Treatment of an ECF bleaching effluent with white-rot fungi in an air-lift bioreactor

Pulp and paper mills utilise huge amount of natural resources, inorganic and organic materials along with large volume of water in different stages of paper manufacturing, resulting in a significant volume of effluents. The aim of this work was to investigate the treatment of a bleaching effluent [effluent chlorine free (ECF)] from the cellulose industry with white-rot fungi in an air-lift bioreactor. This effluent was submitted to the biological treatment with three white-rot fungi, and, every 24 h for 120 h, analytical tests were performed to analyse the quality parameters of treatment (COD, phenols, colour, pH). Before and after treatment, the effluent was analysed as its molecular mass distribution and absorptivity in the UV/VIS. Lentinus edodes, Trametes versicolor and Trametes villosa promoted similarly significant reductions in the following characteristics: (a) effluent colour (40–44 %), (b) total phenol (30–51 %) and (c) COD (37–43 %). The UV/visible spectrometry reading of the effluent after the fungi treatment showed a reduction in the absorbance of all wavelengths between 260 and 500 nm. The size exclusion HPLC profile of the effluent was modified, and the treatment promoted changes in the intensity of the peaks associated with compounds of high and low molecular weight. Phenoloxidases were produced during the treatment. T. versicolor produced the highest levels of laccase, and L. edodes was the only fungus that produced peroxidases.     

Magnetite biomineralization induced by Shewanella oneidensis

Shewanella oneidensis is a dissimilatory iron reducing bacterium capable of inducing the extracellular precipitation of magnetite. This precipitation requires a combination of passive and active mechanisms. Precipitation occurs as a consequence of active production of Fe²⁺_(aq) when bacteria utilize ferrihydrite as a terminal electron acceptor, and the pH rise probably due to the bacterial metabolism of amino acids. As for passive mechanisms, the localized concentration of Fe²⁺_(aq) and Fe³⁺_(aq) at the net negatively charged cell wall, cell structures and/or cell debris induces a local rise of supersaturation of the system with respect to magnetite, triggering the precipitation of such a phase.These biologically induced magnetites are morphologically identical to those formed inorganically in free-drift experiments (closed system; 25 °C, 1 atm total pressure), both from aqueous solutions containing Fe(ClO₄)₂, FeCl₃, NaHCO₃, NaCO₃ and NaOH, and also from sterile culture medium added with FeCl₂. However, organic material becomes incorporated in substantial amounts into the crystal structure of S. oneidensis-induced magnetites, modifying such a structure compared to that of inorganic magnetites. This structural change and the presence of organic matter are detected by Raman and FT-IR spectroscopic analyses and may be used as a biomarker to recognize the biogenic origin of natural magnetites.     

An investigation into intersex amphipods and a possible association with aquaculture

The amphipod, Echinogammarus marinus, is common in sheltered coastal inlets, such as estuaries and sea lochs, in Scotland and exhibits increased levels of intersex in some contaminated areas. Sea lochs are commonly the location for coastal aquaculture development, and some chemicals used in fish-farming are specifically designed to target the crustacean nervous system. Therefore it was hypothesised that these chemicals may also affect neuro-endocrine pathways, causing morphological and reproductive abnormalities in non-target Crustacea. Based upon this hypothesis, Echinogammarus marinus amphipods from two different Scottish sea lochs containing salmon farms were investigated. Morphology, intersexuality, and the incidence of microsporidian parasites were recorded at sites close and at distance from fish-farms. Results suggest a higher incidence of intersexuality at sites within sea lochs, comparable to that observed in industrially contaminated sites elsewhere in Scotland. The data suggest that fish farming activity may influence the observed distributions of intersexuality within lochs. Intersex specimens were more likely to be infected by microsporidian parasites than non-intersex specimens. Normal females were found more likely to be infected by microsporidian parasites at sites associated with high intersexuality, suggesting the parasite as the probable feminiser. The cause(s) for the observed patterns of intersexuality are unclear, although suggestions relating to discharges from fish farms are discussed.     

