Soil diffuse contamination is one the major soil threats, especially in regions with a high population density and strong industrialization. In this work agricultural, natural, and periurban soils of an Italian Province (858km(2)) were sampled and analyzed. Overall, 140 samples were taken at two depths and analyzed for 10 trace ...

Experimental extraction tests are conducted to investigate feasibility of saturated palm kernel oil (PKO) and unsaturated soybean oil (SO) to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from contaminated sand. The extraction rates and efficiencies for lowly contaminated (LC) and highly contaminated (HC) sands at temperatures of 30 °C and 70 °C are evaluated ...

The present study was carried out in a 5-year-old vineyard (Vitis vinifera L., cv. Aglianico) located in Southern Italy. Half of the plants (IRR) were fully irrigated, whereas the other half were not irrigated (NIRR). In both of the treatments, plant water status, gas exchange, photosynthetic efficiency and productive performance ...

The Croatian part of the Danube River extends over 188 km and comprises 58 % of the country's overall area used for commercial freshwater fishing. To date, the heavy metal contamination of fish in the Croatian part of the Danube has not been studied. The main purpose of this study was to ...

Diffusion towards the root surface has recently been shown to control the uptake of metal ions from solutions. The uptake flux of phosphorus from solutions often approaches the maximal diffusion flux at low external concentrations, suggesting diffusion controlled uptake also for P. Potential diffusion limitation in P uptake from nutrient ...

Establishing quantitative links between plant hydraulic properties and the response of transpiration to environmental factors such as atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (D) is essential for improving our ability to understand plant water relations across a wide range of species and environmental conditions. We studied stomatal responses to D in irrigated ...

A novel biocover with passive air diffusion system (PADS) was designed in this study. Its effect on landfill gas components in the macrocosms of simulated biocover systems was also investigated. The results show that O2 concentration increased in the whole profile of the macrocosms equipped with PADS. When simulated landfill ...

To investigate the bioaccumulation patterns of microcystins (MCs) in organs of two gastropods, samples were collected in Lake Dianchi monthly from May to October, 2008, when cyanobacteria typically bloom. The average MCs concentrations for Radix swinhoei (pulmonate) and Margarya melanioides (prosobranch) tended to be similar for the different organs: the ...

An interactive spreadsheet model has been created for quantitative predictions of propanil sorption and reaction in a slurried Manitoba clay soil. Based on experimental values for the numbers of empty and filled sorption sites as reactants and products, the reaction mechanism has been described with conventional chemical kinetics. The on ...

The average spatial dimensions between major biopolymers within the plant cell wall can be resolved using a solid-state NMR technique referred to as a (13)C cross-polarization (CP) SELDOM (selectively by destruction of magnetization) with a mixing time delay for spin diffusion. Selective excitation of specific aromatic lignin carbons indicates that ...

In Germany, protozoal parasites are detected frequently in surface waters. This study aims to assess the parasitological pollution in a river course and two of its tributaries under regular weather conditions. Cryptosporidium was detected in 67% of all samples. The median concentration was 4oocysts/100l. Giardia lamblia were detected in 90% ...

In a previous study, column experiments were carried out with Toyoura sand (permeability 2.05×10(-11)m(2)) and Toyoura sand mixed with bentonite (permeability 9.96×10(-13)m(2)) to obtain the molecular diffusion coefficient, the Knudsen diffusion coefficient, the tortuosity for the molecular diffusion coefficient, and the mechanical dispersion coefficient of soil-gas systems. In this study, ...

The impacts of the M9.0 Tohoku Earthquake on deep-sea environment were investigated 36 and 98 days after the event. The light transmission anomaly in the deep-sea water after 36 days became atypically greater (∼35%) and more extensive (thickness ∼1500 m) near the trench axis owing to the turbulent diffusion of fresh ...

An experiment (Completely Randomized Design) was set up to determine the effects of Clay Pot Sub-surface Irrigation (CPSI) and spacing on the growth and fresh weight of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). The treatments were: CPSI with spacing; 15 x 15 cm, 20 x 20 cm and 30 x 30 cm. Control ...

Soil washing is a potential technology for rapid removal of organic hydrocarbons sorbed to soils. In this work, p-cresol desorption with different non-ionic surfactants (Tween 80, Brij 30 and Triton X-100) was compared to cyclodextrine and citrate as solubilizer. A series of batch extraction experiments were conducted at 20°C using ...

Six new prenylated polyhydroxy-p-terphenyl metabolites, named prenylterphenyllins A-C (1-3) and prenylcandidusins A-C (5-7), and one new polyhydroxy-p-terphenyl with a simple tricyclic C-18 skeleton, named 4''-dehydro-3-hydroxyterphenyllin (4), were obtained together with eight known analogues (8-15) from Aspergillus taichungensis ZHN-7-07, a root soil fungus isolated from the mangrove plant Acrostichum aureum. Their ...

