A Gram-negative bacterium strain LWD09, capable of growing aerobically on 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA) as the sole carbon and energy source, was isolated from the farm field. This bacterium was identified as Myroides odoratimimus strain by morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics as well as 16S rDNA sequence. Analysis of culture pH, temperature, cells growth, and DCA concentration demonstrated that strain LWD09 could effectively degrade DCA without a lag phase. The kinetics of DCA degradation was well described using the Andrews equation, and the kinetic parameters were as follows: q max = 1.74 h−1, K s = 43.5 mg L−1, and K i = 230.3 mg L−1. In addition, strain LWD09 was found to be moderately halophilic and showed the highest power of DCA degradation in 5% NaCl (w/w, %). With initial concentrations of 30, 100, and 200 mg L−1, 100%, 80.4%, and 33.2% of DCA were transformed after 96 h in 5% NaCl, respectively. These results suggest that strain LWD09 has the potential to degrade DCA in saline wastewater. To date, this is the first report on the degradation of DCA by a M. odoratimimus strain with moderate salinity tolerance.

Current non-invasive biomonitoring techniques to measure heavy metal exposure in free ranging birds using eggs, feathers and guano are problematic because essential metals copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) deposited in eggs and feathers are under physiological control, feathers accumulate metals from surface contamination and guano may contain faecal metals of mixed bioavailability. This paper reports a new technique of measuring lead (Pb), Cu and Zn in avian urate spheres (AUS), the solid component of avian urine. These metal levels in AUS (theoretically representing the level of metal taken into the bloodstream, i.e. bioavailable to birds) were compared with levels in eggs (yolk and shell), feathers and whole guano from chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) exposed to a heavy metal-contaminated soil (an allotment soil containing Pb 555 mg kg⁻¹ dry mass (dm), Cu 273 mg kg⁻¹ dm and Zn 827 mg kg⁻¹ dm). The median metal levels (n = 2) in AUS from chickens exposed to this contaminated soil were Pb 208 μg g⁻¹ uric acid, Cu 66 μg g⁻¹ uric acid and Zn: 526 μg g⁻¹ uric acid. Lead concentrations in egg yolk and shell samples (n = 3) were below the limit of detection (<2 mg kg⁻¹), while Cu and Zn were only consistently detected in the yolk, with median values of 3 and 70 mg kg⁻¹ (dm), respectively, restricting the usefulness of eggs as a biomonitor. Feathers (n = 4) had median Pb, Cu and Zn levels respectively of 15, 10 and 140 mg kg⁻¹ (dm), while whole guano samples (n = 6) were 140, 70 and 230 mg kg⁻¹ (dm). Control samples were collected from another chicken flock; however, because they had no access to soil and their diet was significantly higher in Cu and Zn, no meaningful comparison was possible. Six months after site remediation, by top soil replacement, the exposed chickens had median Pb, Cu and Zn levels respectively in whole guano (n = 6) of 30, 20 and 103 mg kg⁻¹ (dm) and in AUS (n = 4) of 147, 16 and 85 μg g⁻¹ uric acid. We suggest the persistent high Pb level in AUS was a consequence of bone mobilised for egg production, releasing chronically sequestered Pb deposits into the bloodstream. In contrast, AUS levels of Cu and Zn (metals under homeostatic control and sparingly stored) had declined, reflecting the lower current exposure. However because pre- and post-remediation samples were measured using different methods carried out at different laboratories, such comparisons should be guarded. The present study showed that metals can be measured in AUS, but no assessment could be made of availability or uptake to the birds because tissue and blood samples were not concomitantly analysed. A major short coming of the study was the inappropriate control group, having no access to uncontaminated soil and being fed a different diet to the exposed birds. Furthermore guano and urine analysis should have been carried out on samples from individual birds, so biological (rather than just technical) variation of metal levels could have been determined. Future studies into using AUS for biomonitoring environmental heavy metals must resolve such experimental design issues.

Chemical composition of soil solution provides information on the availability of nutrients and potentially toxic substances to plant roots and mycorrhizas. It is therefore used to monitor impacts of air pollutants on soils. In this study we examined two soil solution parameters, base cations/aluminium ratio (Bc/Altot ratio) and inorganic nitrogen concentration (N), in samples collected at 300 intensive monitoring plots of the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests) from the early 1990s to 2006 in order to detect possible critical limit exceedances (CLimE). CLimE for Bc/Altot ratio indicating negative effects for tree growth were only rarely detected. Quite the contrary was observed in CLimE for inorganic N concentrations where the safety limits were frequently exceeded in parts of Europe. Especially noteworthy is the number of the plots where leaching of N from forest soils occurred over the studied period. With ongoing high atmospheric N input into forest soils, we expect critical limits to be exceeded in the future as well.

The Mar Piccolo (surface area of 20.72 km2) is located in the Northern area of the Taranto town (Ionian Sea, Italy). It is an inner, semi-enclosed basin with lagoon features connected with the Mar Grande through two channels which are very important for water exchange. Mar Piccolo basin is subjected to urbanization, industry, agriculture, aquaculture and commercial fishing. Hence, it is important to have a temporal picture both of heavy metal content and of organic carbon and their distribution (hydrophobic fraction, hydrophilic fraction, humic compounds) to check the progress of pollution in time. Three sediment cores collected on the basis of the pollution sources have been analyzed. Both heavy metal and organic carbon concentrations underline the fact that the anthropogenic input is different in the three sites, and that in time the amount of pollutants coming into the Mar Piccolo have changed in different ways. The high amount of organic hydrophilic compounds present in sediments, both due to the small water depth and to the high accumulation rate, make the sediment site high in oxygen consumption due to a considerable chemical and biochemical transformations of organic matter.

