Discharges of coloured effluents into surface waters provide conspicuous evidence of the impact of industry on the environment. The textile industry is an obvious candidate for sources of such discharges. Conventional treatment methods appear to alleviate this situation by removing colour, however the affect on toxicity is less obvious. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in effluent toxicity during the course of two alternative wastewater treatment methods, ozonation and electrochemical oxidation, using a novel toxicity biosensor, GreenScreen EM. The biosensor is capable of measuring both general acute toxicity (cytotoxicity), and more specifically genotoxicity, that is damage to a cell's DNA structure, replication or distribution, caused by substances that may be mutagenic and/or carcinogenic. The biosensor utilises a modified strain of the brewers yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, incorporating a gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) linked to the inducible promoter of the DNA damage responsive RAD54 gene. Upon exposure to a genotoxin, the production of GFP is up-regulated in parallel with RAD54, and the resulting cellular fluorescence provides a measure of genotoxicity. Acute toxicity is simultaneously determined by monitoring relative total growth of the cell culture during incubation. The results presented in this paper show that a reduction in colouration does not necessarily correspond to a reduction in effluent toxicity. 相似文献
Concentrations of dissolved and particulate Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined in samples collected in summer 1998 from the lower reaches of six major Eurasian arctic rivers: the Onega, Severnaya Dvina, Mezen, Pechora, Ob and Yenisey. These data comprise some of the earliest measurements of trace metals in Eurasian arctic rivers above the estuaries using recognized clean techniques. Significant (α = 0.05) differences were observed among mean concentrations of particulate metals in the individual rivers (F ≤ 0.006), with highest levels overall observed in the Severnaya Dvina and Yenisey. No significant differences were observed among mean concentrations of dissolved metals in the individual rivers (F = 0.10-0.84). Contributions from anthropogenic sources are suggested by comparison of trace metal ratios in the samples to crustal abundances. These results establish a baseline for assessing future responses of Eurasian arctic river systems to climate-related environmental changes and shifting patterns of pollutant discharge. 相似文献
Recent assessments of water quality status have identified eutrophication as one of the major causes of water quality ‘impairment’
not only in the USA but also around the world. In most cases, eutrophication has accelerated by increased inputs of phosphorus
due to intensification of crop and animal production systems since the early 1990s. Despite substantial measurements using
both laboratory and field techniques, little is known about the spatial and temporal variability of phosphorus dynamics across
landscapes, especially in agricultural landscapes with cow-calf operations. Critical to determining environmental balance
and accountability is an understanding of phosphorus excreted by animals, phosphorus removal by plants, acceptable losses
of phosphorus within the manure management and crop production systems into soil and waters, and export of phosphorus off-farm.
Further research effort on optimizing forage-based cow-calf operations to improve pasture sustainability and protect water
quality is therefore warranted. We hypothesized that properly managed cow-calf operations in subtropical agroecosystem would
not be major contributors to excess loads of phosphorus in surface and ground water. To verify our hypothesis, we examined
the comparative concentrations of total phosphorus among soils, forage, surface water, and groundwater beneath bahiagrass-based
pastures with cow-calf operations in central Florida, USA. 相似文献
We measured mercury speciation in coastal rainwater samples from Monterey Bay, California in 2007–2008 to investigate the source of monomethylmercury (MMHg) in rainwater and determine the relative importance of wet atmospheric deposition of MMHg to coastal waters compared to other sources on the central Pacific coast. Total mercury (HgT) ranged from 10 to 88 pM, with a sample mean ± standard deviation of 33 ± 22 pM (volume-weighted average 29 pM). MMHg concentrations ranged from 0.12 to 2.3 pM with a sample mean of 0.7 ± 0.5 pM (volume-weighted average 0.68 pM). Reactive mercury (HgR) concentrations ranged from 0.87 to 47 pM, sample mean 7.8 ± 8.3 pM (volume-weighted average 6.1 pM). Acetate concentration