Degradation of Polyethylene and Nylon-66 by the Laccase-Mediator System

We investigated whether the laccase-mediator system (LMS) with 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (HBT) as a mediator could degrade high-molecular-weight polyethylene and nylon-66 membranes. The LMS markedly reduced the elongation and tensile strength of these membranes. After 3 days of treatment with the LMS, the M _w of polyethylene decreased from 242,000 to 28,300, and that of nylon-66 from 79,300 to 14,700. The LMS also decreased the polydispersity (M _w/M _n) of polyethylene and nylon-66. Furthermore, these reductions in elongation, tensile strength, and molecular weight were accompanied by morphological disintegration of the polyethylene and nylon-66 membranes. These results strongly suggest that the LMS with HBT can effectively degrade polyethylene and nylon-66.     

Technical Procedures for CDM Project Design

The success of CDM depends on active participation of public and private entities. In particular, participation of wide range of private companies is an important factor for the success. In order to promote the participation of private companies in the CDM project activities as project participants, the authors clarify the steps and technical issues involved in the CDM project design procedures in a step-by-step approach. The steps consist of outlining the project plans, identifying project impacts, defining a project boundary, estimating GHG emissions reduction/enhancement of removals, documenting the results of estimation, and designing of monitoring plans. The authors also propose guidance for project participants, especially for those not familiar with the CDM, which provides plain explanation of major technical issues. In order to further develop a complete guideline, it is necessary to integrate the outputs of the ongoing international initiatives concerning technical issues of CDM into the stepwise approach proposed in this paper. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cadmium Contamination in Wild Birds as an Indicator of Environmental Pollution

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that has serioustoxicity in humans and animals and causes Itai-Itai disease.However, there is little available information on itscontamination in wildlife as an indicator of environmentalpollution. The Cd contents in the kidney and liver of 85 wildbirds from 9 different prefectures in Japan were investigated.The ranges of the Cd contents in the kidney and liver in allbirds were ND-174.4 and ND-21.2 g g^-1 dry wt.,respectively. The mean Cd contents were higher in theoil-contaminated birds than those in the non-contaminated ones.Furthermore, a strong correlation was obtained only between theCd contents in the kidney and those in the liver of theoil-contaminated seabirds and not in the other non-contaminatedones. These results suggest that wild birds reflect the levelof environmental contamination which should be monitored.     

Climate change adaptation practices of apple growers in Nagano, Japan

By an interview survey with apple growers in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, we found that their recognition of and reaction to climate change depends on their sales channels. Against rising air temperature, more farmers on direct sales (Type D farmers) than those on sales via the markets (Type M farmers) recognized the delay in fruit maturity as the effect of climate change, specifically temperature rise, (Type D: 62%, Type M: 15%). In response to the delay in maturity, Type D farmers simply delayed the harvest to full maturity by about 10 days than they did 20 years ago. On the other hand, Type M farmers recognized delayed reddening of the fruits as the most salient result of climate change (Type D: 8%, Type M: 46%), and took measures to accelerate the coloring by placing reflective materials on ground and/or picking off leaves around the fruits. The contrasting behaviors can be explained by the difference in the critical trait of the products. For Type M farmers, timing of the shipment is critical to avoid competition with shipments from other apple growing areas, and the good coloring is the prerequisite for the shipment. For Type D farmers, by contrast, full maturity is more important than coloring, since their contract with the customers hinges on the palatability of the fruits rather than the timing. This study has thus identified positioning of the farmers with the sales channel as a determinant in their adaptation behavior and vulnerability to climatic changes.     

Hydrogen sulfide removal by iron containing activated carbon

Activated carbon modified by impregnation with iron (III) chloride solution (Fe‐ACs) were studied to try to raise their adsorption capacity for hydrogen sulfide, a malodorous substance.

