Modeling the dynamics of DDT in a remote tropical floodplain: indications of post-ban use?

Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants like dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in tropical environments. In Brazil, indoor residual spraying with DDT to combat malaria and leishmaniasis began in the 1950s and was banned in 1998. Nonetheless, high concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were recently detected in human breast milk in the community of Lake Puruzinho in the Brazilian Amazon. In this work, we couple analysis of soils and sediments from 2005 to 2014 at Puruzinho with a novel dynamic floodplain model to investigate the movement and distribution of DDT and its transformation products (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD)) and implications for human exposure. The model results are in good agreement with the accumulation pattern observed in the measurements, in which DDT, DDE, and DDD (collectively, DDX) accumulate primarily in upland soils and sediments. However, a significant increase was observed in DDX concentrations in soil samples from 2005 to 2014, coupled with a decrease of DDT/DDE ratios, which do not agree with model results assuming a post-ban regime. These observations strongly suggest recent use. We used the model to investigate possible re-emissions after the ban through two scenarios: one assuming DDT use for IRS and the other assuming use against termites and leishmaniasis. Median DDX concentrations and p,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDE ratios from both of these scenarios agreed with measurements in soils, suggesting that the soil parameterization in our model was appropriate. Measured DDX concentrations in sediments were between the two re-emission scenarios. Therefore, both soil and sediment comparisons suggest re-emissions indeed occurred between 2005 and 2014, but additional measurements would be needed to better understand the actual re-emission patterns. Monte Carlo analysis revealed model predictions for sediments were very sensitive to highly uncertain parameters associated with DDT degradation and partitioning. With this model as a tool for understanding inter-media cycling, additional research to refine these parameters would improve our understanding of DDX fate and transport in tropical sediments.     

Evaluation of Multi-level Social Learning for Sustainable Landscapes: Perspective of a Development Initiative in Bergslagen, Sweden

To implement policies about sustainable landscapes and rural development necessitates social learning about states and trends of sustainability indicators, norms that define sustainability, and adaptive multi-level governance. We evaluate the extent to which social learning at multiple governance levels for sustainable landscapes occur in 18 local development initiatives in the network of Sustainable Bergslagen in Sweden. We mapped activities over time, and interviewed key actors in the network about social learning. While activities resulted in exchange of experiences and some local solutions, a major challenge was to secure systematic social learning and make new knowledge explicit at multiple levels. None of the development initiatives used a systematic approach to secure social learning, and sustainability assessments were not made systematically. We discuss how social learning can be improved, and how a learning network of development initiatives could be realized.     

Energy recovery from sewage sludge by means of fluidised bed gasification

Because of its potential harmful impact on the environment, disposal of sewage sludge is becoming a major problem all over the world. Today the available disposal measures are at the crossroads. One alternative would be to continue its usage as fertiliser or to abandon it. Due to the discussions about soil contamination caused by sewage sludge, some countries have already prohibited its application in agriculture. In these countries, thermal treatment is now presenting the most common alternative. This report describes two suitable methods to directly convert sewage sludge into useful energy on-site at the wastewater treatment plant. Both processes consist mainly of four devices: dewatering and drying of the sewage sludge, gasification by means of fluidised bed technology (followed by a gas cleaning step) and production of useful energy via CHP units as the final step. The process described first (ETVS-Process) is using a high pressure technique for the initial dewatering and a fluidised bed technology utilising waste heat from the overall process for drying. In the second process (NTVS-Process) in addition to the waste heat, solar radiation is utilised. The subsequent measures--gasification, gas cleaning and electric and thermal power generation--are identical in both processes. The ETVS-Process and the NTVS-Process are self-sustaining in terms of energy use; actually a surplus of heat and electricity is generated in both processes.     

Temporal trend of mercury in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard using teeth as a biomonitoring tissue

We examined the use of mercury (Hg) and nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes in teeth of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) from Svalbard as biotracers of temporal changes in Hg pollution exposure between 1964 and 2003. Teeth were regarded as a good matrix of the Hg exposure, and in total 87 teeth of polar bears were analysed. Dental Hg levels ranged from 0.6 to 72.3 ng g(-1) dry weight and increased with age during the first 10 years of life. A decreasing time trend in Hg concentrations was observed over the recent four decades while no temporal changes were found in the stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ(15)N) and carbon (δ(13)C). This suggests that the decrease of Hg concentrations over time was more likely due to a lower environmental Hg exposure in this region rather than a shift in the feeding habits of Svalbard polar bears.     

