Remediation potential of caffeine,oxybenzone, and triclosan by the salt marsh plants <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spartina maritima</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halimione portulacoides</Emphasis>

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have attracted increasing concern during the last decade because of their widespread uses and continuous release to the aquatic environment. This work aimed to study the distribution of caffeine (CAF), oxybenzone (MBPh), and triclosan (TCS) when they arrive in salt marsh areas and to assess their remediation potential by two different species of salt marsh plants: Spartina maritima and Halimione portulacoides. Experiments were carried out in the laboratory either in hydroponics (sediment elutriate) or in sediment soaked in elutriate, for 10 days. Controls without plants were also carried out. CAF, MBPh, and TCS were added to the media. In unvegetated sediment soaked in elutriate, CAF was mainly in the liquid phase (83%), whereas MBPh and TCS were in the solid phase (90% and 56%, respectively); the highest remediation was achieved for TCS (40%) and mainly attributed to bioremediation. The presence of plants in sediment soaked in elutriate-enhanced PPCPs remediation, decreasing CAF and TCS levels between approximately 20-30% and MBPh by 40%.. Plant uptake, adsorption to plant roots/sediments, and bio/rhizoremediation are strong hypothesis to explain the decrease of contaminants either in water or sediment fractions, according to PPCPs characteristics.     

Synthesis of Polymeric Matrices for Adsorption and Purification of Endoglucanase

Chitosan (CHS), chitosan–Eudragit® EPO (CHS–EPO) and chitosan beads partially cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (CHS–GLUT) were obtained in order to improve the adsorption selectivity of endoglucanase from a fungal culture obtained under SSF by Aspergillus niger using soybean harvest residues as support. The matrices synthetized were characterized in terms of physical and chemical changes. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance device (FTIR-ATR) was employed to verify the chemical changes on the CHS matrix after the synthesis of CHS–GLUT and CHS–EPO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to compare the surface morphology of the polymeric beads. Two variables, purification factor and yield percentage of the adsorption process, were analyzed using a bifactorial ANOVA considering the matrix–time first order interaction. SEM results exhibited greater surface roughness in the CHS–GLUT and CHS–EPO matrices which may enhance endoglucanase adsorption. FTIR-ATR results confirmed an effective chemical modification of the CHS matrix after crosslinking with GLUT and corroborated the efficiency of the synthesis of the CHS–EPO matrix by the presence of chemical groups of the EPO polymer. An endoglucanase purification factor close to 9 was achieved with the CHS–GLUT matrix and a yield percentage of 60% was obtained with the CHS–EPO matrix. Bifactorial ANOVA results showed the matrix–time interaction to be significant for both variables. The CHS–GLUT matrix with low crosslinking times and the novel CHS–EPO matrix could be included in the bioseparation stage of endoglucanase using a simple and a low-cost method such as batch adsorption.     

Climate change impact on the potential yield of Arabica coffee in southeast Brazil

Regional Environmental Change - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections of global mean temperature rises are worrisome for coffee crop due to the intolerance of the Arabica...     

Removal of a red dye using noncommercial peroxidase extracted from rice bran

The present study investigates the application of a noncommercial peroxidase enzyme, which was extracted from rice bran, to decolorize wastewater that was simulating effluent from a textile manufacturer using a red dye in its coloration process.     

A science of integration: frameworks,processes, and products in a place-based,integrative study

Integrative research is increasingly a priority within the scientific community and is a central goal for the evolving field of sustainability science. While it is conceptually attractive, its successful implementation has been challenging and recent work suggests that the move towards interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity in sustainability science is being only partially realized. To address this from the perspective of social-ecological systems (SES) research, we examine the process of conducting a science of integration within the Southcentral Alaska Test Case (SCTC) of Alaska-EPSCoR as a test-bed for this approach. The SCTC is part of a large, 5 year, interdisciplinary study investigating changing environments and adaptations to those changes in Alaska. In this paper, we review progress toward a science of integration and present our efforts to confront the practical issues of applying proposed integration frameworks. We: (1) define our integration framework; (2) describe the collaborative processes, including the co-development of science through stakeholder engagement and partnerships; and (3) illustrate potential products of integrative, social-ecological systems research. The approaches we use can also be applied outside of this particular framework. We highlight challenges and propose improvements for integration in sustainability science by addressing the need for common frameworks and improved contextual understanding. These insights may be useful for capacity-building for interdisciplinary projects that address complex real-world social and environmental problems.     

