Growth dynamics of the seagrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halophila nipponica</Emphasis>, recently discovered in temperate coastal waters of the Korean peninsula

Seagrass species in the genus Halophila are usually distributed in tropical or subtropical areas, but a Halophila species identified as H. nipponica was first observed in temperate coastal regions of Korea in 2007. Since this species mainly occurs in warm temperate regions influenced by warm currents, we hypothesized that H. nipponica may exhibit different growth patterns from those of other temperate seagrass species in Korea, instead showing similar growth dynamics to tropical/subtropical species. The growth and morphology of H. nipponica in relation to coincident measurements of environmental factors were investigated from July 2008 to September 2009 to examine the growth dynamics of this species. Water temperature at the study site ranged from 9.7°C in January to 25.1°C in August. Shoot density, biomass, and productivity exhibited significant seasonal variation, increasing during summer and decreasing during winter. Productivity was severely restricted to nearly ceasing at water temperatures less than 15°C, and winter minimum growth lasted until May. The optimal temperature for H. nipponica growth was approximately 25°C, which was the maximum water temperature at the study site, and no growth reduction in high summer water temperature was observed. Thus, H. nipponica on the temperate coast of Korea exhibited a distinctly different growth pattern from those of temperate seagrass species in Korea, which have shown great reductions in growth at water temperatures higher than 20°C. Higher below- to above-ground ratio and leaf burial into sediments with shorter leaf petioles during winter might be overwintering strategies in this species. The growth patterns of H. nipponica at the study site imply that this species still possess the tropical characteristics of the genus Halophila.     

Characteristics of liquid product from the pyrolysis of waste plastic mixture at low and high temperatures: influence of lapse time of reaction

Pyrolysis of a waste plastic mixture (high-density polyethylene: low-density polyethylene: polypropylene: polystyrene = 3:2:3:1) into a liquid product was carried out in a stirred semi-batch reactor at low (350 degrees C) and high (400 degrees C) temperatures. The effect of lapse time of reaction in the reactor and also degradation temperature on the characteristics of the liquid product from pyrolysis of the mixture was investigated. Liquid products were described by cumulative amount distribution, paraffin, olefin, naphthene and aromatic (PONA) distribution and molecular weight distribution. Their characteristic was quite differed with a lapse time of reaction and also at a low and high degradation temperatures, because of the different physicochemical properties of the plastic types in the mixture. With increase of lapse time of reaction, the order for the main products in PONA components obtained at 350 degrees C was firstly aromatic products and then olefin products, while at 400 degrees C the order was firstly aromatic products, then olefin products and finally paraffin products. The experiments also showed from the molecular weight distribution of liquid PONA components that the paraffin and olefin products had a wide distribution by mainly random scission of polymer, but in the case of olefin products were produced by an end-chain scission mechanism as well as random scission mechanism, as evidenced by much more light olefin products. This phenomenon was evident at a higher degradation temperature. Also, both the light olefin and naphthene products with a molecular weight of around 120, as a main product, showed a similar trend as a function of lapse time, which had a maximum fraction at 343 min (at 350 degrees C) and 83 min (at 400 degrees C). Among PONA components, the highest concentrations of aromatic products were obtained with a molecular weight of around 100 at the fastest lapse time of reaction, regardless of degradation temperature. It was concluded that the characteristics of liquid product on the pyrolysis of plastic mixtures were strongly influenced by lapse time of reaction and degradation temperature.     

Microbial degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and its influence on phenanthrene-DOM interactions

Microbial degradation-induced changes in the characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM), and the subsequent effects on phenanthrene-DOM interactions were investigated based on the microbial incubation of DOM collected from four different sources for 28 d. Partially biodegraded DOM presented higher specific UV absorbance (SUVA), lower protein-like fluorescence, higher humic-like fluorescence, lower aliphatic carbon fraction, and higher hydrophobic neutral fractions compared to the original DOM. Microbial changes in DOM led to an increase in the isotherm nonlinearity as well as the extent of phenanthrene binding. A negative relationship between SUVA and the Freundlich n values was established for the original and the biodegraded DOM, suggesting that aromatic condensed structures may play important roles in providing nonlinear strong binding sites irrespective of microbial degradation. In contrast, there were two separate slopes of the correlations between the percentage of hydrophobic acid (HoA) fraction and the n values for the original and the biodegraded DOM with a higher slope exhibited for the latter, implying that the microbial utilization of oxygen-containing structures in the HoA fractions may contribute to enhancing the associated isotherm nonlinearity.     

Comparative study of torrefaction of empty fruit bunches and palm kernel shell

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This paper describes the effect of torrefaction on the characteristics of empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm kernel shell (PKS). The torrefaction...     

