Search results for "Pollutant"

Occurrence and removal of organic pollutants in sewages and landfill leachates

2002

Sewages of different composition and the effluents of four sewage treatment plants (STPs), plus sewage sludges were analysed for semivolatile organic priority pollutants. Furthermore, 11 landfill leachates were analysed to evaluate their contribution to sewage pollutants when co-treated. Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the pollutant occurring at highest concentrations (up to 122 microg/l) and it was present in all sewages and leachates; concentrations of other phthalates were usually below 17 microg/l. Some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (<1 microg/l) and 2,6-dinitrotoluene (< or =5.9 microg/l) were also present in many of the sewages and leachates. Phthalates were present in…

Removal of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at a sewage treatment plant

2003

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) concentrations were measured at different stages in a full-scale sewage treatment plant (STP) and mass balances were calculated. The DEHP load to treatment process coming from the sewer system and the internal load comprising returned supernatants and filtrate from sludge treatment and excess secondary sludge were at the same level. The DEHP removal efficiency from the water phase at the STP was on average 94% of sewage DEHP, the main removal process being sorption to primary and secondary sludges. On average 29% of DEHP was calculated to be removed in the biological nitrifying-denitrifying activated sludge process, which was much less than expected from l…

Method optimization to measure polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations in soils of Bratislava, Slovakia.

2010

We modified an analytical method to determine polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in urban soils of Bratislava (Slovakia). Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) introduced as a clean-up step for soil extracts substantially reduced matrix enhancements when PBDEs were measured with gas chromatography-negative chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-NCI-MS). The resulting method proved to be accurate, precise, and showed low detection limits. The sum of 15 PBDE concentrations in surface horizons of Bratislava soils ranged from 87 to 627 pg g(-1). PBDE concentrations were mostly higher in surface than deeper horizons probably because of atmospheric deposition and lack of substantial vertical…

Does Arsenic Contamination Affect DNA Methylation Patterns in a Wild Bird Population? : An Experimental Approach

2021

Pollutants, such as toxic metals, negatively influence organismal health and performance, even leading to population collapses. Studies in model organisms have shown that epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation, can be modulated by various environmental factors, including pollutants, influencing gene expression, and various organismal traits. Yet experimental data on the effects of pollution on DNA methylation from wild animal populations are largely lacking. We here experimentally investigated for the first time the effects of early-life exposure to environmentally relevant levels of a key pollutant, arsenic (As), on genome-wide DNA methylation in a wild bird population. We experimentall…

Effect of 30 years of road traffic abandonment on epiphytic moss diversity

2014

Road traffic emits a cocktail of pollutants that can influence the vegetation and plant diversity in neighboring areas. However, the recovery potential of bryophytes after traffic abandonment is still little explored. In addition, the effects of the main pollutants of road verges, such as metals and salinity, on moss flora need to be investigated. In our study, we compared the moss richness and diversity in two closely related veteran tree allees of high conservation importance. The allees in Gryżów and Lubrza, Poland, were chosen because of their similarity in age, geographical location, type of surrounding areas, and tree species. The only difference was that the trees in Gryżów had not b…

Isolation of Gram-positive n-alkane degraders from a hydrocarbon-contaminated Mediterranean shoreline.

2007

Aims: To investigate the petroleum hydrocarbon (HC)-degrading potential of indigenous micro-organisms in a sandy Mediterranean coast, accidentally contaminated with petroleum-derived HCs. Methods and Results: Using culturable methods, a population of Gram-positive n-alkane degraders was detected in the contaminated soil. Five isolates, identified as one Nocardia, two Rhodococcus and two Gordonia strains, were able to degrade medium- and long-chain n-alkanes up to C36 as assessed by growth assays and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Diverging alkane hydroxylase-encoding genes (alkB) were detected by PCR, using degenerated primers, in all the strains; multiple sequences were obt…

The use of constructed wetlands for the treatment of agro-industrial wastewater – A case study in a dairy-cattle farm in Sicily (Italy)

2017

Wastewaters generated by agro-industrial operations often represent an unsustainable cost for farms due to high wastewater-treatment management costs. The wastewater produced by dairies, wineries or oil mills may vary in quantity and in quality depending on the time of the year, making the use of a conventional treatment system less efficient and more costly. Constructed wetland systems (CWs) provide low-cost technology and an efficient solution in the treatment of a number of wastewaters from agriculture. They are simple to build, have low maintenance costs and are sustainable compared to conventional treatment methods. This paper shows a case study that was carried out on a dairy-cattle f…

CFD simulation of heavy pollutants in urban areas: the case study of Messina.

2008

Narażenie na zanieczyszczenia zawarte w pyłach PM10 i PM2,5 drogami wchłaniania: inhalacyjną, dermalną i pokarmową

2022

W artykule zaprezentowano wyniki pomiarów stężeń pyłu PM10 w powietrzu atmosferycznym wraz z zawartymi metalami ciężkimi (arsenem, kadmem, niklem i ołowiem). Przeanalizowano dane z okresu 2016-2020 dla ośmiu stacji monitoringu jakości powietrza zlokalizowanych w województwie śląskim. Wyniki pomiarów dotyczyły stężeń średniorocznych uzyskanych z rejestru Głównego Inspektoratu Ochrony Środowiska. Najwyższe stężenia pyłu PM10 odnotowano w latach 2016 i 2017, sięgały one 160 μg/m3 przekraczając tym samym wartość dopuszczalną (40 μg/m3) prawie 4-krotnie. Spośród przeanalizowanych metali, dla arsenu w roku 2016 zaobserwowano przekroczenia wartości dopuszczalnej, która wynosi 6 ng/m3. Spośród sied…

A Short Review of Simple Analytical Methods for the Evaluation of PAHs and PAEs as Indoor Pollutants in House Dust Samples

2022

Studies on indoor air quality are indispensable when considering that people spend approximately 85% of their time in confined environments. This short review mostly takes into consideration research that uses passive samplers to evaluate the quality of indoor environments (houses, school, cars, etc.). This short review summarizes most analytical methods to detect and quantify PAHs and PAEs in house dust used as a passive sampler. The objective of house dust analysis is to identify the presence, amount and distribution of specific hazardous substances in confined spaces and, if possible, to identify their sources. Household dust and the compounds present in it can enter the human body by in…