Occurrence of the carcinogenic Bracken constituent ptaquiloside in fronds,topsoils and organic soil layers in Denmark

Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) is a common fern found on all continents except Antarctica. It is under suspicion of causing cancer among people who utilizes it as food. The main carcinogenic compound is thought to be the water-soluble compound ptaquiloside. Ptaquiloside-uptake may occur not only through food, but also via drinking water as ptaquiloside might leach from plant material. The purpose of the study was to identify environmental parameters that correlate with the ptaquiloside-content in fronds, and to quantify the amount of ptaquiloside in the soil environment. The ptaquiloside-content in fronds, Oi/Oe-, and Oa/A-horizons was quantified at end of the growth season at 20 sites in Denmark. The fronds had ptaquiloside-contents between 108 and 3795 microgg(-1). The Oi/Oe-horizons had contents between 0.09 and 7.70 microgg(-1), while Oa/A-horizons had contents between 0.01 and 0.09 microgg(-1). The ptaquiloside-content in the standing biomass, which could be transferred to the soil by the end of the growing season, ranged between 10 and 260 mgm(-2), with nine sites having ptaquiloside loads over 100 mgm(-2). The carbon-content in the O-horizon, the precipitation, the amount of Bracken-litter, the turnover rate and the size of Bracken-stands determined the ptaquiloside-content in the soil materials while the content in fronds was found to be a function of the frond-height and the light-exposure in the ecosystem.     

Ferrioxalate-mediated photodegradation and mineralization of 4-Chlorophenol

INTENTION, GOAL, SCOPE, BACKGROUND: Advanced oxidation processes are powerful methods which are capable of transforming refractory, nonbiodegradable and/or toxic organic compounds into harmless end products such as carbon dioxide and water. However, one commen problem of all advanced oxidation processes is the high demand of electrical energy for ultraviolet lamps, which causes high operational costs. Minimization of the required irradiation time, and therefore the energy consumption, by optimization of other reaction conditions such as catalyst-oxidant type and concentration, pH, temperature, pollutant/oxidant ratio etc., therefore continues to gain importance. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was the minimization of the required irradiation time through optimization of the use of a newly patented catalyst, ferrioxalate, and also to compare the performance of this catalyst with the performance of other AOPs. METHODS: Oxidation of 4-chlorophenol by photo-Fenton process using potassium ferrioxalate as a mediator was studied in a lab scale photoreactor. The influence of parameters such as hydrogen peroxide and ferrioxalate concentrations, initial pH, power-output, oxalate/iron ratio and different iron sources was evaluated. An upflow photoreactor equipped with a 1000 Watt high-pressure mercury vapour lamp and operating in a recirculation mode was used during photodegradation experiments. The extent of the reduction of 4-chlorophenol, Total Organic Carbon and Chemical Oxygen Demand was used to evaluate the photodegradation reaction. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The optimum pH range observed was found to be 2.7-3. The efficiency of 4-chlorophenol oxidation increased with increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and ferrioxalate, reaching a plateau after the addition of 10 and 0.072 mM of those reagents, respectively. Using an Oxalate/iron ratio of 12 was 18% less efficient than using a ratio of 3:1. The efficiency increased with increasing radiation power. However, this increase was not linear. The UV/ferrioxalate/H2O2 process, by which complete mineralization of 100 mg l(-1) 4-chlorophenol was achieved in 20 min of total reaction time, was the most efficient process among the alternatives applied. CONCLUSIONS: The use of ferrioxalate as the catalyst was found to be more efficient than the use of Fe(II) and Fe(III) iron species. It was possible to completely mineralize 4-chlorophenol. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: The results of this study demonstrate that the ferrioxalate-mediated degradation of 4-chlorophenol requires less irradiation times than other advanced oxidation processes. There are mainly 19 phenol isomers and other toxic and nonbiodegradable organic compounds. We recommend that similar studies should be performed on many such compounds in order to attain a clear understanding of the performance of this catalyst. Because of its light sensitivity, this catalyst should be used immediately after its preparation. The use of low pressure mercury vapour lamps in this process should also be considered, since low power outputs may be enough for the process.     

