Small-scale on-site treatment of fecal matter: comparison of treatments for resource recovery and sanitization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - On-site small-scale sanitation is common in rural areas and areas without infrastructure, but the treatment of the collected fecal matter can be...     

Contribution of precursor compounds to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs)

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) are ubiquitous in sludge and water from waste water treatment plants, as a result of their incorporation in everyday products and industrial processes. In this study, we measured several classes of persistent PFASs,precursors, transformation intermediates, and newly identified PFASs in influent and effluent sewage water and sludge from three municipal waste water treatment plants in Sweden, sampled in 2015. For sludge, samples from 2012 and 2014 were analyzed as well.Levels of precursors in sludge exceeded those of perfluoroalkyl acids and sulfonic acids(PFCAs and PFSAs), in 2015 the sum of polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid esters(PAPs) were 15–20 ng/g dry weight, the sum of fluorotelomer sulfonic acids(FTSAs) was 0.8–1.3 ng/g,and the sum of perfluorooctane sulfonamides and ethanols ranged from non-detected to 3.2 ng/g. Persistent PFSAs and PFCAs were detected at 1.9–3.9 ng/g and 2.4–7.3 ng/g dry weight, respectively. The influence of precursor compounds was further demonstrated by an observed substantial increase for a majority of the persistent PFCAs and PFSAs in water after waste water treatment. Perfluorohexanoic acid(PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid(PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid(PFOS)had a net mass increase in all WWTPs, with mean values of 83%, 28%, 37% and 58%,respectively. The load of precursors and intermediates in influent water and sludge combined with net mass increase support the hypothesis that degradation of precursor compounds is a significant contributor to PFAS contamination in the environment.     

A review of myrmecophily in ant nest beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae): linking early observations with recent findings

Myrmecophily provides various examples of how social structures can be overcome to exploit vast and well-protected resources. Ant nest beetles (Paussinae) are particularly well suited for ecological and evolutionary considerations in the context of association with ants because life habits within the subfamily range from free-living and predatory in basal taxa to obligatory myrmecophily in derived Paussini. Adult Paussini are accepted in the ant society, although parasitising the colony by preying on ant brood. Host species mainly belong to the ant families Myrmicinae and Formicinae, but at least several paussine genera are not host-specific. Morphological adaptations, such as special glands and associated tufts of hair (trichomes), characterise Paussini as typical myrmecophiles and lead to two different strategical types of body shape: while certain Paussini rely on the protective type with less exposed extremities, other genera access ant colonies using glandular secretions and trichomes (symphile type). We compare these adaptations with other taxonomic groups of insects by joining contemporary research and early sources and discuss the possibility of an attracting or appeasing effect of the secretion. Species that are ignored by their host ants might use chemical mimicry instead. Furthermore, vibrational signals may contribute to ant–beetle communication, and chemical signals have proven to play a role in host finding. The powerful defense chemistry of paussines as “bombardier beetles” is not used in contact with host ants. We attempt to trace the evolution of myrmecophily in paussines by reviewing important aspects of the association between paussine beetles and ants, i.e. morphological and potential chemical adaptations, life cycle, host specificity, alimentation, parasitism and sound production.

Evidence for a male-produced pheromone in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetropium fuscum</Emphasis> (F.) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tetropium cinnamopterum</Emphasis> (Kirby) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

(E)-6,10-dimethyl-5,9-undecadien-2-ol (geranyl acetol), termed here fuscol, was identified as a male-produced pheromone emitted by Tetropium fuscum (F.) and Tetropium cinnamopterum Kirby. In field experiments, traps baited with synthetic fuscol alone were not significantly attractive, but the combination of fuscol plus host volatiles (a synthetic blend of monoterpenes plus ethanol) attracted significantly more male and female T. fuscum and female T. cinnamopterum than did host volatiles alone. This is the first homoterpenoid alcohol to be described in the Cerambycidae, and the first pheromone reported from the sub-family Spondylidinae.     

Fossil insect evidence for the end of the Western Settlement in Norse Greenland

The fate of Norse farming settlements in southwest Greenland has often been seen as one of the great mysteries of North Atlantic colonization and expansion. Preservation of organic remains in the permafrost of the area of the Western Settlement, inland from the modern capital Nuuk, allowed very detailed study of the phases of occupation. Samples were taken from house floors and middens during the process of archaeological excavations and from insect remains were abstracted and identified in the laboratory. In this study, we present a new paleoecological approach principally examining the fossil fly faunas from house floors. The results of our study provide contrasting detailed pictures of the demise of two neighboring farms, Gården under Sandet and Nipaatsoq, one where abandonment appears as part of a normal process of site selection and desertion, and the other where the end was more traumatic. The level of detail, which was obtained by analysis of the dipterous (true fly) remains, exceeds all previous work and provides insights otherwise unobtainable.     

