POPs and organic polysufides in sediments of Lake Ladoga

The study included one station close to a pollution source (depth 59 m) and another far from polluted areas (depth 40 m). Samples were analysed for organic chlorine, bromine and sulfur compounds. Samples taken with a corer were sliced to the layers of 0-1, 1-4, 4-7 cm etc. down to the depth of 34 cm. The dating was made with two independent methods, the 210Po method and with the soot particle counting method. The analyses were made with a multiresidue method. Gas chromatography was connected to low resolution mass spectrometry (LRMS) or to high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). A different extraction was applied to screen the possible occurrence of polysulfides. Typical chlorophenol and chlorohydrocarbon traces from chlorobleaching of pulp were non-detectable. Also PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs and various organochloride pesticides, fire retardant residues PBDEs, PBDDs and PBDFs and polychlorinated phenyl salicylates were not detected. Instead, methylated dibenzothiophenes Me-DBTs and Di-Me-DBTs, typical traces of oil based defoamers used in e.g. paper mills were found in the surface layers of the polluted site. Polysulfides were analyzed from layers representing years 1955-1970 from the polluted site. The structures of five congeners were according to GC/MS dimethyl trisulfide, 1,2,3,4-tetrathiepane, pentathiane, 1,2,3,4-tetrathiane and 1,2,4,5-tetrathiepane. Many of the analyzed pollutants have not been reported earlier from Lake Ladoga. The only positive observations were from oil-based defoamers used in paper mills, and from polysulfides, which are either of natural origin or indicate a discharge in the 1950s and 1960s. Owing to the large spreadout and dilution, the concentrations are low even at moderate distances from the pollution centers.     

Seasonal variation of sediment toxicity in the Rivers Dommel and Elbe

Contaminated sediment in the river basin has become a source of pollution with increasing importance to the aquatic ecosystem downstream. To monitor the temporal changes of the sediment bound contaminants in the River Elbe and the River Dommel monthly toxicity tests were applied to layered sediment and river water samples over the course of 10 months. There is an indication that contaminated sediments upstream adversely affected sediments downstream, but this process did not cause a continuous increase of sediment toxicity. A clear decrease of toxic effects in water and upper layer sediment was observed at the River Elbe station in spring related to high water discharge and algal blooms. The less obvious variation of sediment toxicity in the River Dommel could be explained by stable hydrological conditions. Future monitoring programmes should promote a more frequent and intensive sampling regime during these particular events for ecotoxicological evaluation.     

Dynamics of trace metals in organisms and ecosystems: prediction of metal bioconcentration in different organisms and estimation of exposure risks

Metal ions interact with biological materials and their decomposition products by ligation (coordination complex-formation with certain moieties containing O, N, S, etc.). The extent of this interaction depends on the identities of both ligand and metal ion and can be described by some equation derived from perturbation theory. Uptake of metal ions - including highly toxic ones - from soils is controlled by a competition between root exudate components and soil organic matter (SOM) for the ions. SOM consists of a variety of potential ligands which evolve during humification towards more efficient binding (retention) of metals such as Cu, Ni, Cr but also of toxicants like U, Cd. The actual way of interaction can be inferred from stoichiometry of the involved compounds and the C/N ratio in the soil, providing predictions as to which metals will be most efficiently shuttled into green plants or fungi, respectively. The latter, selective process is crucial for closing nutrient cycles and sensitively depends on C/N ratio and the extent of "forcing" by onfalling leaf or needle litter. Therefore, analytical data on the soil can be used to predict possible risks of exposition to toxic metals also for human consumption of plant parts.     

Chemisch-analytische Charakterisierung technischen tierischen Fettes aus einer Tierkörperbeseitigungsanstalt

Aims and Scope

German rendering plants produce 300,000 tons of animal fat per year. Until recently, these raw products have been in wide use as nutritional additive for cattle and other animals fodder but now they have been banned due to their assumed role in BSE infection. Therefore, alternative fields of usage are required. In this context the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) is sponsoring a joint research project which deals with the production and testing of cooling lubricants based on animal fat esters.

Methods

In a first step, characteristics and quality of the animal fat were analyzed and monitored for a whole year in order to identify e.g. seasonal variations. The investigations covered the following fat specific and trace analytical parameters: total contamination, sulfates ash, water content, peroxide number, iodine value, kinematical viscosity, neutralisation number (free fatty acids), fatty acid spectra, elements / heavy metals (Al, B, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mo, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sn, V, W and Zn), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans.

Results

Valuable hints on the design of the technical process of fatty acid methylesters production were gained by regarding the fat specific parameters. For example, filtration and dewatering of the fats proved necessary. Small variations of iodine value, viscosity and fatty acid spectrum pointed at a quite constant composition of the raw material in the course of the year. Clues to the degree of hydrolysis and decay of the fat were given by the share of free fatty acids. The saturated fatty acids, most interesting for the production of the cooling lubricants, were present in the fatty acid spectra in the rage of 36.4% to 54.6%. Trace analytical investigations concerning inorganic and organic pollutants proved a low basic contamination of the technical animal fats.

Outlook

Next step will be to present the pilot plant for the production of the cooling lubricants and further analytical results in context with the production process.     

Harmonisation and Standardisation in Multi-National Environmental Statistics – Mission Impossible?

