrospinning produce fibers from polymer melt without any solution hence environmentally friendly because use of toxic solvents can be avoided. The objectives of this study were fabrication of biodegradable polymeric microfibrous structure using melt electrospinning and characterization of the effect of plant based natural extract on fabricated structure. We found that incorporation of this structure with natural extract provide sufficient support for bioactive compounds without changing thermal stability, physical properties and amorphous phase and also increase the antimicrobial efficacy. Moreover, homogeneously dispersion and good interaction of polymer and natural plant based extract demonstrating the potential of such polymer blend as a bioactive antimicrobial material for packaging industry including especially food and healthcare.     

Synthesis and characterization of antibacterial bio-nano films for food packaging

This study prepared antibacterial nanocomposite films for food packaging from Montmorillonite, which was modified by quaternary ammonium salts such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CT), hexadecyl-tributyl phosphonium bromide (HD) and corn starch (CS). After this, it determined the antimicrobial activity of CS nanofilms against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. Dispersion of silicate layers and starch nanocomposite films was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the results indicated that presence of quaternary ammonium salts enhanced clay dispersion, and the starch films incorporated with quaternary ammonium salts would provide potential use in food packaging as nanostructural materials. The nanofilms that were obtained based on the results of the antibacterial analysis were confirmed to have much stronger antibacterial properties than those in similar studies in the literature.     

Salmonella mutagenicity analysis of water samples from Çamaltı saltern

Mutagenicity analysis of water samples from Camalti Saltern, Turkey were investigated by applying Salmonella mutagenicity test. Plate incorporation assay was applied in the absence of metabolic activation. XAD 4 and XAD 16 columns were used for the fractionation of the water samples. The results obtained were negative in both TA 98 and TA 100. Although the number of revertants of XAD 16 extract in station B were higher than the revertants in the other stations for TA 98 strain when compared to the solvent control. However this was not significant to be considered as mutagenic. The results were discussed for the future analysis.