Variation in implementation of corporate social responsibility practices in emerging economies' firms: A survey of Chilean fruit exporters

As in many sectors in emerging economies, the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become important for exporting agri‐food firms in view of their integration in global supply chains. The purpose of this research was to assess the implementation by Chilean fruit exporters of CSR practices that go beyond minimum legal requirements. The principal results are that, although socio‐economic components of CSR such as poverty reduction and socially just working conditions receive much attention, firms consider comprehensive environmental practices as less important. The results also indicate a slightly higher implementation of comprehensive CSR practices by large firms as compared to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The main conclusion is that, although CSR is increasingly considered by Chilean firms, among SMEs in particular, more attention needs to be paid to raising awareness among managers about CSR practices and to providing assistance in their implementation. This supports findings on CSR implementation in other emerging economies that an active role of civil society and industry organizations is key and that targeted support strategies are needed to install a holistic awareness of CSR and help firms to improve on those aspects of CSR that are relatively underdeveloped.     

Determination of lindane leachability in soil-biosolid systems and its bioavailability in wheat plants

The leachability of lindane from different biosolid amended soils was determined and compared to its bioavailability. Sand, soil, and a mixture of soil-sand (1:1 w/w) were spiked with lindane, blended with different amounts of biosolids, and subjected to a leaching process with water that lasted for 1-28 d. This procedure is in accordance with ISO/TS 21268-1: 2007. After these batch tests, lindane was extracted from the leachates using three different solvent-free microextraction techniques, including solid phase microextraction (SPME), stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), and silicone rod extraction (SRE). The amount of lindane was determined with thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The efficiencies of the three microextraction techniques were statistically different, and the efficiency could be related to the amount of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in each extraction device. However, all of the techniques provide data that shows that the leachability of lindane is dependent on the amount of organic matter contained in the matrix.The results of the lindane leachability assay were compared to the bioavailability of lindane, which was determined by measuring the amount of lindane that accumulated in the roots of wheat plants grown in similar soil-biosolid systems.It was confirmed that the amount of organic matter in the matrix is a determining factor for lindane immobilization. The presence of biosolids decreases the mobility of lindane in all of the systems under study. Similarly, increasing biosolid concentrations in the soil significantly decreased the bioavailability of lindane and, consequently, plant absorption.The good correlation (R² = 0.997) between the leachability of lindane from the matrix and plant absorption of lindane indicates that the proposed biomimetic methodology can predict the bioavailability of lindane in a time period as short as 7 d.The results of this work confirm that amending contaminated soils with biosolids is beneficial for immobilizing lindane and helps prevent the percolation of lindane through the soil profile and into groundwater.     

Occurrence of multiclass UV filters in treated sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants

Many substances related to human activities end up in wastewater and accumulate in sewage sludge. So far, there is only one extensive survey on the occurrence of UV filter residues in sewage sludge. However, more data are required to draw a reliable picture of the fate and effects of these compounds in the environment. This study attempts to fill this gap through the determination of selected UV filters and derivatives namely 4-methylbenzylidenecamphor, benzophenone-3, octocrylene, ethylhexylmethoxycinnamate, ethylhexyldimethyl PABA, 4-hydroxybenzophenone, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, and 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone in treated sewage sludge.The target compounds were extracted using pressurized liquid extraction and after this, determined by ultra high resolution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The determination was fast and sensitive, affording limits of detection lower than 19 ng g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) except for 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (60 ng g⁻¹ dw). Good recovery rates, especially given the high complexity of sludge matrix (between 70% and 102% except for 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (30%)) were achieved.The application of developed method allowed reporting for the first time the occurrence of two major degradation products of benzophenone-3 that have estrogenic activity in sewage sludge: 4,4′-dihydroxybenzophenone (in 5/15 WWTPs) and 4-hydroxybenzophenone (in 1/15 WWTPs). Results revealed the presence of UV filters in 15 wastewater treatment plants in Catalonia (Spain) at concentrations ranging from 0.04 to 9.17 μg g⁻¹ dw.     

Influence of the current density on the electrochemical treatment of concentrated 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride solutions on diamond electrodes

This paper focuses on the influence of the current density treatment of a concentrated 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMImCl) solution on an electrochemical reactor with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. The decrease in the total organic carbon (TOC) and the BMImCl concentration demonstrate the capability of BDD in oxidizing ionic liquids (ILs) and further mineralizing (to CO₂ and NO₃ ^?) more rapidly at higher current densities in spite of the reduced current efficiency of the process. Moreover, the presence of Cl^? led to the formation of oxychlorinated anions (mostly ClO₃ ^? and ClO₄ ^?) and, in combination with the ammonia generated in the cathode from the nitrate reduction, chloramines, more intensely at higher current density. Finally, the analysis of the intermediates formed revealed no apparent influence of the current density on the BMImCl degradation mechanism. The current density presents therefore a complex influence on the IL treatment process that is discussed throughout this paper.     

