Environmental Engineering

Despite the importance of Social Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (S-LCSA), little research has addressed its integration into Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems. This paper presents a structured review of relevant research and practice. Also, to address practical aspects in more detail, it focuses on challenges and potential for adoption of such an integrated system at an electronics company. We began by reviewing literature on implementations of Social-LCSA and identifying research needs. Then we investigated the status of Social-LCSA within the electronics industry, both by reviewing literature and interviewing decision makers, to identify challenges and the potential for adopting S-LCSA at an electronics company. We found low maturity of Social-LCSA, particularly difficulty in quantifying social sustainability. Adoption of Social-LCSA was less common among electronics industry suppliers, especially mining & smelting plants. Our results could provide a basis for conducting case studies that could further clarify issues involved in integrations of Social-LCSA into PLM systems.

The Sips isotherm equation, proposed in 1948, is popularly used to describe the adsorption of a diverse array of water contaminants by engineered and natural adsorbents. However, that apparent popularity conceals problematic application issues. Our critique of its use in water contaminant adsorption research is threefold. First, we show that a linear version of the Sips equation promoted by several reviews is bogus. We also highlight application problems associated with two other linear versions. Second, we show that it is inappropriate to compare the Sips and Langmuir-Freundlich equations in data correlation. Because the two equations are mathematically equivalent, they must provide exactly the same fit to a given set of isotherm data. Third, we argue that there is little to be gained by applying the Sips equation to type I isotherms, which are hyperbolic curves. Such isotherm shapes can be adequately interpreted by simple two-parameter isotherm models such as the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. The modeling power of the Sips equation can be more profitably exploited by applying it to type V isotherms, which are sigmoid curves.

Industrialization is undoubtedly the cornerstone of every nation's development and prosperity, as evident in the studies of industrial revolutions in many parts of the world. Hence, several nations desire and strive to be industrialized for their overall socioeconomic benefits. This paper therefore examines the peril of industrialization in Nigeria and its link to the nondevelopment of the Nigerian steel sector, taking cognizance of steel as the bedrock of industrialization. The paper adopts the qualitative method of research using both primary and secondary sources. The findings are presented in themes. It argues that Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources that could propel the nation to becomingsteel-producing, which will have a ripple effect on the socioeconomic psyche of the nation. It further argues that the noncompletion of Nigeria's steel projects, nay Ajaokuta Steel Company, has become a clog in the wheel of Nigeria's industrialization despite the abundance of raw materials and urges the Nigerian government to develop its steel sector as a prelude to industrialization, else the nation will continue to be in drought even in the rains.

In my PhD thesis I investigate the relationship between corporates ́ financial and environmental performances. The concept of quantitative environmental performance measures was introduced to enable to compare and analyse environmental impacts of different socio-economic units e.g. companies, countries, regions. In my dissertation, I use environmental performance measures to examine their effect on the financial performance of different companies. In the first chapter, I apply a meta-analysis to examine the results of the previous studies which investigate the impact of firms ́ environmental performance on their financial performance. The outcomes propose that it is important to account for the omitted variable bias such as unobserved firm heterogeneity. The results suggest that it takes time for the environmental regulation to materialize into the financial performance, too. In the subsequent two chapters I study Czech firms over 2004-2008. First I study the intertemporal effects o...

Several species of non-indigenous planktonic invertebrates have historically been introduced to the Laurentian Great Lakes. Previous introductions of non-indigenous planktonic invertebrates to the Great Lakes have been crustacean zooplankton, specifically Cladocera and Copepoda. This report documents the first known occurrence of Brachionus leydigii var. tridentatus (Zernov, 1901) in Lake Erie and possibly the first detection of a nonindigenous rotifer species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The specimen was collected from a U.S. EPA monitoring station in the western basin of Lake Erie on April 4, 2016.

Four specimens of the Asiatic parasitic copepod Neoergasilus japonicus (Harada, 1930) were collected from Oneida Lake, New York in September 2018; one specimen was from a white sucker Catostomus commersonii, another from a green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, and two from a bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. The four adult female specimens were found attached to the base of the gills of their respective hosts along with other ergasilid species. The average total length of the adult female N. japonicus specimens we found was 0.609 mm. These detections represent the first known occurrence of this non-native species in the state of New York, extends the easternmost distribution of this parasite over 400 miles, and now includes the Lake Ontario watershed for the first time. It is commonly believed that the international aquaculture industry and aquarium fish trade are the most likely vectors of dispersal for N. japonicus. Monitoring the spread of non-indigenous aquatic species is an important step towards the development of management plans and mitigation efforts with regards to the anthropogenic causes of dispersal, and fish parasites are no exception.

