Energy transition in South and South-East Asia

Energy transition is the process whereby the volume and proportion of commercial energy increases so as to replace traditional fuels as the main energy source. In South and South-East Asia the extent to which this transition has taken place varies within and between countries. In general, in the urban areas, the process is more advanced than in rural areas. It is also more advanced in the larger towns than the smaller ones and more advanced within higher income groups. In rural areas industry is a large consumer of traditional energy and many rural peoples earn their livelihoods as suppliers of traditional energy to industry. For both economic and social reasons the transition process has been slower in rural households than in urban households. This must change as for much of the rural areas of South and South-East Asia, increasing population and increasing energy demand are creating pressures on the biomass which cannot be sustained.     

Solid wastes from the enzyme production as a potential biosorbent to treat colored effluents containing crystal violet dye

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Sugarcane bagasse, a largely available waste worldwide, was submitted to solid-state fermentation (SSF) using the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae,...     

Metal separation from mixed types of batteries using selective precipitation and liquid-liquid extraction techniques

The purpose of this paper is to study metal separation from a sample composed of a mixture of the main types of spent household batteries, using a hydrometallurgical route, comparing selective precipitation and liquid-liquid extraction separation techniques. The preparation of the solution consisted of: grinding the waste of mixed batteries, reduction and volatile metals elimination using electric furnace and acid leaching. From this solution two different routes were studied: selective precipitation with sodium hydroxide and liquid-liquid extraction using Cyanex 272 [bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphoric acid] as extracting agent. The best results were obtained from liquid-liquid extraction in which Zn had a 99% extraction rate at pH 2.5. More than 95% Fe was extracted at pH 7.0, the same pH at which more than 90% Ce was extracted. About 88% Mn, Cr and Co was extracted at this pH. At pH 3.0, more than 85% Ni was extracted, and at pH 3.5 more than 80% of Cd and La was extracted.     

A Case History of the Science and Management Collaboration in Understanding Hypoxia Events in Long Bay, South Carolina, USA

Communication of knowledge between the scientific and management communities is a difficult process complicated by the distinctive nature of professional career goals of scientists and decision-makers. This article provides a case history highlighting a collaboration between the science and management communities that resulted from a response to a 2004 hypoxia, or low dissolved oxygen, event in Long Bay, off Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A working group of scientists and decision-makers was established at the time of the event and has continued to interact to develop a firm understanding of the drivers responsible for hypoxia formation in Long Bay. Several factors were found to be important to ensure that these collaborative efforts were productive: (1) genuine interest in collaboratively working across disciplines to examine a problem; (2) commitment by agency leadership, decision-makers, and researchers to create successful communication mechanisms; (3) respect for each others’ perspectives and an understanding how science and management are performed and that they are not mutually exclusive; (4) networking among researchers and decision-makers to ensure appropriate team members are involved in the process; (5) use of decision-maker input in the formulation of research and monitoring projects; and (6) commitment of resources for facilitation to ensure that researchers and decision-makers are communicating effectively.     

Esterase inhibition in tadpoles of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scinax fuscovarius</Emphasis> (Anura,Hylidae) as a biomarker for exposure to organophosphate pesticides

Purpose  

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are among the most used insecticides in agriculture, causing the inhibition of esterases like acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and carboxylesterase (CbE). Pesticides can reach the aquatic environment, posing risks to non-target organisms, including tadpoles.     

Microbial community dynamics in uranium contaminated subsurface sediments under biostimulated conditions with high nitrate and nickel pressure

