From food to pest: Conversion factors determine switches between ecosystem services and disservices

Ecosystem research focuses on goods and services, thereby ascribing beneficial values to the ecosystems. Depending on the context, however, outputs from ecosystems can be both positive and negative. We examined how provisioning services of wild animals and plants can switch between being services and disservices. We studied agricultural communities in Laos to illustrate when and why these switches take place. Government restrictions on land use combined with economic and cultural changes have created perceptions of rodents and plants as problem species in some communities. In other communities that are maintaining shifting cultivation practices, the very same taxa were perceived as beneficial. We propose conversion factors that in a given context can determine where an individual taxon is located along a spectrum from ecosystem service to disservice, when, and for whom. We argue that the omission of disservices in ecosystem service accounts may lead governments to direct investments at inappropriate targets.

     

Removal of heavy metal ions from wastewaters using dendrimer-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

Dendrimer-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) for heavy metal ion removal from wastewaters were developed. Triazole dendrimers (TD) were built directly onto the carbon nanotube surface by successive click chemistry reactions affording the zero- and first-generation dendrimer-functionalized MWCNT (MWCNT-TD1 and MWCNT-TD2). The Moedritzer-Irani reaction carried out on the amino groups present on the MWCNT-TD2 sample gave the corresponding α-aminophosphonate nanosystem MWCNT-TD2P. Both MWCNT-TD2 and MWCNT-TD2P nanosystems have been characterized by physical, chemical, and morphological analyses. Their chelating abilities towards the toxic metal ions Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Ni²⁺ and the harmless Ca²⁺ ion have been experimentally evaluated in the two different sets of experiments and at the salt concentrations of 1 mg/mL or 1 μg/mL by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results of these studies pointed out the interesting chelating behavior for the phosphonated nanosystem towards the Hg²⁺ ion. The complexation mode of the best chelating system MWCNT-TD2P with mercury was investigated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations, suggesting a chelation mechanism involving the two oxygen atoms of the phosphate group. The synthesized dendrimers, supported on the multi-walled carbon nanotubes, have shown the potential to be used for the selective toxic metal ion removal and recovery.     

Assessing demineralization treatments for PVC effluent reuse in the resin polymerization step

To reduce fresh water consumption in a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant, the effluent from a biological treatment must be demineralized to be re-used in the resin polymerization process. Demineralization is a critical process, since the quality and the stability of the PVC resins are highly influenced by the water quality used in the process. The main target values for water parameters are the following: conductivity <10 μScm^?1, TOC < 10 mg L^?1, and Al < 0.1 mg L^?1. To achieve this quality, several reverse osmosis membranes from different materials and suppliers were tested and compared in the demineralization treatment. Polyamide membranes showed higher salt rejection compared to cellulose acetate membranes yielding both types similar flux and permeability. Two-pass reverse osmosis treatment was necessary to reach conductivities lower than 10 μS cm^?1. On the other hand, a good quality effluent for reuse was obtained by combining RO and ionic exchange resins. Results showed that good quality PVC resins in terms of color, granulometry, porosity, and bulk density were obtained when demineralized water from two-pass reverse osmosis was used as fresh water, proving the feasibility of the effluent reuse in the PVC industry.     

Integrated management of ash from industrial and domestic combustion: a new sustainable approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy conversion

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work supports, for the first time, the integrated management of waste materials arising from industrial processes (fly ash from municipal solid...     

TXRF analysis of soils and sediments to assess environmental contamination

Total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF) is proposed for the elemental chemical analysis of crustal environmental samples, such as sediments and soils. A comparative study of TXRF with respect to flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy was performed. Microwave acid digestion and suspension preparation methods are evaluated. A good agreement was found among the results obtained with different spectroscopic techniques and sample preparation methods for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn. We demonstrated that TXRF is suitable for the assessment of environmental contamination phenomena, even if the errors for Pb, As, V, and Ba are ingent.     

Assessment of commercially available polymeric materials for sorptive microextraction of priority and emerging nonpolar organic pollutants in environmental water samples

Among the different organic pollutants, persistent organic pollutants and emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) are of particular concern due to their potentially dangerous effects on the ecosystems and on human health. In the framework of the analysis of some of these organic pollutants in water samples, sorptive extraction devices have proven to be adequate for their monitoring. The efficiency of four commercially available and low-cost polymeric materials [polypropylene, poly(ethylene terephthalate), Raffia, and polyethersulfone (PES)] for the simultaneous extraction of 16 organic compounds from five different families from environmental water samples was evaluated in this work. Firstly, the homogeneity of the sorbent materials was confirmed by means of Raman spectroscopy. After the optimization of the parameters affecting the extraction and the liquid desorption steps, it was found that PES showed the largest efficiencies for slightly polar analytes and, to a lesser extent, for nonpolar analytes. Additionally, Raffia rendered good extraction efficiencies for nonpolar compounds. Thus sorptive extraction methods followed by large volume injection-programmable temperature vaporizer-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were validated using PES and Raffia as sorbent materials. The validation of the method provided good linearity (0.978?r ²?r ²?-1 level). Finally, these materials were applied to the analysis of contaminants in environmental water samples.     

