Resourcefulization approaches to pollution control of chromate residues in China

Over 2 million tons of chromate residues as hazardous wastes have been accumulated from chromate production processes during the past more than 30 years in China. Some serious pollution problems have been caused due to no appropriate technology and management. Approaches are reviewed to pollution control of chromate residues by utilizing them as secondary resources in this paper. In addition to legislation for pollution control, chromate residues can be used as raw materials to produce a great diversity of useful industrial products. Strategies are also recommanded for the resourcefulization of chromate residues.     

Persistent organic pollutant patterns in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus)

The aim of this paper is to examine the patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in the grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) from the Baltic, Northeast and Eastern England, and the St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada). In fact, the feeding habits of the ringed seal (Phoca hispida) include ingestion of major quantities of benthic crustaceans that might cause observed differences obtained in PCBs, whereas the grey seal feed mainly on fish. The profile (percent in mixture) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180, and the total of their concentrations in mg/kg lipid in grey seals from the Baltic, from Northeast and Eastern England, and from the St. Lawrence estuary (Canada), were examined by principal component analysis (PCA). When considering the possible effects of consuming seafood by the grey seal, it is necessary to characterize populations and individuals according to the amounts they consume, since populations in different parts of the world are likely to show big differences in their consumption of seafood. The patterns differ between juveniles and adult animals, but the gender of adults and geography do not appear to play a role.     

Acute and chronic toxicity of veterinary antibiotics to Daphnia magna

The acute and chronic toxicity of nine antibiotics used both therapeutically and as growth promoters in intensive farming was investigated on the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. The effect of the antibiotics metronidazole (M), olaquindox (OL), oxolinic acid (OA), oxytetracycline (OTC), streptomycin (ST), sulfadiazine (SU), tetracycline (TC), tiamulin (TI) and tylosin (TY) was tested in accordance to the ISO (1989) and OECD (1996) standard procedures. The acute toxicities (48-h EC50 value, mg/l) in decreasing order were OA (4.6), TI (40), SU (221), ST (487), TY (680) and OTC (approximately 1000). NOECs were 340 mg/l for TC and 1000 mg/l for M and OL. Toxic effect on reproduction occurred generally at concentrations, which were one order of magnitude below the acute toxic levels. The chronic toxicity (EC50 values, mg/l) in the D. magna reproduction test in decreasing order were TI (5.4), SU (13.7), TC (44.8) and OTC (46.2). The NOECs (mg/l) obtained in the reproduction test with OA, ST, TY and M were 0.38 for OA, 32 for ST, 45 for TY and 250 for M. The observed toxicity of OA to D. magna indicates that this substance, which is a commonly used feed additive in fish farms, has a potential to cause adverse effects on the aquatic environment.     

The deep-sea as a final global sink of semivolatile persistent organic pollutants? Part I: PCBs in surface and deep-sea dwelling fish of the north and south Atlantic and the Monterey Bay Canyon (California)

The understanding of the global environmental multiphase distribution of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a result of the physico-chemical properties of the respective compounds is well established. We have analysed the results of a vertical transport of POPs from upper water layers (0-200 m) to the deepwater region (> 800 m) in terms of the contamination of the biophase in both water layers. The contents of persistent organochlorine compounds like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fish living in the upper water layers of the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic, and at the continental shelf of California (Marine Sanctuary Monterey Bay and its deep-sea Canyon) are compared to the levels in deep-sea or bottom dwelling fish within the same geographic area. The deep-sea biota show significantly higher burdens as compared to surface-living species of the same region. There are also indications for recycling processes of POPs--in this case the PCBs--in the biophase of the abyss as well. It can be concluded that the bio- and geo phase of the deep-sea may act similarly as the upper horizons of forest and grasslands on the continents as an ultimate global sink for POPs in the marine environment.     

