Effect of preozonation on improvement of settleability of solid in highly concentrated organic wastewater of Japanese wheat and sweet potato spirit-distillery

Solid-liquid separation of the wastewater is very difficult because of high viscosity and high SS concentration. In this study, the effectiveness of preozonation on improving the settleability of the solids in wheat and sweet potato wastewaters was investigated using a bench-scale system and pilot treatment system respectively. Results showed that solid-liquid separation in the wheat wastewater was greatly improved by the decanter in the system(SS reduction from 24100 mg/L to 100 mg/L). However, preozonation practice did not show a significant effect on solid-liquid separation of the sweet potato wastewater. Effect of preozonation on solid-liquid separation between wheat and sweet potato wastewater showed different.     

Effects of parabens on apoptosis induced by serum-free medium

Alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acids (parabens), an endocrine disrupter, are used as preservatives in cosmetics and foods. In this study, to understand the relationship between parabens and differentiation in infants, the effects of parabens on apoptosis induced by serum deprivation in PC12 cells were investigated. In addition, apoptosis-related factors were assayed. As results, a tendency toward enhancement of apoptosis was observed in the cells cultured in the serum-free medium with methylparaben, and this tendency was suggested to be related to the contents of BAD, a pro-apoptotic protein. Butylparaben did not show any tendency to enhance apoptosis.     

The input-output balance of cadmium in a paddy field of Tokyo

Field monitoring was practiced from 2001 to 2003 to evaluate the input (irrigation, atmospheric deposition, and fertilizer application) and the output (uptake and accumulation into the above-ground biomass of rice plants and leaching) of cadmium (Cd) in a contaminated paddy field in Tokyo. The cadmium concentrations of irrigated water, open-bulk precipitation, soil solution (leaching water), rice plants collected at the harvesting stage and the chemical fertilizer and the cow manure compost applied were determined. The Cd flux of each factor was calculated by multiplying the Cd concentration by the volume or mass of the media. The annual input-output balance of Cd in the paddy field in 2001 and 2002 was estimated to be -5.44 [corrected] g ha(-1) and -2.01 [corrected] g ha(-1), respectively, indicating the loss of Cd from the paddy field, although the losses accounted for only 0.24% [corrected] and 0.089% [corrected] of the total amount of Cd in the ploughed layer soil in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Among the factors involved, the input from fertilizers (including manure compost) and the output due to the uptake by rice plants played a major role in the balance. The former largely depended on the types and amounts of fertilizers applied, and the latter on the water management practices in the paddy field, such as flooding and drainage of the surface water.     

Penetration analysis of elements and bioleaching treatment of spent refractory for recycling

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC23270 and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans TM-32 were used for bioleaching of spent refractories of aluminium and copper melting furnaces for their recycling.Firstly,penetration of elements into aluminium melting furnace refractory was investigated and it was found that up to 7 cm from surface was contaminated.Comparison on leaching efficiency by the strains ATCC23270 and TM-32 found that the strain ATCC23270 could treat larger amount of the refractories than the strain TM-32 could do.In the experiment of bioleaching of spent refractory aluminium melting furnace by the strain ATCC23270,high leaching efficiency were obtained on Al,Si,and Ca,and extremely low leaching performance was,however,shown on the rest of elements i.e.,Na,Mn,and Zn.Under the strain TM-32 use,relatively high leaching performance was recognized on Al,Si,Ca,Na,Mn,and Zn.In the experiment of bioleaching for spent refractory copper melting furnace,almost the same leaching trends were shown on Cu,Zn,Al,and Si under the strains ACTT23270 and TM-32 uses.     

Organic pollutants in paper-recycling process water discharge areas: first detection and emission in aquatic environment

In this study, eight compounds have been identified and quantified from the samples collected from paper-recycling process water discharge areas. In particular, five aryl hydrocarbons, including a novel chlorinated aryl ether, were identified for the first time as environmental pollutants. In the effluent stream, concentration levels of up to 1600 microg L(-1) and 190 microg g(-1) were detected in the surface water and surface sediment, respectively. The results of this study have raised concerns regarding the organic chemicals used in thermal paper and the environmental consequences of their release.     

Biodegradation of Chitosan-Gellan and Poly(L-lysine)-Gellan Polyion Complex Fibers by Pure Cultures of Soil Filamentous Fungi

The degradation of two kinds of polyion complex (PIC) fibers, chitosan-gellan (CGF), and poly(L-lysine)-gellan (LGF) fibers, by seven species of soil filamentous fungi has been investigated. All of the pure-line soil filamentous fungi, Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium caseicolum, P. citrinum, Mucor sp., Rhizopus sp., Curvularia sp., and Cladosporium sp. grew on the two fiber materials. Microscopic observation of the biodegradation processes revealed that P. caseicolum on the CGF and LGF grew, along with the accompanying collapse of the fiber matrices. In the biochemical oxygen-demand (BOD) test, the biodegradation of the LGF by P. caseicolum and Curvularia sp. exceeded 97% carbon dioxide generation and the biodegradation of the CGF by A. oryzae was 59%. These results might offer some clues to the applications of the PIC fibers as environmentally biodegradable materials.     

Estimation of the respiratory ventilation rate of preschool children in daily life using accelerometers

Inhalation rate is an essential factor for determining the inhaled dose of air pollutants. Here, accelerometers were used to develop regression equations for predicting the minute ventilation rate (V(E)) to estimate the daily inhalation rate in young children. Body acceleration and heart rate were measured in 29 Japanese preschool children (6 yr of age) during nine different levels of activities (lying down, sitting, standing, playing with plastic bricks, walking, building with blocks, climbing stairs, ball tossing, and running) using the Actical omnidirectional accelerometer, the ActivTracer triaxial accelerometer, and a heart rate monitor. Measurements were calibrated against the V(E) measured by the Douglas bag method. ActivTracer accelerometer measurements gave a strong correlation with V(E) (Pearson's r = 0.913), which was marginally stronger than that for the Actical counts (r = 0.886) and comparable to the correlation between heart rate and logarithmic V(E) (r = 0.909). According to the linear regression equation, the V(E) for lying down, sitting, standing, playing with plastic bricks, walking, and running was overestimated by 14-60% by the Actical and by 14-37% by the ActivTracer. By comparison, for building with blocks, climbing stairs, and ball tossing, the V(E) was underestimated by 19-23% by the Actical and by 13-18% by the ActivTracer. When these three activities were excluded, a stronger correlation was found between the V(E) and ActivTracer measurements (r = 0.949); this correlation was 0.761 for the three excluded activities. Discriminant analysis showed that the ratio between vertical and horizontal acceleration obtained by the ActivTracer could discriminate walking from building with blocks, climbing stairs, and ball tossing with a sensitivity of 75%. The error in estimating V(E) was considerably improved for the ActivTracer measurements by the use of two regression equations developed for each type of activity.