Biodegradation of Crude Oil Polluted Soil by Co-Composting with Agricultural Wastes and Inorganic Fertilizer

Pollution of the environment by petroleum products is inevitable due to oil production,   transportation and distribution activities.   The present study is aimed at examining the extent of bioremediation that can be achieved in crude oil polluted soil after supplementing with organic manure (poultry droppings and goat dung); inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15:15:15) and saw dust respectively. A bioremediation study was carried out on soil experimentally polluted with Bonny Light crude oil by supplementation with organic and inorganic nutrients (poultry manure, goat dung, saw dust and NPK fertilizer). The efficacy of the treatments was monitored for 112days by the measurement of total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria load and some physico-chemical parameters. The polluted soil (Control) sample had mean bacterial counts of 8.8x104, 9.0x104, 9.2´104, 9.9x104 and 7.6x104 cfu/g respectively. Sample treated with NPK fertilizer had mean bacterial counts of 4.4x104, 4.6x104, 4.7x104, 4.9x104 and 5.2x104 cfu/g on days 0,28,56,84 and 112 respectively; sample treated with poultry manure had mean bacterial counts of 1.6x104, 1.8x104, 2.0x104, 2.4x104 and 2.7x104 cfu/g on days 0, 28,56,84 and 112 respectively; the saw dust treated sample had mean bacterial counts of 2.0x104, 2.3x104, 2.7x104, 2.9x104 and 3.0x104 cfu/g on days 0,28,56,84 and 112 respectively while that treated with goat dung had mean bacterial counts of 9.3x104, 9.5x104, 9.6x104, 9.8x104and 9.9x104 cfu/g on days 0,28,56,84 and 112 respectively.  There were differences in the physico-chemical analyses from the diverse samples. After statistical analysis (P£0.05) there was a significant difference between the different treated samples from the control. The results suggest that nutrient supplementation would be effective in the remediation of crude oil polluted soils. The potentials of various treatment options for the bioremediation of crude oil polluted soils seems to hold the most immediate solution especially for use in areas that would be adversely affected by physical or other removal methods. In this study, the reduction of oil in the treated samples is evident, polluted samples supplemented with fertilizer and poultry manure respectively proved to be the best options during the 112 days study period. This study shows that those organic supplements containing nitrogen and phosphorus have great potentials for the remediation of soils contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbon within a reasonable time. Keywords: Bioremediation, Crude Oil Polluted Soil, Organic Manure (poultry droppings and goat dung); Inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15:15:15), Saw dust

Simulating high-redshift galaxies

Recent observations have gathered a considerable sample of high redshift galaxy candidates and determined the evolution of their luminosity function (LF). To interpret these findings, we use cosmological SPH simulations including, in addition to standard physical processes, a detailed treatment of the Pop III-Pop II transition in early objects. The simulated high-z galaxies match remarkably well the amplitude and slope of the observed LF in the redshift range 5<z<10. The LF shifts towards fainter luminosities with increasing redshift, while its faint-end slope keeps an almost constant value, \alpha ~-2. The stellar populations of high-z galaxies have ages of 100-300 (40-130) Myr at z=5 (z=7-8), implying an early (z>9.4) start of their star formation activity; the specific star formation rate is almost independent of galactic stellar mass. These objects are enriched rapidly with metals and galaxies identified by HST/WFC3 (M_UV < -18) show metallicities ~0.1 Zsun even at z=7-8. Most of the simulated galaxies at z~7 (noticeably the smallest ones) are virtually dust-free, and none of them has an extinction larger than E(B-V) = 0.01. The bulk (50%) of the ionizing photons is produced by objects populating the faint-end of the LF (M_UV < -16), which JWST will resolve up to z=7.3. PopIII stars continue to form essentially at all redshifts; however, at z=6 (z=10) the contribution of Pop III stars to the total galactic luminosity is always less than 5% for M_UV < -17 (M_UV < -16). The typical high-z galaxies closely resemble the GRB host galaxy population observed at lower redshifts, strongly encouraging the use of GRBs to detect the first galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, MNRAS in pres

Plasma 17beta-estradiol and alkali-labile phosphoprotein levels in male and female Tench (Tinca tinca) in the Anzali and Amirkolayeh wetlands

