Exploring Chemical Variables in Ligustrum lucidum Ait. F. Tricolor (Rehd.) Rehd. in Relation to Air Pollutants and Environmental Conditions

Ligustrum lucidum Ait. f. tricolor (Rehd.) Rehd. in relation to atmospheric pollutants in Córdoba city, Argentina. The study area receives regional pollutants and was categorized taking into account traffic level, industrial density, type of industry, location of the sample point in relation to the street corner, treeless condition, and topographic level. Dried weight/fresh weight ratio (DW/FW) and specific leaf area (SLA) were calculated, and concentrations of chlorophylls, carotenoids, total sulfur, soluble proteins, malondialdehyde (MDA), and hydroperoxy conjugated dienes (HPCD) were determined in leaf samples. Sulfur content correlates positively with traffic density and SLA correlates negatively with some combinations of the categorical variables; MDA correlates positively with topographic level and total protein concentration correlates negatively with treeless condition. On the basis of our results, traffic, location of trees, type of industry, situation of a tree with respect to others, and topographic level are the environmental variables to bear in mind when selecting analogous sampling points in a passive monitoring program. An approximation to predict tree injury may be obtained by measuring DW/FW ratio, proteins, pigments, HPCD, and MDA as they are responsible for the major variability of data.     

微纳米气浮技术用于炼化污水的深度处理

采用作者自行设计制作的混凝-微纳米气浮装置对炼化企业污水处理厂二沉池出水进行深度处理,考察了混凝剂投加量、工作压力、回流比和水力停留时间对气浮效果的影响,结果表明,最佳工艺参数为:混凝剂FeCl3 30 mg/L,工作压力0.2 MPa,回流比为20%,水力停留时间6 min。在此实验条件下,COD去除率为39.13%,SS去除率为51.85%,气浮出水COD<60 mg/L,达到了《污水综合排放标准》(GB 8978-1996)一级B标准。     

Affordability of residential water tariffs: Alternative measurement and explanatory factors in southern Spain

Using information on a basic or “lifeline” level of domestic water use obtained from a water demand function based on a Stone–Geary utility function, a minimum water threshold of 128 m³ per household per year was estimated in a sample of municipalities in Southern Spain. As a second objective, water affordability indexes were then calculated that relate the cost of such lifeline to average municipal income levels. The analysis of the factors behind the differences in that ratio across Andalusian municipalities shows that the relative cost of purchasing the lifeline appears inversely related to average income levels, revealing an element of regressivity in the component of water tariffs affecting the least superfluous part of the household’s consumption. The main policy recommendation would involve redesigning water tariffs in order to improve access for lower income households to an amount of water sufficient to cover their basic needs. The proposed methodology could be applied to other geographical areas, both from developed and from developing countries, in order to analyze the degree of progressivity of the water tariffs currently in effect and in order to guide the design of more equitable regulatory policies.     

Sediment integrative assessment of the Bay of Cádiz (Spain): An ecotoxicological and chemical approach

This study consisted of the sediment toxicity assessment of the Bay of Cádiz based on two endpoints: growth inhibition for Cylindrotheca closterium (benthic microalgae) and fecundity inhibition for Tisbe battagliai (harpacticoid copepod). A new methodology to eliminate (but not as storage technique) the autochthonous biota present in the sediment samples by immersing them in liquid nitrogen (? 196 °C) was also assessed. Sediment toxicity data showed different toxicity levels for both organisms. In general, T. battagliai was more sensitive; however a good correlation (r = 0.75; p  < 0.05) between sediment toxicity results for both species was found. Data in pore water (pH, redox potential, and toxicity for microalgae and copepod) and sediment (pH, redox potential, organic carbon, and metal concentrations) demonstrated that ultra-freezing did not alter sample characteristics; thus, this technique can be adopted as a pre-treatment in whole-sediment toxicity tests in order to avoid misleading results due to presence of autochthonous biota. Multivariate statistical analysis such as cluster and principal component analysis using chemical and ecotoxicological data were employed. Silt and organic matter percentage and lead concentration were found to be the factors that explain about 77% of sediment toxicity in the Bay of Cádiz. Assay methodology determined in this study for both assayed species is considered adequate to be used in sediment toxicity monitoring programs. Results obtained using both species show that the Bay of Cádiz can be considered a moderately polluted zone.     

