Simultaneous determination of iprodione,procymidone, and chlorflurenol in lake water and wastewater matrices by GC-MS after multivariate optimization of binary dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

This study reports the optimization of a binary dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method for the determination of iprodione, procymidone, and chlorflurenol by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The study was aimed at using two extraction solvents to increase the extraction efficiency of all analytes. The binary solvents recorded results higher than the mono-solvents. After examining the effects of main experimental parameters and their interactions by analysis of variance, 200 μL of binary mixture (dichloromethane and 1,2-dichloroethane), 2.5 mL of ethanol, and 15 s vortex were obtained as optimum parameters. The detection and quantification limits calculated for the analytes were found to be between 0.30–1.6 and 1.0–5.3 ng/mL, respectively. Enhancement in detection power calculated as a ratio of the binary extraction detection limit to the detection limit of direct GC-MS analysis was 105-, 214-, and 233-fold for chlorflurenol, iprodione, and procymidone, respectively. In order to check the accuracy of the developed method, recovery study was performed. Water sampled from a lake and two wastewater samples from treatment facilities were spiked at two concentrations, and the percent recovery calculated for the samples ranged between 87 and 116%. These results confirmed the suitability of the method to real samples for accurate determination of the analytes at trace levels.     

Monitoring the urban green spaces and landscape fragmentation using remote sensing: a case study in Osmaniye,Turkey

Urban green spaces play a significant role in management of physical activity, psychological well-being, and public health of urban residents. With the expansion of urban areas in Turkey during the past decades, urban green spaces have been fragmented and dispersed causing impairment and environmental degradation. The purpose of this study is to model urban green space distribution by focusing on the landscape fragmentation in city of Osmaniye using remote sensing and geographic information system technology. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and urban landscape ratio (ULR) were used to assess the proximity and spatial arrangement of urban green spaces within the neighbor landscapes to quantify the urban land use effect. The geospatial analysis results showed that increase in total built-up area and population has significantly decreased the urban green space cover because of high levels of landscape fragmentation in urban city center. Also, due to high levels of landscape fragmentation, approximately 45% of the Osmaniye city is estimated to become urbanized by 2030. This study demonstrated the benefits of directional vegetation index application with geospatial analyses in characterizing the environmental quality for planning and management of urban green spaces. This approach could be used for determining the future urban land development scenarios correlating with regional planning procedures.     

Throughfall,stemflow, and interception characteristics of coniferous forest ecosystems in the western black sea region of Turkey (Daday example)

This study aims to identify precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, precipitation, and interception processes in pure black pine, pure Scots pine, and mixed black pine–Scots pine forest ecosystems and present the precipitation partitioning according to different stand types. Throughfall and stemflow measurements were performed using five standard precipitation gauges in a pilot area established to represent pure black pine, pure Scots pine, and mixed black pine–Scots pine stands in the Bezirgan Basin. The total precipitation was measured in an open field close to the study area. Throughfall values were calculated as the percentage of precipitation measured in an open field. According to the results of the study, the throughfall values were 69.8% in black pine, 73.9% in Scots pine, and 77.7% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; the stemflow values were 2.6% in black pine, 5.9% in Scots pine, and 3.1% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; the amounts of precipitation reaching the forest floor were 72.3% in black pine, 79.8% in Scots pine, and 80.7% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands; and the interception values were found to be 27.7% in black pine, 20.2% in Scots pine, and 19.2% in the mixed black pine–Scots pine stands.     

The reuse of reclaimed water for irrigation around the Mediterranean Rim: a step towards a more virtuous cycle?

Regional Environmental Change - Climate change and a growing population around the Mediterranean Rim are increasing the need for water and, consequently, the pressure on resources in terms of both...     

Supercritical fluid extraction of biofuels from biomass

A sustainable source of energy production can be provided using renewable resources. For instance, biomass is transformed into biofuels using several techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction, an effective thermochemical process. Here we review results on biofuels obtained from lignocellulosic and algal biomass using supercritical fluids. Biofuel yield and composition are controlled by operating conditions such as extraction temperature, pressure, biomass and solvent type, and the presence of catalysts. The extraction temperature is the major factor controlling biofuel yield. Biofuel yields can also be improved with the use of catalysts. Major compounds in biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass are phenols, catechols, guaiacols, syringols, syringaldehydes, syringyl acetone, acids, and esters. Most of these compounds are produced by lignin decomposition in lignocellulose. Furfural and derivatives are produced by the decomposition of cellulose and hemicellulose. Fatty acid alkyl esters are formed from lignin fragmentation by condensation of compounds bearing C–O or C=O. Prominent compounds in biofuels from algal biomass are saturated or unsaturated fatty acid alkyl esters.     

Assessment of an appropriate integrated waste management plan targeting the Circular Economy based on the LCA method

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Rapid population growth and urbanization increase the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation rate and the demand for natural resources. In order to...     

