We measured the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; nitrate, ammonium, and nitrite) in stream water in a paddy-dominated agricultural basin in a snowfall area from August 2009 to October 2010 to facilitate evaluation of stream water eutrophication from nitrogen during the non-irrigated period. We compared the nitrogen budget in a paddy field between irrigated and non-irrigated periods, from information about nitrogen fertilizer, denitrification, harvested rice, and atmospheric nitrogen deposition. We also estimated stream nitrogen exports from DIN concentrations and stream flow rates. DIN concentrations in stream water were higher during the non-irrigated period (October–March) than during the irrigated period (April–September). Stream flow was also higher during the non-irrigated period (5.9 mm day⁻¹) than during the irrigated period (2.5 mm day⁻¹), which possibly reflects snow melting. Although nitrogen fertilizer was applied during the irrigated period, the amount of nitrogen removed by the rice harvest and denitrification was sufficiently large to reduce nitrogen exports from paddy fields. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition was higher during the non-irrigated period (755 kg N km⁻²) than during the irrigated period (410 kg N km⁻²). DIN exports were also higher in the non-irrigated period (860 kg N km⁻²) than in the irrigated period (120 kg N km⁻²). The higher exports in the non-irrigated period may reflect the lack of nitrogen removal by a rice harvest and denitrification and increased runoff and higher atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Our study highlights the important contribution of the non-irrigated period to nitrogen eutrophication in stream water in this particular environment.

The operation of modern vehicles requires the introduction of package of fuel additives to ensure the required level of operating characteristics, some of which cannot be achieved by current oil refining methods. The use of additives allows flexibility of impact on the properties of the fuel at minimal cost, increasing the efficiency and environmental safety of vehicles. Among the wide assortment of additives available on the world market, many are surfactants. It has been shown that the introduction of some surfactants into gasoline concurrently reduces losses from gasoline evaporation, improves the mixture formation during injection of gasoline into the engine and improves detergent and anticorrosive properties. The surfactant gasoline additive that provides significant improvement in the quality of gasoline used and environmental and operating characteristics of vehicles has been developed and thoroughly investigated. The results of studies confirming the efficiency of the gasoline additive application are herein presented.

The transfer, from soil to Chinese cabbage and spinach, of radioactive strontium-90 released as a result of accidents in nuclear power stations was studied using a stable isotope of strontium, namely nuclide strontium-88 (⁸⁸Sr). The study led to an experimental model for assessing the hazard of radionuclide strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) entering the food chain and for predicting the risk to food safety. Chinese cabbage and spinach were grown in pots in a greenhouse and irrigated with deionized water containing known quantities of strontium. Based on the strontium content of that water, the plants were divided into five groups (treatments) and strontium content of the soil, and 30-day-old plants were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy instrument (ICP-AES). Data on the strontium content of soil and plants enabled the development of a model using MATLAB, a mathematical software package, which included curve fitting and problem solving using regression equations and differential equations. Although strontium curves for leaves, stems, and roots of Chinese cabbage were not exactly the same, all showed a non-linear increase when compared with the increase in the content of strontium in soil. Strontium curves for leaves, stems, and roots of spinach were very similar and showed an initial increase followed by a decrease. Strontium concentrations in both Chinese cabbage and spinach were initially related to the concentrations of sodium and sulfur, the next two relevant nuclides being calcium and magnesium. The relationship between calcium and strontium in Chinese cabbage was different from that in spinach. By using ⁸⁸Sr to simulate the transfer of radionuclide ⁹⁰Sr from soil to a crop, the relevant data required to deal with accidental release of strontium can be obtained using a fitting curve and regression equations, thereby providing some experimental basis for evaluating the potential hazards posed by such accidents to the food chain.

