Amylose Modified Starches as Superabsorbent Systems for Release of Potassium Fertilizers

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - High-amylose maize starch (AS) was modified by graft copolymerization with sodium acid maleate and disodium maleate, using the KMnO4-NaHSO3 redox system,...     

Effect of the mixing ratio on the composting of OFMSW digestate: assessment of compost quality

This study presents the results obtained in compostability tests of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) digestate. The final aim was to obtain mature compost without phytotoxic effects. For the evaluation of the composting process, a novel parameter describing the performance of the composting process, the relative heat generation standardized with the initial volatile solid content (RHGVS₀), was defined and evaluated at laboratory-scale. From these laboratory-scale test, the optimum operational conditions were obtained, a mixing ratio (v/v) of 1:1:0 (bulking agent:digestate:co-substrate) and with 15% of mature compost as inoculum. Subsequently, these optimum operational conditions were applied in the active phase of the composting pilot-scale reactor. The active composting stage took 7 days, subsequently a curing phase of 60 days was carried out at ambient conditions. After 30 days of curing, the mature compost showed a specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of 0.14 mg O₂/g VS·h, a germination index (GI) of 99.63% and a low volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration (41.3 AcH mg/kg_dm), being indicative of the good compost stability and maturity of the compost. The very good quality of the final compost obtained indicated that the RHGVS₀ accurately describes the performance of the composting process.

     

Short-term natural weathering of MSWI bottom ash as a function of particle size

The chemical and material composition of MSWI bottom ash depends on the particle size; this suggests that the mechanisms and kinetics of natural weathering are also a function of particle size. This paper reports the effects of short-term natural weathering on the leaching of heavy metals (mainly Pb, Cu and Zn) from MSWI bottom ash. Initial concentrations of heavy metals were higher for the smallest particle size fractions, but these levels fell dramatically during the first 50 days of weathering before levelling off. The main differences between size fractions were in the pH and the solubility of calcium and aluminium. For the initial stages of weathering and small size fractions, portlandite solubility seemed to control the pH. In contrast, for fractions bigger than 6 mm, the formation of ettringite was the reaction controlling the pH and the solubility of sulphates, aluminium and calcium.     

Concentration of arsenic in water, sediments and fish species from naturally contaminated rivers

Arsenic (As) may occur in surface freshwater ecosystems as a consequence of both natural contamination and anthropogenic activities. In this paper, As concentrations in muscle samples of 10 fish species, sediments and surface water from three naturally contaminated rivers in a central region of Argentina are reported. The study area is one of the largest regions in the world with high As concentrations in groundwater. However, information of As in freshwater ecosystems and associated biota is scarce. An extensive spatial variability of As concentrations in water and sediments of sampled ecosystems was observed. Geochemical indices indicated that sediments ranged from mostly unpolluted to strongly polluted. The concentration of As in sediments averaged 6.58 μg/g ranging from 0.23 to 59.53 μg/g. Arsenic in sediments barely followed (r = 0.361; p = 0.118) the level of contamination of water. All rivers showed high concentrations of As in surface waters, ranging from 55 to 195 μg/L. The average concentration of As in fish was 1.76 μg/g. The level of contamination with As differed significantly between species. Moreover, the level of bioaccumulation of As in fish species related to the concentration of As in water and sediments also differed between species. Whilst some fish species seemed to be able to regulate the uptake of this metalloid, the concentration of As in the large catfish Rhamdia quelen mostly followed the concentration of As in abiotic compartments. The erratic pattern of As concentrations in fish and sediments regardless of the invariable high levels in surface waters suggests the existence of complex biogeochemical processes behind the distribution patterns of As in these naturally contaminated ecosystems.     

Plant diversity partitioning in Mediterranean croplands: effects of farming intensity, field edge, and landscape context

Farmland biodiversity is affected by factors acting at various spatial scales. However, most studies to date have focused on the field or farm scales that only account for local (alpha) diversity, and these may underestimate the contribution of other diversity components (beta diversity) to total (gamma) farmland diversity. In this work, we aimed to identify the most suitable management options and the scale at which they should be implemented to maximize benefits for diversity. We used a multi-scale additive partitioning approach, with data on plant diversity from 640 plots in 32 cereal crop fields from three agricultural regions of central Spain that differed in landscape configuration. We analyzed the relative contribution to overall plant diversity of different diversity components at various spatial scales and how these diversity components responded to a set of local (application of agri-environment schemes [AES] and position within the field) and landscape (field size and landscape connectivity and composition) factors. Differences in species composition among regions and then among fields within regions contributed most to overall plant diversity. Positive edge effects were found on all diversity components at both the field- and regional scales, whereas application of AES benefited all diversity components only at the field scale. Landscape factors had strong influences on plant diversity, especially length of seminatural boundaries, which increased species richness at both the field and the regional scales. In addition, positive effects of percentage of nonproductive land-uses in the landscape were found on all diversity components at the regional scale. Results showed that components that contributed most to overall plant diversity were not benefited by current AES. We conclude that agri-environmental policies should incorporate and prioritize measures aimed at the maintenance of seminatural boundaries and patches of nonproductive habitats within agricultural landscapes, through landscape planning, cross-compliance, or high nature-value farmland programs. These options will help to conserve overall plant diversity at regional scales, as well as the spillover of plant species from such seminatural elements into crops, especially in Mediterranean areas that still harbor extensive farming and relatively complex landscapes.     

