Metabolism of potassium bromate in rats I. In vivo studies

Potassium Bromate was administered orally to rats and its fate in the body was studied. The bromate was rapidly absorbed from the digestive tract and was partly excreted in the urine within two hours of administration. No bromate was detected in body organs or in the blood 24 hours after dosing. Excretion of bromate into the urine was proportional to the dose, except that at 2.5mg/kg or less no excretion was observed. The administration of bromate increased the bromide concentration in various organs and in urine.     

Biodegradability of surfactants and inhibition of surfactants to biodegradation of other pollutants

Changes of BOD/TOD and DOC with time were obtained for solutions of 9 synthetic surfactants and 2 fatty acid salts under various conditions. The cationic surfactants, ABM and ABDM, were not biodegraded at all and inhibited the biodegradation of a synthetic sewage. LAS was not biodegraded at concentration of 30 mg/l and higher and inhibited the biodegradation of the sewage.     

Effect of metabolism on bioconcentration of geometric isomers of d-phenothrin in fish

Yearling carp (Cyprinus carpio) were exposed to d-phenothrin (a 1:4 mixture of d-cis and d-trans isomers) in the absence and the presence of piperonyl butoxide under the flow-through test condition and the bioconcentration factors (BCF's) of the geometric isomers were separately evaluated. It was demonstrated that BCF values for the d-cis isomer were significantly higher by 1.1 to 2.2-fold than those for the d-trans isomer and the subsequent exposure in the presence of piperonyl butoxide resulted in elevated BCF values for the d-cis isomer, but no remarkable change in BCF's was observed for the d-trans isomer. The elevation observed here was presumably attributable to a reduced elimination caused by inhibited oxidative reactions characteristic to the d-cis isomer. The contribution of biotransformation to the elimination rate constant (K₃/K₂ was estimated to be 2.3–11. Thus, the result was well explained by a distinct oxidative metabolism of the d-cis isomer and a significance of metabolism in bioconcentration phenomenon was exemplified.     

Effect of additives on dechlorination of PVC by mechanochemical treatment

Polyvinyl chloride (–CH₂–CHCl–) _n (PVC) was ground with a powdered inorganic material (CaO, CaCO₃, SiO₂, Al₂O₃, or slag) in a planetary ball mill under atmospheric conditions to investigate the effect of additions on its dechlorination. The grinding causes a dehydrochlorinating reaction, forming a mixture of partially dechlorinated PVC and inorganic chloride, depending on the grinding time. The dechlorination increases as the grinding progresses, and is improved with increasing amounts of additives. The most effective additive is a mixture of CaO, SiO₂, and Al₂O₃, which has the same constituent components as blast furnace slag. CaO, a mixture of CaO, SiO₂, and blast furnace slag, are also effective, but CaCO₃ is the least effective additive tired. Received: August 3, 2000 / Accepted: September 21, 2000     

Use of two population metrics clarifies biodiversity dynamics in large-scale monitoring: the case of trees in Japanese old-growth forests

An alkaline comet assay and a micronucleus test were carried out on erythrocytes of the European chub, Squalius cephalus L., collected in spring and autumn in 2005 and 2006 at three sampling sites in River Sava, near Zagreb, Croatia. The results of comet assay showed the lowest genotoxic influence at the least polluted site, while higher DNA damage was observed at the polluted sites. Although the basal levels of DNA damage were elevated, a clear gradation of DNA damage was found due to pollution intensity in all sampling periods. The lowest cytogenetic damage as revealed by the micronucleus test (MNT) was observed as well at the least polluted site. High variations in MN frequency were observed between sampling periods, although the number of micronucleated erythrocytes was consistently the highest one at the polluted site. The comet assay as a biomarker of genotoxic effect exhibited higher sensitivity in discriminating the genotoxic capacity of studied polluted sites while the MNT was less sensitive. However, both tests should be used together in biomonitoring studies because they can reveal different aspects of DNA damage; comet assay, the early event of genotoxic exposure, and MNT, its final result as a mutagenic potential.     

Flexible foraging strategies in a diving seabird with high flight cost

How central-place foragers change search strategy in response to environmental conditions is poorly known. Foragers may vary the total distance travelled and how far they range from the central place in response to variation in the distribution of their prey. One potential reason as to why they would extend the length of their foraging trip and its distance from the colony would be to increase prey quality or quantity, despite incurring higher transit costs. To test this trade-off hypothesis in a species with high flight costs, we recorded the foraging behaviour of razorbills (Alca torca) using state-of-the-art techniques that log both individual horizontal (flight activity) and vertical (dive activity) movements. We show that the distance that razorbills travelled to foraging locations increased with sea-surface temperature, which may relate to higher prey quality or quantity. This relation is supported by an indirect index of patch quality, based on dive profiles, which also increased with travel distance from the colony. Furthermore, we show that this index was highest during the daily peak in diving activity, around midday. Taken together, these results suggest that razorbills are capable of adjusting their search strategies sensitively in response to proximate environmental cues.     

Alkaline hydrolysis of photovoltaic backsheet containing PET and PVDF for the recycling of PVDF

Recovering fluorine from end-of-life products is crucial for the sustainable production and consumption of fluorine-containing compounds because fluorspar, an important natural resource for fluorine, is currently at a supply risk. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of chemically recycling a fluorine-containing photovoltaic (PV) backsheet for fluoropolymer recycling. Herein, a PV backsheet consisting of laminated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was treated with different concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to hydrolyze the PET layer to water-soluble sodium terephthalate (Na₂TP) and to separate pure PVDF layer as a solid material. Optimized alkaline conditions (up to 10 M NaOH at 100 °C for 2 h) were determined, under which 87% of the PET layer could be decomposed without any significant deterioration of the PVDF layer. The hydrolysis kinetics of PET layer in NaOH could be explained by the modified shrinking-core model. Considering that the mass of end-of-life PV panels in Japan is estimated to increase to approximately 280,000 tons per year by 2036, PV backsheets are attractive candidates for fluoropolymer recycling, which can be effectively achieved using chemical recycling approach demonstrated in this study.

     

Measured and modelled tritium concentrations in freshwater Barnes mussels (Elliptio complanata) exposed to an abrupt increase in ambient tritium levels

To improve understanding of environmental tritium behaviour, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) included a Tritium and C-14 Working Group (WG) in its EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) program. One scenario considered by the WG involved the prediction of time-dependent tritium concentrations in freshwater mussels that were subjected to an abrupt increase in ambient tritium levels. The experimental data used in the scenario were obtained from a study in which freshwater Barnes mussels (Elliptio complanata) were transplanted from an area with background tritium concentrations to a small Canadian Shield lake that contains elevated tritium. The mussels were then sampled over 88 days, and concentrations of free-water tritium (HTO) and organically-bound tritium (OBT) were measured in the soft tissues to follow the build-up of tritium in the mussels over time.The HTO concentration in the mussels reached steady state with the concentration in lake water within one or two hours. Most models predicted a longer time (up to a few days) to equilibrium. All models under-predicted the OBT concentration in the mussels one hour after transplantation, but over-predicted the rate of OBT formation over the next 24 h. Subsequent dynamics were not well modelled, although all participants predicted OBT concentrations that were within a factor of three of the observation at the end of the study period. The concentration at the final time point was over-predicted by all but one of the models. The relatively low observed concentration at this time was likely due to the loss of OBT by mussels during reproduction.