Olive mill wastewater (OMWW) is claimed to be one of the most polluting effluents produced by agro-food industries, providing high contaminants load that encase cytotoxic agents such as phenolic and polyphenolic compounds. Therefore, a significant and continuous stress episode is induced once the mixed liquor of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP’s) is being exposed to OMWW. The use of bio-augmentation treatment procedures can be useful to eliminate or reduce such stress episodes. In this study, we have estimated the use of autochthonous biomass implementation within small bioreactor platform (SBP) particles as a bio-augmentation method to challenge against WWTPs stress episodes. Our results showed that SBP particles significantly reduced the presence of various phenolics: tannic, gallic and caffeic acid in a synthetic medium and in crude OMWW matrix. Moreover, the SBP particles succeeded to biodegrade a very high concentration of phenol blend (3000 mg L⁻¹). Our findings indicated that the presence of the SBP microfiltration membrane has reduced the phenol biodegradation rate by 50 % compared to the same suspended culture. Despite the observed reduction in biodegradation rate, encapsulation in a confined environment can offer significant values such as overcoming the grazing forcers and dilution, thus achieving a long-term sufficient biomass. The potential for reducing stress episodes caused by cytotoxic agents through bio-augmentation treatment procedure using the SBP technology is discussed.

Plastics from cathode ray tube (CRT) casings were sampled in Nigeria and analysed for their polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PBDD/F) content. PBDD/Fs, consisting mainly of PBDFs, were detected in BFR containing plastic with a median (mean) concentration of 18,000 ng/g (41,000 ng/g). The PBDD/Fs levels were highest in samples containing PBDEs, but the levels of PBDFs were two orders of magnitude higher than the levels reported in the technical PBDE mixtures and where frequently exceeding 1000 μg/g of PBDE content. These higher levels are likely to arise from additional transformation of PBDEs during production, use, recycling, or storage, but the processes responsible were not identified in this study. PBDD/Fs in CRT casings containing1,2-bistribromophenoxyethane (TBPE) were dominated by tetrabrominated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TBDDs) with concentrations around 10 μg/g of the TBPE content. The PBDD/Fs in CRT casings containing tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were found at concentrations around 0.1 μg/g of TBBPA levels. Casings treated with TBPE or TBBPA often contained PBDEs (and PBDF) as impurities—probably originating from recycled e-waste plastics. It was estimated that the 237,000 t of CRT casings stockpiled in Nigeria contain between 2 and 8 t of PBDD/Fs. The total PBDD/F contamination in polymers arising from total historic PBDE production/use is estimated in the order of 1000 t. TEQ values of CRT samples frequently exceeded the Basel Convention’s provisional low POPs content of 15 ng TEQ/g. Due to the significant risks to health associated with PBDD/Fs, more detailed studies on the exposure routes from PBDD/Fs in stockpiles are needed.

We evaluated the effects of methanogens and acetogens on the function and structure of microbial communities doing reductive dechlorination of trichloroethene (TCE) by adding four distinct electron donors: lactate, a fermentable organic; acetate, a non-fermentable organic; methanol, a fermentable 1-C (carbon) organic; and hydrogen gas (H₂), the direct electron donor for reductive dechlorination by Dehalococcoides. The fermentable electron donors had faster dechlorination rates, more complete dechlorination, and higher bacterial abundances than the non-fermentable electron donors during short-term tests. Phylotypes of Dehalococcoides were relatively abundant (≥9 %) for the cultures fed with fermentable electron donors but accounted for only ~1–2 % of the reads for the cultures fed by the non-fermentable electron donors. Routing electrons to methanogenesis and a low ratio of Dehalococcoides/methanogenesis (Dhc/mcrA) were associated with slow and incomplete reductive dechlorination with methanol and H₂. When fermentable substrates were applied as electron donors, a Dhc/mcrA ratio ≥6.4 was essential to achieve fast and complete dechlorination of TCE to ethene. When methanogenesis was suppressed using 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BES), achieving complete dechlorination of TCE to ethane required a minimum abundance of the mcrA gene. Methanobacterium appeared to be important for maintaining a high dechlorination rate, probably by providing Dehalococcoides with cofactors other than vitamin B₁₂. Furthermore, the presence of homoacetogens also was important to maintain a high dechlorination rate, because they provided acetate as Dehalococcoides’s obligatory carbon source and possibly cofactors.

Radioactivity concentrations and heavy metal content were measured in soil samples collected from the area of Kragujevac, one of the largest cities in Serbia. The specific activities of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs in 30 samples were measured by gamma spectrometry using an HPGe semiconductor detector. The average values ± standard deviations were 33.5 ± 8.2, 50.3 ± 10.6, 425.8 ± 75.7 and 40.2 ± 26.3 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ¹³⁷Cs have shown normal distribution. The annual effective doses, radium equivalent activities, external hazard indexes and excess lifetime cancer risk were also estimated. A RAD7 device was used for measuring radon exhalation rates from several samples with highest content of ²²⁶Ra. The concentrations of As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured, as well as their EDTA extractable concentrations. Wide ranges of values were obtained, especially for Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The absence of normal distribution indicates anthropogenic origin of Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn. Correlations between radionuclide activities, heavy metal contents and physicochemical properties of analysed soil were determined by Spearman correlation coefficient. Strong positive correlation between ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th was found.

This study investigates empirically an extended version of the Environmental Kuznets Curve model that controls for tourism development. We find that international tourist arrivals into Turkey alongside income, squared income and energy consumption, cointegrate with CO₂ emissions. Tourist arrivals, growth, and energy consumption exert a positive and significant impact on CO₂ emissions in the long-run. Our results provide empirical support to EKC hypothesis showing that at exponential levels of growth, CO₂ emissions decline. The findings suggest that despite the environmental degradation stemming from tourism development, policies aimed at environmental protection should not be pursued at the expense of tourism-led growth.

