Chemisch-analytische Charakterisierung technischen tierischen Fettes aus einer Tierkörperbeseitigungsanstalt

Aims and Scope

German rendering plants produce 300,000 tons of animal fat per year. Until recently, these raw products have been in wide use as nutritional additive for cattle and other animals fodder but now they have been banned due to their assumed role in BSE infection. Therefore, alternative fields of usage are required. In this context the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) is sponsoring a joint research project which deals with the production and testing of cooling lubricants based on animal fat esters.

Methods

In a first step, characteristics and quality of the animal fat were analyzed and monitored for a whole year in order to identify e.g. seasonal variations. The investigations covered the following fat specific and trace analytical parameters: total contamination, sulfates ash, water content, peroxide number, iodine value, kinematical viscosity, neutralisation number (free fatty acids), fatty acid spectra, elements / heavy metals (Al, B, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mo, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Sn, V, W and Zn), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans.

Results

Valuable hints on the design of the technical process of fatty acid methylesters production were gained by regarding the fat specific parameters. For example, filtration and dewatering of the fats proved necessary. Small variations of iodine value, viscosity and fatty acid spectrum pointed at a quite constant composition of the raw material in the course of the year. Clues to the degree of hydrolysis and decay of the fat were given by the share of free fatty acids. The saturated fatty acids, most interesting for the production of the cooling lubricants, were present in the fatty acid spectra in the rage of 36.4% to 54.6%. Trace analytical investigations concerning inorganic and organic pollutants proved a low basic contamination of the technical animal fats.

Outlook

Next step will be to present the pilot plant for the production of the cooling lubricants and further analytical results in context with the production process.     

Mapping Land-Cover and Mangrove Structures with Remote Sensing Techniques: A Contribution to a Synoptic GIS in Support of Coastal Management in North Brazil

This article deals with the development and application of a cartographic database for a synoptic Geographic Information System (GIS). Its purpose is the storage and evaluation of the heterogeneous datasets of the interdisciplinary scientific research program MADAM (Mangrove Dynamics and Management), which aims to develop recommendations for a tailored integrated coastal management scheme for the mangrove ecosystem at Bragança (North Brazil). The article describes the integration of remote sensing data, aerial photographs, as well as point data provided by fieldwork from different scientific fields. Using various innovative processing techniques and different scale-resolution levels, an assessment of temporal–spatial changes of the mangrove peninsula and the adjacent rural socioeconomic impact area, the type of mangrove structure, as well as a land-use cover analyses was undertaken. The definition of the spatial level of detail was found to be a major issue in the development of the GIS, as well as during the processing and analysis procedures. A division between strong and weak patterns in the mangrove ecosystem could be made, which implies different management measures and sets of specific interdisciplinary studies and monitoring at hierarchical scales.     

GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION OF THE STATISTICAL PARAMETERS OF HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DATA OF THE UNITED STATES1

ABSTRACT: Having determined various statistical parameters for five mean monthly hydrometeorological time series of the United States, directional variation of the autocorrelation numbers, their spatial distribution over the United States and statistical significances are presented in this paper. Two conceptually different approaches (one using directional strips of large combined watersheds and the other with analysis of variances) are employed to explore the geographic variation of the statistical parameters (autocorrelations and explained variances) in question. Results adequately indicate the correspondence between these variations and the observed topographic, climatologic and hydrologic characteristics over the United States.     

Increased UDP-Glucuronyltransferase in putative preneoplastic foci of human liver after long-term use of oral contraceptives

Previous research by the authors had suggested that uridine-diphosphate-glucuronyl-transferase (UDP-GT) is a useful preneoplastic marker in chemical carcinogenesis. Recently the authors report that they found typical clear cell foci in a macroscopically normal liver surrounding focal nodular hyperplasia with a 6 cm diameter in a 27-year old woman who had been using oral contraceptives (OCs) containing ethinyl-estradiol and lynestrenol for 9 years. These foci were further characterized by a reduction of canalicular and cytoplasmic ATPase activity, an increased glycogen content, and a positive immunohistochemical reaction for UDP-GT. OC users develop 2 basic types of benign liver tumors: hepatic adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia. Hepatic adenoma appears to be caused by OCs, whereas the relationship between OC use and focal nodular hyperplasia is less clear. The tumorigenic action of OCs has been ascribed to a promotor action on liver cells; however, there is no evidence that OCs are initiators of liver tumors. The case reported shows 2 manifestations of toxic lesions promoted by OC use: the development of focal nodular hyperplasia and enzyme-altered foci comparable to those seen in experimental liver carcinogenesis. Further studies are needed to get more information about the preneoplastic potential of these foci in humans. Since enzyme-altered foci could not be identified in the liver tissue of healthy women, these foci may be of prognostic significance in longterm OC users.     

