High-capacity adsorbents from stainless steel slag for the control of dye pollutants in water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Adsorbent materials for the control of dye pollutants in water were synthetized from stainless steel slag (SSS) using different acid-base treatments....     

Nitrated monoaromatic hydrocarbons (nitrophenols,nitrocatechols, nitrosalicylic acids) in ambient air: levels,mass size distributions and inhalation bioaccessibility

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrated monoaromatic hydrocarbons (NMAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment and an important part of atmospheric humic-like substances (HULIS) and...     

Antifungal efficacy of some natural phenolic compounds against significant pathogenic and toxinogenic filamentous fungi

In terms of food safety, species of the Fusarium, Aspergillus and Penicillium genera are considered the most significant because they produce the great majority of known mycotoxins. Developing resistance against commonly used fungicides have become a critical problem in area such as agriculture, the storage and production of food and even in human medicines. The need for research and development of new alternative antifungal treatment based on natural antifungal substances is obvious. Here, the antifungal efficacy of 21 phenolic components of essential oils and plant substances were tested against these filamentous fungi with respect to their different molecular structures. Minimum inhibitory concentration values MIC₅₀ and MIC₁₀₀ were successfully estimated for 15 substances by means of probit analysis. Thymol and carvacrol were evaluated as the most effective. The MIC₅₀ values for thymol ranged from 30 to 52 μg mL⁻¹. The MIC₁₀₀ values for thymol ranged from 76 to 255 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. For carvacrol, the MIC₅₀ values ranged from 37 to 76 μg mL⁻¹, and the MIC₁₀₀ ranged from 131 to 262 μg mL⁻¹. The results also revealed differences in the efficacy of phenols depending on molecular structures and different inter-species sensitivity.     

The effect of deoxynivalenol on the secretion activity,proliferation and apoptosis of porcine ovarian granulosa cells in vitro

The aim of this in vitro study was to examine the secretion activity, markers of proliferation and apoptosis in porcine ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) after deoxynivalenol (DON) addition. Ovarian granulosa cells were incubated with DON for 24h: 10, 100 and 1000 ng/mL, while the control group received no DON. The secretion of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF–I) and progesterone was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and expression of cyclin B1, PCNA and caspase-3 by immunocytochemistry. IGF–I release by GCs was inhibited by DON, while progesterone release and the expression of cyclin B1 was stimulated by DON (at 1000 ng/mL but not at 10 and 100 ng/mL). PCNA expression was stimulated by DON (at 100 and 1000 ng/mL but not at 10 ng/mL). Caspase-3 expression was not influenced by DON treatment (at all doses). In conclusion, our results indicate, (1) a direct effect of DON on secretion of growth factor IGF-I and steroid hormone progesterone, (2) expression of markers of proliferation (cyclin B1 and PCNA) but not on the (3) expression of marker of apoptosis (caspase-3) in porcine ovarian granulosa cells. This in vitro study suggests the dose-dependent association of DON on porcine ovarian functions.     

Prospects and limitations of phytoremediation for the removal of persistent pesticides in the environment

The environmental problems that have arisen from the use of persistent pesticides in the past, and potential sources of further contamination have been discussed. The potential and limitations of phytoremediation for removal of pesticides in the environment have been reviewed. The enzymatic processes in plants that are known to be involved in phytodegradation of pesticides, and possibilities for enhancing them have also been discussed.     

In situ Remediation of Metals Comes of Age

Since the early 1970s, technologies for remediating organic contamination in soils and groundwater have evolved through three stages with primary emphasis on (1) gross removal processes, (2) active in situ treatment, and (3) risk-based closure and natural attentuation. Technologies for treating metals contamination are evolving through similar stages. In the late 1990s, metals remediation has arrived at the second stage in which a wide range of in situ technologies are available either to extract metals directly from the subsurface or to render them immobile and harmless. In situ geochemical fixation is an example of a commercial technology capable of addressing a wide range of metals contamination sites. Four case histories demonstrate the versatility of this approach. Other promising technologies for treating metals contamination are also emerging. These include geokinetics, biocatalytic precipitation processes, phytoremediation, and artificial wetlands. As our knowledge continues to grow, the most elegant solutions to metals contamination will rely more and more heavily on the soil's natural capacity to stabilize and immobilize metals over time.     

A method to determine in situ zooplankton grazing rates on natural particle assemblages

In situ zooplankton grazing rates on natural particle assemblages were stimated by measuring zooplankton uptake of labelled autotrophic (with Na¹⁴CO₃) and heterotrophic (with [methyl-³H]-thymidine) particulate matter in 1-h incubations in clear, Plexiglas, Haney chambers. The in situ grazing rates are in the same range as those measured for zooplankton in the laboratory using standard particle counting techniques. A negative selection coefficient for ³H-labelled particles indicated a lower filtration efficiency or avoidance of these particles by zooplankton.     

Toxicity of emerging energetic soil contaminant CL-20 to potworm Enchytraeus crypticus in freshly amended or weathered and aged treatments

We investigated the toxicity of an emerging polynitramine energetic material hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) to the soil invertebrate species Enchytraeus crypticus by adapting then using the Enchytraeid Reproduction Test (ISO/16387:2003). Studies were designed to develop ecotoxicological benchmark values for ecological risk assessment of the potential impacts of accidental release of this compound into the environment. Tests were conducted in Sassafras Sandy Loam soil, which supports relatively high bioavailability of CL-20. Weathering and aging procedures for CL-20 amended into test soil were incorporated into the study design to produce toxicity data that better reflect soil exposure conditions in the field compared with the toxicity in freshly amended soils. Concentration-response relationships for measurement endpoints were determined using nonlinear regressions. Definitive tests showed that toxicities for E. crypticus adult survival and juvenile production were significantly increased in weathered and aged soil treatments compared with toxicity in freshly amended soil, based on 95% confidence intervals. The median effect concentration (EC50) and EC20 values for juvenile production were 0.3 and 0.1 mg kg-1, respectively, for CL-20 freshly amended into soil, and 0.1 and 0.035 mg kg-1, respectively, for weathered and aged CL-20 soil treatments. These findings of increased toxicity to E. crypticus in weathered and aged CL-20 soil treatments compared with exposures in freshly amended soils show that future investigations should include a weathering and aging component to generate toxicity data that provide more complete information on ecotoxicological effects of emerging energetic contaminants in soil.