Water resource management (WRM) through dams or reservoirs is worldwide necessary to support key human‐related activities, ranging from hydropower production to water allocation and flood risk mitigation. Designing of reservoir operations aims primarily to fulfill the main purpose (or purposes) for which the structure has been built. However, it is well known that reservoirs strongly influence river geomorphic processes, causing sediment deficits downstream, altering water, and sediment fluxes, leading to riverbed incision and causing infrastructure instability and ecological degradation. We propose a framework that, by combining physically based modeling, surrogate modeling techniques, and multiobjective (MO) optimization, allows to include fluvial geomorphology into MO optimization whose main objectives are the maximization of hydropower revenue and the minimization of riverbed degradation. The case study is a run‐of‐the‐river power plant on the River Po (Italy). A 1‐D mobile‐bed ...

A method for the determination of termiticides present in ambient air was simplified by modifying the extraction thimbles used in the Hewlett-Packard supercritical fluid extractor so they could be used for collection as well as extraction of termiticides. The method was applied to the determination of chlorpyrifos and technical chlordane. The termiticides were trapped on cartridges containing Florisil and foam plugs, extracted with carbon dioxide in the supercritical fluid extractor, and determined by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. On the basis of a 20 m3 sample, detection limits were 0.1 ng/m3 for chlorpyrifos and 1.0 ng/m3 for technical chlordane.

As a part of the PM 2.5 Technology Assessment and Characterization Study-New York (PMTACS-NY), concentrations of sulfate and 15 trace elements were determined in daily PM 2.5 samples collected from July 2001 to September 2002 at a site in urban Queens, NY. The elements were Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sb, and Pb. Over the first 12 months these elemental concentrations were measured in both a water extract and in a total acid digestate so that the solubility of the aerosols bearing the above trace elements could be evaluated. This is important as elements with high solubility can be more readily bio-activated in the lungs and thus may be potentially more harmful to humans. An overview of the elemental composition of PM 2.5 aerosols at the Queens, NY site over the 15-month period is presented. This includes a comparison of seasonal changes in aerosol composition and solubility at the sites along with an evaluation of the impacts on aerosol composition of the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers in Manhattan on 9/11/2001 and the smoke from Quebec wildfires in early July 2002.

Dissolution properties of colemanite and gypsum formation in sulfuric acid were investigated by measuring size distribution of particles in the reaction cell with time. After termination of the reaction, the remained material in the cell was analyzed to find out unreacted and reacted fractions. The results showed that the reaction of colemanite particles with sulfuric acid led to reduction in particle sizes and the degree of reduction depended on acids concentration and reaction time. The dissolution period and point of gypsum formation were clearly distinguished and marked on particle size plots.

This paper deals with the current magnesite concentration technology and upgrading studies in Turkey, which is the second biggest magnesite and third biggest sinter magnesia producer in the world. Magnesite heat treatment and magnetic separation fundamentals are also covered. This study aims to concentrate magnesite middlings containing the silica/iron impurities from Kütahya, Turkey, by calcination and dry magnetic separation. Final calcined MgCO 3 product contains 89.57% MgO, 0.96% SiO 2 , 0.43% Fe 2 O 3 , 2.35% CaO and 6.64% loss of ignition. The optimum particle size was determined at -8 + 0.5 mm at 1000°C. Final product is saleable for industrial applications (i.e., soil decontamination, panels, fertilizers, animal nutrition, abrasives).

Backwashing rapid sand filters causes inadvertent displacement of filter media grains from their previous depths. This displacement can affect the hydraulic function of filters by mixing or segregating media grains, and the function of biofilters through displacement of active biomass and coatings from proper depths. This study quantifies grain displacement in a pilot-scale filter using tracer grains of colored sand, glass beads, anthracite and garnet to determine the effect of grain size, density and shape on grain displacement. Statistical moments are used to describe the depth distributions resulting from displacement during backwashing. Results show that significant grain displacement occurs during backwash consisting of air scour, air-and-water wash and sub-fluidization water-only wash. Here, displacement is largely independent of grain size, density and shape. When fluidization backwash is used, greater displacement and more dependence on grain characteristics is seen. A varie...

