The impact of ambient ozone on mountain spruce forests in the Czech Republic as indicated by malondialdehyde

Malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxidation and biomarker of oxidative stress, is measured over the long term in spruce Picea abies needles under real conditions in three Czech mountain border areas. The trends presented collate the MDA content in spruce needles with ambient ozone, temperature and precipitation as casual, and defoliation as a subsequent factor for the period 1994-2006. We have found the overall decreasing trends in MDA and defoliation. The highest MDA and defoliation are recorded in the Jizerske, the lowest in the Krusne hory Mts. Out of the examined variables the MDA is predicted best by mean temperature in vegetation season, median of O₃ concentrations and AOT40; these three variables account for 34% of MDA1 and 36% of MDA2 variability. Our hypothesis that higher ambient O₃ exposure results in higher MDA contents in P. abies needles under real conditions has not been approved.     

Hans-Joachim Schallna? (1957–2007)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Treibhausgasemissionen zukünftiger Erdgasbereitstellung für Deutschland

Ohne Zusammenfassung Original erschienen in UWSF – Z Umweltchem ?kotox 20(2):133–144 (2008) DOI: Herausgeber: Martin Pehnt und Eckard Helmers     

Fate of ah receptor agonists during biological treatment of an industrial sludge containing explosives and pharmaceutical residues

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Sweden is meeting prohibition for deposition of organic waste from 2005. Since 1 million tons of sludge is produced every year in Sweden and the capacity for incineration does not fill the demands, other methods of sludge management have to be introduced to a higher degree. Two biological treatment alternatives are anaerobic digestion and composting. Different oxygen concentrations result in different microbial degradation pathways and, consequently, in a different quality of the digestion or composting residue, It is therefore necessary to study sludge treatment during different oxygen regimes in order to follow both degradation of compounds and change in toxicity. In this study, an industrial sludge containing explosives and pharmaceutical residues was treated with anaerobic digestion or composting, and the change in toxicity was studied. Nitroaromatic compounds, which are the main ingredients of both pharmaceutical and explosives, are well known to cause cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. However, little data are available concerning sludge with nitroaromatics and any associated dioxin-like activity. Therefore, we studied the sludge before and after the treatments in order to detect any changes in levels of Ah receptor (AhR) agonists using two bioassays for dioxin-like compounds. METHODS: An industrial sludge was treated with anaerobic digestion or composting in small reactors in a semi-continuous manner. The same volume as the feeding volume was taken out daily and stored at -20 degrees C. Sample preparation for the bioassays was done by extraction using organic solvents, followed by clean up with silica gel or sulphuric acid, yielding two fractions. The fractions were dissolved in DMSO and tested in the bioassays. The dioxin-like activity was measured using the DR-CALUX assay with transfected H4IIE rat hepatoma pGudluc cells and an EROD induction assay with RTL-W1 rainbow trout liver cells. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The bioassays showed that the sludge contained AhR agonists at levels of TCDD equivalents (TEQs) higher than other sludge types in Sweden. In addition, the TEQ values for the acid resistant fractions increased considerably after anaerobic digestion, resulting in an apparent formation of acid resistant TEQs in the anaerobic reactors. Similar results have been reported from studies of fermented household waste. There was a large difference in effects between the two bioassays, with higher TEQ levels in the RTL-W1 EROD assay than in the DR-CALUX assay. This is possibly due to a more rapid metabolism in rat hepatocytes than in trout hepatocytes or to differences in sensitivities for the AhR agonists in the sludge. It was also demonstrated by GC/FID analysis that the sludge contained high concentrations of nitroaromatics. It is suggested that nitroaromatic metabolites, such as aromatic amines and nitroanilines, are possible candidates for the observed bioassay effects. It was also found that the AhR agonists in the sludge samples were volatile. CONCLUSIONS: The sludge contained fairly high concentrations of volatile AhR agonists. The increase of acid resistant AhR agonist after anaerobic digestion warrants further investigations of the chemical and toxic properties of these compounds and of the mechanisms behind this observation. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: This study has pointed out the benefits of using different types of mechanism-specific bioassays when evaluating the change in toxicity by sludge treatment, in which measurement of dioxin-like activity can be a valuable tool. In order to study the recalcitrant properties of the compounds in the sludge using the DR-CALUX assay, the exposure time can be varied between 6 and 24 hours. The properties of the acid-resistant AhR agonists formed in the anaerobic treatment have to be investigated in order to choose the most appropriate method for sludge management.     

