Search results for " pollution"
showing 10 items of 1010 documents
Comparison between two MBR pilot plants treating synthetic shipboard slops: effect of salinity increase on biological performance, biomass activity a…
2017
The paper reports the main results of an experimental campaign carried out on two bench scale pilot plants for the treatment of synthetic shipboard slops. In particular, two membrane bioreactors (MBRs) with submerged configuration were analyzed. One MBR pilot plant (namely, Line A) was fed with synthetic shipboard slop and was subjected to a gradual increase of salinity. Conversely, the second MBR pilot plant (namely, Line B) was fed with the same synthetic shipboard slop but without salt addition, therefore operating as a âcontrolâ unit. Organic carbon, hydrocarbons and ammonium removal, kinetic constants, extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) production and membranes fouling rates…
Performance of membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems for the treatment of shipboard slops: Assessment of hydrocarbon biodegradation and biomass activity …
2015
In order to prevent hydrocarbon discharge at sea from ships, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) enacted the MARPOL 73/78 convention in which any oil and oil residue discharged in wastewater streams must contain less than 5. ppm hydrocarbons. Effective treatment of this petroleum-contaminated water is essential prior to its release into the environment, in order to prevent pollution problem for marine ecosystems as well as for human health. Therefore, two bench scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were investigated for hydrocarbon biodegradation. The two plants were initially fed with synthetic wastewater characterised by an increasing salinity, in order to enhance biomass acclimatio…
Cadmium stress effects indicating marine pollution in different species of sea urchin employed as environmental bioindicators
2019
In recent years, researches about the defense strategies induced by cadmium stress have greatly increased, invading several fields of scientific research. Mechanisms of cadmium-induced toxicity continue to be of interest for researchers given its ubiquitous nature and environmental distribution, where it often plays the role of pollutant for numerous organisms. The presence in the environment of this heavy metal has been constantly increasing because of its large employment in several industrial and agricultural activities. Cadmium does not have any biological role and, since it cannot be degraded by living organisms, it is irreversibly accumulated into cells, interacting with cellular comp…
Assessing anthropogenic pressures on coastal marine ecosystems using stable CNS isotopes: State of the art, knowledge gaps, and community-scale persp…
2015
Abstract In recent decades, the analysis of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur stable isotopes (SIA) has emerged as a powerful, viable methodology for examining food web structure and dynamics, as well as addressing a number of applied issues. Here, we provide a state-of-the-art review of the use of SIA for assessing anthropogenic pressures on natural ecosystems, in order to establish current knowledge gaps and identify promising applications for evaluating the ecological status of marine coastal waters. Specifically, the potential of SIA to provide food web-scale indicators for estimating cumulative anthropogenic pressures is addressed. The review indicates that the methodology has been used for …
The impact of landfills on the air quality of towns: A simple heuristic model for the city of Palermo
2009
In this study, the landfill of Palermo, is investigated as a potential source of the unusual methane concentrations found in the urban context. The source for these pollution episodes is identified by means of a simple heuristic method. A cross-correlation analysis between wind data and methane concentration levels is also used to confirm the hypotheses formulated. Doppler Sound Detection And Ranging (SODAR) measurements are used to investigate the air masses dynamics at the landfill, in order to better support the adopted assumptions. This interpretative method can be adopted in the first assessment stages of the environmental site performance in order to single out the candidate pollution…
Distribution of Heavy Metals in Marine Sediments of Palermo Gulf (Sicily, Italy)
2008
Concentrations of Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn have been measured, by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, in the fine fraction (<63 μm) of surface sediments collected in 30 sites in the Palermo Gulf (Sicily, Italy) in order to assess the levels and the spatial distribution of these elements. Enrichment factors calculated with respect to clean areas have been considered to discriminate between levels due to background or to pollution contributions. The sampling stations, which form a grid inside these areas, are characterized by geographic proximity and by the presence of pollution sources. Ratio matching technique along with hierarchical clustering, minimum spanning tree and principal component a…
Precarious work and social protection: between flexicurity and social pollution
2019
The chapter explores the possibility of changing the way in which any social and legal system guarantees social protections for the weakest workers. To do so it elaborates a unique functional set for classifying all kind of precariat, which it names the ‘un[der]-protected workers’. The issue of the precariat is held as an imbalance in the flexicurity balance, considered akin to pollution in the social environment: so-called social pollution. The proposed method to counterbalance the lack of security/protection and rebalance flexicurity is a ‘(non-wage) Social Security (virtual or) Fake (Pigouvian) Tax’ (the SSFT). The idea is that this device either forces companies to hire through SERs (wh…
Cyclic influences on the heavy metal chronology in a Central Mediterranean area (Palermo Gulf, Italy)
2010
PurposeThe evaluation of long-term heavy metal concentrations in the Gulf of Palermo (Italy) has been carried out in order to investigate how changes of pollution levels in the last 50 years can be reflected in marine sediments. Measurements of Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn concentrations were performed on dated fractions of a sediment core. Time series analysis has allowed to obtain information on the chronology of the heavy metal pollution of the area and to identify seasonal components and trends.Materials and methodsHeavy metal concentrations in the <63 μm fraction of core sections were obtained by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, after wet sieving, drying, and digestion procedures. Dating…
Absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by pinus bark: analytical method and use for environmental pollution monitoring in the Palermo area (S…
2007
Abstract In the light of using biomaterial as pollutants sorbents for the environmental biomonitoring, we report here the results of the absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by pine bark. Quantitative analysis of 19 different polycyclic aromatic compounds was performed, after Soxhlet extraction in dichloromethane, by means GC–MS technique. Pinus was chosen due to its wide distribution in the Mediterranean area. The passive absorption of PAH by pine bark in the metropolitan areas allowed us to evaluate the air quality of Palermo. The obtained results showed a very high range of PAHs concentrations, from 33 μg/kg (bark dry weight), as ΣPAHs, at the control site to 1015 μg/kg …
Characteristics of current roadside pollution using test-monitoring plots
2014
Abstract The aim of the study was the qualitative recognition of the existing roadside pollutants deposited in topsoils located close to roads with high traffic volume. So far, the studies have helped to determine the content of pollutants that accumulated over a long period of time. Traditionally, it has been difficult to distinguish between roadside pollution and pollution from other industrial sources. In order to avoid such problems and to accurately recognize present threats originating from road traffic, test-monitoring plots were installed in Poland (Gliwice and Opole), Germany (Tubingen, Ulm and Boblingen), Finland (Helsinki), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and China (Lanzhou). To install th…