Studied technosols represent a unique system of a 50-year-old environmental burden after dam failure of coal-ash pond. The released ashes rich in arsenic with a thickness of 1–2 m were covered by a 40-cm thick layer of soil. Long-term exposure and selection pressure of elevated concentrations of arsenic (a range of 93–634 μg/g) induced the formation of the specific adapted autochthonous microorganisms. The phylum Proteobacteria was identified as a dominant phylum in the soils and represented only by one class—Gammaproteobacteria with six species. The species of phylum Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria were also identified. Thirty-three species of identified autochthonous microscopic fungi belong to 18 genera with the most abundant Mortierella alpina (Zygomycota). The most frequent identified mycobiota belongs to genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Trichoderma and Alternaria. The isolates of Alternaria triticina, Bionectria ochroleuca, Chrysosporium queenslandicum, Exophiala psychrophila, Metarhizium robertsii, Trichoderma rossicum and Phlebia acerina were identified for the first time in Slovakia. Despite the stimulation of autochthonous community by nutrient medium and augmentation by native species, As leachability was relatively low—on average 5.63 wt.%, 9.23 wt.% and 17.04 wt.% of the total As for inoculated Pseudomonas chlororaphis ZK-1, Pseudomonas putida ZK-5 and Aspergillus niger, respectively. The highest As leachability was achieved through biostimulation of autochthonous microbiota using liquid SAB medium (34.73 wt.% of total As content). Additionally, microbial activity was efficient in the biovolatilization of As from soils (∼70 wt.% of the total As volatilized). It appears that bioremediation using microorganisms represents one of the possible ways of As removal from soils containing coal-combustion ashes with elevated concentrations of As.

This study provides an analysis of the spatial distribution and trends of NO, NO₂ and O₃ concentrations in Portugal between 1995 and 2010. Furthermore, an estimation model for daily ozone concentrations was developed for an urban and a rural site. NO concentration showed a significant decreasing trend in most urban stations. A decreasing trend in NO₂ is only observed in the stations with less influence from emissions of primary NO₂. Several stations showed a significant upward trend in O₃ as a result of the decrease in the NO/NO₂ ratio. In the northern rural region, ozone showed a strong correlation with wind direction, highlighting the importance of long-range transport. In the urban site, most of the variance is explained by the NO₂/NOX ratio. The results obtained by the ozone estimation model in the urban site fit 2013 observed data. In the rural site, the estimated ozone during extreme events agrees with observed concentration.

The Sharm El-Sheikh area is one of the most attractive touristic resorts in Egypt and in the world in general. The Sharm El-Shiekh area is located at the arid region of the South Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Water desalination is considered the main freshwater supply for hotels and resorts. Scarcity of rainfall during the last decades, high pumping rates, disposal of reject brine water back into the aquifer, and seawater intrusion have resulted in the degradation of groundwater quality in the main aquifer. Water chemistry, stable isotopes, Seawater Mixing Index (SWMI), and factorial analyses were utilized to determine the main recharge and salinization sources as well as to estimate the mixing ratios between different end members affecting groundwater salinity in the aquifer. The groundwater of the Miocene aquifer is classified into two groups: group I represents 10 % of the total samples, has a moderately high saline groundwater, and is mostly affected by seawater intrusion. Group II represents 90 % of the total samples and has a high groundwater salinity due to the anthropological impact of the reject brine saline water deeper into the Miocene aquifer. The main groundwater recharge comes from the western watershed mountain and the elevated plateau while the seawater and reject brine are considering the main sources for groundwater salinization. The mixing ratios between groundwater recharge, seawater, and reject brine water were calculated using water chemistry and isotopes. The calculated mixing ratios of group I range between 25 and 84 % recharge groundwater to 75 and 16 % seawater, respectively, in groundwater located close to the western watershed mountain indicating further extension of seawater intrusion. However, the mixing percentages of group II range between 21 and 88 % reject brine water to 79 and 12 % seawater, respectively, in groundwater located close to the desalination plants. The outcomes and conclusion of this study highlight the importance of groundwater management to limit further groundwater deterioration of the Miocene groundwater aquifer and limit seawater intrusion along the coast.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have the ability to inhibit normal hormonal levels and may exert an array of inimical consequences in human health. These toxins have special adverse effects in women. This review summarizes recent literature reporting on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, specifically the effects induced by parabens from personal care products and cosmetics, and bisphenol A (BPA) found in food containers, with association to adverse effects on women’s health. Finally, the review provides recommendation on utilizing such EDCs to better meet the needs of consumers, while avoiding these chemical modifiers.

