| 21. |
- Lacayo, Martha, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation of toxaphene by Bjerkandera sp. strain BOL13 using waste biomass as a cosubstrate
- 2006
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Ingår i: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0175-7598 .- 1432-0614. ; 71:4, s. 549-554
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The white-rot fungus Bjerkandera sp. strain BOL13 was capable of degrading toxaphene when supplied with wood chips, wheat husk or cane molasses as cosubstrates in batch culture experiments. Approximately 85% of toxaphene was removed when wheat husk was the main substrate. The production of lignin peroxidase was only stimulated when wheat husk was present in the liquid medium. Although xylanase was always detected, wheat husk supported the highest xylanase production. A negligible amount of beta-glucosidase and cellulase were found in the batch culture medium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of toxaphene degradation by white-rot fungi.
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| 22. |
- Lacayo-Romero, Martha, et al.
(författare)
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Degradation of toxaphene in aged and freshly contaminated soil
- 2006
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - : Elsevier BV. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 63:4, s. 609-615
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Degradation of toxaphene in soil from both newly contaminated (from Sweden) and aged spills (from Nicaragua) were studied. The newly contaminated soil contained approximately 11 mg kg(-1) toxaphene while the aged Nicaraguan soil contained approximately 100 mg kg(-1). Degradation was studied in anaerobic bioreactors, some of which were supplied with lactic acid and others with Triton X-114. In this study we found that the lower isomers Parlar 11, 12 were degraded while the concentration of isomer Parlar 15 increased. This supported an earlier evaluation which indicated that less chlorinated isomers are formed from more heavily isomers. Lactic acid when added to the soil, interfere with the degradation of toxaphene. Lactic acid was added; several isomers appeared to degrade rather slowly in newly contaminated Swedish soil. The Swedish soil, without any external carbon source, showed the slowest degradation rate of all the compounds studied. When Triton X-114 at 0.4 mM was added, the degradation rate of the compounds increased. This study illustrates that biodegradation of toxaphene is a complex process and several parameters have to be taken into consideration. Degradation of persistent pollutants in the environment using biotechnology is dependent on bioavailability, carbon sources and formation of metabolites.
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| 23. |
- Mahmoud, Manal A. M., et al.
(författare)
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Polyfluorinated telomers in precipitation and surface water in an urban area of Japan
- 2009
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Ingår i: Chemosphere. - Amsterdam : Pergamon Press. - 0045-6535 .- 1879-1298. ; 74:3, s. 467-472
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) have been detected in various environmental matrices worldwide, no studies have been conducted to evaluate their concentrations in surface water or precipitation. Therefore, we developed a sensitive and reliable method to analyze various environmental aqueous samples for the presence of trace levels of 6:2 FTOH, 8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH, 8:2 FTOAcr and 8:2 FTOMethacr FTOlefin using gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry. The recoveries obtained using this method ranged from 57.8% to 78.2% and the detection limits were 0.5, 0.2, 0.2, 0.05 and 0.1 ng L−1 for 6:2 FTOH, 8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH, 8:2 FTOAcr and 8:2 FTOMethacr, respectively. Liquid and suspended phases of the examined samples were analyzed. The analysis revealed presence of telomer alcohols from the liquid phase only. Of the FTOHs evaluated, 6:2 FTOH and 8:2 FTOMethacr FTOlefin were not found in any of the environmental samples. The average concentrations of 8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH and 8:2 FTOAcr of the precipitation samples were 1.97, 0.82 and 0.21 ng L−1, respectively. In surface water samples, the highest concentrations of 8:2 FTOH, 10:2 FTOH and 8:2 FTOAcr were 3.38, 4.06 and 0.16 ng L−1, which were observed in samples from the Daini-Neyagawa, Yamato and Kanzaki rivers, respectively. The total concentration of FTOHs in wastewater treatment plant effluents (23.2 ng L−1) was much higher than that of surface water (10.8 ng L−1). Taken together, the results of this study indicate that FTOHs released into the air contaminate rain and that those released from water disposal sites contaminate surface water.
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| 24. |
- Musa, Klefah A.K., et al.
(författare)
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Photochemical and photophysical properties, and photodegradation mechanism, of the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug Flurbiprofen
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1010-6030 .- 1873-2666. ; 202:1, s. 48-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The photodegradation mechanism of the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug 2-(4-phenyl-3-fluorophenyl) propanoic acid, Flurbiprofen, and its photochemical and photophysical properties have been investigated by means of computational quantum chemistry at the DFT-B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. Comparison of computed and experimental singlet and triplet–triplet absorption spectra point to that most experiments, using a range of different solvents, are conducted on the neutral, protonated form of Flurbiprofen. The deprotonated acid, which should dominate at physiological pH, shows no sign of decarboxylation from the lowest singlet excited states, whereas from its first excited triplet state this should readily occur by passing over an energy barrier of <0.5 kcal/mol. Further reactions in the proposed photodegradation mechanism, after decarboxylation, as well as the probability for reactive oxygen species formation are discussed in detail. The generation of the corresponding peroxyl radical from the decarboxylated radical and molecular oxygen is strictly exergonic and occurs without barrier under aerobic conditions. The thus formed peroxyl radical will in turn be capable of initiating propagating lipid peroxidation processes.
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| 25. |
- Wolkers, H., et al.
(författare)
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Accumulation, metabolism, and food-chain transfer of chlorinated and brominated contaminants in subadult white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) from Svalbard, Norway
- 2006
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Ingår i: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0090-4341 .- 1432-0703. ; 50:1, s. 69-78
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concentrations and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were studied in white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) from Svalbard, Norway. In addition, their main food items were included in the study. In the whales, a broad range of pollutants was found in relatively high concentrations. PCBs and pesticides were approximately 3000 and 8000 ng/g lipid, respectively, for white whales and three times higher for narwhals. PBDEs 47 were approximately 70 ng/g lipid for white whales and 170 ng/g lipid for narwhals. Compared with other marine mammals from the same area, contaminant levels are among the highest levels ever measured. These high levels are likely in part because of a decreased capacity to metabolize contaminants. Metabolic indices indicated that most compounds accumulate to the same degree in white whales and narwhals, but for some toxaphenes and chlordanes, narwhals might have a decreased metabolism and consequently a higher accumulation. The three-times-higher contaminant levels in blubber of narwhals was further explained by substantially higher contaminant levels in their more benthic diet. The high levels and broad pattern of accumulating pollutants make white whales and narwhals excellent indicators for a wide range of contaminants in the Arctic.
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| 26. |
- Wolkers, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Congener-specific accumulation and patterns of chlorinated and brominated contaminants in adult male walruses from Svalbard, Norway : indications for individual-specific prey selection
- 2006
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 370:1, s. 70-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Blubber samples from 17 adult, male walruses were sampled in eastern Svalbard and analyzed for chlorinated and brominated contaminants. A wide range of contaminants were detected, including PCBs (mean 2000; 95% range 1165-4005 ng/g lipid), DDE (mean 100: 95% range 50-310) ng/g lipid), chlordanes (mean 2500; 95% range 1347-5009) ng/g lipid, toxaphenes (mean 80; 95% range 51-132 ng/g lipid) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (mean 15 ng/g; 95% range 9-27 ng/g lipid). PCB and DDE levels were substantially lower than those of animals sampled 10 year earlier in this area, confirming a decreasing trend for these compounds in the Arctic. However, compared to other recently sampled marine mammals from Svalbard, walruses showed relatively high PCB and chlordane levels although they had lower levels of DDE, toxaphenes, and PBDEs, possibly due to species- and location-specific differences in exposure and metabolism. The range in contaminant levels found within the sample group was vast, despite the fact that the animals investigated were all adult males from the same location. The PCB pattern in highly contaminated animals was different from that in animals with low levels of contamination, with relatively more persistent PCBs in the highly contaminated group. This suggests that the more contaminated animals were feeding at higher trophic levels; possibly targeting seals in addition to mollusks as their prey. This suggestion was reinforced by the fatty acid profiles of the inner blubber layer of walruses with low versus high contaminant levels, which suggested different diets for the two groups.
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| 27. |
- Wolkers, Hans, et al.
(författare)
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Tissue-specific accumulation and lactational transfer of polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated pesticides, and brominated flame retardants in hooded seals (Cistophora cristata) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence : applications for monitoring.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Environmental Pollution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0269-7491 .- 1873-6424. ; 142:3, s. 476-486
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Accumulation and mother-pup transfer of halogenated organic contaminants was studied in hooded seal tissues from eastern Canada. Blubber polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and total pesticide concentrations were relatively high, possibly due to their high trophic level and demersal feeding habits. Blood plasma showed the lowest contaminant concentrations compared to blubber and liver, possibly due to a lower affinity of these compounds to lipoproteins in blood plasma. Total contaminant body burden correlated well with blubber, liver, and milk contaminants, but not with blood plasma contaminants, indicating that blood plasma might be less suitable to monitor contaminants in hooded seals. Lactational transfer favored less lipophilic contaminants and was associated with relatively high blood plasma PCB and polybrominated diphenyl ether concentrations in females. Despite lactational transfer, females did not show significantly lower blubber contaminant concentrations or burdens than males. This might be caused by their low blubber, and thus contaminant, loss during lactation compared to other species.
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| 28. |
- Finlay, Roger, et al.
(författare)
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The role of fungi in biogenic weathering in boreal forest soils
- 2009
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Ingår i: Fungal Biology Reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1749-4613 .- 1878-0253. ; 23:4, s. 101-106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article we discuss the possible significance of biological processes, and of fungi in particular, in weathering of minerals. We consider biological activity to be a significant driver of mineral weathering in forest ecosystems. In these environments fungi play key roles in organic matter decomposition, uptake, transfer and cycling of organic and inorganic nutrients, biogenic mineral formation, as well as transformation and accumulation of metals. The ability of lichens, mutualistic symbioses between fungi and photobionts such as algae or cyanobacteria, to weather minerals is well documented. The role of mycorrhizal fungi forming symbioses with forest trees is less well understood, but the mineral horizons of boreal forests are intensively colonised by mycorrhizal mycelia which transfer protons and organic metabolites derived from plant photosynthates to mineral surfaces, resulting in mineral dissolution and mobilisation and redistribution of anionic nutrients and metal cations. The mycorrhizal mycelia, in turn provide efficient systems for the uptake and direct transport of mobilised essential nutrients to their host plants which are large sinks. Since almost all (99.99. %) non-suberised lateral plant roots involved in nutrient uptake are covered by ectomycorrhizal fungi, most of this exchange of metabolites must take place through the plant-fungus interface. This idea is still consistent with a linear relationship between soil mineral surface area and weathering rate since the mycelia that emanate from the tree roots will have a larger area of contact with minerals if the mineral surface area is higher. Although empirical models based on bulk soil solution chemistry may fit field data, we argue that biological processes make an important contribution to mineral weathering and that a more detailed mechanistic understanding of these must be developed in order to predict responses to environmental changes and anthropogenic impact. © 2010 The British Mycological Society.
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| 29. |
- Gunnarsson, Lina-Maria, 1977, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of six different sewage treatment processes-Reduction of estrogenic substances and effects on gene expression in exposed male fish
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 407:19, s. 5235-5242
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Treated sewage effluents often contain a mixture of estrogenic compounds in low concentrations. The total combined activity of these, however, may be sufficiently high to affect the reproduction of aquatic vertebrates. The introduction of advanced treatment technologies has been suggested as a way to remove micro-contaminants, including estrogenic substances. In this study, one municipal influent was treated with six different processes in parallel on a semi-large scale in order to assess their potential to reduce substances that could contribute to estrogenic effects in male fish. The effluent from a conventional, activated sludge treatment line was compared to a similarly treated effluent with a final sand-filtering step. The addition of ozonation (15 g O-3/m(3)). a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) or both in combination was also evaluated. There was also a separate treatment line that was based on a membrane bioreactor. A small battery of hepatic estrogen-responsive genes was measured in the exposed fish using quantitative PCR. Concentrations of steroid estrogens and estrogenic phenols in the effluents were measured by GC-ECNI-MS. The ozonated effluents were the only tested effluents for which all measured biological effects in exposed fish were removed. Chemical data suggested that the MBBR technology was equally effective in removing the analyzed estrogens; however, elevated expression of estrogen-responsive genes suggested that some estrogenic substances were still present in the effluent. The membrane bioreactor removed most of the measured estrogens and it reduced the induction of the estrogen-responsive genes. However, fish exposed to this effluent had significantly enlarged livers. Given that the same influent was treated in parallel with a broad set of technologies and that the chemical analyses were combined with an in vivo assessment of estrogenic responses, this study provides valuable input into the assessment of advanced treatment processes for removing estrogenic substances.
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| 30. |
- Elgh-Dalgren, Kristin, et al.
(författare)
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Anaerobic bioremediation of a soil with mixed contaminants : Explosives degradation and influence on heavy metal distribution, monitored as changes in concentration and toxicity
- 2009
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Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932. ; 202:1-4, s. 301-313
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two soils with explosives and metals were evaluated for the degradation efficiency of explosives by native microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The commercially available method Daramend®, amended with zero-valent iron (ZVI), was compared with a horse-manure amended compost and a treatment with ZVI alone. In a moderately contaminated soil, Daramend® and ZVI treatment gave significantly higher removal rates compared to compost and control treatments (Tukey’s test, P<0.05). The largest overall decrease in ecotoxicity, measured with bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), was achieved with ZVI-treatment. In a more contaminated soil no degradation of contaminants and no decline in soil toxicity could be distinguished after the same time period. Problems with establishment of anaerobic conditions during parts of the remediation process and low microbial activity due to acute toxicity of contaminants are plausible explanations. Redistribution that could potentially lead to mobilization of the co-contaminant Pb was not observed in either of the soils during the biological treatments.
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