Size‐based differences in isotopic niche width (δ13C and δ15N) of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on Príncipe Island,Gulf of Guinea

Within the same population, nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas) might exploit different niches by exhibiting polymorphic foraging strategies and/or inhabiting geographically distinct foraging areas. This is crucial information for the conservation of this species. Here, we used stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) to test for differences in a population of green turtles nesting on Príncipe Island (1°37′N; 7°24?′E), Central Africa. A total of 60 nesting females were sampled on the two main nesting beaches of the island in December 2012. Minimum curved carapace length (CCL) was recorded, and δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values were measured in the epidermis of each individual. Overall, CCL varied from 87.0 to 108.0 cm (mean ± SD =100.0 ± 5.1), δ¹³C values from ?19.4 to ?8.6‰ (?17.3 ± 1.8) and δ¹⁵N values from 7.9 to 17.3‰ (13.6 ± 1.5). Despite the large variation in both isotopic ratios, their distributions were unimodal, showing an absence of polymorphic foraging strategies and isotopically distinct foraging areas. However, smaller females (< median, 100.8 cm) occupied a much larger isotopic niche (i.e., four times greater) than larger females. These results suggest that nesting green turtles may forage opportunistically on the resources available in each of their foraging home ranges, with smaller females venturing to more isotopic‐diversified areas and/or exhibiting broader foraging strategies than larger females. In addition, and in accordance with other studies, findings suggest that the foraging grounds used by the Príncipe green turtle nesting females are distributed mainly throughout the Gulf of Guinea.     

Constraints on the provenance of the uppermost allochthonous terrane of the NW Iberian Massif: inferences from detrital zircon U–Pb ages

ABSTRACT Insight into the origin and pre-orogenic palaeogeographical links of terranes involved in the assembly of collisional mountain belts is fundamental to the understanding of orogenic processes. Here we address the provenance and possible tectonic settings of the uppermost allochthonous terrane of the NW Iberian Variscan Belt through a 213-nm Laser Ablation ICP-MS study of U–Pb ages of detrital zircons. The age groups of zircons from greywackes in this terrane ( c . 480–610, 1900–2100, 2400–2500 Ma) and the lack of Mesoproterozoic zircons suggest an origin in a Neoproterozoic – Early Palaeozoic peri-Gondwanan realm along the periphery of the west African craton. It is further inferred that the greywackes were deposited in the periphery of a crustal unit that had been detached from the Gondwanan margin in relation to the opening of the Rheic ocean in Cambro-Ordovician times. This terrane was thrusted back upon the Gondwanan margin during the course of the Variscan collision and closure of the intervening ocean.     

Large-scale slope failure involving Triassic and Middle Miocene salt and shale in the Gulf of Cádiz (Atlantic Iberian Margin)

Sheets of salt and ductile shale advancing beyond the thrust front of the Gibraltar Arc (Iberian–Moroccan Atlantic continental margin) triggered downslope movements of huge allochthonous masses. These allochthons represent the Cádiz Nappe, which detached from the Gibraltar Arc along low‐angle normal faults and migrated downslope from the Iberian and Moroccan continental margins towards the Atlantic Ocean. Extensional tectonics initiated upslope salt withdrawal and downslope diapirism during large‐scale westward mass wasting from the shelf and upper slope. Low‐angle salt and shale detachments bound by lateral ramps link extensional structures in the shelf to folding, thrusting and sheets of salt and shale in the Gulf of Cádiz. From backstripping analyses carried out on the depocentres of the growth‐fault‐related basins on the shelf, we infer two episodes of rapid subsidence related to extensional collapses; these were from Late Tortonian to Late Messinian (200–400 m Myr^?1) and from Early Pliocene to Late Pliocene (100–150 m Myr^?1). The extensional events that induced salt movements also affected basement deformation and were, probably, associated with the westward advance of frontal thrusts of the Gibraltar Arc as a result of the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. The complexities of salt and/or shale tectonics in the Gulf of Cádiz result from a combination of the deformations seen at convergent and passive continental margins.     

