Isolation and characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa from a virgin Brazilian Amazon region with potential to degrade atrazine

The use of pesticides to increase agricultural production can result in the contamination of the environment, causing changes in the genetic structure of organisms and in the loss of biodiversity. This practice is also inducing changes in the rainforest ecosystem. In this work, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from a preservation soil area of the Brazilian Amazon Forest, without usage of any pesticide, was evaluated for its potential to degrade atrazine. This isolate presented all responsible genes (atzA, atzB, atzC, atzD, atzE, and atzF) for atrazine mineralization and demonstrated capacity to use atrazine as a nitrogen source, having achieved a reduction of 44 % of the initial concentration of atrazine after 24 h. These results confirm gene dispersion and/or a possible contamination of the area with the herbicide, which reinforces global concern of the increase and intensive use of pesticides worldwide.     

Effects of composition of labile organic matter on biogenic production of methane in the coastal sediments of the Arabian Sea

Coastal regions are potential zones for production of methane which could be governed by ecological/environmental differences or even sediment properties of a niche. In order to test the hypothesis that methanogenesis in most marine sediments could be driven more by proteins than by carbohydrates and lipid content of labile organic matter (LOM), incubation experiments were carried out with sediments from different environmental niches to measure methane production. The methane production rates were examined in relationship to the sediment biochemistry, i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. The gas production measured by head space method ranged from 216 ng g(?-1) day(?-1) in the mangrove sediments to 3.1 μg g(?-1) day(?-1) in the shallow Arabian Sea. LOM ranged from 1.56 to 2.85 mg g(?-1) in the shallow Arabian Sea, from 3.35 to 5.43 mg g(?-1) in the mangrove estuary, and from 0.66 to 0.70 mg g(?-1) in the sandy sediments with proteins contributing maximum to the LOM pool. Proteins influenced methane production in the clayey sediments of shallow depths of the Arabian Sea (r = 0.933, p < 0.001) and mangrove estuary (r = 0.981, p < 0.001) but in the sandy beach sediments, carbohydrates (r = 0.924, p < 0.001) governed the net methane production. The gas production was more pronounced in shallow and surface sediments and it decreased with depth apparently governed by the decrease in lability index. Thus, the lability index and protein content are important factors that determine methane production rates in these coastal ecosystems.     

The distribution of triclosan and methyl-triclosan in marine sediments of Barker Inlet, South Australia

In this work, we investigated the transport and burial of triclosan and its methylated derivative, in surface sediments near the mouth of Barker Inlet in South Australia. The most likely source of this commonly used bactericide to the area is a wastewater outfall discharging at the confluence of the inlet with marine waters. Triclosan was detected in all samples, at concentrations (5-27 μg kg(-1)) comparable to values found in other surface sediments under the influence of marine wastewater outfalls. Its dispersal was closely associated with fine and organic-rich fractions of the sediments. Methyl-triclosan was detected in approximately half of the samples at concentrations <11 μg kg(-1). The occurrence of this compound was linked to both wastewater discharges and biological methylation of the parent compound. Wastewater-borne methyl-triclosan had a smaller spatial footprint than triclosan and was mostly deposited in close proximity to the outfall. In situ methylation of triclosan likely occurs at deeper depositional sites, whereas the absence of methyl-triclosan from shallower sediments was potentially explained by photodegradation of the parent compound. Based on partition equilibrium, a concentration of triclosan in the order of 1 μg L(-1) was estimated in sediment porewaters, a value lower than the threshold reported for harmful effects to occur in the couple of species of marine phytoplankton investigated to date. Methyl-triclosan presents a greater potential for bioaccumulation than triclosan, but the implications of its occurrence to aquatic ecosystem health are difficult to predict given the lack of ecotoxicological data in the current literature.     

Emission factors from residential combustion appliances burning Portuguese biomass fuels

Smoke from residential wood burning has been identified as a major contributor to air pollution, motivating detailed emission measurements under controlled conditions. A series of experiments were performed to compare the emission levels from two types of wood-stoves to those of fireplaces. Eight types of biomass were burned in the laboratory: wood from seven species of trees grown in the Portuguese forest (Pinus pinaster, Eucalyptus globulus, Quercus suber, Acacia longifolia, Quercus faginea, Olea europaea and Quercus ilex rotundifolia) and briquettes produced from forest biomass waste. Average emission factors were in the ranges 27.5-99.2 g CO kg(-1), 552-1660 g CO(2) kg(-1), 0.66-1.34 g NO kg(-1), and 0.82-4.94 g hydrocarbons kg(-1) of biomass burned (dry basis). Average particle emission factors varied between 1.12 and 20.06 g kg(-1) biomass burned (dry basis), with higher burn rates producing significantly less particle mass per kg wood burned than the low burn rates. Particle mass emission factors from wood-stoves were lower than those from the fireplace. The average emission factors for organic and elemental carbon were in the intervals 0.24-10.1 and 0.18-0.68 g kg(-1) biomass burned (dry basis), respectively. The elemental carbon content of particles emitted from the energy-efficient "chimney type" logwood stove was substantially higher than in the conventional cast iron stove and fireplace, whereas the opposite was observed for the organic carbon fraction. Pinus pinaster, the only softwood species among all, was the biofuel with the lowest emissions of particles, CO, NO and hydrocarbons.     

Effects of silver and cerium dioxide micro- and nano-sized particles on Daphnia magna

Acute (96 h) and chronic (21 d) exposures of Daphnia magna neonates were carried out with nano- and micro-sized Ag and CeO(2) particles to assess the influence of both material and size of particles on mortality and moulting. Mortality rates for silver in the acute exposures were: AgNP, 56.7 ± 23.3% at 0.1 mg L(-1) and 100 ± 20% at 1 mg L(-1), and micro-Ag, 13.3 ± 6.7% at 0.1 mg L(-1) and 80 ± 20% at 1 mg L(-1). CeO(2) was not acutely toxic at concentrations up to 10 mg L(-1). Mortality for Ag over 21d at concentrations of up to 0.05 mg L(-1) was low, while mortality of 30% was observed for 0.001 mg L(-1) of nano-Ag. CeO(2), with the exception of the 10 mg L(-1) of nano-CeO(2) (100% mortality by day 7), was non-toxic. Inhibition of moulting and growth in the acute study occurred at toxic concentrations (Ag particles), and at 10 mg L(-1) of nano-CeO(2). The chronic study revealed reduced moulting at 0.001 mg L(-1) of nano-Ag and 0.01 and 0.05 mg L(-1) of both sizes of Ag, but there was no impact on D. magna size, and no effects of CeO(2). The toxicity of nano-CeO(2) may be attributed to reduced feeding and physical interference with the daphnids' carapace, resulting in reduced swimming ability. Our results suggest that Ag NPs in particular have the potential to be harmful to aquatic invertebrates after release into the environment, whereas CeO(2) particles appear to cause little adverse effects, and only at environmentally irrelevant concentrations.     

A Lagrangian analysis of the gravity-inertial oil spreading on the calm sea using the reflective oil-water interface treatment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Negative impacts are caused by oil spills on coastal ecosystems. In the phenomenon of oil spreading, the knowledge of the physical properties of the...