Background, aim and scope In an alumina refinery, bauxite ore is treated with sodium hydroxide at high temperatures and pressures and for every tonne of alumina produced, about 2 tonnes of alkaline, saline bauxite processing waste is also produced. At Alcoa, a dry stacking system of disposal is used, and it is the sand fraction of the processing waste that is rehabilitated. There is little information available regarding the most appropriate amendments to add to the processing sand to aid in revegetation. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the addition of organic wastes (biosolids and poultry manure), in the presence or absence of added residue mud, would affect the properties of the residue sand and its suitability for revegetation. Materials and methods Samples of freshly deposited residue sand were collected from Alcoa's Kwinana refinery. Samples were treated with phosphogypsum (2% v/v), incubated, and leached. A laboratory experiment was then set up in which the two organic wastes were applied at 0 or the equivalent to 60 tonnes ha⁻¹ in combination with residue mud added at rates of 0%, 10% and 20% v/v. Samples were incubated for 8 weeks, after which, key chemical, physical and microbial properties of the residue sand were measured along with seed germination. Results and discussion Additions of residue mud increased exchangeable Na⁺, ESP and the pH, and HCO ₃ ⁻ and Na⁺ concentrations in saturation paste extracts. Additions of biosolids and poultry manure increased concentrations of extractable P, NH ₄ ⁺ , K, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe. Addition of residue mud, in combination with organic wastes, caused a marked decrease in macroporosity and a concomitant increase in mesoporosity, available water holding capacity and the quantity of water held at field capacity. With increasing residue mud additions, the percentage of sample present as sand particles (<1 mm diameter) decreased, and the percentage present in aggregated form (>2 mm diameter) increased; greatest aggregation occurred where a combination of residue mud and poultry manure were added. Stability of aggregates, as measured by wet sieving, was greatest where poultry manure was applied. Although total organic C and soluble organic C were greater in biosolids than poultry manure treatments, the reverse was the case for microbial biomass C and basal respiration. In the biosolids and poultry manure treatments, increasing residue mud additions tended to increase soluble C, microbial biomass C and basal respiration. Germination index of watercress was highest in control samples and reduced by additions of biosolids and poultry manure which was attributed to the high EC and possibly high extractable P and NH ₄ ⁺ . Conclusions The concurrent addition of residue mud and organic wastes can improve chemical, microbial and particularly physical properties of residue sand. Future research should include neutralisation of the mud (e.g. with gypsum) and subsequent leaching to remove salts originating from both the mud and organic wastes.

PURPOSE: Bioaugmentation and biostimulation have been widely applied in the remediation of oil contamination. However, ambiguous results have been reported. It is important to reveal the controlling factors on the field for optimal selection of remediation strategy. In this study, an integrated field landfarming technique was carried out to assess the relative effectiveness of five biological approaches on diesel degradation. The limiting factors during the degradation process were discussed. METHOD: A total of five treatments were tested, including conventional landfarming, nutrient enhancement (NE), biosurfactant addition (BS), bioaugmentation (BA), and combination of bioaugmentation and biosurfactant addition (BAS). The consortium consisted of four diesel-degrading bacteria strains. Rhamnolipid was used as the biosurfactant. The diesel concentration, bacterial population, evolution of CO2, and bacterial community in the soil were periodically measured. RESULTS: The best overall degradation efficiency was achieved by BAS treatment (90 ± 2%), followed by BA (86 ± 2%), NE (84 ± 3%), BS (78 ± 3%), and conventional landfarming (68 ± 3%). In the early stage, the total petroleum hydrocarbon was degraded 10 times faster than the degradation rates measured during the period from day 30 to 100. At the later stage, the degradation rates were similar among treatments. In the conventional landfarming, contaminated soil contained bacteria ready for diesel degradation. CONCLUSION: The availability of hydrocarbon was likely the limiting factor in the beginning of the degradation process. At the later stage, the degradation was likely limited by desorption and mass transfer of hydrocarbon in the soil matrix.