The use of biofilters to produce drinking water from anaerobic groundwater is widespread in some European countries. A major disadvantage of biofilters is the long start-up period required for virgin filter medium to become fully functional. Although individual aspects of biofilter start-up have previously been investigated, no comprehensive study in full scale using inherent inoculation has previously been documented. A thorough investigation of a full-scale drinking water biofilter was carried out over 10 weeks of start-up. The many spatial and temporal changes taking place during start-up were documented using a holistic approach. In addition to collection of many samples over time (frequency) and space (filter depth), this study entailed the use of multiple sample media (water, backwash water and filter media) and multiple types of analyses (physical, chemical and microbiological). The decrease in filter effluent concentrations of individual substances to compliance levels followed a specific order that was shown to coincide with the spatiotemporal development of bacteria on the filter media. Due to the abiotic nature of the iron removal process, iron disappears at the earliest in the start-up period followed by substances that require growth of microorganisms. Ammonium disappears next, with nitrite appearing briefly near the end of ammonium removal, followed by manganese. The thorough overall picture obtained by these efforts provides guidance for optimization and monitoring of the start-up. Guidance for optimization includes shortening the start-up by focusing on kick-starting the ammonium removal; limiting the monitoring burden (at-line measurements of ammonium in finished water supplemented with manual manganese measurements when ammonium removal is complete); and improving filter design by isolating the removal processes in separate, smaller filters.

The purpose of backwashing during the start-up period of rapid biofilters at drinking water treatment plants differs significantly from the purpose of backwashing during normal operation. During startup, finished water quality is secondary, detachment of microorganisms must be minimized, dust present in the original filter media must be removed and inherent inoculation of the biofilter with water used for backwashing must be considered. Investigations over a 9-week start-up period at a full-scale waterworks showed a strong correlation between suspended solids and turbidity, and that fine particles present in the original filter media were removed over a period of several weeks. In addition, after an initial period in which iron accumulated on the filter was not removed by backwash, iron was removed with 80% efficiency. Backwashing had 0% efficiency in removing manganese from the filter media. Practical conclusions include that shortened backwash procedures during start-up may be preferable, turbidity may be used as a surrogate for suspended solids in backwash effluent, filter media may be pre-treated by exaggerated backwashing to remove fine particles before start-up, and that a reasonable backwash procedure for future operation of the filter may be defined early in the start-up period.

Dissolved oxygen is critical for proper operation of waterworks that utilize anaerobic groundwater and rely on biofilters to remove iron, manganese and ammonium. In these biofilters, planned or inadvertent oxygen deprivation may occur for a variety of reasons. The water quality effects of oxygen deprivation on the function of drinking water biofilters, however, have not previously been reported. In this study, a 5-day oxygen deprivation period in full-scale biofilters was found to affect iron, manganese and ammonium concentrations differently. During the oxygen deprivation period, iron continued to be removed, although a greater depth of filter media was required to carry out the removal. Manganese oxide in filter media was mobilized, causing manganese water concentrations to increase well above raw water levels. The ammonium in the raw water passed through the biofilters unchanged, indicating the dependence of nitrification microorganisms on oxygen as their sole electron acceptor. ...

