Heavy Metal and Trace Elements in Various Fish Samples from Sır Dam Lake, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

Achanthobrama marmid (thorn-bream) (n:24), Chondrostoma regium (nose-carp) (n:33) and Silurus glanis (wels) (n:21), and Cyprinus carpio (carp) (n:30) were collected from Sır Dam Lake in Kahramanmaraş Province. The iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) levels were determined in the total of 108 fish samples by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The concentrations of heavy metals were expressed as mg kg⁻¹ wet weight of tissue. The mean Fe and Mn levels of muscle and gill of C. carpio were 0.8–5.71 and 0.30–1.96, respectively. The mean of the Fe and Mn levels of muscle and gill of A. marmid were 1.22, 5.07 and 0.38, 0.85 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The ranges of mean concentrations of Fe and Mn levels in muscle and gill of C. regium were 0.91, 5.61 and 0.27, 3.42 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The mean value of Fe in S. glanis gill was 1.03, which of Mn was 0.17 mg kg⁻¹. Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, and Pb were not detected in the muscle of S. glanis. The mean values for Co in muscle of thorn-bream, carp, and nose-carp were 0.005, 0.01, 0.0 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Nickel values in the muscle were ranged between 0.38 and 1.93 in thorn-bream, 0.06 and 1.34 in carp, 0.14 and 1.89 in nose-carp, in that order. The mean Pb levels of muscle and gill of A. marmid were 0.14 and 0.29 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The mean values of Pb concentration of muscle and gill for C. carpio were 0.13 and 0.50 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. In C. regium mean values for Pb in muscle and gill were 0.06 and 0.06 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The mean value of Pb in S. glanis gill was 0.42, ranged between 0.0–0.92 mg kg⁻¹.     

Treatment of wastewater by natural systems

Experimental results from a pilot-scale constructed wetland (CW) treatment plant have been described. The study was conducted at two different systems: continuous and batch. In the continuous system, the treatment yields were monitored in different loading conditions in 1-year period. The pilot plant consists of two serially connected tanks settled up with fillers; Cyperus was used as treatment media and wastewater between the two tanks was recycled periodically. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and suspended solid (SS) removal efficiencies were obtained as 90% and 95%, respectively. The effluent COD concentration at an average loading of 122 g COD/m2 day was satisfactory for the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. This means that a 0.8 m2 of garden area per person is required. Other removal values for the same conditions were as follows: total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) was 77%, total nitrogen (TN) was 61%, and PO4(3-) -P was 39%. The batch experimental systems consist of 12 pairs of serially connected tanks, with each pair having a surface area of 1 m2. Each set was filled with sewage once a day, and the wastewater between the paired tanks was recycled periodically by the pump. Each pair of tanks was filled with materials such as gravel, peat, and perlite. Seven of them were vegetated with Phragmites, Cyperus, Rush, Iris, Lolium, Canna, and Paspalum, while the other five were not seeded. The best performances were obtained by Iris for COD (% 94), by Canna for ammonia nitrogen (% 98), and by Iris for total nitrogen (% 90) and phosphorus (% 55) removal.     

Production of zeolitic materials in pilot scale based on coal ash for phosphate and potassium adsorption in order to obtain fertilizer

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The use of different types of zeolites (X, Na-P1, and 4A) synthesized by different methods and scales were tested in this work to adsorb nutrients...     

Age Structure and Body Size Variation in Common Toad (Bufo bufo,Linnaeus 1758) from Three Different Altitudes in Turkey

Russian Journal of Ecology - We describe here for the first time the body size and age of the Common Toad (Bufo bufo) from high (Trabzon, 1090 m and Kastamonu, 925 m above sea level) and low...     

Environment as Politics: Framing the Cerattepe Protest in Twitter

Environmental protests across the globe are often studied with a particular focus on their environmental aspects, but these protests are also embedded in a local political setting shaped by governmental policies. Recent environmental protests in Turkey, which appear to be based on ecological grievances, have developed as a response to political decisions that gave priority to economic development and national interests over environmental concerns. This study examines the political character of the environmental protest in Cerattepe, and focuses on the framing practices of its players in order to see if their motivations transcended environmental concerns. The research combines framing with network analysis, and studies the propagation of frames through Twitter. It has been found that the political economic aspects became predominant in the protest network, while the frames fostered dense connections between activist groups.     

Extracting urban impervious surfaces from Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 satellite data for urban planning and environmental management

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Impervious surface is mainly defined as any surface which water cannot infiltrate the soil. Due to the impact of urban impervious surfaces (UIS) on...     

Brazil’s Amazonian protected areas as a bulwark against regional climate change

Regional Environmental Change - Brazil’s Amazonian protected areas play an important role in maintaining the environmental services of the region, including Amazonia’s role in regional...     