UV–visible light-activated Ag-decorated,monodisperse TiO2 aggregates for treatment of the pharmaceutical oxytetracycline

Noble metal Ag-decorated, monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates were successfully synthesized by an ionic strength-assisted, simple sol–gel method and were used for the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under both UV and visible light (UV–visible light) irradiation. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD); UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM); micro-Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS); and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the uniformity of TiO₂ aggregates was finely tuned by the sol–gel method, and Ag was well decorated on the monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates. The absorption of the samples in the visible light region increased with increasing Ag loading that was proportional to the amount of Ag precursor added in the solution over the tested concentration range. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (The BET) surface area slightly decreased with increasing Ag loading on the TiO₂ aggregates. Ag-decorated TiO₂ samples demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under UV–visible light illumination compared to that of pure TiO₂. The sample containing 1.9 wt% Ag showed the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under both UV–visible light and visible light illumination. During the experiments, the detected Ag leaching for the best TiO₂-Ag photocatalyst was much lower than the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation for Ag limit (0.1 mg L^?1) issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency.     

Degradation of caffeine by conductive diamond electrochemical oxidation

The use of Conductive-Diamond Electrochemical Oxidation (CDEO) and Sonoelectrochemical Oxidation (CDSEO) has been evaluated for the removal of caffeine of wastewater. Effects of initial concentration, current density and supporting electrolyte on the process efficiency are assessed. Results show that caffeine is very efficiently removed with CDEO and that depletion of caffeine has two stages depending on its concentration. At low concentrations, opposite to what it is expected in a mass-transfer controlled process, the efficiency increases with current density very significantly, suggesting a very important role of mediated oxidation processes on the removal of caffeine. In addition, the removal of caffeine is faster than TOC, indicating the formation of reaction intermediates. The number and relative abundance of them depend on the operating conditions and supporting electrolyte used. In chloride media, removal of caffeine is faster and more efficiently, although the occurrence of more intermediates takes place. CDSEO does not increase the efficiency of caffeine removal, but it affects to the formation of intermediates. A detailed characterization of intermediates by liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry seems to indicate that the degradation of caffeine by CDEO follows an oxidation pathway similar to mechanism proposed by other advanced oxidation processes.     

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Guaribas river water (Piauí, Brazil), influenced by anthropogenic action

In general, tropical rivers have a great impact on human activities. Bioaccumulation of toxins is a worldwide problem nowadays and has been, historically, overlooked by the supervisory authorities. This study evaluated cytogenotoxic effects of Guaribas river (a Brazilian river) water during dry and rainy seasons of 2014 by using the Allium cepa test system. The toxicogenetic variables, including root growth, mitotic index, and chromosomal aberrations, were analyzed in meristematic cells of A. cepa exposed to water samples taken from the up-, within, and downstream of the city Picos (state: Piauí). The physical-chemical parameters were also analyzed to explain water quality and possible anthropogenic action. Additionally, the presence of heavy metals was also analyzed to explain water quality and possible damaging effects on eukaryotic cells. The results suggest that the river water exerted cytotoxic, mutagenic, and genotoxic effects, regardless of the seasons. In addition, Guaribas river presented physico-chemical values outside the Brazilian laws, which can be a characteristic of human pollution (domestic sewage, industrial, and local agriculture). The genetic damage was positively correlated with higher levels of heavy metals. The pollution of the Guaribas river water may link to the chemical contamination, including the action of heavy metals and their impacts on genetic instability in the aquatic ecosystem. In conclusion, necessary steps should be taken into account for further toxicogenetic studies of the Guaribas river water, as it has an influence in human health of the same region of Brazil.     

Exploring the relationship between nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone by applying the joint multifractal analysis

The main goal of this study is to determine the present heavy metal pollution state in the two gulfs of the Aegean Sea; Saros and Gökova Gulfs. The surface sediments were collected from 11 and eight locations in the Saros and Gökova during May 2001, respectively. The results showed that the sediments of Saros and Gökova gulfs were polluted with Pb, Cr, Zn, Mn, and Ni and Pb, Cr, Ni, and Mn, respectively. For various metals the contamination factor (CF) has been calculated to assess the degree of pollution in sediments. The sediments were noted to be not contaminated with Hg, Cd, and Cu in all areas. Moderate contaminations were observed for Pb, Cr, and Zn in Saros Gulf. The CF was moderate and very high for Ni in the Saros and the Gökova Gulf, respectively.     

Simultaneous Determination of O- and P- Nitrophenol by First Derivative Spectrophotometry

A simple method by first derivative spectrophotometry is proposed for the simultaneous determination of o-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenol. The analytes were separated from samples by liquid-liquid extraction (pH = 7.4) as tetrabutylammonium ion pairs into the 1,2-dichloroethane organic phase and subsequently the extracts were evaluated directly by derivative spectrophotometry. Simultaneous determination of both analytes could be carried out using the zero-crossing and the graphical methods for o-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenol, respectively. The determination ranges were found to be between 0.115 to 3.00 ppm and 0.130 to 3.00 ppm for o-nitrophenol and p-nitrophenol, respectively. The relative standard deviations were in all instances less than 2.0%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of these compounds in fruit juices.