Environmental pollutants are potentiate to disturb biological processes such as metabolism, growth and reproduction of aquatic organisms. These compounds are able to cause gonadal abnormalities, biased sex ratios and alteration in reproductive physiology in fish. The aim of this study was to examine plasma 17β-estradiol (E2) and alkali-labile phosphoprotein (ALP) levels in male and female Tench (Tinca tinca) from a polluted (the Anzali Wetland) and a non-polluted environments (the Amirkolayeh Wetland). Samples were collected over the maturation season of Tench between May and June 2017. The results revealed significant difference in mean ALP and E2 between genders in the polluted environment. However, the mean plasma ALP concentrations in male Tench of the polluted environment (39.46±1.02 µg/ml) was 45% of the average recorded in female (86.18±2.25 µg/ml) and was two times higher than the amount measured in males in the non-polluted environment (18.68±0.35 µg/ml). High concentrations of E2, were detected in the male samples from the Anzali Wetland. Mean plasma E2 concentrations for male in the Anzali Wetland was almost two times higher than male in the Amirkolayeh Wetland. The results indicate that the reproductive physiology of Tench was affected by contaminants found in the Anzali Wetland, a highly polluted area

Contaminant release from sediments: a mass flux approach

With the predicted climate change it is expected that the chances of flooding increase. During flood events sediments will suspend and if sediments are polluted, contaminants can be released to water. Also under gentle flow regimes, when sediments are settled and form a sediment bed, transfer of contaminants to water is possible. The release of contaminants from the sediment –particles and bed– to the aqueous phase is the first step in a sequence of processes. When this step is the rate limiting process we speak of mass transfer limitation. In this thesis the release of (mainly) dieldrin from field aged sediment was studied using the SPEED reactor we developed for this purpose. In this reactor parameters like mixing intensity and water flow –or dilution– rate can be controlled and low aqueous concentrations of contaminants can be quantified. Dieldrin release from the sediments was assessed for different situations: simulating a flood event and simulating more gentle flow conditions. In line with the variable discharge rates in rivers, we performed experiments with different flow rates and assessed the release of dieldrin in time

Autogenic versus environmental control during development of river biofilm

In the natural environment, microbial community structure of river biofilm is controlled by biotic and abiotic factors. This study explored the capacity to manipulate the structure of microbial communities by modifying environmental conditions during the course of biofilm development. River epilithic biofilm was cultivated in situ on artificial substrates placed parallel to river water flow. Substrates were incubated for 3 and 5.5 weeks in river to allow natural biofilm development, at two sites with contrasting physico-chemical characteristics. The first site (Aurade´ , Gers, France) was located in an agricultural watershed basin and the second site (Larroque, Haute-Garonne, France) was located in a forested watershed basin. After 3 weeks of biofilm development, a subset of substrates was collected from one site and transplanted to the second site where they remained for 2.5 further weeks. Epilithic bacterial community structure (at 3 weeks from each site and at 5.5 weeks from biofilms with and without transplantation) was assessed using PCR-DGGE of 16S rDNA fragment. Biofilm biomass was estimated using ash free dry mass (AFDM). After 3 weeks of development, biofilms from the two sites exhibited comparable AFDM values (average of 1.4¡0.2 g.mx2). A difference between the two sites was observed after 5.5 weeks of development: AFDM decreased for biofilms from the agricultural watershed basin (from 1.4 to 0.18 g.mx2) as a consequence of grazing pressure (Bithynia), and increased for biofilms from the forested agricultural watershed (from 1.4 to 2.6 g.mx2). Microbial community analyses revealed a differentiated community structure between biofilms from the different sites and exhibited a change of microbial community structure after 5.5 weeks of biofilm development. These observations confirm a process of ecological succession in microbial communities. Changing the incubation site during biofilm development modified the trajectory of these ecological successions, suggesting that site characteristics mainly conditioned the structure of these microbial communities

A review of exposure assessment methods for epidemiological studies of health effects related to industrially contaminated sites

