Background, aim, and scope Pharmaceuticals and their metabolites are detected in the aquatic environment and our drinking water supplies. The need for high quality drinking water is one of the most challenging problems of our times, but still only little knowledge exists on the impact of these compounds on ecosystems, animals, and man. Biological waste water treatment in constructed wetlands is an effective and low-cost alternative, especially for the treatment of non-industrial, municipal waste water. In this situation, plants get in contact with pharmaceutical compounds and have to tackle their detoxification. The mechanisms for the detoxification of xenobiotics in plants are closely related to the mammalian system. An activation reaction (phase I) is followed by a conjugation (phase II) with hydrophilic molecules like glutathione or glucose. Phase III reactions can be summarized as storage, degradation, and transport of the xenobiotic conjugate. Until now, there is no information available on the fate of pharmaceuticals in plants. In this study, we want to investigate the fate and metabolism of N-acetyl-4-aminophenol (paracetamol) in plant tissues using the cell culture of Armoracia rusticana L. as a model system. Materials and methods A hairy root culture of A. rusticana was treated with acetaminophen in a liquid culture. The formation and identification of metabolites over time were analyzed using HPLC-DAD and LC-MSn techniques. Results With LC-MS technique, we were able to detect paracetamol and identify three of its metabolites in root cells of A. rusticana. Six hours after incubation with 1 mM of acetaminophen, the distribution of acetaminophen and related metabolites in the cells resulted in 18% paracetamol, 64% paracetamol-glucoside, 17% paracetamol glutathione, and 1% of the corresponding cysteine conjugate. Discussion The formation of two independently formed metabolites in plant root cells again revealed strong similarities between plant and mammalian detoxification systems. The detoxification mechanism of glucuronization in mammals is mirrored by glucosidation of xenobiotics in plants. Furthermore, in both systems, a glutathione conjugate is formed. Due to the existence of P450 enzymes in plants, the formation of the highly reactive NAPQI intermediate is possible. Conclusions In this study, we introduce the hairy root cell culture of A. rusticana L. as a suitable model system to study the fate of acetaminophen in plant tissues. Our first results point to the direction of plants being able to take up and detoxify the model substrate paracetamol. These first findings underline the great potential of using plants for waste water treatments in constructed wetlands. Recommendations and perspectives This very first study on the detoxification of a widely used antipyretic agent in plant tissues again shows the flexibility of plant detoxification systems and their potential in waste water treatment facilities. This study covers only the very first steps of acetaminophen detoxification in plants; still, there is no data on long-term exposure as well as the possible impact of pharmaceuticals on the plant health and stress defense. Long-term experiments need to be performed to follow the fate of acetaminophen in root and leaf cells in a whole plant system, and to evaluate possible usage of plants for the remediation of acetaminophen from waste water.

