Multilingual education of students on a global scale and perspective—international networking on the example of bioindication and biomonitoring (B&B technologies)

Living or formerly living organisms are being used to obtain information on the quality of the general health status of our environment by bioindication and biomonitoring methods for many decades. Thus, different roads toward this common scientific goal were developed by a lot of different international research groups. Global cooperation in between various scientific teams throughout the world has produced common ideas, scientific definitions, and highly innovative results of this extremely attractive working field. The transdisciplinary approach of different and multifaceted scientific areas—starting from biology, analytical chemistry, via health physics, up to social and economic issues—have surpassed mental barriers of individual scientists, so that “production” of straightforward common results related to the influence of material and immaterial environmental factors to the well-being of organisms and human life has now reached the forefront of international thinking. For the further sustainable development of our common scientific “hobby” of bioindication and biomonitoring, highest personal energy has to be given by us, being teachers to our students and to convince strategically decision makers as politicians to invest (financially) into the development of education and research of this innovative technique. Young people have to be intensively convinced on the “meaning” of our scientific doing, e.g., by extended forms of education. One example of multilingual education of students on a global scale and perspective is given here, which we started about 3 years ago.     

Assessment of decadal changes in sediment contamination in a large connecting channel (Detroit River,North America)

Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn) and organic contaminants (PCBs, PAHs) were investigated in samples from the Detroit River (Great Lakes, North America) in 1999 and 2008/09 collected using a stratified random sampling design. Getis–Ord geospatial analysis was used to further establish locations of areas demonstrating significantly high and low contaminant concentrations in the river. Based on the stratified random sampling design, a majority of the examined metals and organic contaminants demonstrated little or no trends with respect to regional sediment concentrations and river-wide mass balances over the investigated time interval. The Getis–Ord analysis revealed local scales of contaminated and clean areas which did not conform to the original strata used in the geostatistical sampling design. It is suggested that geospatial analyses such as Getis–Ord be used in the design of future sediment quality surveys to refine locations of strata that can simultaneously address sediment recovery over system-wide, regional and local spatial scales.     

Fluoride pollution of atmospheric precipitation and its relationship with air circulation and weather patterns (Wielkopolski National Park, Poland)

A 2-year study (2010–2011) of fluorides in atmospheric precipitation in the open area and in throughfall in Wielkopolski National Park (west-central Poland) showed their high concentrations, reaching a maximum value of 2 mg/l under the tree crowns. These high values indicate substantial deposition of up to 52 mg/m²/year. In 2011, over 51 % of open area precipitation was characterized by fluoride concentration higher than 0.10 mg/l, and in throughfall such concentrations were found in more than 86 % of events. In 2010, a strong connection was evident between fluoride and acid-forming ions, and in 2011, a correlation between phosphate and nitrite ions was seen. Analysis of available data on F^? concentrations in the air did not show an unequivocal effect on F^? concentrations in precipitation. To find reasons for and source areas of high fluoride pollution, the cases of extreme fluoride concentration in rainwater were related to atmospheric circulation and weather patterns. Weather conditions on days of extreme pollution were determined by movement of weather fronts over western Poland, or by small cyclonic centers with meteorological fronts. Macroscale air advection over the sampling site originated in the western quadrant (NW, W, and SW), particularly in the middle layers of the troposphere (2,500–5,000 m a.s.l.). Such directions indicate western Poland and Germany as possible sources of the pollution. At the same time in the lower troposphere, air inflow was frequently from the north, showing short distance transport from local emitters, and from the agglomeration of Poznań.     

Behavior of fluopyram and tebuconazole and some selected pesticides in ripe apples and consumer exposure assessment in the applied crop protection framework

The supervised field trials were conducted in a commercial apple orchard in 2016. The trials were an attempt to determine a model for dissipation and toxicological evaluation of fluopyram, tebuconazole, captan, tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI), pirimicarb, spirodiclofen, and boscalid residues detected in fruit of Red Jonaprince, Lobo, and Gala varieties immediately before harvest. The analysis also covered amounts of pesticides still present in remnants of calyx in Lobo and Gala varieties immediately before harvest. Laboratory samples of ripe apples were collected within 14 days of the treatment. Levels of pesticide residues detected in the samples changed at a constant exponential rate, and the residue levels found in ripe apples of Red Jonaprince, Gala, and Lobo varieties immediately before harvest were below maximum residue levels (MRL). Overall, captan residues in remnants of calyx were at a level of 22.3% for the Gala variety and 9.3% for the Lobo variety. Likewise, the long-term daily intake of the detected substances by a Polish adult consumer was low, ranging from 0.02% ADI for pirimicarb to 0.72% ADI for captan.     