N o . 1 lic supports renewable energy and energy effi ciency as priority GHG mitigation options (Curry et al., 2007), their economic potential to cut emissions over the mid-term is likely insuffi cient to prevent the more serious impacts of climate change. Many experts believe that every climate mitigation option, including CCS, must be employed to stabilize atmospheric concentrations at a viable level (Socolow, 2004). Figure 1 offers one illustration SUMMARY Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) could become an important option to limit carbon dioxide emissions that are now causing global climate change. Interest in CCS has grown in North America, Europe, and Asia over the past 5 years. Selected challenges facing the technology include: developing a policy driver to incentivize deployment; defi ning a fl exible and adaptable regulatory framework; and funding large-scale demonstration projects to resolve technical and integration uncertainties as well as reduce high costs. Addressing these three challenges will help solve a fourth: public acceptability. Debate over the timing of CCS deployment is likely to continue, but it is clear that this climate mitigation option is critical to eventual stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This policy brief outlines high-level issues related to deployment of carbon dioxide capture and geological sequestration (CCS). It serves as a broad introduction to some of the key challenges that must be addressed for wide-scale deployment of CCS. Forthcoming papers in this WRI series will address selected issues in greater depth. CCS is one option for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions that are now altering the global climate system. The CCS process starts with capturing carbon dioxide from power plants or other large industrial point sources, transporting it to suitable locations, and injecting it into underground reservoirs. Interest in CCS has grown in recent years as it would significantly reduce emissions from fossil fuels, which are expected to continue to meet the world's energy needs for decades to come due to their widespread availability and low cost. Challenging economic, technical, social, and institutional hurdles remain, however, before CCS can contribute signifi cantly to a larger climate solution. POTENTIAL FOR REDUCING CO 2 EMISSIONS The global community must reduce greenhouse gas emissions signifi cantly and quickly to prevent catastrophic climate change. According to the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, even to hold global mean temperature increases to 2.6°C (4.7°F) or less, global emissions should peak and then begin declining by 2020 (IPCC, 2007). Even then, more frequent heat waves, droughts, severe storms, sea level rise, and other signifi cant climate change impacts are expected. Currently, fossil fuels meet about 80 percent of global energy needs, and demand for energy will increase as populations and incomes rise. While surveys have indicated that the general pub-

 The absolute crystallinity of partly cristalline brookite samples was determined by a facile method.  Various brookite samples were tested for two different photocatalytic reactions.  A correlation among crystallinity, oxidant power and selectivity of the samples was found.

 The absolute crystallinity of partly cristalline brookite samples was determined by a facile method.  Various brookite samples were tested for two different photocatalytic reactions.  A correlation among crystallinity, oxidant power and selectivity of the samples was found.

Population centres in low atoll islands have water supply problems that are amongst the most critical in the world. Fresh groundwater, the major source of water in many atolls, is extremely vulnerable to natural processes and human activities. Storm surges and over-extractions cause seawater intrusion, while human settlements and agriculture can pollute shallow groundwaters. Limited land areas restrict freshwater quantities, particularly in frequent ENSO-related droughts. Demand for freshwater is increasing and availability is extremely limited. At the core of many groundwater management problems are the traditional water ownership rights inherent in land tenure and the conflict between the requirements of urbanised societies and the traditional values and rights of subsistence communities living on groundwater reserves. Resource limitations and geographic isolation restrict the potential for increasing wealth through crop exports. Water governance reforms and the provision of knowledge to communities are critical. Regional water organisations, fostering self-support, are a key to developing island-adopted and owned solutions.

This paper examines the effect of particle sizes in substrates on methane production yields of wheat and rice straw biomass without any other applied pretreatment. Anaerobic digestion of three different mean particle size (MPS) substrate of 1.5 mm, 0.75 mm, and 0.30 mm of wheat and rice straw biomass was carried out at 37oC mesophilic temperature. The observed result revealed that mean particle size of 0.30 mm, and 0.75 mm had increased methane production yield by 4.7%, and 38.7%, respectively, compared to 1.50 mm particle size of wheat straw. However, in case of rice straw substrates the methane production yield was found 7.9%, and 13.0% higher, respectively, for mean particle size of 0.30 mm, and 0.75 mm, compared to 1.50 mm particle size. Mean particle size of 0.75 mm had yielded highest biogas as well as methane yields in both cases of biomass, however, wheat straw resulted into considerably higher methane yield than rice straw.