The performance of the magnetic anion exchange resin, MIEX®, in the pretreatment of reclaimed water for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) was investigated. MIEX® can effectively remove aromatic organic substances with molecular weights above 10 kDa and between 1 and 5 kDa, which are always present recalcitrant during soil infiltration. The removal of organic substances is accompanied by the elimination of other undesirable components in MAR, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The optimal process parameters are at resin doses of 5–10 mL L⁻¹ and contact time of 10–15 min, as determined via jar tests. The efficiency of the MAR pilot system was consistent throughout the long running time, during which the MIEX® treatment significantly contributed (30 to 60 %) to the removal of both organic and inorganic materials (i.e., dissolved organic carbon, ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm, color, nitrate, ammonia, phosphorus, and sulfate). The quality of the MAR final effluent is lower than the groundwater standard for drinking sources (type III in GB/T 14848-93). Based on this study, MIEX® treatment is a suitable and efficient pretreatment method for the removal of extra dissolved organic matters and nitrates in reclaimed water for MAR.

The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of an electro-Fenton pretreatment on the biodegradability of sulfamethazine-polluted solutions. The aim of the pretreatment was only to degrade this molecule in order to increase the biodegradability of the effluent and therefore allow a subsequent biological treatment. Preliminary tests showed the absence of biodegradability of the target compound. The degradation of sulfamethazine by electro-Fenton process was then examined using a carbon felt cathode and a platinum anode in an electrochemical reactor containing 1 L of solution. The influence of some experimental parameters such as initial concentration, temperature and current intensity on the degradation by electro-Fenton step has been investigated. In addition, the biodegradability of the solution after electrochemical pretreatment was examined and showed a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) on Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) ratio above the limit of biodegradability, namely 0.4, for several experimental conditions. The feasibility of coupling an electro-Fenton pretreatment with a biological degradation of by-products in order to mineralize polluted solutions of sulfamethazine was confirmed.

Energy intake and allocation are mainly used to maintain body functions, such as locomotion, growth, and reproductive output. It has been observed that environmental pollutants can affect the energy allocation either due to a cost of handling toxicants or because the toxicant interacts with the storage processes within the organisms. Less than a handful of studies are available reporting the effect of toxicants on energy reserves in enchytraeids and no studies have dealt with the influence of nanomaterials. The present paper shows results on the basal energy reserves (lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins) in Enchytraeus albidus and the influence of copper (Cu) salt and Cu nanoparticles on these reserves for two exposure durations. The energy allocation levels follow what has been reported for other worm species, although lower carbohydrate levels were observed. There were clear differences between worms exposed to control soils and those exposed to Cu for 3 weeks, but no difference after 6 weeks exposure. There was no apparent difference between the impacts of the two Cu exposure forms.

Many of the environmental problems related to agriculture will still be serious over the next 30 years. However, the seriousness of some of those problems may increase more slowly than in the past or even diminish in other cases (FAO 2002). Agriculture plays two different roles in climate change; on one hand, it suffers from the impact of climate change, on the other hand, it is responsible for 14 % of total greenhouse gases (MMA 2008). Nevertheless, agriculture is also part of the solution, as it is capable of mitigating a significant amount of global emissions, according to the FAO (2001). This paper aims to study the influence of edapho-climate conditions on soil CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. In order to do so, we conducted three field trials in different areas in southern Spain, which have different soil textures and different climate conditions. The results show how interaction between the temperature and rainfall recorded has a greater influence on emissions than each of the factors separately. However, at the same time, the texture of the soil at each of the locations was also found to be the most dominant variable in the gas emission process.

The speciation and distribution of trace and major elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, Pb and Zn) in the sediments of Emigrant Creek Dam (ECD), New South Wales Australia were investigated using sequential extraction, postextraction normalisation and spatial mapping to indicate source and dispersion patterns. Subsurface coring provided an estimate of elemental enrichment and showed that As 1.9 > P 1.7 > N 1.5 ≈ Cd 1.5 > Mn 1.3 were enriched. Moreover, a high proportion of the enriched elements (mean 57, 34, 47 and 87 % for As, P, Cd and Mn, respectively) were assessed as being bioavailable. Comparisons with ISQGs found that sediments from sites in proximity to Emigrant Creek inflows had the highest accumulations of metals and the greatest potential for causing biological harm. Spatially, contaminants accumulate in ECD sediments adjacent to anthropogenic sources including a cattle dip site, dredged sediment and macrophyte dump areas, and agricultural/residential runoff. Moreover, the integrated technique and postextraction normalisation allow assessment of texturally diverse and difficult sediments.

To improve domestic wastewater treatment for total nitrogen (TN) removal, a full-scale constructed wetlands combining an artificially aerated vertical- (AVCW) and a horizontal-flow constructed wetland (HCW) was completed in July 2007. The system covered a total area of 7,610 m². From 2 July 2007 to 7 August 2008, the treatment capacity was 2,076 m³ day⁻¹ with an aeration quantity of 7,400 m³ day⁻¹. The system effectively reduced the average annual output of BOD₅ (52.0 %), NH₄–N (58.41 %), and TP (41.61 %), although the percentage reductions of other pollutants, including chemical oxygen demand (34.1 %), suspended solid (38.9 %), and TN (31.05 %) were lower. The purpose of the HCW was for denitrification of the effluent from the AVCW, and annual average of 34.27 % of NO₃–N was removed compared with the reading at the AVCW outlet. With hydraulic loading increased to 4,152 m³ day⁻¹ from 9 September to 23 November 2007, the removal rate for NO₃–N from the HCW decreased substantially from 48.80 to 18.86 %. The total removal rates of NH₄–N showed significant positive correlation with DO content in the AVCW and with total TN removal rates for the combined system (P < 0.05). The study indicated that, even with limited artificial aeration, nitrification was very effective for NH₄–N removal.