Novel biodegradable materials were prepared from potato starch enriched in phosphato moieties (DS 0.018 and 0.033) and casein in defatted milk. The components were blended in proportions providing starch: casein ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 and were then precipitated with hydrochloric acid. Aqueous solubility, water-binding capacity, infrared spectra, and thermal analysis (thermogravimetry[7] and differential thermogravimetry of the precipitates revealed that they were not simple physical mixtures of the components. The components interacted with one another electrostatically with involvement of the phosphate groups of starch and the peptide bond of casein, as documented by infrared spectra. Because of insolubility in 7 M aqueous urea solution, they might also be considered as complexes in which the components were chemically bound. 相似文献
Among the wide range of compounds reaching the soil are the veterinary antimicrobials. Since no regulations regarding acceptable levels of drug concentrations in the environment exist, monitoring tests, particularly concerning soils, are carried out very rarely. This study presents a preliminary assessment of the contamination of agricultural soils in Northern Poland with seven antimicrobial veterinary medicines which has never been carried out before. Veterinary drugs were detected in 54% of the examined soil samples; the most commonly detected drugs were sulfonamides and trimethoprim. The highest indicated concentrations refer to enrofloxacin (57.0 μg kg?1) and trimethoprim (47.8 μg kg?1). The presence of these target drugs in the soil environment confirms the need for further monitoring studies. The analytical methods developed in this study are an excellent tool to achieve this goal and allow an estimation of the risk connected with the presence of veterinary antimicrobials in soils.
Sex differences in the foraging ecology of monomorphic species are poorly understood, due to problems with gender identification in field studies. In the current study, we used experimental conditions to investigate the food preferences of the white stork Ciconia ciconia, an opportunistic species in terms of food, but characterised by a low level of sexual dimorphism. During a 10-day experiment, 29 individuals (20 females and 9 males) were studied by means of a ‘cafeteria test’ in which the storks’ diet consisted of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, insects and earthworms. The storks preferred food characterised by high calorific and protein values such as mammals, birds and fish. Sexes differed strongly in their preferences; males preferred mammals, whereas females preferred birds. Moreover, females consumed insects and earthworms less often than males. Interestingly, males spent significantly less time foraging than females. We have demonstrated that the white stork exhibits clear sexual differences in food preferences which are mostly attributable to differences in parental duties, physiology and anatomy. 相似文献
The method of single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) was modified in our laboratories for the characterization of baculoviruses, insect viruses with great potential for use as bioinsecticides in biological protection programs. A series of primers were synthesized after the comparison of the polyhedrin gene sequences of over 20 baculoviruses. Polyhedrin is a highly conserved protein which is responsible for the persistence of the virus in the environment. Universal primers were designed which could be used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR) containing genomic DNA from an array of nucleopolyhedrosis viruses (NPVs) including these which are used as biopesticides against important pests of forests and crops, such as Anticarsia gemmatalis, Spodoptera frugiperda, Lymantria dispar, Lymantria monacha and many others. PCR products were denatured and subjected to single-strand DNA electrophoresis at variable temperatures (MSSCP) where, after silver staining, they gave ssDNA band patterns characteristic for each baculovirus species. This technique can be potentially applied to detect baculoviruses in insects collected in the field, as well as to plant tissues and the excrements or bodies of predators without need for sequencing the PCR products. Sometimes MSSCP can be used not only for species determination but also as an indication of genomic variability which can be related to infectivity. 相似文献
Sulfonamides (SAs) are a group of antibiotic drugs widely used in veterinary medicine. The contamination of the environment by these pharmaceuticals has raised concern in recent years. However, knowledge of their (eco)toxicity is still very basic and is restricted to just a few of these substances. Even though their toxicological analysis has been thoroughly performed and ecotoxicological data are available in the literature, a systematic analysis of their ecotoxicological potential has yet to be carried out. To fill this gap, 12 different SAs were chosen for detailed analysis with the focus on different bacteria as well as non-target organisms (algae and plants). A flexible (eco)toxicological test battery was used, including enzymes (acetylcholinesterase and glutathione reductase), luminescent marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), soil bacteria (Arthrobacter globiformis), limnic unicellular green algae (Scenedesmus vacuolatus) and duckweed (Lemna minor), in order to take into account both the aquatic and terrestrial compartments of the environment, as well as different trophic levels. It was found that SAs are not only toxic towards green algae (EC50 = 1.54-32.25 mg L−1) but have even stronger adverse effect on duckweed (EC50 = 0.02-4.89 mg L−1) than atrazine - herbicide (EC50 = 2.59 mg L−1). 相似文献
Background, aim, and scope Ionic liquids are regarded as essentially “green” chemicals because of their insignificant vapor pressure and, hence, are
a good alternative to the emissions of toxic conventional volatile solvents. Not only because of their attractive industrial
applications, but also due to their very high stability, ionic liquids could soon become persistent contaminants of technological
wastewaters and, moreover, break through into natural waters following classical treatment systems. The removal of harmful
organic pollutants has forced the development of new methodologies known as advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Among them,
the Fenton and Fenton-like reactions are usually modified by the use of a higher hydrogen peroxide concentration and through
different catalysts. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on degradation rates
in a Fenton-like system of alkylimidazolium ionic liquids with alkyl chains of varying length and 3-methyl-N-butylpyridinium chloride.
Materials and methods The ionic liquids were oxidized in dilute aqueous solution in the presence of two different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide.
All reactions were performed in the dark to prevent photoreduction of Fe(III). The concentrations of ionic liquids during
the process were monitored with high-performance liquid chromatography. Preliminary degradation pathways were studied with
the aid of 1H NMR.