ROLE OF SYNTHETIC TIME SERIES IN HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT: The use of synthetic time series (artificially simulated time series with specific and useful properties built into them) to increase the confidence in the statistical parameters of limited hydrometeorological time series is the subject matter of this paper. By constructing fourteen synthetic time series, a sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the net effect of nonstationarity, number of lags and small sample size on estimated spectral densities. Similarly, the effects of the harmonic-removal procedure on the resulting residual series and the confidence limits in cross spectral analysis are examined in the light of synthetic time series analysis. These analyses clearly indicate the useful supplemental role of synthetic time series in data analysis.     

Phytoremediation to increase the degradation of PCBs and PCDD/Fs

Phytoremediation is already regarded as an efficient technique to remove or degrade various pollutants in soils, water and sediments. However, hydrophobic organic molecules such as PAHs, PCBs and PCDD/Fs are much less responsive to bioremediation strategies than, for example, BTEX or LAS. PCDD/Fs and PCBs represent 3 prominent groups of persistent organic pollutants that share common chemical, toxicological and environmental properties. Their widespread presence in the environment may be explained by their chemical and biological stability. This review considers their fate and dissipation mechanisms. It is then possible to identify major sinks and to understand biological activities useful for remediation. Public health and economic priorities lead to the conclusion that alternative techniques to physical treatments are required. This review focuses on particular problems encountered in biodegradation and bioavailability of PCDD/Fs and PCBs. It highlights the potential and limitations of plants and micro-organisms as bioremediation agents and summarises how plants can be used to augment bacterial activity. Phytoremediation is shown to provide some new possibilities in reducing risks associated with dioxins and PCBs.     

2003~2020年黄河内蒙古段干流水质演变趋势

为全面了解黄河流域内蒙古段近年来的水环境质量状况及其变化趋势,基于流域内5个监测断面2003~2020年的水质数据,使用主成分分析、聚类分析和长短时记忆模型等多源数据分析方法,结合改进的综合水质标识指数,探究了黄河流域水质的时空变化特征. 结果表明,流域水质状况整体向好并稳定. 时间特征方面,汛期和非汛期水质的主要影响因素存在显著差异,主要与农业灌溉用水和汛期水量增大有关;空间特征方面,可将5个监测断面归为3类,汛期的主要影响因素具有时间特征,而非汛期3类监测断面的水质差异主要由其周边城市的用水结构决定. LSTM模型的预测值变化趋势与真实值拟合效果良好,可对黄河内蒙古段的水质指标进行有效的预测评价,可为黄河干流各河段水质达标控制与管理提供科学依据.     

The effectiveness of coastal management web portals – a critical analysis

Effective and efficient information dissemination is crucial for a successful management of coasts and beaches. Almost all coastal management activities use Internet portals to provide electronic accessibility of data and information. In this respect, we have analyzed web tracking data and costs to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of two coastal management web portals. Indicators for the visiting quality, the volume and characteristics of the information flow and the associated costs were combined. The results show that mainly professional users were attracted by the two investigated online coastal management information offers. Furthermore, the coastal management contents were mainly relevant on regional scale. The results indicate that it is not enough to provide various information, instead it further needs also efforts to disseminate this information to a broader public. Specific preparation and presentation of information for the target groups would lead to an active dissemination process. The investigation of the costs shows that an increasing efficiency of information dissemination via the Internet goes together with the long term use of the information infrastructure. Therefore large coastal management web portals need runtimes of several years. The applied method combined and simplified actual used web analytic methods to allow valuable insights into the information dissemination of coastal management web portals. In this way the method can be used to help coastal decision makers or other practitioners to screen their web presence in the background of information supply and demand for all visitor groups they want to reach.     

Comparison of short-term variations (15-minute averages) in outdoor and indoor PM2.5 concentrations

Measurements of 15-min average PM2.5 concentrations were made with a real-time light-scattering instrument at both outdoor (central monitoring sites in three communities) and indoor (residential) locations over two seasons in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. These data are used to examine within-day variability of PM2.5 concentrations indoors and outdoors, as well as matched indoor-to-outdoor (I/O) ratios. Concurrent gravimetric measurements of 24-hr average PM2.5 concentrations were also obtained as a way to compare real-time measures with this more traditional metric. Results indicate that (1) within-day variability for both indoor and outdoor 15-min average PM2.5 concentrations was substantial and comparable in magnitude to day-to-day variability for 24-hr average concentrations; (2) some residences exhibited substantial variability in indoor aerosol characteristics from one day to the next; (3) peak values for indoor short-term (15-min) average PM2.5 concentrations routinely exceeded 24-hr average outdoor values by factors of 3-4; and (4) relatively strong correlations existed between indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations for both 24-hr and 15-min averages.