BACKGROUND: Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been widely used as sizing agents in textile and manufacturing industry, and it is a refractory compound with low biodegradability. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper was to treat the PVA-containing wastewater using gamma irradiation as a pretreatment strategy to improve its biodegradability and to determine the roles of different kinds of radical species played during pretreatment. METHODS: Gamma radiation was carried out in a 60Cobalt source station, PVA concentration was analyzed by using a visible spectrophotometer and specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR, milligram of O2 per gram of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) per hour) was measured by a microrespirometer. RESULTS: The results showed that the biodegradability of PVA-containing wastewater with low initial concentration (e.g., 327.8 mg/l) could be improved greatly with increasing irradiation dose. However, PVA gel formation was observed at higher initial PVA concentration (e.g., 3,341.6 mg/l) and higher irradiation dose, which inhibited PVA degradation by aerobic microorganisms. However, the formed gel could be separated by microfiltration, which led to more than 90% total organic carbon (TOC) removal. CONCLUSION: Ionizing radiation could be used as a pretreatment technology for PVA-containing wastewater, and its combination with biological process is feasible.

TiO2:Nb nanopowders within a dopant concentration in the range of 0.1–15 at.% were prepared by one-step flame spray synthesis. Effect of niobium doping on structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of titanium dioxide nanopowders was studied. Morphology and structure were investigated by means of Brunauer–Emmett–Teller isotherm, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Diffuse reflectance and the resulting band gap energy were determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. Photocatalytic activity of the investigated nanopowders was revised for the photodecomposition of methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO) and 4-chlorophenol under UVA and VIS light irradiation. Commercial TiO2-P25 nanopowder was used as a reference. The specific surface area of the powders was ranging from 42.9 m2/g for TiO2:0.1 at.% Nb to 90.0 m2/g for TiO2:15 at.% Nb. TiO2:Nb particles were nanosized, spherically shaped and polycrystalline. Anatase was the predominant phase in all samples. The anatase-related transition was at 3.31 eV and rutile-related one at 3.14 eV. TiO2:Nb nanopowders exhibited additional absorption in the visible range. In comparison to TiO2-P25, improved photocatalytic activity of TiO2:Nb was observed for the degradation of MB and MO under both UVA and VIS irradiation, where low doping level (Nb < 1 at.%) was the most effective. Niobium doping affected structural, optical and photocatalytic properties of TiO2. Low dopant level enhanced photocatalytic performance under UVA and VIS irradiation. Therefore, TiO2:Nb (Nb < 1 at.%) can be proposed as an efficient selective solar light photocatalyst.

PURPOSE: The discharge of colored effluents from industries is an important environmental issue and it is indispensable to remove the dyes before the water gets back to the rivers. The magnetic adsorbents present the advantage of being easily separated from the aqueous system after adsorption by positioning an external magnetic field. METHODS: Magnetic N-lauryl chitosan (L-Cht/γ-Fe2O3) particles were prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Remazol Red 198 (RR198) was used as a reactive dye model for adsorption on L-Cht/γ-Fe2O3. The adsorption isotherms were performed at 25°C, 35°C, 45°C, and 55°C and the process was optimized using a 23 factorial design (analyzed factors: pH, ionic strength, and temperature). The desorption and regeneration studies were performed in a three times cycle. RESULTS: The characterization of the material indicated that the magnetic particles were introduced into the polymeric matrix. The pseudo-second order was the best model for explaining the kinetics and the Langmuir–Freundlich was the best-fitted isotherm model. At room temperature, the maximum adsorption capacity was 267 mg g−1. The material can be reused, but with a decrease in the amount of adsorbed dye. CONCLUSIONS: L-Cht/γ-Fe2O3 is a promising material to remove RR198 and probably other similar reactive dyes from aqueous effluents.

