Effects of temperature and fertilization on total vs. active bacterial communities exposed to crude and diesel oil pollution in NW Mediterranean Sea

The dynamics of total and active microbial communities were studied in seawater microcosms amended with crude or diesel oil at different temperatures (25, 10 and 4 °C) in the presence/absence of organic fertilization (Inipol EAP 22). Total and hydrocarbon-degrading microbes were enumerated by fluorescence microscopy and Most Probable Number (MPN) method, respectively. Total (16S rDNA-based) vs. active (16S rRNA) bacterial community structure was monitored by Capillary-Electrophoresis Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (CE-SSCP) fingerprinting. Hydrocarbons were analyzed after 12 weeks of incubation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total and hydrocarbon-degrading microbial counts were highly influenced by fertilization while no important differences were observed between temperatures. Higher biodegradation levels were observed in fertilized microcosms. Temperature and fertilization induced changes in structure of total bacterial communities. However, fertilization showed a more important effect on active bacterial structure. The calculation of Simpson's diversity index showed similar trends among temperatures whereas fertilization reduced diversity index of both total and active bacterial communities.     

Environmental monitoring of complex hydrocarbon mixtures in water and soil samples after solid phase microextraction using PVC/MWCNTs nanocomposite fiber

A novel nanocomposite based on incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was prepared. Proposed nanocomposite was coated on stainless steel wire by deep coating. Composition of nanocomposite was optimized based on results of morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy. The best composition (83% MWCNTs:17% PVC) was applied as a solid phase microextraction fiber. Complex mixture of aromatic (BTEX) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (C₅–C₃₄) were selected as model analytes, and performance of proposed fiber in extraction of the studied compounds from water and soil samples was evaluated. Analytical merits of the method for water samples (LODs = 0.10–1.10 ng L⁻¹, r² = 0.9940–0.9994) and for soil samples (LODs = 0.10–0.77 ng kg⁻¹, r² = 0.9946–0.9994) showed excellent characteristics of it in ultra trace determination of petroleum type environmental pollutants. Finally, the method was used for determination of target analytes in river water, industrial effluent and soil samples.     

Factors influencing on the bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in size-specific dust from air conditioner filters

Size-specific concentrations and bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust from air conditioner filters were measured, and the factors influencing the PBDE bioaccessibility were determined. Generally, the PBDE concentrations increased with decreasing dust particle size, and BDE209 (deca-BDE) was generally the predominant congener. The bioaccessibility ranged from 20.3% to 50.8% for tri- to hepta-BDEs, and from 5.1% to 13.9% for BDE209 in dust fractions of varied particle size. The bioaccessibility of most PBDE congeners decreased with increasing dust particle size. The way of being of PBDE (adsorbed to dust surface or incorporated into polymers) in dust significantly influenced the bioaccessibility. There was a significant negative correlation between the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and organic matter (OM) contents in dust. Furthermore, tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility increased with increasing polarity of OMs, while with decreasing aromaticity of OMs. The tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility significantly positively correlated with the surface areas and pore volumes of dust. Using multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that the OM contents and pore volumes of dust were the most important factors to influence the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and they could be used to estimate the bioaccessibility of tri- to hepta-BDEs according to the following equation: bioaccessibility (%) = 45.05 − 0.49 × OM% + 1.79 × pore volume. However, BDE209 bioaccessibility did not correlate to any of these factors.     

Temperature-dependent sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on natural and treated sediments

In aqueous environment temperature is considered to play a significant role in the sorption process of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and its influence on the sorption equilibrium is indicative of sorption energies and mechanisms. In this study, sorptions of five PAHs on three heterogeneous sorbents including one river sediment (YHR), one estuary sediment (YRD) and one treated sediment with organic matter removed (IM) were carried out at a range of temperature from 5 °C to 35 °C. Stronger sorptions were observed at lower temperatures, with the equilibrium sorption coefficient K_d increasing 2-5 times as the temperature decreases 30 °C. The increase of K_d value was attributed primarily to the change of PAH water solubility, which predicted 40-75% of the increase of K_d in the sorption process. To provide insight into the sorption mechanism, enthalpy change (ΔH_S) for the sorption process was calculated and the values were observed to be negative for all of the interactions, suggesting that the exothermal sorption of PAHs inversely dependents on temperature. Based on the values of ΔH_S, van der Waals forces were inferred as the main sorption mechanism for the PAHs, especially on the YHR sediment which contained more organic matter. For sorption of larger size PAHs on the sorbents with low organic matter, specific interactions were deduced to contribute to the overall sorption.     