Investigation of metal ions binding of humic substances using fluorescence emission and synchronous-scan spectroscopy

The binding site interactions of IHSS humic substances, Suwannee River Humic Acid, Suwannee River Fulvic Acid, Nordic Fulvic Acid, and Aldrich Humic Acid with various metals ions and a herbicide, methyl viologen were investigated using fluorescence emission and synchronous-scan spectroscopy. The metal ions used were, Fe(III), Cr(III), Cr(VI), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II). Stern-Volmer constants, Ksv for these quenchers were determined at pH 4 and 8 using an ionic strength of 0.1 M. For all four humic substances, and at both pH studied, Fe(III) was found to be the most efficient quencher. Quenching efficiency was found to be 3-10 times higher at pH 8. The bimolecular quenching rate constants were found to exceed the maximum considered for diffusion controlled interactions, and indicate that the fluorophore and quencher are in close physical association. Synchronous-scan spectra were found to change with pH and provided useful information on binding site interactions between humic substances and these quenchers.     

Catalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis of brominated diphenyl ethers

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their use as additive flame-retardants. Conventional catalytic hydrogenolysis in methanol solution and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis in aqueous methanol were examined as methods for debrominating mono- and di-bromodiphenyl ethers, as well as a commercial penta-PBDE mixture, in each case using palladium on alumina as the catalyst. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis employed a divided flow-through batch cell, with reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes and IrO2/Ti dimensionally stable anodes. Both methods gave efficient sequential debromination, with essentially complete removal of bromine from the PBDEs, but the electrocatalytic method was limited by the poor solubility of PBDEs in aqueous methanol.     

Net carbon flux from agricultural ecosystems: methodology for full carbon cycle analyses

Agricultural ecosystems have the potential to sequester carbon in soils by altering agricultural management practices (i.e. tillage practice, cover crops, and crop rotation) and using agricultural inputs (i.e. fertilizers and irrigation) more efficiently. Changes in agricultural practices can also cause changes in CO2 emissions associated with these practices. In order to account for changes in net CO2 emissions, and thereby estimate the overall impact of carbon sequestration initiatives on the atmospheric CO2 pool, we use a methodology for full carbon cycle analysis of agricultural ecosystems. The analysis accounts for changes in carbon sequestration and emission rates with time, and results in values representing a change in net carbon flux. Comparison among values of net carbon flux for two or more systems, using the initial system as a baseline value, results in a value for relative net carbon flux. Some results from using the full carbon cycle methodology, along with US national average values for agricultural inputs, indicate that the net carbon flux averaged over all crops following conversion from conventional tillage to no-till is -189 kg C ha(-1) year(-1) (a negative value indicates net transfer of carbon from the atmosphere). The relative net carbon flux, using conventional tillage as the baseline, is -371 kg C ha(-1) year(-1), which represents the total atmospheric CO2 reduction caused by changing tillage practices. The methodology used here illustrates the importance of (1) delineating system boundaries, (2) including CO2 emissions associated with sequestration initiatives in the accounting process, and (3) comparing the new management practices associated with sequestration initiatives with the original management practices to obtain the true impact of sequestration projects on the atmospheric CO2 pool.     

Polychlorinated biphenyls and chlorinated pesticides in mussels from the Egyptian Red Sea coast

The residues of 17 organochlorine pollutants were analyzed in bivalve Brachiodontes sp. collected from 11 different locations in April 2000 along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The pollutants studied were 10 individual polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, alpha,alpha,alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs), cyclodienes (heptachlor, heptachlorepoxide, aldrin, dieldrin) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) (p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD and p,p'-DDT). The concentration of total DDTs ranged between 125 and 772 ng/g of wet weight whereas the concentration of the PCBs, HCHs and cyclodienes ranged from 6.7 to 66.4 ng/g; 16.2 to 183.4 ng/g and 8.8 to 221.6 ng/g of wet weight, respectively. The levels are low to moderate in relation to the published data from other coastal areas. The present results indicate low to moderate PCBs and pesticides contamination in the investigated mussels except DDTs.