Search results for "Heavy Metals"

New Indices Determining Heavy Metals Migration in a Sewage Sludge

2015

Abstract The four step procedure developed by the European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) is the optimum means of identifying heavy metal fractions in sewage sludge samples. Using the BCR procedure enables to get the date basing on which one can calculate metal stability index which supplies information on the strength of metal bonds with mineral organic soil components. Unfortunately, very popular formulae describing this index do not possess any theoretical justification and do not generate all values in the range of [0; 1]. Hence, in this paper one has presented new formulae describing not only the stability index but also a strictly connected with it the mobility index. In addition…

The use of mosses in biomonitoring of selected areas in Poland and Spitsbergen in the years from 1975 to 2014

2015

We have compared historical changes in concentrations of the heavy metals Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb accumulated in samples from the Polish woodlands of Beskidy and Karkonosze (S, SE Poland) and the north-east regions of the country, versus the relatively little polluted areas of Spitsbergen of the Svalbard Archipelago. We have combined the results from literature with new results from 2014. The regions of Beskidy and Karkonosze were the most exposed to heavy metals deposition. However, from 1975 to 2014 there was a considerable decrease of concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb at all Polish sites, clearly signifying improvement of environmental quality. For example, the average Cd concentrati…

The impact of various cations on the sorption of manganese in the thallus of freshwater algae spirogyra sp. and sea algae palmaria palmata

2014

Abstract Due to their occurrence in very different conditions and high resistance to physical and chemical factors, algae are pioneers colonising new environments and their sorption properties are used in biomonitoring and water remediation. The efficiency of the process of heavy metal sorption in algae used for in situ tests depends on abiotic factors, such as the chemical composition of water. Freshwater algae Spirogyra sp. were used in tests. Algae were exposed in the laboratory in manganese chloride solutions with various contents of other cations, including heavy metals and macronutrients. It has been shown that some heavy metals may desorb manganese bound to the surface of algae as a …

Ecotoxicological study on multi-component contamination with hydrocarbons and heavy metals

2014

ANALYSIS OF THE MOBILITY OF HEAVY METALS IN SLUDGE FOR THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT IN DALESZYCE

2020

Sewage sludge is a by-product of wastewater treatment processes. However, it has high fertilising and soil-forming properties, but it cannot always be used for this purpose. The two main criteria limiting their natural use are heavy metals and parasite eggs. Sewage sludge taken from the Daleszyce wastewater treatment plant has been analysed for heavy metals. For this purpose a space analysis was performed to divide the total metal content into four mobility fractions. The mobility issue determines the ability of an element, or one of its forms, to move in the environment. The studies were performed using a four-stage BCR procedure. The results were analyzed and compared to the limits applic…

Polymorphisms in ABC transporter genes and concentrations of mercury in newborns - Evidence from two Mediterranean birth cohorts

2014

Background: The genetic background may influence methylmercury (MeHg) metabolism and neurotoxicity. ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters actively transport various xenobiotics across biological membranes. Objective: To investigate the role of ABC polymorphisms as modifiers of prenatal exposure to MeHg. Methods: The study population consisted of participants (n = 1651) in two birth cohorts, one in Italy and Greece (PHIME) and the other in Spain (INMA). Women were recruited during pregnancy in Italy and Spain, and during the perinatal period in Greece. Total mercury concentrations were measured in cord blood samples by atomic absorption spectrometry. Maternal fish intake during pregnancy w…

Development of Antioxidant Protein Extracts from Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) Side Streams Assisted by Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE)

2021

The pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) technique was used, for the first time, to obtain protein extracts with antioxidant activity from side streams (muscle, heads, viscera, skin, and tailfins) of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) in order to give added value to these underutilized matrices. Extraction conditions previously optimized for sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) side streams were applied. Protein recovery percentages were 22% (muscle), 33% (heads), 78% (viscera), 24% (skin), and 26% (tailfins), which represented an increase of 1.2–4.5-fold compared to control samples (extraction by stirring). The SDS-PAGE profiles revealed that PLE-assisted extraction influenced protein molecular …

Use of Algae in Active Biomonitoring of Surface Waters

2015

Abstract Biomonitoring studies have been carried out in three retention reservoirs located in the Opole Province (southern Poland): Turawa reservoir, Nysa reservoir and Otmuchow reservoir. The increases of concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in fresh water algae Spirogyra sp. and sea water Palmaria palmata (Linnaeus) Weber & Mohr, exposed in the analysed waters, were determined by the atomic absorption spectrometry method (AAS). Also the waters pH, conductivity and Mn and Fe concentrations were determined. The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb in the analysed waters were lower than the method limit of determination. The analyses were carried out during the period from June to …

Slurries Introduction in Flow Injection Atomic Absorption Spectroscopic Analysis of Sewage Sludges

1990

Abstract The direct introduction of slurries in flow Injection-flame atomic absorption spectroscopy has been studied using a single-channel manifold. The influence of flow Injection parameters on the sensitivity and accuracy of this procedure has been established. A method has been developed for the determination of copper, manganese, and lead In sewage sludge where batch digestion of the samples In a microwave oven is carried out before dilution. Both sensitivity and limit of detection of the flow Injection analysis procedure are adequate for the analysis of actual samples (the limit of detection was 0.06, 0.05, and 0.3 ppm for copper, manganese, and lead, respectively). The accuracy of th…

Implications of cysteine metabolism in the heavy metal response in Trichoderma harzianum and in three Fusarium species

2009

We studied the ability of four different fungal species, Trichoderma harzianum, Fusarium antophyllum, Fusarium compactum and Fusarium phyllophilum, to grow in the presence of heavy metals, and monitored their cysteine and glutathione content and the activity of O-acetylserine(thiol)lyase (OASTL), which is involved in cysteine biosynthesis. Zn and Pb did not affect fungal growth or sporulation at the concentrations used, whereas Cd and Hg did. In most cases, cysteine and glutathione content was higher when fungi were grown in the presence of toxic metals. As T. harzianum and F. phyllophilum presented the best growth rate on Cd and Hg, they were selected to further analyse the accumulation of…