Removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol from a sterile WC medium by the cyanobacteria Microcystis novacekii

An unprecedented investigation dealing with the removal of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2, a contraceptive hormone) by the cyanobacteria Microcystis novacekii (a species that is abundant and easily accessible in Brazilian lakes) from a sterile WC medium is described herein. The results indicated that whereas EE2 experienced insignificant spontaneous degradation, Microcystis novacekii was capable of removing ca. 65% of the hormone from the culture medium. Furthermore, no metabolites were detected at the concentration levels evaluated (0.10 to 0.17 mg L(-1)) as verified by the use of GC-MS, a quite sensitive analytical technique, and adequate pre-concentration procedures (SPME and liquid extraction). Elucidative experiments, including an appropriate cell lyses procedure, indicated that EE2 was likely accumulated within the cells (bioaccumulation) rather than adsorbed on the cellular membrane (biosorption). Moreover, the intra- and extracellular contents of EE2 were shown to be roughly complementary. Finally, the species was found to be highly tolerant to the hormone as its growth rates were higher in the test than in the control experiments. All these findings, therefore, point to the use of Microcystis novacekii as a potential agent to treat effluents contaminated with EE2.     

Evaluation of the impacts of road runoff in a Mediterranean reservoir in Portugal

Road runoff is a linear diffuse source of pollution, with very specific characteristics. This study intends to improve the understanding of road runoff impacts in water bodies in Portugal. The chosen case study is S. Domingos reservoir catchment. The study analyzed land uses, the presence of pollution sources, and gathered temporal water quality data and performed site measurements and sample collection. The water quality data for the reservoir was provided by the national water quality monitoring system from the Portuguese Water Institute. The parameters selected were TSS, COD, NO₃ ^?, Cl^?, and Cu. The results obtained revealed that the presence of IP6 highway at S. Domingos catchment affects the water quality; however, the impacts are not significant due to the high dilution effect of the reservoir volume. Agriculture, the main land use of the catchment, is responsible for introducing pollutants such as TSS, Cl^?, COD, N, and P in the local water streams and at the reservoir. TSS, COD, and Cu are pollutants generated by the road. The success of the study was very much dependent on the availability of 12 years of historic water quality data for S. Domingos reservoir, and the use of the moving average method. Taking into consideration the high variability of hydrological variables in Mediterranean climates, the concentration of pollutants in the water bodies must always be assessed in a significant time period.     

Political benefits as barriers to assessment of environmental costs in Brazil's Amazonian development planning: The example of the Jatapu Dam in Roraima

Development projects are rapidly changing the landscape in Brazilian Amazonia. Environmental impact assessments have been required since 1986, and the regulatory system is evolving as precedents are set by each new development project. The Jatapu Dam in Roraima provides an illustration of underlying impediments to assessment of environmental costs and to due consideration being given to these assessments when decisions are made. The high priority placed on the dam by the Roraima state government is unexplainable in terms of economic returns. The place of the dam in a long-term political strategy provides the best of several possible explanations, any one of which is incompatible with a rational weighing of economic and environmental costs and benefits. A number of lessons can be drawn from the experience of Jatapu, but some of the problems have no solution. The barriers to rational decision making illustrated by Jatapu apply to development projects in many parts of the world.     

Variations in circulating hemocytes are affected by age and caste in the stingless bee <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melipona quadrifasciata</Emphasis>

The insect immune system faces various challenges; particularly in social bees, caste system and age polyethism expose individuals to numerous environmental and working conditions. However, little is known about how cellular defenses in social bees may be organized to respond to a variety of immune challenges. Here, we describe the morphological features and the total and differential counts of hemocytes in different female classes (newly emerged workers, nurses, foragers, and virgin queens) of the eusocial stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata. Granulocytes and prohemocytes were, respectively, the most and the least abundant cells among all classes of females. Furthermore, there were more prohemocytes in virgin queens than in foragers. The total number of hemocytes was smaller in foragers, whereas the largest number was observed in nurse workers. This reduced amount of hemocytes in foragers might allow energy savings to perform colony activities such as foraging and defense. Foragers also had the biggest hemocytes (either prohemocytes, granulocytes, or plasmatocytes) in comparison to the other classes of females, which might have arisen as a compensation for the reduction in number of these cells during aging. These results suggest that profiles of hemocytes of M. quadrifasciata vary according to the caste and age of this eusocial bee.     

