Ammonia-based flue gas desulphurization waste solution as a nitrogen fertilizer

A flue gas desulphurization product based on the absorption of sulphur dioxide by an ammoniacal solution (Am-FGD) was evaluated as a nitrogenous fertilizer. Evaluation was by field trial using barley and rye-grass as test crops. The Am-FGD solution was added to the soil either one week before sowing the barley, at sowing, or one week after. In the grass experiment, the Am-FGD solution was added to the soil surface or sprayed on the plants shortly after the first and after the second cut.The results indicate that nitrogen in the Am-FGD solution had the same fertilizer value as nitrogen in calcium-ammonium-nitrate (CAN). The toxic effect of sulphite is avoided or reduced to insignificant levels when direct contact of the Am-FGD solution with the plants is avoided. When added in combination with CAN there might even be a slight positive effect. The plant content of inorganic elements was unchanged by the experimental treatments.     

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in 189 pregnancies with known outcome

An Erratum has been published for this article in Prenatal Diagnosis 21(7) 2001, 605. Prenatal diagnosis (PD) of fetal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was performed in 242 pregnancies, with known outcome in 189 cases. In 141/189 pregnancies, PD was carried out on account of suspicious maternal CMV serology up to gestational week (WG) 23, and in 48 cases on account of abnormal ultrasonic findings detected between WG 18 and 39. Chorionic villus samples (n=6), amniotic fluid (AF, n=176) and/or fetal blood specimens (n=80) were investigated for detection of virus by cell culture, shell vial assay, PCR and/or CMV-specific IgM antibodies. Of 189 fetuses correctly evaluated by CMV detection either in fetal tissue following therapeutic abortion/stillbirth (n=24) or in urine of neonates within the first 2 weeks of life (n=33), 57 were congenitally infected. In women with proven or suspected primary infection, the intrauterine transmission rates were 20.6% (7/34) and 24.4% (10/41), respectively. Of the congenitally infected live-born infants, 57.6% (19/33) had symptoms of varying degree. The overall sensitivity of PD in the serologic and ultrasound risk groups was 89.5% (51/57). A sensitivity of 100% was achieved by combining detection of CMV-DNA and CMV-specific IgM in fetal blood or by combined testing of AF and fetal blood for CMV-DNA or IgM antibodies. There was no instance of intrauterine death following the invasive procedure. The predictive value of PD for fetal infection was 95.7% (132/138) for negative results and 100% (51/51) for positive results. Correct results for congenital CMV infection by testing AF samples can be expected with samples obtained after WG 21 and after a time interval of at least 6 weeks between first diagnosis of maternal infection and PD. In case of negative findings in AF or fetal blood and the absence of ultrasound abnormalities at WG 22–23, fetal infection and neonatal disease could be excluded with high confidence. Positive findings for CMV infection in AF and/or fetal blood in combination with CMV suspicious ultrasound abnormalities predicted a high risk of cytomegalic inclusion disease (CID). Furthermore, detection of specific IgM antibodies in fetal blood was significantly correlated with severe outcome for the fetus or the newborn (p=0.0224). However, normal ultrasound of infected fetuses at WG 22–23 can neither completely exclude an abnormal ultrasound at a later WG and the birth of a severely damaged child nor the birth of neonates which are afflicted by single manifestations at birth or later and of the kind which are not detectable by currently available ultrasonographic techniques. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

HOW MUCH UNDERGROUND WATER STORAGE CAPACITY DOES TEXAS HAVE?1

Water imported into Texas under the Texas Water Plan must be stored in surface or underground reservoirs. Ground-water levels are being drawn down heavily in many parts of Texas. This is causing a shift of much water from a surface- to a groundwater environment. The lowering water tables have resulted in a great reduction in wastage of water through evapotranspiration and spring and well flow. The methods used in estimating the quantities of underground storage capacity available in Texas are discussed. Some problems will be encountered in the use of dewatered underground storage capacity by artificial recharge. In spite of these problems, probably 60 to 70 percent of the dewatered storage capacity of Texas aquifers can be reused for groundwater storage. Most of this capacity is located where it can be used in conjunction with the Texas Water Plan.     

Inorganic element uptake by barley from soil supplemented with flue-gas desulphurisation waste and fly-ash

Fresh snow and streamwater samples were collected on a daily basis throughout the winter and spring periods of 1984 and 1985 at a remote, upland catchment located within the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland. Laboratory based partial-melt experiments undertaken on the snow samples demonstrated that both fractionation and preferential elution of trace-elements occur during melting, with the concentrations being 1.3 to 5.4 times greater than in the first 10 percent meltwater fractions than in the bulk snow (Abrahamset al., in press). At the onset of snowpack melting, the ions may be mobilised and redistributed within the snow profile, concentrating at depths from where they may be quickly removed during the early spring run-offf. The raised major- (Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, NO3 and SO4) and trace-element (Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn and Pb) concentrations recorded in the streamwaters during the acid-flush episodes at the time of the first major periods of snow-melt, reflect both the meltwater composition and the influence of the catchment soils (Abrahamset al., submitted for publication). Differences in streamwater chemistry during the two periods of snow-melt which were studies can probably be related to the fact that snow-melt occurs under a variety of circumstances with significant variations in the sequence of precipitation, melt-events, temperature and snowcover occurring from year to year, even in the same catchment. The high concentrations of Al (up to 330 g L^–1) in the sireamwaters at the time of snow-melt, probably reflect leaching of this element from the soil. These elevated concentrations, in combination with other streamwater parameters, may prove toxic to aquatic life-forms at this time of year.     

