Urban runoff appears to be a pathway for transferring new emerging pollutants from land-based sources to the aquatic environment. This paper aimed to identify and describe the groups of pollutants ...present in rainwater surface runoff as well as their mixture with wastewater in the combined sewer system from urbanized catchments and to determine the correlations between these pollutants. Four leading groups of new emerging pollutants have been identified that may be present in rainwater and municipal wastewater mixtures. The samples were tested for microplastics, phthalic acid esters, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as basic parameters. The pilot site was Słupsk (northwestern Poland). We conducted nine sampling campaigns at three points. The results of the present study revealed that (i) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were not present in the tested samples; (ii) the selected organochlorine pesticides were detected during one campaign in the dry season and therefore were not of critical importance; (iii) out of the 11 analyzed phthalic acid esters, five selected substances released from commonly used plastic products were present; and (iv) the number of microplastics contained in the tested samples ranged from 1,400 to 14,036 pcs/L and even occurred during pure rainfall.
Abstract
Nature-based solutions (NBS) can protect, manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems. They are a multidisciplinary, integrated approach to address societal challenges and some natural ...hazards effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. NBS applications can be easily noticed in circular cities, establishing an urban system that is regenerative and accessible. This paper aims to offer a review on NBS for urban water management from the literature and some relevant projects running within the COST Action ‘Implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city’. The method used in the study is based on a detailed tracking of specific keywords in the literature using Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Based on this review, three main applications were identified: (i) flood and drought protection; (ii) the water-food-energy nexus; and (iii) water purification. The paper shows that NBS provide additional benefits, such as improving water quality, increasing biodiversity, obtaining social co-benefits, improving urban microclimate, and the reduction of energy consumption by improving indoor climate. The paper concludes that a systemic change to NBS should be given a higher priority and be preferred over conventional water infrastructure.
The tension between the traditional scenario, in which women fulfil themselves mainly as mothers, as well as the emancipatory approach to women’s roles reverberates more and more in Polish society. ...This conflict between various social expectations has a significant impact on women’s experience of picking up the role of a mother, as well as the intensification of identity ambivalence accompanying their departure from said role. This paper describes the stage in mothers’ lives when adult children move out of their family homes. As part of the blinded for the review project, the authors have analysed the stories told by 40 Polish women, whose adult children had moved out of the house, leaving behind a void. The moment of entering a new stage of motherhood and womanhood has been told in the context of a private place – their homes. To further highlight the experience of this moment by the women who participated in the study, the authors have conducted an analysis of their stories within the framework of Victor Turner’s liminality theory. In the case of the women, who participated in the study, the experience of liminality does not lead to a new status that would be socially recognisable. Only nine of them – according to the analysis carried out by the authors – experienced, among other things due to owning or changing their own space, the phase of aggregation, which is typical of becoming a woman in a new role – a mother of an adult child who left home. In contrast, their approach towards space and the practices of everyday life became a pointer showing them the way out of the role of mothers and let them change their status, which the sociologists lack a name for, as the authors argue.
In the last few years the idea of circular economy has become essential. Thus, designing methods of nutrients removal should be based on using materials that make it possible to recover those ...nutrients. Recently, methods applied in wastewater treatment plants cannot provide optimal results; moreover, the application of commercial coagulants like ferric chloride and polyaluminum chloride can cause difficulties in potential recovery of phosphorus from sludge. Sorption materials, both natural and modified, are appearing as successful for wastewater treatment, especially for treatment wetland effluent. To pursue circular economy principles, the capacity of waste materials needs to be tested with regard to nutrients removal. If in addition a possibility to recover them appears, it will be possible to close the circuit. The aim of the investigation, according to HELCOM and EU Water Framework Directive recommendations, was to explore the possibility of ensuring good and stable quality of effluent by the application of natural materials for phosphorous removal with possible minimum energy and material consumption. The objective was to determine the sorption capacity of two selected materials (waste material and chemically modified material) in steady conditions. The research focused also on the time of mixing, a period of sedimentation of absorbent materials, and the influence of used materials on the basic parameters of the solution: pH, temperature, total suspended solids, conductivity, turbidity, and color. M1 was a waste material after thermal treatment of carbonate-siliceous rock in temperature above 700 °C (Rockfos®). Material M2 was lanthanum-modified bentonite, a material of anthropogenic origin. Both selected materials have shown a high ability to reduce phosphates concentration in synthetic wastewater. Sorption capacity of materials M1 and M2 were 45.6 mg/g and 5.6 mg/g, respectively.