Raised-bed plasticulture, an intensive production system used around the world for growing high-value crops (e.g., fresh market vegetables), faces a water-food nexus that is actually a food-water-energy-land-economic nexus. Plasticulture represents a multibillion dollar facet of the United States crop production value annually and must become more efficient to be able to produce more on less land, reduce water demands, decrease impacts on surrounding environments, and be economically-competitive. Taller and narrower futuristic beds were designed with the goal of making plasticulture more sustainable by reducing input requirements and associated wastes (e.g., water, nutrients, pesticides, costs, plastics, energy), facilitating usage of modern technologies (e.g., drip-based fumigation), improving adaptability to a changing climate (e.g., flood protection), and increasing yield per unit area. Compact low-input beds were analyzed against conventional beds for the plasticulture production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), an economically-important crop, using a systems approach involving field measurements, vadose-zone modeling (HYDRUS), and production analysis. Three compact bed geometries, 61 cm (width) x 25 cm (height), 45 cm x 30 cm, 41 cm x 30 cm, were designed and evaluated against a conventional 76 cm x 20 cm bed. A two-season field study was conducted for tomato in the ecologically-sensitive and productive Everglades region of Florida. Compact beds did not statistically impact yield and were found to reduce: 1) production costs by $150-$450/ha; 2) leaching losses by up to 5% (1 cm/ha water, 0.33 kg/ha total nitrogen, 0.05 kg/ha total phosphorus); 3) fumigant by up to 47% (48 kg/ha); 4) plasticulture's carbon footprint by up to 10% (1,711 kg CO 2 -eq/ha) and plastic waste stream by up to 13% (27 kg/ha); 5) flood risks and disease pressure by increasing field's soil water storage capacity by up to 33% (≈1 cm); and 6) field runoff by 0.48-1.40 cm (51-76%) based on

Microplastics are so widely dispersed and abundant throughout the globe that many scientists consider them to be important markers of the recent and current time, which is known as the Plasticene. The effects of microplastics are still not fully known, though. Because microplastics are multiple stressors with a variety of physical-chemical characteristics, understanding their impact is quite complicated. Toxic chemicals are transported by microplastics in ecosystems, acting as vectors of transport. Also, many dangerous chemicals are added during polymer production to enhance their properties as well as lengthen their life, and these chemicals must have detrimental effect. To date, many significant studies have been conducted, making a good progress to understand the effect of the key plastic additives on the environment. These additives are discharged into the environment and, hence become a source of many health issues, especially, when are coupled with micro-plastics. The current study thoroughly reviewed the most toxic and dangerous chemicals used in the plastic industry, elaborating the effects on organism health. Also, it provided information about the works that explored their abundance on microplastics.

The possibility of producing drinking water from brackish groundwater polluted with F À using nanofiltration (NF) process was previously studied at a pilot scale. Brackish groundwaters were taken from the south of Morocco (Tan Tan city) and from the center west of Senegal (Thiadiaye City). The performances of few commercialized NF spiral wound elements, low-pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO), and reverse osmosis (RO) were compared to a large-scale pilot experiments (membrane area, 7.6 m 2 ). The following parameters were determined: hydraulic permeability, total salinity; and Cl À , F À , and SO 4 2À removals were compared under the influence of various experimental parameters such as flow yield ratio, transmembrane pressure, energy consumption and water compositions before and after treatment. This study shows that NF provides specific advantages for fluoride removal as compared to LPRO and RO. Indeed, NF permits to reduce partially the total salinity and to reject selectively fluorides with a high flow yield ratio, at low pressure (lower than 20 bars) and therefore with a low energy consumption as compared to actual RO membranes. Furthermore, this paper presents the first NF plant in the world dedicated to water defluoridation by nanofiltration and built recently in Thiadiaye (Senegal) (fresh water production 33,000 L/h).

Odours are a major nuisance near industrial sites such as waste water treatment plants. To be able to forecast and to follow in realtime the dispersion of smells around the plant would be a major improvement with respect to neighbours relation as well as the site management and planning. In such a context, the SIAAP, which deals with waste water for the entire region of Paris, France, has developed and implemented on their sites of Seine aval, Marne aval and Seine amont an innovative tool called SYPROS. SYPROS is based on the 3D CFD dispersion tool Fluidyn-PANEIA using a Lagrangian puff model for the real-time procedure and a source definition module to determine the source emission rates in real-time (i.e. with a 30 minute delay in continuous mode). To this end the concept of real-time adjustment of the source emission, the so-called remapping process, has been implemented. A case study of the implementation of the comprehensive tool SYPROS on the Seine aval site is described.

