Arsenic adsorption from aqueous solutions by activated red mud

Heat treatment and acid treatment methods have been tested on red mud to increase its arsenic adsorption capability. The results indicate that the adsorptive capacity of red mud can be increased by acid treatment. This treatment causes sodalite compounds to leach out. As(III) and As(V) adsorption characteristics of activated red mud have similar tendencies with raw red mud. Batch adsorption studies have shown that activated red mud in dosages ranging from 20 to 100 g l(-1) can be used effectively to remove arsenic from aqueous solutions. The process is pH dependent, the optimum range being 5.8-7.5 for As(III) and 1.8-3.5 for As(V). The maximum removals are 96.52% for As(V) and 87.54% for As(III) for solutions with a final pH of 7.25 and 3.50, respectively, for the initial arsenic concentration of 133.5 micromol l(-1) (10 mg l(-1)), activated red mud dosage of 20 g l(-1), contact time of 60 min and temperature of 25 degrees C. The adsorption data obtained follow a first-order rate expression and fit the Langmuir isotherm well. Isotherms have been used to obtain the thermodynamic parameters. It was found that the adsorption of As(III) was exothermic, whereas As(V) adsorption was endothermic.     

Environmental analysis of Turkey’s aggregated and sector-level CO2 emissions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Turkey’s ecological footprint has recently been increasing, while its biocapacity has been decreasing. Furthermore, the country’s CO2...     

The influence of biomass energy consumption on CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> emissions: a wavelet coherence approach

In terms of today, one may argue, throughout observations from energy literature papers, that (i) one of the main contributors of the global warming is carbon dioxide emissions, (ii) the fossil fuel energy usage greatly contributes to the carbon dioxide emissions, and (iii) the simulations from energy models attract the attention of policy makers to renewable energy as alternative energy source to mitigate the carbon dioxide emissions. Although there appears to be intensive renewable energy works in the related literature regarding renewables’ efficiency/impact on environmental quality, a researcher might still need to follow further studies to review the significance of renewables in the environment since (i) the existing seminal papers employ time series models and/or panel data models or some other statistical observation to detect the role of renewables in the environment and (ii) existing papers consider mostly aggregated renewable energy source rather than examining the major component(s) of aggregated renewables. This paper attempted to examine clearly the impact of biomass on carbon dioxide emissions in detail through time series and frequency analyses. Hence, the paper follows wavelet coherence analyses. The data covers the US monthly observations ranging from 1984:1 to 2015 for the variables of total energy carbon dioxide emissions, biomass energy consumption, coal consumption, petroleum consumption, and natural gas consumption. The paper thus, throughout wavelet coherence and wavelet partial coherence analyses, observes frequency properties as well as time series properties of relevant variables to reveal the possible significant influence of biomass usage on the emissions in the USA in both the short-term and the long-term cycles. The paper also reveals, finally, that the biomass consumption mitigates CO₂ emissions in the long run cycles after the year 2005 in the USA.     

Sulphur-oxidising bacteria isolated from deep caves improve the removal of arsenic from contaminated harbour sediments

Acidophilic S-oxidising bacteria isolated from sulphur-rich deep caves (Frasassi, Italy), characterised by relatively low temperature, were tested for their ability to mobilise (semi-)metals from contaminated sediments. Sediment samples from two commercial Italian seaports were used to set up bioleaching experiments. The effect of different growth substrates was also investigated. Our experiments revealed that S-oxidising bacteria isolated from Frasassi caves have a high potential to remove As from contaminated marine sediments, as never reported before. Although As solubilisation efficiency was quite low (i.e. about 30%), only a small amount of As was associated with non-residual fractions of the sediment. On the contrary, the solubilisation efficiencies of Zn and Ni (20% and 10%, respectively) were lower than those previously obtained by the use of other acidophilic bacteria and mainly influenced by the experimental conditions rather than by the presence of the S-oxidising bacteria. Results presented here open new perspectives in bioleaching applications for the remediation of contaminated sediments. Indeed, microbial strains adapted to relatively low-temperature environments could improve sediment bioleaching at temperature regimes where mesophilic and thermophilic strains are not favoured. Such strains could be exploited for developing selective bioremediation procedures for sediments contaminated with As, to be applied in multistep biotreatment processes.     

The effects of alginate microspheres on phytoremediation and growth of Lemna minor in the presence of Cd

Today, the removal of increased amount of contaminant concentrations in nature such as metals, nanoparticles, has become an essential issue to struggle with. In this paper, both the toxic effects of non-essential Cd on Lemna minor in presence of alginate microspheres and metal removal capacity of Cd-exposed L. minor and microspheres were investigated. Three test groups were constructed: group (L) containing Lemna, group (M) containing alginate microsphere and group (L?+?M) containing alginate microsphere and Lemna. Five different levels of Cd concentrations were added into these groups. Estimation models were constructed to estimate Cd removal capacities of L. minor and microspheres, and time-concentration-dependent growth (GRC) rates of both microsphere-containing and non-containing groups were modelled by regression analysis. It was seen that microspheres alone only had no positive or negative effects on Lemna growth. It was observed that, for all test groups the time-dependent growth rate has both increase–decrease trends in general. The toxicity effect of Cd on Lemna growth was reduced by adding microspheres into medium. Furthermore, the results stated that test groups containing only microspheres (M, 0–97.56%) and consortium groups (M?+?L, 0–98.26%) were slightly more successful in Cd removal process compared to Lemna (L) groups (L, 0–97.32%).     

Effect of persistent trace compounds in landfill gas on engine performance during energy recovery: A case study

Performances of gas engines operated with landfill gas (LFG) are affected by the impurities in the LFG, reducing the economic viability of energy recovery. The purpose of this study was to characterize the trace compounds in the LFG at the Odayeri Landfill, Istanbul, Turkey which is used for energy recovery. Composite gas samples were collected and analyzed for trace compounds (hydrocarbons, siloxanes, and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons) over a 3-year period. Trace compounds entering the gas engines, their impact on the engine performance were evaluated. The operational problems included deposit formation in the combustion chamber, turbocharger, and intercooler of engine before the scheduled maintenance times. High levels of hydrogen sulfide, as well as chlorinated and fluorinated compounds cause corrosion of the engine parts and decrease life of the engine oils. Persistence of siloxanes results in deposit formation, increasing engine maintenance costs. Pretreatment of LFG is necessary to protect the engines at the waste-to-energy facilities with persistence levels of siloxanes and volatile halogenated hydrocarbons.     

Evaluation of a fetus at risk for dihydropteridine reductase deficiency by direct mutation analysis using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

Dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) is an enzyme involved in the recycling of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄), which is an obligate co-factor of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases. DHPR deficiency is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the QDPR gene. DHPR-deficient patients are diagnosed by a lack of response to a low phenylalanine diet and by severe neurological symptoms. Final diagnosis is made by measurements of neurotransmitters and pterin metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urine, in addition to DHPR enzyme activity, which can be assessed in whole red blood cells. Treatment of DHPR deficiency can be difficult and the outcome is not always satisfying, even if all treatment strategies are followed. Therefore prenatal diagnosis is of great importance in affected families. Prenatal diagnosis is possible by measuring DHPR activity in different cell types but this is time consuming. More than 25 different mutations have to date been identified in the QDPR gene and direct identification of a mutation in a fetus would be easy and rapid. We have developed a method based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) for the analysis of the QDPR gene. The method is useful for rapid and simultaneous scanning of all exons and flanking intronic sequences of the QDPR gene. We describe the first prenatal diagnosis conducted using this method. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.