Solubilization of water-insoluble beta-glucan isolated from Ganoderma lucidum

The fungal beta-D-glucan is a biological response modifier (BRM), but a major obstacle to the clinical utilization of beta-glucan BRMs is thei relative lack of solubility in aqueous media. Water insoluble fungal glucans extracted by alkali from the mycelia of Ganoderma lucidum were sulfated to yield their corresponding water-soluble derivatives. Insoluble glucan is dissolved in methyl sulfoxide and urea, and is partially sulfated with sulfuric acid. The sulfated glucan (SGL) yield prepared from insoluble glucan (IGL) was 85%, the sulfation degree of SGL was about 14.9%, and the solubility of SGL was above 95% in water. The monosugar SGL content was 34.9% alpha-glucose and 35.9% beta-glucose. The mean molecular weight (MW) of SGL was shown as a single peak on Sepharose CL-4B column chromatography, and their MW was approximately 9.3 kDa. The 13C NMR spectrum analysis shows that SGL has a high similarity with the beta-(1-->3)-linked triple-helical control.     

Survey of coastal inland pollution sources and their influence on seawater quality in Doam bay,Korea

Inland pollution sources of Doam bay were investigated from August to October in 2013. A total of 210 sources including rivers, streams, domestic, agricultural and industrial discharge points were identified along the coast, including 32 sources that had outflow. Agricultural sources were the largest inland pollution sources (139, 66.2%). Fecal coliform concentrations were measured. These data were combined with water discharge data to determine daily loads of pollutants discharged from each source into the bay. Fecal coliform concentrations were the highest in domestic discharges. However, they only had slight influence because their discharge volume was small. The most significant pollution source was Tamjin River (St.85) due to large amount of discharge volume. The influence of St.85 reached almost half of Doam bay. Fecal coliform levels of streams increased after rainfall, but decreased overtime. Domestic pollution sources were not affected upon rain event.     

Removal mechanism of elemental mercury by using non-thermal plasma

The removal mechanism of elementary mercury (Hg(0)) by non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been investigated, where dielectric barrier discharge and O(3) injection methods as oxidation techniques are employed, together with the analysis of mercury species deposited on the reactor surface using temperature-programmed desorption and dissociation (TPDD) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy. The removal of Hg(0) by NTP is found to be time-dependent and proceed through three domains; the Hg(0) concentration just slightly decreases as soon as NTP is initiated and then becomes constant for several minutes (Region 1), thereafter starts to decrease rapidly for 1h (Region 2) and, after passing fall-off region, very slowly decreases for about 4h (Region 3). The deposited mercury species on the reactor surface were conglomerated like islands, rather than dispersed uniformly, and their ratio of Hg(0) to O composition is observed to be 1:2. Additionally, the new peak in TPDD spectra observed in the region of 260-380°C is proposed as HgO(3). These results lead us to conclude that the deposited mercury species by NTP have extra O atoms to oxidize the adsorbed Hg(0), resulting in the acceleration of removal rate as the oxidation of Hg(0) proceeds.     

Distribution of perfluorochemicals between sera and milk from the same mothers and implications for prenatal and postnatal exposures

The levels of six perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs), four perfloroalkylsulfonates (PFASs), and one sulfonamide were measured in paired samples of maternal serum, umbilical cord serum, and breast milk. The maternal and cord sera were strongly correlated with each other for all measured compounds (r > 0.5 and p < 0.01). Nevertheless, there was a significant difference in compound composition profile between the two sera matrices, with a more depletion of the longer chain compounds in cord serum. The transfer efficiency values from maternal to cord serum (TF_CS/MS) decreased by 70% with each increasing unit of -CF₂ chain within a PFCA group, and for perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), by a half compared to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA). In contrast to the strong correlation in concentrations between the two sera matrices, the pattern of compounds in breast milk differed considerably with those in sera. Accordingly, compound- and matrix-specific transfer must be considered when assessing prenatal and postnatal exposure.     

