Trace metal levels and some chemical parameters in herby cheese collected from south eastern Anatolia-Turkey

Due to the consumption of the herby cheese in south eastern Anatolia-Turkey is at high ratio, chemical parameters such as dry matter, pH, acidity, aCl, protein, fat and trace metal contents in 50 different herby cheeses produced at this region have been determined in the presented study. The content of lead, copper, cobalt, nickel, chromium, cadmium, and iron have been analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometer in air/acetylene flame after combination ash digestion method and wet digestion method. The mean concentration of lead, copper, cobalt, nickel, chromium and cadmium in our samples are higher than literature values except iron.     

Assessment of general condition of fish inhabiting a moderately contaminated aquatic environment

The assessment of general condition of fish in the moderately contaminated aquatic environment was performed on the European chub (Squalius cephalus) caught in September 2009 in the Sutla River in Croatia. Although increases of the contaminants in this river (trace and macro elements, bacteria), as well as physico-chemical changes (decreased oxygen saturation, increased conductivity), were still within the environmentally acceptable limits, their concurrent presence in the river water possibly could have induced stress in aquatic organisms. Several biometric parameters, metallothionein (MT), and total cytosolic protein concentrations in chub liver and gills were determined as indicators of chub condition. Microbiological and parasitological analyses were performed with the aim to evaluate chub predisposition for bacterial bioconcentration and parasitic infections. At upstream river sections with decreased oxygen saturation (～50 %), decreased Fulton condition indices were observed (FCI: 0.94 g?cm^?3), whereas gonadosomatic (GSI: 2.4 %), hepatosomatic (HSI: 1.31 %), and gill indices (1.3 %) were increased compared to oxygen rich downstream river sections (dissolved oxygen ～90 %; FCI: 1.02 g?cm^?3; GSI: 0.6 %; HIS: ～1.08 %; gill index: 1.0 %). Slight increase of MT concentrations in both organs at upstream (gills: 1.67 mg?g^?1; liver: 1.63 mg?g^?1) compared to downstream sites (gills: 1.56 mg?g^?1; liver: 1.23 mg?g^?1), could not be explained by induction caused by increased metal levels in the river water, but presumably by physiological changes caused by general stress due to low oxygen saturation. In addition, at the sampling site characterized by inorganic and fecal contamination, increased incidence of bacterial bioconcentration in internal organs (liver, spleen, kidney) was observed, as well as decrease of intestinal parasitic infections, which is a common finding for metal-contaminated waters. Based on our results, it could be concluded that even moderate contamination of river water by multiple contaminants could result in unfavourable living conditions and cause detectable stress for aquatic organisms.     

Experimental investigation of dust pollutants and the impact of environmental parameters on PV performance: an experimental study

The accumulation of dust pollution on the photovoltaic (PV) module can have a significant effect on the productivity and efficiency of PV systems in different locations in the world. Dust which accumulated over time on the PV module and is based on weather conditions led to the reduction in the effectiveness of solar cells. The aim of this research was to experimentally investigate the effect of the natural dust and the effects of environmental parameters on PV performance. The experiments were conducted to propose a model for the current, voltage, power and efficiency and to simulate the effect of environmental parameters on PV performance. The natural dust investigated consisted of different compounds: SiO₂ (45.53 %), CaO (24.62 %), Al₂O₃ (10.83 %), Fe₂O₃ (10.46 %), MgO (6.33 %), K₂O (0.87 %), TiO₂ (0.45 %), SO₃ (0.24 %), MnO₂ (0.21), Cr₂O₃ (0.23 %), SrO (0.13 %) and NiO (0.09 %). It was found that the most accurate correlation is a polynomial from seventh degree for current, voltage, power and efficiency, fourth degree for solar radiation and temperature, cubic degree for humidity and wind velocity. The coefficients of general model are 0.6343, 0.0110, 0.0 and 0.0001 for PV module, respectively, with 0.0011 fitting factor. The proposed model has been validated using models in the literature.     

Medical waste management in Turkey: A case study of Istanbul

The objective of this study was to analyze the present status of medical waste management in the light of the Medical Waste Control Regulation (MWCR) in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey. About 17% of the hospitals, 20% of bed capacity, and 54% of private hospitals in Turkey are located in Istanbul. The first regulation about medical waste management in Turkey was published in 1993, and as a candidate state, it was changed in 2005 in accordance with EU Environmental Directives. In this work, a survey of 14 questions about the amount, collection, and temporary storage of medical wastes was applied to 192 hospitals in Istanbul through face-to-face interviews. It was found that the estimated quantity of medical waste from the hospitals is about 22tons/day and the average generation rate is 0.63kg/bed-day. Recyclable materials are collected separately at a rate of 83%. Separate collection of different types of wastes is consistently practiced, but 25% of the hospitals still use inappropriate containers for medical waste collection. Almost 77% of the hospitals use appropriate equipment for the medical waste collection personnel. The percentage of the hospitals that have temporary storage depots is 63%. Medical waste management in Istanbul is carried out by applying the MWCR.     

