PTR-MS measurement of partition coefficients of reduced volatile sulfur compounds in liquids from biotrickling filters

Biological air filtration for reduction of emissions of volatile sulfur compounds (e.g., hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide) from livestock production facilities is challenged by poor partitioning of these compounds into the aqueous biofilm or filter trickling water. In this study, Henry’s law constants of reduced volatile sulfur compounds were measured for deionized water, biotrickling filter liquids (from the first and second stages of a two-stage biotrickling filter), and NaCl solutions by a dynamic method using Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) at a temperature range of 3–45 °C. NaCl solutions were used to estimate salting-out constants up to an ionic strength of 0.7 M in order to evaluate the effect of ionic strength on partitioning between air and biofilter liquids. Thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy and entropy of phase exchange) were obtained from the measured partition coefficients as a function of temperature. The results show that the partition coefficients of organic sulfur compounds in the biotrickling filter liquids were generally very close to the corresponding partition coefficients in deionized water. Based on the estimated ionic strength of biofilter liquids, it is assessed that salting-out effects are of no importance for these compounds. For H₂S, a higher enthalpy of air–liquid partitioning was observed for 2nd stage filter liquid, but not for 1st stage filter liquid. In general, the results show that co-solute effects for sulfur compounds can be neglected in numerical biofilter models and that the uptake of volatile sulfur compounds in biotrickling filter liquids cannot be increased by decreasing ionic strength.     

Large-scale spatial pollution patterns around the North Sea indicated by coastal bird eggs within an EcoQO programme

To categorize the marine environmental health status, the Oslo and Paris commissions have recently formulated Ecological Quality Objectives (EcoQOs) for many ecological features including the contamination of coastal bird eggs with mercury and organochlorines. In this study, we describe spatial and temporal patterns of egg contamination around the North Sea and compared them to the EcoQOs. Concentrations of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyl (??PCB) congeners, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (??DDT) and derivatives, hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane (??HCH) isomers were analysed in two tern species (Sterna hirundo and Sterna paradisaea) and Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) eggs collected between 2008 and 2010 in a total of 21 sites in seven countries surrounding the North Sea. Hg, ??PCB and HCB were highest in the southern sites, while ??DDT and ??HCH concentrations were greatest in eggs from the western North Sea and the Elbe estuary. There were rarely any consistent decreases over time for any compounds. In the terns, Hg, HCB and ??HCH increased at most sites, ??PCB and ??DDT in Sweden and Norway. In the Oystercatcher, HCB and ??HCH increased at more than the half of the sites, ??PCB, ??DDT and Hg at several German sites. In the terns, Hg, ??PCB and ??DDT exceeded the EcoQO in all, HCB in most years and sites. At most sites, ??HCH fulfilled the EcoQO in some study years. In the Oystercatcher, Hg, ??PCB and ??DDT exceeded the EcoQO in all or most years and sites. HCB and ??HCH fulfilled the EcoQO in some or all years at most sites. The EcoQO was exceeded most frequently in estuaries. We conclude that EcoQOs are suitable for drawing contamination patterns of the coastal North Sea in an easily understandable manner, offering the opportunity to harmonize the EcoQOs with coordinated environmental monitoring programmes.     

Triclosan affects the microbial community in simulated sewage-drain-field soil and slows down xenobiotic degradation

Effects of the common antibacterial agent triclosan on microbial communities and degradation of domestic xenobiotics were studied in simulated sewage-drain-field soil. Cultivable microbial populations decreased 22-fold in the presence of 4 mg kg⁻¹ of triclosan, and triclosan-resistant Pseudomonas strains were strongly enriched. Exposure to triclosan also changed the general metabolic profile (Ecoplate substrate profiling) and the general profile (T-RFLP) of the microbial community. Triclosan degradation was slow at all concentrations tested (0.33-81 mg kg⁻¹) during 50-days of incubation. Mineralization experiments (¹⁴C-tracers) and chemical analyses (LC-MS/MS) showed that the persistence of a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and a common analgesic (ibuprofen) increased with increasing triclosan concentrations (0.16-100 mg kg⁻¹). The largest effect was seen for LAS mineralization which was severely reduced by 0.16 mg kg⁻¹ of triclosan. Our findings indicate that environmentally realistic concentrations of triclosan may affect the efficiency of biodegradation in percolation systems.     

PCDD/F, PCB, PBDE, HBCD and chlorinated pesticides in a Swedish market basket from 2005--levels and dietary intake estimations

Based on consumption data statistics, food items from four regions in Sweden were sampled in a so-called market basket study. Food items from five food groups, i.e. fish, meat, dairy products, eggs and fat/oils, were analyzed for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) followed by per capita intake calculations. The highest levels of PCDD/F, PCB, PBDE, HBCD and chlorinated pesticides were found in the fish/fish products. The estimated market basket per capita intake of PCDD/F and dl-PCB was 0.7 pg WHO-TEQ kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹ (TEFs from 1998). The intake of ∑PCB was estimated to 4.9 ng kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹ and fish was found to be the major contributor with 64%. The intake of ∑PBDE was found to be 0.7 ng kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹. Fish (38%) and dairy products (31%) were the largest contributors to the total PBDE intake. The intake of HBCD was estimated to 0.14 ng kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹. HBCD mainly came from fish (65%), but also dairy products (24%) and meat (10%) contributed. Also regarding the chlorinated pesticides, fish was found to be the major contributor, with 51% of the ∑DDT coming from fish. The intake of ∑DDT, ∑HCH and HCB was 4.0, 1.0 and 1.1 ng kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. Most of the ∑HCH and HCB originate from dairy products (43% and 55%, respectively). This study shows that the levels, and intake, of different POPs from food of animal origin in the market basket of 2005 seem to have decreased since the market basket study in 1999.     