Се почестите појави на елементарни непогоди на територијата на Република Македонија покрај за човекот претставуваат опасност и за материјалните добра. Недвижното културно наследство како дел од материјалните добра на државата е изложено на опасност од негово уништување или оштетување при појава на елементарни непогоди. Поради тоа неопходно е увидување на најчестите видови на елементарни непогоди кои би го загрозиле овој вид на наследство, како и мапирање и елаборирање на критичи места за полесно и поефикасно превенирање и справување со ваквите опасности и загрозувања. Клучни зборови: недвижно културно наследство, елементарни непогоди, Република Македонија, мапирање, елаборирањ

This work used a literature search to select the most suitable system for the delignification process of annual plants. This process was evaluated in terms of lignin removal from plant biomass. Based on previous experiments, a low transition temperature mixture (LTTM) was used, which was a mixture of choline chloride and lactic acid in a molar ratio of 1:2. Samples of hemp fibers were examined. The delignification of biomass was monitored by changing the content of the main components. After application of the solvent at a temperature of 100, 120, or 140 °C and a delignification time of 2 or 4 h, the lignin content expressed by Kappa number decreased to the level of 22 to 13.7. Yields of hemp fibers sown after LTTM application ranged from 72.5 to 90.6%. The results confirmed that the use of LTTM (choline chloride/lactic acid) is a suitable system for the extraction of lignin from biomass. The findings showed that LTTM was an effective delignifying agent for hemp, as a relatively low...

Nowadays, with the rapid increase of people's living standards, they paid more attention to food safety. a new method to detect food additives and bacteria is urgently needed. MOFs are a great material to be used to make a chemosensory of their high stability and porous structure. Compared to the MOFs sensor with any other sensors, it is more convenient, fast and sensitive. It shows excellent potential for the detection of food safety issues in the future. In this article, the important research significance of MOF in the field of food containers was introduced. Various methods of preparing MOFs, including the hydrothermal method, diffusion method and solvent-free method are introduced. Then present the influencing factors of MOFs materials from their fluorescence properties and heavy metals. Finally, the detection of coffeic acid, nitrite and carbendazim by MOF electrochemical sensor in the food safety field has been extended and evaluated. Aiming to connect the MOFs-based chem...

CO 2 rich syngas could be utilized to produce higher hydrocarbons using FeeCo catalyst. CO 2 conversion essentially starts above a certain concentration called critical ratio. Experimental data directly correlates with simulated data from the developed kinetic model.

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t Commercial success of small-scale biomass gasification highly underrated. Many small-scale gasifier technologies successfully tackle the tar problem. Gasifier development reviewed with key indicators of gasifier performance identified. Methodolgy proposed for ranking gasifier technologies delivering best performance. Plasma, two stage fixed bed and stratified downdraft gasifiers ranked highest.

Electronic waste (e-waste) with an annual growth rate of 3-5% is one of the fastest-growing waste streams. The unregulated accumulation and improper recycling can cause grave hazards to human beings and the environment. On the contrary, e-waste can be considered as a secondary source of metals and energy due to its high metal content and polymeric material. Thus, the present study demonstrates technology for the metallic fraction recovery and the production of valuable gases from e-waste. The process involves pyrolysis at a temperature range of 200 °C-600 °C in a fixed bed setup for 10-60 min. Under optimized operating conditions, 35 wt% combustible gases and 60 wt% solid product were obtained at a pyrolysis temperature of 400 °C in 20 min. The gaseous product consisted of CH 4 , H 2 , CO and CO 2 , having the heating value 28 MJ/kg whereas, the solid product is a mixture of metals and other solid residue material. Treatment of the solid product using an ultrasonication process resulted in around 90 wt% recovery of metallic fraction, thereby leaving behind solid residue. Moreover, the transfer of precious metals (Au, Ag, Pd and Pt) was nearly 100% to the metallic fraction. This process combines mild temperature pyrolysis and ultrasonication process to provide a solution for efficient management of e-waste, metallic fraction recovery and valuable gases production.

The study provides the first analysis of the genetic structure of an economically and ecologically important fish species, Eurasian perch, in Lake Geneva. Twelve microsatellite markers were analyzed for 394 fish sampled at the end of the spawning season from seven sites located all around the lake (between 42 and 61 fish per site). The measure of genetic differentiation, F ST , was low overall (0.0035), but significant for twelve pairwise site comparisons. In contrast, Bayesian cluster analyses indicated no support for the presence of more than one distinct genetic cluster. We conclude that there is only one population in the lake. Therefore, the Eurasian perch should be managed as a single stock.

