Analyses of platinum group elements in mosses as indicators of road traffic emissions in Austria

The concentrations of platinum group elements (PGE; platinum, palladium, rhodium) and 17 other elements in mosses growing at 32 sampling sites along 12 roads in Austria were analysed. The study included passive monitoring of naturally growing mosses with an experimental design using mosses samples exposed in a tunnel experiment. PGEs (Pt, Pd, Rh) were analysed by ICP-MS (ELAN DRC II, Perkin Elmer SCIEX) according to EN ISO 17294-2 Tl.29. Mean concentrations of PGEs in five moss species were: Pt 7.07±9.97, Pd 2.8±5.2 und Rh 0.6±0.8 ng g⁻¹ dry weight. This is comparable to data derived from measurements of gasoline autocatalyst emissions or airborne particles (<10 μm). Compared to soils and road dust along highways, concentrations in mosses were lower by a factor of ten, compared to grasses they were comparable or somewhat higher. The ratios between the various PGEs were calculated as follows (mean values): Pt/Pd 7.9±10.2, Pt/Rh 12.6±8.3 and Pd/Rh 3.7±2.2. The number of light duty vehicles (<3.5 t) and the distance from the road were the main influential factors for PGE concentrations. Especially strong correlations could be found between Pt and Sb, Cu, Zn, and Cd (in decreasing order), which are all elements derived mainly from road traffic emissions. Cluster analysis (Partioning Around Medoids Method) separated elements derived mainly from soil dust (Ca, Al). An analysis of spatial deposition patterns of PGEs showed a reciprocal decrease of concentrations with increasing distance from the road, reaching background values at distances between 10 and 200 m, sometimes even more, but outside the spatial range of our investigation.     

Some characteristics of a plume from a point source based on analytical solution of the two-dimensional advection–diffusion equation

The moments of the concentration distribution obtained using a recent analytical solution of the steady-state two-dimensional advection–diffusion equation are presented. The solving methodology is the Generalized Integral Laplace Transform Technique, which allows obtaining a reliable solution of the advection–diffusion equation without any restrictive assumption about the eddy diffusivity coefficients and wind speed profiles. The first four moments and value and position of maximum ground level concentration are calculated. The concentration standard deviation is compared against the semi-empirical ones used in operative Gaussian models.     

A simple non-separable,non-stationary spatiotemporal model for ozone

The past two decades have witnessed an increasing interest in the use of space-time models for a wide range of environmental problems. The fundamental tool used to embody both the temporal and spatial components of the phenomenon in question is the covariance model. The empirical estimation of space-time covariance models can prove highly complex if simplifying assumptions are not employed. For this reason, many studies assume both spatiotemporal stationarity, and the separability of spatial and temporal components. This second assumption is often unrealistic from the empirical point of view. This paper proposes the use of a model in which non-separability arises from temporal non-stationarity. The model is used to analyze tropospheric ozone data from the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy.     

Nepotistic access to food resources in cooperatively breeding carrion crows

Offspring delayed dispersal is the principal mechanism leading to formation of kin-based societies. It has been suggested that parents promote offspring philopatry by providing them with preferential access to the food resources of the territory and that parental tolerance may be affected by territory quality. However, few studies have addressed this hypothesis in kin-living vertebrate species. Here, we show that in cooperative breeding groups of carrion crows (Corvus corone corone) containing retained offspring and immigrants, dominant breeding males behaved nepotistically on an experimental source of food by (1) attacking immigrants with more frequency and intensity than offspring and (2) associating preferentially with their offspring on the feeding spot and sharing food with them. This parental facilitation allowed the offspring to spend more time feeding than higher-rank immigrants. We also found that a year-round experimental food supplementation neither increased breeding males’ tolerance nor relented the overall aggressiveness in the groups. This indicates that higher natal philopatry observed on fed territories compared to unfed ones is not a consequence of a more benign social environment. Rather, it suggests that offspring value territory resource wealth and adjust the timing of dispersal accordingly.     

Behavior of fenhexamid in soil and water

A study was conducted to investigate fenhexamid (FEX) behavior in soil and in water. FEX proved to be rather stable at acid pH but showed slight degradation at neutral and alkaline pH. After 101 days of FEX spiking of a soil sample, 94% at pH 4, 12% at pH 7 and 23% at pH 9 of the active ingredient was still present. In natural water the rate of FEX disappearance appeared to be slow which may be due to abiotic rather than biotic processes. The soil degradation tests showed low persistence of the active ingredient if a good microflora activity is guaranteed (DT₅₀ about 1 day). Moreover, in absence of microorganisms, FEX proved to be stable. Humidities of 25 and 50% of Water Holding Capacity (WHC) influenced in equal measure the rate of degradation. From the same soil, a bacterium was isolated and identified as Bacillus megaterium, which was able to metabolize FEX with the hydroxylation of the cyclohexane ring. Moreover, FEX showed an elevated affinity for humic acid (73%), smectite (31%), and ferrihydrite(20%) and low affinity for vermiculite (11%) and kaolinite (7%).     

Performance of a biogas upgrading process based on alkali absorption with regeneration using air pollution control residues

This work analyzes the performance of an innovative biogas upgrading method, Alkali absorption with Regeneration (AwR) that employs industrial residues and allows to permanently store the separated CO₂. This process consists in a first stage in which CO₂ is removed from the biogas by means of chemical absorption with KOH or NaOH solutions followed by a second stage in which the spent absorption solution is contacted with waste incineration Air Pollution Control (APC) residues. The latter reaction leads to the regeneration of the alkali reagent in the solution and to the precipitation of calcium carbonate and hence allows to reuse the regenerated solution in the absorption process and to permanently store the separated CO₂ in solid form. In addition, the final solid product is characterized by an improved environmental behavior compared to the untreated residues. In this paper the results obtained by AwR tests carried out in purposely designed demonstrative units installed in a landfill site are presented and discussed with the aim of verifying the feasibility of this process at pilot-scale and of identifying the conditions that allow to achieve all of the goals targeted by the proposed treatment. Specifically, the CO₂ removal efficiency achieved in the absorption stage, the yield of alkali regeneration and CO₂ uptake resulting for the regeneration stage, as well as the leaching behavior of the solid product are analyzed as a function of the type and concentration of the alkali reagent employed for the absorption reaction.