Persistent organochlorines in human breast milk from major metropolitan cities in India

The present study was carried out to understand the current contamination status of organochlorine compounds (OCs) in human breast milk from three metropolitan cities in India (New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata). Among the OCs analyzed, DDTs were predominant followed by HCHs and PCBs. CHLs and HCB levels were much lower. Contamination patterns were different in human milk found in our previous study in Chennai, a metropolitan city in southern India, indicating region specific exposure routes and variable sources. In comparison with previous data, levels of DDTs and HCHs generally declined with time, implying the effect of various bans and restrictions on their usage. No association between concentrations of OCs and demographic characteristics such as parity and age of mothers was observed which might be due to narrow range of mother's age. Estimated daily intake shows that some infants are exposed to OCs to a greater extent, particularly HCHs than the guideline standard.     

A numerical study on the seasonal variability of polychlorinated biphenyls from the atmosphere in the East China Sea

A three-dimensional/high-resolution transport model for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been developed for the East China Sea (ECS). The POPs model has four compartments (gaseous, dissolved, phytoplankton-bound, and detritus-bound phases) and includes processes for diffusive air-water exchange, phytoplankton uptake/depuration to POPs, decomposition of dissolved phase, vertical sinking of phytoplankton, detritus production by phytoplankton mortality, and vertical sinking and decomposition of detritus. The POPs model is coupled with an ocean circulation model that can reproduce the seasonal variation in physical variables to represent the advection and diffusion of POPs. We applied the POPs model to the polychlorinated biphenyl congener 153 (PCB 153) from the atmosphere and examined the behavior of PCB 153 in the ocean. The model showed a remarkable seasonal variability of PCB 153. Concentrations in the dissolved and particulate phases are high in winter (January-March) and low in summer (July-September). In coastal regions, where chlorophyll a concentration is high, horizontal and vertical distributions in the dissolved and particulate PCB 153 concentrations are strongly affected by phytoplankton uptake. The sensitivity experiments on the dynamics of PCB 153 suggested that a change of Henry’s law constant associated with water temperature is the major factor controlling the seasonal variability of PCB 153. The model-based yearly mass balance of PCB 153 in the ECS indicated that most of the atmospheric input (35.5 kg year⁻¹) is removed by the horizontal advection outside the ECS (19.0 kg year⁻¹) and accumulates to the sea bottom by vertical sinking (15.7 kg year⁻¹). For comparison with PCB 153, we also conducted simulations for PCB 52, 101, and 180. The seasonal variations are similar to that of PCB 153. The mass balance of PCB 52 that has short half-life time and less hydrophobic property shows the different results compared with PCB 101, 153, and 180.     

Formation of chlorinated species through reaction of SO2 with NaClO2 powder and their role in the oxidation of NO and Hg0

This study examines gaseous chlorinated species generated from the reaction of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) with sodium chlorite powder (NaClO_2(s)) to obtain insight into the propensity of this process to enhance NO and Hg⁰ oxidation. A packed bed reactor containing NaClO_2(s) was used and the reaction temperature was set to 130 °C. Initially, we determined that the presence of SO₂ enhances the oxidation of NO and Hg⁰ by reaction with NaClO_2(s). We then introduced NO₂ into the gas mixture as a radical scavenger and determined that the chlorinated species generated by the reaction of SO₂ with NaClO_2(s) are OClO, Cl, ClO, and Cl₂. Based on these results, we suggest that such gaseous chlorinated ones are responsible for the enhancement of NO and Hg⁰ oxidation.     

An international comparative study of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling systems

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) have become a global concern as automobiles have become popular worldwide. An international workshop was held to gather data and to discuss 3R policies and ELV recycling systems, their background and present situation, outcomes of related policies and programs, the framework of recycling and waste management, and case studies on related topics in several countries and regions, as well as the essential points of the comparison. Legislative ELV recycling systems are established in the EU, Japan, Korea, and China, while in the US, ELV recycling is managed under existing laws on environmental protection. Since automobile shredding residue (ASR) has a high calorific value and ash content, and includes heavy metals as well as a mass of unclassified fine particles, recycling ASR is considered highly difficult. Countries with a legislative ELV system commonly set a target for recovery rates, with many aiming for more than 95 % recovery. In order to reach this target, higher efficiency in ASR recovery is needed, in addition to material recycling of collectable components and metals. Environmentally friendly design was considered necessary at the planning and manufacturing stages, and the development of recycling systems and techniques in line with these changes are required for sound ELV management.