In this paper, the results of an experimental investigation into four potential explanatory factors (i.e. Fe(II) ions, pH, phosphate and reaction time) with different levels, and their influence in the formation of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in water samples are presented. This study revealed that Fe(II) ions (p ¼ 0.0001), phosphate based corrosion inhibitor (p ¼ 0.01) and pH (p ¼ 0.003) were the main significant factors for HAAs formation. A change in Fe(II) ions concentration from 0 to 3 mg/L, and PO 4 dosage from 0 to 1.5 mg/L, decreased HAAs formation by more than 50 and 14% respectively. In contrast, HAAs formation was observed to increase 7.92% with the increase in pH values from 6.5 to 8.5 in the same reaction systems. Considering all of the significant factors, a predictive model for HAAs formation was developed using 40 experiments. The adequacy of the developed model was checked statistically using numerical and graphical diagnostics. The model was found to be statistically significant, and the lack of fit test was found to be insignificant. An independent data set, obtained from HAAs formation study using the natural water samples collected from three main water treatment plants in Nova Scotia, Canada, was used to validate the model.

Cast iron pipes were installed broadly in North American water utilities, particularly in older cities such as Halifax, NS, and other cities in the northeastern portions of Canada and the USA. Many of these cast iron pipes are corroded and are continuous sources of Fe(II) ions in drinking water distribution systems. In this paper, the results of an experimental investigation into the factors influencing haloacetic acids (HAAs) formation in the presence of Fe(II) ions are presented. The experiments were conducted using NaHCO 3 buffered synthetic water samples with different characteristics (i.e. pH, phosphate, stagnation time) simulating with water distribution systems. The results showed that Fe(II) ions significantly reduced HAAs formation in different reaction systems at a 95% confidence level. In control water systems, pH had no significant impact, however, in the presence of Fe(II) ions in water, pH had an obvious impact to increase HAAs formation (α ¼ 0.05). In contrast, phosphate-based corrosion inhibitor significantly (α ¼ 0.05) reduced HAAs formation in the presence of different dosages of Fe(II) ions in water samples for the reaction period of 24, 48, 84 and 130 h, respectively. Significant factors and their rank influencing HAAs formation and distribution were identified using a 2 4 full factorial design approach.

Daily 24-hour PM 2.5 samples were collected continuously from January 1 to December 31, 2010. Elemental concentrations from Al to Pb were obtained using particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method. This was the first full year continuous daily PM 2.5 elemental composition dataset in Beijing. Source apportionment analysis was conducted on this dataset using the positive matrix factorization method. Seven sources and their contributions to the total PM 2.5 mass were identified and quantified. These include secondary sulphur-13.8 μg/m 3 , 26.5%; vehicle exhaust-8.9 μg/m 3 , 17.1%; fossil fuel combustion-8.3 μg/m 3 , 16%; road dust-6.6 μg/m 3 , 12.7%; biomass burning-5.8 μg/m 3 , 11.2%; soil dust-5.4 μg/m 3 , 10.4%; and metal processing-3.1 μg/m 3 , 6.0%. Fugitive dusts (including soil dust and road dust) showed the highest contribution of 20.7 μg/m 3 in the spring, doubling those in other seasons. On the contrary, contributions of the combustion source types (including biomass burning and fossil fuel combustion) were significantly higher in the fall (14.2 μg/m 3 ) and in the winter (24.5 μg/m 3 ) compared to those in the spring and summer (9.6 and 8.0 μg/m 3 , respectively). Secondary sulphur contributed the most in the summer while vehicle exhaust and metal processing sources did not show any clear seasonal pattern. The different seasonal highs and lows from different sources compensated each other. This explains the very small seasonal variations (< 20%) in the total PM 2.5 .

Lamprey are living representatives of the basal vertebrate agnathan lineage. Many lamprey species are anadromous with a complex life cycle that includes metamorphosis from a freshwater (FW) benthic filter-feeding larva into a parasitic juvenile which migrates to seawater (SW) or (in landlocked populations) large bodies of FW. After a juvenile/adult trophic period that can last up to two years, adults return to rivers and migrate upstream to spawn in FW. Therefore, the osmoregulatory challenges anadromous lamprey face during migrations are similar to those of derived diadromous jawed fishes because lamprey osmoregulate to maintain plasma osmolality at approximately one third SW as well. While in FW, lamprey gills actively take up ions and their kidneys excrete excess water to compensate for passive ion loss and water gain. When in SW, lamprey drink SW and their gills actively secrete excess ions (to compensate for salt loading and dehydration). Nevertheless, lampreys diverged from the rest of the vertebrate lineage more than 500 million years ago, which is reflected in similarities and differences in ionocyte (ion transport cell) ultrastructure and distribution as well as tight junctions in epithelia. The current review discusses recent advances in our understanding of ion transport mechanisms of lamprey with a focus on sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) due to the large literature on this species. We emphasize key molecular and cellular mechanisms in osmoregulatory organs (i.e., gill, kidney and gut) and provide insight relative to what is known in other fishes and identify areas where more research is needed.