Vegetation cover and rainfall seasonality impact nutrient loss via runoff and erosion in the Colombian Andes

Regional Environmental Change - Mountain ecosystems provide key services to a large portion of the population in the tropics. However, they are particularly vulnerable to regional environmental...     

Realistic retrospective dose assessments to members of the public around Spanish nuclear facilities

In the frame of an epidemiological study carried out in the influence areas around the Spanish nuclear facilities (ISCIII-CSN, 2009. Epidemiological Study of The Possible Effect of Ionizing Radiations Deriving from The Operation of Spanish Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities on The Health of The Population Living in Their Vicinity. Final report December 2009. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. Madrid. Available from: http://www.csn.es/images/stories/actualidad_datos/especiales/epidemiologico/epidemiological_study.pdf), annual effective doses to public have been assessed by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) for over 45 years using a retrospective realistic-dose methodology. These values are compared with data from natural radiation exposure. For the affected population, natural radiation effective doses are in average 2300 times higher than effective doses due to the operation of nuclear installations (nuclear power stations and fuel cycle facilities). When considering the impact on the whole Spanish population, effective doses attributable to nuclear facilities represent in average 3.5 × 10⁻⁵ mSv/y, in contrast to 1.6 mSv/y from natural radiation or 1.3 mSv/y from medical exposures.     

Activity maintenance of the excised branches and a case study of NO2 exchange between the atmosphere and P. nigra branches

The efficient maintenance of the activity of excised branches is the powerful guarantee to accurately determine gas exchange flux between the detached branches of tall trees and the atmosphere. In this study, the net photosynthetic rate(NPR) of the excised branches and branches in situ were measured simultaneously by using two photosynthetic instruments to characterize the activity of the excised branches of Phyllostachys nigra. The ratio of normalized NPR of excised branches to NPR in situ was used to assess the photosynthetic activity of detached branches. Based on photosynthetic activity, an optimal hydroponics protocol for maintaining activity of excised P. nigra branches was presented:1/8 times the concentration of Gamborg B5 vitamin mixture with p H = 6. Under the best cultivation protocol, photosynthetic activity of excised P. nigra branches could be maintained more than 90% within 6 hr in the light intensity range of 200–2000 μmol/(m2·sec) and temperature range of 13.4–28.7°C. The nitrogen dioxide(NO2) flux differences between in situ and in vitro branches and the atmosphere were compared using double dynamic chambers.Based on the maintenance method of excised branches, the NO2 exchange flux between the excised P. nigra branches and the atmosphere(from-1.01 to-2.72 nmol/(m2·sec) was basically consistent with between the branches in situ and the atmosphere(from-1.12 to-3.16 nmol/(m2 sec)) within 6 hr. Therefore, this study provided a feasible protocol for in vitro measurement of gas exchange between tall trees and the atmosphere for a period of time.     

From waste hot-pot oil as carbon precursor to development of recyclable attapulgite/carbon composites for wastewater treatment

The utilization of waste products as valuable materials was a technical imperative for waste management. In this study, the cost-effective attapulgite/carbon(APT/C) composite was developed for wastewater treatment using waste hot-pot oil as a carbon precursor through a facile one-step calcination process. The APT/C composite prepared at 300°C exhibited the excellent adsorption capacity and rapid equilibrium rate over a broad p H range for the removal of various pollutants. More importantly, the removal ratios of the composites toward Methyl Violet and tetracycline still remained 77.6% and 60.2% of the initial adsorption capacity after ten adsorption–regeneration cycles via a facile thermal regeneration strategy, respectively.Beyond all doubt, this research provided a feasible and economical way for the sustainable utilization of waste hot-pot oil in wastewater treatment, achieving the concept of disposal waste with waste and recycling.