Comparative Toxicities of Polar and Non-Polar Organic Fractions From Sediments Affected By the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound,Alaska

Abstract

Standardized tests were applied to aromatic and polar fractions of sediment extracts to determine whether polar constituents or oxidative degradation products contributed significantly to the toxicity of sediments oiled by the Exxon Valdez spill. Intertidal sediment and pore-water samples were collected in September 1990 from two heavily oiled sites and an unoiled site in Prince William Sound (PWS). Methylene chloride extracts from these samples were fractionated by liquid chromatography into aliphatic, aromatic and polar fractions, and the aromatic and polar fractions were tested for toxicity using the Microtox^R test, bivalve larval mortality and development (Mytilus); several measures of genotoxicity in Mytilus, including SOS Chromotest^R, anaphase aberrations and sister chromatid exchange; and survival, anaphase aberrations and teratogenicity in coho salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch). Microtox^R and SOS Chromotest^R protocols were applied in a screening mode to all samples, whereas other tests were applied only to selected fractions from two sites. Samples from Bay of Isles (oiled) were consistently more toxic (usually only 2 to 5-fold) than the Mooselips Bay (unoiled) samples, which gave very low responses in all tests. for both sites, however, responses to polar and aromatic fractions were about the same in most tests, suggesting that while the overall toxicity of the oil was low in these samples, at least part of that toxicity was derived from polar constituents. Compared to the parent hydrocarbons, polar oxidation products partition preferentially into pore-water and are more rapidly diluted and dispersed in the water column. These results suggest that polar oxidation products of petroleum hydrocarbons pose little risk to marine organisms, except possibly for infauna continuously exposed to pore-water in heavily oiled sediments. Independent surveys showed that sediment toxicity in PWS declined during 1989–1991 to near background levels, in accord with previous understanding of oil weathering and toxicity.     

Enhanced degradation of carbofuran in pacific northwest soils

Abstract

Persistence of ¹⁴C‐carbonyl carbofuran was measured in Pacific Northwest soils that had received 1–14 applications of the insecticide for root weevil control on perennial crops. Insecticide decay curves were obtained in nonautoclaved soil and several autoclaved soil samples from previously‐treated fields and in nonautoclaved soils from paired control sites not previously treated with carbofuran. The insecticide usually degraded faster in soil from previously‐treated fields than in soil from corresponding control fields. Among 26 previously‐treated fields, the pseudo half‐life (time for 50% loss) of carbofuran was < one wk in 11 soils, 1–3 wks in 8 soils and > 4 wks in the remaining soils. Among the nontreated control fields the pseudo half‐life was > than 2 wks in all cases and > than 15 wks in 5 of the soils. The carbofuran decay curve always possessed an initial lag phase where soil mixing enhanced insecticide decline. Carbofuran degraded very slowly in autoclaved soil samples. The half‐life of carbofuran exceeded 16 wk in all autoclaved soils tested and in most instances 85–90% of the original dosage remained when the tests were terminated 112 days after treatment. These results provided evidence that many of the soils which received applications of carbofuran over the past several years have developed a capacity to degrade carbofuran very rapidly.     

Implementing the UNCCD: Participatory challenges

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) emphasizes the need for public participation in land degradation assessment and rehabilitation. While participatory approaches are supported by a growing body of research and practice, meaningfully involving the people affected by land degradation is far from straightforward. This paper investigates the challenge of using the UNCCD as a guide to influence community participation in policy‐making and practice at national and local levels by analyzing experiences from three southern African countries. We show that the UNCCD represents a useful normative framework for addressing degradation problems, but that the participatory ethos is difficult to enact at the national level. Whilst there is increasing evidence that combining local and scientific knowledge using participatory mechanisms can deliver the benefits that the Convention strives to achieve, communication between researchers and practitioners, and those involved in implementing the UNCCD at the national level needs to be strengthened. Broad lessons and best practices in incorporating participatory practices into policy development are elucidated. Our case studies show that a range of mixed‐method, interdisciplinary approaches can enable policy‐makers and practitioners to meaningfully engage those who are affected by land degradation in its definition, assessment and rehabilitation.     

氯菊酯的酶促降解

从降解氯菊酯的分离株ＹＦ１１提取降解酶并测定了对氯菊酯的降解特性，降解酶在３２．５℃，ｐＨ９．０时对氯菊酯显示最大的降解活性，其每毫克蛋白质最大降解速率为２０．８ｎｍｏｌ／ｍｉｎ，米氏常数为５．２ｎｍｏｌ／ｍＬ。     

Assessment of Soil Cover Degradation and Desertification in Northern Lowland Dagestan

New principles of the assessment of soil cover degradation and desertification, the scale and intensity of destructive processes manifestation are determined.     