To identify the primary precursors of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in the Yuqiao Reservoir in China, dissolved organic matters in the source water were isolated and fractionated into five different fractions (with XAD resin), and both trihalomethane and haloacetic acid formation potentials in each fraction were analysed by liquid-liquid extraction and GC-ECD. The primary precursors of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were identified using the index of disinfection by-product formation potential and specific disinfection by-product formation potential. In addition, the relationship between the specific ultraviolet absorbance and the specific disinfection by-product formation potential was studied using correlation analysis. The results indicated that during the sampling period, the hydrophobic acids and hydrophilic matter are the primary organic fractions in the Yuqiao Reservoir, accounting for 27.6–40.9 % and 21.2–32.5%, respectively. Among the five fractions, the hydrophobic acids had the highest disinfection by-product formation potential and specific disinfection by-product formation potential, indicating that the hydrophobic acids were the primary precursors of the disinfection by-products in the Yuqiao Reservoir. A correlation analysis indicates that the specific ultraviolet absorbance had a moderately positive correlation with the specific disinfection by-product formation potential; therefore, the specific ultraviolet absorbance can be a reference index to analyse the ability of organic matter to generate disinfection by-products.

A pot trial was conducted to investigate the effects of three arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi species, including Glomus geosporum BGC HUN02C, G. versiforme BGC GD01B, and G. mosseae BGC GD01A, on grain yield and arsenic (As) uptake of upland rice (Zhonghan 221) in As-spiked soils. Moderate levels of AM colonization (24.1–63.1 %) were recorded in the roots of upland rice, and up to 70 mg kg⁻¹ As in soils did not seem to inhibit mycorrhizal colonization. Positive mycorrhizal growth effects in grain, husk, straw, and root of the upland rice, especially under high level (70 mg kg⁻¹) of As in soils, were apparent. Although the effects varied among species of AM fungi, inoculation of AM fungi apparently enhanced grain yield of upland rice without increasing grain As concentrations in As-spiked soils, indicating that AM fungi could alleviate adverse effects on the upland rice caused by As in soils. The present results also show that mycorrhizal inoculation significantly (p < 0.05) decreased As concentrations in husk, straw, and root in soils added with 70 mg kg⁻¹ As. The present results suggest that AM fungi are able to mitigate the adverse effects with enhancing rice production when growing in As-contaminated soils.

Population growth and world climate changes are putting high pressure on agri-food production systems. Exacerbating use of energy sources and expanding the environmental damaging symptoms are the results of these difficult situations. This study was conducted to determine the energy balance for saffron production cycle and investigate the corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Iran. Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the main spice that historically cultivated in Iran. Data were obtained from 127 randomly selected saffron growers using a face to face questionnaire technique. The results revealed that in 5 years of saffron production cycle, the overall input and output energy use were to be 163,912.09 and 184,868.28 MJ ha⁻¹, respectively. The highest-level of energy consumption belongs to seeds (23.7 %) followed by chemical fertilizers (23.4 %). Energy use efficiency, specific energy, net energy, and energy productivity of saffron production were 1.1, 13.4 MJ kg⁻¹, 20,956.2 MJ ha⁻¹, and 0.1 kg MJ⁻¹, respectively. The result shows that the cultivation of saffron emits 2325.5 kg CO₂ eq. ha⁻¹ greenhouse gas, in which around 46.5 % belonged to electricity followed by chemical fertilizers. In addition the Cobb-Douglas production function was applied into EViews 7 software to define the functional relationship. The results of econometric model estimation showed that the impact of human labor, electricity, and water for irrigation on stigma, human labor, electricity, and seed on corm and also human labor and farmyard manure (FYM) on flower and leaf yield were found to be statistically significant. Sensitivity analysis results of the energy inputs demonstrated that the marginal physical productivity (MPP) worth of electricity energy was the highest for saffron stigma and corm, although saffron flower and leaf had more sensitivity on chemicals energy inputs. Moreover, MPP values of renewable and indirect energies were higher than non-renewable and direct energies, respectively.

Titanium dioxide has been classified in the 2B group as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and amid concerns of its exposure, cell cycle alterations are an important one. However, several studies show inconclusive effects, mainly because it is difficult to compare cell cycle effects caused by TiO₂nanoparticle (NP) exposure between different shapes and sizes of NP, cell culture types, and time of exposure. In addition, cell cycle is frequently analyzed without cell cycle synchronization, which may also mask some effects. We hypothesized that synchronization after TiO₂NP exposure could reveal dissimilar cell cycle progression when compared with unsynchronized cell population. To test our hypothesis, we exposed lung epithelial cells to 1 and 10 μg/cm²TiO₂NPs for 7 days and one population was synchronized by serum starvation and inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase using hydroxyurea. Another cell population was exposed to TiO₂NPs under the same experimental conditions, but after treatments, cell cycle was analyzed without synchronization. Our results showed that TiO₂NP-exposed cells without synchronization had no changes in cell cycle distribution; however, cell population synchronized after 1 and 10 μg/cm²TiO₂NP treatment showed a 1.5-fold and 1.66-fold increase, respectively, in proliferation. Synchronized cells also reveal a faster capability of TiO₂NP-exposed cells to increase cell population in the G2/M phase in the following 9 h after synchronization. We conclude that synchronization discloses a greater percentage of cells in the G2/M phase and higher proliferation than TiO₂NP-synchronized cells.