Ecotoxicological risks of agricultural application of six insecticides to soil organisms were evaluated by acute toxicity tests under laboratory condition following OECD guidelines using the epigeic earthworm Eisenia fetida as the test organism. The organochlorine insecticide endosulfan (LC(50) - 0.002mgkg(-1)) and the carbamate insecticides aldicarb (LC(50) - 9.42mgkg(-1)) and carbaryl ...

The removal of styrene-polluted air emissions by biotrickling filtration was performed to evaluate the influence of using nitrate and urea as a nitrogen source in the nutrient solution supplied to two bioreactors run in parallel under the same operational conditions for 3 months. The use of urea resulted in less biomass ...

BACKGROUND: In this study, the activity concentrations of (232) Th, (238) U, (40) K and (137) Cs were measured in tea, cabbage, orange, kiwi and soil samples collected from different stations using gamma spectrometry with a high-purity germanium detector. RESULTS: The average activity concentrations of (232) Th, (238) U, (40) ...

Reproductive assurance through autonomous selfing is thought to be one of the main advantages of self-fertilization in plants. Floral mechanisms that ensure autonomous seed set are therefore more likely to occur in species that grow in habitats where pollination is scarce and/or unpredictable. Emasculation and pollen supplementation experiments were conducted ...

Sorption-desorption processes govern the movement of pesticides in soil. These processes determine the potential hazard of the pesticide in a given environment for groundwater contamination and need to be investigated. In the present study, sorption-desorption processes of benfuracarb were investigated using a batch method in two mollisols. The kinetics of ...

Phosphorus removal using ferric chloride (FeCl3) addition was demonstrated at the Egan Water Reclamation Plant. Concurrently, sludge thickening performance problems occurred in the gravity belt thickeners (GBTs). Blinding problems and polymer demand change were attributed to FeCl3 and long sludge holding times. Laboratory tests were conducted to gain insight to ...

In India, recently, upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) based sewage treatment plants (STPs) have come up in a big way. Sequence adopted: screens- grit chambers- UASB reactors followed by one-day detention ponds (DP). Performance of DPs located at five STPs (27-70 ML/d) was evaluated over a period of one year ...

WSP technology has been used in Ceará, Northeast Brazil, since middle 1970s. There are presently 96 ponds plants and most of them are comprised by single cells (40%) and series of 3 ponds (35%). They were under loaded due to incomplete house connections to the sewerage network and low per ...

The herbicide 2,4-D [2,4-(dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid] is a widely used broadleaf control agent in cereal production systems. Although 2,4-D soil-residual activity (half-lives) are typically less than 10 days, this herbicide also has as a short-term leaching potential due to its relatively weak retention by soil constituents. Herbicide residual effects and ...

The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of PHA biosynthesis from kraft mill effluent using the batch system evaluating the biomass origin and C:N relationship influence. To evaluate feasibility, batch assays were carried out. Also, two levels of the BOD(5):N:P relationship (100:5:1 and 100:1:0.2) and three different ...

This work examines the methane production potential for the anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure (SM) with winery wastewater (WW). Batch and semi-continuous experiments were carried out under mesophilic conditions. Batch experiments revealed that the highest specific methane yield was 348mL CH(4)g(-1) COD added, obtained at 85.4% of WW and 0.7g ...

Secondary metabolites such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) play a crucial part in plant defense. PAs can occur in plants in two forms: tertiary amine (free base) and N-oxide. PA extraction and detection are of great importance for the understanding of the role of PAs as plant defense compounds, as the ...

Iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) are only to a limited extent removed from conventional wastewater treatment plants, due to their high recalcitrance. This work reports on the cathodic dehalogenation of the ICM iopromide in a bioelectrochemical system (BES), fed with acetate at the anode and iopromide at the cathode. When ...

Nano-scale zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles are increasingly used to remediate aquifers contaminated with hazardous oxidized pollutants such as trichloroethylene (TCE). However, the high reduction potential of NZVI can result in toxicity to indigenous bacteria and hinder their participation in the cleanup process. Here, we report on the mitigation of the ...

Batch sorption experiments using a starch-based sorbent were carried out for the removal of heavy metals present in industrial water discharges. The influence of contact time, mass of sorbent and pollutant load was investigated. Pollutant removal was dependent on the mass of sorbent and contact time, but independent of the ...

Earthworms are the dominant soil biomass of many terrestrial ecosystems and markedly influence the physico-chemical and biological properties of soil; however, little is known about the effects of earthworm activities on the environmental behavior of micropollutants in soil. We studied the sorption and desorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol on ...

Batch equilibrium studies were conducted to determine eprinomectin partitioning behavior in three Greek soils (agricultural, pastoral and riparian soil). An analytical method was developed to quantify eprinomectin in aqueous 0.01 M CaCl₂. Recovery was 95% and limits of detection and quantification were both 0.005 mgL⁻¹. An existing method for its ...

