Fine-scale genetic structure in short-beaked common dolphins (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Delphinus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">delphis</Emphasis>) along the East Australian Current

Oceanographic processes play a significant role in shaping the genetic structure of marine populations, but it is less clear whether they affect genetic differentiation of highly mobile vertebrates. We used microsatellite markers and mtDNA control region sequences to investigate the spatial genetic structure of short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in southeastern Australia, a region characterised by complex oceanographic conditions associated with the East Australian Current (EAC). A total of 115 biopsy samples of dolphins were collected from six localities spanning approximately 1,000 km of the New South Wales (NSW) coastline. We found evidence for contrasting genetic diversity and fine-scale genetic structure, characterised by three genetically differentiated populations with varying levels of admixture. Spatial genetic structure was not explained by a model of isolation by distance, instead it coincides with main patterns of oceanographic variation along the EAC. We propose that common dolphins along the EAC may be adapted to three water masses recently characterised in this region.     

A preliminary investigation on the use of organic ionic liquids as green solvents for acylation and oxidation reactions

Different organic ionic liquids (OILs) have been used as green solvents in Friedel–Crafts acylation and alcohol oxidation reactions. Specifically, three OILs were employed, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, tetraethylammonium bromide, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, and four reactions studied, acylation of toluene by acetyl chloride, acylation of benzene by propionyl chloride, oxidation of benzyl alcohol by N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, and oxidation of salicylic alcohol by o-iodoxybenzoic acid. The reactions were carried out, at room temperature, in a well-stirred lab-scale glass batch reactor, under inert atmosphere and for reaction times ranging from 5 to 90 min. Gas chromatography was employed to characterize the reaction products. First of all, the desired products yield as a function of the reaction time was investigated. Moreover, simple kinetic models were built for the interpretation of the experimental results. Additional tests were carried out to assess the possibility of recycling the OILs employed. The results of this preliminary study were satisfactory as the OILs investigated proved to be good media in which to carry out the reactions studied in this work (desired products yield greater than 90% were achieved). Moreover, the reaction rate expressions of the kinetic models were able to satisfactorily predict the experimental results. Finally, the possibility of recycling the OIL (in one of the reactions) was proved to be feasible and this suggests the use of recycled OIL together with a fresh make-up, to match high yield values with economical/ecological advantages.     

Mercury in aquatic fauna contamination: A systematic review on its dynamics and potential health risks

Mercury is an important pollutant, released into aquatic ecosystems both naturally and by anthropogenic action. This element is transferred to aquatic organisms in different ways, causing potential health risks. In addition, mercury can be accumulated by humans, especially through the consumption of contaminated food. This systematic review aims to present mercury pathways, the major routes through which this element reaches the aquatic environment and its transformations until becoming available to living animals, leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification phenomena. The key biotic and abiotic factors affecting such processes, the impact of mercury on animal and human health and the issue of seafood consumption as a source of chronic mercury contamination are also addressed. A total of 101 articles were retrieved from a standardized search on three databases (PubMed, Emabse, and Web of Science), in addition to 28 other studies not found on these databases but considered fundamental to this review (totaling 129 articles). Both biotic and abiotic factors display fundamental importance in mediating mercurial dynamics, i.e., muscle tropism, and salinity, respectively. Consequently, mercurial contamination in aquatic environments affects animal health, especially the risk of extinction species and also on human health, with methylmercury the main mercury species responsible for acute and chronic symptomatology.     

Auto shredder residue recycling: Mechanical separation and pyrolysis

Directive 2000/53/EC sets a goal of 85% material recycling from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) by the end of 2015. The current ELV recycling rate is around 80%, while the remaining waste is called automotive shredder residue (ASR), or car fluff. In Europe, this is mainly landfilled because it is extremely heterogeneous and often polluted with car fluids. Despite technical difficulties, in the coming years it will be necessary to recover materials from car fluff in order to meet the ELV Directive requirement. This study deals with ASR pretreatment and pyrolysis, and aims to determine whether the ELV material recycling target may be achieved by car fluff mechanical separation followed by pyrolysis with a bench scale reactor. Results show that flotation followed by pyrolysis of the light, organic fraction may be a suitable ASR recycling technique if the oil can be further refined and used as a chemical. Moreover, metals are liberated during thermal cracking and can be easily separated from the pyrolysis char, amounting to roughly 5% in mass. Lastly, pyrolysis can be a good starting point from a "waste-to-chemicals" perspective, but further research should be done with a focus on oil and gas refining, in order both to make products suitable for the chemical industry and to render the whole recycling process economically feasible.     

Analysis of potentially toxic metal constraints to apply sewage sludge in Portuguese agricultural soils

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The application of sewage sludge (SS) in the soil can be a valuable way to increase its content of organic matter. However, the concentration of...     

Effect of the Incorporation of Lysozyme on the Properties of Jackfruit Starch Films

Jackfruit starch based biodegradable films containing lysozyme were characterized for their antimicrobial activity, thickness, solubility, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties. The biodegradable films had good appearance and antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus lysodeikticus. The thickness of the biodegradable films were not affected by the variation in pH, but the addition of lysozyme increased the thickness, the thickest films being those with the highest lysozyme concentrations. The variation in pH of the filmogenic solutions affected the solubility of the biodegradable films, water solubility being greatest at pH 7.0 and with the highest lysozyme concentration. The permeability of the biodegradable films was increased by incorporating lysozyme. The lysozyme concentration and pH variation caused changes in the mechanical properties. The addition of 8% lysozyme increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus for all the pH values studied. With respect to the release of antimicrobial activity, the diffusion of lysozyme was shown to follow Fickian transport mechanism.     

