Consumer's attitude,socio-demographic variables and willingness to purchase green housing in Israel

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Green construction is a construction method that utilizes resources such as energy, water and soil more efficiently, maintaining low...     

Enhanced transport of pesticides in a field trial with treated sewage sludge

This study was designed to provide high-density data on spatial distribution of three herbicides with different physiochemical characteristics in a sludge-amended and non-amended control field over the course of an irrigation season. The field experiment was carried out on a sandy loam Hamra Red Mediterranean soil (Rhodoxeralf) at Bet Dagan, Israel. After a single 50 mm irrigation event, the mean centers of mass (COM) in the control field were at 15.6, 14.9, and 17 cm for bromacil, atrazine and terbuthylazine, respectively; in the sludge-amended field, mean COMs were at 28.8, 31.2, and 34.1 cm, respectively. After 500 mm of irrigation in the control field, the COM depth distribution of the three pesticides was inversely correlated with octanol-water (Kow) distribution coefficients and soil sorption coefficients (Koc), and positively correlated with aqueous solubilities. After 500 mm irrigation in the sludge-amended field, the mean terbuthylazine COM was at 19.8 cm versus 13.8 cm for the control field, demonstrating a sustained enhanced effect on terbuthylazine transport. Downward transport of atrazine was also enhanced by sludge amendment, albeit less than terbuthylazine. Bromacil was preferentially accumulated in the upper soil layers of the sludge-amended field as compared with the control field after 500 mm irrigation. The enhanced transport of all three pesticides in the sludge-amended field after a single irrigation event is attributed to development of preferential flow pathways around hydrophobic clods of sludge. Enhanced transport of terbuthylazine, and to a lesser extent, atrazine, throughout the irrigation season, is attributed to their transport as complexes with dissolved, colloidal and suspended organic matter derived from sludge degradation.     

Stoffströme von Benzol unter besonderer Berücksichtung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland

In the Federal Republic of Germany, benzene is one of the most important basic materials for the chemical industry. Only a relatively small proportion of the pure benzene processed in the chemical industry is emitted into the environment (ca. 40t in 1991). But the substance is also a natural component of the crude oil in gasoline and is released during incomplete combustion or is formed out of other aromatic substances. The primary source of emissions, with more than 10,000 t/yr (approximately 85% of this from motor vehicles with Otto engines), is commercial motor vehicle transportation. Benzene concentrations in the environment are approximately <1 μg/m³ in rural areas, 20–30 μg/m³ near main roads (peak levels in highly urbanized regions with much traffic as high as approximately 100 μg/m³) and 7–15 μg/m³ in the vicinity of industrial polluters. It has not been possible to detect a specific trend over time during the last ten years. An increased exposure (approx. 350–27,000 μg/m³) is likely while filling the tank and within the motor vehicle (approx. 10–200 μg/m³) due to gasoline volatilization from pipes, etc. Compared to outdoor air, higher concentrations of benzene (approx, 2–11 μg/m³) are measured in the indoor air which contains additionally benzene from tobacco smoke, equipment, renovating work and heating. The primary exposure pathway of benzene in humans is inhalation. Apart from individuals with occupational exposure, smokers have the highest internal benzene burden. Measures undertaken during recent years to reduce the amount of emissions have been counteracted at least in part by the increase in motor vehicle traffic. Further measures to reduce the emissions or to change the transporttation policies must still be or have already been initiated.     

A sulfonic anhydride derivative from dibenzyl trisulphide with agro-chemical activities

In the present study, the biologically active natural product dibenzyl trisulphide (DTS) which was previously isolated from the sub-tropical shrub Petiveria alliacea was transformed to methyl benzyl sulphonic anhydride (MBSA) using a "one pot" transformation method. The anhydride was evaluated for anti-microbial activities on the bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas fluorescens and found to be 2.5 fold more effective than the commercial agents isoniazid and ampicillin in inhibiting the growth of B. subtilis, while on P. fluorescens it was 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 fold more inhibitory than isoniazid, ampicillin and dibenzyl trisulphide, respectively. DTS was inactive on B. subtillis. The MIC value (microgram/spot) found for DTS on the plant pathogenic fungus, Cladosporium cucumerinum was 5.0 microgram/spot, while MBSA gave a value of 0.1 microgram/spot, compared with 1.25 and 0.16 microgram/spot for the commercial agents ketoconazole and nystatin, respectively. On the larval nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) MBSA inflicted 97.72% and 57.47% Abbotts nematicidal activities at 125.0 and 62.5 ppm, respectively, while DTS had no effect at 125.0 ppm. Nematodes which were immobilized by the low concentrations of MBSA were unable to re-activate when exposed to 10.0 ppm picrotoxin, thus suggesting that the anhydride nematicidal activity is independent of the GABA-ergic neurophysiological pathway.MBSA demonstrated a strong dose dependent radicular suppression effect (r=0.984), on the radicles of Latuca sativa germinating seeds. DTS was weakly active.