Aircraft and pavement deicing formulations and other potential freezing point depressants were tested for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Propylene glycol-based aircraft deicers exhibited greater BOD5 than ethylene glycol-based aircraft deicers, and ethylene glycol-based products had lower degradation rates than propylene glycol-based products. Sodium formate pavement deicers had lower COD than acetate-based pavement deicers. The BOD and COD results for acetate-based pavement deicers (PDMs) were consistently lower than those for aircraft deicers, but degradation rates were greater in the acetate-based PDM than in aircraft deicers. In a 40-day testing of aircraft and pavement deicers, BOD results at 20°C (standard) were consistently greater than the results from 5°C (low) tests. The degree of difference between standard and low temperature BOD results varied among tested products. Freshwater BOD test results were not substantially different from marine water tests at 20°C, but glycols degraded slower in marine water than in fresh water for low temperature tests. Acetate-based products had greater percentage degradation than glycols at both temperatures. An additive component of the sodium formate pavement deicer exhibited toxicity to the microorganisms, so BOD testing did not work properly for this formulation. BOD testing of alternative freezing point depressants worked well for some, there was little response for some, and for others there was a lag in response while microorganisms acclimated to the freezing point depressant as a food source. Where the traditional BOD5 test performed adequately, values ranged from 251 to 1,580 g/kg. Where the modified test performed adequately, values of BOD28 ranged from 242 to 1,540 g/kg.

In the present work, the effectiveness of conventional wastewater treatments (activated sludge and oxidation ditches) and low-cost wastewater treatments (trickling filter beds, anaerobic lagooning and constructed wetlands) in the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds has been studied. To evaluate the efficiency of removal, 16 pharmaceutically active compounds belonging to seven therapeutic groups (anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, antiepileptic drugs, β-blockers, nervous stimulants, estrogens and lipid regulators) have been monitored during 1-year period in influent and effluent wastewater from 11 wastewater treatment plants of Spain. Mean removal rates of pharmaceutically active compounds achieved in conventional wastewater treatments were slightly higher than those achieved in low-cost treatments, being 64% and 55%, respectively. Ibuprofen, naproxen, salicylic acid and caffeine were the pharmaceutical compounds most efficiently removed, regardless the wastewater treatment applied, with removal rates up to 99%. Anaerobic lagooning was the less effective treatment for the removal of the most persistent compounds: carbamazepine and propranolol.

The validity of the soil quality standard for copper (Cu) established by the Spanish legislation (Spanish Royal Decree 9/2005) is evaluated in representative agricultural Mediterranean soils under an accumulator crop (Lactuca sativa L. var. Romaine cv. Long Green), considering both the effect of the metal on crop growth (biomass production) and its accumulation in the edible part of the plant. For saline soils, such a soil quality standard seems not to be valid taking into account both of the aspects evaluated. For non-saline soils, the soil quality standard also seems not to be valid since, considering the metal accumulation in the edible part of the plant, the soil quality standard should be above such standard; but considering the productivity function of soil (biomass production), the standard should be much below, meaning that this function is being greatly affected by the presence of high concentrations of Cu. The soil quality standard for each soil considered should correspond to a value between its respective EC50 and EC10 values (effective concentrations of added Cu causing 50% and 10% inhibition on the biomass production), depending on the politicians and/or farmers' compromise with yield production and, therefore, with soil productivity. These threshold values were greater for the soil having more organic matter and clay content, showing that Cu toxicity also depends on these properties. Further research in other agricultural areas of the region would improve the basis for proposing adequate soil quality standards as highlighted by the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.