PURPOSE: Electroplating industries are the main sources of heavy metals, chromium, nickel, lead, zinc, cadmium and copper. The highest concentrations of chromium (VI) in the effluent cause a direct hazards to human and animals. Therefore, there is a need of an effective and affordable biotechnological solution for removal of chromium from electroplating effluent. METHODS: Bacterial strains were isolated from electroplating effluent to find out higher tolerant isolate against chromate. The isolate was identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Absorbed chromium level of bacterium was determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Removal of metals by bacterium from the electroplating effluent eventually led to the detoxification of effluent confirmed by MTT assay. Conformational changes of functional groups of bacterial cell surface were studied through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. RESULTS: The chromate tolerant isolate was identified as Bacillus cereus. Bacterium has potency to remove more than 75% of chromium as measured by ICP-AES and AAS. The study indicated the accumulation of chromium (VI) on bacterial cell surface which was confirmed by the SEM-EDX and TEM analysis. The biosorption of metals from the electroplating effluent eventually led to the detoxification of effluent. The increased survivability of Huh7 cells cultured with treated effluent also confirmed the detoxification as examined by MTT assay. CONCLUSION: Isolated strain B. cereus was able to remove and detoxify chromium (VI). It would be an efficient tool of the biotechnological approach in mitigating the heavy metal pollutants.

Urban, suburban and rural background air samples were collected in southern Ghana in 2008 employing polyurethane foam disc passive air samplers (PAS). PAS were analysed for organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), namely hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-, β-, γ- and δ-hexachlorocyclohexane), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane including metabolites (o,p′- and p,p′-DDT, DDE and DDD), hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorobenzene, aldrin, dieldrin, endrins (endrin, endrin aldehyde and endrin ketone), isodrin, heptachlors (heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide A and heptachlor epoxide B), chlordanes (α-, β-chlordane, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor), endosulfans (α- and β-endosulfan and endosulfan sulphate), methoxychlor and mirex using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer. The levels of OCPs ranged for the individual pesticides from below limit of quantification to 750 pg m−3 (for α-endosulfan), and current agricultural application seemed to be the main primary source of most abundant pesticides. Re-volatilization of previously used pesticides from contaminated soils could not be ruled out either as potential secondary source of contamination, especially in warm and dry seasons and periods of intensive agricultural activities. Higher atmospheric concentrations were observed in November and December during the dry season compared to lower concentrations observed in June, July and August when the country experiences heavy rains. The highest seasonal variation was observed for currently used pesticides as α-endosulfan. A p,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDE ratio suggested recent inputs of fresh technical DDT.

The Waigang River, a major tributary of the Qinhuai River system, has suffered from long-standing pollution because of lack of management. Restoration was commenced in April 2006 to reduce pollutants and improve water quality. Four ecological areas and ten surface carriers were constructed for the culture of plants (mainly water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)) for phytoremediation. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia–nitrogen (NH3–N), water transparency, and variations in phytoplankton population were investigated to evaluate the effects of restoration. Over 36 months, TSS, COD, TN, and NH3–N levels decreased by 91.1, 55.3, 91.5, and 86.5 %, respectively. Transparency increased from 25 cm in 2006 to 165 cm in 2009. Improvements in water quality significantly enhanced the diversity of phytoplankton, which were harmed by pollution stress. Our results show that the water hyacinth and ryegrass cultured in the ecological areas and the surface carriers can be used to restore other heavily polluted rivers with conditions similar to those of the Waigang River, especially in the initial stages of restoration.

INTRODUCTION: The suitability of the application of ultrafiltration (UF) to harvest Chlorella sp. from the culture medium was examined. We investigated the effects of two improved UF system, forward air–water flushing and backwash with permeate, on the concentration process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Backwash with permeate was selected as an optimization of the improved UF system, which was more effective for permeate flux recovery. Moreover, the hollow fiber UF system by adding periodical backwash with permeate was examined for Chlorella sp. harvesting. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: It was found that Chlorella sp. could be concentrated with high recovery in a lab-scale experiment. An overall algal biomass recovery of above 90% was achieved when the volume concentration factor was 10. For an original biomass of 1.3 ± 0.05 g/L, 1 min backwash followed by 20 min forward concentrating was more effective, which resulted in a recovery of 94% and a high average flux of 30.3 L/m2/h. In addition, the algal recovery was highly correlated to the volume concentration factor and the initial biomass. A high concentration factor or a high initial biomass resulted in a low biomass recovery.

