Profile of trace elements in Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) from Tucholskie Forest

The aim of this study was to determine 19 elements contents and bioconcentration potential in fruiting bodies of Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) collected from the Tucholskie Forest complex in Poland. Also discussed were Cd, Pb and Hg contents of edible caps in relation to the current regulatory standards. K, P and Mg were particularly abundant in caps and stipes, median values were 38-49, 13, and 1.6-1.6 mg/g dry weight, and followed by Ca, Na and Rb at 110-540, 44-240 and 20-50 μg/g dw, respectively. Concentrations of Al, Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn were from less than 50 to 180 μg/g dw, while concentrations of other elements were ～l.0?μg/g dw or less. Cu, K, Ag, Cd, Na, Rb, Zn and Hg were bioconcentrated (BCF >1), while Al, Ba, Fe, Mn, Co, Sr, Pb and Cr were not bioaccumulated (BCF <1). Cd and Pb content of Parasol Mushroom's edible caps collected from some sites in the Tucholskie Forest exceed the maximum levels set in the EU for cultivated mushrooms.     

Personal monitoring of exposure to particulate matter with a high temporal resolution

Background

Continuous monitoring of air quality is implemented by government institutions at fixed ambient sites. However, the correlation between fixed site measurements and exposure of individual persons to air contaminants is likely to be weak.

Materials and methods

We measured particulate matter both outdoors and indoors by following the spatial movement of individuals. Sixteen test persons took part and carried a measurement backpack for a 24-h period. The backpack was comprised of a Grimm Aerosol Spectrometer model 1.109, a GPS device, and a video camera for tracking of human behavior. The spectrometer provided information about particle numbers and mass in 32-size classes with a high temporal resolution of 6 s.

Results

The personal exposure of individuals during 24 h could significantly exceed the outdoor particulate matter (PM)₁₀ concentrations measured at the fixed sites. The average 24-h exposure of all test persons for PM₁₀ varied from 27 to 322 ??g m^?3. Environmental tobacco smoke and cooking emissions were among the main indoor sources for PM. The amount of particulate matter a test person was exposed to was highly dependent on the spatial behavior and the surrounding microenvironment conditions.

Discussion

Large-scale experiments including personal measurements might help to improve modeling approaches to approximate the actual exposure on a statistically sound basis.     

CO₂ emission factors for waste incineration: Influence from source separation of recyclable materials

CO₂-loads from combustible waste are important inputs for national CO₂ inventories and life-cycle assessments (LCA). CO₂ emissions from waste incinerators are often expressed by emission factors in kg fossil CO₂ emitted per GJ energy content of the waste. Various studies have shown considerable variations between emission factors for different incinerators, but the background for these variations has not been thoroughly examined. One important reason may be variations in collection of recyclable materials as source separation alters the composition of the residual waste incinerated. The objective of this study was to quantify the importance of source separation for determination of emission factors for incineration of residual household waste. This was done by mimicking various source separation scenarios and based on waste composition data calculating resulting emission factors for residual waste routed to incineration. Emission factors ranged from 27 to 40 kg CO₂/GJ. The results appeared most sensitive towards variations in waste composition and water content. Recycling rates and lower heating values could not be used as simple indicators of the resulting emission factors for residual household waste; however the fossil carbon ratio of the waste after source separation was found to be appropriately correlated with the emission factor. Based on the results, it is recommended to carefully evaluate the source separation and collection systems behind reported literature values when comparing different studies and when using the values for environmental assessment purposes.     

Flood vulnerability and commercial activities: the case of the city of Girona, Spain

This paper is based on a case study of the city of Girona in Catalonia, Spain, and analyses the vulnerability of commercial establishments to floods caused by the Onyar River. A mapping and statistical approach (cluster analysis) was applied to the information obtained from 568 questionnaires answered by the shops and the workshops located in the flood risk area. The results obtained allowed the authors to determine five different flood vulnerability profiles of the commercial establishments analysed. These profiles paint a picture of little individual adaptation to the risk and the possibility of suffering, sooner or later, large economic losses due to overflowing of the Onyar River. The authors established a methodology for carrying out a detailed multidimensional analysis of the flood vulnerability of the city's commercial establishments in order to provide the foundations for local government policies and for strategies for shop owners to reduce flood vulnerability.     

A source classification framework supporting pollutant source mapping,pollutant release prediction,transport and load forecasting,and source control planning for urban environments

Purpose

Implementation of current European environmental legislation such as the Water Framework Directive requires access to comprehensive, well-structured pollutant source and release inventories. The aim of this work was to develop a Source Classification Framework (SCF) ideally suited for this purpose.

Methods

Existing source classification systems were examined by a multidisciplinary research team, and an optimised SCF was developed. The performance and usability of the SCF were tested using a selection of 25 chemicals listed as priority pollutants in Europe.

Results

The SCF is structured in the form of a relational database and incorporates both qualitative and quantitative source classification and release data. The system supports a wide range of pollution monitoring and management applications. The SCF functioned well in the performance test, which also revealed important gaps in priority pollutant release data.