Introduction In 2003, the Japan International Cooperation Agency carried out a development feasibility study of Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania). The focus in this study was the evaluation of environmental impacts of the port expansion because it is located in an ecologically sensitive area. While the Japanese researchers focused on the environmental impact analysis, they did not provide unambiguous conclusions. The problems remained unresolved and required further, more detailed consideration and deeper analysis. Purpose Environmental sustainability in seaports is an issue of timely importance in many countries given the rapid increase in port-to-port traffic and harbor capacity. This paper explores the situation in Klaipeda Seaport (Lithuania) which is the northernmost ice-free port on the Eastern coast of the Baltic Sea and its challenges in terms of environmental aspects and current pollution situation. This port plays an important role in the economic development of the region and in creating a sustainable society, i.e., a society that continues to develop economically without increasing its impact on our living environment and where the possible reduction of its current impact can be huge due to the fact that the seaport is a place where transport and logistics intersect and constitute large-scale industrial estates. Increasingly, they also turn towards sustainability. Methods Society faces the need for radical change because of increasing technological progress and increasing environmental impact. Environmental and public issues must be addressed by a systemic approach to find harmony among all the subsystems. Therefore, the authors of the article performed an assessment of the deep-water port of Klaipeda sustainable development opportunities tackling the following tasks: (1) Assessing Klaipeda port and the projected deep-water port of the current environment state; (2) Assessing the impact of the water quality of Klaipeda port, depending on the intensity of activity; (3) Assessing the projected impact of the deep-water port on the environment. Results and conclusions The results of the performed research allowed: (a) to reveal strengths and weaknesses of Klaipeda port development and the potential conflicts of interest among different stakeholders, (b) to identify the set of problem solutions seeking sustainable Klaipeda port development; (c) to develop the set of sustainability indicators to monitor the efficiency of the development.

Introduction The purposes of this study, as part of research projects for establishing the preservation environment of domestic cultural properties, are to identify the hazardous environmental factors which have a possibility to cause damages on long-term preservation of cultural heritage within the museum exhibition halls and the storages area, and to provide the basic data for the future establishment of preservation environment. Materials and methods The temperature (23.5 and 20.6°C,) relative humidity (52.1% and 55.4%), PM10 (31.5 and 18.9 μg/m3), CO2 (472.7 and 526.8 ppm), HCHO (20.8 and 34.0 μg/m3), CO (0.3 and 0.3 ppm), NO2 (0.012 and 0.004 ppm), TVOCs (493.6 and 788.9 μg/m3), O3 (0.003 and 0.002 ppm), Rn (0.7 and 1.5 pCi/L), and SO2 (0.003 and 0.002 ppm) as chemical factors, and airborne bacteria and fungi as biological factors, were selected for this research subjects of hazardous environmental factors, which were the subjects of the study conducted by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage from 2006 to 2008, and the subjects of related domestic researches performed in fragments. Results and discussion The concentration distributions of selected hazardous environmental factors in a museum environment were calculated by using the inverse variance weighted average in meta-analysis, and the concentration distributions possibly emerging in a museum exhibition halls and storages were computed through Monte Carlo simulation in order to minimize the uncertainty that can be caused from meagerness of related domestic researches.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of using several bush and arboreal plant species, usually present as ornamental plants in street and parks, as environmental indicators of pollution. This is a research paper that evaluates the real possibility of using a fast and low-cost procedure to evaluate the pollution degree through data obtained from plant species growing within an urban environment. METHODS: Leaves of six different bush and arboreal species were collected from different parts of Madrid (Spain), ranging from highly polluted considered areas to medium and low contaminated ones. A total of 66 chemical elements, from major to minor and trace, were determined for every leaf sample by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Statistical analyses were carried out using mainly box and whisker plots, linear discriminant analysis and cluster analysis. RESULTS: The pollution by different elements of the studied areas of Madrid cannot be considered generally dangerous for human health. The level detected for the contaminants, in general, is similar or lower than other urban cities. Pb and V concentrations in plant samples tend to increase as traffic density increases. The different studied plant species showed a different capability of accumulation of certain elements. Cedrus deodara accumulates specially Ag, Hg, Mo and V; Cupressus sempervirens, Zr; Pinus pinea, As and Sb; Nerium oleander Ni, Pb, Mo and Se; Ligustrum ovalifolium, Sc and V; and Pittosporum tobira, Ag, Cd, Rb and Sc. CONCLUSIONS: The leaves and needles collected from bush and arboreal plants common in this city have demonstrated to be useful to evaluate the level of pollution not only through the chemical analysis but also through the recognition of the visual injury symptoms. The application of multivariate statistical techniques combined with determining of element concentration and correlation analysis has been proved to be an effective tool for reach the objectives of the present work. This allows visualising quickly the damages and leading the sampling through the points of high-level pollution, saving analysis, time and money.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to analyze antioxidant responses and oxidative damage induced by two inorganic forms of arsenic (As; AsIII and AsV) in an estuarine polychaete species, Laeonereis acuta (Nereididae). The capacity of arsenic biotransformation was also evaluated through the methylation process considering the activity of a key enzyme involved in the metabolization process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Worms were exposed to 50 μg (AsIII or AsV)/l during 2 or 7 days, plus a control group. Endpoints analyzed included concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activities of antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione reductase (GR), total glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and omega isoform (GST Ω), glucose-6-phosphate deshydrogenase (G6PDH), levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxides concentration (TBARS). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Results showed: (1) GR inhibition after 2-day exposure to both As forms (p < 0.05); (2) GST Ω inhibition after 7-day exposure to AsIII paralleled by an increase in total GST activity (p < 0.05); (3) augmented G6PDH activity after 7-day exposure to both As forms (p < 0.05); (4) no differences in terms of ROS and TBARS; and (5) inhibition of GST Ω activity in AsIII exposed worms, which was concomitant with a lowering of mono- and dymethylated arsenic species. CONCLUSION: These results confirm the reactivity of some biochemical variables of L. acuta to As and indicates its importance as a sentinel species in estuarine regions with presence of arsenic.

