Comparison of static and mineralogical ARD prediction methods in the Nordic environment

Acid rock drainage (ARD) is a major problem related to the management of mining wastes, especially concerning deposits containing sulphide minerals. Commonly used tests for ARD prediction include acid–base accounting (ABA) tests and the net acid generation (NAG) test. Since drainage quality largely depends on the ratio and quality of acid-producing and neutralising minerals, mineralogical calculations could also be used for ARD prediction. In this study, several Finnish waste rock sites were investigated and the performance of different static ARD test methods was evaluated and compared. At the target mine sites, pyrrhotite was the main mineral contributing to acid production (AP). Silicate minerals were the main contributors to the neutralisation potential (NP) at 60% of the investigated mine sites. Since silicate minerals appear to have a significant role in ARD generation at Finnish mine waste sites, the behaviour of these minerals should be more thoroughly investigated, especially in relation to the acid produced by pyrrhotite oxidation. In general, the NP of silicate minerals appears to be underestimated by laboratory measurements. For example, in the NAG test, the slower-reacting NP-contributing minerals might require a longer time to react than is specified in the currently used method. The results suggest that ARD prediction based on SEM mineralogical calculations is at least as accurate as the commonly used static laboratory methods.     

Myanmar under reform: Emerging pressures on water,energy and food security

Myanmar's water‐related sectors are subject to intensive changes, as the country's abundant land and water resources provide substantial scope for development. Recent steps towards economic reform in Myanmar have led to a surge of foreign investment directed towards intensified natural resource extraction. Both the agricultural and the energy sector are increasingly affected by foreign investments that will impact the status of water, energy and food security in the country. With these on‐going developments, Myanmar's future is largely dependent on how its natural resources are managed and how the benefits from the resource extraction are shared. With various institutional changes and new actors welcomed to the sectors, existing livelihoods and ecosystems dependent on the land and water resources are to face increasing competition for the shared resources, while lacking secured access to them. There are increasing concerns that this sectoral development is occurring at the expense of environmental and social sustainability. As one way to tackle these challenges, the water‐energy‐food nexus approach could help in finding synergies and co‐benefits across sectors by addressing the imbalances along the nexus and externalities derived from the on‐going intensification.     

Emergent publics and affects in environmental governance

Drawing on the wide social scientific literature on emotions and affects, we highlight the value and potential contribution of the affect theory for understanding public engagement in environmental policy and planning. We suggest that such theorization complements political ontologies that envision concerned publics to arise as citizens are attached to objects and other beings in their everyday life. Focus on emotions and affects enables in-depth exploration of the corporeality of these attachments, increasing understanding about how affected publics get driven for action and how new sensibilities and horizons for action are created. Based on the discussion of affect theory and case examples, we argue that emotions and affects should be treated as crucial carriers of knowledge about transformation of political subjects and their concerns. They also direct analytic gaze beyond public participation procedures and encourage the development of novel, more inclusive settings for public engagement.     

Degradation of 1,2-dichloroethane from wash water of ion-exchange resin using Fenton’s oxidation

Background, aim, and scope  

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs), widely used in industry as solvents and chemical intermediates in the production of synthetic resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals, are highly toxic to the environment and public health. Various studies reported that Fenton’s oxidation could degrade a variety of chlorinated VOCs in aqueous solutions. In acidic conditions, ferrous ion catalyzes the decomposition of H₂O₂ to form a powerful ^•OH radical. In this study, wastewater from wash of ion-exchange resin containing typical CVOC, 1,2-dichloroethane, was treated using Fenton’s oxidation. To reduce environmental load and processing costs of wastewater, Fenton process as a simple and efficient treatment method was applied to degrade 1,2-dichloroethane of wash water.     

The South Karelia Air Pollution Study: Relationship of Outdoor and Indoor Concentrations of Malodorous Sulfur Compounds Released by Pulp Mills

We studied the indoor penetration of ambient air malodorous sulfur compounds released by pulp mills. The indoor and outdoor concentrations were simultaneously measured with automatic SO₂ analyzers. The filtering effect of three different materials connected to a gaseous filter unit was tested during six study periods. The tested materials were Sorbixofil® based on gypsum impregnated by KMnO₄ Purafil® based on Al₂O₃, both absorbing sulfur compounds by oxidation, and carbonized tissue. The periods lasted from 14 to 88 days. The results indicated that malodorous sulfur air pollutants penetrated indoors effectively, but after some delay because the dilution was slow. In a comparison of different filter materials, Purafil® was the most effective, producing low indoor concentrations. The study concludes that people living near pulp mills are exposed to substantial amounts of malodorous air pollutants, both indoors and outdoors. This exposure can be reduced by using gaseous sulfur sensitive filter materials connected to a controlled ventilation system.     