Conclusions

The SCF provides a well-structured approach for European pollutant source and release classification and management. With further optimisation and demonstration testing, the SCF has the potential to be fully implemented throughout Europe.

     

Applicability of MIEX®DOC process for organics removal from NOM laden water

The aim of this study was to evaluate applicability of ion exchange process for organics removal from Douro River surface water at the intake of Lever water treatment plant using magnetized ion exchange resin MIEX®. Qualitative analysis of the natural organic matter present in the surface water and prediction of its amenability to removal in conventional coagulation process were assessed. Results obtained in MIEX®DOC process kinetic batch experiments allowed determination of ion exchange efficiency in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbing organics, and true color removal. The data were compared with the efficiencies of the conventional unit processes for organics removal at Lever WTP. MIEX®DOC process revealed to be more efficient in DOC removal than conventional treatment achieving the efficiencies in the range of 61–91 %, lowering disinfection by-products formation potential of the water. DOC removal efficiency at Lever WTP depends largely on the raw water quality and ranges from 28 % for water of moderated quality to 89 % of significantly deteriorated quality. In this work, MIEX®DOC process was also used as a reference method for the determination of contribution of anionic fraction to dissolved organic matter and selectivity of the unit processes at Lever WTP for its removal.     

Airborne Emissions of Mercury from Municipal Solid Waste. I: New Measurements from Six Operating Landfills in Florida

Abstract

Mercury-bearing material enters municipal landfills from a wide array of sources, including fluorescent lights, batteries, electrical switches, thermometers, and general waste; however, the fate of mercury (Hg) in landfills has not been widely studied. Using automated flux chambers and downwind atmospheric sampling, we quantified the primary pathways of Hg vapor releases to the atmosphere at six municipal landfill operations in Florida. These pathways included landfill gas (LFG) releases from active vent systems, passive emissions from landfill surface covers, and emissions from daily activities at each working face (WF). We spiked the WF at two sites with known Hg sources; these were readily detected downwind, and were used to test our emission modeling approaches. Gaseous elemental mercury (Hg⁰) was released to the atmosphere at readily detectable rates from all sources measured; rates ranged from ～1–10 ng m^?2 hr^?1 over aged landfill cover, from ～8–20 mg/hr from LFG flares (LFG included Hg⁰ at μg/m³ concentrations), and from ～200–400 mg/hr at the WF. These fluxes exceed our earlier published estimates. Attempts to identify specific Hg sources in excavated and sorted waste indicated few readily identifiable sources; because of effective mixing and diffusion of Hg⁰, the entire waste mass acts as a source. We estimate that atmospheric Hg releases from municipal landfill operations in the state of Florida are on the order of 10–50 kg/yr, substantially larger than our original estimates, but still a small fraction of current overall anthropogenic losses.     

Water Transformation in the Media of Biofilters Controlled by Rhodococcus fascians in Treating an Ethyl Acetate-Contaminated Airstream

Abstract

Biofilters do not provide much water for bacteria to grow. To use them efficiently and properly, it is essential to understand the kinetics of water transformation and to control moisture levels. This study aims to clarify whether the metabolism of microorganisms will improve the water-holding capacity of media or will intensify drying. This experiment was conducted in duplicate, that is, both with and without bacterial inoculation. Both the constant water content mode and the declining water content mode show that microbial growth in a log phase will enhance drying. In contrast, the bacteria growing in a logarithmic decline phase will improve water-holding capacity. Basically, water evaporation can result from the latent heat obtained from microbial respiration or from the physical temperature difference between the unsaturated air and the wet media. Two ways that biofilters can gain water are from water incorporated into bacteria cells and from water obtained from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).     

Temporal variability in 20 chemical elements content of Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) collected from two sites over a few years

Mature specimens of Parasol Mushroom were collected annually in the outskirts of the Siemiany (2000–2003) and Rafa (2001–2003) sites in the northern part of Poland to examine temporal variations and similarities in the composition of 20 chemical elements. Analysis was done under the same condition and using well-validated analytical methods. Elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy and cold vapour–atomic absorption spectroscopy (Hg). The ranges of Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sr and Zn concentrations in the caps of fruiting bodies were similar (p > 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test) for both geographically distant sites, and these specimens from Rafa were more contaminated with Pb (p < 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test). The annual collections of caps in the Siemiany site varied in Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Na, Rb and Sr and contents (0.05 < p < 0.001), while they were similar in Cr, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb and Zn (p > 0.05; Mann-Whitney U test). The annual collections of specimens from the Rafa site varied in contents of Ag, Al, Ba, Ca, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, P, Rb and Zn (p > 0.05), while they were similar in Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Na, Ni, Pb and Sr (p < 0.05). The results of this study imply that metallic elements content of Parasol Mushroom collected at the same undisrupted sites, and hence keeping the same geochemical condition for mushroom development and fructification (the same stands and probably the same mycelia), can fluctuate over the years or the life-span of mycelium. Hence, when assessing the nutritional value of essential metallic elements and status of non-essential or toxic metallic elements in Parasol's Mushroom caps (and probably also of other mushrooms species) to man, the possible fluctuation in contents over time have to be taken into account.