Evaluation of carbon degradation during co-composting of exhausted grape marc with different biowastes

In this work the carbon biodegradation of exhausted grape marc (EGM) combined with other organic wastes using the turned pile composting system was studied. Four different piles were made of EGM in Pile 1, EGM mixed with cow manure and straw (CMS) in Pile 2, EGM mixed with municipal solid waste (MSW) in Pile 3 and EGM mixed with grape stalks (GS) in Pile 4. The results obtained were modelled to determine the main kinetic and stoichiometric parameters. Regarding to the rate constants of the composting processes they were increased from 0.033d(-1), the value obtained when EGM was composted alone, to 0.040 and 0.044d(-1) when MSW and GS were added, respectively as co-substrates. However, the addition of CMS reduced the rate constant. About the biodegradable carbon fractions, it was observed that the co-composting reduced significantly the remanent carbon concentration after composting in all the piles whilst increased the readily biodegradable carbon fractions from 35, the value obtained when EGM was composted alone, to 50 and 60%, respectively when MSW or GS were added. As regards the temperature profiles, only Piles 1 and 4 achieved thermal hygienization values and about the nitrogen losses, the lowest percentage of nitrogen loss took place when GS were added, because of its optimum pH and C/N initial ratio. Thus, though any of these wastes could be used for co-composting with EGM, the use of GS as co-substrate and bulking agent for the co-composting process of EGM was recommended.     

Mandarin peelings: the best carbon source to produce laccase by static cultures of Trametes pubescens

In the present study, we investigated the effect of different carbon sources (glucose, glycerol and ground mandarin peelings) on laccase production by Trametes pubescens grown on stainless steel sponges under static conditions. The cultures with ground mandarin peelings gave the highest laccase activities, showing values of about 100 U l(-1). This is a very interesting result, since mandarin peelings are common agricultural wastes in some regions such as Mediterranean and Asiatic countries. Therefore, their reutilisation, besides reducing medium cost, also helps to solve the pollution problems caused by their disposal. Also, we studied the effect of supplementing the culture medium with different potential laccase-inducing compounds (ABTS, Tween 20, soya oil, Malaquite Green, Cu(2+), tannic acid) on laccase production. Soya oil was the best inducer of laccase activities, attaining values 4-fold higher than those obtained in the reference cultures.     

In vitro reproduction of the turbellarian<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Urastoma cyprinae</Emphasis> isolated from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Mytilus galloprovincialis</Emphasis>

Urastoma cyprinae is a species infecting the gills of several marine bivalves. Although there is some literature on this turbellarian, its life cycle remains unknown. In our work we have demonstrated that reproduction of U. cyprinae can be completed out of its host. More than 50% of turbellarians isolated from mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) secreted and cemented a cocoon to the well bottom during the first 72 h of incubation in seawater (34 salinity) at 14°C. Oviposition started at days 1–18 (average 4.8 days) and occurred in most cases inside the protective cocoon. Each Urastoma laid an average of 2.9 egg capsules (range 1–10) and 3.9 embryos were developed inside each egg capsule (range 1–11). Hatching started at days 20–43 (average 24 days). An average of 12.8 juvenile forms (range 1–64) escaped from the cocoon after hatching. The free-swimming juveniles showed a positive phototactic response and survived about a month after hatching. On the basis of our results, we propose a life cycle for U. cyprinae involving a sexual maturation parasitic period in the bivalve gills and a reproduction period including cocoon secretion, egg laying, and hatching that is entirely completed in the external environment.Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff     

Mineralization of paracetamol in aqueous medium by anodic oxidation with a boron-doped diamond electrode

The degradation of 100ml of solutions with paracetamol (N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)acetamide) up to 1 g l(-1) in the pH range 2.0-12.0 has been studied by anodic oxidation in a cell with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and a graphite cathode, both of 3-cm2 area, by applying a current of 100, 300 and 450 mA between 25 and 45 degrees C. Complete mineralization is always achieved due to the great concentration of hydroxyl radical (*OH) generated at the BDD surface, with release of NH4+ and NO3- ions. The mineralization rate is pH-independent, increases with increasing applied current and temperature, but decreases when drug concentration raises from 315 mg l(-1). Reversed-phase chromatography revealed a similar complex paracetamol decay in acid and alkaline media. Ion-exclusion chromatography allowed the detection of oxalic and oxamic acids as ultimate carboxylic acids. When the same solutions have been comparatively treated with a Pt anode, a quite poor mineralization is found because of the production of much lower *OH concentration. Under these conditions, the degradation rate is enhanced in alkaline medium and polymerization of intermediates is favored in concentrated solutions. Paracetamol can be completely destroyed with Pt and its kinetics follows a pseudo-first-order reaction with a constant rate independent of pH.     