Ozonation of water effluent polluted with carbamazepine an ubiquitous and refractory pharmaceutical contaminant, has been addressed. This paper aims to optimize the remediation process through novel considerations, such as economical aspects of operational costs. To this end, firstly, we have defined an efficiency variable which included not only global efficacy terms (pollutant removal) but also kinetic aspects, which has to do with the ozonation chemical rate. This target variable was involved in a design of experiments that optimized air flow, ozone concentration, and pollutant initial content. An optimum was obtained at 55 L·h ⁻ ¹, 0.4 g·m³, and 18 mg·L ⁻ ¹ respectively.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the short-term effects of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) on juvenile sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) using a multiparameter approach. At the end of the 96 h of exposure to a range of BaP concentrations (2–256 μg l⁻¹) in laboratorial conditions, a suite of biomarkers involved in biotransformation pathways, oxidative stress and damage, neurotransmission and energetic metabolism were analysed. Levels of BaP metabolites in bile and BaP-type compounds in tissues were also included as biomarkers of exposure, and the post-exposure swimming velocity was used as a toxicity endpoint at a higher level of biological organisation. In addition, a time-series experiment on the levels of bile BaP metabolites was also performed. Increased levels of BaP metabolites in bile and BaP-type compounds in liver and brain of exposed fish were found, indicating BaP uptake, metabolisation and distribution by different tissues. BaP induced oxidative stress and damage, but no significant effects on the post-exposure swimming velocity, neurotransmission and energetic pathways were found. An increase in the levels of BaP metabolites in bile over time was also observed, reaching a threshold similar at all the concentrations tested. Overall, this integrative multiparameter study reflecting different biological responses of D. labrax was suitable to assess the effects caused by the short-term exposure to BaP and may be useful in the marine environmental risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution. The observed toxic effects also highlight the relevance of short-term exposure to relatively high concentrations of chemicals, as can occur in the case of punctual heavy chemical releases, such as oil spills in the marine environment.

Arsenic mobility around mining districts is primarily controlled by distribution and abundance of iron minerals. Arsenite-rich mine waters although frequently reported, the interaction of which with schwertmannite is poorly understood despite its high toxicity and mobility. We examined three synthetic schwertmannite types distinguished by surface area (19.9–227.5 m2/g), Fe/S molar fractions (4.7–6.6), and saturation index (−1.6–0.8) towards arsenite retention through controlled batch equilibrium studies at 22 ± 2°C and 1 atmospheric pressure in oxic conditions. Sorption isotherms were investigated as a function of dissolved arsenite concentrations (0.13–1.33 mmol/L) at constant sediment load (10 g/L) and pH (3.0) in order to understand the role of synthesis pathway and physicochemical properties on arsenite immobilization. Multilayer surface coverage with more than one process governs arsenite uptake. X-ray diffractograms, infrared spectroscopy, and high resolution electron microscopic examination revealed new phase formation where schwertmannite underwent morphological and structural degradation. Ionic exchange between schwertmannite SO 4 2− and aqueous arsenite has resulted in an elevated aqueous SO 4 2− that varied according to dissolved arsenite concentrations. Stoichiometric calculations showed that 1 mol of dissolved arsenite can effectively replace 0.12–0.19 mol of schwertmannite SO 4 2− . This study implies that schwertmannites can be used as potential adsorbents for arsenite treatment where the total uptake will be strongly controlled by both ion exchange and surface precipitation.

The magnetic, nanocrystalline Fe₀.₂(Co₂₀Ni₈₀)₀.₈ alloy porous microfibers were prepared by the citrate gel thermal decomposition and reduction process. The morphology, chemical composition, microstructure, and magnetic properties of the microfibers were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, Brunauere–Emmette–Teller, and vibration sample magnetometer. The as-prepared magnetic, nanocrystalline Fe₀.₂(Co₂₀Ni₈₀)₀.₈ porous microfibers consisting of about 48 nm grains are characterized by diameters of 1–4 μm, specific surface area of 17.73 m²/g, and specific magnetization of 196.7 Am²/kg. The arsenic(V) absorption on these magnetic Fe₀.₂(Co₂₀Ni₈₀)₀.₈ porous microfibers at room temperature was determined by the ICP-AES measurement of arsenic(V) in aqueous solution. The results show that the pseudo-first-order kinetic model is consistent with the arsenic(V) adsorption process and a good correlation coefficient (R ² = 0.9862). By comparing among the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich–Peterson models for adsorption isotherms of arsenic(V) onto the magnetic Fe₀.₂(Co₂₀Ni₈₀)₀.₈ porous microfibers at room temperature, the Freundlich model and Redlich–Peterson model can be used to evaluate the arsenic(V) adsorption isotherm at room temperature. The arsenic(V) equilibrium absorbance of the magnetic Fe₀.₂(Co₂₀Ni₈₀)₀.₈ porous microfibers is up to 1.9 mg/g when the initial arsenic(V) concentration is 1.0 mg/L in aqueous solution.