Certification and integration of management systems: the experience of Portuguese small and medium enterprises

The purpose of this study was to characterize the situation of Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) concerning the certification of their Quality Management Systems (QMS), Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS), in their individually form, to identify benefits, drawbacks and difficulties associated with the certification process and to characterize the level of integration that has been achieved. This research was based on a survey carried out by the research team; it was administered to 46 Portuguese SMEs. Our sample comprised 20 firms (43%) from the Trade/Services activity sector, 17 (37%) from the Industrial sector, 5 (11%) from the Electricity/Telecommunications sector and 4 (9%) from the Construction area. All SMEs surveyed were certified according to the ISO 9001 (100%), a quarter of firms were certified according to the ISO 14001 (26.1%) and a few certified by OHSAS 18001 (15.2%). We undertook a multivariate cluster analysis, which enabled grouping variables into homogeneous groups or one or more common characteristics of the SMEs participating in the study. Results show that the main benefits that Portuguese SMEs have gained from the referred certifications have been, among others, an improvement of both their internal organization and external image. We also present the main difficulties in achieving certification. Overall, 7 of the Portuguese SMEs examined indicated that the main benefits of the IMS implementation management included costs reduction, increased employee training and easier compliance of legislation. The respective drawbacks and difficulties are also presented. Finally, we presented the main integrated items in the certified Portuguese SMEs we examined.     

Environmental performance evaluation of agro-industrial innovations – part 1: Ambitec-Life Cycle,a methodological approach for considering life cycle thinking

As sustainability considerations increasingly dominate the technology development debate worldwide, practical approaches to assess environmental performance of innovations have been warranted. The present study (Part 1) introduces Ambitec-Life Cycle, a method derived from Ambitec-Agro for considering life cycle thinking in the environmental performance evaluation (EPE) of agro-industrial innovations. An agro-industrial innovation case study related to residue recycling is presented, revealing steps in the product life cycle where opportunities are best for technological improvements. In Part 2 (this issue) of this study, a methodological approach for considering the environmental vulnerability of watersheds and to integrate this analysis in EPE methods is presented. This approach is applied to Ambitec-Life Cycle and to the same residue case study, allowing the identification of performance indicators with greater potential to cause impacts at the studied watersheds.     

MULTIOBJECTIVE REAL‐TIME RESERVOIR OPERATION WITH A NETWORK FLOW ALGORITHM1

ABSTRACT: A network flow algorithm has been developed for the optimization of real‐time operation of a multiple reservoir system. Two purposes have been considered in the operation: flood control and hydropower generation. A special network structure was developed which allows the consideration of river routing. A multiobjective formulation is utilized thus allowing generation of a non‐dominated curve. The effect of imperfect forecast on the performance of the real‐time operation model is also evaluated. An application is made to a subsystem of the Brazilian hydroelectric system, located in the Paranapanema river basin. In this case study, the model showed good performance under the largest flood of the historical records.     

Ecotoxicological assessment of leachates from MSWI bottom ashes

In this paper, chemical and ecotoxicological data of leachates from bottom ashes collected in different Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWI) are shown. The bottom ashes were collected in Belgium (three incinerators--samples B1 to B3), France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom (one incinerator in each country--samples F1, D1, I1 and UK1, respectively). Both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of leachates were done on the framework of the European Directive 91/689/EEC and the European Council Decision 94/904/EC. This work was carried out under the European project called Valomat, which was supported by the European Commission through Brite-Euram III program. Twenty-one inorganic parameters were analyzed. The ecotoxicological assays were done under standard laboratory conditions, using the bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum, the freshwater alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, the crustacean Daphnia magna and the vegetable Lactuca sativa. Chemical data varied from sample to sample. Similar results were obtained in biological assays. The samples can be classified as ecotoxic/hazardous according to the French proposal for a Criterion and Evaluation Methods of Waste Ecotoxicity (CEMWE) and the German regulation on Hazardous Waste Classification (HWC). However, samples B1, B2, B3 and D1 comply the maximum limits for direct valorization category defined in the French Classification of Bottom Ashes based on their Polluting Potential (CBAPP). Sample B1 presented the lowest level of ecotoxicity, being considered as the most interesting to be used in the development of new materials for civil engineering works.     

Temporal and physiological influence of the absorption of nutrients and toxic elements by Eichhornia crassipes

Aquatic macrophytes are a very important subject of study due to their capacity to restore polluted aquatic environments as they need high nutrient concentrations to develop. The present study aims to determine their temporal and physiological influence on the amount of total nitrogen, gross protein, P, Cu, Ni, Co, Cd, Pb and Cr absorbed by Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) in the River Apodi/Mossoró, RN, Brazil, identifying viable possibilities for the use of cultivated biomass. Results obtained from the parameters analyzed show that these substances are impacted by the temporality and physiology of Eichhornia crassipes. Leaves showed higher crude protein and macronutrients, while the content of micronutrients and toxic elements was higher in roots. It could, therefore, be utilized to improve water quality in the River Apodi/Mossoró.