The fate of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers (α-, β-, and γ-HBCD) and uptake by plants (cabbage and radish) was investigated. In a short-term (8 weeks) experiment, sorption to soil matrix resulted in 90% decline in recovery of these compounds in the experimental soil. However, nearly 50% of initial ...

This study employs the Taguchi optimization methodology to optimize the effective parameters for the pesticide (Vapam) sorption onto soil modified with natural zeolite (clinoptilolite). The experimental factors and their ranges chosen for determination of the effective parameters were: initial Vapam concentration (0.4-1.6 mg/L), initial pH of the pesticide solution (2-12), ...

Irrigation with treated wastewaters as an alternative in countries with severe water shortage may influence the sorption of pesticides and their environmental effects, as wastewater contains higher concentrations of suspended and dissolved organic matter and inorganic compounds than freshwater. We have examined the sorption behaviour of three highly hydrophobic pesticides ...

Biochar derived from agricultural biomass waste is increasingly recognized as a multifunctional material for agricultural and environmental applications. Three novel magnetic biochars (MOP250, MOP400, MOP700) were prepared by chemical co-precipitation of Fe3+/Fe2+ on orange peel powder and subsequently pyrolyzing under different temperatures (250, 400 and 700 °C), which resulted in ...

Atrazine and phenanthrene (Phen) sorption by nonhydrolyzable carbon (NHC), black carbon (BC), humic acid (HA) and whole sediment and soil samples was examined. Atrazine sorption isotherms were nearly linear. The single-point organic carbon (OC)-normalized distribution coefficients (K(OC)) of atrazine for the isolated HA1, NHC1 and BC1 from sediment 1 (ST1) ...

Phosphate is ubiquitous in the environment. However, its impact on sorption of hydrophobic organic compounds in soils has received little attention. Some effects of phosphate on phenanthrene sorption were investigated in this study using two Chinese soils with contrasting properties. The presence of phosphate significantly decreased the capacity and increased ...

A stirred flow reactor was used to study the influence of phosphorus on the adsorption and desorption kinetics of copper in two acid soils on granite and amphibolite. The presence of P was found to significantly increase Cu adsorption in both soils, albeit at different types of sites (mainly in ...

Sorption isotherm data were determined for a set of 8 aromatic organic compounds with varying physical chemical properties in three soils with organic matter of differing quantity and composition. The primary goals of this study were to test single and multiparameter linear free energy relationships on their ability to predict ...

The objectives of the present study were to elucidate the chemical and structural properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from aerobic decay of rice straw and to quantify the effect of the DOM on the sorption of pyrene on soil. The DOM samples were obtained from microcosms incubated at ...

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) as one class of emerging pollutants have caused great attention in recent years. In this study, activated sludge was used to adsorb perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in aqueous solution in order to investigate their sorption behavior and possible uptake mechanism in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). ...

Acetochlor, introduced on the market in 1994, is used extensively worldwide, but sorption and degradation studies, including subsurface, are scarce, and there appear to be no such studies with aquifer sediment according to the present mini-review. Sorption, degradation and mineralisation of acetochlor were investigated in heterogeneous limestone down to 43 ...

Although the major influence of black carbon (BC) on soil and sediment organic contaminant sorption is widely accepted, an understanding of the mechanisms and natural variation in pyrogenic carbon interaction with natural organic matter (NOM) is lacking. The sorption of a phenolic NOM monomer (catechol) and humic acids (HA) onto ...

Partitioning tracer method has been studied as an effective technique for estimating the light nonaqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) contamination in the subsurface. This study is for investigating the effect of soil organic contents on the LNAPL quantification using partitioning tracer method. The sorption characteristics of alcohol tracers to the soils having ...

Miscible-displacement experiments were conducted to characterize long-term, low-concentration elution tailing associated with sorption/desorption processes. A variety of soils and aquifer sediments, representing a range of particle-size distributions and organic-carbon contents, were employed, and trichloroethene (TCE) was used as the model organic compound. Trichloroethene transport exhibited extensive elution tailing for all ...

Biochars are anthropogenic carbonaceous sorbent and their influences on the sorption of environmental contaminants need to be characterized. Here we evaluated the effect of Pinus radiata derived biochars on soil sorption and desorption of phenanthrene. Two biochars separately produced at 350 degrees C and 700 degrees C and three soils ...

Sorption and combined sorption-biodegradation experiments were conducted in laboratory batch studies with 100 g soil/sediments and 500 mL water to investigate the fates in aqueous environments of acetaminophen, caffeine, propranolol, and acebutolol, four frequently used and often-detected pharmaceuticals. All four compounds have demonstrated significant potential for degradation and sorption in ...

The environmental behavior of antibiotics has attracted great research attention. However, their sorption mechanisms in soils/sediments are still unknown. Comparison of the sorption properties between the widely-studied hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) and antibiotics may provide valuable insight to antibiotic sorption mechanisms. Thus, in this study batch experiments for pyrene (PYR), ...