Integrated biomonitoring of air quality with plants and lichens: a case study on ambient ozone from central Italy

A biennial integrated survey, based on the use of vascular plants for the bioindication of the effects of tropospheric ozone together with the use of automatic analysers of ozone, as well as the mapping of lichen biodiversity was performed in the area of Castelfiorentino (Tuscany, central Italy). Photochemically produced ozone proved to be a fundamental presence during the warm season, with maximum hourly means reaching 114 ppb, exceeding the information threshold as fixed by EU: the use of supersensitive tobacco Bel-W3 confirmed the opportunity of carrying out detailed cost-effective monitoring surveys. The potential for didactical and educational implications of this methodology are appealing. Critical levels set up for the protection of vegetation have exceeded considerably. The comparison of biomass productivity in sensitive and resistant individuals (NC-S and NC-R white clover clones, in the framework of an European network) provided evidence that ambient ozone levels are associated with relevant reduction (up to 30%) in the performance of sensitive material; effects on flowering were also pronounced. The economic assessment of such an impact deserves attention. Mapping of epiphytic lichen biodiversity – which has been used to monitor air quality worldwide – was not related to ozone geographical distribution as depicted by tobacco response.     

Influence of different textile fibers on characterization of dyeing wastewater and final effluent

Textile industry needs to recover and reuse its wastewater as to fulfil the demand of increasingly strict regulations. The characterization of dyeing wastewater samples according to textile fiber and final textile effluent enables the application of different treatment methods. This study aims to characterize dyeing wastewater in black color of polyamide, polyester, and viscose fibers and final textile effluent. Samples were collected and characterized completely for major pollution indicator parameters. Dyeing wastewater of polyester showed higher values for some parameters, e.g., 4994.44% (49,944,400 mg L^?1 and 917 NTU) of turbidity and 4100.00% of phenol when compared to dyeing wastewater of other fibers. Other parameters such as pH, alkalinity, color, phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfides, chlorides, oil and grease, dissolved solids, and chemical and biochemical oxygen demand were also assessed. In addition to individual characterization, this study also presents a correlation of the contribution of each parameter to the final textile effluent. Although dyeing wastewater of polyamide contributes the most in terms of quantity for the final effluent, this study revealed that dyeing wastewater of polyester influenced the most on the final composition of the textile wastewater when evaluating color, turbidity, total iron, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, phenol, mercury, oil and grease, and total phosphorus. The present study is focused on bringing new insights to provide future research with other strategies to improve the treatment of dyeing wastewater. In addition, some suggestions are also given for wastewater treatments according to type of textile fiber.     

Illicit psychotropic substance contents in the air of Italy

Two in-field campaigns were performed in 2009 to elucidate the contents of illicit psychotropic substances in airborne particulates of Italian cities. Twenty-eight localities of eight Italian regions were investigated in winter, and further eleven sites in June (14 regions in total), thanks to contribution of Regional Environmental Agencies. Cocaine was found almost everywhere, although some sites were rural or suburban. The maximum was recorded in Milan in winter (～0.39 ng m^?3), and “high” values (up to ～0.16 ng m^?3) in other Northern cities and in Rome. Besides cocaine, three cannabinoids will be monitored, namely Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol and cannabinol. The three compounds often affected the air at lower extents than cocaine, and sometimes resulted absent. Cannabinol accounted for up to 90% of the total. The concentrations of illicit compounds were up to six times lower in June than in winter. This decrease was probably induced by the lowering of boundary layer height typical of winter, and by the oxidizing capacity of atmosphere, which is stronger in the warm season. Compared to n-alkanes, polynuclear aromatic compounds, nicotine, caffeine and airborne particulate, cocaine seemed to follow a peculiar behaviour; in fact, meaningful (≥0.80) Pearson (linear) regression coefficients were calculated from the corresponding concentrations only at local scale (e.g. Rome), and within just one season. Improvements of the method are needed to monitor illicit drug metabolites (e.g. benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, 9-carboxy-11-nor-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol), heroin and semi-volatile amphetamines.     

