Environmental, land-use and economic implications of Brazilian sugarcane expansion 1996–2006

Governments are promoting biofuels and the resulting changes in land use and crop reallocation to biofuels production have raised concerns about impacts on environment and food security. The promotion of biofuels has also been questioned based on suggested marginal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, partly due to induced land use change causing greenhouse gas emissions. This study reports how the expansion of sugarcane in Brazil during 1996–2006 affected indicators for environment, land use and economy. The results indicate that sugarcane expansion did not in general contribute to direct deforestation in the traditional agricultural region where most of the expansion took place. The amount of forests on farmland in this area is below the minimum stated in law and the situation did not change over the studied period. Sugarcane expansion resulted in a significant reduction of pastures and cattle heads and higher economic growth than in neighboring areas. It could not be established to what extent the discontinuation of cattle production induced expansion of pastures in other areas, possibly leading to indirect deforestation. However, the results indicate that a possible migration of the cattle production reached further than the neighboring of expansion regions. Occurring at much smaller rates, expansion of sugarcane in regions such as the Amazon and the Northeast region was related to direct deforestation and competition with food crops, and appear not to have induced economic growth. These regions are not expected to experience substantial increases of sugarcane in the near future, but mitigating measures are warranted.     

Ozonisation coupled with biological degradation for treatment of phenolic pollutants: a mechanistically based study

Phenolic acids constitute an important group of pollutants which are reluctant to biological treatment. Solutions containing a mixture of cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid and ferulic acid were submitted to ozonisation. Then, the changes in biodegradability along the process were studied by means of respirometry. There is an optimum ozone dosage in the interval 3-5 min of treatment which allows to achieve the maximum increase in biodegradability (more than 10 times) and a high efficiency of the ozonisation process (COD decreases to a half of its initial value). Further ozonisation does not help to increase biodegradability and is clearly disadvantageous. Similar results are obtained with actual samples of olive oil wastewaters. This behaviour is explained based on the formation of highly biodegradable benzaldehydes as key ozonisation intermediates, in the early reaction stages.     

Process Modifications for Air Pollution Control in Neutral Sulfite Semi-Chemical Mills

The body of information presented in this paper is directed to those individuals concerned with the air pollution control problems of the pulp and paper industry operation. Process modifications introduced at two Company mills, at Big Island, Va. and Tomahawk, Wis., where neutral sulfite semichemical pulping of hardwoods is performed at rates of 550 and 630 tons per day, respectively, are discussed. The methodology and concepts used to minimize total reduced sulfur and total sulfur oxide emissions from the recovery furnace of one of the operations are explained. In another major improvement already implemented in the Big Island Mill conventional hydrogen sulfide emissions from the sulfiting tower, on the order of 8–10 lb as sulfur per ton of pulp, have been completely eliminated by a process modification technique. Other aspects of the operations are described, and a forecast of possible emission levels for mills with a newer technology is made.     

Electrochemical oxidation of benzene on boron-doped diamond electrodes

This work presents an electrochemical investigation of the benzene oxidation process in aqueous solution on boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes. Additionally, in order to determine the main products generated during the oxidation process, electrolysis and high performance liquid chromatography experiments were carried out. The complete degradation of this compound was performed aiming to a further application in waste water treatment. The cyclic voltammetry studies indicate that benzene is irreversibly oxidized in acid medium (H₂SO₄ 0.5 M) on the BDD electrode surface at 2.0 V versus Ag/AgCl in a diffusion controlled process. During the cycling, other products are generated, and a pair of peaks was observed that can be associated with the oxi-reduction of anyone of the following species: hydroquinone, benzoquinone, resorcinol or catechol. The electrolysis experiments were carried out at 2.4 and 2.5 V on the BDD electrode surface in a solution containing 1 × 10⁻² M of benzene (below the saturation concentration in aqueous solution), for 3 and 5 h, respectively. The main products measured were: hydroquinone, resorcinol, p-benzoquinone, catechol and phenol. The complete electrochemical benzene degradation was performed in the electrolysis experiments using a rotating BDD disc electrode (2.5 V for 5 h) and the main products detected were all measured at concentrations lower than 10⁻⁵ M in this condition. The boron-doped diamond electrode had proved to be a valuable tool for the electrochemical degradation of the benzene, a very stable chemical compound.     