Geographical variability in the bioenergetic characteristics of Monoporeia/Pontoporeia spp. populations from the northern Baltic Sea,and their potential contribution to benthic nitrogen mineralization

The physiological condition, determined as the ammonia excretion rate (V NH ₄ ⁺ ), total lipid level and lipid class composition, of two deposit-feeding benthic amphipods, Monoporeia (=Pontoporeia) affinis and Pontoporeia femorata, was studied from 12 opensea stations in the northern Baltic Sea between 24 May and 11 June 1993. The M. affinis populations can be geographically grouped according to their physiological condition: (1) eastern Gulf of Finland, with moderate lipid level (mean 24.4% of dry wt) and high V NH ₄ ⁺ (45.2 mol NH ₄ ⁺ g^-1 dry wt d^-1); (2) Bothnian Sea, wigh high lipid level (34.5%) and low V NH ₄ ⁺ (24.6 mol NH ₄ ⁺ g^-1 dry wt d^-1); and (3) Bothnian Bay, with low lipid level (15.2%) and high V NH ₄ ⁺ (44.3 mol NH ₄ ⁺ dry wt d^-1). A similar pattern could be observed also in the level of triacylglycerols and the neutral-to-polar lipid ratio. P. femorata, the dominating species in the western Gulf of Finland, showed variable station-specific excretion rates (22.3 to 43.0 mol NH ₄ ⁺ g^-1 dry wt d^-1) and lipid levels (23.4 to 30.4%). The spatial variability in the weight-specific V NH ₄ ⁺ of M. affinis could not be explained by the differences in the size of individuals, lipid level or lipid class composition; this emphasizes the significance of the effects of spatially differing nutritional conditions, which manifest themselves as different modes of metabolic energy production and different intensities of energy storage. In addition, the potential contribution of the amphipod populations to benthic nitrogen mineralization was estimated; in May to June, the NH ₄ ⁺ release of different populations ranged from 12 to 237 mol NH ₄ ⁺ m^-2d^-1. In general, populations with high abundance and/or biomass release the greatest amounts of NH ₄ ⁺ , but the values are modified by the physiological condition of the individuals.     

X-linked pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency due to a novel PDHA1 variant associated with structural brain abnormalities in a fetus

We report a case of pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha subunit deficiency associated with a novel hemizygous PDHA1 variant presenting prenatally as multiple structural brain abnormalities in a male fetus. A healthy Finnish couple was initially referred to the Fetomaternal Medical Center because of suspected fetal choroid plexus cyst at 11 + 2 weeks of pregnancy. At 20 + 0 weeks, multiple abnormalities were observed with ultrasound including narrow thorax, slightly enlarged heart, hypoplastic cerebellum, absent cerebellar vermis and ventriculomegaly. Autopsy and genetic analyses were performed after the termination of pregnancy. The findings of macroscopic examination included cleft palate, abnormally overlapping position of fingers and toes and dysmorphic facial features. Neuropathological examination confirmed the absence of corpus callosum, cerebellar hypoplasia and ventriculomegaly. Nodular neuronal heterotopia was also observed. Trio exome sequencing revealed a novel hemizygous de novo variant c.1144C>T p.(Gln382*) in the PDHA1 gene, classified as likely pathogenic. We suggest that inherited metabolic disorders should be kept in mind as differential diagnoses in fetuses with structural brain abnormalities.     

Concentrations of heavy metals in fly ash from a coal-fired power plant with respect to the new Finnish limit values

In Finland, the new limit values for heavy metals in fertilizers used in agriculture and in forestry came into force in March 2007, and for materials used as earth construction agents, in June 2006. From the utilization point of view, it was notable that the total heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr, Mo, Zn, As, Ni, Ba, and Hg) in fly ash from a coal-fired power plant were lower than those limit values. The concentrations of the easily soluble elements Ca, Mg, Na, P, and Zn in the fly ash were between 3.5 and 35 times higher than those found in the coarse mineral soils of Finland. Fly ash is a potential agent for soil remediation and for improving soil fertility. If inorganic materials and by-products are utilized in earthworks, the content of harmful compounds must be low and the harmful components must be tightly bound to the matrix. Therefore, a five-stage sequential extraction procedure was used to evaluate the extractability of different elements in fly ash into the following fractions: (1) the water-soluble fraction, (2) the exchangeable fraction (CH₃COOH), (3) the easily reduced fraction (NH₂OH-HCl), (4) the oxidizable fraction (H₂O₂ + CH₃COONH₄), and (5) the residual fraction (HF + HNO₃ + HCl).     

Endemic hantavirus infection impairs the winter survival of its rodent host

The influence of pathogens on host fitness is one of the key questions in infection ecology. Hantaviruses have coevolved with their hosts and are generally thought to have little or no effect on host survival or reproduction. We examined the effect of Puumala virus (PUUV) infection on the winter survival of bank voles (Myodes glareolus), the host of this virus. The data were collected by monitoring 22 islands over three consecutive winters (a total of 55 island populations) in an endemic area of central Finland. We show that PUUV infected bank voles had a significantly lower overwinter survival probability than antibody negative bank voles. Antibody negative female bank voles from low-density populations living on large islands had the highest survival. The results were similar at the population level as the spring population size and density were negatively correlated with PUUV prevalence in the autumn. Our results provide the first evidence for a significant effect of PUUV on host survival suggesting that hantaviruses, and endemic pathogens in general, deserve even more attention in studies of host population dynamics.