Analysis and modeling of sunscreen ingredients' behavior in an aquatic environment

Sunscreens have become a product based on increasingly complex formulations that include, among many ingredients, a mixture of UV filters to provide optimal sun ultraviolet radiation protection. A significant group of scientific works deals with the impact of UV filters in aquatic media. However, the knowledge of the mechanism and kinetics of the compound's direct release, fate, and its transformation and interaction with living organisms is necessary to assess its environmental occurrence and behavior and to predict potential and real impacts on the aquatic environment. This review outlines the existing analysis and modeling of the release and behavior of sunscreen's ingredients in the marine environment, including aquatic organisms. The physical-chemical properties, photodegradation, and release kinetics of particles and chemicals into the water are studied by hydrodynamic and kinetic models. Direct photolysis of chemicals is modeled as pseudo-first-order kinetics, while the indirect pathway by the reaction of sunscreen with reactive oxygen species is described as second-order kinetics. The interaction of UV filters with marine biota is studied mainly by toxicokinetic models, which predict their bio-accumulation in the organisms' tissues. These models consider the chemicals' uptake and excretion, as well as their transfer between different internal animal organs, as a first-order kinetic process. The studies analyzed in the present work represent a driver of change for the beauty and personal care industry, in order to seek new ecological alternatives through the application of R&D tactics.This work is funded by the2014–2020 ERDF Operational Programme and by the Department of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University of the Regional Government of Andalusia (project reference: FEDER‐UCA18‐106672)

Influence of the methodological approaches adopted on the food waste generation ratios

Food waste (FW) accounting methodology is of paramount importance in Europe. The European Commission established a common methodology and minimum quality requirements for its measurement. Although these guidelines represents a great advance, important questions as the definition of flows, the Food Supply Chain (FSC) stages considered or the measurement methodology depending on the availability of resources remain open. The study aim is to analyze the implications of these approaches on the FW ratios, based on 109 ratios from different European frameworks obtained by literature review. Among these aspects, the considered FSC stages and the measurement methodology stand out as factors that influence the results; while the direct methods give more accurate values, the indirect methods tend to overestimate the generation. Highlight as significant result, the creation of a superstructure that collects the different approaches used in FW generation ratios and it serves as a tool for benchmarking.This work has been financially supported by the Government of Cantabria R&D project entitled “Obtaining, treatment and dissemination of data related to production and management of waste, and adjustment of the existing indicators system to the valid waste plan of Cantabria”

Self-organizing maps to assess the recycling of waste in ceramic construction materials

Circular economy promotes the use of waste materials into new production processes as a key factor for resource efficiency. The construction sector, and specifically the fired clay industry, is able to assimilate large amounts of waste in their processes, without significantly altering the technical properties of products. The introduction of different waste in ceramic products at the laboratory level has been extensively studied in the literature, but most of these studies have not yet been scaled-up to industrial production. Differences in processing with respect to laboratory conditions introduces uncertainty in relation to the expected properties of the final products. This paper uses a Self-Organizing Map (SOM)-based methodology for analysing and assessing the incorporation of industrial waste, Waelz slag (WS) and foundry sand dust (FSD), in ceramic products obtained sequentially at laboratory, semi-industrial and industrial level, over technological properties and metals release. As a result, from the SOM analysis, a clustered map of the samples developed is obtained that highlights the most important parameters affecting the technological and environmental properties to be the type of clay and therefore, the firing temperature; secondly, the Waelz slag content, being independent of the foundry sand addition; and finally, the type and level of processing (laboratory-pressing, semi-industrial extruder, industrial extruder).This work has been partially supported by (a) the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund by means of the research project RTI2018-097612-B-C22; (b) the BEFESA STEEL R&D, S.L.U.C. Company at Asua, Vizcaya, Spain