in rainwater, measured in a subset of samples, ranged from 0.34 to 3.1 μM, and averaged 1.6 ± 0.9 μM (volume-weighted average 1.3 μM). Dimethylmercury (DMHg) concentrations were below the limit of detection in air (<0.01 ng m?3) and rainwater (<0.05 pM). Despite previous suggestions that DMHg in upwelled ocean waters is a potential source of MMHg in coastal rainwater, MMHg in rain was not related to coastal upwelling seasons or surface water DMHg concentrations. Instead, a multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that MMHg concentrations were positively and significantly correlated (p = 0.002, adjusted R2 = 0.88) with those of acetate and HgR. These data appear to support previous suggestions that the aqueous phase methylation of Hg(II) by acetate may be the source of MMHg in rainwater, but imply that acetate concentrations in rainwater play a more important role relative to HgR than previously hypothesized. However, the calculated chemical speciation of Hg(II) in rainwater and the minimal predicted complexation of Hg(II) by acetate suggest that the aqueous phase methylation of Hg(II) by acetate is unlikely to account for the MMHg found in precipitation, or that the mechanism of this reaction in the atmosphere differs from that previously reported (Gardfeldt et al., 2003). 相似文献
Understanding plant behaviour in polluted soils is critical for the sustainable remediation of metal-polluted sites including abandoned mines. Post-operational and abandoned metal mines particularly in semi-arid and arid zones are one of the major sources of pollution by soil erosion or plant hyperaccumulation bringing ecological impacts. We have selected from the literature 157 species belonging to 50 families to present a global overview of ‘plants under action’ against heavy metal pollution. Generally, all species of plants that are drought, salt and metal tolerant are candidates of interest to deal with harsh environmental conditions, particularly at semi-arid and arid mine sites. Pioneer metallophytes namely Atriplex nummularia, Atriplex semibaccata, Salsola kali, Phragmites australis and Medicago sativa, representing the taxonomic orders Caryophyllales, Poales and Fabales are evaluated in terms of phytoremediation in this review. Phytoremediation processes, microbial and algal bioremediation, the use and implication of tissue culture and biotechnology are critically examined. Overall, an integration of available remediation plant-based technologies, referred to here as ‘integrated remediation technology,’ is proposed to be one of the possible ways ahead to effectively address problems of toxic heavy metal pollution.
Graphical abstract Integrated remediation technology (IRT) in metal-contaminated semi-arid and arid conditions. The hexagonal red line represents an IRT concept based on remediation decisions by combination of plants and microbial processes.
A series of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), all containing 1% nucleating agent but varying in structure, were melt-processed
into films through single screw extrusion techniques. This series consisted of three polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and three polyhydroxybutyrate-valerate
(PHBV) resins with varying valerate content. Processing parameters of temperature in the barrel (165–173 °C) and chill rolls
(60 °C) were optimized to obtain cast films. The gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) results showed a loss of 8–19% of the
polymer’s initial molecular weight due to extrusion processing. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) displayed
glass transition temperatures of the films ranging from −4.6 to 6.7 °C depending on the amount of crystallinity in the film.
DSC data were also used to calculate the percent crystallinity of each sample and slightly higher crystallinity was observed
in the PHBV series of samples. X-ray diffraction patterns did not vary significantly for any of the samples and crystallinity
was confirmed with X-ray data. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) verified the glass transition trends for the films from DSC
while loss modulus (E′) reported at 20 °C showed that the PHBV (3,950–3,600 MPa) had the higher E′ values than the PHB (3,500–2,698 MPa) samples. The Young’s modulus values of the PHB and PHBV samples ranged from 700 to
900 MPa and 900 to 1,500 MPa, respectively. Polarized light microscopy images revealed gel particles in the films processed
through single-screw extrusion, which may have caused diminished Young’s modulus and tensile strength of these films. The
PHBV film samples exhibited the greatest barrier properties to oxygen and water vapor when compared to the PHB film samples.