Study on integrated management of PCB containing waste and PCB contaminated waste: proposal of new congeners for quantification

In the present study, new congeners were selected for the efficient management of PCB containing waste and PCB contaminated waste, and the applicability of these new indicators was confirmed. As a result, 8 indicator congeners and 4 index peaks which were named “Proposed new method 1” and “Proposed new method 2” were selected. For the assessment of a novel quantitative method, comparative tests using conventional methods were conducted, and the factors for total PCB were calculated for each method. Results from these tests showed that the average values for the factors of CEN/TC19/WG22, DIN 51527, and the test method by the disposal regulation for ocean dumping in Korea were 1.86, 3.47, and 2.52, respectively, while those for the proposed new method 1 and proposed new method 2 were 2.98 and 5.56, respectively. For PCB contaminated waste, the factor was found to be 1.99, 3.42, and 3.02 using the conventional methods, 2.67 using the proposed new method 1, and 5.57 using the proposed new method 2. It is expected that, in accordance with the results of the present study, the management of PCB waste can be integrated, regardless of the type of waste involved.     

Butyltin residues in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and arkshells (Scapharca broughtonii) collected from Korean coastal waters

Butyltin compounds (BTs) including tributyltin (TBT) and its degradation products, di- (DBT) and mono-butyltin (MBT), were determined in bivalves such as blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and arkshells (Scapharca broughtonii) collected from Korean coastal waters. BTs were detected in all the blue mussels and arkshells analyzed. The concentrations of total butyltin (sigmaBTs: MBT + DBT + TBT) in blue mussels and arkshells ranged from 49 to 2500 ng/g and 29 to 87 ng/g wet weight, respectively. Higher concentrations of BTs were found in blue mussels collected from Okpo and Kohyonsong Bays and Jangsengpo Harbor where large shipyards and harbors are located with dry-dock facilities. This suggested that maritime activities nearby the harbors play a major role as the source of BTs. Concentrations of TBT in mussels collected from Korea were one of the highest values reported, suggesting ongoing TBT contamination in Korea. Among BTs, TBT was the predominant compound both in blue mussels and arkshells collected from almost all the sampling locations, indicating the fresh input of TBT in Korean coastal waters. Smaller mussels tended to accumulate BTs at higher concentrations than larger ones, which may be due to higher filtration rate of small mussels and/or contact with surface microlayer in intertidal zones.     

Precipitation of swine and cattle manure phosphorous using limestone dust

The effectiveness of SPS and PULPRO, fine limestone dusts, in precipitating swine and dairy manure phosphorous (P) was determined in the laboratory. Both manures were sieved before being treated with limestone, to reproduce the treatment of mechanically separated manure and to observe the precipitation effect of limestone without that of the large manure solid particles. P precipitation was optimized by varying precipitation conditions (propeller blade speeds, mixing time and limestone levels) and limestone particle size. P precipitation was optimized using a propeller blade mixing speed of 0.3 m s(-1) for at least 5 minutes, using 3% limestone (dry limestone mass over wet manure mass). In terms of particle size, PULPRO 20 (limestone with a particle size of 0.02 mm) produced the most P precipitation and the smallest volume and mass of sludge, as compared to PULPRO 10, PULPRO 3 and SPS (limestone with a particle size of 0.01, 0.003 and 0.3 to 0.003 mm, respectively). For both 9.5% TS (total solids) dairy and 8.8% TS swine manure, mechanical separation followed by limestone precipitation concentrated 90% of manure TS and TP in a sludge volume representing 45% of the initial raw manure mass.     

Cadmium ion sorption onto lignocellulosic biosorbent modified by sulfonation: the origin of sorption capacity improvement

Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), a small-diameter underutilized material, has been studied as a lignocellulosic biosorbent for removing heavy metals from water. In this study, juniper wood was modified by sulfonation to enhance sorption capacity for cadmium in water. The origin of the enhancement was investigated by observing the sorption behaviors and the change in surface functional group concentrations. Cadmium sorption by all juniper wood biosorbents studied was fast and the sorption capacity decreased with decreasing pH, similar to results found for other biosorbents. Sulfonated juniper was found to have at least twice the sorption capacity for cadmium removal from water compared to that of untreated juniper, though the sorption capacity increased with increasing pH. A slight increase in carboxylate content after sulfonation was likely responsible for a small portion of the enhancement. Elemental analysis showed an increase in sulfur content after sulfonation. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra showed a decrease in the band at 1660 cm(-1) in the range of carbonyl groups as a result of sulfonation. This indicates that coniferaldehyde groups in the lignin of juniper wood corresponding to this band were substituted into sulfonic acid groups after sulfonation. This interpretation was supported by both the color forming reaction with phloroglucinol-hydrochloric acid and the reaction mechanisms from the acid sulfite pulping process. Consequently, the enhancement of cadmium sorption capacity of juniper wood by sulfonation mainly originated from the production of sulfonic acid groups, which are binding sites for heavy metals.