A Comparative Study of Pectin Extracted from Passion Fruit Rind Flours

Brazil is the world’s main producer of passion fruit. Previous reports show that passion fruit rinds, an industrial waste, contain large amounts of pectin. Pectin is a dietary fiber that is widely used in the food industry as a gelling agent and stabilizer. In this study, the quality and characteristics of pectin extracted from yellow passion fruit rind flour was investigated. Pectin was extracted from both commercially available and prepared passion fruit peels using nitric acid. Once extracted, the pectin was evaluated for its molecular characteristics and chemical composition as well as for the apparent and reduced viscosity of the gel. Prepared (blanched) rind flour yielded 203.4 g kg⁻¹ of pectin, which contained a uronic acid content of 681 mg g⁻¹, a degree of esterification of 80, a degree of methylation of 80, a reduced viscosity of 6.8 dL g⁻¹ and an apparent viscosity of 13.4 cP. The results suggest a clear influence of the raw material on it’s the resultant characteristics of the pectin. In addition, our results show that therheological properties and molar characteristics of pectin were negatively affected when the rind flours were subjected to high temperatures. Pectin methyl esterase activity was detected in the freeze-dried, unblanched raw material. Extensive efforts have been directed towards minimizing waste and the reported results show that high quality pectin can be obtained from passion fruit rinds, an industrial waste product of passion fruit processing.     

A differentiated approach for sustainable consumption and production policies

The importance of sustainable consumption and production in the international agenda has been growing, both because of unsustainable patterns of consumption and production in industrialized countries and because it appears to be a means for meeting the essential needs of developing countries. Adapting Fernand Braudel's model of the three layers of the economy (everyday life, market economy and global capitalism) to the current situation, this paper advocates for differentiated policies, which cannot be limited to those based on the dominant model of a rational legal system dealing with rational consumers. The cultural and collective dimensions of consumption, the social role of conspicuous consumption, the consumption of ecological services outside formal markets, the diversity of approaches to knowledge and rationality, all plead for an overarching approach and diversified policy tools. The paper underlines the need for global regulation processes which involve all stakeholders by focusing on two examples: the international task force on sustainable tourism, and the ISO 26000 standard on social responsibility.     

Performance of secondary P-fertilizers in pot experiments analyzed by phosphorus X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy

A pot experiment was carried out with maize to determine the phosphorus (P) plant-availability of different secondary P-fertilizers derived from wastewater. We analyzed the respective soils by P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to determine the P chemical forms that were present and determine the transformation processes. Macro- and micro-XANES spectroscopy were used to determine the chemical state of the overall soil P and identify P compounds in P-rich spots. Mainly organic P and/or P adsorbed on organic matter or other substrates were detected in unfertilized and fertilized soils. In addition, there were indications for the formation of ammonium phosphates in some fertilized soils. However, this effect was not seen in the maize yield of all P-fertilizers. The observed reactions between phosphate from secondary P-fertilizers and co-fertilized nitrogen compounds should be further investigated. Formation of highly plant-available compounds such as ammonium phosphates could make secondary P-fertilizers more competitive to commercial phosphate rock-based fertilizers with positive effects on resources conservation.     

Global comparison of VOC and CO observations in urban areas

Speciated volatile organic compound (VOC) and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements from the Marylebone Road site in central London from 1998 through 2008 are presented. Long-term trends show statistically significant decreases for all the VOCs considered, ranging from ?3% to ?26% per year. Carbon monoxide decreased by ?12% per year over the measurement period. The VOC trends observed at the kerbside site in London showed greater rates of decline relative to trends from monitoring sites in rural England (Harwell) and a remote high-altitude site (Hohenpeissenberg), which showed decreases for individual VOCs from ?2% to ?13% per year. Over the same 1998 through 2008 period VOC to CO ratios for London remained steady, an indication that emissions reduction measures affected the measured compounds equally. Relative trends comparing VOC to CO ratios between Marylebone Road and Hohenpeissenberg showed greater similarities than absolute trends, indicating that emissions reductions measures in urban areas are reflected by regional background locations. A comparison of VOC mixing ratios and VOC to CO ratios was undertaken for London and other global cities. Carbon monoxide and VOCs (alkanes greater than C₅, alkenes, and aromatics) were found to be strongly correlated (>0.8) in the Annex I countries, whereas only ethene and ethyne were strongly correlated with CO in the non-Annex I countries. The correlation results indicate significant emissions from traffic-related sources in Annex I countries, and a much larger influence of other sources, such as industry and LPG-related sources in non-Annex I countries. Yearly benzene to ethyne ratios for London from 2000 to 2008 ranged from 0.17 to 0.29 and compared well with previous results from US cities and three global megacities.     

Research Articles

The metabolism of phenanthrene was studied both in cell suspension cultures of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and soybean (Glycine max), and in intact plants of the water mossFontinalis antipyretica. Metabolism in cell suspension cultures strongly differed between the monocotyle and the dicotyle plant. Only small amounts oftrans-phenanthrene-9,10-dihydrodiole and phenanthrene-9,10-dione were detectable in the wheat culture. Soybean cultures, in contrast demonstrated a strong turnover resulting in a 75% reduction of the initial phenanthrene concentration. Metabolites were phenanthrene-9,10-dione, not further characterized polar metabolites and bound residues. Intact plants ofFontinalis antipyretica metabolized only small amounts of phenanthrene. Data obtained from cell cultures did not provide information for the metabolic potential in intact plants. Therefore standardized tests with model systems like suspension cultures lead to inadequate assessment of the ecological risk of certain xenobiotics.     

Evaluation of bisphenol A levels in Nigerian thermal receipts and estimation of daily dermal exposure

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production volume chemical that has wide industrial applications, especially as a color developer in thermal papers. The...