Biomonitoring of heavy metals (Cd,Hg, and Pb) and metalloid (As) with the Portuguese common buzzard (Buteo buteo)

The accumulation of heavy metals in the environment may have a wide range of health effects on animals and humans. Thus, in this study, the concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg) in the blood and tissues (liver and kidney) of Portuguese common buzzards (Buteo buteo) were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) in order to monitor environmental pollution to these elements. In general, Hg and As were the elements which appeared in the highest and lowest concentrations, respectively. A highest percentage of non-detected concentration was found for blood Cd (94.6 %) but, in turn, it was the only metal that was detected in all kidney samples. The kidney was the analyzed sample which showed the highest concentrations of each element evaluated. Statistically, significant differences among blood, liver, and kidney samples were observed for As and Cd (P?相似文献   

Effect of surfactants on Fenton's reagent-mediated degradation of Kraft black liquor

One of the limitations of the biodegradation of hydrophobic chemical compounds, like lignins, is their low solubility in the aqueous solution where this process takes place. To resolve this problem, surfactants have been used to improve the solubility of these hydrophobic compounds. In this investigation, we studied the effect of surfactants (anionic, cationic, and non-ionic) on the treatment of Kraft black liquor with Fenton's reagent. In the Fenton reaction, H2O2 (two different concentrations, 10 mM and 20 mM), FeCl2 (1 mM) and surfactant solution (10%) were used. Black liquor degradation was determined by UV/Visible spectrophotometry and by measuring phenolic groups. In the presence of Fenton's reagent, the optimum conditions for the oxidative degradation of black liquor were 10 mM H2O2, 1 microL of 10% solution of anionic surfactant (SDS). The importance of the use of surfactants for preparing black liquor for subsequent Fenton's reagent-mediated degradation was discussed.     

Ammonia stripping of biologically treated liquid manure

A prerequisite for efficient ammonia removal in air stripping is that the pH of the liquid to be stripped is sufficiently high. Swine manure pH is usually around 7. At pH 7 (at 20°C), only 0.4% of ammonium is in ammonia form, and it is necessary to raise the pH of swine slurry to achieve efficient ammonia removal. Because manure has a very high buffering capacity, large amounts of chemicals are needed to change the slurry pH. The present study showed that efficient air stripping of manure can be achieved with a small amount of chemicals and without strong bases like NaOH. Slurry was subjected to aerobic biological treatment to raise pH before stripping. This facilitated 8 to 32% ammonia removal without chemical treatment. The slurry was further subjected to repeated cycles of stripping with MgO and Ca(OH)(2) additions after the first and second strippings, respectively, to raise slurry pH in between the stripping cycles. After three consecutive stripping cycles, 59 to 86% of the original ammonium had been removed. It was shown that the reduction in buffer capacity of the slurry was due to ammonia and carbonate removal during the stripping cycles.     

Latitude or biogeographic breaks? Determinants of phenotypic (co)variation in fitness-related traits in Betaeus truncatus along the Chilean coast

Ectothermal organisms distributed along environmental gradients in a wide geographical distribution display extensive phenotypic variation. This is particularly pervasive along latitudinal clines, which are linked to gradual changes in environmental factors. Widespread species may also be distributed among biogeographic breaks, which in contrast to smooth clines, often show abrupt changes in phenotypic traits. In species with widespread latitudinal distribution that also encompass important biogeographical breaks, it is not clear which of those factors prevails on shaping the phenotypic variation or if some traits are particularly more sensitive to one or the other. To evaluate this, we measured 4 fitness-related traits in 6 populations of the intertidal snapping shrimp Betaeus truncatus, as its distribution along Chile expands over 40° in latitude and three major biogeographical provinces. Here, we statistically evaluated the role of both, latitude and biogeographic breaks, on mean population values of fitness-related traits but also on the variances and covariances (i.e., P-matrix) between them. Overall, our results (1) indicate that latitude is more important than breaks in shaping the phenotypic variation of most of these fitness-related traits, (2) show that the differences in the variance–covariance relationship among traits between the extremes of the gradient arises from gradual increases in variance and rather sharp changes in covariance at mid-latitudes and (3) show that at present, it is difficult to unambiguously determine whether natural selection or plasticity is responsible for the observed pattern in means, variances and covariances and only further work might disentangle these possibilities.     

Optimization of uranium soil decontamination in alkaline washing using mechanical stirring and ultrasound field

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The ex situ decontamination of uranium polluted soils was performed by alkaline washing using mechanical agitation and ultrasound field. Two types of...     

