Effects of secondary metabolites produced by different cyanobacterial populations on the freshwater zooplankters Brachionus calyciflorus and Daphnia pulex

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic water bodies are a worldwide problem. Combined effects of mixtures of secondary metabolites produced by different...     

Development of a leaching assessment framework for the utilization of coal ash at South Korean mine reclamation sites

Coal-based power generates large quantities of coal ash in South Korea. However, coal ash recycling is still inactive and most wasted coal ash is buried in landfills. Recently, beneficial uses of coal ash such as in mine reclamation sites has been increasingly considered; however, as a result of legal limitations due to environmental concerns, the utilization of coal ash at mine reclamation sites has procrastinated. Consequently, to resolve this issue, the relevant environmental impact of coal ash must be considered. Therefore, a leaching assessment framework to assess the environmental impact of coal ash utilization at South Korean mine reclamation sites is presented. The framework was used to identify leaching mechanisms and support an assessment of the environmental impact of coal ash usage at mine reclamation sites in South Korea. This framework could provide guidance with regard to designing more realistic leaching procedures appropriate for all mine conditions and could support the development of regulations and protocols for future environment-friendly coal ash usage.     

Cost–benefit analysis of beach-cast harvest: Closing land-marine nutrient loops in the Baltic Sea region

Harvesting beach-cast can help mitigate marine eutrophication by closing land-marine nutrient loops and provide a blue biomass raw material for the bioeconomy. Cost–benefit analysis was applied to harvest activities during 2009–2018 on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, highlighting benefits such as nutrient removal from the marine system and improved recreational opportunities as well as costs of using inputs necessary for harvest. The results indicate that the activities entailed a net gain to society, lending substance to continued funding for harvests on Gotland and assessments of upscaling of harvest activities to other areas in Sweden and elsewhere. The lessons learnt from the considerable harvest experience on Gotland should be utilized for developing concrete guidelines for carrying out sustainable harvest practice, paying due attention to local conditions but also to what can be generalized to a wider national and international context.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01641-8.     

间歇曝气条件下短程硝化的实现及影响因素研究

研究间歇曝气条件下短程硝化的实现及温度、pH值和DO对实验效果的影响。以城市生活污水为研究对象,采用间歇曝气方式进行短程硝化实验,利用接种法培养驯化亚硝化细菌。实验研究结果表明,经过22 d的培养驯化,成功获得了亚硝化细菌,亚硝酸盐的积累率达到90％左右。在温度为25℃、pH为7.5、DO＜1 mg/L的条件下,亚硝酸...     

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Bamboo Microfibril Reinforced Polyhydroxybutyrate Biocomposites

In the present investigation, microfibrils were extracted from raw bamboo and characterized using scanning electron microscope. Composites based on polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and bamboo microfibril were prepared with various microfibril loading. The mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting composites were measured. Tensile strength and impact strength of the composites were found to be increasing with increase in the loading of bamboo microfibrils, reached an optimum and thereafter decreased with further increase in microfibril loading. Percentage crystallinity was found to be increasing with increase in fibril loading. Thermal stability of the composite was higher than that of pure PHB. The composite could be developed further for various structural applications.     

Effect of ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid on Fenton and photo-Fenton processes using goethite as an iron source: optimization of parameters for bisphenol A degradation

The main disadvantage of using iron mineral in Fenton-like reactions is that the decomposition rate of organic contaminants is slower than in classic Fenton reaction using ferrous ions at acidic pH. In order to overcome these drawbacks of the Fenton process, chelating agents have been used in the investigation of Fenton heterogeneous reaction with some Fe-bearing minerals. In this work, the effect of new iron complexing agent, ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS), on heterogeneous Fenton and photo-Fenton system using goethite as an iron source was tested at circumneutral pH. Batch experiments including adsorption of EDDS and bisphenol A (BPA) on goethite, H₂O₂ decomposition, dissolved iron measurement, and BPA degradation were conducted. The effects of pH, H₂O₂ concentration, EDDS concentration, and goethite dose were studied, and the production of hydroxyl radical (^?OH) was detected. The addition of EDDS inhibited the heterogeneous Fenton degradation of BPA but also the formation of ^?OH. The presence of EDDS decreases the reactivity of goethite toward H₂O₂ because EDDS adsorbs strongly onto the goethite surface and alters catalytic sites. However, the addition of EDDS can improve the heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of BPA through the propagation into homogeneous reaction and formation of photochemically efficient Fe-EDDS complex. The overall effect of EDDS is dependent on the H₂O₂ and EDDS concentrations and pH value. The high performance observed at pH 6.2 could be explained by the ability of O ₂ ^?? to generate Fe(II) species from Fe(III) reduction. Low concentrations of H₂O₂ (0.1 mM) and EDDS (0.1 mM) were required as optimal conditions for complete BPA removal. These findings regarding the capability of EDDS/goethite system to promote heterogeneous photo-Fenton oxidation have important practical implications for water treatment technologies.     