The average oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) for the PHBV samples was 247 (cc-mil/m2-day) and 118 (g-mil/m2-day), respectively; while the average OTR and WVTR for the PHB samples was 350 (cc-mil/m2-day) and 178 (g-mil/m2-day), respectively. Biodegradation data of the films in the marine environment demonstrated that all PHA film samples achieved
a minimum of 70% mineralization in 40 days when run in accordance with ASTM 6691. For static and dynamic incubation experiments
in seawater, microbial action resulting in weight loss as a function of time showed all samples to be highly biodegradable
and correlated with the ASTM 6691 biodegradation data. 相似文献
The ability of natural attenuation to mitigate agricultural nitrate contamination in recharging aquifers was investigated in four important agricultural settings in the United States. The study used laboratory analyses, field measurements, and flow and transport modeling for monitoring well transects (0.5 to 2.5 km in length) in the San Joaquin watershed, California, the Elkhorn watershed, Nebraska, the Yakima watershed, Washington, and the Chester watershed, Maryland. Ground water analyses included major ion chemistry, dissolved gases, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes, and estimates of recharge date. Sediment analyses included potential electron donors and stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes. Within each site and among aquifer-based medians, dissolved oxygen decreases with ground water age, and excess N(2) from denitrification increases with age. Stable isotopes and excess N(2) imply minimal denitrifying activity at the Maryland and Washington sites, partial denitrification at the California site, and total denitrification across portions of the Nebraska site. At all sites, recharging electron donor concentrations are not sufficient to account for the losses of dissolved oxygen and nitrate, implying that relict, solid phase electron donors drive redox reactions. Zero-order rates of denitrification range from 0 to 0.14 micromol N L(-1)d(-1), comparable to observations of other studies using the same methods. Many values reported in the literature are, however, orders of magnitude higher, which is attributed to a combination of method limitations and bias for selection of sites with rapid denitrification. In the shallow aquifers below these agricultural fields, denitrification is limited in extent and will require residence times of decades or longer to mitigate modern nitrate contamination. 相似文献
In 2006, we used the U.S. Coast Guard’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) to describe patterns of large commercial ship
traffic within a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary located off the coast of Massachusetts. We found that 541 large commercial
vessels transited the greater sanctuary 3413 times during the year. Cargo ships, tankers, and tug/tows constituted 78% of
the vessels and 82% of the total transits. Cargo ships, tankers, and cruise ships predominantly used the designated Boston
Traffic Separation Scheme, while tug/tow traffic was concentrated in the western and northern portions of the sanctuary. We
combined AIS data with low-frequency acoustic data from an array of nine autonomous recording units analyzed for 2 months
in 2006. Analysis of received sound levels (10–1000 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE) averaged 119.5 ± 0.3 dB at
high-traffic locations. High-traffic locations experienced double the acoustic power of less trafficked locations for the
majority of the time period analyzed. Average source level estimates (71–141 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE)
for individual vessels ranged from 158 ± 2 dB (research vessel) to 186 ± 2 dB (oil tanker). Tankers were estimated to contribute
2 times more acoustic power to the region than cargo ships, and more than 100 times more than research vessels. Our results
indicate that noise produced by large commercial vessels was at levels and within frequencies that warrant concern among managers
regarding the ability of endangered whales to maintain acoustic contact within greater sanctuary waters.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. 相似文献
The photocatalytic removal of humic acid (HA) using TiO2 under UVA irradiation was examined by monitoring changes in the UV254 absorbance, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, apparent molecular weight distribution, and trihalomethane formation potentials (THMFPs) over treatment time. A resin fractionation technique in which the samples were fractionated into four components: very hydrophobic acids (VHA), slightly hydrophobic acids, hydrophilic charged (CHA) and hydrophilic neutral (NEU) was also employed to elucidate the changes in the chemical nature of the HA components during treatment. The UVA/TiO2 process was found to be effective in removing more than 80% DOC and 90% UV254 absorbance. The THMFPs of samples were decreased to below 20 μg l−1 after treatments, which demonstrate the potential to meet increasingly stringent regulatory level of trihalomethanes in water. Resin fractionation analysis showed that the VHA fraction was decreased considerably as a result of photocatalytic treatments, forming CHA intermediates which were further degraded with increased irradiation time. The NEU fraction, which comprised of non-UV-absorbing low molecular weight compounds, was found to be the most persistent component. 相似文献