Correction to: Characterization of a fatty acid-binding protein from the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas): pharmaceutical and toxicological implications

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13135-x     

Effects of compost biocovers on gas flow and methane oxidation in a landfill cover

Previous publications described the performance of biocovers constructed with a compost layer placed on select areas of a landfill surface characterized by high emissions from March 2004 to April 2005. The biocovers reduced CH₄ emissions 10-fold by hydration of underlying clay soils, thus reducing the overall amount of CH₄ entering them from below, and by oxidation of a greater portion of that CH₄. This paper examines in detail the field observations made on a control cell and a biocover cell from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005. Field observations were coupled to a numerical model to contrast the transport and attenuation of CH₄ emissions from these two cells. The model partitioned the biocover’s attenuation of CH₄ emission into blockage of landfill gas flow from the underlying waste and from biological oxidation of CH₄. Model inputs were daily water content and temperature collected at different depths using thermocouples and calibrated TDR probes. Simulations of CH₄ transport through the two soil columns depicted lower CH₄ emissions from the biocover relative to the control. Simulated CH₄ emissions averaged 0.0 g m^?2 d^?1 in the biocover and 10.25 g m^?2 d^?1 in the control, while measured values averaged 0.04 g m^?2 d^?1 in the biocover and 14 g m^?2 d^?1 in the control. The simulated influx of CH₄ into the biocover (2.7 g m^?2 d^?1) was lower than the simulated value passing into the control cell (29.4 g m^?2 d^?1), confirming that lower emissions from the biocover were caused by blockage of the gas stream. The simulated average rate of biological oxidation predicted by the model was 19.2 g m^?2 d^?1 for the control cell as compared to 2.7 g m^?2 d^?1 biocover. Even though its V_max was significantly greater, the biocover oxidized less CH₄ than the control cell because less CH₄ was supplied to it.     

Examining Source-Receptor Relationships for Mercury in Scandinavia Modelled and Empirical Evidence

The atmosphere remains the major source of mercuryin Swedish ecosystems. Since the late eighties,atmospheric emissions of mercury have drasticallydecreased in Europe. Wet deposition of mercury hasdecreased over the last decade but still exhibitsa clear south-to-north gradient, greatlyinfluenced by source areas in northern and centralEurope. The decreases in emissions can beattributed to both direct measures to close knownpoint sources and a declining economy and energyconsumption in many East European countries.Further reductions of mercury emissions willrequire that other source categories such asindirect emissions from mercury-containingproducts and crematories are be considered.     

Sustainable soil remediation by refrigerated condensation at sites with “high‐concentration” recalcitrant compounds and NAPL: Two case studies

Remediation of recalcitrant compounds at sites with high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or nonaqueous‐phase liquids (NAPLs) can present significant technical and financial (long‐term) risk for stakeholders. Until recently, however, sustainability has not been included as a significant factor to be considered in the feasibility and risk evaluation for remediation technologies. The authors present a framework for which sustainability can be incorporated into the remediation selection criteria focusing specifically on off‐gas treatment selection for soil vapor extraction (SVE) remediation technology. SVE is generally considered an old and standard approach to in situ remediation of soils at a contaminated site. The focus on off‐gas treatment technology selection in this article allows for more in‐depth analysis of the feasibility evaluation process and how sustainable practices might influence the process. SVE is more commonly employed for recovery of VOCs from soils than other technologies and generally employs granular activated carbon (GAC), catalytic, or thermal oxidation, or an emerging alternative technology known as cryogenic‐compression and condensation combined with regenerative adsorption (C3–Technology). Of particular challenge to the off‐gas treatment selection process is the potential variety of chemical constituents and concentrations changing over time. Guidance is available regarding selection of off‐gas treatment technology (Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence, 1996; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). However, there are common shortcomings of off‐gas treatment technology guidance and applications; practitioners have rarely considered sustainability and environmental impact of off‐gas treatment technology selection. This evaluation includes consideration of environmental sustainability in the selection of off‐gas treatment technologies and a region‐specific (Los Angeles, California) cost per pound and time of remediation comparisons between GAC, thermal oxidation, and C3–Technology. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Improved soil carbonate determination by FT-IR and X-ray analysis

