Carbon partitioning among the first trophic levels in the North Western Adriatic Basin

In the frame of PRISMA II Project samples for plankton analyses were carried out during four cruises (June, 1996; February and June, 1997; February, 1998) in order to assess the relative importance in term of biomasses of the three main size fractions (pico- <2 r µm, nano- 2-20 r µm and micro-plankton >20 r µm). Spatial and temporal distribution of the three plankton fractions were described as abundance and contribution to the total carbon content in an area between Po River mouth and Rimini. The relative contribution of picoplankton resulted higher in the offshore zone, while that of nanoplankton in the inshore waters. In February 1998 microphytoplankton, mainly constituted by diatoms, was very abundant in the inshore waters. Micro-zooplankton was always very scarce. Cluster analyses performed on these data grouped the stations on the basis of their community structure, and agreed with the hydrological features. Small size classes contributed more significantly to the total plankton carbon content in most of the situations. Microplankton fraction contribution was relevant only during spring diatom bloom of February 1998 and with a less extent in the confined coastal summer blooms.     

Hydrochemical,isotopic and microbiota characterization of telese mineral waters (Southern Italy)

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - The study deals with the analyses of springs and wells at the base of Montepugliano Hill that represents the SE edge of the wide carbonate Matese massif...     

Probability distributions of arsenic in soil from brownfield sites in Beijing (China): statistical characterization of the background populations and implications for site assessment studies

A probabilistic analysis was performed on soil arsenic concentration data from 4 brownfield sites at Beijing (Chaoyang and Haidian Districts), involved in environmental assessment studies. The available data sets were processed to provide a statistical characterization of the background populations and differentiate “anomalous data” from the natural range of variation of arsenic concentrations in soil. The site-specific background distributions and the existing wide-scale background values defined for the Beijing area were compared, discussing related implications for the definition of metal contamination soil screening levels (SSLs) in site assessment studies. The statistical analysis of As data sets discriminated site-specific background populations, encompassing 88% to 94% of the sample data, from outliers values, associated with either subsoil natural enrichments or possible anthropogenic releases. Upper Baseline Concentration (UBC) limits (+ 2σ level), including most of the site-specific metal background variability, were derived based on the statistical characterization of the background populations. Sites in the Chaoyang South District area had UBC values in the range 10.4–12.6 mg·kg^-1. These ranges provide meaningful SSL values to be adopted for As in local site assessment studies. Using the wide-scale background value for the Beijing area would have erroneously classified most of the areas in the subject sites as potentially contaminated.     

Design,Modelling and Assessment of Emission Scenarios Resulting from a Network of Wood Biomass Boilers

The use of wood biomass as a fuel for domestic and industrial heating systems allows for a reduction of CO₂ emissions at a global scale, but it may also result in worse local air quality conditions, due to their emissions of particulate matter. The aim of this study is to assess the actual trend of atmospheric pollution in a study area, assuming that all heating systems are replaced by small size biomass boilers linked to the buildings through district heating network. Ground level concentrations of particulate matter, emitted by different heating systems, are therefore evaluated through numerical simulations performed by means of an atmospheric dispersion model (Sirane). As a first step, we have compared the environmental impact of a woodchip boilers network with that given by the use of traditional heating systems, i.e. wood stoves and natural gas boilers. As a second step, we have analysed the impact of such a network taking into account different emission scenarios, related to different boilers operating conditions. Results show that the environmental performances of a woodchip boilers network can be optimized by combining it with other renewable sources of energy devoted to the supply of hot water. The adopted analysis methodology can be applied to other real or hypothetic punctual sources on the territory.     