Lettuce plants as bioaccumulators of trace elements in a community of central Italy

A survey, based on the use of vascular plants to describe the distribution of selected elements (21 in total) was performed in 11 sites in the area of Castelfiorentino (Tuscany, Central Italy) differing for land use, from urban to industrial and rural areas. Lettuce plants grown under standardized conditions were positively used as biodeposimeters of airborne trace elements. Washing was found to be highly significant in reducing concentrations of many elements in the samples, suggesting a general surface contamination of leaves. The typical crustal element Al showed good correlations with Co, Fe, Li and V; on the contrary, Zn and Cd were intercorrelated and showed no connection with crustal indicators. Lead was still a relevant environmental presence, as the experiments were carried out before the ban of leaded gasoline. Source apportionment by factor analysis put in evidence a major contribution of crustal materials, followed by man-related activities; a minor role was ascertained for marine aerosol. A comparison was made between analytical data of lettuce plants grown in our experimental sites and a bulk of commercial lettuce purchased at a local supermarket. It should be stressed how Cu concentrations of commercial material were significantly higher than those found in our plants; this is likely caused by phytosanitary treatments.     

Experimental approaches for size-based metal speciation in rivers

A review of the different methodologies employed to fractionate and characterize riverine suspended particulate matter is presented. The importance of size-based metal speciation is underlined and the possibility of studying it by the Sedimentation Field Flow Fractionation (SdFFF) technique is illustrated. The studies on the metal load in river Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) performed over the last ten years are critically reviewed focusing on the different methods employed to collect, concentrate and size-fractionate samples. The fact that there is no homogeneity in methods and data collection in this field is underlined. Among the different fractionation techniques, Field Flow Fractionation (FFF) methodologies have proved to be a good approach to study the role of SPM in metal load and transport. The possibility of studying size-based metal speciation using the SdFFF technique is presented and the importance of metal speciation in rivers is underlined.     

Modelling the long-term behaviour of radiocaesium and radiostrontium in two Italian lakes

The present paper describes the application of a state-of-the-art model to two lakes in central Italy (Trasimeno and Monterosi) for the assessment of migration parameters of (137)Cs and (90)Sr (migration velocity to sediment, transfer rates from sediment to water and to bottom sediment). Applications of a compartment model and a model based on the diffusion equation to predict the behaviour of pollutants in water and through bottom sediment are presented and discussed. The application of the diffusion equation shows some difficulties of a general nature and typical of such a modelling approach. Moreover, there is no evidence of significant improvements of the model performances when the diffusion equation is applied. Very low levels of sedimentation rate of suspended matter in Lake Monterosi were evaluated by the quantitative assessment of radiocaesium migrating to bottom sediment. This suggests that, in this lake, the removal of radionuclide from the water column is mainly due to the turbulent mixing of bottom sediment causing radionuclide burial.     

Detection of a Toxic Product Released by a Polyurethane-Containing Film Using a Composting Test Method Based on a Mineral Bed

The degradation of a film containing a 4,4diphenyl methane diisocyanate (MDI) poly(€-caprolactone)-based polyurethane was followed in a test system based on a mineral solid bed designed to facilitate analysis of break-down products released under composting conditions. The use of a mineral solid bed can help extraction and analytical procedures which could be hindered by the heterogeneous nature of compost. The fermentation conditions are typical of the composting environment and generate a powerfully degradative environment. The film fully disintegrated within 30 days of treatment. Analysis on the mineral bed extracts showed that: (i) about 40% of the initial polyurethane was still present in the bed extracts; (ii) this residue was strongly degraded in the poly(€-caprolactone) part, while the urethane part was almost completely recovered (from 80 to 95%, according to the measurement method); (iii) 4,4 diamino diphenyl methane (MDA), a very dangerous product of MDI, was released during biodegradation. The results indicate that a mineral bed can be employed to study degradation and metabolites formation in solid phase fermentation and that the MDI-based polyurethanes are not susceptible of a full degradation during composting and maintain the potential of a slow release of MDA into the environment after soil application.     

Tensile Behavior of Thermoplastic Films from Wheat Flours as Function of Raw Material Baking Properties

The production of bioplastics directly from wheat flour has been demonstrated to be reliable, but scarce knowledge is available on how flour characteristics may affect the performance of thermoplastic films. In this work, we first established the most suitable recipe and process for the production of extruded films and then we used eight single-cultivar wheat flours with different baking technological properties to assess how they affect the mechanical properties of thermoplastic films. The results have shown that flours from soft grain cultivars offered more rigid and deformable films than flours from hard grain cultivars. For similar hardness, the alveographic P/L ratio of the dough was inversely related to rigidity and directly related to deformability of plastic films, while the deformation energy of the dough (W) played a role only for great differences of it. The subsequent fabrication of blends between each of the flours that yielded the best film properties and polycaprolactone (PCL) at different proportions indicated that a wheat flour/PCL ratio (TWF/PCL) of 75/25 offered the most suitable films for further application. Our results are likely to be useful for improving the plasticization of flour, in that selection of wheat flours could be tailored on the properties desired for the bioplastic films.