[Departement_IRSTEA]MA [TR1_IRSTEA]TED / EPURE | International audience | Sludge drying reed beds have been used for dewatering and mineralization of sludge since the beginning of the 90's, but their insufficient performances in terms of Dry Matter [DM] content and mineralization of the sludge have made necessary new studies. Therefore, 8 pilots of 2m² each and a full-scale plant (13 000 p.e , 8 beds of 470m² in operation for 4 years) have been monitored to examine the influence of the sludge loading rate, the sludge quality and the loading frequency on the dewatering and mineralization efficiencies. Two filtration layers and two loading rhythms were tested on pilots which were fed at a loading rate of 25-30 kgDM.m-2.yr-1 during the first year of operation (commissioning period). Hydraulic behaviour (infiltration rate, outflow), O2 and CO2 relative concentrations in the filtration media, redox potential, pollutants removal and dry matter content were assessed during all the study. The rheological quality of the extracted sludge from full scale beds was assessed and showed that its mechanical behaviour exceed those of sludge of comparable dry matter content, making its spreading easier. Therefore, these sludge could easily claim the status of solid and stabilized sludge according to the French regulation. Design and management recommendations (number of beds, loading rates, feeding/rest period) gained from the experiments results are suggested.

[Departement_IRSTEA]MA [TR1_IRSTEA]TED / EPURE | International audience | French legislation requires, the control of private on-site sanitation systems by local authorities. This will result in a large increase of the quantity of sludge from septic tanks to be treated. Nevertheless, large wastewater treatment plants are not systematically able to treat this sludge because they may have reached their nominal load or they are not so numerous in rural zone to avoid too long transportation. The study concerns both, the feasibility of sludge reed beds devoted to the treatment of septage and the assessment of a simultaneous treatment with aerated sludge. The experiments have been carried out on eight pilot-scale drying reed beds (2m²) planted with Phragmites australis. Two filtration layers of either vegetal compost or sand were tested. The study is focused on the commissioning period (first vegetative year) with a loading rate of 30 kgSS.m-2.yr-1. According to these operational conditions, dewatering efficiencies reached approx. 30% DM during summer but less than 20%DM in winter for each filtration layer and sludge. High removal efficiencies, with an average of 96%, 92% and 89% for SS, COD and TKN respectively, were achieved with septage whereas they were lower for the mixture of aerated sludge and septage. The dewaterability of septage and its filtration behaviour were assessed by several parameters (Capillary Suction Time, bound water) which may be some interesting tools for an optimised loading strategy.

International audience | To investigate the consequences of acidification and metal accumulation on the biology of aquatic bryophytes, the acid-tolerant liverwort Scapania undulata (L.) Dum. and the acid-sensitive moss Rhynchostegium riparioides (Hedw.) Cardot were transplanted from one stream to two other streams of differing acidity (pH 5.20 and 6.38). The bryophytes were collected in a circumneutral (pH 6.57) stream in the Vosges Mountains. Metal accumulation was semiquantitatively measured in shoots by energy dispersive TEM X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). After 1 month, the two species remained green without alteration signs. Although no marked ultrastructural damage was observed in either species, some cells seemed to be necrotic, with flattened chloroplasts, in R. riparioides. Lipid droplet accumulation was observed in some leaf cells of S.undulata when transplanted to the most acidic stream. Metal was mostly localised in the cell wall, and was only sometimes detected in small vacuoles. Under acidic conditions, R. riparioides showed the highest relative amount of Al and the lowest amount of Fe, whereas the acid-tolerant bryophyte species S. undulata contained more Fe and less Al. The capability to limit the uptake of metals into the cytoplasm varies according to the bryophyte species. This could be an explanation of the tolerance of S. undulata to acidification.