Effects of air/fuel ratio on gas emissions in a small spark-ignited non-road engine operating with different gasoline/ethanol blends

This study investigates the effects of several blends of gasoline and anhydrous ethanol on exhaust emission concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), total hydrocarbons (HCs), and nitrogen oxides (NO_x) from a small spark-ignited non-road engine (SSINRE). Tests were carried out for different air/fuel equivalence ratios as measured by lambda (λ). A 196 cm³ single-cylinder four-stroke engine-generator operating at a constant load of 2.0 kW was used; pollutant gas concentrations were measured with an automatic analyzer similar to those typically used in vehicle inspections. The results showed that as the ethanol content of the mixture increased the concentrations of CO, HCs, and NO_x reduced by 15, 53, and 34%, respectively, for values of λ < 1 (rich mixture) and by 52, 31, and 16% for values of λ > 1 (lean mixture). Overall, addition of anhydrous ethanol to the gasoline helped to reduce emissions of the pollutant gases investigated, what contributes to photochemical smog reduction and quality of life in urban areas.     

The evaluation of stability during the composting of different starting materials: comparison of chemical and biological parameters

Three blends formed by: (i) food processing waste (CP(FP)), (ii) waste water sewage sludge (CP(WW)), and (iii) their mixture (CP(FP+WW)), blended with tree pruning as bulking agent, were composted over 3 months. During composting the blends were monitored for the main physical-chemical characteristics: temperature, oxygen saturation level (O(2)%), pH, total and volatile solids, total organic carbon, and organic nitrogen (N(org)). In addition to the main parameters, the dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the inorganic nitrogen and the Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR) were monitored. All the mixtures easily reached a peak temperature around 70°C, related to the lowest O(2)%. After 90 d, CP(FP), CP(FP+WW), and CP(WW) showed an organic matter mineralization of 43%, 35% and 33%, respectively; CP(FP) fitted an exponential model while both CP(FP+WW), and CP(WW) fitted a logistic model. During composting an OUR reduction of 79%, 78% and 73% was registered in CP(FP), CP(FP+WW), and CP(WW), respectively; the OUR successfully fitted the adopted exponential model and well reflected the stabilization process in time. The N(org) recovery at the end of the process was positive only in CP(WW) (11.6%). The DOC significantly decreased during the composting process but did not successfully fit any model. The mineral nitrogen did not follow the typical pattern with NH(4)(+) disappearance and NO(3)(-) accumulation. Strong NO(3)(-) losses were evident in all blends, while NH(4)(+) accumulations were detectable only in CP(FP), and CP(FP+WW). The NH(4)(+)/NO(3)(-) ratio did not satisfactorily reflect the composting process over time. The comparison of the first order (exponential) and logistic (sigmoidal) models applied to the OUR and OM course highlights the role of mineral nitrogen as limiting factor during composting of the more stabilized sludge.     

Phytoremediation potential of the novel atrazine tolerant Lolium multiflorum and studies on the mechanisms involved

Atrazine impact on human health and the environment have been extensively studied. Phytoremediation emerged as a low cost, environmental friendly biotechnological solution for atrazine pollution in soil and water. In vitro atrazine tolerance assays were performed and Lolium multiflorum was found as a novel tolerant species, able to germinate and grow in the presence of 1 mg kg⁻¹ of the herbicide. L. multiflorum presented 20% higher atrazine removal capacity than the natural attenuation, with high initial degradation rate in microcosms. The mechanisms involved in atrazine tolerance such as mutation in psbA gene, enzymatic detoxification via P₄₅₀ or chemical hydrolysis through benzoxazinones were evaluated. It was demonstrated that atrazine tolerance is conferred by enhanced enzymatic detoxification via P₄₅₀. Due to its atrazine degradation capacity in soil and its agronomical properties, L. multiflorum is a candidate for designing phytoremediation strategies for atrazine contaminated agricultural soils, especially those involving run-off avoiding.     

Mechanochemistry of ibuprofen pharmaceutical

In this paper mechanochemistry has been studied in view of possible application to detoxification of expired pharmaceuticals. The experiments have been carried out with a commercial medication containing ibuprofen ((RS)-2-(4-(2-methylpropyl)phenyl)propanoic acid) which has been submitted to prolonged milling up to 40 h. When Al(OH)₃ is used as co-reagent, the first degradation step induced by the mechanochemical treatment is an acid-base reaction with the ibuprofen carboxylic acid group. The subsequent degradation follows a complex pathway leading to 1-(4-isobutylphenyl)ethanone, 1-isobutyl-4-vinylbenzene and 2-(4-(3-methylbutan-2-yl)phenyl)propan-1-ol after 10 h milling and, in addition, 1-(4-acetylphenyl)-2-methylpropan-1-one, 1-(4-(1-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)phenyl)ethanone and 1-(4-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropyl)phenyl)ethanone after 40 h milling. The degradation reaction path and products have been identified by means of FT-IR spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The observed ibuprofen decarboxylation makes the drug simultaneously lose both its pharmaceutical activity and toxicity.