Dynamics of medicinal plants knowledge and commerce in an urban ecosystem (Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil)

Given the importance of markets and fairs for the commerce of medicinal plants, an ethnobotanical study was undertaken at the Caruaru Fair (Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil) to compare the richness of species sold and their values of relative importance (RI) using two datasets collected with a 4-year interval. The seasonality of these plants?? supplies was also analyzed. The Caruaru Fair is located in the 18 de Maio Park. It covers an area 40,000?m² and is used by merchants who sell several types of products, such as supplies, handicrafts, clay and aluminum utensils, shoes, clothes and medicinal plants. Semistructured interviews were carried out with the vendors who agreed to take part in the study in order to record which plants were sold and their respective indications. The plants were collected, and the species were determined. The information was analyzed with quantitative tools. A total of 169 plants were identified from both surveys, which were significantly different with regard to species richness (p?<?0.05) but did not vary in relation to species?? Relative Importance (p?>?0.05). In relation to the seasonality of the plant supply, habit may explain the lack of some species during certain periods of the year, as most of the absent plants are herbaceous. In terms of the species most sold locally, it was found that spontaneous tree species are well known and extensively commercialized.     

A socioeconomic and natural vulnerability index for oil spills in an Amazonian harbor: A case study using GIS and remote sensing

The coastal zone of the Brazilian state of Maranhão is an area characterized by a large variety of human activities and services, in particular in the Itaqui-Bacanga port complex (IBC). The IBC is an area prone to oil spills resulting from the processes of transportation, storage, and tank cleaning. The present study aimed to map the different physical environments adjacent to this complex and the socioeconomic profile of the local population that would be most vulnerable to this type of disaster. Vulnerability studies are essential as one of the first step in the development of an integrated coastal zone management. The variables analyzed in this study included geomorphological units, and the income, education, and dependence on fishing of the local population. The estimate of the vulnerability index was based on the relationships between these variables, which were used to generate a vulnerability map using GIS and the interpretation of high-resolution remote sensing, showing the areas of highest priority for intervention in the case of oil spills. The analysis of the natural and socioeconomic environments indicated that the areas of highest vulnerability correspond to the mangroves and the Vila Nova and Alto da Esperança neighborhoods, respectively. These neighborhoods have a direct relationship with fishing, and low levels of both income and education. By contrast, the lowest vulnerability was attributed to the coastal plateau and the central Anjo da Guarda neighborhood, which is occupied by residents with relatively high income and education, who do not depend on fishing.     

Use of Brazilian sugarcane bagasse ash in concrete as sand replacement

Sugarcane today plays a major role in the worldwide economy, and Brazil is the leading producer of sugar and alcohol, which are important international commodities. The production process generates bagasse as a waste, which is used as fuel to stoke boilers that produce steam for electricity cogeneration. The final product of this burning is residual sugarcane bagasse ash (SBA), which is normally used as fertilizer in sugarcane plantations. Ash stands out among agroindustrial wastes because it results from energy generating processes. Many types of ash do not have hydraulic or pozzolanic reactivity, but can be used in civil construction as inert materials. The present study used ash collected from four sugar mills in the region of São Carlos, SP, Brazil, which is one of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane. The ash samples were subjected to chemical characterization, sieve analysis, determination of specific gravity, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and solubilization and leaching tests. Mortars and concretes with SBA as sand replacement were produced and tests were carried out: compressive strength, tensile strength and elastic modulus. The results indicated that the SBA samples presented physical properties similar to those of natural sand. Several heavy metals were found in the SBA samples, indicating the need to restrict its use as a fertilizer. The mortars produced with SBA in place of sand showed better mechanical results than the reference samples. SBA can be used as a partial substitute of sand in concretes made with cement slag-modified Portland cement.     

On the importance of size of plastic fragments and pellets on the strandline: a snapshot of a Brazilian beach

Virgin plastic pellets and plastic fragments are reported as ubiquitous beach contaminants in the peer-reviewed literature. A surface density of 0.3 virgin plastic pellets and plastic fragments per square centimeter of the strandline area was registered on an urban beach of the northeast of Brazil. This beach is presently not affected by petrochemical facilities or pellet processing plants. The main source of fragments (96.7%) was attributed to the breaking down of larger plastic items deposited on the beach. In the case of virgin plastic pellets (3.3%), the main sources were the marine environment and possibly nearby port facilities. This category of plastic pollutant offers particular threats to the marine environment and to beach users.     

Radioactivity concentration in liquid and solid phases of scale and sludge generated in the petroleum industry

Scales and sludge generated during oil extraction and production can contain uranium, thorium, radium and other natural radionuclides, which can cause exposure of maintenance personnel. This work shows how the oil content can influence the results of measurements of radionuclide concentration in scale and sludge. Samples were taken from a PETROBRAS unit in Northeast Brazil. They were collected directly from the inner surface of water pipes or from barrels stored in the waste storage area of the E&P unit. The oil was separated from the solids with a Soxhlet extractor by using aguarras at 90+/-5 degrees C as solvent. Concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra in the samples were determined before and after oil extraction by using an HPGe gamma spectrometric system. The results showed an increase in the radionuclide concentration in the solid (dry) phase, indicating that the above radionuclides concentrate mostly in the solid material.     