Biofiltration of Trichloroethylene-Contaminated Air: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This project demonstrated the biofiltration of a trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated airstream generated by air stripping groundwater obtained from several wells located at the Anniston Army Depot, Anniston, AL. The effects of several critical process variables were investigated to evaluate technical and economic feasibility, define operating limits and preferred operating conditions, and develop design information for a full-scale biofilter system. Long-term operation of the demonstration biofilter system was conducted to evaluate the performance and reliability of the system under variable weather conditions. Propane was used as the primary substrate necessary to induce the production of a nonspecific oxygenase. Results indicated that the process scheme used to introduce propane into the biofiltration system had a significant impact on the observed TCE removal efficiency. TCE degradation rates were dependent on the inlet contaminant concentration as well as on the loading rate. No microbial inhibition was observed at inlet TCE concentrations as high as 87 parts per million on a volume basis.     

Ambient air pollution and term birth weight in Texas from 1998 to 2004

Previous studies have explored the association between air pollution levels and adverse birth outcomes such as lower birth weight. Existing literature suggests an association, although results across studies are not consistent. Additional research is needed to confirm the effect, investigate the exposure window of importance, and distinguish which pollutants cause harm.

We assessed the association between ambient pollutant concentrations and term birth weight for 1,548,904 births in TX from 1998 to 2004. Assignment of prenatal exposure to air pollutants was based on maternal county of residence at the time of delivery. Pollutants examined included particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 and ≤2.5 µm (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O₃). We applied a linear model with birth weight as a continuous variable. The model was adjusted for known risk factors and region. We assessed pollutant effects by trimester to identify biological exposure window of concern, and explored interaction due to race/ethnicity.

An interquartile increase in ambient pollutant concentrations of SO₂ and O₃ was associated with a 4.99-g (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.87–8.11) and 2.72-g (95% CI, 1.11–4.33) decrease in birth weight, respectively. Lower birth weight was associated with exposure to O₃ in the first and second trimester, whereas results were not significant for other pollutants by trimester. A positive association was exhibited for PM_2.5 in the first trimester. Effects estimates for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were inconsistent across race/ethnic groups.

Current ambient air pollution levels may be increasing the risk of lower birth weight for some pollutants. These risks may be increased for certain racial/ethnic groups. Additional research including consideration of improved methodology is needed to investigate these findings. Future studies should examine the influence of residual confounding.

Implications: This is one of the most comprehensive studies examining criteria air pollutants and lower birth weight in Texas. Our findings confirm results found previously for adverse effects of the air pollutant SO₂ on lower birth weight. Results from our study suggest that adverse pregnancy outcomes such as lower birth weight can occur even while maintaining air pollution levels below regulatory standards. Future studies should incorporate the assessment of differential pollutant exposure as well as effect estimates by race/ethnicity with individual and community-level social factors in order to enhance our understanding of how physical, social, and host factors influence birth outcomes.

Supplemental Materials: Supplementary information relating to characteristics of excluded births, distribution of air pollutant monitors by pollutant, and correlation coefficients of the air pollutants is available in the publisher's online edition of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.     

The adaptive response of lichens to mercury exposure involves changes in the photosynthetic machinery

Lichens are an excellent model to study the bioaccumulation of heavy metals but limited information is available on the molecular mechanisms occurring during bioaccumulation. We investigated the changes of the lichen proteome during exposure to constant concentrations of mercury. We found that most of changes involves proteins of the photosynthetic pathway, such as the chloroplastic photosystem I reaction center subunit II, the oxygen-evolving protein and the chloroplastic ATP synthase β-subunit. This suggests that photosynthesis is a target of the toxic effects of mercury. These findings are also supported by changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a and b, and β-carotene). Alterations to the photosynthetic machinery also reflect on the structure of thylakoid membranes of algal cells. Response of lichens to mercury also involves stress-related proteins (such as Hsp70) but not cytoskeletal proteins. Results suggest that lichens adapt to mercury exposure by changing the metabolic production of energy.     

Riparian Bird Communities as Indicators of Human Impacts Along Mediterranean Streams

Riparian areas link aquatic and terrestrial habitats, supporting species-rich bird communities, which integrate both terrestrial and aquatic processes. For this reason, inclusion of riparian birds in stream bioassessment could add to the information currently provided by existing programs that monitor aquatic organisms. To assess if bird community metrics could indicate stream conditions, we sampled breeding birds in the riparian zone of 37 reaches in 5 streams draining watersheds representing a gradient of agricultural intensity in central Italy. As a more direct indicator of water quality, stream macroinvertebrates were also sampled for computation of the Italian Extended Biotic Index (IBE). An anthropogenic index was calculated within 1 km of sampled reaches based on satellite-derived land-use classifications. Predictive models of macroinvertebrate integrity based on land-use and avian metrics were compared using an information-theoretic approach (AIC). We also determined if stream quality related to the detection of riverine species. Apparent bird species diversity and richness peaked at intermediate levels of land-use modification, but increased with IBE values. Water quality did not relate to the detection of riverine species as a guild, but two species, the dipper Cinclus cinclus and the grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea, were only observed in reaches with the highest IBE values. Small-bodied insectivorous birds and arboreal species were detected more often in reaches with better water quality and in less modified landscapes. In contrast, larger and granivorous species were more common in disturbed reaches. According to the information-theoretic approach, the best model for predicting water quality included the anthropogenic index, bird species diversity, and an index summarizing the trophic structure of the bird community. We conclude that, in combination with landscape-level information, the diversity and trophic structure of riparian bird communities could serve as a rapid indicator of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrates and, therefore, degradation of in-stream biotic integrity.