Study of vehicle speeds on a major highway in Ghana: implication for monitoring and control

OBJECTIVE: Vehicular speeds have been identified to be at the core of road accident severity and frequency globally. Whereas speed control is a fundamental priority and the cornerstone of road safety in the developed world, the subject is at rudimentary stages in most developing countries thus making research into vehicle speeds in developing nations imperative. The main aim of the study was to establish two major speed parameters, namely the mean speed and dispersion, and their implications for more extensive and long-term speed monitoring in Ghana. METHODS: Research workers stationed themselves in a parked car and used a radar gun to unobtrusively measure the travelling speeds of 4,163 vehicles over two 24-hour periods at two separate sites on one of the main inter-urban roads (Accra-Kumasi). Both sites were settled areas with posted speed limits of 50 km/hr. RESULTS: Over 95% of vehicles travelled above the posted speed limit of 50 km/hr. Vehicles on an average travelled at 87 km/hr, (95% CI=87, 88). Variation in speeds was wide, with a standard deviation of 18 km/hr for all classes of vehicles, and with a range of 40 to 187 km/hr. The highest vehicular speed was associated with the private car (97.6+/-18.3 km/hr) followed by large buses (93.6+/-13.3 km/hr) and the least was with heavy trucks (73.8+/-12.9 km/hr). CONCLUSION: The excessive vehicular speeds coupled with the wide speed variations explain in part the high incidence of traffic crashes and fatalities on the Accra-Kumasi highway. An integrated speed monitoring and control program, and realigning the highway to by-pass small and medium settlements would be required as a long-term measure for the reduction of speed-related road traffic crashes, fatalities, and injuries in Ghana.     

The water supply footprint (WSF): a strategic planning tool for sustainable regional and local water supplies

This paper introduces a new methodological approach of the ecological footprint explicitly addressing the sustainability of water supplies, which we call the water supply footprint (WSF). The WSF calculates the catchment area or water supply hinterland of a certain society and can serve as a strategic planning tool for local or regional water supplies linking the water demand with the water supply in a water supply footprint matrix. Based on regional water balances it estimates how much water can be appropriated for human use in an environmentally sustainable way.The proposed method is tested on the South East Queensland water supply in Australia, an area where water use restrictions are regularly imposed on the population. Applying the proposed method indicates that supply shortages may be avoided by considerably changing the organisation of water supply, thereby reducing and possibly even avoiding the necessity for large-scale supply side measures like additional sweet water reservoirs or desalination plants. In that way it is demonstrated that the WSF method is applicable at an early and strategic stage of water supply planning.     

Sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to carbonaceous materials in a river floodplain soil

We report on sorption isotherm of phenanthrene (Phe) for river floodplain soil associated with carbonaceous materials, with particular attention being devoted to the natural loading of Phe. Our sorption experiments with original soil samples, size, and density sub-fractions showed that the light fraction had the highest sorption capacity comparable to low rank coals. In addition, the light fraction contributed most for the sorption of Phe in total soil samples. K_oc values for all fractions were in the same range, thus indicating that coal and coal-derived particles in all samples are responsible for the enhanced sorption for Phe. Sorption was strongly nonlinear and the combined partitioning and pore-filling model gave a better fit than the Freundlich sorption model. In addition, the spiked PAHs did not show the same behavior as the naturally aged ones, therefore the accessibility of indigenous background organic contaminants was reduced when coal and coal-derived particles are associated with the soils.     

Effect of herbicides on glutathione S-transferases in the earthworm, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eisenia fetida</Emphasis>

AIM AND BACKGROUND: Earthworms have been studied as a readily available, easily maintainable and cheap test species for assessing chemical pollution, and may be an alternative to in vivo rodent bioassays. The current investigation aims to characterize detoxification enzymes in Eisenia fetida and stress response against two herbicides with different modes of action, namely, fenoxaprop and metolachlor. METHODS: Herbicides were applied to soil containing earthworms. Animals were then collected, sacrificed and shock-frozen. Extracted protein was analyzed for glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity using CDNB (1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene), DCNB (1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene), pNBC (p-nitrobenzylchloride), PNOBC (p-nitrobenz-o-ylchloride) and selected herbicides. GST isoenzymes were partially purified by affinity chromatography and molecular weights were estimated by SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: In E. fetida protein extracts, GST activity towards model compounds ranked as CDNB>DCNB>PNBOC>PNBC. Fluorodifen was not conjugated at all, but fenoxaprop and metolachlor were conjugated at low rates. Furthermore, the GST isoenzyme pattern changed during the incubation with herbicides, either due to stress or as a defense reaction. After incubation with monochlorobimane, a strong fluorescence of the intestinal tract and the intersegments was observed, indicating organ-specific GST induction. DISCUSSION: According to the author's knowledge, here, for the first time, evidence is presented that E. fetida GST are also capable of conjugating a wider range of xenobiotic substrates. Different forms of GST were observed and changes in GST isoforms due to the herbicide treatment were also noticed. GST conjugation rates varied between different herbicides used in this experiment. It might be assumed that herbicides may well be detoxified by earthworms, to a certain extent, but that they are also potent stress factors influencing the detoxification system of the animal. High doses or long exposure might lead to deleterious effects on earthworms and limit their survival rate. The use of the animals as bioindicators for herbicides and herbicide residues seems very promising, but is surely influenced by the lack of detoxification for some compounds. CONCLUSIONS: Conjugation of several xenobiotics with model substances and herbicides is proven in the earthworm E. fetida. However, E. fetida has only limited capabilities of detoxifying herbicidal compounds. Different isoforms of GST were involved and altered in their activity after treatment. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: The accumulation of GS-conjugates and their determination via fluorescence microscopy is a quick and secure, additional marker for exposure that should be further developed to complement existing biotests. The described methods and endpoints might help to understand the complex reaction of earthworms towards herbicides and lead to an adapted test methodology.