BACKGROUND: Soil samples from remote Alpine areas were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls by high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution gas spectrometry. Additionally, the EROD micro-assay and a genetically modified yeast estrogen bioassay were carried out to determine persistent aryl hydrocarbon receptors (AhR) and estrogen receptors (ER) agonists, respectively. Regarding the AhR agonists, the toxicity equivalents of analytical and EROD determined values were compared, targeting both altitude of samples and their soil organic content. The ratio between bioassay derived equivalents and analytical determinations suggested no significant contribution of unknown AhR inducers in these sampling sites and some antagonism in soils with relatively high PCB loading. More CYP1A1 expression was induced at the highest sites or about 1400–1500 m a.s.l. along the altitude profiles. Surprisingly, no clear tendencies with the soil organic content were found for dioxin-like compounds. Mean values obtained in the present study were for ER agonists, 0.37 ± 0.12 pg 17ß-estradiol EQ g⁻¹ dry soil and 6.1 ± 4.2 pg TCDD-EQ g⁻¹ dry soil for AhR agonists. CONCLUSION: Low bioassay responses with a higher relative amount of AhR inducers than ER disrupters were detected, indicating the higher abundance of persistent dioxin-like than estrogen-like compounds in these forested mountainous areas.

INTRODUCTION: Acid orange 52 (AO52), extensively used in textile industries, was decolorized by Pseudomonas putida mt-2. AO52 azoreduction products such as N,N′-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DMPD) and 4-aminobenzenesulfonic acid (4-ABS), were identified in the static degradation mixture. These amines were identified only in media of static incubation, which is consistent with their biotransformation under shaken incubation (aerobic conditions). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tests with azo products were carried out, and whole cells were found able to easily degrade DMPD contrary to 4-ABS. However, this last could be attacked by cell extract, and an oxygen uptake was observed during the reaction. RESULTS: Degradation of DMPD by entire cells led to the formation of catechol. These results show that P. putida was able to decolorize AO52 and metabolize its derivative amines. In addition, the ability of tested compounds was evaluated in vitro to reduce human plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity. CONCLUSION: Azoreduction products seem to be responsible for BuChE inhibition activity observed in static biodegradation extract. However, toxicity of AO52 completely disappears after shaken incubation with P. putida, suggesting that bacterium has a catabolism which enables it to completely degrade AO52 and especially, to detoxify the dye mixture.

Background Airborne fine particulates (PM 2.5) and its associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are reportedly hazardous in urban environment due to the presence of multiple emission sources. Methods In this study, fine particulates collected from fourth largest metropolitan city of India, Chennai, were extracted and analyzed for 11 PAHs by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with a fluorescence detector. Results PM 2.5 values varied between 27.2 and 190.2 μg/m³, while average concentration of particle-associated PAHs determined was in the range from 325.7 to 790.8 ng/m³, which signaled an alarming pollution level in Chennai. Conclusions Factor analysis suggested vehicular emissions inclusive of petrol- and diesel-driven engines as probable sources.

Aim of the study Helophytes like rush and reed are increasingly used for phytoremediation of contaminated water. This study characterises the response of rush and reed plants to chemical stressors such as chlorobenzene, benzene and methyl-tert-butyl ether. The extractable wax layer of the cuticle was chosen for detailed investigations due to its multiple, particularly, protective functions for plants and its easy availability for analysis. Methods The chemical composition of the cuticle wax layer of reed and rush was studied in dependence on chemical stress caused by contaminated water under wetland cultivation conditions. The lipid layer of leaves was extracted, derivatised and investigated by GC-MS using retention time locking and a plant-specific data base. Results In case of rush, a remarkable increase of the total lipid layer and a prolongation of the mean chain length resulted as response on a chlorobenzene exposure. The significant difference in the substance profiles of exposed plants and controls could be confirmed by multivariate data analysis. The lipid layer of reed was not changed significantly when the plants were exposed to water polluted with benzene and methyl-tert-butyl ether. However, scanning electron microscopic images of the exposed reed leaves indicated alterations in the crystal structure of their wax surface. Conclusion The composition and morphology of cuticular waxes indicated the plants' response to chemical stress very sensitively thus, changes in the wax layer could be used as an indication for growing in a contaminated area.