The surface area and pore volume of activated carbon were decreased by impregnation, but the amount of hydrogen sulfide adsorbed onto Fe‐AC was larger than that onto raw activated carbon (R‐AC). In particular, a large increase of the amount adsorbed onto Fe‐AC was noted at low equilibrium pressure. It was assumed that the increase of amount of hydrogen sulfide adsorbed onto Fe‐AC was due to the chemical interaction between iron (III) chloride on the pores in addition to the physical adsorption onto pores of activated carbon. Fe‐AC shows a high selectivity for hydrogen sulfide.     

A new index for evaluation of cadmium pollution in birds and mammals

The degree of cadmium (Cd) contamination in wildlife is often used as an indicator in the environmental monitoring of Cd poisoning. However, previous studies have not clarified the correlation between levels in wildlife and levels in the environment by comparing levels among different species of animals; therefore, assessing the level of pollution in this manner is not considered a reliably accurate indicator of levels in the environment. The aim of this study was to establish a new indicator for the non-polluted warm-blooded animals, one that is not species-dependent, which will facilitate using different species for Cd monitoring. First, the previous publications regarding Cd contents in wildlife, 27 reports in which Cd contents were represented as arithmetic means and described for both kidney and liver were selected. A regression line (CSRL) between Cd contents of kidney and that of liver was obtained in a high correlation coefficient (R ² = 0.943, P < 0.01). The mean values from land and waterfowl, terrestrial mammals, seabirds, marine mammals, and non-polluted humans were located on the line and aligned in order. CSRL might allow an accurate determination of whether an animal is polluted by Cd. CSRL was confirmed using well-established and widely recognized pollution models such as Itai-itai patients and Cd-exposed experimental animals. The Cd contents from these models were located in different positions relative to CSRL depending on the level of contamination. Thus, this new indicator determining the Cd-pollution status of animals would be useful for environmental monitoring.     

Difference in concentration trends of airborne particulate matter during rush hour on weekdays and Sundays in Tokyo,Japan

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and fine particulate matter (less than or equal to 2.5 μm: PM_2.5) have generally been decreasing for the last decade in Tokyo, Japan. To elucidate the major cause of this decrease, the authors investigated the different trends of airborne particulates (both SPM and PM_2.5 concentrations) by evaluating comparisons based on the location of the monitoring stations (roadside vs. ambient), days of the week (weekdays vs. Sundays), and daily fluctuation patterns (2002 vs. 2010). Hourly mean SPM and PM_2.5 concentrations were obtained at four monitoring stations (two roadside stations, two ambient stations) in Tokyo, Japan. Annual mean concentrations of each day of the week and of each hour of the day from 2002 to 2010 were calculated. The results showed that (1) the daily differences in annual mean concentration decreased only at the two roadside monitoring stations; (2) the high hourly mean concentrations observed on weekdays during the daily rush hour at the two roadside monitoring stations observed in 2002 diminished in 2010; (3) the SPM concentration that decreased the most since 2002 was the PM_2.5 concentration; and (4) the fluctuation of hourly concentrations during weekdays at the two roadside monitoring stations decreased. A decreasing trend of airborne particulates during the daily rush hour in Tokyo, Japan, was observed at the roadside monitoring stations on weekdays since 2002. The decreasing PM_2.5 concentration resulted in this decreasing trend of airborne particulate concentrations during the daily rush hours on weekdays, which indicates fewer emissions were produced by diesel vehicles.

ImplicationsThe authors compared the trends of SPM and PM_2.5 in Tokyo by location (roadside vs. ambient), days of the week (weekdays vs. Sundays), and daily fluctuation patterns (2002 vs. 2010). The high hourly mean concentrations observed at the roadside location during rush hour on weekdays in 2002 diminished in 2010. The SPM concentration that decreased during rush hour the most was the PM_2.5 concentration. This significant decrease in the PM_2.5 concentration resulted in the general decreasing trend of SPM concentrations during the rush hours on weekdays, which indicates fewer emissions were produced from diesel vehicles.