Background, aim, and scope Dicofol is widely used as a pesticide in agriculture applications. Since dicofol is mainly synthesized from dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane (DDT), it contains DDT as an impurity. The European Community has forced Prohibition Directive 79/117/EEC to reduce DDT in dicofol formulations. Specifically, DDT content in a dicofol formulation cannot exceed 0.1%. The goal of this project was to determine the DDT content in dicofol formulations used in Turkey. Materials and methods Samples of all the dicofol formulations in Turkey were collected to quantify DDT and DDT-related compounds. Four replicates were used for each sample. GC/MS/MS was used to analyze p,p' and o,p' isomers of DDT, DDD, and DDE. A HPLC was used to determine p,p'-Cl-DDT concentrations. Results The total DDT content of the formulated dicofol was found between 0.3% and 14.3%. The concentration of p,p'-DDE ranged from 167 to 1,042 mg kg⁻¹ in dicofol samples. p,p'-DDT concentrations were found to be 32 to 183 mg kg⁻¹. The o,p'-DDT level ranged from 2 to 34 mg kg⁻¹ in the dicofol formulations analyzed. Discussion It was estimated that 617.8 kg of DDT was released from dicofol. The main impurity was identified as p,p-Cl-DDT. Based on these results, dicofol serves as a continuing source of DDT contamination. Conclusions All DDT concentrations in dicofol samples analyzed were higher than the permitted 0.1% level of Prohibition Directive 79/117/EEC. The reduction of dicofol is critical since it serves as a continual source of DDT contamination. Recommendations and perspectives DDT has been found in soil, water, and air samples. Dicofol has been identified as a contributor to continued DDT contamination in soil and water. More studies are needed to ascertain the source of DDT in the air.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-SOWASTE | National audience | The objective of the Equivalence Guide is to define rules of good practice with respect to equivalent solutions for landfill mineral barriers. The guide refers primarily to non-hazardous waste landfills. The guide, which was first drafted in 2002, was updated in 2008, by a working group composed of the main organisations working on landfill mineral barriers in France. The update also benefited from feedback from professional partners (consultants, landfill operators, geosynthetic suppliers...). This paper summarizes the main changes with respect to the previous version. | Le « Guide Équivalence » a pour objectif de définir des règles de bonne pratique en matière de recherche de solutions « équivalentes » en étanchéité passive d'installation de stockage de déchets. Les principaux sites concernés par ce guide sont les installations de stockage de déchets non dangereux (ISDND). Ce guide, dont la première version date de 2002, a été réactualisé par un groupe de travail constitué des principaux organismes intervenant sur la thématique des barrières minérales d'ISD en France. Cette réactualisation a également bénéficié d'un retour d'expérience recueilli auprès de la profession (bureaux d'étude, exploitants, fournisseurs de géosynthétiques ). Cet article fait une synthèse des principales modifications par rapport à la version antérieure.

National audience | Solid Waste landfilling is a common application of Geosynthetics in geo-environmental engineering. Non-hazardous waste Landfills are responsible for Methane emissions, a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) with high Global Warming Potential naturally present in the biogas. An evaluation of Greenhouse Gas emissions from landfills depending on the way they are operated and on the cap cover characteristics (semi-permeable, impermeable) is presented. Energy recovery from biogas is also discussed. The sensitivity of the environmental performance of landfills on the cover characteristics as well as on the biogas collection and recovery system is highlighted. | Le stockage de déchets est une des applications communes des géosynthétiques en génie de l'environnement. Les installations de stockage de déchets non dangereux (ISDND) occasionnent des émissions de biogaz, ce dernier étant composé de méthane, un puissant gaz à effet de serre (GES). Un bilan des émissions de GES d'une installation de stockage de déchets non dangereux est proposé selon différents scénarios de gestion et les types de couvertures employées (semi-perméable, imperméable). La valorisation énergétique du biogaz est également abordée. L'étude fait apparaître la sensibilité des performances environnementales des ISDND au type de couverture et à la performance du système de traitement du biogaz.

National audience | Objectives of the Saint-Brès landfill capping are waterproofing, water drainage and earth retaining. Slopes on cover reach 66% with length superior to 10 m. Geosynthetic solution is composed from bottom to top of a protective geotextile, a drainage geocomposite industrially associated to a textured 8/10 mm polyethylene film to increase the stability of the system and a earth retaining geogrid. Geocomposite has been designed with Lymphéa® software to drain a rain of 266 mm/day. A polyethylene film was welded on site to increase the waterproofing of the capping. | La réalisation de la couverture du centre de stockage de déchets ménages et assimilés (CSDMA) de Saint-Brès a pour objectifs l'imperméabilisation, le drainage des eaux de pluies et la retenue de la terre végétale. La couverture possède des talus pentés à 66 % avec des rampants supérieurs à 10 m. Le complexe géosynthétique est composé de bas en haut par un géotextile antipoinçonnant, un géocomposite de drainage associé en usine à un film polyéthylène 8/10 mm texturée en sous-face pour augmenter la stabilité du dispositif et une géogrille de retenue des terres. Le géocomposite a été dimensionné hydrauliquement avec le logiciel Lymphéa® pour drainer une pluie de 266 mm/jour. Le film du géocomposite a été soudé sur site pour garantir une imperméabilisation optimale de la couverture.