Sunscreens as a new source of metals and nutrients to coastal waters

Studies detailing the environmental impact of sunscreen products on coastal ecosystems are considered a high priority. In the present study, we have determined the release rate of dissolved trace metals (Al, Cd, Cu, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Ti) and inorganic nutrients (SiO2, P-PO43-, and N-NO3-) from a commercial sunscreen in seawater, and the role of UV radiation in the mobilization of these compounds. Our results indicate that release rates are higher under UV light conditions for all compounds and trace metals except Pb. We have developed a kinetic model to establish the release pattern and the contribution to marine coastal waters of dissolved trace metals and inorganic nutrients from sunscreen products. We conservatively estimate that sunscreen from bathers is responsible for an increase of dissolved metals and nutrients ranging from 7.54 × 10-4 % for Ni up to 19.8% for Ti. Our results demonstrate that sunscreen products are a significant source of metals and inorganic nutrients to coastal waters. The normally low environmental concentrations of some elements (e.g., P) and the toxicity of others (e.g., Pb) could be having a serious adverse effect on marine ecology in the Mediterranean Sea. This risk must not be ignored.This work is funded by the University of Cantabria “Proyecto Puente 2017” (PI: J.R.V.) under the SODERCAN and ERDF Operational Program. The authors thank A. Moreno and D. Roque for their support with field seawater sampling, F. Gomez for his support in constructing the experimental device, ́ A. Silio for lamp characterization, and I. Carribero for her assistance with chemical analysis. A.R.-R. is supported by the Spanish grant Juan de la Cierva Formacion (JCI-2015-26873)

Sedimentation rate and contamination levels profile of potentially toxic elements in the Limoncocha lagoon RAMSAR wetland in the Ecuadorian Amazon

The aim of this study is to analyze the recent sedimentation rate in the center of the Limoncocha lagoon, a Ramsar site in the Ecuadorian Amazon, using the 210Pb dating method and identifying the potentially toxic elements along a 50 cm sediment core. A strategy based on the application of three single and four integrated indices is used to evaluate trace element contamination with depth. Single indices show mainly As and Mo, and Cu, Ba, Cd, Ni, and Pb to a lesser extent, as responsible elements of a minor enrichment between −10 and −40 cm. The multielement slight pollution shows a mixture of potential contamination sources, probably due to agricultural, oil activities, and urban wastewater discharges. However, integrated indices applied, classify the complete core as without potential risk. The 210Pbexcess profile shows three differentiated sections. A surface section where new materials with lower concentrations have been found, probably due to the underground currents that connect the lagoon and the nearby Napo River; a central section where CF-CS model and mass accumulation rate calculations provide a sediment accumulation rate of 0.56 ± 0.03 cm y−1; finally, a deeper section with a constant 210Pbexces profile, showing sediment reworking probably due to local flooding’s

Assessment by self-organizing maps of element release from sediments in contact with acidified seawater in laboratory leaching test conditions

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is gaining interest as a significant global option to reduce emissions of CO2. CCS development requires an assessment of the potential risks associated with CO2 leakages from storage sites. Laboratory leaching tests have proved to be a useful tool to study the potential mobilization of metals from contaminated sediment in a decreased-pH environment that mimics such a leakage event. This work employs a self-organizing map (SOM) tool to interpret and analyze the release of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn from equilibrium, column, and pH-dependent leaching tests. In these tests, acidified seawater is used for simulating different CO2 leakage scenarios. Classification was carried out detailing the mobilization of contaminants for environments of varying pH, liquid-to-solid ratio, and type of contact of the laboratory leaching tests. Component planes in the SOMs allow visualization of the results and the determination of the worst case of element release. The pH-dependent leaching test with initial addition of either base or acid was found to mobilize the highest concentrations of metals.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under Project CTM 2011-28437-C02-01, ERDF included. MCMT was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness by F.P.I. fellowship N° BES-2012-053816

Waste indicators of primary sector and health & veterinary services for regional planning

When there is a need to move smoothly and effectively from an abundance of detailed field data to summarized information, indicators and indices are used. Indicators are important tools that assist decision-makers in formulating and implementing plans for the management of waste at different geographic levels. In Cantabria, a northern Spanish region, all waste streams generated are covered through four specific Waste Plans recently adopted. The present study is focused on the Primary Sector, Health & Veterinary Services Waste Plan (PHWP), which is the framework to the decision-making processes related to the generation and management of forest, agricultural, livestock, food industry and health & veterinary wastes. In this work, 16 indicators have been proposed to track the evolution over time of the management of these waste streams in the region and the degree of achievement of the policy objectives. This article discusses the way to obtain, analyse and evaluate valuable information to build the indicators, finding that only eight indicators can be applied at short term. In addition, a summary of these indicators is included, showing in general, a good trend of the evolution of primary sector, health & veterinary waste management. Finally, different actions to improve the quality of data used for the indicators development are proposed in order to obtain more useful waste indicators to the stakeholders