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•Paper presents a possible method for P-removal to explore recovery potential.•Two sorption materials of different characteristic were assessed.•Material M1 shown significant influence on solution pH.•Material M2 can be disqualified as filling of sedimentation clarifier in multiple uses.
Wprowadzenie. Spożywanie wysoko przetworzonej żywności i niedobór ważnych składników odżywczych w diecie mogą zwiększać zapotrzebowanie na suplementy diety. Ich stosowanie pozwala konsumentom na ...uzupełnienie deficytów witamin czy też innych składników mineralnych niezbędnych do prawidłowego funkcjonowania organizmu. Jednak oprócz cennych witamin i minerałów, często zawierają różnego rodzaju składniki roślinne i mogą być zanieczyszczone metalami ciężkimi takimi jak: kadm (Cd), ołów (Pb), rtęć (Hg). Preparaty o dużej zawartości pierwiastków toksycznych mogą stanowić dodatkowe źródło ich pobrania przez organizm i poza pożądanym efektem odżywczym powodować zatrucie organizmu.
Cel badań. Badania porównawcze zawartości kadmu, ołowiu i rtęci w preparatach ziołowych i witaminowo-mineralnych dostępnych na polskim rynku.
Materiał i metody. 93 próbki preparatów witaminowych i witaminowo-mineralnych (50 zawierało składniki pochodzenia roślinnego, 43 natomiast nie zawierało składników roślinnych) oceniono pod kątem zawartości wybranych metali ciężkich przy użyciu płomieniowej atomowej spektrometrii absorpcyjnej (FAAS) dla kadmu i ołowiu oraz metodą atomowej spektrometrii absorpcyjnej z techniką amalgamacji dla rtęci.
Wyniki. Analizowane próbki suplementów diety zawierających składniki roślinne i witaminowo-mineralne
charakteryzowały się niskim poziomem zanieczyszczenia kadmem i ołowiem i nie stwarzały zagrożenia dla zdrowia konsumenta. Zawartość kadmu wahała się od 0,010-0,710 mg/kg, natomiast ołowiu od 0,02 do 1,55 mg/kg. Średnie zanieczyszczenie kadmem i ołowiem w preparatach zawierających surowce roślinne było istotnie wyższe (p < 0,05) w porównaniu ze średnią zawartością tych pierwiastków w preparatach zawierających wyłącznie składniki syntetyczne. We wszystkich próbkach zawartość kadmu i ołowiu nie przekraczała dopuszczalnych limitów (odpowiednio 1,0 mg/kg i 3,0 mg/kg). Stężenie rtęci w badanych suplementach diety było zróżnicowane i wahało się od 0,0005 do 0,1470 mg/kg. Średnia zawartość rtęci była prawie 10-krotnie wyższa w suplementach zawierających surowce roślinne w porównaniu ze średnią zawartością tego pierwiastka w preparatach zawierających wyłącznie składniki syntetyczne, jednak różnice nie były istotne statystycznie (p < 0,088). W czterech preparatach zawierających surowce pochodzenia roślinnego zawartość rtęci przekroczyła dopuszczalny poziom (0,1 mg/kg). Badane suplementy diety nie stanowiły znaczącego źródła kadmu i rtęci, jednakże pobranie ołowiu z suplementów było znacznie większe.
Wnioski. We wszystkich badanych preparatach wykryto metale ciężkie. Suplementy zawierające surowce roślinne zawierały istotnie wyższe stężenie kadmu, ołowiu i rtęci w porównaniu do suplementów nie zawierających składników pochodzenia roślinnego. Nasze badania wykazały, że dopuszczalne ilości rtęci w suplementach zawierających komponenty roślinne mogą zostać przekroczone, ponadto preparaty te mogą być znaczącym źródłem ołowiu. Dlatego też, konieczne są dalsze badania obejmujące większą liczbę próbek w celu oszacowania ryzyka zanieczyszczenia suplementów diety metalami ciężkimi.