The water balance dynamics and runoff components of a tropical forested catchment (46 km 2 ) on the southwestern Pacific coast of Nicaragua were studied combining hydrometry, geological characterization and hydrochemical and isotopic tracers (three-component hydrograph separation). The climatic water balance was estimated for 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 with net values of 811 mm year -1 , 782 mm year -1 and -447 mm year -1 , respectively. Runoff components were studied at different spatial and temporal scales, demonstrating that different sources and temporal contributions are controlled by dominant landscape elements and antecedent rainfall. In forested sub-catchments, permeable soils, stratigraphy and steep slopes favour subsurface stormflow generation contributing 50% and 53% to total discharge. At catchment scale, landscape elements such as smooth slopes, wide valleys, deeper soils and water table allow groundwater recharge during rainfall events. Groundwater dominates the hydrograph (50% of total discharge) under dry prior conditions. However, low soil infiltration capacity generates a larger surface runoff component (42%) under wet prior conditions which dominates total discharge. Our results show that forested areas are important to reduce surface runoff and thus soil degradation, which is relevant for the design of water management plans.

The water balance dynamics and runoff components of a tropical forested catchment (46 km 2 ) on the southwestern Pacific coast of Nicaragua were studied combining hydrometry, geological characterization and hydrochemical and isotopic tracers (three-component hydrograph separation). The climatic water balance was estimated for 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13 with net values of 811 mm year -1 , 782 mm year -1 and -447 mm year -1 , respectively. Runoff components were studied at different spatial and temporal scales, demonstrating that different sources and temporal contributions are controlled by dominant landscape elements and antecedent rainfall. In forested sub-catchments, permeable soils, stratigraphy and steep slopes favour subsurface stormflow generation contributing 50% and 53% to total discharge. At catchment scale, landscape elements such as smooth slopes, wide valleys, deeper soils and water table allow groundwater recharge during rainfall events. Groundwater dominates the hydrograph (50% of total discharge) under dry prior conditions. However, low soil infiltration capacity generates a larger surface runoff component (42%) under wet prior conditions which dominates total discharge. Our results show that forested areas are important to reduce surface runoff and thus soil degradation, which is relevant for the design of water management plans.

ABSTRACTLand cover changes (LCCs) play an important role in the climate system. Research over recent decades highlights the impacts of these changes on atmospheric temperature, humidity, cloud cover, circulation, and precipitation. These impacts range from the local‐ and regional‐scale to sub‐continental and global‐scale. It has been found that the impacts of regional‐scale LCC in one area may also be manifested in other parts of the world as a climatic teleconnection. In light of these findings, this article provides an overview and synthesis of some of the most notable types of LCC and their impacts on climate. These LCC types include agriculture, deforestation and afforestation, desertification, and urbanization. In addition, this article provides a discussion on challenges to, and future research directions in, assessing the climatic impacts of LCC.

Occurrence and removal efficiencies of both natural estrogens, estrone (E1), 17b-estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3), and a synthetic estrogen, 17a-ethinylestradiol (EE2), were investigated in sewage treatment plant in Centre Eastern Tunisia employing simple activated sludge process. Concentrations of target estrogens were determined in both wastewater and sludge phases by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometer. Among the estrogens studied, E3 was found as the dominant compound detected in wastewater samples with average concentration up to 300 ± 4 ng/L in influent and up to 36 ± 2 in effluent. High aqueous phase removals (>85%) were achieved for E3, while only low to moderate removals for E1, E2, and EE2 (<75%). Based on the mass balance analysis, sorption onto sludge played a dominant role in the removal of estrogens in warm season, especially for E1 and E2 (69.5 and 66.3%, respectively), while biological degradation played a significant role in hot season (P61%).