Variations of anthropogenic CO2 in urban area deduced by radiocarbon concentration in modern tree rings

Radiocarbon concentration in the atmosphere is significantly lower in areas where man-made emissions of carbon dioxide occur. This phenomenon is known as Suess effect, and is caused by the contamination of clean air with non-radioactive carbon from fossil fuel combustion. The effect is more strongly observed in industrial and densely populated urban areas. Measurements of carbon isotope concentrations in a study area can be compared to those from areas of clear air in order to estimate the amount of carbon dioxide emission from fossil fuel combustion by using a simple mathematical model. This can be calculated using the simple mathematical model. The result of the mathematical model followed in this study suggests that the use of annual rings of trees to obtain the secular variations of ¹⁴C concentration of atmospheric CO₂ can be useful and efficient for environmental monitoring and modeling of the carbon distribution in local scale.     

Fungal hydroxylation of polychlorinated naphthalenes with chlorine migration by wood rotting fungi

Biodegradation of the polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) 1,4-dichloronaphthalene (1,4-DCN), 2,7-dichloronaphthalene (2,7-DCN), and 1,2,3,4-tetrachloronaphthalene (1,2,3,4-TCN), by the white-rot fungus Phlebia lindtneri was investigated. 1,4-DCN was metabolized to form six metabolites by the fungus. It was estimated from GC–MS fragment patterns that the metabolites were four putative hydroxylated and two dihydrodihydroxylated compounds. One of the hydroxylated products was identified as 2,4-dichloro-1-naphthol by GC–MS analysis using an authentic standard. This intermediate indicated chlorine migration in a biological system of P. lindtneri. 2,7-DCN was metabolized to five hydroxylated metabolites and a dihydrodihydroxylated metabolite. Significant inhibition of the degradation of DCNs and formation of their metabolic products was observed in incubation with the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase inhibitor piperonyl butoxide. The formation of the dihydrodiol-like metabolites, chlorine migration and the experiment with P-450 inhibitor suggested that P. lindtneri provides hydroxyl metabolites via benzene oxide intermediates of DCNs by a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase. In addition, P. lindtneri degraded 1,2,3,4-TCN; two hydroxylated compounds and a dihydrodihydroxylated compound were formed.     

Formation of PCDDs and PCDFs during the combustion of polyvinylidene chloride and other polymers in the presence of HCl

PVDC and three non-chlorinated polymers (PP, PET, and PA) were incinerated at 700-850 degrees C in a laboratory-scale quartz tubular furnace in the presence of HCl (ca. 500 ppm congruent with 0.8 mg/l), and the gas-phase formation of PCDD/Fs, their putative precursors and their homologue profiles were investigated. The addition of HCl had little or no apparent effect on the level of PCDD/Fs formation during PVDC combustion, and their homologue profiles were quite different from those of the three non-chlorinated polymers. With PVDC, O8CDD and particularly O8CDF were by far most prevalent, apparently as a result of the selective formation of the precursors. With each of the three non-chlorinated polymers, combustion at 800 degrees C or higher in the presence of HCl resulted in PCDD/Fs formation at levels equaling or exceeding those observed with PVDC. In trials made with one of them (PP) under the same conditions but using a large polymer sample (100 mg vs 20 mg in all other trials), the level of PCDD/Fs formation was far higher than with the smaller polymer samples, and thus demonstrated the importance of appropriate combustion conditions for polymer incineration.     

Degradation characteristics of a dibenzofuran-degrader Terrabacter sp. strain DBF63 toward chlorinated dioxins in soil

Nonylphenols (NPs) are the primary stable metabolites of alkylphenol polyethoxylates (APEs), a family of compounds widely used in industry and in some domestic products. As NPs accumulate in sediments in aquatic environments, the risk to benthic organisms needs to be assessed. In this study 4NP-spiked sediments were tested on larvae of the dipteran Chironomus riparius. First instar larvae obtained from populations at three different sources were used. To spike the sediments, an equilibration procedure between water and sediment was adopted to avoid the use of solvents. Lower 10-d LC50 values were determined for two populations of C. riparius from clean environments (315-465 and 315-350 microg g(-1) d.w., respectively) than those of a strain deriving from a population collected in a polluted river (600-680 microg g(-1) d.w.). Larval growth always decreased with increasing 4NP concentration but without any defined trend. The results of this study suggest that tolerance to the toxicant can be developed in populations of polluted environments and that testing procedures should be standardised.     

Light Stability of Oriental Lacquer Films Irradiated by a Fluorescent Lamp

Oriental lacquer film was prepared and exposed to a fluorescent lamp. The color difference and gloss of the surface of the film decreased compared to those of film kept in a dark place by irradiation with the fluorescent light. The percentage of discoloration was 7.0% on a relative scale with an irradiation of 3600 h. The surface of the film was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The oxygen content of the surface increased considerably with the decrease in triene groups with exposure time. These changes were also observed when the film was exposed in a glass or acrylic plate box. The change of the above properties was not observed when the film was kept in a dark place for more than 4800 h. The results suggest that oriental lacquer film deteriorates even under irradiation with visible light.     