Chemical and biological characterisation of biofilms formed on different substrata in Tisza river (Hungary)

Natural biofilms were simultaneously grown on granite, polished granite, andesite, polycarbonate and Plexi-glass substrata for six weeks in the Tisza River. Biofilm production and abundance of algae were influenced by the substratum. Magnitude of the substratum effect was andesite相似文献   

Effects of wind direction on coarse and fine particulate matter concentrations in southeast Kansas

Field data for coarse particulate matter ([PM] PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were collected at selected sites in Southeast Kansas from March 1999 to October 2000, using portable MiniVol particulate samplers. The purpose was to assess the influence on air quality of four industrial facilities that burn hazardous waste in the area located in the communities of Chanute, Independence, Fredonia, and Coffeyville. Both spatial and temporal variation were observed in the data. Variation because of sampling site was found to be statistically significant for PM10 but not for PM2.5. PM10 concentrations were typically slightly higher at sites located within the four study communities than at background sites. Sampling sites were located north and south of the four targeted sources to provide upwind and downwind monitoring pairs. No statistically significant differences were found between upwind and downwind samples for either PM10 or PM2.5, indicating that the targeted sources did not contribute significantly to PM concentrations. Wind direction can frequently contribute to temporal variation in air pollutant concentrations and was investigated in this study. Sampling days were divided into four classifications: predominantly south winds, predominantly north winds, calm/variable winds, and winds from other directions. The effect of wind direction was found to be statistically significant for both PM10 and PM2.5. For both size ranges, PM concentrations were typically highest on days with predominantly south winds; days with calm/variable winds generally produced higher concentrations than did those with predominantly north winds or those with winds from "other" directions. The significant effect of wind direction suggests that regional sources may exert a large influence on PM concentrations in the area.     

Determining seasonal greenhouse gas emissions from ground-level area sources in a dairy operation in central Texas

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural production operations are recognized as an important air quality issue. A new technique following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Method TO-14A was used to measure GHG emissions from ground-level area sources (GLAS) in a free-stall dairy operation in central Texas. The objective of this study was to quantify and report GHG emission rates (ERs) from the dairy during the summer and winter using this protocol. A weeklong sampling was performed during each season. A total of 75 and 66 chromatograms of air samples were acquired from six delineated GLAS (loafing pen, walkway, barn, silage pile, settling basin, and lagoon) of the same dairy during summer and winter, respectively. Three primary GHGs--methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O)--were identified from the dairy operation during the sampling periods. The estimated overall ERs for CH4, CO2, and N2O during the summer for this dairy were 274, 6005, and 7.96 g head(-1)day(-1), respectively. During the winter, the estimated overall CH4, CO2, and N2O ERs were 52, 7471, and 3.59 g head(-1)day(-1), respectively. The overall CH4 and N2O ERs during the summer were approximately 5.3 and 2.2 times higher than those in the winter for the free-stall dairy. These seasonal variations were likely due to fluctuations in ambient temperature, dairy manure loading rates, and manure microbial activity of GLAS. The annualized ERs for CH4, CO2, and N2O for this dairy were estimated to be 181, 6612, and 6.13 g head(-1)day(-1), respectively. Total GHG emissions calculated for this dairy with 500 cows were 2250 t of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year.     

Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls in residents near a chemical factory in Italy: the food chain as main source of contamination

High levels of PCBs were recently found in soil, food and some farmers living close to a chemical factory which until the 1980s had produced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Brescia, North Italy. We performed a survey on a random sample of subjects aged 20-79 years living in various areas of the town with different levels of soil pollution to investigate factors associated with increased levels of PCB in serum (24 congeners were tested). Total PCB values were closely related to age (Spearman r=0.68; p<0.0001). The 166 consumers of locally produced food had higher PCB levels than non-consumers (median=1143 versus 719; 95th centile=9301 versus 2635ng/g lipid) with the highest levels among consumers of food produced in the most contaminated area close to the factory (median=2551; 95th centile=33464ng/g lipid). A dose-effect relationship between consumption of food produced in this area and PCB blood levels was observed (Spearman r=0.52, p=0.0014). Consumers of only plant food produced in this area had higher levels of PCB than non-consumers (median=1100; 95th centile=10,800ng/g lipid). Three subjects who had worked at the factory in the past showed high PCB levels. Distribution of PCB congeners did not differ between consumers of locally produced food and non-consumers, apart from PCB 209 which was found at high levels in former factory workers and was more common among consumers of food produced in the polluted area. In conclusion, we found high serum PCB levels in humans living in a highly polluted area in an industrialized town in Italy, due mainly to consumption of food produced in polluted areas.     

Determination of spatially-resolved porosity, tracer distributions and diffusion coefficients in porous media using MRI measurements and numerical simulations

This work is focused on measuring the concentration distribution of a conservative tracer in a homogeneous synthetic porous material and in heterogeneous natural sandstone using MRI techniques, and on the use of spatially resolved porosity data to define spatially variable diffusion coefficients in heterogeneous media. The measurements are made by employing SPRITE, a fast MRI method that yields quantitative, spatially-resolved tracer concentrations in porous media. Diffusion experiments involving the migration of H(2)O into D(2)O-saturated porous media are conducted. One-dimensional spatial distributions of H(2)O-tracer concentrations acquired from experiments with the homogeneous synthetic calcium silicate are fitted with the one-dimensional analytical solution of Fick's second law to confirm that the experimental method provides results that are consistent with expectations for Fickian diffusion in porous media. The MRI-measured concentration profiles match well with the solution for Fick's second law and provide a pore-water diffusion coefficient of 1.75×10(-9)m(2)s(-1). The experimental approach was then extended to evaluate diffusion in a heterogeneous natural sandstone in three dimensions. The relatively high hydraulic conductivity of the sandstone, and the contrast in fluid density between the H(2)O tracer and the D(2)O pore fluid, lead to solute transport by a combination of diffusion and density-driven advection. The MRI measurements of spatially distributed tracer concentration, combined with numerical simulations allow for the identification of the respective influences of advection and diffusion. The experimental data are interpreted with the aid of MIN3P-D - a multicomponent reactive transport code that includes the coupled processes of diffusion and density-driven advection. The model defines local diffusion coefficients as a function of spatially resolved porosity measurements. The D(e) values calculated for the heterogeneous sandstone and used to simulate diffusive and advective transport range from 5.4×10(-12) to 1.0×10(-10)m(2)s(-1). These methods have broad applicability to studies of contaminant migration in geological materials.     

PM10 and PM2.5 source apportionment in the Barcelona Metropolitan area, Catalonia, Spain

Levels of total suspended particles, PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were continuously monitored at an urban kerbside in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona from June 1999 to June 2000. The results show that hourly levels of PM2.5 and PM1 are consistent with the daily cycle of gaseous pollutants emitted by traffic, whereas TSP and PM10 do not follow the same trend, at least in the diurnal period. The PM2.5/PM10 ratio is dependent on the traffic emissions, whereas additional contribution sources for the >10 μm fraction must be taken into account in the diurnal period. Different PM10 and PM2.5 source apportionment techniques were compared. A methodology based on the chemical determination of 83% of both PM10 and PM2.5 masses allowed us to quantify the marine (4% in PM10 and <1% in PM2.5), crustal (26% in PM10 and 8% in PM2.5) and anthropogenic (54% in PM10 and 73% in PM2.5) loads. Peaks of crustal contribution to PM10 (up to 44% of the PM10 mass) were recorded under Saharan air mass intrusions. A different seasonal trend was observed for levels of sulphate and nitrate, probably as a consequence of the different thermodynamic behaviour of these PM species and the higher summer oxidation rate of SO₂.