Degradation of hop bitter acids by fungi

Nine fungal strains related to: Trametes versicolor, Nigrospora oryzae, Inonotus radiatus, Crumenulopsis sororia, Coryneum betulinum, Cryptosporiopsis radicicola, Fusarium equiseti, Rhodotorula glutinis and Candida parapsilosis were tested for their ability to degrade humulones and lupulones. The best results were obtained for T. versicolor culture, in which humulones and lupulones were fully degraded after 4days of incubation in the dark or after 36h in the light. The experiments were performed on a commercial hop extract and on sterilized spent hops.     

Microbially mediated cadmium sorption/desorption processes in soil amended with sewage sludge

A multi-compartment system was used to study the importance of microorganisms for Cd desorption from soil amended with sewage sludge and simultaneous resorption of the mobilized metal by soil constituents. Using this system made it possible to study the participation of microorganisms (Arthrobacter, Trichoderma), montmorillonite, humic acids, and iron oxides in resorption of the released Cd. A filter-sterilized water extract of root-free soil of pH 6.7 (RF) or RF supplemented with glucose (RFG) were used to mobilize Cd from soil at 14 degrees C in 48 h. Cadmium found in those extracts after 48-h incubation was recognized as bioavailable. Changes in pH values and enrichment of soil extracts with organic acids and siderophores resulted from microbial growth. RFG with lower pH and a higher content of ligands mobilized, on average, 40% of Cd introduced with sewage sludge amended soil, whereas RF mobilized only 20% of it. Sequential extractions of Cd at time 0 and Cd remaining in soil showed that RFG had mobilized Cd mostly from the fraction bound with Fe and Mn oxides. Microbial biomass accounted for only up to 3.4% (w/w) of the soil constituents used in the experiments but resorbed 25% of mobilized Cd. The chemical composition of mobilizing soil extracts and the solid-to-mobilizing-extracts volume ratio had a significant effect on the amount of bioavailable Cd. The results of the study suggest that microbial metabolites were involved in Cd mobilization, while the biomass of microorganisms was involved in Cd resorption as a biosorbent.     

Acute toxicity and genotoxicity of five selected anionic and nonionic surfactants

The results of four toxicity bioassays of selected anionic and nonionic surface active agents were presented. Three widely used anionic surfactants that belong to alkyl sulphates (AS), alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) and alkylpolyoxyethylene sulphates (AES) as well as nonionic surfactants: polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers (AE) and polyoxylethylene alkylphenyl ethers (APE) were tested. Three different toxicity assays to aquatic organisms: Physa acuta Draparnaud, Artemia salina and Raphidocelis subcapitata were applied. Additionally, the genotoxicity test with Bacillus subtilis M45 Rec- and H17 Rec+ strains was performed. The obtained results showed that none of the surfactants studied was genotoxic at the concentration 1000 mg l(-1). On the basis of toxicity tests to aquatic organisms all tested anionic surfactants were harmful (LC50 between 10 and 100 mg l(-1)), whereas nonionic ones were toxic (LC50 between 1 and 10 mg l(-1)) or even highly toxic (LC50 below 1 mg l(-1)). Moreover, the bigger was the molecular weight of the tested compound, the higher toxicity was observed.     

Ammoniacal leaching and recovery of copper from alloyed low-grade e-waste

The paper concerns a hydrometallurgical method for selective recovery of copper from low-grade electric and electronic wastes. The following consecutive stages were proposed: smelting of the scraps to produce Cu–Zn–Ag alloy, leaching of the alloy in ammoniacal solution, and selective copper electrowinning. Cu–Zn–Ag alloy was a polymetallic and five-phase system. It was leached in chloride, carbonate, sulfate and thiosulfate solutions. This resulted in the separation of the metals, wherein metallic tin and silver as well as lead salts remained in the slimes, while copper and zinc were transferred to the electrolyte. Copper was selectively recovered from the ammoniacal solutions by the electrolysis, leaving zinc ions in the electrolyte. The best conditions of the alloy treatment were obtained in the ammonia–carbonate system, where the final product was copper of high purity (99.9 %) at the current efficiency of 60 %. Thiosulfate solution was not applicable for the leaching of the copper alloy due to secondary reactions of the formation of copper(I) thiosulfate complexes and precipitation of copper(I) sulfide, both inhibiting dissolution of the metallic material.