Denitrification in the river estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea

Estuaries have been suggested to have an important role in reducing the nitrogen load transported to the sea. We measured denitrification rates in six estuaries of the northern Baltic Sea. Four of them were river mouths in the Bothnian Bay (northern Gulf of Bothnia), and two were estuary bays, one in the Archipelago Sea (southern Gulf of Bothnia) and the other in the Gulf of Finland. Denitrification rates in the four river mouths varied between 330 and 905 micromol N m(-2) d(-1). The estuary bays at the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia had denitrification rates from 90 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) to 910 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) and from 230 micromol N m(-2) d(-1) to 320 micromol N m(-2) d(-1), respectively. Denitrification removed 3.6-9.0% of the total nitrogen loading in the river mouths and in the estuary bay in the Gulf of Finland, where the residence times were short. In the estuary bay with a long residence time, in the Archipelago Sea, up to 4.5% of nitrate loading and 19% of nitrogen loading were removed before entering the sea. According to our results, the sediments of the fast-flowing rivers and the estuary areas with short residence times have a limited capacity to reduce the nitrogen load to the Baltic Sea.     

Analysis of genetic structure of blacklip abalone (Haliotis rubra) populations using RAPD, minisatellite and microsatellite markers

 We investigated the utility of three polymerase chain-reaction (PCR)-based DNA molecular markers in analysing genetic structure of the populations of the blacklip abalone Haliotis rubra (Leach) of Victoria, Australia. The DNA markers included 84 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) bands amplified using six random primers, two minisatellites, GHR (putative growth-hormone-gene-repeat) and MIPR (putative mollusca-insulin-like peptide-gene-repeat), and three microsatellites, RUBGT1 [containing (GT)_n repeats], RUBCA1 [containing (CA)_n repeats] and RUBGACA1 [containing (GACA)_n repeats]. All three types of DNA markers revealed significant subdivision in the H. rubra populations along the coastline. This is postulated as being related to the abalone's relatively short pelagic period and limited dispersion. Further analysis revealed that a Point Cook population sampled from within the semi-enclosed Port Phillip Bay was distinct from two other central zone populations (Apollo Bay and Cape Schanck). The genotypes of microsatellites indicated excessive homozygotes across all the populations at all three microsatellite loci, and possible causes such as larval recruitment pattern and asynchronous spawning are discussed. The excessive homozygotes recorded for the three microsatellite loci contrast with those observed in the minisatellite loci GHR and MIPR, the heterozygosities of which were at Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Received: 17 March 1999 / Accepted: 24 November 1999     

安徽省“十三五”时期生态环境质量变化特征

在全面分析安徽省生态环境监测数据的基础上,总结了"十三五"时期安徽省生态环境质量变化特征和主要环境问题,提出相应的对策建议。结果表明:"十三五"期间,安徽省生态环境质量全面好转,2020年全省优良天数比例为82.9%,比"十二五"末上升2.0百分点。PM_2.5平均质量浓度为39 μg/m³,比"十二五"末下降25.0%。地表水水质由轻度污染转为良好,全面消除劣Ⅴ类断面。酸雨污染持续减轻。但全省生态环境形势依旧严峻,PM_2.5和O₃复合型污染特征越发明显,部分河流、湖库污染依然存在,巢湖富营养化问题未得到根本解决,农村地下饮用水水源地及县域地表水水质达标率较低,局部区域存在土壤污染问题,地下水以Ⅳ类水质为主。生态环境质量现状与人民对美好生态环境的需求,社会经济发展与环境承载能力之间的矛盾仍然存在。生态环境污染治理已进入攻坚期,环境质量持续改善的难度加大。