Recycling extruded polystyrene by dissolution with suitable solvents

The amount of extruded polystyrene (XPS) waste has increased in recent years due to the increase of its use in the thermal insulation of buildings, transport vehicles, and refrigerators, among others. Dissolution with suitable solvents to achieve a volume reduction of more than 100 times without degradation of polymer chains is one of the cheapest and most efficient methods of recycling XPS. Several environmentally friendly solvents have been tested as dissolution agents for XPS volume reduction; the action of these solvents does not produce any degradation of polymer chains. The solubility of the polymer in such solvents at different temperatures was investigated. The solvent can be easily recycled by distillation, obtaining a high-quality recycled polymer. Chemical Feedstock Recycling & Other Innovative Recycling Techniques 6     

Treatment of a wastewater from a pesticide manufacture by combined coagulation and Fenton oxidation

The treatment of a non-biodegradable agrochemical wastewater has been studied by coupling of preliminary coagulation—flocculation step and further Fenton oxidation. High percentages of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (up to 58 %) were achieved in a first step using polyferric chloride as coagulant. This reduced significantly the amount of H₂O₂ required in the further Fenton oxidation. Using the stoichiometric amount relative to COD around 80 % of the remaining organic load was mineralized. The combined treatment allowed achieving the regional discharge limits of ecotoxicity at a cost substantially lower than the solution used so far where these wastewaters are managed as hazardous wastes.     

Comparative study of the urban quality of life in Cuban first-level cities from an objective dimension

The urban quality of life (UQoL) from objective dimension was analyzed in the main Cuban cities. An Urban Quality of Life Index (UQoLI) was developed in collaboration with 60 experts (five in each city). These experts belong to one of two categories: in charge of the planning of the city and members of the Municipal Council of Administration. One hundred and forty-two directors of the Local District Administration also participated in the analysis. The UQoLI includes three dimensions: social services, economic performance, and urban services, the importance of which is weighed according to expert criteria. A Ranking of the studied cities, sorted by the UQoLI, shows a tendency of increase it UQoL in the west even and central regions. This tendency contradicts one of the foundations of the Cuban sustainable development framework, i.e., equity.     

Chlorophyll and suspended sediment mapping to the Caribbean Sea from rivers in the capital city of the Dominican Republic using ALOS AVNIR-2 data

This study aims to study the distribution of contaminants in rivers that flow into the Caribbean Sea using chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and suspended sediment (SS) as markers and ALOS AVNIR-2 satellite sensor data. The Haina River (HN) and Ozama and Isabela Rivers (OZ-IS) that flow through the city of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, were chosen. First, in situ spectral reflectance/Chl-a and SS datasets obtained from these rivers were acquired in March 2011 (case A: with no rain influence) and June 2011 (case B: with rain influence), and the estimation algorithm of Chl-a and SS using AVNIR-2 data was developed from the datasets. Moreover, the developed algorithm was applied to AVNIR-2 data in November 2010 for case A and August 2010 for case B. Results revealed that for Chl-a and SS estimations under cases A and B conditions, the reflectance ratio of AVNIR-2 band 4 and band 3 (AV4/AV3) and the reflectance of AVNIR-2 band 4 (AV4) were effective. The Chl-a and SS mapping results obtained using AVNIR-2 data corresponded with the field survey results. Finally, an outline of the distribution of contaminants at the mouth of the river that flows into the Caribbean Sea was obtained for both rivers in cases A and B.     

Differences between carbon dioxide levels over suburban and rural sites in Northern Spain

Purpose  

A comparison between suburban and rural atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in Northern Spain is made.     

Effect of the pH and temperature on the biosorption of lead(II) and cadmium(II) by sodium-modified stalk sponge of Zea mays

Objective  

The present work was carried out to investigate the effects of temperature, initial pH, initial concentration, and contact time on the biosorption of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) by modified stalk sponge of Zea mays using a batch technique.     

A method for the analysis of organophosphorus pesticide residues in Mexican axolotl

A method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) was developed for quantitative extraction of three organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) from the Mexican axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum. The determination was carried out using high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array spectrophotometric UV detection (DAD). The MSPD extraction with octadecylsilyl (C18) sorbent combined with a silica gel clean-up and acetonitrile elution was optimised for chlorpyrifos, fenthion and methyl parathion. The method was validated, yielding recovery values higher than 90%. The precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD), was less than or equal to 6% in muscle samples at spiking levels of 10 and 5 ppm. Linearity was studied from 15 to 60 ppm for chlorpyrifos and fenthion, and from 7.5 to 30 ppm for methyl parathion. The limits of detection (LODs) were found to be less than or equal to 0.5 ppm_.This method was applied to the analysis of samples from a chlorpyrifos-exposed axolotl, demonstrating its use as an analytical tool for toxicological studies.     

Cadmium and lead bioavailability and their effects on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biodegradation by spent mushroom substrate

Bioremediation of mixed metal–organic soil pollution constitutes a difficult task in different ecosystems all around the world. The aims of this work are to determine the capacity of two spent mushroom substrates (Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus) to immobilize Cd and Pb, to assess the effect of these metals on laccase activity, and to determine the potential of spent A. bisporus substrate to biodegrade four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, and pyrene, when those toxic heavy metals Cd and Pb are present. According to adsorption isotherms, spent P. ostreatus and A. bisporus substrates showed a high Pb and Cd adsorption capacity. Pb and Cd interactions with crude laccase enzyme extracts from spent P. ostreatus and A. bisporus substrates showed Cd and Pb enzyme inhibition; however, laccase activity of A. bisporus presented lower inhibition. Spent A. bisporus substrate polluted with PAH and Cd or Pb was able to biodegrade PAH, although both metals decrease the biodegradation rate. Spent A. bisporus substrate contained a microbiological consortium able to oxidize PAH with high ionization potential. Cd and Pb were immobilized during the bioremediation process by spent A. bisporus substrate. Consequently, spent A. bisporus substrate was adequate as a multi-polluted soil bioremediator.