Fine-scale distribution of juvenile Atlantic and Mediterranean loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea

Loggerhead turtles nesting in the Mediterranean Sea exhibit remarkable genetic structuring. This paper tests the hypothesis that young loggerhead turtles from different rookeries do not distribute homogeneously among the major Mediterranean foraging grounds, due to a complex pattern of surface currents. We extracted long fragments of mitochondrial DNA from 275 stranded or bycaught juvenile turtles from six foraging grounds (Catalano-Balearic Sea, Algerian basin, Tyrrhenian Sea, Adriatic Sea, northern Ionian Sea and southern Levantine Sea). We used a Bayesian mixed-stock analysis to estimate the contributions from rookeries in the Mediterranean, the North-west Atlantic and Cape Verde to the studied foraging grounds. Differences were found in the relative contribution of juvenile turtles of Atlantic and Mediterranean origin to each foraging ground. A decreasing proportion of Atlantic juveniles was detected along the main surface current entering the Mediterranean, with a high prevalence of turtles from eastern Florida in the Algerian basin and lower numbers elsewhere. In regard to the turtles of Mediterranean origin, juveniles from Libya prevailed in central and western Mediterranean foraging grounds other than the Algerian basin. Conversely, the Adriatic Sea was characterised by a large presence of individuals from western Greece, while the southern Levantine Sea was inhabited by a heterogeneous mix of turtles from the eastern Mediterranean rookeries (Turkey, Lebanon and Israel). Overall, the distribution of juveniles may be related to surface circulation patterns in the Mediterranean and suggests that fisheries might have differential effects on each population depending on the overlap degree between foraging and fishing grounds.     

Mobility of atrazine from alginate-bentonite controlled release formulations in layered soil

The mobility of atrazine [6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] from alginate-bentonite-based controlled release (CR) formulations was investigated by using soil columns. Two CR formulations based on sodium alginate (14.0 g kg(-1), atrazine (6.0 g kg(-1), natural or acid-treated bentonite (50 g kg(-1), and water (924 g kg(-1) were compared to technical grade product and commercial liquid (CL) formulation (Gesaprim 500FW). All herbicide treatments were applied to duplicate layered bed systems simulating the typical arrangement under a plastic greenhouse, which is composed of sand (10 cm), peat (2 cm), amended soil (20 cm) and native soil (20 cm). The columns were leached with 39 cm (1500 ml) and 156 cm (6000 ml) of 0.02 M CaCl2 solution to evaluate the effect of water volume applied on herbicide movement. When 39 cm of 0.02 M CaCl2 solution was applied, there was no presence of herbicide in the leachate for the alginate-bentonite CR treatments. However, 0.11% and 0.14% of atrazine appeared in the leachate when the treatment was carried out with technical grade and CL formulations, respectively. When 156 cm of 0.02 M CaCl2 solution was applied, the use of the alginate-acid treated bentonite CR formulation retards and reduces the presence of atrazine in the leachate as compared to technical product. Analysis of the soil columns showed the highest atrazine concentration in the peat layer. Alginate-bentonite CR formulations might be an efficient system for reducing atrazine leaching in layered soil and thus, it could reduce the risks of pollution of groundwater.     

Corporations,Consumerism and Culpability: Sustainability in the British Press

Sustainability and sustainable development are prominent themes in international policy-making, corporate PR, news-media and academic scholarship. Its definitions are contested, however sustainability is associated with a three-pillar focus on economic development, environmental conservation and social justice, most recently espoused in the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. In spite of its common usage, there is little research about how sustainability is represented and refracted in public discourse in different national contexts. We examine British national press coverage of sustainability and sustainable development in 2015 in a cross-market sample of national newspapers. Our findings show that key international policy events and environmental and social justice frames are peripheral, while neoliberalism and neoliberal environmentalism vis-à-vis the promotion of technocratic solutions, corporate social responsibility and “sustainable” consumerism are the predominant frames through which the British news-media reports sustainability. This holds regardless of newspaper quality and ideological orientation.     

Follow-up trends of parasite community alteration in a marine fish after the Prestige oil-spill: shifting baselines?

This study evaluates the follow-up trends in the composition and structure of the parasite communities in the marine sparid Boops boops after the Prestige oil-spill. A total of 400 fish comprising 11 seasonal samples was analyzed from three impacted localities on the Atlantic coast of Spain. A large number of parasite species was recovered only after the spill thus suggesting a substantial alteration of the marine food webs. Post-spill communities exhibited higher richness and abundance due to the significant changes in the abundance of the common species, the latter indicating accelerated parasite transmission rates. Multivariate analyses at two nested scales detected a directional trend in parasite community succession towards the pre-spill situation, however, with no full support for community recovery. The state of parasite communities in 2005-2006 may provide the new baseline data which can serve as a framework for quantifying the impact of potential future spills in the region.     

Use of the terrestrial moss Pseudoscleropodium purum to detect sources of small scale contamination by PAHs

Here we present a simple, economic method of identifying sources of small scale contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The method involves determining the concentrations of the contaminants in the terrestrial moss Pseudoscleropodium purum and consists of the following steps: i) testing for the existence of gradients of decreasing concentrations of PAHs in the moss in relation to distance from different emission sources; ii) measurement of the concentration of PAHs at 35 pairs of sampling sites, each separated by a distance of 1 km; iii) study of the distribution of the differences in concentration between these pairs of sampling sites and elimination of extreme values (affected by small scale sources of contamination); iv) characterization of normal distributions to determine the probability of the data being thus distributed; and v) testing the method in the surroundings of possible sources of small scale contamination by PAHs. The decrease in concentration of all of the compounds followed a steep gradient with increasing distance from the emission source; after elimination of the outliers, the distribution of the differences in concentration between the 35 pairs of sampling sites was normal for all compounds, except benzo(a)pyrene. Application of the method to 15 different types of industries provided satisfactory results and the method proved to be a very useful tool for monitoring and evaluating air quality.