Silicon carbide equipments for process intensification of silicon reactions.

Bluestar Silicones, one of the worldwide leaders in silicones chemistry, proposes a R&D project, aiming to design new equipment for the transposition of batch to continuous processes. The safety and environmental issues linked to this type of chemicals, and the productivity targets as well require innovative technologies characterized by a fair corrosion resistance and high heat and mass transfer performances. A preliminary prototype of heat exchanger reactor made of silicon carbide plates has been developed by the LGC in collaboration with a SME specialist of SiC, Boostec. It has allowed the pilot feasibility with some reactions of industrial interest for a Bluestar Silicones to be highlighted. Now, it is necessary to pursue this effort and beyond the feasibility step to go on up to the design of an industrial reactor. This project corresponds to a programme of innovative process development in order to design cleaner, safer and less consuming devices

Влияние литологии на перераспределение метана в угленосной толще

Розглянутий вплив літології на перерасподіл метану у вугільних пластах на шахтах Красноармійського району Донбасу.The influence of litology on methane re-distribution in coal beds on the mines of Krasnoarmeysk region of Donbas were considered

Occurrence of CTX-M Producing Escherichia coli in Soils, Cattle, and Farm Environment in France (Burgundy Region)

CTX-M [a major type of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)] producing Escherichia coli are increasingly involved in human infections worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate potential reservoirs for such strains: soils, cattle, and farm environment. The prevalence of blaCTX-M genes was determined directly from soil DNA extracts obtained from 120 sites in Burgundy (France) using real-time PCR. blaCTX-M targets were found in 20% of the DNA extracts tested. Samples of cattle feces (n = 271) were collected from 182 farms in Burgundy. Thirteen ESBL-producing isolates were obtained from 12 farms and further characterized for the presence of bla genes. Of the 13 strains, five and eight strains carried blaTEM-71 genes and blaCTX-M-1 genes respectively. Ten strains of CTX-M-1 producing E. coli were isolated from cultivated and pasture soils as well as from composted manure within two of these farms. The genotypic analysis revealed that environmental and animal strains were clonally related. Our study confirms the occurrence of CTX-M producing E. coli in cattle and reports for the first time the occurrence of such strains in cultivated soils. The environmental competence of such strains has to be determined and might explain their long term survival since CTX-M isolates were recovered from a soil that was last amended with manure 1 year before sampling

Validation and Application of a PCR Primer Set to Quantify Fungal Communities in the Soil Environment by Real-Time Quantitative PCR

Fungi constitute an important group in soil biological diversity and functioning. However, characterization and knowledge of fungal communities is hampered because few primer sets are available to quantify fungal abundance by real-time quantitative PCR (real-time Q-PCR). The aim in this study was to quantify fungal abundance in soils by incorporating, into a real-time Q-PCR using the SYBRGreen® method, a primer set already used to study the genetic structure of soil fungal communities. To satisfy the real-time Q-PCR requirements to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of the detection technique, this study focused on the 18S rRNA gene conserved regions. These regions are little affected by length polymorphism and may provide sufficiently small targets, a crucial criterion for enhancing accuracy and reproducibility of the detection technique. An in silico analysis of 33 primer sets targeting the 18S rRNA gene was performed to select the primer set with the best potential for real-time Q-PCR: short amplicon length; good fungal specificity and coverage. The best consensus between specificity, coverage and amplicon length among the 33 sets tested was the primer set FR1 / FF390. This in silico analysis of the specificity of FR1 / FF390 also provided additional information to the previously published analysis on this primer set. The specificity of the primer set FR1 / FF390 for Fungi was validated in vitro by cloning - sequencing the amplicons obtained from a real time Q-PCR assay performed on five independent soil samples. This assay was also used to evaluate the sensitivity and reproducibility of the method. Finally, fungal abundance in samples from 24 soils with contrasting physico-chemical and environmental characteristics was examined and ranked to determine the importance of soil texture, organic carbon content, C∶N ratio and land use in determining fungal abundance in soils

Modelling trace metal background to evaluate anthropogenic contamination in arable soils of south-western France

The trace metal (TM) content in arable soils has been monitored across a region of France characterised by a large proportion of calcareous soils. Within this particular geological context, the objectives were to first determine the natural levels of trace metals in the soils and secondly, to assess which sites were significantly contaminated. Because no universal contamination assessment method is currently available, four different methods were applied and compared in order to facilitate the best diagnosis of contamination. First, the TM geochemical background was determined by using basic descriptive statistics and linear regression models calculated with semi-conservative major elements as predictors. The natural concentrations of trace metals varied greatly due to the high soil heterogeneity encountered on the regional scale and were more-or-less accurately modelled according to the considered TM. Second, the basic descriptive statistics and the linear regression methods were then compared with the enrichment factor (EF) method and multivariate analysis (PCA), in order to evaluate whether the concentrations measured in soils were abnormally high or not. The advantages and disadvantages of each method were discussed and their results used to identify the most probable contamination cases, the influence of the soils characteristics, as well as the agricultural land cover. The basic descriptive method was good as a first and easy approach to describe the TM ambient concentrations, but may misinterpret the natural anomalies as contaminations. Based on geochemical associations, the linear regression method provided more realistic results even if the relationships between major and trace metals were not significant for the most mobile TM. The EF method was useful to identify high point source contaminations, but it was not suitable when considering a large dataset of low TM concentrations. Finally, the PCA method was a good preliminary tool for the description of the global TM concentrations in a studied area, but it could only give indication on the highest contaminated points. By comparing the results of the different methods in the studied region, we estimated that 24% of the arable soils were contaminated by at least one trace metal, mainly Cu in vineyards/orchards and Cd, Pb and/or Zn in grazing lands. In addition, the calcareous soils exhibited globally higher natural and anthropogenic TM concentrations than non-calcareous soils, probably because of the lower TM mobility at alkaline pH

Towards long-term standardised carbon and greenhouse gas observations for monitoring Europe's terrestrial ecosystems : a review

Research infrastructures play a key role in launching a new generation of integrated long-term, geographically distributed observation programmes designed to monitor climate change, better understand its impacts on global ecosystems, and evaluate possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. The pan-European Integrated Carbon Observation System combines carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG; CO2, CH4, N2O, H2O) observations within the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and oceans. High-precision measurements are obtained using standardised methodologies, are centrally processed and openly available in a traceable and verifiable fashion in combination with detailed metadata. The Integrated Carbon Observation System ecosystem station network aims to sample climate and land-cover variability across Europe. In addition to GHG flux measurements, a large set of complementary data (including management practices, vegetation and soil characteristics) is collected to support the interpretation, spatial upscaling and modelling of observed ecosystem carbon and GHG dynamics. The applied sampling design was developed and formulated in protocols by the scientific community, representing a trade-off between an ideal dataset and practical feasibility. The use of open-access, high-quality and multi-level data products by different user communities is crucial for the Integrated Carbon Observation System in order to achieve its scientific potential and societal value.Peer reviewe

Mise en place d’outils et de bio-indicateurs pertinents de la qualité des sols (Chapitre 9)

Mise en place d’outils et de bio-indicateurs pertinents de la qualité des sols (Chapitre 9