Uptake of waterborne Cd, Co, Mn and Zn was determined in laboratory experiments using radiotracer techniques (Cd-109, Co-57, Mn-54 and Zn-65). Labelled Zn was mainly accumulated in the digestive gland (65%) and Co in kidneys (81%); Cd and Mn were similarly distributed in digestive gland and gills. In a complementary field study, Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn were analysed in scallops collected at two stations showing different contamination levels. Digestive gland and kidneys displayed the highest concentrations. Ag, As, Cd, and Fe differed in soft tissues from the two stations, suggesting that Comptopallium radula could be a valuable local biomonitor species for these elements. Low Mn and Zn concentrations found in kidneys suggest that their content in calcium-phosphate concretions differs from the other pectinids. Preliminary risk considerations suggest that As would be the only element potentially leading to exposure of concern for seafood consumers. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The suprabenthos comprises all bottom-dependent animals, mainly crustaceans (including decapods and peracarids), which perform - with varying amplitude, intensity and regularity - seasonal or daily vertical migrations above the sea floor. The presence of organisms in the Benthic Boundary Layer is determined by two general factors: (1) organism behaviour, which depends on the light penetration in the water column and (2) boundary-layer hydrodynamics. In the coastal zone of the eastern English Channel, during the spring Phaeocystis bloom, the presence of gelatinous colonies modifies the penetration of light in the water column, which may seriously affect the abundance and/or the behaviour of the suprabenthos community. To clarify this point, 19 suprabenthic hauls were taken with a modified Macer-GIROQ sledge both during the day and during the night, from March to June 2002 (i.e., before, during and after the bloom). Two sites, located in the coastal and offshore areas of the Ophelia medium sand macrobenthic community were investigated. The bloom had no effect on species richness and abundance in either site. However, the diel migrations of some dominant species - such as the cumaceans Pseudocuma longicornis and Pseudoctuma similis, the mysid Gastrosaccus spinifer and the amphipod Stenothoe marina - were modified. During the bloom, diurnal and nocturnal suprabenthic abundances were similar, and in the absence of bloom, species remained benthic during the day. The permanent presence of suprabenthic species in the Benthic Boundary Layer could have a consequence on their predation by fish (mainly juveniles which preferentially consume small crustaceans in their diet), unless fish behaviour and predation efficiency - especially for visual predators - are also disturbed by changes in light intensity. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blubber of female common dolphins and harbour porpoises from the Atlantic coast of Europe were frequently above the threshold at which effects on reproduction could be expected, in 40% and 47% of cases respectively. This rose to 74% for porpoises from the Southern North Sea. PCB concentrations were also high in southern North Sea fish. The average pregnancy rate recorded in porpoises (42%) in the study area was lower than in the western Atlantic but that in common dolphins (25%) was similar to that of the western Atlantic population. Porpoises that died from disease or parasitic infection had higher concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) than animals dying from other causes. Few of the common dolphins sampled had died from disease or parasitic infection. POP profiles in common dolphin blubber were related to individual feeding history while those in porpoises were more strongly related to condition. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Muscle concentrations of organochlorinated compounds as well as biliary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylphenols (APEs) were determined in two different fish species, the four-spotted megrim (Lepidorhombus boscii) and the pouting (Trisopterus luscus) collected along the Northern Iberian coast. Additionally, a set of biochemical markers namely, 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and catalase (CAT) were measured in liver subcellular fractions. Chemical analysis indicated geographical differences in pollutant loads that were further reinforced by biomarker responses. Thus, EROD activity showed a good correlation with the amount of PCBs bioaccumulated in muscle tissue of both fish species. Elevated UGT activity was observed in those individuals highly exposed to APEs and 1-naphthol. The study reinforces the need to select representative sentinel species from different habitats for biomonitoring purposes and provides further support for the use of biomarkers in assessing the health of coastal areas.

Ambient concentrations, congener patterns and multi-media distribution of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were determined in air, water, sediment and mussels in a semi-enclosed marine ecosystem (Thau lagoon, France). Sigma 2,3,7,8-PCDD/F and Sigma 7ICES PCB air concentrations (0.2-1.4 and 31-57 pg m(-3), respectively) were typical of rural areas. Concentrations in the water column were very low for PCDD/Fs (163-476 fg L-1) and low for PCBs (138-708 pg L-1). PCDD/F and PCB concentrations found in surface sediment (0.15-1.6 and 2.5-33 ng g(-1) d.w., respectively) and mussel (13-21 pg g(-1) d.w. and 10-39 ng g(-1) d.w., respectively) were medium levels. PCDD/F congener patterns observed in air, water particulate phase and sediments were similar suggesting direct coupling among these compartments and atmospheric inputs of PCDD/Fs into the lagoon. Conversely, for the same set of samples, similar patterns were not observed for PCBs in the mentioned compartments. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

International audience | Biofilm development in wastewater treatment system by soil infiltration is often mentioned for its participation to purification efficiency and clogging zone formation. It appears necessary to understand its evolution in order to better control the operation of these systems. The objective of this study was to improve knowledge about the temporal evolution of the biofilm structure in the first centimetres of infiltration system. For this purpose, metabolic fingerprints by Biolog EcoPlate (TM) and molecular fingerprints by Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (RISA) were carried out on sand, septic effluent and treated effluent samples from two experimental reactors supplied with different hydraulic loads collected at different times. The metabolic capabilities of sand microflora decreased in time. In the same way, molecular structure of the biofilm community changed and converged to similar structure in time. Principal components analysis on RISA gel revealed a ''buffering effect'' of the sand filter on the genetic structure of the bacterial community from treated effluent. The kinetics of evolution of the both metabolic and genetic fingerprints showed a reduction of the metabolic and genetic potentials of septic and treated effluents for the same times. The population dynamic within the biofilms appears interesting evidence in the comprehension of the operation of the treatment systems.

The ecological quality status (EcoQ) of intertidal mudflats constrained by Pacific oyster farming was assessed by single (H', AMBI, BENTIX and BOPA) and multimetric (M-AMBI and average score) index approaches in the Pertuis Charentais (SW France). Fifteen sampling stations were monitored seasonally for sedimentological features and macrozoobenthos in 2004. Sediments affected by oyster biodeposits showed organic matter enrichment, and sediments from off-bottom culture sites had higher organic matter contents and lower redox potentials than sediments from on-bottom culture sites. Biotic indices consistently registered responses of macrozoobenthos to organic enrichment but there was only partial agreement between single index-derived EcoQs. The average score was better than M-AMBI and single indices for determining EcoQs. Accordingly, oyster farming alters intertidal macrozoobenthic assemblages moderately, and off-bottom cultures cause more disturbance than on-bottom cultures. Hydrodynamics and seasons may interact with culture practices in smothering/strengthening biodeposition-mediated effects through dispersal/accumulation of biodeposits.