Multi-national statistics are frequently based on data, whichoriginate from national surveys. The systems of nomenclatureapplied for key attributes often show national differences.Different error sources which are incorporated in multi-nationalstatistics are discussed. The paper presents approaches forharmonisation and standardisation of multi-nationalenvironmental statistics and gives examples from the forestrysector. The effect of differences of national forest areaestimates on multi-national figures is quantified. An examplefrom forest health surveys is presented that shows the impact ofdifferent interpretation and application of the attribute crown transparency that is already harmonised on theEuropean level.     

Divergent neighbors: corporatism and climate policy networks in Finland and Sweden

ABSTRACT

Previous research has suggested that corporatist polities tend to enact more ambitious environmental policies than others. Here it is argued that the macro concept of corporatism can be dissected into three components: inclusiveness, consensualism and strength of tripartite organisations. These components of corporatism can be measured at the meso-level of policy networks. It is proposed that inclusiveness and consensualism are related to ambitious climate policy but exclusive tripartite coalitions can be detrimental for the ambitiousness of climate policy. This argument is backed by evidence from policy network surveys in two similar corporatist countries where climate change policies diverge: Sweden, where policies are ambitious, and Finland, where they are less so. It is found that in Sweden the climate change policy network is more consensual and slightly more inclusive, while in Finland tripartite organisations play a strong role.     

Environmental evaluation of new technology: printed electronics case study

The environmental evaluation of new technology faces many challenges, but at the same time it is an opportunity to take proactive measures to prevent possible negative effects on the environment. Examination of environmental issues using the life cycle approach should form an integrated part of comprehensive technology and product development. The aim of this study was to assess the environmental issues related to a rising technology, printed electronics. Printing is an additive process, having no need for extra material and corrosive chemicals. On the basis of an evaluation made for a prototype product, i.e. a wristband, it was observed that more information on the new materials and further optimization of the process are required before electronics printing can be claimed to be environmentally friendly.     

Toxicity of two types of silver nanoparticles to aquatic crustaceans Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus

Although silver nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used in various consumer products and produced in industrial scale, information on harmful effects of nanosilver to environmentally relevant organisms is still scarce. This paper studies the adverse effects of silver NPs to two aquatic crustaceans, Daphnia magna and Thamnocephalus platyurus. For that, silver NPs were synthesized where Ag is covalently attached to poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). In parallel, the toxicity of collargol (protein-coated nanosilver) and AgNO₃ was analyzed. Both types of silver NPs were highly toxic to both crustaceans: the EC50 values in artificial freshwater were 15–17 ppb for D. magna and 20–27 ppb for T. platyurus. The natural water (five different waters with dissolved organic carbon from 5 to 35 mg C/L were studied) mitigated the toxic effect of studied silver compounds up to 8-fold compared with artificial freshwater. The toxicity of silver NPs in all test media was up to 10-fold lower than that of soluble silver salt, AgNO₃. The pattern of the toxic response of both crustacean species to the silver compounds was almost similar in artificial freshwater and in natural waters. The chronic 21-day toxicity of silver NPs to D. magna in natural water was at the part-per-billion level, and adult mortality was more sensitive toxicity test endpoint than the reproduction (the number of offspring per adult).     

Roadside aerosol study using hygroscopic,organic and volatility TDMAs: Characterization and mixing state

Traffic-related aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the urban atmosphere. As they are produced at ground level, they can also cause adverse health effects to urban dwellers. However, knowledge of the formation, transformation and chemically resolved size distribution of urban ultrafine particles is incomplete. Thus, more of these measurements are needed for better assessment of ambient air quality and its potential health effects. The particle number concentration, aerosol black carbon (BC) concentration and size distribution of traffic-related aerosols were measured near two major roads in Kuopio, Finland, from 16 June to 5 July, 2004. Furthermore, the properties of roadside aerosol particles were examined with the Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer technique (TDMA). A suite of TDMA instruments relying on water (hygroscopic TDMA) and ethanol (organic TDMA) condensation as well as heating (volatility TDMA) were deployed to study the composition of the nucleation and Aitken mode particles (D_p = 10–50 nm) formed from vehicle exhaust. The results show that a simple three-component model was able to reproduce characteristic insoluble, organic and water-soluble volume fractions. Insoluble constituents were dominant in the Aitken mode particles, whereas organic compounds dominated the nucleation mode sizes. On average, only a small volume fraction was water-soluble, but a clear external mixing was observed particularly when enough time was allowed after the tail pipe emissions. The contribution of the insoluble material was seen to increase as a function of particle size, being typically less than 10% at 10 nm and between 20 and 50% at 50 nm, in contrast to the organic fraction, which decreased from about 80% at nucleation mode size range to 50–60% at 50 nm.     

An analysis of China’s investment in the hydropower sector in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

The Mekong River’s natural resources offer large benefits to its populations, but it also attracts the interest of foreign investors. Recently, Chinese firms, banks and government bodies have increasingly invested in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Due to China’s rapid economic growth, its rapid industrialisation and its limited domestic natural resources, the Chinese government has issued the ‘Going Out Strategy’ which promotes investments in overseas natural resources like water and energy resources. In search for climate-friendly low-carbon energy, cheap electricity and access to a growing market, Chinese institutions turn to Southeast Asia where Chinese institutions are currently involved in more than 50 on-going large hydropower projects as contractors, investors, regulators and financiers. These Chinese institutions have influence on environmental and social practices as well as on diplomatic and trade relations in the host countries. Currently, there are major gaps in understanding who is engaged, why, how and with what impacts. This paper therefore aims to assess the motives, actors, beneficiaries and the direct and indirect impacts of China’s investment in large hydropower projects in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. The authors use the ‘Rising Powers Framework’ to assess these issues, which is an adapted version of the Asian Drivers Framework.