Search results for "Environmental Biotechnology"

Glyphosate-based herbicide has soil-mediated effects on potato glycoalkaloids and oxidative status of a potato pest

2020

Glyphosate is the most used herbicide worldwide, targeting physiological pathways in plants. Recent studies have shown that glyphosate can also cause toxic effects in animals. We investigated the glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH)-induced changes in potato (Solanum tuberosum) plant chemistry and the effects of a GBH on the survival rate and oxidative status of the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). The beetles were reared on potato plants grown in pots containing soil treated with a GBH (Roundup Gold, 450 g/l) or untreated soil (water control). The 2nd instar larvae were introduced to the potato plants and then collected in 2 phases: as 4th instar larvae and as adults. The ma…

Neuroplasticity and environment: A pharmacotherapeutic approach toward preclinical and clinical understanding

2021

International audience; Emerging research in the field of behavioral neuroscience has demonstrated the fundamental role of the cerebral organization. For brain development, various important functions are required for instance synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. This property is described in terms of neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity denotes the extraordinary ability of the brain for the recognition of its structure and function after an experience with some external stimuli and involves in the various behavioral processes of the brain such as cognitive functions. It has multiple factors that can range from gene alteration to environmental factors. Environmental factors exert both negative…

Start-Up of Chitosan-Assisted Anaerobic Sludge Bed Reactors Treating Light Oxygenated Solvents under Intermittent Operation

2021

Quality of the granular sludge developed during the start-up of anaerobic up-flow sludge bed reactors is of crucial importance to ensure the process feasibility of treating industrial wastewater such as those containing solvents. In this study, the microbial granule formation from suspended-growth biomass was investigated in two chitosan-assisted reactors. These reactors operated mimicking industrial sites working with night closures treating a mixture of ethanol, ethyl acetate, and 1-ethoxy-2-propanol. Each reactor operated under different hydrodynamic regimes typical from UASB (R1: &lt

The role of freshwater copepods in the environmental risk assessment of caffeine and propranolol mixtures in the surface water bodies of Spain

2019

In this study we aimed at assessing: (i) the environmental risk posed by mixtures of caffeine and propranolol to the freshwater ecosystems of Spain; (ii) the sensitivity of freshwater copepod species to the two compounds; (iii) if the toxicity of caffeine and propranolol to freshwater copepods contributes to the environmental risk posed by the two compounds in the freshwater bodies of Spain. The environmental risk was computed as the ratio of MECs (i.e. the measured environmental concentrations) to PNECs (i.e. the respective predicted no-effect concentrations). The effects of caffeine and propranolol on the freshwater cyclopoid Diacyclops crassicaudis crassicaudis were tested both individua…

Advanced analytical techniques based on high-resolution mass spectrometry for the detection of micropollutants and their toxicity in aquatic environm…

2020

Abstract An abundance of micropollutants (MPs) in treated wastewater (WW) and occasionally even in drinking water represents a global threat from the environmental and public health risk standpoint. Along with the development of innovative WW treatment technologies, advanced analytical techniques, such as chromatography hyphenated to high-resolution mass spectrometry, are required for ensuring the detectability of target and nontarget MPs. Further studies on the chronic toxicity of MPs are needed to improve the regulation of hazardous substances in WWs. This article provides an up-to-date overview of the latest methodological developments related to the screening and quantification of MPs, …

Wide-scope screening of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in the Amazon River.

2021

Only a limited number of households in the Amazon are served by sewage collection or treatment facili- ties, suggesting that there might be a significant emission of pharmaceuticals and other wastewater contaminants into freshwater ecosystems. In this work, we performed a wide-scope screening to assess the occurrence of pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs and their metabolites in freshwater ecosystems of the Brazilian Amazon. Our study included 40 samples taken along the Amazon River, in three of its major tributaries, and in small tributaries crossing four important urban areas (Manaus, Santarém, Macapá, Belém). More than 900 compounds were investigated making use of target and suspect screenin…

Optimising an outdoor membrane photobioreactor for tertiary sewage treatment

2019

[EN] The operation of an outdoor membrane photobioreactor plant which treated the effluent of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor was optimised. Biomass retention times of 4.5, 6, and 9 days were tested. At a biomass retention time of 4.5 days, maximum nitrogen recovery rate:light irradiance ratios, photosynthetic efficiencies and carbon biofixations of 51.7¿±¿14.3¿mg¿N·mol¿1, 4.4¿±¿1.6% and 0.50¿±¿0.05¿kg CO2·m3influent, respectively, were attained. Minimum membrane fouling rates were achieved when operating at the shortest biomass retention time because of the lower solid concentration and the negligible amount of cyanobacteria and protozoa. Hydraulic retention times of 3.5, 2, and 1.5 days …

Gas-lift anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactors for high strength synthetic wastewater treatment: Effect of biogas sparging velocity and HRT on treat…

2016

Abstract A laboratory scale external anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) treating high strength wastewater (influent COD ≈ 20 g/L) was operated to assess the effect of biogas sparging velocity (GSV) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) on removal efficiency and dynamic membrane (DM) filtration characteristics. An increase in GSV resulted in a decrease in DM filtration resistance. DM or cake layer was identified as the main contributor to the total filtration resistance. The external AnDMBR achieved over 99% COD removal efficiency irrespective of the GSV. The results showed that the DM formation process proceeded until a stable cake layer was reached. Reducing of HRT resulted in an …

Evaluation and reformulation of the maximum peak height algorithm (MPH) and application in a hypertrophic lagoon

2017

SCS Curve Number and Green-Ampt Infiltration Models

2019

Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) and Green-Ampt (GA) infiltration models are probably the most applied equations in practical hydrology to compute the amount of direct runoff from rainfall. Both models are very simple, require few parameters, and present drawbacks and advantages. The empirical CN model concentrates the infiltration effect in the curve number and in the so-called soil hydrological groups, which have been widely characterized for different soil types, land cover, and antecedent soil moisture conditions (ASMCs), although the latter was considered ambiguous, whereas soil hydrological characteristics, including ASMC, are taken into account for the simplified physi…