Quantifying the Effects of Forest Management Strategies on the Production of Forest Values: Timber,Carbon, Oxygen,Water, and Soil

Forest management practices alter forest structure quantified with ecosystem characteristics and values. In this paper, we utilized a forest management simulation model to assess the effects of three forest management strategies focusing on timber production, carbon sequestration, oxygen production, soil erosion, and water production of a forest management unit in Turkey. A forest simulation model “ETÇAPSimülasyon” was developed and used to project forest ecosystem development over 100 years under three forest management policies of timber-oriented forest management (TFM), multipurpose forest management (MFM), and no intervention (NI). The results showed that TFM strategy produced more timber and its net present value than MFM and NI strategies did. The amount of carbon sequestration and oxygen production potential was also found to be the highest with TFM strategy than with the MFM and NI strategies. Compared with the other strategies, however, NI strategy produced the highest amount of water production and soil losses over the planning horizon. The effects of a forest management strategy depend mainly on the initial forest structure, the rate of development and the level of forest management interventions. Therefore, forest dynamics under various management strategies should be explained before the final management decision. Understanding long-term effects of any management strategies on forest structure will provide the basis for better reaching the management objectives.     

Water Quality of Medium Size Watercourse Under Baseflow Conditions: The Case Study of River Sutla in Croatia

The study on medium size river Sutla in Croatia indicated considerable water contamination at specific sites during the baseflow period, probably associated to low flow-rate (0.73-68.8 m3 s(-1)), and consequently low dilution capacity of this river. Various aspects of contamination were observed: increased conductivity to 1,000 microS cm(-1), decreased dissolved oxygen level to 50%, 4-5 degrees C increased water temperature, increased concentrations of several dissolved trace elements (e.g., maximal values of Li: 45.4 microg l(-1); Rb: 10.4 microg l(-1); Mo: 20.1 microg l(-1); Cd: 0.31 microg l(-1); Sn: 30.2 microg l(-1); Sb: 11.8 microg l(-1); Pb: 1.18 microg l(-1); Ti: 1.03 microg l(-1); Mn: 261.1 microg l(-1); and Fe: 80.5 microg l(-1)) and macro elements (e.g., maximal values of Na: 107.5 mg l(-1); and K: 17.3 mg l(-1)), as well as moderate or even critical fecal (E. coli: 4,888 MPN/100 ml; total coliforms: 45,307 MPN/100 ml; enterococci: 1,303 MPN/100 ml) and organic pollution (heterotrophic bacteria: 94,000 cfu/ml). Although metal concentrations still have not exceeded the limits considered as hazardous for aquatic life or eventually for human health, the observed prominent increases of both metal concentrations and bacterial counts in the river water should be considered as a warning and incentive to protect the small and medium size rivers from the future deterioration, as recommended by EU Water Framework Directive.     

Characterization of Environmentally Friendly Polymers by Inverse Gas Chromatography: I Amylopectin

Amylopectin, as a potato starch based polymer, with a molecular weight of six million gram/mol was characterized using the Inverse Gas Chromatography Method (IGC). DSC method was also used to measure the glass and melting temperatures. Both DSC and IGC agreed well on a T_g of 105°C and T_m of 160–166°C. Nineteen solutes (solvents) were injected onto a chromatographic column containing amylopectin. These solutes revealed the interaction of alkanes with AP, and the wettability and water intake of AP. Alkanes showed exothermic values of interaction parameters which were increased as the temperature increased and as the number of carbons in the alkane series decreased. Retention diagrams of these solutes in a temperature range of 80–200°C revealed two zones, crystalline and amorphous. T_g and T_m were measured using these zones which complimented the DSC values. The two zones were used to calculate the degree of crystallinity below the melting temperature which ranged from 85% at 104°C to 0% at 161°C. The dispersive component of the surface energy of amylopectin was measured using alkanes which ranged from 25.35 mJ/m² at 80°C to 8.47 mJ/m² at 200°C. This is attributed to the weak crystalline surface of AP at 80°C and when the surface melted at 160°C the surface energy decreased due to the thermal expansion of the surface.     

Classification of dimension stone wastes

Purpose

For countries in which the stone industry is well developed, opposition to quarry and plant waste is gradually increasing. The primary step for waste control and environmental management is to define the problem of concern. In this study, natural building stone wastes were classified for the first time in the literature.

Methods

Following on-site physical observations and research at more than 50 quarries and 20 plants, stone wastes were classified as (1) solid, (2) dust and (3) semi-slurry, slurry and cake.

Conclusions

As a result of this study, the characteristics of wastes, their main environmental threats and the industries in which wastes could be used were defined for each group.     

Spatial dynamics of carbon storage: a case study from Turkey

Forest ecosystems have an important role in carbon cycle at both regional and global scales as an important carbon sink. Forest degradation and land cover changes, caused by deforestation and conversion to non-forest area, have a strong impact on carbon storage. The carbon storage of forest biomass and its changes over time in the Hartlap planning unit of the southeastern part of Turkey have been estimated using the biomass expansion factor method based on field measurements of forests plots with forest inventory data between 1991 and 2002. The amount of carbon storage associated with land use and land cover changes were also analyzed. The results showed that the total forested area of the Hartlap planning unit slightly increased by 2.1 %, from 27,978.7 ha to 28,282.6 ha during the 11-year period, and carbon storage increased by 9.6 %, from 390,367.6 to 427,826.9 tons. Carbon storage of conifer and mixed forests accounted for about 70.6 % of carbon storage in 1991, and 67.8 % in 2002 which increased by 14,274.6 tons. Land use change and increasing forest area have a strong influence on increasing biomass and carbon storage.