Primary sector waste indicators for regional planning

Decisions are made based on information of different kinds and several tools have been developed to facilite the inclusion of environmental aspects in decision-making. One of these tools is the indicators that have become a vital component of environmental impact assessments and "state of the environmental" reporting. In Cantabria, a northern Spanish region, a specific set of indicators has been developed to monitor the degree of implementation of waste policies recently adopted in the region, identified in the Cantabria Regional Waste Plan 2010- 2014. This Regional Planning covers all waste streams generated: There is a Regional Waste Plan developed through four Sectorial Waste Plans on: (i) Primary Sector and Sanitary Waste; (ii) Industrial, Construction and Demolition, and Mining Waste; (iii) Special Waste, and (iv) Municipal Waste. At the present time, the primary sector waste flows in Cantabria are outstanding, since it is a region where the primary sector is one of the driving forces of the economy together with the tourism. The 86% of municipalities are classified as rural or semirural, and there, it is producing a large rural development from traditional craft production to intensive farms in which waste management is becoming a problem. In this work the methodology developed by European Environmental Agency has been used as a starting point in developing a set of Specific Indicators on the primary sector waste. Eleven indicators have been developed to evaluate the generation and management of forest, agricultural, livestock and food industry waste. These indicators allow not only monitoring the primary sector waste management, but also they highlight the precarious situation in relation to knowledge of actions undertaken in the sector in relation to their waste and with the information flows. Therefore, in this paper the analysis of difficulties for management the available information has been carried out

Evolution of lignocellulosic macrocomponents in the wastewater streams of a sulfite pulp mill: a preliminary biorefining approach

The evolution of lignin, five-and six-carbon sugars, and other decomposition products derived from hemicelluloses and cellulose was monitored in a sulfite pulp mill. The wastewater streams were characterized and the mass balances throughout digestion and total chlorine free bleaching stages were determined. Summative analysis in conjunction with pulp parameters highlights some process guidelines and valorization alternatives towards the transformation of the traditional factory into a lignocellulosic biorefinery.The results showed a good separation of cellulose (99.64%) during wood digestion, with 87.23% of hemicellulose and 98.47% lignin dissolved into the waste streams. The following steps should be carried out to increase the sugar content into the waste streams: (i) optimization of the digestion conditions increasing hemicellulose depolymerization; (ii) improvement of the ozonation and peroxide bleaching stages, avoiding deconstruction of the cellulose chains but maintaining impurity removal; (iii) fractionation of the waste water streams, separating sugars fromthe rest of toxic inhibitors for 2nd generation biofuel production. A total of 0.173 L of second-generation ethanol can be obtained in the spent liquor per gramof dry wood.The proposed methodology can be usefully incorporated into other related industrial sectors.The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to the Sniace personnel and the financial support of the European Union by the BRIGIT “new tailor-made biopolymers produced from lignocellulosic sugars waste for highly demanding fire-resistant applications” research project http://www .brigit-project.eu/

Geochemical baseline establishment, contamination level and ecological risk assessment of metals and As in the Limoncocha lagoon sediments, Ecuadorian Amazon region

Purpose The Limoncocha lagoon, inside a Ramsar site in the Ecuadorian Amazon, increasingly hosts ecotourism and energy development activities. This work estimates the local sediments’ baseline of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, V and Zn using four methods. This makes it possible to apply single and integrated pollution indices to estimate the contamination level and the ecological risk of the sediments. Methods Seven sites were analysed for metal(oid)s by ICP-MS. The local baseline was estimated using the relative cumulative frequency method, the iterative 2σ- and 4σ-outlier-techniques and the normalisation method to a “conservative” element. Combinations of single Cf and Ef and integrated indices (NPI, mNPI, mCd, MEQ, RI, mPELq, mERMq and TRI) were applied. Results The relative cumulative frequency method had the best performance for the geochemical baselines. Cf and Ef indices classify sediments from a “low contamination” remote site to the “moderate contamination” and “minor enrichment” of the remaining sites due to As, Cd and Zn concentrations. The overall analysis of the integrated indices results in Ni, Zn and Cu being identified as priority pollutants because they have occasionally been associated with adverse biological effects in the centre of the lagoon and in the most anthropised areas. These are classified as moderately polluted with a medium–low priority risk level. Conclusions This work provides sediment baseline and contamination indicators for pollutants, which could be incorporated into the sediment quality assessment and monitoring programme of the Limoncocha lagoon. Ni, Cd and Cr due to the high baseline values in comparison with SQGs, and Cu and Zn due to their potential risk, should be of special attention