Extraction wells and biogas recovery modeling in sanitary landfills

A general methodology is established that permits the characterization and evaluation of the optimum potential of biogas extraction at each vertical well in the sanitary landfill of Asturias, Spain. Twenty wells were chosen from a total of 225 for the study, and the maximum production flow of biogas, which is a result of the degradation of the municipal solid waste deposited within its area of influence, was determined for each well. It was found that this flow varied with time and is characteristic of each extraction well. The maximum extractable flow also was determined as a function of the composition of the biogas needed for its subsequent utilization. The biogas extraction yield in the wells under study varied between approximately 26 and 97%, with a mean recovery value of 82%. The low yields found in certain cases were generally caused by a sealing defect, which leads to excessive incorporation of air into the landfill gas through the surrounding soil or through the extraction shaft, and which make its subsequent utilization difficult.     

Mexican High Rubber Producing Guayule Shrubs: A Potential Source for Commercial Development

Guayule is a shrub native to Mexico growing in semiarid lands, that may be incorporated into the semiarid region production system as a complement for annual crops. The possibility to develop this natural resource as a sustainable industrial source of natural rubber, may improve the socio-economical level of people living at the guayule region and favor the agricultural development near the US-Mexico border. Despite the existence of natural stands in Mexico with guayule plants of different rubber content, a program envisaging selection of plants with high rubber synthesis potential joined to agronomic management practices are required. This could achieve the rubber yield needed to guarantee a constant supply of raw material for an industrial processing plant. This paper reviews R&D work carried out in Mexico for the last 25 years, including genetic aspects and evaluation of guayule response to environmental and agronomic factors. Relevant results showed plants with up to 21% rubber content and the existence of diploid plants, which could facilitate future plant breeding programs.     

Anwendung differenzierter Untersuchungsmethoden zur Sedimentbewertung

The aquatic sediments have special significance as habitats of species-rich biocoenoses and as the place where manifold transformation processes occur. Because of their high potential for accumulation of contaminants, sediments are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic impacts, which may disturb the natural state of sediments. In order to protect the aquatic life community, such impacts must be identified, assessed, and the chemical causes of toxic effects must be found. Since the end of the 1980s, the interest for a possibly comprehensive assessment of sediments has increased. This problem can be tackled only by an integrated approach, which combines the detection of toxicity under standardized laboratory conditions with chemical data and biologicalin situ studies into a holistic view. The information value of the results depends essentially on the selection of a diversity of test methods, which are able to indicate contaminant effects differentially. This paper presents results from a comprehensive test approach, which integrates standardized methods (DIN) with pore waters and eluates, as well as tests using the whole sediment. To cover a wider variety of contaminants in the sediment, solvent extracts and fractions thereof were also examined by different bioassays. Chemical analyses examined the structural parameters and identified priority contaminants. Non-target screening could detect a variety of further substances and substance classes. The model organisms of the bioassays responded very differentially and sometimes very intensively to the contaminants in the various investigation media. Especially in sediment extracts, some fractions, and consequently also substances and groups of substances, proved to be particularly toxic. It could be shown that the selected chemical, ecotoxicological, and biological study methods contribute to a holistic assessment. Further, possibly very sensitive bioassays and benthos-biological parameters should be examined aiming to optimize the very wide battery of tests.     

Assessment of application-rate dependent effects of a long-term fire retardant chemical (Fire Trol 934) on Typha domingensis germination

Although long-term fire retardants (LTR) gain increasingly acceptance as effective tools for wildfire management, recent studies indicate their potential harmfulness in the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems. This study comprises a first laboratory impact assessment of LTR action in temporal Mediterranean wetlands, using seed germination of Typha domingensis as indicator of impact. Our aim was to identify application rates upon which seed germination could be significantly affected. We tested for low (1 l m(-2)) and high (3 l m(-2)) application rates of Fire Trol 934 which are recommended by the manufacturers as a function of fuel characteristics. In addition, we simulated the impact of a higher application rate of 5 l m(-2) because inhomogeneous dispersal of the LTR during fire control and prevention operations can result in locally elevated applications. Results of a microcosm experiment indicate that application rates of 1 or 3 l m(-2) can impact Typha germination rates in the short-term via indirect LTR-mediated effects on water quality, which suppressed necessary cues for germination. However, a subsequent experiment with Petri dishes, using seeds isolated from the LTR treated sediments did not show significantly different germination rates between the control and the treatments with application rates of 1 or 3 l m(-2). This suggests that retardant pre-application germination success could be recovered in nature once the retardant is eliminated. By contrast, seeds almost completely failed to germinate in the microcosm experiment and the subsequent Petri dish essay when an application rate of 5 l m(-2) was used. This suggests a critical level upon which Typha seed germination may be perpetually limited. Research should be extended to other plant species to provide fire managers with guidelines for environmentally safe use of LTR in the Mediterranean region.