National audience | To face the estival tourist multitude in Corsica, it is necessary to store drinking water in great quantity during more than 6 months and this on the level of communes whose financial capacities are reduced. Original and economic techniques presented here were developed by the OEHC. The communication presents the technological developments and the reduction of the costs, thanks to the use of géomembranes and floating covers able to store and protect water during more than 6 months without giving taste to water. The results on the long-term evolution of the floating PVC covers are given. This type of solution returns ten times less expansive than a of the same tank capacity with bottom in géomembrane and concrete cover. | Pour faire face à l'affluence touristique estivale en Corse, il est nécessaire de stocker l'eau potable en grande quantité pendant plus de six mois et ceci au niveau de communes dont les capacités financières sont réduites. Des techniques originales et économiques présentées ici ont été développées par l'Office d'équipement hydraulique de la Corse. L'article présente l'évolution de la technique et la réduction des coûts, grâce à l'emploi de géomembranes et de couvertures flottantes capables de stocker et protéger l'eau pendant plus de six mois sans donner de goût à l'eau. Les résultats sur l'évolution à long terme des couvertures flottantes en PVC sont donnés. Ce type de solution revient dix fois moins chère qu'un réservoir de même capacité avec fond en géomembrane et couverture en béton.

[Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-SOWASTE | National audience | Clay geosynthetic barriers (GBR-Cs) used in landfill covers must ensure lining on the long term. The primary mode of ageing of bentonite GBR-Cs in covers is the coupling of cation exchange and hydration-desiccation cycles. The objective of this paper is to synthesize the optimal conditions to prevent a loss of performance of GBR-Cs in covers with time, based on a literature review. Various parameters will be discussed. The literature review will put in light the lack of consistent information from study to study. This enforces the need for a list of information to collect in future excavations. Such a list is proposed in the third section of this paper followed by the presentation of results from recent excavations performed by the first author. | Les géosynthétiques bentonitiques (GSB) utilisés en couverture d'installations de stockage de déchets (ISD) doivent apporter un niveau d'étanchéité suffisant sur le long terme. La dessiccation possible de la bentonite couplée à des phénomènes d'échanges cationiques a été identifiée comme le principal mode de vieillissement. L'objectif de cet article est, à partir d'une synthèse bibliographique, de déterminer les conditions optimales pour prévenir les baisses de performance des GSB. Différents paramètres seront discutés. Cette synthèse bibliographique met en évidence le manque de données cohérentes d'étude à étude. C'est pourquoi une liste d'informations à collecter au cours des prochaines excavations est également proposée à la fin de l'article avant la présentation de résultats d'excavations récentes de GSB.

National audience | The use of geomembranes is largely spread for waterproofing of waste water treatment marshes and road pollution containment reservoirs. The geomembranes indeed make it possible to solve in an economic way the problems of realization of these ponds. The paper presents some recent and characteristic examples. However, to ensure the success of these operations, essential rules must be respected, concerning the choice of the site until, during the construction and its control. The paper reviews the essential rules, which concern all the peoples involved in the project, Owners Building, Project superintendents and contractors. | L'usage des géomembranes s'est largement répandu pour l'étanchéité des bassins de lagunage et des bassins routiers. L'emploi des géomembranes permet en effet de résoudre de façon économique les problèmes de réalisation de ces bassins. L'article présente un certain nombre d'exemples récents et caractéristiques. Cependant, pour assurer le succès de ces opérations, un certain nombre de règles essentielles doivent être respectées, depuis le choix du site jusqu'à la réalisation et à son contrôle. L'article passe en revue les règles essentielles, qui concernent tous les intervenants, maîtres d'ouvrages, maîtres d'½uvre et entrepreneurs.