Słowa kluczowe: metale ciężkie, atomowa spektrometria absorpcyjna, zanieczyszczenia, suplementy diety.
Background. Eating highly processed foods and lack of important nutrients in the diet may increase the need for dietary supplements. Their use allows consumers to supplement deficiencies of vitamins and other minerals necessary for the proper functioning of the body. However, in addition to valuable vitamins and minerals, often contain various types of plant components and they may be contaminated with heavy metals such as: cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg). Preparations with a high content of toxic elements may constitute an additional source of their uptake by the body and, apart from the desired nutritional effect, cause intoxication of the organism.
Aim of the study. Comparative study on the level of cadmium, lead and mercury in herbal and vitamin-mineral preparations available on the Polish market.
Material and methods. 93 samples, belonging to vitamin and vitamin-mineral preparations (50 contained plant components, while free from plant ingredients were in number of 43) were evaluated for selected heavy metals content using the flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for cadmium and lead and using atomic absorption spectrometry with amalgamation technique for mercury.
Results. Analysed samples of herbal and vitamin-mineral dietary supplements contained
a low contamination of cadmium and lead and did not pose a risk to public health. The content of cadmium ranged from 0.010-0.710 mg/kg, while the lead ranged from 0.02 to 1.55 mg/kg. The average cadmium and lead contamination in preparations containing plant raw materials was significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the average content of this elements in preparations containing only synthetic ingredients. The level of cadmium and lead in all specimens did not exceed admissible value (1.0 mg/kg and 3.0 mg/kg respectively). The mercury concentration in the tested dietary supplements varied and ranged from 0.0005 to 0.1470 mg/kg. The average mercury content was almost 10 times higher in supplements containing plant raw materials, compared to the average content of this element in preparations containing only synthetic ingredients, but differences were not statistically significant
(p < 0.088). Four preparations containing raw materials of plant origin exceeded the permissible mercury content (0.1 mg/kg). The tested dietary supplements were not a significant source of cadmium and mercury, but supply of lead from supplements was much bigger.
Conclusion. Heavy metals were detected in all tested preparations. However, the supplements with plant raw materials contained significantly higher concentration of cadmium, lead and mercury compared to supplements that did not contain components of plant origin. Our research showed that the permissible amounts of mercury in the herbal supplements may be exceeded, moreover supplements with plant material may be a significant source of lead. Therefore further studies covering larger number of samples are needed to estimate the heavy metals contamination risk of dietary supplements.
Keywords: heavy metals, atomic absorption spectrometry, contaminations, dietary supplements.
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•A novel, hybrid 3,5-diiodo-L-tyrosinato copper(II) complex was synthesized.•The structure is stabilized by π···π, metal···π, π···I non-covalent interactions.•The structural, ...spectroscopic, thermal and magnetic properties were investigated.•The exchange pathway occurs in the zig - zag chain.
The ternary Cu(II)/amino-acid/diamine systems have large positive logK values than binary Cu/amino systems, suggesting stabilization due to the effective stacking interaction between aromatic diamine and the aromatic side group of the amino acid. Thus, a hybrid 3,5-diiodo-L−tyrosinato copper(II) complex with an aromatic diamine, of formula Cu(L−I2TyrO-)(H2O)(phen)∙2H2O (1) was characterized in depth by using X-ray, TG/DTG, DSC, FT-IR, Raman, Q-band EPR, NIR-Vis-UV, magnetic methods and the theoretical calculations. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak π···π stacking, metal···π and intra- and intermolecular π···I non-covalent interactions. The computed interaction energies of Cg(1)∙∙∙Cg(2), Cg(3)∙∙∙I and Cg(1)∙∙∙Cu ranging from 0.69 kcal/mol− -2.20 kcal/mol. The weak interactions shift the bands assigned as ν(C-I) to higher frequency in the FT-IR spectrum. The g tensor is axial with g|| (2.239) > g⊥ (2.057) indicating that the unpaired electron residues in the dx2–y2 orbital. The exchange pathway occurs in the zig-zag chain with d(Cu···Cu) = 9.429 Å.