INTRODUCTION: This study collected long-term airborne lead concentrations in the Korean peninsula and analyzed their temporal, spatial, and cancer risk characterization. METHODS: Approximately, 12,000 airborne samples of total suspended particulate (TSP) were collected from 30 ambient air monitoring stations in inland (Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Seoul) cities and portal cities (Incheon, Busan, and Ulsan) over a period of 7 years (2004–2010). High volume air samplers were employed to collect daily TSP samples during the second week of the consecutive months throughout the entire study period. The concentrations of Pb extracted from the TSP samples were analyzed using either inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission or flame atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: The long-term high mean Pb concentrations were observed in the port cities including Incheon (88 ± 18 ng/m3), Ulsan (61 ± 7 ng/m3), and Busan (58 ± 6 ng/m3). In the temporal analysis, seasonal mean Pb levels were relatively higher in winter and spring than those in summer and fall. In the spatial analysis, the mean Pb levels in spring, winter, and fall from Incheon, which showed the highest seasonal concentrations except summer, were 110 ± 19, 101 ± 18, and 76 ± 23 ng/m3, respectively. In summer, the highest seasonal mean Pb level was observed in the largest industrial city and the second port city, Ulsan (78 ± 15 ng/m3), followed by Incheon (65 ± 13 ng/m3). CONCLUSION: The estimated excess cancer risk analysis showed that inhalation of Pb could result in cancer for one or two persons per million of population in the Korean peninsula.

INTRODUCTION: This paper is in response to criticism of our article “The human sex odds at birth after the atmospheric atomic bomb tests, after Chernobyl, and in the vicinity of nuclear facilities” published in Environ Sci Pollut Res 18(5):697–707, 2011. METHODS: Our findings and methods concerning the disturbed human sex odds at birth have been criticized in this journal for being artifacts of data mining, that the concept of statistical significance was misunderstood, and that confounding factors have not been accounted for. Here, we show that this criticism has no basis. We applied well-established statistical methods to large official data sets, and confounding is less important at the level of secular sex odds trends in aggregated annual figures from countries or continents. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Moreover, our results are strengthened by recent findings concerning increased infant death sex odds in Germany and increased Down syndrome prevalence at birth across Europe after Chernobyl. Prompted by our studies, an official investigation in Lower Saxony, Germany, by the “Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt (NLGA)” confirmed our observation of severely escalated sex odds within 40 km distance from the nuclear storage site in Gorleben, Germany.

PURPOSE: Urban waterways are impacted by diffuse stormwater runoff, yet other discharges can unintentionally contaminate them. The Okeover stream in Christchurch, New Zealand, receives air-conditioning discharge, while its ephemeral reach relies on untreated stormwater flow. Despite rehabilitation efforts, the ecosystem is still highly disturbed. It was assumed that stormwater was the sole contamination source to the stream although water quality data were sparse. We therefore investigated its water and sediment quality and compared the data with appropriate ecotoxicological thresholds from all water sources. METHODS: Concentrations of metals (Zn, Cu and Pb) in stream baseflow, stormwater runoff, air-conditioning discharge and stream-bed sediments were quantified along with flow regimes to ascertain annual contaminant loads. Metals were analysed by ICP-MS following accredited techniques. RESULTS: Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations from stormflow exceeded relevant guidelines for the protection of 90% of aquatic species by 18-, 9- and 5-fold, respectively, suggesting substantial ecotoxicity potential. Sporadic copper (Cu) inputs from roof runoff exceeded these levels up to 3,200-fold at >4,000 μg L−1 while Cu in baseflow from air-conditioning inputs exceeded them 5.4-fold. There was an 11-fold greater annual Cu load to the stream from air-conditioning discharge compared to stormwater runoff. Most Zn and Cu were dissolved species possibly enhancing metal bioavailability. Elevated metal concentrations were also found throughout the stream sediments. CONCLUSIONS: Environmental investigations revealed unsuspected contamination from air-conditioning discharge that contributed greater Cu annual loads to an urban stream compared to stormwater inputs. This discovery helped reassess treatment strategies for regaining ecological integrity in the ecosystem.