Activated carbon fiber-supported cobalt phthalocyanine photocatalyst (Co-TDTAPc-F) was prepared in this study, and its performance for dye wastewater decoloration was investigated, and Acid Orange II (AO7) was selected as the target pollutant. The morphology analysis of Co-TDTAPc-F was conducted, and the effects of catalyst loading, H₂O₂ addition, solution pH, and catalyst reuse on AO7 decoloration efficiency were evaluated. The results showed that AO7 decoloration efficiency increased by 23.2% during the Co-TDTAPc-F photocatalytic process as compared with solely Co-TDTAPc-F adsorption, and the decoloration process was fitted by pseudo first-order reaction. The increase of catalyst loading and H₂O₂ content both benefitted AO7 decoloration. Strong photocatalytic activities were observed at both acidic and alkaline conditions; however, total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiency decreased with the increase of solution pH. Strong photocatalytic activity was still observed after four times reuse. The mechanisms of AO7 photocatalytic decomposition by Co-TDTAPc-F were proposed.

Suspended particles in water are a major concern in global pollution management. They affect the appreciation of water due to clarity, photosynthesis, and poor oxygen environment rendering water unsuitable for aquatic animals. Some suspended materials contain functional groups capable of forming complex compounds with metals making them available for poisoning. Such material promotes the growth of bacteria and fouling that give rise to unpleasant taste and odor of the water and thus requires removal. Removal of suspended solids is normally achieved through sedimentation or filtration. However, some suspended colloidal particles are very stable in water and cannot settle while others are able to pass through the filter due to small size, hence difficult to remove. This study investigated the use of triethanolamine-modified maize tassels to form a flocculent for their removal. The modified maize tassels were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and it was found that the triethanolamine was anchored within the cellulose structure of the maize tassels. Clarification parameters such as settling time, reagent dosage, and pH were investigated. The best clarification was at a pH of 6.0 with clearance being less than in 30 min. The optimal flocculent dosage was found to be 3.5 ml of the material, showing that the material has a potential of enhancing clarity in polluted water.

The presence of insecticides in the waterways of the municipality of Ouro Branco, MG, Southeastern Brazil, has become a public health problem. Recent research correlates the presence of these toxins in the water to the high indexes for hypertension and abortions occurring in the rural area. These insecticide residues are only slightly concentrated in the water, and as such, it is necessary to search for and optimize analytic methods that are capable of detecting these very low concentrations. To define the method that presents the best detectability for the organochlorine chlorpyrifos, one of the most used pesticides in the area, sample extraction techniques such as liquid–liquid extraction with low temperature partition (LLE-LTP) and headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) were used, followed by gas chromatography analysis with electron capture detection (GC-ECD). Full factorial design 2⁴ and the Doehlert matrix were used to optimize both extraction techniques. The results displayed that HS-SPME-GC-ECD was the method that presented the best performance for determining the presence of chlorpyrifos in the water. The optimum condition was defined at the extraction time and temperature of 60 min and 85 °C, respectively, with a sample volume of 11 mL and Na₂HPO₄ concentration of 0.04 mol/L. The optimized method was validated for the principal figures of merit. The method displayed linearity with R ² equal to 0.992 and detection limit (LOD) and quantification limit (LOQ) of 0.50 and 1.67 μg/L, respectively. The results indicate that the HS-SPME-GC-ECD technique proposed is efficient for determining the presence of chlorpyrifos in water, and analyses of the collected sample indicated the presence of chlorpyrifos in water bodies in the rural zone of Ouro Branco in concentrations within detection and quantification limits.