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have been proven to effectively mitigate and solve resource depletion and climate-related challenges in urban areas. The COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) ...Action CA17133 entitled “Implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) for building a resourceful circular city” has established seven urban circularity challenges (UCC) that can be addressed effectively with NBS. This paper presents the outcomes of five elucidation workshops with more than 20 European experts from different backgrounds. These international workshops were used to examine the effectiveness of NBS to address UCC and foster NBS implementation towards circular urban water management. A major outcome was the identification of the two most relevant challenges for water resources in urban areas: ‘Restoring and maintaining the water cycle’ (UCC1) and ‘Water and waste treatment, recovery, and reuse’ (UCC2). s Moreover, significant synergies with ‘Nutrient recovery and reuse’, ‘Material recovery and reuse’, ‘Food and biomass production’, ‘Energy efficiency and recovery’, and ‘Building system recovery’ were identified. Additionally, the paper presents real-life case studies to demonstrate how different NBS and supporting units can contribute to the UCC. Finally, a case-based semi-quantitative assessment of the presented NBS was performed. Most notably, this paper identifies the most typically employed NBS that enable processes for UCC1 and UCC2. While current consensus is well established by experts in individual NBS, we presently highlight the potential to address UCC by combining different NBS and synergize enabling processes. This study presents a new paradigm and aims to enhance awareness on the ability of NBS to solve multiple urban circularity issues.
The aim of this paper is to present a state-of-the-art review of the kinetics of nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands. Biological processes of nitrogen removal from wastewater can be described ...using equations and kinetic models. Hence, these kinetic models which have been developed and evaluated allow for predicting the removal of nitrogen in treatment wetlands. One of the most important, first order removal model, which is still applied, was analysed and its rate coefficients and factors were compared. This study also demonstrates the validity of Monod and multiple Monod kinetics, commonly seen today. Finally, a computational example of the reaction kinetics of nitrogen removal was also included in the study.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disease worldwide. There is a strong association between DM and neurovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. The first group mainly consists of diabetic ...retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy and stroke, whereas, the second group includes Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The aforementioned diseases have a common pathophysiological background including insulin resistance, oxidative stress, atherosclerosis and vascular injury. The increasing prevalence of neurovascular and neurodegenerative disorders among diabetic patients has resulted in an urgent need to develop biomarkers for their prediction and/or early detection. The aim of this review is to present the potential application of the most promising biomarkers of diabetes-related neurodegenerative and neurovascular disorders, including amylin, β-amyloid, C-reactive protein (CRP), dopamine, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), glycogen synthase kinase 3β, homocysteine, microRNAs (mi-RNAs), paraoxonase 1, phosphoinositide 3-kinases, tau protein and various growth factors. The most clinically promising biomarkers of neurovascular and neurodegenerative complications in DM are hsCRP, GGT, homocysteine and miRNAs. However, all biomarkers discussed in this review could become a part of the potential multi-biomarker screening panel for diabetic patients at risk of neurovascular and neurodegenerative complications.
In this work, the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using pulse-modulated radio-frequency atmospheric pressure glow discharge (pm-rf-APGD). By tailoring selected operating parameters of the ...pm-rf-APGD reaction-discharge system, the experimental conditions for the synthesis of raw-AuNPs with controlled optical and structural properties were found. The colloidal suspension of the size-controlled raw-AuNPs was mixed with an aqueous solution of gelatine and turmeric oil to produce an oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsion. AuNPs loaded into the nanoemulsion were characterized using ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy supported by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy equipped with selected area X-ray diffraction. Additionally, attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm the efficient functionalization of the AuNPs by nanoemulsion component. It was revealed that AuNPs were mostly spherical with an average size of 4.6 ± 1.0 nm and a face-centered cubic crystal system. The developed O/W nanoemulsion carrying AuNPs was applied towards the human breast cancer cell lines MCF7 and MDA-MB-231. It was found that it exhibited the cytotoxicity towards the breast cancer cells while were non-cytotoxic towards the non-tumour breast cells MCF10A. Moreover, it also inhibited the migration of the invasive cancer breast cells (line MDA-MB-231) and hence, could prevent the breast cancer metastasis.
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