Lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) and its isomers (HCH) are some of the most common and most easily detected organochlorine pesticides in the environment. The widespread distribution of lindane is ...due to its use as an insecticide, accompanied by its persistence and bioaccumulation, whereas HCH were disposed of as waste in unmanaged landfills. Unfortunately, certain HCH (especially the most reactive ones: γ- and α-HCH) are harmful to the central nervous system and to reproductive and endocrine systems, therefore development of suitable remediation methods is needed to remove them from contaminated soil and water. This paper provides a short history of the use of lindane and a description of the properties of HCH, as well as their determination methods. The main focus of the paper, however, is a review of oxidative and reductive treatment methods. Although these methods of HCH remediation are popular, there are no review papers summarising their principles, history, advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, recent advances in the chemical treatment of HCH are discussed and risks concerning these processes are given.
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•Chemical degradation methods for HCH were critically reviewed.•Determination of HCH and related transformation products was reviewed.•First comparison of oxidative and reductive mechanism of HCH was made.•Remedial agents mainly react with HCH by dihalo-, β- and oxidative-elimination.•Discussion concerning risks related to both treatments was made.
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•Concentrations of elements in mosses are dependent on the site of exposure.•Mosses remained vital in outdoor exposure and indoor they were only a natural sorbent.•Mosses exposed in ...the workshop were good bioaccumulators of Al, Cr, Fe and Ba.•Identified elements in mosses in the workshop are directly related to its activity.
Human activity as a result of civilization development contributes to creating new sources of environmental pollution. Air pollution is one of the major problems because it affects the fauna and flora, and people themselves. There is a lack of public awareness of the level of atmospheric analytes pollution emitted from people's occupational and recreational (leisure) activities. A quick, cheap and easy way to investigate the state of the environment is to use organisms-biomonitors that indicate the level of environmental pollution. The study aimed to assess air pollution in an urban area using three moss species: Sphagnum fallax, Pleurozium schreberi and Dicranum polysetum. Mosses were exposed for 90 days, and the effects of traffic and car workshop activity on the increments in elemental concentrations were assessed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS). The actual quantum yield of Photo System II (PSII) photochemical was also analyzed to assess changes in moss vitality during the experiment. The results showed that the concentrations of individual elements in mosses and thus in the atmospheric aerosol depend on the site of exposure. The difference in analyte concentrations between outdoor and indoor environments depends on the type of element and its source. The mosses exposed in the workshop were good bioaccumulators of elements such as Al, Cr, Fe and Ba, whose concentrations were higher inside than outside and their emission sources related to the activities of the car workshop were defined. The mosses remained vital in the air during the exposure period, while they worked as a natural sorbent inside the workshop.
The use of biological indicators of environmental quality is an alternative method of monitoring ecosystem pollution. Various groups of contaminants, including organic ones, can be measured in ...environmental samples. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have not yet been determined by the moss bag technique. This technique uses several moss species simultaneously in urban areas to select the best biomonitoring of these compounds, which are dangerous to humans and the environment. In this research, a gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used for the determination of selected PAHs in three species of mosses:
and
(active biomonitoring) and for comparison using an air filter reference method for atmospheric aerosol monitoring. The chlorophyll fluorescence of photosystem II (PSII) was also measured to assess changes in moss viability during the study. As a result of the study, the selective accumulation of selected PAHs by mosses was found, with
being the best bioindicator-9 out of 13 PAHs compounds were determined in this species. The photosynthetic yield of photosystem (II) decreased by 81% during the exposure time. The relationship between PAHs concentrations in mosses and the total suspended particles (TSP) on the filter indicated the possibility of using this bioindicator to trace PAHs in urban areas and to apply the moss bag technique as a method supporting classical instrumental air monitoring.
The moss-bag technique has been used for many decades to monitor outdoor pollution. More recently, however, the method has been used to monitor indoor air pollution (IAP), as humans spend the ...majority of their time indoors. The purpose of the research conducted was to evaluate indoor air pollution using active moss biomonitoring. Pleurozium schreberi moss bags were exposed for two seasons (summer and winter), hanging over tile stoves and coal stoves. The selected elements: Al, Cu, Cd, Co, Pb, Zn, V, Ba, Cr, Fe, Mn, Sr, P, Ni, and S were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and, for Hg, by a direct mercury analyzer. The study found the exposure season affected the concentrations of selected elements in 62.5% of cases, and their source was identified. The average concentrations of Co, Ba, Cr, and Sr were higher, and statistically significant, in winter, after a 12-week exposure period of the mosses, regardless of the type of heating or cooking stove owned. The higher phosphorus concentrations obtained in summer indicate physiological stress caused by unfavorable winter exposure conditions. In the future, the number of species used to assess indoor air pollution should be increased and the range of pollutants expanded, along with the identification of their sources, taking residents’ lifestyles into account.
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•12-week moss-bag exposure for two season for heavy metal concentrations was tested.•Heavy metal concentrations in moss is related to exposure season.•Tiles and coal stoves were studied as a source of indoor air pollution.
