Freshwater alga Raphidocelis subcapitata undergoes metabolomic changes in response to electrostatic adhesion by micrometer-sized nylon 6 particles

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nylon powders are a type of microplastic (MP) used in personal care products such as cosmetics and sunscreens. To determine the effects of nylon...     

低浓度臭氧在含钴盐硅胶上的吸附研究

常压下对含钴盐硅胶进行低浓度臭氧的吸附实验，吸附达到饱和后用氮气作为载气加热解吸。结果显示，含钴盐的硅胶对臭氧具有较强的吸附能力；臭氧解吸量随着解吸温度的上升而增加；吸附了臭氧的含钴硅胶粒子在常温(313．15K)下可在60min内不问断解吸出臭氧。     

Wastewater treatment with multilayer media of waste and natural indigenous materials

Wastewater treatment using waste materials (refuse concrete, waste paper and charcoal) and natural indigenous rocks (andesite, limestone, granite and nitrolite) in the form of multilayer media was investigated. The removal of suspended solids (SS), phosphate ion, nitrate ion, ammonium ion, toxic metals and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were evaluated for the multilayer wastewater treatment system. Effective removal of heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead was demonstrated. SS and phosphate ion were removed with relatively high efficiency and the COD after treatment was lessened using certain combinations of media. The present wastewater treatment system is simple, convenient and low cost. Therefore, this method can be applied in small scale plants for wastewater treatment in local and nonexclusive areas.     

Do corals select zooxanthellae by alternative discharge?

Loss of zooxanthellae (dinoflagellate Symbiodinium) from corals will sometimes lead to mass mortality of corals. To detect and quantify Symbiodinium released from corals, we developed a zooxanthellae “trap” and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) system with Symbiodinium clades A–F-specific primer sets. The trap was attached to a branch or the surface of several wild stony corals, and the water samples within the traps, including released Symbiodinium, were subjected to qPCR. All tested corals released clade C Symbiodinium at estimates of ~5,900 cells h⁻¹ cm⁻² of coral surface. Although all tested Pocillopora eydouxi harboured both clades C and D, some of these colonies released only clade C or released a lesser amount of clade D than that in the tissues. Our Symbiodinium quantification system revealed that wild hermatypic corals constantly release Symbiodinium to the environment. Our result suggests that some corals may discharge certain clades of Symbiodinium alternatively.     

Inception of formation and early morphogenesis of the bacterial light organ of the sea urchin cardinalfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siphamia versicolor</Emphasis>

The cardinalfish Siphamia versicolor (Perciformes: Apogonidae) forms a bioluminescent symbiosis with the marine luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis, harboring the bacteria in a ventral, disc-shaped light organ and using the bacterial light apparently for counterillumination and attracting prey. Little definitive information has been available on the developmental and microbiological events surrounding the initiation of symbiosis, a critical stage in the life history of the fish, in S. versicolor or any of the many other species of bacterially luminous fish. To identify the stage at which light organ formation begins, to determine the origin of cells forming the light organ, and to characterize its bacterial colonization status during development, early developmental stages of S. versicolor obtained and reared from wild-caught mouth-brooding males were examined with histological and microbiological methods. A light organ primordium was not evident in embryos, post-embryos, or pre-release larvae, whereas the light organ began to form within 1 day of release of full-term pre-flexion larvae from the mouths of male fish. Analysis of post-release larvae revealed that the light organ arises from a proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells, and that it quickly develops structural complexity, including the formation of chambers and gaps contiguous with the intestinal epithelium. However, the nascent light organ remained uncolonized by the symbiotic bacteria through several days of post-release development, even in the presence of high numbers of the symbiotic bacteria. These results demonstrate that the inception of light organ formation in S. versicolor occurs independently of its symbiotic bacteria and that receptivity to bacterial colonization apparently requires substantial post-release development of the light organ. Larvae therefore most likely acquire their symbiotic bacteria from seawater, during or shortly after the transition from the pre-flexion to the flexion developmental stage.     

Utilization of Triacetylcellulose Waste for the Production of Carbonaceous Adsorbents

Triacetylcellulose(TAC)-based globular activated carbons having the adsorption capacity comparable with commercial ones have been derived using a carbonization system developed for this purpose. The carbonization of TAC proceeds through a liquid phase causing bubbling due to the emission of the decomposition gases. The phosphorus compounds resulting from the starting material of TAC waste promote the activation reactions to produce micro-pores.     

Synthesis of hydrogarnet from molten slag and its hydrogen chloride fixation performance at high temperature

Hydrogarnet was synthesized hydrothermally below 200°C using molten slag obtained from municipal solid waste. For comparison, it was also synthesized using pure-phase CaO–Al₂O₃–SiO₂–H₂O, as reported previously. The structural and textural properties of this material were investigated using various analytical and spectroscopic techniques such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The Cl⁻ fixation ability of hydrogarnet was investigated in the temperature range 500–800°C in a fixed-bed flow reactor using a HCl concentration (1000 p.p.m.v.) similar to that of incinerator exhaust gas. Under these experimental conditions, the hydrogarnet was capable of reducing the HCl gas level to less than 1 p.p.m.v. Analysis of the spent catalyst revealed that the hydrogarnet was being transformed into wadalite and CaCl₂ at high temperatures. The elution test for chromium ions in hydrogarnet obtained from slag was also used, and it was found that chromium ions were not eluted from hydrogarnet. Received: January 27, 2001 / Accepted: October 11, 2001     

Anthropogenic radionuclides in the Japan Sea: their distributions and transport processes

The anthropogenic radionuclides, (90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu, were measured in the water column of the Japan Sea/East Sea during 1997-2000. The vertical profiles of radionuclide concentrations showed: exponential decrease with depth for (90)Sr and (137)Cs, and surface minimum/subsurface maximum for (239+240)Pu. These results do not differ substantially from results reported previously. The area-averaged concentrations of radionuclides in the Japan Sea are higher than those found in the Northwest Pacific Ocean below surface layer showing the accumulation of the radionuclides in the deep waters in the Japan Sea. Concerning spatial distributions, the area of high (137)Cs inventory extends from the Japan Basin into the Yamato Basin. It is suggested that wintertime convection of water, occurring mainly in the Japan Basin, causes the radionuclides to sink. The nuclides then advect into the Yamato Basin after detouring around the Yamato Rise.     

Cultured human-cell-based bioassay for environmental risk management

Among bioassays for evaluating various impacts of chemicalson humans and ecosystems, those based on culturedmammalian-cells can best predict acute lethal toxicity to humans. Weexpect them to be employed in the future in environmentalrisk management alongside mutagenicity tests and endocrine-disrupting activity tests. We recently developed adisposable bioassay device that immobilizes humanhepatocarcinoma cells in a small micropipette tip. Thisenables very quick (within 2 h) evaluation of acute lethaltoxicity to humans. For bioassay-based environmentalmanagement, 2 promising approaches have been demonstrated bythe US-EPA: toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) andtoxicity reduction evaluation (TRE). The Japanese Ministryof Environment has been supporting a multi-center validationproject, aimed at assembling a bioassay database. To makefull use of these resources, we present a numerical modelthat describes contribution of individual chemical toobserved toxicity. This will allow the selection of the mosteffective countermeasure to reduce the toxicity. Bioassay-based environmental risk management works retrospectively,whereas impact assessment using substance flow models andtoxicity databases works prospective. We expect that these 2approaches will exchange information, act complementarily,and work effectively in keeping our environment healthy inthe 21st century.