Results Degradation of ionic liquids in this system was quite effective. Increasing the H2O2 concentration from 100 to 400 mM improved ionic liquid degradation from 57–84% to 87–100% after 60 min reaction time. Resistance
to degradation was weaker, the shorter the alkyl chain.
Discussion The compound omimCl was more resistant to oxidation then other compounds, which suggests that the oxidation rates of imidazolium
ionic liquids by OH· are structure-dependent and are correlated with the n-alkyl chain length substituted at the N-1-position. The level of degradation was dependent on the type of head group. Replacing
the imidazolium head group with pyridinium increased resistance to degradation. Nonetheless, lengthening the alkyl chain from
four to eight carbons lowered the rate of ionic liquid degradation to a greater extent than changing the head group from imidazolium
to pyridinium. 1H-NMR spectra show, in the first stage of degradation, that it is likely that radical attack is nonspecific,
with any one of the carbon atoms in the ring and the n-alkyl chain being susceptible to attack.
Conclusions The proposed method has proven to be an efficient and reliable method for the degradation of imidazolium ionic liquids by
a Fenton-like reagent deteriorated with lengthening n-alkyl substituents and by replacing the imidazolium head group with pyridinium. The enhanced resistance of 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium
chloride when the resistance of imidazolium ionic liquids decreases with increasing H2O2 concentration is probably indicative of a change in the degradation mechanism in a vigorous Fenton-like system. H-NMR spectra
showed, in the first stage of degradation, that radical attack is nonspecific, with any one of the carbon atoms in the ring
and the n-alkyl chain being susceptible to attack.
Recommendations and perspectives Since ionic liquids are now one of the most promising alternative chemicals of the future, the degradation and waste management
studies should be integrated into a general development research of these chemicals. In the case of imidazolium and pyridinium
ionic liquids that are known to be resistant to bio- or thermal degradation, studies in the field of AOPs should assist the
future structural design as well as tailor the technological process of these chemicals 相似文献
This paper reports on the (eco)toxicity and biodegradability of ionic liquids considered for application as lubricants or lubrication additives. Ammonium- and pyrrolidinium-based cations combined with methylsulphate, methylsulphonate and/or (CF3SO2)2N− anions were investigated in tests to determine their aquatic toxicity using water fleas Daphnia magna, green algae Selenastrum capricornutum and marine bacteria (Vibrio fischeri). Additional test systems with an isolated enzyme (acetylcholinesterase) and isolated leukaemia cells from rats (IPC-81) were used to assess the biological activity of the ionic liquids. These compounds generally exhibit low acute toxicity and biological activity. Their biodegradability was screened according to OECD test procedures 301 B and 301 F. For choline and methoxy-choline ionic liquids ready biodegradability was observed within 5 or 10 d, respectively. Some of the compounds selected have a considerable potential to contribute to the development of more sustainable products and processes. 相似文献
Various abiotic and biotic processes such as sorption, dilution, and degradation are known to affect the fate of organic contaminants, such as petroleum hydrocarbons in saturated porous media. Reactive transport modeling of such plumes indicates that the biodegradation of organic pollutants is, in many cases, controlled by mixing and therefore occurs locally at the plume's fringes, where electron donors and electron-acceptors mix. Herein, we aim to test whether this hypothesis can be verified by experimental results obtained from aerobic and anaerobic degradation experiments in two-dimensional sediment microcosms. Toluene was selected as a model compound for oxidizable contaminants. The two-dimensional microcosm was filled with quartz sand and operated under controlled flow conditions simulating a contaminant plume in otherwise uncontaminated groundwater. Aerobic degradation of toluene by Pseudomonas putida mt-2 reduced a continuous 8.7 mg L(-1) toluene concentration by 35% over a transport distance of 78 cm in 15.5 h. In comparison, under similar conditions Aromatoleum aromaticum strain EbN1 degraded 98% of the toluene infiltrated using nitrate (68.5+/-6.2 mg L(-1)) as electron acceptor. A major part of the biodegradation activity was located at the plume fringes and the slope of the electron-acceptor gradient was steeper during periods of active biodegradation. The distribution of toluene and the significant overlap of nitrate at the plume's fringe indicate that biokinetic and/or microscale transport processes may constitute additional limiting factors. Experimental data is corroborated with results from a reactive transport model using double Monod kinetics. The outcome of the study shows that in order to simulate degradation in contaminant plumes, detailed data sets are required to test the applicability of models. These will have to deal with the incorporation of existing parameters coding for substrate conversion kinetics and microbial growth. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) can be produced from combustible materials contained in municipal waste. This article investigates energy and material flow... 相似文献
In this paper, we present applied methanol recycling technology utilising Chromatographic applications, which has been designed for an academic-size institution. The procedure is combined out of proper recovery technique and the biodegradation method intended for postprocessing residues. Additionally, analytical methods controlling the quality of the process are described in detail in order to enable full transfer of the proposed methodology to the analogous institution. The recovered solvent is of relatively high purity (> 99.92%), containing traces of water and volatile compounds. The spectral purity is sufficient to employ recycled methanol in HPLC applications where low wayelength detection is necessary. Biodegradation of distillation first-cuts and still bottoms is implemented using isolated strains ofMethylobacterium organophilum. During the biodegradation process, a series of carotenoids are biosynthesized, which are of a high commercial value. The proposed application, therefore, offers not only a sustainable, waste-free solution in handling methanol waste, but can also serve as a potential source of value. 相似文献