BACKGROUND: this paper is based upon work from COST Action ICSHNet. Health risks related to living close to industrially contaminated sites (ICSs) are a public concern. Toxicology-based risk assessment of single contaminants is the main approach to assess health risks, but epidemiological studies which investigate the relationships between exposure and health directly in the affected population have contributed important evidence. Limitations in exposure assessment have substantially contributed to uncertainty about associations found in epidemiological studies. OBJECTIVES: to examine exposure assessment methods that have been used in epidemiological studies on ICSs and to provide recommendations for improved exposure assessment in epidemiological studies by comparing exposure assessment methods in epidemiological studies and risk assessments. METHODS: after defining the multi-media framework of exposure related to ICSs, we discussed selected multi-media models applied in Europe. We provided an overview of exposure assessment in 54 epidemiological studies from a systematic review of hazardous waste sites; a systematic review of 41 epidemiological studies on incinerators and 52 additional studies on ICSs and health identified for this review. RESULTS: we identified 10 multi-media models used in Europe primarily for risk assessment. Recent models incorporated estimation of internal biomarker levels. Predictions of the models differ particularly for the routes ‘indoor air inhalation’ and ‘vegetable consumption’. Virtually all of the 54 hazardous waste studies used proximity indicators of exposure, based on municipality or zip code of residence (28 studies) or distance to a contaminated site (25 studies). One study used human biomonitoring. In virtually all epidemiological studies, actual land use was ignored. In the 52 additional studies on contaminated sites, proximity indicators were applied in 39 studies, air pollution dispersion modelling in 6 studies, and human biomonitoring in 9 studies. Exposure assessment in epidemiological studies on incinerators included indicators (presence of source in municipality and distance to the incinerator) and air dispersion modelling. Environmental multi-media modelling methods were not applied in any of the three groups of studies. CONCLUSIONS: recommendations for refined exposure assessment in epidemiological studies included the use of more sophisticated exposure metrics instead of simple proximity indicators where feasible, as distance from a source results in misclassification of exposure as it ignores key determinants of environmental fate and transport, source characteristics, land use, and human consumption behaviour. More validation studies using personal exposure or human biomonitoring are needed to assess misclassification of exposure. Exposure assessment should take more advantage of the detailed multi-media exposure assessment procedures developed for risk assessment. The use of indicators can be substantially improved by linking definition of zones of exposure to existing knowledge of extent of dispersion. Studies should incorporate more often land use and individual behaviour

Morphological and molecular responses of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus to highly contaminated marine sediments: The case study of Bagnoli-Coroglio brownfield (Mediterranean Sea)

none8noMarine sediments store complex mixtures of compounds, including heavy metals, organotins and a large array of other contaminants. Sediment quality monitoring, characterization and management are priorities, due to potential impacts of the above compounds on coastal waters and their biota, especially in cases of pollutants released during dredging activities. Harbours and marinas, as well as estuaries and bays, where limited exchanges of water occurr, the accumulation of toxic compounds poses major concerns for human and environmental health. Here we report the effects of highly contaminated sediments from the site of national interest Bagnoli-Coroglio (Tyrrhenian Sea, Western Mediterranean) on the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, considered a good model for ecotoxicological studies. Adult sea urchins were reared one month in aquaria in the presence of contaminated sediment that was experimentally subject to different patterns of re-suspension events (mimicking the effect of natural storms occurring in the field), crossed with O2 enrichment versus natural gas exchanges in the water. The development of embryos deriving from adult urchins exposed to such experimental conditions was followed until the pluteus stage, checking the power of contaminated sediment to induce morphological malformations and its eventual buffering by high oxygenation. Real-Time qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of several genes (among the fifty analyzed, involved in different functional processes) was targeted by contaminated sediments more than those exposed in oxygen-enriched condition. Our findings have biological and ecological relevance in terms of assessing the actual impact on local organisms of chronic environmental contamination by heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons affecting the Bagnoli-Coroglio area, and of exploring enhanced sediment and water oxygenation as a promising tool to mitigate the effects of contamination in future environmental restoration actions.embargoed_20220101Ruocco N.; Bertocci I.; Munari M.; Musco L.; Caramiello D.; Danovaro R.; Zupo V.; Costantini M.Ruocco, N.; Bertocci, I.; Munari, M.; Musco, L.; Caramiello, D.; Danovaro, R.; Zupo, V.; Costantini, M