BACKGROUND, AIM, AND SCOPE: The subsurface at the Oak Ridge Field Research Center represents an extreme and diverse geochemical environment that places different stresses on the endogenous microbial communities, including low pH, elevated nitrate concentrations, and the occurrence of heavy metals and radionuclides, including hexavalent uranium [U(VI)]. The in situ immobilization of U(VI) in the aquifer can be achieved through microbial reduction to relatively insoluble U(IV). However, a high redox potential due to the presence of nitrate and the toxicity of heavy metals will impede this process. Our aim is to test biostimulation of the endogenous microbial communities to improve nitrate reduction and subsequent U(VI) reduction under conditions of elevated heavy metals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Column experiments were used to test the possibility of using biostimulation via the addition of ethanol as a carbon source to improve nitrate reduction in the presence of elevated aqueous nickel. We subsequently analyzed the composition of the microbial communities that became established and their potential for U(VI) reduction and its in situ immobilization. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the microbial population changed from heavy metal sensitive members of the actinobacteria, alpha- and gamma-proteobacteria to a community dominated by heavy metal resistant (nickel, cadmium, zinc, and cobalt resistant), nitrate reducing beta- and gamma-proteobacteria, and sulfate reducing Clostridiaceae. Coincidentally, synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses indicated that the resulting redox conditions favored U(VI) reduction transformation to insoluble U(IV) species associated with soil minerals and biomass. DISCUSSION: This study shows that the necessary genetic information to adapt to the implemented nickel stress resides in the endogenous microbial population present at the Oak Ridge FRC site, which changed from a community generally found under oligotrophic conditions to a community able to withstand the stress imposed by heavy metals, while efficiently reducing nitrate as electron donor. Once nitrate was reduced efficient reduction and in situ immobilization of uranium was observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that stimulating the metabolism of the endogenous bacterial population at the Oak Ridge FRC site by adding ethanol, a suitable carbon source, results in efficient nitrate reduction under conditions of elevated nickel, and a decrease of the redox potential such that sulfate and iron reducing bacteria are able to thrive and create conditions favorable for the reduction and in situ immobilization of uranium. Since we have found that the remediation potential resides within the endogenous microbial community, we believe it will be feasible to conduct field tests. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Biostimulation of endogenous bacteria provides an efficient tool for the successful in situ remediation of mixed-waste sites, particularly those co-contaminated with heavy metals, nitrate and radionuclides, as found in the United States and other countries as environmental legacies of the nuclear age.     

Influence of soil type and extraction conditions on perchlorate analysis by ion chromatography

Perchlorate is a stable anion that has been introduced into the environment through activities related to its production and use as a solid rocket propellant. Perchlorate is thought to transport through soils without being adsorbed; thus, for determination of perchlorate in soil, samples are typically extracted with water prior to analysis. The completeness of extraction depends on perchlorate existing as a free ion within the soil matrix. In this study, perchlorate extraction efficiency was evaluated with five soil types under two different oxygen states. For each soil, 30% (w/w) slurries were prepared and equilibrated under either oxic or anoxic conditions prior to spiking with a stock solution of sodium perchlorate, and the slurries were then maintained for 1-week or 1-month. At the end of the exposure, slurries were centrifuged and separated into aqueous and soil phases. After phase separation, the soil was washed first with deionized water and then with 50mM NaOH, producing second and third aqueous phases, respectively. Perchlorate concentrations in the three aqueous phases were determined using ion chromatography. The results obtained from this study suggest that matrix interference and signal suppression due to high conductivity have greater effects upon observed perchlorate concentrations by ion chromatography than does perchlorate interaction with soil. Thus, a single water extraction is sufficient for quantitative determination of perchlorate in soil.     

A mutualism with a native membracid facilitates pollinator displacement by Argentine ants

The loss of biodiversity and associated ecosystem services are major threats posed by the spread of alien invasive species. Invasive ants are frequently associated with declines in the diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods but also may affect plants through their attraction to floral nectar and tending of hemipterans. Protea nitida is a tree native to the South African fynbos that hosts a native membracid, Beaufortiana sp., which is tended by ants. Here I compare Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) to native ants in their attraction to P. nitida inflorescences in the presence and absence of the membracid, and their effects on other floral arthropod visitors, seed set, and ovule predation. Argentine ant discovery of inflorescences increased at least 13-fold when membracids were present on the branch, whereas native ant discovery of inflorescences was only doubled by membracid presence at one site in one study year and was unaffected in the other three site-years. Excluding Argentine ants from inflorescences resulted in an increase in several arthropod taxa and potential pollinators; native ant exclusion had no positive effects. Thus the mutualism between Argentine ants and the membracid is facilitating pollinator deterrence by the ants. Though Argentine ants were not associated with a decline in P. nitida seed set or ovule predation, declines in generalist insect pollinators may have ramifications for the 83% of fynbos plants that are insect pollinated. Pitfall traps showed that Argentine ants were not more abundant than native ants in non-invaded sites. Focusing only on abundance on the ground and displacement of ground-dwelling arthropod fauna may lead to an underestimate of the effects of invasive ants on their adopted communities.