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment in two EU countries: A comparison

The paper presents some data regarding waste electrical and electronic (WEEE) management in one of the founding countries of the EU, Italy, and in a recent entry into the EU, Romania. The aim of this research was to analyze some problems that countries entering the EU will have to solve with respect to WEEE management. The experiences of Italy and Romania could provide an interesting reference point. The strengths and weaknesses that the two EU countries have encountered can be used in order to give a more rational plan for other countries. In Italy the increase of WEEE collection was achieved in parallel with the increase of the efficiency of selective Municipal Solid Waste collection. In Romania, pilot experiences were useful to increase the awareness of the population. The different interests of the two populations towards recyclable waste led to a different scenario: in Romania all types of WEEE have been collected since its entrance into the EU; in Italy the “interest” in recycling is typically related to large household appliances, with a secondary role of lighting equipment.     

Using Global Datasets to Create Environmental Profiles for Data-Poor Regions: A Case from the Irrawaddy and Salween River Basins

The increasing availability of spatial data inspires the exploration of previously less-studied, yet regionally and nationally important areas, such as the Irrawaddy and Salween River Basins in Southeast Asia. This article documents our experience using global datasets to create environmental basin profiles in these two basins. Our approach draws on the concepts of freshwater vulnerability assessments that guided the selection of indicators. Data on land use, population distribution and fertilizer load were used. The unit of analysis was chosen to distinguish areas with similar bio-geographical characteristics, such as the critical delta areas. Results were further discussed for sub-areas that experience relatively the most pressure in terms of examined indicators within the studied area. The river mouths of both rivers had the most intensive land use and high population density. They are also home to important ecosystems and are sensitive to changes in upstream areas. Our study presents a concise and spatially distributed view of the environmental basin profiles of the Irrawaddy and Salween River Basins. The analysis also provides some interesting methodological insights about the potential of public macro-scale datasets for environmental assessment. The spatial approach allowed the analysis of different indicators, providing a platform for data integration as well as a visually powerful overview of the study area. Yet, the use of macro-scale datasets entails challenges. Despite improvements, the assessment process tends to be driven by the availability and quality of data, rather than by the actual research and management needs. The greatest utility of macro-scale datasets lies—at least in data-poor areas—in larger scale comparative analyses between the basins and their different sub-areas.     

Sequential treatment via Trametes versicolor and UV/TiO2/Ru(x)Se(y) to reduce contaminants in waste water resulting from the bleaching process during paper production

An efficient sequential, biological and photocatalytic treatment to reduce the pollutant levels in wastewater due to the bleaching process during paper production is reported. For a biological pre-treatment, 800 ml of non-sterilized effluent was inoculated with Trametes versicolor immobilized in polyurethane foam, with 25 g l(-1) glucose, 6.75 mM CuSO(4), and 0.22 mM MnSO(4) added, and cultured at 25 degrees C with an air flow of 800 ml min(-1) for 8d. The fungus did not inhibit growth of the heterotropic populations of the effluent. After 4d of culture, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and colour removal (CR) were 82% and 80%, respectively, with laccase (LAC) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activities of 345 U l(-1) and 78 U l(-1), respectively. The COD reduction and CR correlated positively (p<0.0001) with LAC and MnP activities. Chlorophenol removal was 99% of pentachlorophenol, 99% of 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol (2,3,4,6-TCP), 98% of 3,4-dichlorophenol (3,4-DCP) and 77% of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), while 2,4,5-trichlorophenol (2,4,5-TCP) increased to 0.2 mg l(-1). The pre-treated effluent was then exposed to a photocatalytic treatment. The treatment with photolysis resulted in 9% CR and 46% COD reduction, 42% CR and 60% COD reduction by photocatalysis, and 62% CR and 85% COD reduction by heterogeneous photocatalysis with the system TiO(2)/Ru(x)Se(y) (Fig. 4). With this treatment the bacterial and fungal populations also decreased by 5 logarithmic units with respect to the biological treatment alone (Fig. 5). The total sequential treatment resulted in a 92% CR (from 5800 UC), 97% COD reduction (from 59 g l(-1)) and 99% chlorophenol removal at 96 h and 20 min.     

New insights into corporate sustainability,environmental management and corporate financial performance in European Union: an application of VAR and Granger causality approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The paper examines how environmental, social, and governance (ESG), including management incentives, influence a firm’s financial performance....