Adsorption studies and the removal of dissolved metals using pyrolusite as adsorbent

The adsorption of metals from aqueous solutions of Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺ and Mg²⁺ on naturally occurring pyrolusite have been studied. The chemical stability of the pyrolusite has been determined in NaOH, H₂SO₄, HNO₃, HCl, NaCl and NK₄Cl solutions of various concentrations. Adsorption of the metal ions followed the order Pb²⁺>Zn²⁺>Cd²⁺.The maximum adsorption of Pb²⁺ (100%) occurred at pH 7. the relation between the amount of Pb²⁺ adsorbed per unit weight of pyrolusite and the concentration of Pb²⁺ at equilibrium follows the Freundlich adsorption isotherm.The efficiency of pyrolusite has been demonstrated by removing lead from synthetic waste water. 100% and 96% removal of lead have been achieved from synthetic waste water containing 5 mg l^–1 and 120 mg l^–1 of Pb²⁺ respectively at pH 7. The results of these studies suggest that pyrolusite might provide an economical method for the removal of lead from industrial waste water.     

Microbial Removal of Arsenic

Bangladesh is currently the subject of the world's largest mass arsenic poisoning in history. Groundwater throughout Bangladesh and West Bengal is contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic from the alluvial and deltaic sediments that form the region's aquifers. It has been estimated that 75 million people are at risk of developing health effects associated with the ingestion of arsenic. This project focuses on the use of microorganisms such as bacteria and algae to remove arsenic from water. Arsenic in the arsenite form was used in the studies. Experiments were conducted with a common alga and wastewater bacteria. A common green algae Scenedesmus abundans was used for determining arsenic uptake in batch experiments. Results of the experiments indicated that the algae biosorption could be modeled by the conventional Langmuir isotherm model. Algae morphology studies indicated that the algae cells were impacted due to the presence of arsenic as evidenced by clumping or loss of cell clusters. The wastewater bacteria also were capable of high percent of arsenic removal. Results indicate that microbial uptake of arsenic may be a viable method of pretreatment of arsenic contaminated water. However algae and sludge disposal would pose a problem and will have to be dealt with accordingly.     

Health risk assessment of hexachlorocyclohexane in soil,water and plants in the agricultural area of Potohar region,Punjab, Pakistan

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - As the largest organ of the human body, the skin is the major exposure route of NO2. However, the evidence for a relationship between NO2 exposure and...     

Microfinance institutions and a coastal community's disaster risk reduction,response, and recovery process: a case study of Hatiya,Bangladesh

Several researchers have examined the role of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in poverty alleviation, but the part that they play in disaster risk reduction remains unaddressed. Through an empirical study of Hatiya Island, one of the most vulnerable coastal communities of Bangladesh, this research evaluates perceptions of MFI support for the disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery process. The findings reveal no change in relation to risk reduction and income and occupation aspects for more than one‐half of the clients of MFIs. In addition, only 26 per cent of them have witnessed less damage as a result of being members of MFIs. One can argue, though, that the longer the membership time period the better the disaster preparedness, response, and recovery process. The outcomes of this study could help to guide the current efforts of MFIs to enhance the ability of coastal communities to prepare for and to recover from disasters efficiently and effectively.     

How does the brown mussel Perna perna respond to environmental pollution? A review on pollution biomarkers

The brown mussel Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) is a valuable resource for aquaculture in tropical and subtropical coastal regions. It presents desirable characteristics for biomonitoring, including being sessile, widely distributed and abundant, and is a filter-feeder able to accumulate several classes of pollutants (e.g., metals, hydrocarbons, among others). Mussels’ biological responses to pollution exposure can be measured as biomarkers, which include alterations ranging from molecular to physiological levels, to estimate the degree of environmental contamination and its effects on biota. This full review compiles two decades (2000–2020) of literature concerning biological effects on P. perna mussel caused by environmental pollutants (i.e., metals, hydrocarbons, and emerging pollutants), considering environmental and farm-based biomonitoring. Biochemical markers related to mussels’ oxidative status were efficient for the biomonitoring of metals (i.e., antioxidant enzymes associated with oxidative damage in biomolecules). Genotoxicity and cytotoxicity indicators (i.e., comet, micronucleus, and neutral red assays) provided a depiction of hydrocarbon contamination. The neutral red assay gave a time-concentration cytotoxic response to a wide range of pollutants, including emerging pollutants (e.g., pharmaceuticals and biocides) and hydrocarbons. Perna perna hemocyte parameters provided a useful approach for biocide biomonitoring. This paper summarizes useful biomarkers from molecular to physiological levels in this mussel species used to identify and quantify the degree of coastal pollution. An integrated biomarker analysis may provide a way to overcome possible biomarker variations and assess multi-polluted sites. Nevertheless, it is necessary to investigate biomarker variations according to natural factors (e.g., season and gonad maturation stage) to standardize them for trustworthy biomonitoring.