Prediction of particulate air pollution from a landfill site using CFD and LIDAR techniques

Landfill sites have been the most common way of eliminating solid urban waste, as well as that of public and mining wastes. Landfill sites are a constant source of environmental pollution and wind is the most important contributing factor to air pollution, due to the erosion which it produces over the landfill site surfaces, transporting dust away from the source point. This causes serious risks for human health and general dirt in the surrounding areas of the landfill site. The result of dust air pollution produced in a landfill site is analysed through CFD3D (Computational Fluid Dynamics) by joining the LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technique and Ansys CFX 10.0 software. The CFD simulations determine the wind velocity distribution on the landfill site surface and the different particle threshold friction velocities which determine the dust emission in multiphase simulations (air-particles). These simulations are validated from field data obtained in three measurement programmes for each type of landfill site surface treatment which has been studied. It was determined that the superficial landfill site treatment with the lowest air pollution is tall grass and bushes. The methodology used can be applied to the dust emission calculation in the design or evaluation of other landfill sites.     

House sparrows selectively eject parasitic conspecific eggs and incur very low rejection costs

Most host species of obligate interspecific brood parasites are under strong selection because such parasitism, e.g., that involving evictor nestmates, is highly costly. Egg rejection is one of the most efficient host defences against avian brood parasites. Many hosts have thus evolved egg-recognition ability and rejection behaviour. However, this defensive mechanism has not evolved in most species where only intraspecific brood parasitism occurs, probably because (1) the eggs of conspecific females are very similar in appearance, making egg rejection less likely to emerge, and (2) such parasitism is frequently less costly than interspecific parasitism. Using a captive population of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) with a low breeding density, we here provide new evidence showing that this species actually has a fine capacity to discriminate conspecific eggs and to eject them (44.2% of foreign eggs ejected) while incurring very low rejection costs (4.2% of own eggs ejected). This result contradicts those previously found in high-density house sparrow populations in which very high rejection costs and very high clutch desertion rates were reported, probably as a consequence of intraspecific competition and infanticide provoked by the high breeding density. The house sparrow has only rarely been reported as the host of an interspecific brood parasite, which implies that it is a newly described example of an altricial species in which egg ejection has evolved and is maintained in response to intraspecific brood parasitism.     

Oxidative stress in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and armored catfish (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi) exposed to diesel oil

Considering that diesel oil is one of the most common aquatic contaminants, we compare the oxidative stress between two species of fish with different habitats (Pterygoplichthys anisitsi, benthic and Oreochromis niloticus, nektonic) exposed to diesel oil. Malondialdehyde concentrations (MDA) and the activities of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase were all analyzed in the fishes' livers and gills after 2 and 7 days of exposure to different concentrations of diesel (0.1 and 0.5 mL/L). In the tilapia, MDA levels and the activities of EROD and GST activity in the liver, as well as MDA levels and the activities of GST and SOD in the gill had statistically significant differences between the treatments and between the times of exposure. For the catfish, the same occurred in the case of MDA, EROD, and SOD in the liver and in CAT and SOD in the gills. There were significant differences in the enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation between the species. Although the activity of most enzymes seemed to be more expressive and responsive to diesel in O. niloticus, diesel oil also caused significant effects on oxidative stress parameters in P. anisitsi, even though this species is benthic and thus has less access to insoluble fractions of diesel oil. Therefore, both species can be used as sentinel organisms in environmental biomonitoring of diesel contamination.     

Evaluation of Online Information Sources on Alien Species in Europe: The Need of Harmonization and Integration

Europe is severely affected by alien invasions, which impact biodiversity, ecosystem services, economy, and human health. A large number of national, regional, and global online databases provide information on the distribution, pathways of introduction, and impacts of alien species. The sufficiency and efficiency of the current online information systems to assist the European policy on alien species was investigated by a comparative analysis of occurrence data across 43 online databases. Large differences among databases were found which are partially explained by variations in their taxonomical, environmental, and geographical scopes but also by the variable efforts for continuous updates and by inconsistencies on the definition of “alien” or “invasive” species. No single database covered all European environments, countries, and taxonomic groups. In many European countries national databases do not exist, which greatly affects the quality of reported information. To be operational and useful to scientists, managers, and policy makers, online information systems need to be regularly updated through continuous monitoring on a country or regional level. We propose the creation of a network of online interoperable web services through which information in distributed resources can be accessed, aggregated and then used for reporting and further analysis at different geographical and political scales, as an efficient approach to increase the accessibility of information. Harmonization, standardization, conformity on international standards for nomenclature, and agreement on common definitions of alien and invasive species are among the necessary prerequisites.     

Classification and distribution of freshwater microplastics along the Italian Po river by hyperspectral imaging

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, freshwater microplastic samples collected from four different stations along the Italian Po river were characterized in terms of...     

Primary and secondary organic winter aerosols in Mediterranean cities under different mixing layer conditions (Barcelona and Granada)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - PM10 was collected during an EMEP winter campaign of 2017–2018 in two urban background sites in Barcelona (BCN) and Granada (GRA), two...     

Morphological responses and tolerance of a tree native to the Brazilian Cerrado Astronium fraxinifolium Schott to boron toxicity

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The indiscriminate use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides can lead to boron contamination of the soil. Decontamination in general is expensive and...     

Effect of agricultural activities on surface water quality from páramo ecosystems

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Páramos are high mountain ecosystems strategic for water provision in South America. Currently, páramos are under threat due to agricultural...     

Positive and negative aspects of GRI reporting as perceived by Brazilian organizations

This paper aims to identify the positive and negative aspects in the sustainability reporting framework proposed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The research was conducted through content analysis of 27 companies’ responses to three questions: “Why does the company where you work prepare a sustainability report?” “What are the positive aspects you identify in the framework for GRI reporting?” and “What are the negative aspects you identify in the framework for GRI reporting?” The questionnaire was sent to all Brazilian companies that published sustainability reports using the GRI guidelines between 2011 and 2013 related to the base year 2010. We found that respondents viewed the GRI guidelines and the reports they created as management tools for sustainability and that they assist in benchmarking sustainability performance and legitimizing the sustainability actions of the organization. Furthermore, some respondents indicated that the reports themselves are marketing tools. On the other hand, the respondents reported difficulties in understanding the proposed GRI guidelines. They considered the guidelines complex, ambiguous, and too flexible, which undermined both the standardization of the reports and the ability to compare reports. Based on these comments, it is recommended that the GRI develop a simpler and less flexible reporting methodology.     

Pollution from polychlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxins and furans: The case of several foundry plants in the Lombardy region

In 1991 a co‐operation between Public Health Office (U.S.S.L.) n° 18 of Brescia and the Chemical Section Laboratories of U.S.S.L. n° 38 of Milan concerning the possible environmental impact of foundry industrial activities performing metallic scraps recovering, has been undertaken.

Soil and surfaces have been classified in conformity with the National Toxicological Consultative Commission (C.C.T.N.) recommendation dated 12/02/1988'; owing to the characteristics of the processed material, besides heavy metals, polychlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) have been looked for.

The particulate matter collected from the filters positioned over the arc furnaces in 14 foundry plants has been characterized and classified, according both to C.C.T.N.¹ and to the Interministerial Board regulation dated 27/07/1985 for the first application of the Republic President Decree Law (D.P.R.) n° 915/1982, concerning wastes classification, based, in this case, on these toxic chlorinated compounds concentrations. From the very beginning, high levels of PCDDs and PCDFs have been detected, corroborating the very few literature data from foundry plants². The results obtained on 14 different foundries allow us to draw already some information, acceptable from the point of view of the statistical validity, about the pollution produced by this industry.