Modelling of environmental impacts from biological treatment of organic municipal waste in EASEWASTE

The waste-LCA model EASEWASTE quantifies potential environmental effects from biological treatment of organic waste, based on mass and energy flows, emissions to air, water, soil and groundwater as well as effects from upstream and downstream processes. Default technologies for composting, anaerobic digestion and combinations hereof are available in the model, but the user can change all key parameters in the biological treatment module so that specific local plants and processes can be modelled. EASEWASTE is one of the newest waste LCA models and the biological treatment module was built partly on features of earlier waste-LCA models, but offers additional facilities, more flexibility, transparency and user-friendliness. The paper presents the main features of the module and provides some examples illustrating the capability of the model in environmentally assessing and discriminating the environmental performance of alternative biological treatment technologies in relation to their mass flows, energy consumption, gaseous emissions, biogas recovery and compost/digestate utilization.     

A Quantitative Analysis of Biodiversity and the Recreational Value of Potential National Parks in Denmark

Denmark has committed itself to the European 2010 target to halt the loss of biodiversity. Currently, Denmark is in the process of designating larger areas as national parks, and 7 areas (of a possible 32 larger nature areas) have been selected for pilot projects to test the feasibility of establishing national parks. In this article, we first evaluate the effectiveness of the a priori network of national parks proposed through expert and political consensus versus a network chosen specifically for biodiversity through quantitative analysis. Second, we analyze the potential synergy between preserving biodiversity in terms of species representation and recreational values in selecting a network of national parks. We use the actual distribution of 973 species within these 32 areas and 4 quantitative measures of recreational value. Our results show that the 7 pilot project areas are not significantly more effective in representing species than expected by chance and that considerably more efficient networks can be selected. Moreover, it is possible to select more-effective networks of areas that combine high representation of species with high ranking in terms of recreational values. Therefore, our findings suggest possible synergies between outdoor recreation and biodiversity conservation when selecting networks of national parks. Overall, this Danish case illustrates that data-driven analysis can not only provide valuable information to guide the decision-making process of designating national parks, but it can also be a means to identify solutions that simultaneously fulfill several goals (biodiversity preservation and recreational values).     

Sperm competition and sexual selection: a meta-analysis of paternity studies of birds

Sperm competition (the competition among the sperm of different males for fertilization of the eggs of a female) has been suggested to be an important component of sexual selection, but no general assessment has been made of this proposition. We used a meta-analytic approach to assess the extensive literature on paternity (the proportion of offspring in a focal nest sired by an attending male) in birds based on allozyme and molecular techniques. The relative variance in male mating success was on average increased by a factor of 4.6 over the variance in apparent male success. Males with more extravagant secondary sexual characters had higher paternity in their own nests than less adorned males. There was a weak effect of male age being positively associated with paternity in own nests. Male body size measured as the length of wing and tarsus was weakly positively associated with paternity in own nests. Male survival prospect was positively associated with paternity in own nests. Polygynous males generally had decreased paternity of their broods compared to monogamous males. Paternity of the resident male decreased with increasing population density and breeding asynchrony. The intensity of paternity guards such as within-pair copulation rate and mate guarding were not significantly related to extra-pair paternity. Sperm competition was thus an important component of sexual selection by increasing the variance in male mating success, and by being associated with the expression of secondary sexual characters, in particular in dense and asynchronously breeding populations of birds. Received: 12 February 1998 / Accepted after revision: 31 May 1998     

Introducing the North Water: Histories of exploration,ice dynamics,living resources,and human settlement in the Thule Region

The North Water is a recurrent polynya in the High Arctic situated between Northwest Greenland and Ellesmere Island of Canada. The North Water makes a dynamic space, where various processes may enhance or obstruct each other, accelerating or halting particular modes of human–animal relations in the region, where life itself depends on the North Water. This will be discussed in four steps. The first step posits the North Water as a perceived oasis for explorers and whalers hailing from Europe or America in the nineteenth century. The second step concentrates on the diverse rhythms inherent in the ice conditions, as affected by trends that are set in motion elsewhere. The third step highlights the implications of the dynamics of the ice and sea currents for animal life in the region. The fourth step gives an overview of human settlement patterns around the North Water across the ages. The article shows how natural and social features are deeply implicated in each other, even if they are not directly co-variant.     

The potential future contribution of shipping to acidification of the Baltic Sea

International regulation of the emission of acidic sulphur and nitrogen oxides from commercial shipping has focused on the risks to human health, with little attention paid to the consequences for the marine environment. The introduction of stricter regulations in northern Europe has led to substantial investment in scrubbers that absorb the sulphur oxides in a counterflow of seawater. This paper examines the consequences of smokestack and scrubber release of acidic oxides in the Baltic Sea according to a range of scenarios for the coming decades. While shipping is projected to become a major source of strong acid deposition to the Baltic Sea by 2050, the long-term effect on the pH and alkalinity is projected to be significantly smaller than estimated from previous scoping studies. A significant contribution to this difference is the efficient export of surface water acidification to the North Sea on a timescale of 15–20 years.