This study focuses on a detailed analysis of the errors introduced by two quasi-analytical approaches based on either Fick’s first law or a combination of Fick’s and Darcy’s laws to evaluate the vapour flux of chlorinated solvents from a source zone located in the unsaturated zone towards the atmosphere. A coupled one-dimensional numerical flow and transport model was developed and applied to three case studies characterised by different water content profiles in the vadose zone and under different levels of maximum dense nonaqueous-phase liquid vapour concentrations and vapour pressure conditions of the source zone. The steady-state concentration and pressure profiles obtained were then used in the two quasi-analytical approaches to estimate the flux towards the atmosphere. When mass fluxes due to density-driven advection become dominant and the vertical advective mass fluxes are increased due to strong pressure gradients in the soil air, the error was observed to increase when using the pure diffusion approach in the quantification of the surface flux calculated by the numerical model with increasing dimensionless Rayleigh numbers. Without taking into account the advective transport in the approach, the relative error calculated with only Fick’s law overestimates the real vapour flux when density-driven advection is dominant and underestimates it when pressure-gradient-driven advection dominates. The more advanced advective–diffusive quasi-analytical approach fits reasonably well with the numerically obtained mass fluxes except near soil layer discontinuities, where the evaluation of both the concentration gradient and pressure gradient in the porous media as well as the determination of the average effective diffusion coefficients are rendered more difficult.

The assessment of soil pollution with heavy metals has been studied, based on experimental soil and plant analytical heavy metal data obtained by a pot experiment conducted during 2010–2011 in a green house. A completely randomized block design was used, including the following sludge treatments (in tons per hectare): 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and (30+treated wastewater) in four replications. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) var. longifolia was used as a test plant. Three indices were proposed, i.e., (1) elemental pollution index, (2) heavy metal load, and (3) total concentration factor. They were found to be linearly and statistically significantly related to the pollution load index, which was used as a reference index, and curvilinearly related to lettuce dry matter yield. It was concluded that the above indices could be used for the assessment of soil pollution level.

Assessing multielement adsorption of trace metals on materials having potential to be used as soil amendments is an essential stage for the remediation success, as soil contamination rarely occurs with a single element. This study evaluated mono-/multielement adsorption of Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb on aluminum (AMB) and iron mining by-products (IMB, used for comparison). Prior to adsorption, these products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, isoelectric point, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microwave furnace digestion. Sorption experiments comprised: (1) pH adjustment (5.5, 6.5, and natural suspension pH), (2) mono- and multielement adsorption, and (3) desorption. Rising pH from 5.5 to natural suspension values (9.5) increased monoelement adsorption of Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb on AMB up to 3.8-, 1.4-, 6.2-, and 1.1-fold, whereas multielement adsorption was increased up to 17.3-, 2.0-, 20.3-, and 1.2-fold, respectively. Zinc and Cd were less adsorbed than Cu and Pb and more affected by competition. Multielement adsorption at 5.5 pH in AMB resulted in smaller adsorption of Zn (up to 4.6-fold), Cu (1.4-fold), Cd (3.3-fold), and Pb (1.1-fold) when compared with monoelement adsorption. The lower the pH, the smaller the adsorption and the higher the desorption. The AMB showed higher capacity to maintain the elements adsorbed than the IMB.