Rainfall Interception Based on Indirect Methods: A Case Study in Temperate Forests in Oaxaca,Mexico

Rainfall interception represents the amount of water trapped in natural cover that is not drained directly to the ground. Intercepted rainfall may evaporate after a rain event, making it one of the main drivers of water balance and hydrologic regionalization. This process can be affected by factors such as climate, altitude, vegetation type, and topography. Here is a simple method of calculating rainfall interception in temperate forests using in Santa Maria Yavesia, Oaxaca, and Mexico as an illustrative study area. We used two rain gauges to measure net precipitation (N_p) under the canopy at each study site and one gauge outside the canopy to obtain gross precipitation (G_p). Throughfall (T_h) was indirectly measured using hemispherical photographs. Rainfall interception was obtained through a combination T_h and G_p and N_p. The mean rainfall interception was 50.6% in the Abies forests, 23%–40% in the coniferous‐mixed forests, and 27.4% in the broad‐leaved forests. We classified rainfall events by intensity to determine the effect of canopy structure and precipitation and found that 75% of the events were weak events, 24% were moderate events, and 1% were strong events. In addition, we found that rainfall interception was lower when the intensity of precipitation was higher. Our method can be replicated in different ecosystems worldwide as a tool for assessing the influence of rainfall interception in terms of ecological services.     

The role of FIDEICOMISO of non-metallic minerals

FIDEICOMISO of non-metallic minerals is a trust development fund aimed at providing credit and technical assistance for the exploitation, beneficiation and downstream processing of non-metallics. FIDEICOMISO'S funding comes from, in order of importance, the World Bank, operational revenues and federal funds. It is a second tier financial institution operating through the commercial banking system, the latter providing the retail role. In 1987 and 1988 the FIDEICOMISO approved credits for $23 million and $46 million respectively.     

Temperature dependence of the infinite dilution activity coefficient and Henry's law constant of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water

The water solubility of 9,10-dihydroanthracene was experimentally determined between 278.12 and 313.17 K. Determinations were carried out by an experimental procedure developed in our laboratory, which is a modification of the dynamic coupled column liquid chromatographic technique. The uncertainty of the experimental determinations ranged from +/- 0.50% to +/- 3.10%. These data, as well as the water solubility data of other five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) previously studied, were used to calculate the temperature dependence of the infinite dilution activity coefficient of 9,10-dihydroanthracene, anthracene, pyrene, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, m-terphenyl, and guaiazulene in water. Molar excess enthalpies and entropies at infinite dilution, at 298.15 K, were also derived. The temperature dependence of the infinite dilution activity coefficients was used, together with literature values of the vapor pressures of supercooled liquid PAHs (p(B)(sc)), to estimate their Henry's law constants (HLC). Only HLC for anthracene, pyrene, and 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene were calculated, since no p(B)(sc) data were available in the literature for 9,10-dihydroanthracene, m-terphenyl, and guaiazulene. From the observed temperature dependence of the Henry's law constants the enthalpy and entropy of the phase change from the dissolved phase to the gas phase were also derived for anthracene, pyrene, and 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene.     

Phytoremediation of contaminants of emerging concern from soil with industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.): a review

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in wastewater treatment plant effluents is a significant underlying health risk and...     

Determination of the temperature dependence of water solubilities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a generator column-on-line solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatographic method

An improved dynamic coupled column liquid chromatographic (DCCLC) technique for determining water solubility data of hydrophobic compounds is presented. The technique is based on pumping water through a thermostated generator column in order to generate emulsion-free, saturated aqueous solutions of the compound under study. Through a switching valve system the solute in the aqueous solution is extracted and concentrated by an on-line solid-phase extraction process and subsequently eluted and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (fluorescence detection coupled to photodiode array detection). The improvements carried out to the original DCCLC technique have given rise to savings in time for the experimental work and increased sensitivity during the detection and quantification stage. Applicability of the method for studying highly hydrophobic substances is demonstrated by determining water solubility of anthracene and pyrene in the temperature range of 8.9-49.9 and 8.5-32.2 degrees C, respectively. The measured water solubilities are in good agreement with the best available literature data. The method has also been applied to the determination of water solubility of m-terphenyl, 9, 10-dihydrophenanthrene and guaiazulene, in the temperature range of 4.8-49.9, 4.8-25.0, and 4.5-29.9 degrees C, respectively. The uncertainty in the Sw values determined in this work ranged from 0.7% to 4.6%. The experimental water solubility data, as a function of temperature, are fitted to the equation In Sw = A + B/T; where Sw and T are given in mole fraction and Kelvin, respectively.     

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from soil: a comparison between bioremoval and supercritical fluids extraction

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic substances which are resistant to environmental degradation due to their highly hydrophobic nature. Soils contaminated with PAHs pose potential risks to human and ecological health, therefore concern over their adverse effects have resulted in extensive studies on their removal from contaminated soils. The main purpose of this study was to compare experimental results of PAHs removal, from a natural certified soil polluted with PAHs, by biological methods (using bioaugmentation and biostimulation in a solid-state culture) with those from supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), using supercritical ethane as solvent. The comparison of results between the two methods showed that maximal removal of naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, and chrysene was performed using bioremediation; however, for the rest of the PAHs considered (fluoranthene, pyrene, and benz(a)anthracene) SFE resulted more efficient. Although bioremediation achieved higher removal ratios for certain hydrocarbons and takes advantage of the increased rate of natural biological processes, it takes longer time (i.e. 36 d vs. half an hour) than SFE and it is best for 2-3 PAHs rings.     

Sonophotocatalytic degradation of alazine and gesaprim commercial herbicides in TiO2 slurry

The photocatalytic degradation of alazine and gesaprim commercial herbicides was carried out in aqueous TiO(2) suspensions under UV light (15W, 352 nm). Degradation of these herbicides was also observed by the combined effects of photocatalysis with sonolysis (sonophotocatalysis) using an ultrasound source of 20kHz. Degradation profiles were recorded by measuring the concentration of the active compounds present in the alazine (alachlor and atrazine) and gesaprim (atrazine) by HPLC as a function of irradiation time (sound and/or light). Over 90% of the active component in the gesaprim was abated and those in alazine were completely degraded. The content of total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand was also monitored. Mineralization of the commercial herbicides was achieved. Over 80% of chemical oxygen demand abatement was attained for both herbicides with sonophotocatalysis at 150 min of irradiation time. The photocatalytic degradation of the herbicides followed a pseudo-first order kinetics and their rate constant was increased by the combined effects of sonolysis.