Composting dynamics and optimum mixture ratio of chicken manure and vineyard wastes.

Vineyard waste and chicken manure mixtures are useful materials for composting but when these wastes are composted alone, many environmental problems occur because of their chemical characteristics. Whereas chicken manure is a very rich source of nitrogen, vineyard waste has a very high carbon content. In the present study experiments to determine an optimum mixture ratio of chicken manure and vineyard waste for composting were performed. The results showed that the optimum mixture ratio for composting these materials was 50% chicken manure and 50% vineyard waste on a dry basis.     

X-ray metal assessment and ovarian ultrastructure alterations of the beetle,Blaps polycresta (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae), inhabiting polluted soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - X-ray analysis was applied to estimate the percentages of heavy metals in ovarian tissues of the tenebrionid beetle, Blaps polycresta. Calcium,...     

Cleaner production of polyurethane (PU) foams through use of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) spent catalyst

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Due to the increased population in the urbanized areas, considerable attention is being paid on the development of energy-efficient buildings. In...     

Immune responses,DNA damage and ultrastructural alterations of gills in the marine mussel Lithophaga lithophaga exposed to CuO nanoparticles

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nanoparticle (NP) pollution is a worldwide problem. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are one of the most used NPs in a variety of applications,...     

Biodegradation of trifluralin in Harran soil

Degradation of trifluralin (alpha, alpha, alpha-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-p-toluidine) was investigated in soils taken from three different locations at Harran region of Turkey under laboratory conditions. Surface (0-10 cm) soils, which were taken from a pesticide untreated field Gürgelen, Harran-1 and Ikizce regions in the Harran Plain. were incubated in biometer flasks for 350 days at 25 degrees C. Ring-UL-14C-trifluralin was applied at the rate of 2 microg g(-1) with 78.7 kBq radioactivity per 100 g soil flask. Evolved (14)CO2 was monitored in KOH traps throughout the experiment. Periodically, soil sub-samples were removed and extracted by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). Unextractable soil-bound 14C residues were determined by combustion. During the 350 days incubation period 6.6, 5.4, and 3.3/' of the applied radiocarbon was evolved as (14)CO2 from the Harran-1, Gürgelen, and Ikizce soil, respectively. At the end of 350 days the SFE-extractable and bound 14C-trifluralin residues were 39.0 and 29.2% of the initially applied herbicide in Gürgelen soil. The corresponding values for Harran-1 and Ikizce soils were 36.2, 28.4% and 41.6, 18.5% respectively.     

Methanol fuel production,utilization, and techno-economy: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Climate change and the unsustainability of fossil fuels are calling for cleaner energies such as methanol as a fuel. Methanol is one of the simplest molecules for...     

Design solutions to coastal human-wildlife conflicts

Coastal areas can be a challenge for conservation due to multiple competing land uses including development, tourism, and extractive resource use. These multiple land uses often lead to human-wildlife conflicts. Here we propose that collaboration with industrial designers and architects has the potential to generate innovative and effective solutions to coastal human-wildlife conflicts. Many products for modifying animal behavior are already used by conservationists, such as barriers, corridors, and model predators. We propose that their effectiveness, quality, harmonization with local values, and integration with the designed human environment can be improved through collaboration with designers and architects. We illustrate this approach with a case study. We engaged in an industrial design- conservation collaboration focused on the design of multiple product proposals that would support a range of human-sea lion interactions in public parks and the fish market in Valdivia, Chile. The sea lions in Valdivia are a tourist attraction but also potentially dangerous. We produced images of seven proposed products of varying scales, facilitating a range of different sea lion- human interactions. Such collaborations can be useful for developing products that reduce human-wildlife conflicts and align conservation and management with local values. We urge researchers to publish conservation design proposals as well as tests of existing conservation products?? functionality, in order to improve conservation design practice around the world.     

Properties of concrete paving blocks made with waste marble

Marble industry produces large amounts of waste marble - what causes environmental problems. In paving blocks based on two cement types we have partly replaced aggregate with waste marble. Physical and mechanical tests were performed on blocks so produced. The cement type turns out to be an important factor. Mechanical strength decreases with increasing marble content while freeze-thaw durability and abrasive wear resistance increase. Waste marble is well usable instead of the usual aggregate in the concrete paving block production.     

Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in amniotic fluids of pregnant women in south-central Turkey†

The concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were determined in amniotic fluid of 200 pregnant women from the Cukurova region of Turkey. The concentrations of OCPs [hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (p,p′-DDT), and various metabolites], and different PCB congeners (28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180) were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection as follows: HCB 6.6 ± 4.7, ΣHCH 21.6 ± 14.2, ΣDDT 12.5 ± 7.5, and ΣPCBs 74.0 ± 54 ng mL^?1. Correlations of maternal or gestational age and levels of OCPs and PCBs were not significant. The levels of these organochlorine compounds (OCs) were below detection limit for 5% of the samples, 80% contained more than one OC. This study illustrates that prenatal exposure of a fetus to OCs is prevalent in the Cukurova region.