The most important oyster farming area in Europe is in a close proximity of two medium size merchant ports. Cargo ships deballast in this area before loading, releasing unwanted or noxious marine species. During a sampling campaign aboard these arriving ships, we found in some ballast water samples a huge number of potentially toxic dinoflagellates and some potentially pathogenic bacteria. A model was applied to find the potential geographical spread of the discharged ballast water. This model predicts the water to reach highly vulnerable shellfish farmed areas in six to eight days.

Photoreactivation is considered to be one of the principal disadvantages of the application of ultraviolet disinfection, but knowledge about the photoreactivation potential is limited since few studies to model photoreactivation have been carried out. In order to develop a model for the prediction of the photoreactivation potential, the photoreactivation of Escherichia coli, fecal coliforms, and total coliforms in the tertiary effluent of a wastewater treatment plant was investigated using traditional plate count methods in this study. The tested bacteria were exposed to various UV doses (5-80 mJ/cm2) with a low-pressure UV-collimated beam apparatus and then put under sunlight lamp to experience photoreactivation for up to 72 h. All tested bacteria underwent photoreactivation with a similar trend. When the UV dose increased from 5 to 20 mJ/cm2, the maximum reactivation value of E. coli decreased from 105 to 10 CFU/mL over 8 h, and the reactivation rate decreased from 3.6 to 3.0 × 10-4/h. Based on the photoreactivation results, an exponential model was developed to predict the possible maximum photoreactivation level (N m = αD - β N 0). This simple photoreactivation potential prediction model contains only two variables (UV dose and initial bacterial count), with two constants related to the microorganism species. This model can be easily generalized and is helpful for the optimum design of UV disinfection systems. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential impact of future climate change on ozone air quality in Europe. To provide a full assessment, simulations with the global chemical transport model GEOS-CHEM driven by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation model (NASA/GISS GCM) are conducted. To isolate the effects from changes in climate and anthropogenic emissions four types of simulations are performed: (1) present-day climate and emissions (2) future climate following the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario and present-day anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors (3) present-day climate and future emissions and (4) future climate and future emissions. Results indicate that climate change impact on its own leads to an increase of less than 3 ppb in western and central Europe whereas decreases are evident for the rest of the areas with the highest (about 2.5 ppb) in southeastern Europe (Italy, Greece). Increases are attributed to the increases of isoprene biogenic emissions due to increasing temperatures whereas decreases are associated with the increase of water vapor over sea which tends to decrease the lifetime of ozone as well as the increased wind speeds in the 2050 climate. When future emissions are implemented in the future climate simulations, the greatest increases are seen in the southwest and southeast Mediterranean (about 16 ppb) due to the increased isoprene biogenic emissions under higher levels of NO ₓ in the model. Decreases up to 2 ppb of ozone are shown for France, Switzerland, Northern Italy and northern Europe.

The photooxidation degradation of tri (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) by combining UV with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant was primarily studied in the present study by evaluating various treatment parameters. The results suggested that light intensity, initial pH and concentration of TCEP and H₂O₂, and reaction time affected the degradation efficiency of TCEP. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal rates, and the yield rates of Cl⁻and PO₄ ³⁻reached up to 86 %, 94 % and 97 %, respectively, under the optimized conditions in the present study. The degradation process obeyed the pseudo-first-order kinetic reaction expressed as ln (C ₜ/C ₀) =−0.0275 t with a R ² of 0.9962. The addition of t-butanol indicated that hydroxyl radicals played an important role in the degradation of TCEP. The primary investigation of the degradation mechanism of TCEP suggested that TCEP molecules were attacked by hydroxyl radicals produced from H₂O₂ with the irradiation of UV light, PO₄ ³⁻, Cl⁻and chlorinated alcohol/aldehyde, and/or non-chlorinated aldehyde with small molecular weight were produced, these produced small organic molecules were furthered oxidized to acids, most of them were finally mineralized to CO₂ and H₂O. The present technology was successfully applied for degrading TCEP in simulated real wastewater, which shows a promising potential for treating similar contaminants using corresponding advanced oxidation technology.

Several studies related to zero-valent iron (ZVI), which is employed for water remediation, have been made during the last years. It was found in the literature that the tests made with ZVI in situ, especially for groundwater remediation, were performed using ZVI and nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) as well. Particles usually are used like a “trench-and-fill” installation. In this arrangement, ZVI or nZVI is disposed in the contaminated areas, applied alone or mixed with other materials. The aim of the current work is to evaluate the use of nZVI, which is synthesized in laboratory, for copper ion removal in aqueous solution. The present study will serve like a base focusing, in a future stage, on the use of nZVI on groundwater remediation. For this purpose, commercial ZVI particles were also tested in order to compare the removal behavior. During this study, a relation between the solution characteristic (pH, ion concentration) and the surface purity of the iron particles was found. This relation generally is not reported in the literature. Finally, the copper removal was satisfactory with ZVI and nZVI.