Evidence for Acidification-Driven Ecosystem Collapse of Danish Erica tetralix Wet Heathland

We report observations of disappearance of Erica tetralix in wet heathland, which is unlikely to be caused by competition, as E. tetralix is dying before its place is taken up by other species. To investigate the causes, we used both old and new data. Results showed that presence of Molinia caerulea and Calluna vulgaris were substantial in the former E. tetralix dominated areas. Measurements of the C/N ratio in the morlayer were between 21 and 26 under the E. tetralix stands. As the expected C/N ratio in a healthy nutrient poor ecosystem like the E. tetralix wet heathland is around 30, this indicates that the ratio is probably decreasing and, correspondingly, the probability of nitrogen leaching from the ecosystem is increasing. The morlayer pH was extremely low—between 3.03 and 3.78. This represents a pH decline since the 1960s, where pH values generally were above 4. This supports the hypothesis that the decrease in morlayer pH is the major factor explaining the disappearance of E. tetralix and that measures to increase pH should be considered as part of the recommendations for relevant future management.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0251-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Natural attenuation is enhanced in previously contaminated and coniferous forest soils

Purpose  

Prevalence of organic pollutants or their natural analogs in soil is often assumed to lead to adaptation in the bacterial community, which results in enhanced bioremediation if the soil is later contaminated. In this study, the effects of soil type and contamination history on diesel oil degradation and bacterial adaptation were studied.     

Kinetic study of γ-hexabromocyclododecane orally given to laying hens (Gallus domesticus)

Introduction  

High concentrations of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) sometimes recorded in free-range hens' eggs are thought to be due to soil ingestion. Of the three stereoisomers of HBCD (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD), γ-HBCD is the main component in the commercial mixture, as well as in environmental matrices, whereas the isomer profile is α-dominated in biota. In fish and in mammals, this shift is thought to be due to a rapid elimination of γ-HBCD and to its bioisomerization to the more persistent α-HBCD. The aim of the current controlled study was to better understand the fate of ingested HBCD in laying hens. The isomer profile in soil being γ-dominated, excretion kinetics of γ-HBCD into egg yolk, and accumulation in liver and in abdominal fat were investigated.     

Assessing and forecasting the impacts of global change on Mediterranean rivers. The SCARCE Consolider project on Iberian basins

Introduction

The Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project SCARCE, with the full title ??Assessing and predicting effects on water quantity and quality in Iberian Rivers caused by global change?? aims to examine and predict the relevance of global change on water availability, water quality, and ecosystem services in Mediterranean river basins of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as their socio-economic impacts. Starting in December 2009, it brought together a multidisciplinary team of 11 partner Spanish institutions, as well as the active involvement of water authorities, river basin managers, and other relevant agents as stakeholders.

Methods

The study areas are the Llobregat, Ebro, Jucar, and Guadalquivir river basins. These basins have been included in previous studies and projects, the majority of whom considered some of the aspects included in SCARCE but individually. Historical data will be used as a starting point of the project but also to obtain longer time series. The main added value of SCARCE project is the inclusion of scientific disciplines ranging from hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, chemistry, and ecotoxicology, to engineering, modeling, and economy, in an unprecedented effort in the Mediterranean area. The project performs data mining, field, and lab research as well as modeling and upscaling of the findings to apply them to the entire river basin.

Results

Scales ranging from the laboratory to river basins are addressed with the potential to help improve river basin management. The project emphasizes, thus, linking basic research and management practices in a single framework. In fact, one of the main objectives of SCARCE is to act as a bridge between the scientific and the management and to transform research results on management keys and tools for improving the River Basin Management Plans. Here, we outline the general structure of the project and the activities conducted within the ten Work Packages of SCARCE.     

Effect of sewer headspace air-flow on hydrogen sulfide removal by corroding concrete surfaces

Hydrogen sulfide adsorption and oxidation by corroding concrete surfaces at different air-flows were quantified using a pilot-scale sewer reactor. The setup was installed in an underground sewer research station with direct access to wastewater. Hydrogen sulfide gas was injected into the headspace of the sewer reactor once per hour in peak concentrations of approximately 500 ppmv. The investigated range of sewer air-flows was representative for natural ventilated sewer systems, and covered both laminar and turbulent conditions. The experiments demonstrated a significant effect of sewer air-flow on the kinetics of hydrogen sulfide removal from the sewer headspace. From the lowest to the highest air-flow investigated, the rate of adsorption and oxidation increased more than threefold. At all air-flows, the reaction kinetics followed a simple n-th order rate equation with a reaction order of 0.8. The effect of air-flow on hydrogen sulfide adsorption and oxidation kinetics was quantified by a simple empirical equation.