Temporal and geographical genetic variation in the amphipod Melita plumulosa (Crustacea: Melitidae): Link of a localized change in haplotype frequencies to a chemical spill

Anthropogenic effects such as contamination affect the genetic structure of populations. This study examined the temporal and geographical patterns of genetic diversity among populations of the benthic crustacean amphipod Melita plumulosa in the Parramatta River (Sydney, Australia), following an industrial chemical spill. The spill of an acrylate/methacrylate co-polymer in naphtha solvent occurred in July 2006. M. plumulosa were sampled temporally between December 2006 and November 2009 and spatially in November 2009. Genetic variation was examined at the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I locus. Notably, nucleotide diversity was low and Tajima’s D was significantly negative amongst amphipods collected immediately downstream from the spill for 10 months. We hypothesize that the spill had a significant localized effect on the genetic diversity of M. plumulosa. Alternate explanations include an alternate and unknown toxicant or a localized sampling bias. Future proposed studies will dissect these alternatives.     

Environmental assessment of garden waste management in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark

An environmental assessment of six scenarios for handling of garden waste in the Municipality of Aarhus (Denmark) was performed from a life cycle perspective by means of the LCA-model EASEWASTE. In the first (baseline) scenario, the current garden waste management system based on windrow composting was assessed, while in the other five scenarios alternative solutions including incineration and home composting of fractions of the garden waste were evaluated. The environmental profile (normalised to Person Equivalent, PE) of the current garden waste management in Aarhus is in the order of −6 to 8 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the non-toxic categories and up to 100 mPE Mg⁻¹ ww for the toxic categories. The potential impacts on non-toxic categories are much smaller than what is found for other fractions of municipal solid waste. Incineration (up to 35% of the garden waste) and home composting (up to 18% of the garden waste) seem from an environmental point of view suitable for diverting waste away from the composting facility in order to increase its capacity. In particular the incineration of woody parts of the garden waste improved the environmental profile of the garden waste management significantly.     

煤矸石自燃过程中多环芳烃含量的变化研究

采用室内模拟实验的方法,综合分析了煤矸石堆积自燃过程中多环芳烃(PAHs)含量的变化规律。研究发现,煤矸石自燃过程中,PAHs的生成与散失同时存在。较低的温度(60℃)对多环芳烃的生成具有一定的促进作用;500℃之后,PAHs全部散失或者降解为小分子物质,含量几乎为0。单个PAH的含量变化与总含量基本一致,仅是某一个PAH在不同温度下在总含量中所占的比例不同。自燃过程中高环的PAHs可能生成低环的PAHs使其含量增加。     

胎盘内多环芳烃分布及源解析研究

探讨多环芳烃在胎盘中的分布,并对其进行源解析。从2012年6月—2013年6月在云南省第一人民医院产科分娩的产妇中随机抽取30例,利用气相色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)检测其胎盘中多环芳烃的含量;比较胎盘的中央部分和边缘部分多环芳烃含量的差异;对多环芳烃进行源解析,探讨其主要来源。胎盘中检测到多种多环芳烃成分;其中2~4个苯环的多环芳烃占总量的90%以上,尤其是萘、苊、芴、菲、蒽、芘、荧蒽的含量较高;萘、苊烯、苊、茚并(1,2,3-c,d)芘、二苯并(a,h)蒽5种多环芳烃在胎盘中央的含量高于边缘,具有显著性差异(P0.05),其他多环芳烃在胎盘中央和边缘的含量无显著性差异(P0.05)。多环芳烃源解析提示80%研究对象体内的多环芳烃主要来自石油产品的燃烧或暴露于石油产品。     

典型印染废水处理过程中芳香烃化合物的污染特征及污泥生态风险评价

采用GC-MS测定了典型综合印染废水处理厂废水和污泥中芳香烃化合物的含量.结果表明,原水中苯系物总量为203.96±15.18μg·L-1,其中二甲苯占62.7%,尾水中苯系物总量为0.2±0.029μg·L-1,整个处理工艺对苯系物的去除效率为99%.原水中多环芳烃(PAHs)总浓度达1349.51±35.77 ng·L-1,以3—6环为主,主要富集在颗粒物上.整个工艺对PAHs的去除效率为95%,尾水中PAHs总浓度为65.81±20.99ng·L-1,以2—3环为主.干污泥中PAHs含量高达2996.10±151.0 ng·g-1,污泥吸附为水相中PAHs去除的主要机理之一.印染污泥直接填埋或农用会引起潜在的生态危害.     

基于放射性碳分析的多环芳烃源解析:技术进展和准确性评估

化石燃料燃烧和生物质燃烧是污染物多环芳烃(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon,PAHs)的两大来源.放射性碳(14C)分析近年用于评估这两类源对环境中PAHs的相对贡献.此方法基于化石燃料和生物质的14C含量差异,即化石燃料不含14C,而生物质的14C浓度有一个较稳定值.14C的自然丰度极低(约10-12),因此检测PAHs这样的痕量污染物的14C含量一度极具挑战.1990年代中期,加速器质谱的技术突破使得对环境样品PAHs的14C分析具有实用价值.要准确测出PAHs的14C含量,须先从化学成分复杂的环境样品中分离出高纯度的PAHs.制备气相色谱因其出色的分离能力而成为目前环境样品PAHs14C分析必备的工具.本文意在简介基于14C分析的PAHs源解析的基本原理、技术进展,以及评估该方法获得的PAHs源解析结果的准确性.