The compositional changes of saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes (SARA) fractions in aqueous clay/oil microcosm experiments with a hydrocarbon-degrading microorganism community were analysed using Iatroscan. The clay mineral samples used in this study were organomontmorillonite, acid-activated montmorillonite and K, Ca, Zn and Cr montmorillonites produced by modifying the original montmorillonite sample. The evaluation and quantification of biodegradation and adsorption were carried out using a combination of the Iatroscan and gravimetric analysis. The SARA compositions in the presence of organomontmorillonite and acid-activated montmorillonite after incubation follow the same pattern in which the aromatic fraction is higher than the other fractions unlike in the presence of unmodified, K, Ca and Zn montmorillonites, where the saturates fraction is higher than the other fractions. Changes in SARA fractions due to biodegradation seemed to occur most in the presence of unmodified and calcium montmorillonites; hence, the removal of SARA fractions due to biodegradation was significant and enhanced in the presence of these two clay samples. However, biodegradation in the presence of organomontmorillonite and acid-activated and Cr montmorillonites was hindered. The study indicated that Cr montmorillonite adsorbed resins most, whereas Zn and K montmorillonites adsorbed aromatics most after incubation.

Textile industries use large amounts of water in dyeing processes and a wide variety of synthetic dyes. A small concentration of these dyes in the environment can generate highly visible pollution and changes in aquatic ecosystems. Adsorption, biosorption, and biodegradation are the most advantageous dye removal processes. Biodegradation occurs when enzymes produced by certain microorganisms are capable of breaking down the dye molecule. To increase the efficiency of these processes, cell immobilization enables the reuse of the immobilized cells and offers a high degree of mechanical strength, allowing metabolic processes to take place under adverse conditions. The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilized in activated sugarcane bagasse for the degradation of Acid Black 48 dye in aqueous solutions. For such, sugarcane bagasse was treated with polyethyleneimine (PEI). Concentrations of a 1 % S. cerevisiae suspension were evaluated to determine cell immobilization rates. Once immobilization was established, biodegradation assays for 240 h with free and immobilized yeast in PEI-treated sugarcane bagasse were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry. The results indicated a probable change in the dye molecule and the possible formation of new metabolites. Thus, S. cerevisiae immobilized in sugarcane bagasse is very attractive for biodegradation processes in the treatment of textile effluents. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Some Pseudomonas fluorescens strains, consistently isolated from the rhizosphere of wild plants grown in a soil that was highly polluted with illegal waste of smelter residues, were utilised for Mirabilis jalapa seed bioinoculation to verify their effects on seed germination and on promoting a higher heavy metal accumulation in the plant rhizosphere and/or uptake in the leaves. The high content of heavy metals in the soil induced a decrease in either the leaf dry weight or photosynthetic pigment concentration during all vegetative phase of M. jalapa. Bioinoculation with P. fluorescens strains significantly increased the germination of seeds and the root length in the contaminated soil. In some bacterial strain/seed combination, bioinoculation significantly increased the accumulation of heavy metals in M. jalapa rhizosphere. For Cd, the concentration of this metal in the rhizospheres of bioinoculated plants ranged from 270 to 910 μg g-1 of dry weight compared with 200 μg g-1 of dry weight for the non-coated plants. Two P. fluorescens strains, AA27 and MO49, which were isolated from Artemisia annua and Melilotus officinalis, respectively, induced a significantly higher rhizosphere availability also for Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn. However, despite the relevant accumulation of the heavy metals in the plant rhizosphere, generally the metal uptake into the leaves was rather low. Both analysis of variance and principal component analysis confirmed this finding. However, one P. fluorescens strain, CD1, which was isolated from the multi-metal accumulator Cynodon dactylon, significantly promoted the M. jalapa leaf uptake for Cr, Cu and Zn. The plant metal uptake assessment, confirmed the per se capability of M. jalapa to effectively uptake Cd (30 %) and Cu (12.72 %) from the rhizosphere to the leaves, whereas the uptake for the other metals was low: Ni (2.66 %), Zn (2.46 %), Cr (1.75 %), Pb (0.73 %). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Kriging interpolation technique is adapted to create the mapping of surface ozone seasonality and trends across Europe during 1997–2006, based on European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme ground measurements. The climatology, the annual and seasonal trends and the altitude above sea level (asl) dependence were studied as well as the relation with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The mean seasonal cycle amplitude and seasonal maximum display an increasing gradient from northwest to southeast, with high levels in Austria and eastern Mediterranean. Significantly close to 0 positive trends appear in UK, Slovakia, southern Scandinavia and Austria in winter and autumn. In Northern Hemisphere winter (December–February), about 40 % of near-surface ozone variability in the western edge of Europe may be attributed to circulation changes and ozone precursors’ transport related to NAO.

The impact of three commercially available nanoparticles (NPs) on trichloroethylene (TCE) adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC) was investigated. TCE adsorption isotherm and column breakthrough experiments were conducted in the presence and absence of silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxide nanoparticles. A rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) was assessed for its ability to predict TCE adsorption in pilot-scale GAC in the presence and absence of NPs. Zeta potential of the three NPs and the GAC were measured. Particle size distribution of the NP dispersions was analyzed as a function of time. The surface area and the pore size distribution of the virgin and the exhausted GAC were obtained along with transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. The effect of NPs was found to be a function of their zeta potential, concentration, and particle size distribution. Due to their electrical charge, NPs attached to the GAC and blocked the pores and thus reduced the access to the internal pore structure. However, due to the fast adsorption kinetics of TCE, no effect from the three NPs was observed in the isotherm and kinetic studies. The RSSCT, on the other hand, accurately predicted the pilot-column TCE breakthrough in the presence of NPs.