Effect of arsenic and mercury speciation on inhibition of respiration rate in activated sludge systems

The inhibition effect of arsenite, As(III), arsenate, As(V), inorganic mercury, Hg(II) and methylmercury, MeHg, on the respiration rate of activated heterotrophic sludge microorganisms was evaluated. As(III) and MeHg were much more toxic to activated sludge than As(V) and Hg(II) respectively. The effect of various experimental parameters on the toxicity, such as sludge age, concentration of suspended solids and exposure time, was investigated. An increase of sludge age or the concentration of suspended solids reduces the observed inhibition. Longer exposure seems to dramatically increase the inhibition of As(III), MeHg and Hg(II) during the first hours of exposure, while the later inhibition increases at a slower rate. On the contrary, in the presence of As(V), 24 hours after exposure, the respiration rate was similar to that of the control biomass.     

International standardization of water analysis

The efficiency of a water treatment program or a water monitoring program can be checked only if it is accompanied by water analysis procedures allowing meaningful statements on water quality. Meaningful statements do not only include high accuracy, but high precision as well. With high precision values, good repeatability and reproducibility is aimed for. Repeatability and reproducibility may either be monitored by regular inter-laboratory trials, without prescribing a distinct analytical method, or by applying a standardized method which has undergone thorough checks concerning its reliability and efficiency. The article presents the structure of the ISO, CEN and DIN standardization work in water analysis.     

Strategies of maintaining the natural purification potential of rivers and lakes

Surface waters have a great impact on ecology and life of man. Because of their current use and exploitation, chemical and biological pollution, as well as physical changes of rivers and lakes are common. Natural self-purification potential helps to compensate harms to a certain degree. Proposals are given to detect restrictions of the purification potential in time as well as to support and to enhance the natural purification potential.     

Aromatic photonitration in homogeneous and heterogeneous aqueous systems

This work describes the nitration of aromatics upon near-UV photolysis of nitrate and nitrite in aqueous solution and upon photocatalytic oxidation of nitrite in TiO2 suspensions. Phenol is used in this work as a model aromatic molecule and as a probe for *NO2/N2O4. The photoinduced nitration of phenol in aqueous systems occurs upon the reaction between phenol and *NO2 or N2O4, and is enhanced by the photocatalytic oxidation of nitrite to *NO2 by TiO2. Aromatic photonitration in the liquid phase can play a relevant role in the formation of nitroaromatics in natural waters and atmospheric hydrometeors, thus being a potential pathway for the condensed-phase nitration of aromatics. Furthermore, the photoinduced oxidation of nitrite to nitrogen dioxide suggests a completely new role for nitrite in natural waters and atmospheric aerosols.     

Soot-water distribution coefficients for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins,polychlorinated dibenzofurans and polybrominated diphenylethers determined with the soot cosolvency-column method

For many types of hydrophobic compounds, sorption non-linearity and solid-water distributions in the field well above expectations from organic matter partitioning models have lead to the proposition that strong adsorption to soot surfaces may not be limited to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but may extend as a significant process for many aromatic compound classes. Here, the soot-water distribution coefficients (Ksc) were determined with the soot cosolvency-column method for homolog series of five polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), five polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and for two polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs). All compounds exhibited significantly stronger association with soot carbon than expected from estimates of their bulk organic-carbon normalized partition coefficients (Koc). The Ksc/Koc ratios (at aqueous concentrations of around 0.1-1 microg/l) were for PCDDs (up to tetrachlorination) 19-130 (median 25), for PCDFs (also up to tetrachlorination) 150-490 (median 300), and for both the tetra- and pentabrominated PBDEs a factor of 60. The particularly strong soot sorption for the PCDFs is of similar enhancement factors as previously elucidated for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Compound-class specific correlations between log Ksc and octanol-water partition coefficients (log Kow) were significant for both PCDDs and PCDFs (and with R2 > 98%). These may prove useful for anticipating variable fractions of dissolved exposures between different environmental regimes and putative remediation objects.