In forest soils on calcareous parent material, carbonate is a key component that influences both chemical and physical soil properties and thus fertility and productivity. At low organic carbon contents, it is difficult to distinguish between organic and inorganic carbon, e.g. carbonates, in soils. The common gas-volumetric method to determine carbonate has a number of disadvantages. We hypothesize that a combination of two spectroscopic methods, which account for different forms of carbonate, can be used to model soil carbonate in our region. Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy was combined with X-ray diffraction to develop a model based on partial least squares regression. Results of the gas-volumetric Scheibler method were corrected for the calcite/dolomite ratio. The best model performance was achieved when we combined the two analytical methods using four principal components. The root mean squared error of prediction decreased from 13.07 to 11.57, while full cross-validation explained 94.5 % of the variance of the carbonate content. This is the first time that a combination of the proposed methods has been used to predict carbonate in forest soils, offering a simple method to precisely estimate soil carbonate contents while increasing accuracy in comparison with spectroscopic approaches proposed earlier. This approach has the potential to complement or substitute gas-volumetric methods, specifically in study areas with low soil heterogeneity and similar parent material or in long-term monitoring by consecutive sampling.     

Crop Biotechnology for the Environment?

In public debates, agricultural biotechnology is almost invariably discussed as a potential threat to the environment and to human health. Without downplaying the risks associated with this technology we emphasize that if properly regulated, it can be a forceful tool to solve environmental problems and promote human health. Agricultural biotechnology can reduce environmental problems in at least three ways: it can diminish the need for environmentally damaging agricultural practices such as pesticides, fertilizers, tillage, and irrigation. It can reduce the land area needed for agriculture, thus reducing the CO₂ effect of agriculture and improving biodiversity. It can produce energy in a CO₂-neutral way (especially if new technologies involving the cultivation of microalgae become successful). Furthermore, agricultural biotechnology can have positive effects on human health by decreasing occupational and dietary exposure to pesticides, improving the nutritional value of food, and producing pharmaceuticals more efficiently. We argue that those who wish to give high priority to environmental goals cannot afford any longer to be mere onlookers while others decide the future directions of agricultural biotechnology.     

Risk and vulnerability analysis: A feasible process for local climate adaptation in Sweden?

Climate change is an important new challenge for local authorities. This study analyses the potential for using the Swedish mandatory process for risk and vulnerability analysis (RVA) as a vehicle to improve local climate adaptation work. An advantage with RVA is its comprehensive approach in dealing with all relevant threats and all vital functions of society. In order to test the applicability of incorporating climate adaptation into RVA, we studied practical experiences from three Swedish municipalities. In all municipalities, a pre-study to identify relevant climate-induced events was performed. In one municipality, this was followed by a more detailed analysis of the potential impacts of these events on the functions of the various administrations and companies within the local authority. Problems identified in successful integration of climate change into the municipal RVA process were lack of sufficient knowledge to identify the impacts of climate change on the level of the respective specialist or district administration and lack of resources to perform the analysis. There were also some difficulties in including a long-term perspective relevant for climate adaptation into RVA, which usually focuses on current threats. A positive outcome was that work on extreme climate events in RVA provided a traceable method to identify events with a potentially great impact on the function of local society and results that could be fed into other ongoing processes, such as spatial planning and housing plans.     

Water quality dynamics and hydrology in nitrate loaded riparian zones in the Netherlands

Riparian zones are known to function as buffers, reducing non-point source pollution from agricultural land to streams. In the Netherlands, riparian zones are subject to high nitrogen inputs. We combined hydrological, chemical and soil profile data with groundwater modelling to evaluate whether chronically N loaded riparian zones were still mitigating diffuse nitrate fluxes. Hydraulic parameters and water quality were monitored over 2 years in 50 piezometres in a forested and grassland riparian zone. Average nitrate loadings were high in the forested zone with 87 g NO(3)(-)-N m(-2) y(-1) and significantly lower in the grassland zone with 15 g NO(3)(-)-N m(-2) y(-1). Groundwater from a second aquifer diluted the nitrate loaded agricultural runoff. Biological N removal however occurred in both riparian zones, the grassland zone removed about 63% of the incoming nitrate load, whereas in the forested zone clear symptoms of saturation were visible and only 38% of the nitrate load was removed.