Reconciliation and interpretation of Big Bend National Park particulate sulfur source apportionment: results from the Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational Study--part I

The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) study was an intensive monitoring study from July through October 1999 followed by extensive assessments to determine the causes and sources of haze in Big Bend National Park, located in Southwestern Texas. Particulate sulfate compounds are the largest contributor of haze at Big Bend, and chemical transport models (CTMs) and receptor models were used to apportion the sulfate concentrations at Big Bend to North American source regions and the Carbón power plants, located 225 km southeast of Big Bend in Mexico. Initial source attribution methods had contributions that varied by a factor of > or =2. The evaluation and comparison of methods identified opposing biases between the CTMs and receptor models, indicating that the ensemble of results bounds the true source attribution results. The reconciliation of these differences led to the development of a hybrid receptor model merging the CTM results and air quality data, which allowed a nearly daily source apportionment of the sulfate at Big Bend during the BRAVO study. The best estimates from the reconciliation process resulted in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from U.S. and Mexican sources contributing approximately 55% and 38%, respectively, of sulfate at Big Bend. The distribution among U.S. source regions was Texas, 16%; the Eastern United States, 30%; and the Western United States, 9%. The Carbón facilities contributed 19%, making them the largest single contributing facility. Sources in Mexico contributed to the sulfate at Big Bend on most days, whereas contributions from Texas and Eastern U.S. sources were episodic, with their largest contributions during Big Bend sulfate episodes. On the 20% of the days with the highest sulfate concentrations, U.S. and Mexican sources contributed approximately 71% and 26% of the sulfate, respectively. However, on the 20% of days with the lowest sulfate concentrations, Mexico contributed 48% compared with 40% for the United States.     

Environmental threats to buried archaeological remains

The last century's environmental pollution has created health problems, acidification of ground and lakes, and serious damage to our cultural heritage. Outdoor monuments suffer from this pollution, but so do buried archaeological remains. However, research on the deterioration of archaeological artifacts underground has so far been limited, and it is important to draw attention to this neglected field. This article presents results obtained at the Swedish National Heritage Board on the degradation of archaeological objects of bronze and iron and of bones from prehistoric graves, materials of which seem to be most affected by pollutants. The investigation methods, which were employed, are described. Other relevant studies are briefly reviewed. It is obvious that the deterioration rate of archaeological artifacts, especially of inorganic materials, has accelerated in recent years, and that this increased deterioration to a large part can be attributed to anthropogenic pollution. Regions that might be endangered are exemplified.     

Inorganic element uptake by barley from soil supplemented with flue gas desulphurization waste and fly ash

To evaluate the influence of waste products from coal- and oil-fired power plants on the inorganic element content of plants, barley was grown in pots each with 22 kg of sandy loam supplied with increasing amounts of six waste products. The plants were harvested at maturity and analysed for a number of inorganic elements. The salinity of the soil was the limiting factor for the amount added in terms of plant growth. Concerning the quality of the plants as fodder, addition of the waste to the soil at levels of about 0.5% by weight increased the Se concentration of the barley from a level deficient for animals to that approaching sufficiency for animals. The increase in Cd from the flue gas desulphurization (FGD) products was deemed undesirable, even though the concentrations following this single addition were far from toxic. All other increases in element concentrations were without any biological significance.Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 1988,10(1), 21–25     

Fungi and wind strongly influence the temporal availability of logs in an old-growth spruce forest.

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is a key habitat for many species in forest ecosystems. To ensure the long-term survival of such species, forest management regimes must include measures that promote dead wood dynamics similar to those of natural forests. Thus, information on CWD dynamics under natural conditions is required, including data pertaining to the underlying agents of disturbance. This study examines modes of mortality, decay rates, and temporal patterns in the availability of Picea abies logs in a Swedish old-growth forest affected by internal, small-scale disturbance. All 684 logs in a 6.6-ha plot were mapped and classified into one of six decay classes. Logs in the early stages of decay were examined for the presence of heart-rot fungi. Six years later all logs were re-inventoried, including newly formed logs. Matrix models based on the transition rates between decay classes showed that it took about 60 years for 90% of the logs to decay beyond class 6 (a deformed trunk with soft wood). Large logs (> 26 cm) decayed 40% more slowly than small logs (< 25 cm). The initial volume of logs was 37.6 m3/ha but increased to 44.8 m3/ha after six years. In addition, there was a large shift in the decay-class distribution. The volume of logs in early and late decay classes increased by 71% and 45%, respectively, while the volume of logs in the intermediate decay classes decreased by 32%. The fluctuations appear to result from pulses in mortality, driven by a combination of strong winds and the heart-rot fungus, Phellinus chrysoloma, which was present in more than 30% of all logs at an early stage of decay. These results show that large temporal fluctuations in dead wood also occur in the absence of large-scale disturbance, and that heart-rot fungi are important factors driving the overall dynamics of dead wood. Since many wood-inhabiting species are naturally rare and have very specific substrate demands, such temporal variability in dead wood availability may have effects on biodiversity and should be taken into account when designing small, protected forest areas.