Studies on materials containing polysaccharides as soil amendments 1: effects on animal waste water purification in a potting experiment

A potting experiment was carried out to determine the effects of soil amendments containing polysaccharides and earthworms on a land application system for the purification of animal waste water. The following soil amendments were used: purified Konjak powder (KP, powder containing glucomannan made from the root system of devil's tongue, Amorphophalus rivieri Dur.), crystallized cellulose (CC), and a mixture of the two (MX). These soil amendments were added to the pots, and then Chrysanthemum corondria were planted in the earthworm pots (A pots), the nonearthworm pots (B pots), and the control pots (C pots); the first two plots received primary-treated animal waste water, and the other one received tap water. The following items were then measured: pH, electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus, the volume of drained water from each pots, the height and dry matter weight of plants, and the water permeability into the soil. The MX-A pots, i.e., the pots containing both soil amendments and earthworms, gave good results, especially for water permeability, plant growth, the purification of COD_Mn, and TN. These results suggest that the presence of soil amendments and earthworms may enhance the improvement of water quality in land application systems using vegetation. Received: December 9, 1998 / Accepted: February 8, 2000     

Influence of secondary formation on atmospheric occurrences of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in airborne particles

Temporal and spatial variations in concentrations of particle-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitrated and oxygenated derivatives (nitro-PAHs and oxy-PAHs) were investigated to assess the influence of secondary formation on atmospheric occurrences of oxy-PAHs associated with particulate matter in downtown Tokyo, Japan. The daily variation in concentration of 1,8-naphthalic anhydride (1,8-NA) in summer 2007 was similar to that for 2-nitrofluoranthene (2-NF), a representative secondary formed nitro-PAH, while the variation for benzanthrone (BA) was similar to PAHs. In addition, the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) associated with airborne particulate matter decreased in the order of PAHs > BA > 9-fluorenone (9-FO) or 9,10-anthraquinone (9,10-AQ) > 1,8-NA with an increase in distance from the roadside, whereas 2-NF was constant. These results suggest that a considerable fraction of some oxy-PAHs such as 1,8-NA associated with airborne particulate matter in downtown Tokyo originates from atmospheric secondary formation.     

Comparative study of microbial dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes in an aquifer and a clayey aquitard

In order to determine whether natural attenuation of chlorinated ethenes by microbial activity occurs in aquitards, sediments at a site contaminated with tetrachloroethene were vertically studied by drilling. The distribution of microbes (Dehalococcoides group and anaerobic hydrogen producers) and the ability of the sediments to sustain microbial dechlorination were determined in an aquitard as well as in an aquifer. Close-spaced sampling revealed the existence of large populations of Dehalococcoides and H(2)-producing bacteria, especially in the organic-rich clayey aquitard rather than in the aquifer. The vinyl chloride reductase gene was also detected in the clay layer. Furthermore, incubation experiments indicated that the clay sediment could sustain transformations of tetrachloroethene at least to vinyl chloride. In contrast, no significant transformation was observed in the aquifer sand. Our results indicate that dechlorination of tetrachloroethene by bacteria can take place in an organic-rich clayey aquitard, and that organic-rich clay may also be important in the natural attenuation in an adjacent aquifer, possibly supplying a carbon source or an electron donor.     

Comparison of general water quality of rivers in Indonesia and Japan

In Java and Kalimantan in Indonesia, river water plays important roles in human life; for example, for transportation, and economic activities of the inhabitants. However, industrial, agricultural and domestic water is discarded into rivers directly in many developing countries, including Indonesia, since drainage systems have not been completely constructed. In this study, to evaluate the water quality and to compare those levels of environmental contaminants in developing and developed countries, water quality and contents of endocrine disrupters were measured in a total of 64 water samples (Indonesia; 28 samples and Japan; 36 samples) from 53 sites. The results indicated that, rivers in both capital cities, Jakarta and Tokyo, were contaminated. Water in rivers in Indonesia was not so heavily polluted as in Japan. Pollution in the river water in Indonesia appeared to be caused by the lack of sewerage systems. In addition, the findings on endocrine disrupters indicated that the concentration of alkylphenol in water samples was large enough to affect living organisms.     

Evaluation of remediation process with plant-derived biosurfactant for recovery of heavy metals from contaminated soils

A washing process was studied to evaluate the efficiency of saponin on remediating heavy metal contaminated soils. Three different types of soils (Andosol: soil A, Cambisol: soil B, Regosol: soil C) were washed with saponin in batch experiments. Utilization of saponin was effective for removal of heavy metals from soils, attaining 90-100% of Cd and 85-98% of Zn extractions. The fractionations of heavy metals removed by saponin were identified using the sequential extraction. Saponin was effective in removing the exchangeable and carbonated fractions of heavy metals from soils. In recovery procedures, the pH of soil leachates was increased to about 10.7, leading to separate heavy metals as hydroxide precipitates and saponin solute. In addition recycle of used saponin is considered to be effective for the subsequent utilization. The limits of Japanese leaching test were met for all of the soil residues after saponin treatment. As a whole, this study shows that saponin can be used as a cleaning agent for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils.