Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in marine sediment of Thermaikos Gulf,Greece

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) concentrations were determined in marine sediment samples collected from 7 different locations around Thermaikos Gulf in north Greece. PBDEs were detected in all sampling sites and their average total concentration (ΣPBDEs) ranged from 0.26 to 4.92?ng?g^?1?d.w. Concentrations were an order of magnitude higher in locations outlining the inner part of the Gulf, which were also closer to industrial areas, sewage treatment plant discharges, the city's harbour and landfill area. These findings suggest pollution in the aquatic ecosystem from industrial and urban activities in the area. Congener profiles exhibit predominance of BDE-209, while concentrations of other PBDE congeners were usually lower, when compared to similar studies from other countries globally, indicating that Thermaikos Gulf is among the low-polluted areas. Statistical analysis showed significant differences among the higher polluted sampling stations. Statistically significant differences also existed between sampling stations with high and low PBDE concentrations. Correlations between congeners suggested local contamination sources; however, specific point sources of pollution were not established.     

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of antimony and cobalt from inorganic environmental samples using a cup-horn sonoreactor prior to their determination by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple, fast and reliable method is described for the quantitative extraction of Sb and Co from inorganic environmental matrices containing variable amounts of silicates prior to their determination by electrothermal-atomic absorption spectrometry. The method is based on the ultrasound-assisted extraction of both elements using the mixture 20% v/v HF + 20% v/v HNO₃ as extractant. The extraction procedure was carried out in closed Eppendorf vials immersed in a cup-horn sonoreactor for 20?min. Once extraction has been accomplished, the supernatant liquid is separated from the solid phase and subsequently transferred into the autosampler of the instrument. A two-level full factorial design (2⁴) was applied for screening optimisation of the variables influencing the ultrasonic extraction. These variables were: sonication time; amplitude of the ultrasound energy; nitric and hydrofluoric acid concentrations. MLDs were 0.20 and 0.06?µg?·?g^?1 for Sb and Co, respectively. Between-batch precision values, expressed as relative standard deviations (n?=?3), were less than 5.5 and 9.6% for Sb and Co, respectively. The method was evaluated using a wide variety of inorganic certified reference materials, such as SRM 2702 (Marine Sediment), SRM 2782 (Industrial Sludge), BCR 176R (Fly Ash), SRM 1633b (Coal Fly Ash) SRM 2710 (Montana Soil) and SRM 2711 (Montana Soil).     

Environmental effects on nuclear decay rates

The possible change of nuclear decay rates in different environments has long been an interesting topic due to its importance not only in nuclear physics but also in astrophysics, geological dating, condensed matter physics, etc. The progress in the investigation of variations in nuclear decay rates are reviewed.     

A Tensile Strain Hardening Test Indicator of Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance

Environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR) is an important indicator of performance for high density polyethylene (HDPE) in structural and polymer pipe applications. The commonly used test for determining ESCR of HDPE can be time consuming and rather imprecise. A tensile strain hardening test was recently proposed to offer a faster way to characterize ESCR of polyethylene. In this paper, a practical approach is adopted whereby the test is extended to room temperature and shown to relate reliably to the ESCR of HDPE. Several HDPE resins (including pipe‐grade resins) are analyzed at strain rates of 0.5 mm/min and 7 mm/min to compare the effect of strain rate. Comparisons between the conventional ESCR test method and the strain hardening test show that strain hardening can be used to rank ESCR of HDPE in a reliable fashion. In our study the more direct measure of “hardening stiffness” is used to compare resins instead of strain hardening modulus. Because no true stress‐strain measurement is needed, this is a much simpler test method than other methods previously suggested. In addition, the use of the natural drawing ratio (NDR) as ESCR ranking indicator is examined. Results show that NDR can also be employed as a strain rate‐independent indicator of ESCR of HDPE. The test proposed herein is practical, simple and precise, and hence a more reliable indicator of ESCR performance of HDPE.     

电化学生物传感器在环境监测中的应用及发展前景

简要介绍了电化学生物传感器的工作原理,重点论述了电化学生物传感器在环境监测领域的应用及其研究进展,主要包括水环境污染物和大气污染物的监测,以及农药残留的监测等.同时,对电化学生物传感器的发展方向及前景进行了展望.     

Pine Needles (Pinus Sylvestris) as a Bioindicator of Sulphur and Heavy Metal Deposition in the Area Around a Pulp and Paper Mill Complex at Kemi,Northern Finland

Abstract

The determination of sulphur and heavy metals in plants is an integral part of many environmental studies. Pine needles (Pinus Sylvestris) have proved to be suitable air quality indicators for pollutants, especially for sulphur. This study was carried out in the vicinity of Kemi, a town situated on the Gulf of Bothnia in northern Finland. An industrial complex comprising two pulp and paper mills is located in the centre of the area. Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris) needles were collected from 29 sampling sites. The samples were dried, homogenized and digested with nitric acid. The concentrations of the elements S, Fe, Zn, Ca, V, and Pb were determined by ICP-AES. According to our results pine needles (Pinus sylvestris) appear to be an ideal bioindicator and sampling material for identifying and assessing atmospheric sulphur pollution derived from pulp and paper mills and can complement the information provided by plant mapping studies around pulp and paper mills.     

Environmental Determination of Alkylphenol Polyethoxylate Refractory Residues Using Mass Spectrometric Techniques

Abstract

The use of methane chemical ionisation GC/MS gave satisfactory results when applied to environmental analysis of halogenated octylphenol polyethoxylates residues. In addition the selected ion monitoring GC/MS technique has been successfully applied for simulataneous qualitative and quantitative determination of some refractory metabolites of nonylphenol polyethoxylates in secondary sewage effluent and surface waters.     

Retention profile of Fe,Mn and Cu onto chemically treated polyurethane with carbon disulfide

Dithiocarbamate modified polyurethane foam (DTC-PUF) was synthesized as a new solid-phase extraction sorbent for the preconcentration and determination of Fe(II), Mn(II) and Cu(II) in environmental samples using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Maximum extraction of the elements was achieved at pH 5–7 and flow rate 3 mL min^?1. Quantitative desorption was achieved by 10 mL from 1.0 mol L^?1 HCl solution. The capacity of the sorbent was 149.2 ± 0.5, 237.5 ± 0.2, 200.2 ± 0.1 μg g^?1 and the limit of detection was of 0.015, 0.015 and 0.012 μg mL^?1for Fe(II), Mn(II) and Cu(II), respectively. A preconcentration factor of 100 was obtained for all elements. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of the tested elements in water (tap and lake) and plant (spinach and parsley leaves) samples and showed good recovery values from 98 to 111% with corresponding RSD values ranged from 0.6 to 8.6%.     

Application of a new focused microwave technology with species-specific isotope dilution analysis for the quantitative extraction of organometallic contaminants in solid environmental matrices

A new self-tuning single-mode-focused microwave technology has been evaluated in this work to perform the quantitative routine extraction of organometallic species from solid matrices of environmental interest. Species-specific isotope dilution analysis has been employed to better investigate the real influence of the microwave-assisted extractions on the final results. The advantages of such methodology in comparison with other established microwave units for the routine speciation analysis of organomercury and organotin compounds are discussed (such as the capability of using disposable glass vials, a self-tuning mode to provide an accurate control of the temperature and pressure inside of the vials, and the possibility of performing automated sequence of extractions with low sample size). The results obtained in this work demonstrated that such technology provides a fast and reliable quantitative extraction of the organometallic species in a wide range of extraction conditions even when the multi-elemental (Sn and Hg) species-specific determination is carried out.