Efficiency and degradation products elucidation of the photodegradation of mefenpyrdiethyl in water interface using TiO2 P-25 and Hombikat UV100

The photodegradation of mefenpyrdiethyl (MFD), an herbicide safener, was investigated in aqueous suspensions by using Degussa P-25 and Hombikat UV100 titanium oxide under simulated sunlight irradiation. The effects of initial concentration of the herbicide, pH, catalysts and hydrogen peroxide doses as well as their combinations were studied and optimized. Accordingly, the kinetic parameters were determined and the effectiveness of the processes was assessed by calculating the rate constants. A pseudo first-order kinetics was observed. Under experimental conditions, the degradation rate constants were strongly influenced using P-25 and no noticeable effect was observed for Hombikat UV100. DFT calculations with B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory were performed to check whether significant conformational changes occur when the charge state of the MFD substrate changes and whether these changes could play a role in the dependency of photodegradation rate constant on the studied pH. High resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR/MS) was implemented to identify the main degradation products.     

微生物法降解药渣中残留四环素的试验研究

发酵法生产四环素过程中会产出大量废弃药渣,其中含有丰富的营养物质,但同时也残留一定量未提取完的四环素,从而限制其资源化利用。研究筛选到一株对药渣中残留四环具有高效降解作用的优势菌株,经16S rDNA鉴定为无丙二酸柠檬酸杆菌(Citrobacteramalonaticus)。该菌株在35℃、初始pH 5.5、装液量为50 mL、接种量为5%、转速为150 r/min条件下,处理四环素药渣72 h,药渣中残留四环素的降解率为86.1%。     

纳米TiO_2纤维的制备及其光催化降解甲醛研究

以胶原纤维为模板制备纳米TiO2纤维用于光助催化降解甲醛气体,用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和N2吸附-脱附技术对纳米TiO2纤维进行了表征。结果表明,纳米TiO2纤维的比表面积为11.33 m2/g,晶型为锐钛矿型。在相同催化反应条件下纳米TiO2纤维对甲醛气体的催化降解率与商品纳米TiO(2Degussa P25)催化剂相当。纳米TiO2纤维的用量、甲醛气体初始浓度是影响催化效果的两个因素。当甲醛气体初始浓度为0.270 mg/m3,相对湿度为38%,气体流速0.1 L/min,纳米TiO2纤维用量为1.0 g时,甲醛的降解率达到96%。因此,纳米TiO2纤维可用于室内甲醛气体的催化降解。     

生物阳极及其反转为生物阴极降解氯霉素

为了探讨生物阳极能否降解氯霉素以及生物阳极反转为生物阴极后能否替代生物阴极,通过驯化生物阳极降解氯霉素和生物阳极反转为生物阴极的实验,表明生物阳极经过长期氯霉素浓度梯度增加(5~80 mg·L-1)的驯化,具有较好产电能力的同时,对氯霉素也具有一定的降解能力(k=0.098 5).生物阳极反转为生物阴极后并将电位恒定在-0.40 V vs.SHE时,该生物阴极相对于反转前生物阳极的电位(-0.20 V vs.SHE)有了明显的降低,导致微生物活性受到一定的影响,但阴极生物膜仍具有较强的催化降解氯霉素的能力,其还原降解速率常数k为0.264 3,明显高于非生物阴极对照(k=0.160 9).生物阳极反转生物阴极的模式不仅实现了氯霉素的硝基还原,而且发生了芳香胺产物侧链的完全脱氯和羰基还原反应.     

高指数晶面TiO2对铬的吸附及光催化去除

由工业生产引起的铬污染是环境领域面临的一大挑战.二氧化钛(TiO_2)材料因其吸附催化的双重作用在铬的去除方面具有潜在应用前景.利用溶剂热法合成高指数晶面TiO_2{201},对其进行SEM、TEM、XRD及XPS表征,并用于Cr(Ⅲ/Ⅵ)的吸附及Cr(Ⅵ)的光催化还原,以达到从水体中去除铬的目的.所合成的TiO_2{201}为锐钛矿相,呈蒲公英状的层级结构. Langmuir吸附等温线结果表明,TiO_2{201}对Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)的最大吸附量分别为22. 7 mg·g-1和13. 2 mg·g-1,Freundlich模型拟合结果表明TiO_2{201}对Cr(Ⅲ)和Cr(Ⅵ)的吸附均易于进行,其1/n均小于0. 5.在紫外光照条件下,TiO_2{201}作为光催化剂可将毒性较强且吸附去除效果较差的Cr(Ⅵ)还原成Cr(Ⅲ),并以Cr(OH)3及Cr2O3的形式沉淀在TiO_2表面,XPS表征结果进一步证实了表面沉淀的存在.为探明TiO_2{201}光催化还原Cr(Ⅵ)的机制,分别研究光生空穴淬灭剂(EDTA-2Na)和光生电子淬灭剂(KBr O3)对Cr(Ⅵ)还原效率的影响,证明Cr(Ⅵ)的还原是由光生电子引起.