Prispevek obravnava odnos do družine - ene od pomenskih kategorij, ki smo jih odkrili pri raziskavi jezikovno-kulturnega stereotipa Slovenca na podlagi anketnih podatkov. V raziskavi smo uporabili ...metodologijo jezikovne podobe sveta, mdr. stereotipa. Gradivo smo razdelili na skupine: 1) vrsta odnosa; 2) ustvarjanje družine, njeni člani in velikost; 3) drugo. Model, ki se je izoblikoval skozi raziskavo, potrjuje tako pozitivno kot negativno vrednotenje slovenske družine z vidika lastne perspektive, z vidika tuje (poljske) perspektive pa v glavnem pozitivno in uravnoteženo (distancirano) vrednotenje. Za avtostereotipno dojemanje je značilna velika samokritika. Slovenci pri svoji oceni omenjajo tako bližnje, tesne odnose (o katerih pričajo opredelitve, ki kažejo močno navezanost na družino in tradicijo) kot tudi oddaljene (ki - po besedah anketirancev - mdr. izvirajo iz pogostih ločitev oz. prekinitev stikov ali sporov glede zapuščine).
Due to rapid urbanization, the number of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) has increased, and so has the associated waste generated by them. Sustainable management of this waste can lead to the ...creation of energy-rich biogas via fermentation processes. This review presents recent advances in the anaerobic digestion processes that have led to greater biogas production. Disintegration techniques for enhancing the fermentation of waste activated sludge can be apportioned into biological, physical and chemical means, which are included in this review; they were mainly compared and contrasted in terms of the ensuing biogas yield. It was found that ultrasonic- and microwave-assisted disintegration provides the highest biogas yield (>500%) although they tend to be the most energy demanding processes (>10,000 kJ kg−1 total solids).
The article presents the influence of changes in the solar radiation spectrum distribution on the properties of various photovoltaic modules, with particular emphasis on the scattered component. We ...compared the relative efficiency of the photovoltaic modules based on various semiconductor absorbers during bright and sunny, and cloudy summer days. Additionally, we presented the impact of the module tilt angle on the magnitude of the surface incident scattered component and on the efficiency of the module. The solar spectra for various weather conditions were estimated using specialised computer programmes,such as SolarSpectrum or SMARTS2, and we present here the validation results for the former. The obtained results confirm the published experimental data and the conclusions drawn show the applicability of the tested modules with various absorbers for the specific photovoltaic systems. The theoretical analysis of the a-Si structures, both single-, as well as multi-junction shows better performance of these structures at low-irradiance conditions (in comparison with e.g., c-Si, CIS structures), during days characterised by a spectral distribution common for cloudy days with high air water vapour content. This type of device should show unaltered efficiency both at mid-day, as well as during the morning and late afternoon.
•Validation of the SolarSpectrum spectrum of solar radiation.•Impact of diffuse component of solar radiation on structure solar spectrum.•Determination of spectral distribution of radiation.•The influence of solar radiation spectrum distribution on modules efficiency.•Selection of optimum PV absorber for the use of photovoltaic systems.
Industrial pollution and over-exploitation of natural resources adversely affect the environment and are also a serious threat to society and economy development. At present, climate change, ...destruction of the ozone layer, water shortage, and sharp reduction of biodiversity have also become widespread environmental problems. Therefore, people have started to explore how to solve the environmental pollution problems in the process of economic development from corporate environmental management. In addition to corporate environmental management, we also focus on the study of sustainable operation. Improving operational efficiency can also effectively reduce environmental pollution and promote sustainable development. This special issue of
(ECE S) collects 10 articles focusing on challenges and issues in corporate environmental management and sustainable operation, aiming to share and discuss the latest advances and future trends of theories and applications in academia, promote innovation in rural economic development models, improve the ecological environment, and bring practical insights and experiences to industry developers.
Abstract The aim of biomonitoring is assessment of environment condition. Biomonitoring studies with the use of mosses focus mainly on analytes accumulation and determining elements’ concentrations ...in the study area. It is often forgotten that a bioindicator should be alive during biomonitoring studies (which can be determined by, e.g., analysis of chlorophyll content). The objective of the carried out research was an assessment of the influence of selected heavy metals concentration: Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb accumulated by Pleurozium schreberi mosses during 3-month exposition within active biomonitoring, on their vitality, assessed by an analysis of a and b chlorophyll concentrations. The studies were also carried out in laboratory conditions, where the content of the dyes was determined with the aid of a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, in mosses reacting with solutions of various concentrations of the analysed metals. The content of elements in mosses after exposition and in solutions prior and after sorption were determined with the use of atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in a flame atomiser. After the carried out studies it was determined that mosses, during 12-week long exposition, accumulated heavy metals, which did not clearly influence the changes in chlorophyll content. The carried out studies prove that heavy metals are not the only and determining factor, which influences chlorophyll content in mosses as well as the bioindicator’s vitality in the conditions of environmental stress.
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