Assessment of surface water quality of the Ceyhan River basin, Turkey

In this study, surface water quality of the Ceyhan River basin were assessed and examined with 13 physico-chemical parameters in 31 stations in 3 months during the period of 2005. Multivariate statistical techniques were applied to identify characteristics of the water quality in the studied stations. Nutrients, Cl^??? and Na^?+? affected mostly to the stations of Erkenez 2, S?r 2, and S?r 3 in the ordination diagram of correspondence analysis. Three factors were extracted by principal component analysis, which explains 79.14% of the total variation. The first factor (PC1) captures variables of EC, DO, NO $_{2}^{\; -}$ , PO $_{4}^{\; \equiv }$ , Cl^???, SO $_{4}^{\; =}$ , Na^?+?, and Ca^?+?+?. The second factor (PC2) is significantly related to pH, NH $_{3}^{\; -}$ , and Mg^?+?+?, while water temperature (T) and NO $_{3}^{\; -}$ accounted for the greatest loading for factor 3 (PC3). The stations were divided into three groups for PC1, two groups for PC2, and three groups for PC3 by hierarchical cluster analysis. The stations in the vicinity of cities presented low dissolved oxygen and high concentration of physico-chemical parameter levels. The stations of Erkenez 2, S?r 2, S?r 3, and Aksu 4 located near the city of Kahramanmara? were characterized by an extremely high pollution due to discharge of wastewater from industry and domestic. P?narba?? and Elbistan stations were also influenced by household wastewater of the city of Elbistan. According to criteria of Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation, Erkenez 2, S?r 2, and S?r 3 stations have high polluted water. This study suggests that it is urgent to control point pollutions, and all wastewater should be purified before discharge to the Ceyhan River basin.     

Estimation of shipping emissions in Candarli Gulf, Turkey

Ships are significant air pollution sources as their high powered main engines often use heavy fuels. The major atmospheric components emitted are nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM), sulfur oxide gases, carbon oxides, and toxic air pollutants. Shipping emissions cause severe impacts on health and environment. These effects of emissions are emerged especially in territorial waters, inland seas, canals, straits, bays, and port regions. Candarli Gulf is one of the major industrial regions on the Aegean side of Turkey. The marine environment of the region is affected by emissions from ships calling to ten different ports. In this study, NO _x , SO₂, CO₂, hydrocarbons (HC), and PM emissions from 7,520 ships are estimated during the year of 2007. These emissions are classified regarding operation modes and types of ships. Annual shipping emissions are estimated as 631.2 t year^???1 for NO _x , 573.6 t year^???1 for SO₂, 33,848.9 t year^???1 for CO₂, 32.3 t year^???1 for HC, and 57.4 t year^???1 for PM.     

Monitoring forest structure at landscape level: a case study of Scots pine forest in NE Turkey

This study aims to investigate the change in spatial-temporal configuration of secondary forest succession and generate measurements for monitoring the changes in structural plant diversity in Yaln?zçam Scots pine forest in NE Turkey from 1972 to 2005. The successional stages were mapped using the combination of Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), aerial photos and high resolution satellite images (IKONOS). Forest structure and its relationship with structural plant diversity along with its changes over time were characterized using FRAGSTATS. In terms of spatial configuration of seral stages, the total number of fragments increased from 572 to 735, and mean size of patch (MPS) decreased from 154.97 ha to 120.60 ha over 33 years. The situation resulted in forestation serving appropriate conditions for plant diversity in the area. As an overall change in study area, there was a net increase of 1823.3 ha forest during the period with an average annual forestation rate of 55.25 ha year^?1(0.4% per year). In conclusion, the study revealed that stand type maps of forest management plans in Turkey provide a great chance to monitor the changes in structural plant diversity over time. The study further contributes to the development of a framework for effective integration of biodiversity conservation into Multiple Use Forest Management (MUFM) plans using the successional stages as a critical mechanism.     

Identification of heavy metal origins related to chemical and morphological soil properties using several non-destructive X-ray analytical methods

Soils are complex mixtures of organic, inorganic materials, and metal compounds from anthropogenic sources. In order to identify the pollution sources, their magnitude and development, several X-ray analytical methods were applied in this study. The concentrations of 16 elements were determined in all the soil samples using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Soils of unknown origin were observed by scanning electron microscopy equipped with a Si(Li) X-ray detector using Monte Carlo simulation approach. The mineralogical analyses were carried out using X-ray diffraction spectrometry. Due to the correlations between heavy metals and oxide compounds, the samples were analyzed also by electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) in order to have information about their oxide contents. On the other hand, soil pH and salinity levels were identified owing to their influence between heavy metal and soil-surface chemistry. Moreover, the geoaccumulation index (I _geo) enables the assessment of contamination by comparing current and pre-industrial concentrations.