Application of a scenario-based modeling system to evaluate the air quality impacts of future growth

The structure and design of future urban development can have significant adverse effects on air pollutant emissions as well as other environmental factors. When considering the future impact of growth on mobile source emissions, we generally model the increase in vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT) as a function of population growth. However, diverse and poorly planned urban development (i.e., urban sprawl) can force higher rates of motor vehicle use and in return increase levels of pollutant emissions than alternative land-use scenarios. The objective of this study is to develop and implement an air quality assessment tool that takes into account the influence of alternative growth and development scenarios on air quality.The use of scenario-based techniques in land use planning has been around since the late 1940s and been tested in many different applications to aid in decision-making. In this study, we introduce the development of an advanced interactive scenario-based land use and atmospheric chemistry modeling system coupled with a GIS (Geographical Information System) framework. The modeling system is designed to be modular and includes land use/land cover information, transportation, meteorological, emissions, and photochemical modeling components. The methods and modularity of the developed system allow its application to both broad areas and applications.To investigate the impact of possible land use change and urbanization, we evaluated a set of alternative future patterns of land use developed for a study area in Southwest California. Four land use and two population variants (increases of 500k and 1M) were considered. Overall, a Regional Low-Density Future was seen to have the highest pollutant emissions, largest increase in VKT, and the greatest impact on air quality. On the other hand, a Three-Centers Future appeared to be the most beneficial alternative future land-use scenario in terms of air quality. For all cases, the increase in population was the main factor leading to the change on predicted pollutant levels.     

Removal of AOX, total nitrogen and chlorinated lignin from bleached Kraft mill effluents by UV oxidation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide utilizing TiO2 as photocatalyst

Background, aim, and scope  The pulp and paper industry is the sixth largest polluter discharging a variety of gaseous, liquid, and solid wastes into the environment. Effluents from bleached Kraft mill effluents (BKME) are polluting waters to a great extent These effluents cause considerable damage to the receiving waters if discharged untreated since they have high levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), chlorinated compounds (measured as AOX), suspended solids (mainly fibers), fatty acids, tannins, resin acids, lignin and its derivatives, sulfur and sulfur compounds, etc. This study aimed to remove adsorbed organic halogen (AOX), total nitrogen, and lignin-degrading products in the wastewater (4,500 m³/h) from the paper mill in the pulp and paper industry, which is discharged to sea from a plant located in western Turkey. Materials and methods  The photocatalytic degradation of AOX, total nitrogen, and chlorinated lignin in BKME have been investigated in different parameters, such as time, H₂O₂ and TiO₂ concentration. In addition, for investigating the effect of chlorine on the removal of lignin, pure lignin solution was prepared in equal amounts to chlorinated lignin degradation products found in BKME. The same experiments were conducted for this solution. Experiments were carried out in photocatalytic reactor made of Pyrex glass. The mercury lamp was used as a radiation source. All irradiation was carried out under constant stirring. The existence of dissolved O₂ is an important factor which increases the photocatalytic degradation. Hence, we used an air pump for the aeration of the wastewater solutions. The temperature of the wastewater was controlled and adjusted to 25°C by thermostat pump in conjunction with a cooler. At the end of all experiments, AOX, total nitrogen and lignin concentrations were analyzed according to standard methods. All experiments were performed in duplicate and average values were used. Results and discussion  When the effect of H₂O₂ and time were investigated, it was observed that the AOX concentration increased from 3.0 to 11.0 mg/L by only UV. However, when H₂O₂ was added, AOX concentration decreased from approximately 3.0 to 0.0 mg/L. The optimal conditions for the removal of AOX appear to be an initial H₂O₂ concentration of 20.0 mL/L and reaction time of 50 min. In addition, at the same experiment conditions, it was seen that the total nitrogen concentration decreased from 23.0 to 15.0 mg/L by only UV and by increasing H₂O₂ concentration, the concentration of 20.0 mL/L H₂O₂ appears to be optimal (9.0 mg/L). The AOX, total nitrogen and lignin degradation products and pure lignin go through a minimum when the concentration of H₂O₂ and TiO₂ increases at constant pH and UV intensity. The kinetics for the degradation of AOX, total nitrogen and lignin degradation products followed a pseudo-first order law with respect to the products, and the degradation rates (min⁻¹) for the UV/TiO₂/H₂O₂ system were higher than that of the corresponding values for the UV/H₂O₂ system. Conclusions  The AOX, total nitrogen and lignin concentration go through a minimum when the concentration of H₂O₂ and TiO₂ increases at constant pH and UV intensity. It was found that the UV/TiO₂/H₂O₂ system has proved capable of the degradation of total nitrogen as well as chlorinated and degraded lignin in BKME. Recommendations and perspectives  The photocatalytic process can be considered a suitable alternative for the remove of some compounds from the BKME. Nevertheless, further studies should be carried out to confirm the practical feasibility of BKME. Another result obtained from the study is that pre-purification carried out with UV/TiO₂/H₂O₂ photocatalytic process may constitute an important step for further purification processes such as adsorption, membrane processes, etc.