Silver impregnated carbon for adsorption and desorption of elemental mercury vapors

The Hg0 vapor adsorption experimental results on a novel sorbent obtained by impregnating a commercially available activated carbon (Darco G60 from BDH) with silver nitrate were reported. The study was performed by using a fundamental approach, in an apparatus at laboratory scale in which a synthetic flue gas, formed by Hg0 vapors in a nitrogen gas stream, at a given temperature and mercury concentration, was flowed through a fixed bed of adsorbent material. Breakthrough curves and adsorption isotherms were obtained for bed temperatures of 90, 120 and 150°C and for Hg0 concentrations in the gas varying in the range of 0.8–5.0 mg/m3. The experimental gas-solid equilibrium data were used to evaluate the Langmuir parameters and the heat of adsorption. The experimental results showed that silver impregnated carbon was very effective to capture elemental mercury and the amount of mercury adsorbed by the carbon decreased as the bed temperature increased. In addition, to evaluate the possibility of adsorbent recovery, desorption was also studied. Desorption runs showed that both the adsorbing material and the mercury could be easily recovered, since at the end of desorption the residue on solid was almost negligible. The material balance on mercury and the constitutive equations of the adsorption phenomenon were integrated, leading to the evaluation of only one kinetic parameter which fits well both the experimentally determined breakthrough and desorption curves.     

Antimicrobial activity of thin metallic silver flakes, waste products of a manufacturing process

The aim of the research was to develop new products and processes from a manufacturing waste from an Italian metallurgic company. The company produced thin silver metallic films and the production scraps were silver flakes. The possibility to use the silver flakes in water disinfection processes was studied. The antimicrobial activity of the flakes was investigated in batch using Escherichia coli as Gram-negative microorganism model. The flakes did not show any antimicrobial activity, so they were activated with two different processes: thermal activation in reducing atmosphere and chemical activation, obtaining, respectively, reduced flakes (RF) and chemical flakes (CF). The flakes, activated with either treatment, showed antimicrobial activity against E. coli. The kill rate was dependent on the type of activated flakes. The chemical flakes were more efficient than reduced flakes. The kill rate determined for 1 g of CF, 1.0 ± 0.2 min⁻¹, was greater than the kill rate determined for 1 g of RF, 0.069 ± 0.004 min⁻¹. This was confirmed also by the minimum inhibitory concentration values. It was demonstrated that the antimicrobial capability was dependent on flakes amount and on the type of aqueous medium. Furthermore, the flakes maintained their properties also when used a second time. Finally, the antimicrobial activities of flakes were tested in an effluent of a wastewater treatment plant where a variety of heterotrophic bacteria were present.     

Complex performance of novel CoNiMnB electrodeposits in alkaline borohydride solutions

The complex performance of newly synthesized CoNiMnB electrodeposits in base-stabilized sodium borohydride solutions was examined. The rate of hydrogen generation due to borohydride hydrolysis was determined at different temperatures. Activation energy of approximately 33 kJ/mol was estimated, which is lower than the values reported for other catalysts. At electrochemical conditions, there is a competition between borohydride hydrolysis and electrooxidation reactions. The electrooxidation of borohydride takes place with low overpotentials at relatively high current densities. The long-term discharge at galvanostatic conditions as well as possibilities for partial storage of generated hydrogen indicates potentials for application of studied electrodeposits as anode material in direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFC).     

Comparative abiotic or biotic degradation of carboxin by two Entisols with different surface properties or Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain: A toxicity study using the crustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus

The microcrustacean Thamnocephalus platyurus was used to detect the toxicity reduction of carboxin in abiotic degradation compared to biotic degradation. The abiotic degradation was obtained using two sterilized Entisols with different surface properties while the biotic degradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was obtained using the fungicide as the only C source. The results showed that the highest toxicity reduction rates for the abiotic degradation were achieved in 20 days with 49.2% for the coarser soil, 60.7% for the soil with a finer texture, whereas for the biotic degradation, 60.6%. Analysis (¹H NMR) showed that the soils transformed carboxin to produce sulfoxide and enol in different concentrations depending on the soil properties, while P. aeruginosa metabolized the fungicide to produce inorganic compounds such as ammonium and nitrite, minor degradation pathways were oxidized to sulfoxide and hydrolytic ring-opening to 2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)thio]acetoacetanilide enol. These results indicated that the degradation of carboxin occurred via abiotic catalytic processes as well as via biotic transformation leading to less toxic derivatives and such phenomena are caused by exchange/surface features of soils, rather than by the mere content of clay or organic matter fractions.