Application of water quality indices and analysis of the surface water quality monitoring network in semiarid North-Central Chile

Surface water quality has increasing importance worldwide and is particularly relevant in the semiarid North-Central Chile, where agriculture and mining activities are imposing heavy pressure on limited water resources. The current study presents the application of a water quality index in four watersheds of the 29°-33°S realm for the period 1999-2008, based on the Canadian Council of Ministers for the Environment approach and the Chilean regulation for irrigation water quality. In addition, two modifications to the index are tested and a comprehensive characterization of the existing monitoring network is performed through cluster analysis. The basins studied show fairly good water quality in the overall, specially the Limarí basin. On the other hand, the lower index values were obtained for the headwaters of Elqui, associated with the El Indio mining district. The first modification of the indicator (i.e., to consider parameters differentially according to their effect on human health or the environment) did not produce major differences with respect to the original index, given the generally good water quality. The second modification (i.e., to consider as threshold values the more restrictive figures derived from a set of regulations) yielded important differences in the indicator values. Finally, an adequate characterization of the monitoring network was obtained. The results presented spatial coherence and the information can be used as a basis for the optimization of the monitoring network if required.     

Detrimental effects of the isopod, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Edotia doellojuradoi,</Emphasis> on gill morphology and host condition of the mussel, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus edulis platensis</Emphasis>

There are many reported associations between mussels and other invertebrates, such as pea crabs, polychaetes, turbellarians and copepods, which live in their mantle cavities. The boundary between commensalism and parasitism is often indistinguishable because of insufficient knowledge or because the interaction is variable. Preliminary evidence led to a closer examination of the relationship between the mussel, Mytilus edulis platensis, and an isopod, Edotia doellojuradoi, previously described as commensalism. Monthly intertidal samples of mussels were taken from September 2004 to August 2005 at Caleta Cordova Norte (45°43′S, 67°22′W) in southern Argentina and assessed for the prevalence and abundance levels of isopods. Mussels with and without isopods were measured, examined for evidence of gill damage and their condition (soft tissue dry weight) was determined. The overall isopod prevalence in mussels was 57.9% and infestation varied with mussel length, with maximum occurence at 30.2 mm (medium-sized mussels). Experimental evidence indicated that the position of the isopod inside the mussel depended on the feeding activity of the mussel. Female isopods were observed grasping the ventral food groove of the gill demibranchs and feeding on the mucous food strand produced by the mussel. Juveniles and males were observed clustered together on the dorsal side of the single female in each occupied mussel, suggesting extended maternal care. Gill damage was observed in 58.2% of mussels at the Argentine site and was significantly associated with isopod occurrence. Categorical regression analysis showed that the most important factor associated with the degree of gill lesions was the number of male and juvenile isopods per mussel, followed by the length of female isopods and the developmental stage of juveniles. Conversely, the degree of gill damage decreased with increasing mussel length. Overall, E. doellojuradoi had a significant effect on mussel condition throughout the year, with low flesh weight in mussels with isopods, except during the austral summer and early autumn. In contrast to previous studies, which concluded that the isopod was a commensal, the present study clearly demonstrates that E. doellojuradoi is a parasite of M. edulis platensis. Other symbiotic interactions formerly classified as commensal might not be innocuous on further investigation, especially if samples are taken at multiple sites and at different times of the year.     

Monitoring anthropogenic sewage pollution on mangrove creeks in southern Mozambique: a test of Palaemon concinnus Dana, 1852 (Palaemonidae) as a biological indicator

Tropical coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, have a great ecological and socioeconomic importance for adjacent systems and local populations, but intensive environmental impact monitoring is still lacking, mainly in East Africa. This study evaluated the potential anthropogenic disturbance on Palaemon concinnus population structure and fitness. Palaemon concinnus populations from one peri-urban (domestic sewage impacted) and two pristine mangrove creeks were studied by sampling nearly 100 shrimps per location every 15 days for 12 months. The shrimps at the peri-urban location were larger, experienced longer reproductive periods, presented higher proportion of ovigerous females and better embryo quality when compared with shrimps inhabiting pristine locations. Physiological indices (RNA/DNA ratio) were similar between shrimps at pristine and peri-urban mangroves. However, a higher level of parasitation by a Bopyridae isopod, Pseudione elongata indicated some degree of stress on the host at the peri-urban mangrove, with potential effects on the host population dynamics.     

Modelling phytoremediation by the hyperaccumulating fern, Pteris vittata, of soils historically contaminated with arsenic

Pteris vittata plants were grown on twenty-one UK soils contaminated with arsenic (As) from a wide range of natural and anthropogenic sources. Arsenic concentration was measured in fern fronds, soil and soil pore water collected with Rhizon samplers. Isotopically exchangeable soil arsenate was determined by equilibration with ⁷³As^V. Removal of As from the 21 soils by three sequential crops of P. vittata ranged between 0.1 and 13% of total soil As. Ferns grown on a soil subjected to long-term sewage sludge application showed reduced uptake of As because of high available phosphate concentrations. A combined solubility-uptake model was parameterised to enable prediction of phytoremediation success from estimates of soil As, ‘As-lability’ and soil pH. The model was used to demonstrate the remediation potential of P. vittata under different soil conditions and with contrasting assumptions regarding re-supply of the labile As pool from unavailable forms.