Effects of capillary reflection in the performance of the collimator of the Large Area Detector on board LOFT

The Large Observatory For X-ray Timing (LOFT) is one of the candidate missions selected by the European Space Agency for an initial assessment phase in the Cosmic Vision programme. It is proposed for the M3 launch slot and has broad scientific goals related to fast timing of astrophysical X-ray sources. LOFT will carry the Large Area Detector (LAD), as one of the two core science instruments, necessary to achieve the challenging objectives of the project. LAD is a collimated detector working in the energy range 2-50 keV with an effective area of approximately 10 m ²at 8 keV. The instrument comprises an array of modules located on deployable panels. Lead-glass microchannel plate (MCP) collimators are located in front of the large-area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) to reduce the background contamination from off-axis resolved point sources and from the diffuse X-ray background. The inner walls of the microchannel plate pores reflect grazing incidence X-ray photons with a probability that depends on energy. In this paper, we present a study performed with an ad-hoc simulator of the effects of this capillary reflectivity on the overall instrument performance. The reflectivity is derived from a limited set of laboratory measurements, used to constrain the model. The measurements were taken using a prototype collimator whose thickness is similar to that adopted in the current baseline design proposed for the LAD. We find that the experimentally measured level of reflectivity of the pore inner walls enhances the off-axis transmission at low energies, producing an almost flat-top response. The resulting background increase due to the diffuse cosmic X-ray emission and sources within the field of view does not degrade the instrument sensitivity.     

Interacting Effect of pH,Phosphate and Time on the Release of Arsenic from Polluted River Sediments (Anllóns River,Spain)

The interacting effect of pH, phosphate and time on the release of arsenic (As) from As-rich river bed sediments was studied. Arsenic release edges and kinetic release experiments (pH range 3–10), in the absence and presence of phosphate, coupled with sequential extraction procedures, SEM/EDX analyses and geochemical calculations, were carried out to evaluate As remobilisation and to elucidate the mechanisms involved. The results showed that As release underwent pronounced kinetic effects, which were strongly influenced by pH and phosphate. Remobilisation of As after 24 h was low (between ~1 and 5%) and varied slightly with pH, whereas alkaline conditions generally promoted As remobilisation after 168 h, with up to 12–21% of total As released. The results showed that depending on the pH and sediment considered, the release of As increased dramatically after ~48–72 h, suggesting that different processes are involved at different reaction periods. The addition of phosphate (1 mM) increased both the amount of As released (between 2 and 8 times) and the rate of As release from the sediments within the entire pH range (3–10) and period (168 h) studied. Moreover, in some cases, it also affected the shape of the As release edges and kinetic profiles. The similarities in the release profiles and the positive correlations between As and some sediment components, especially Fe and Al hydroxides, and organic matter—which appears to play a key role at high pH—suggest that As release from the studied sediments may be associated with solid phase dissolution processes under both acid and alkaline pH, whereas desorption plays a key role in the short term and at natural pH conditions, especially in the presence of phosphate, which acts as an As-displacing ligand. Evaluation of As mobility based on short-time leaching experiments may seriously underestimate the mobilisation of As from sediments.     

Climate changes and human activities recorded in the sediments of Lake Estanya (NE Spain) during the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age

A multi-proxy study of short sediment cores recovered in small, karstic Lake Estanya (42°02?? N, 0°32?? E, 670 m.a.s.l.) in the Pre-Pyrenean Ranges (NE Spain) provides a detailed record of the complex environmental, hydrological and anthropogenic interactions occurring in the area since medieval times. The integration of sedimentary facies, elemental and isotopic geochemistry, and biological proxies (diatoms, chironomids and pollen), together with a robust chronological control, provided by AMS radiocarbon dating and ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radiometric techniques, enabled precise reconstruction of the main phases of environmental change, associated with the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), the Little Ice Age (LIA) and the industrial era. Shallow lake levels and saline conditions with poor development of littoral environments prevailed during medieval times (1150?C1300 AD). Generally higher water levels and more dilute waters occurred during the LIA (1300?C1850 AD), although this period shows a complex internal paleohydrological structure and is contemporaneous with a gradual increase of farming activity. Maximum lake levels and flooding of the current littoral shelf occurred during the nineteenth century, coinciding with the maximum expansion of agriculture in the area and prior to the last cold phase of the LIA. Finally, declining lake levels during the twentieth century, coinciding with a decrease in human pressure, are associated with warmer climate conditions. A strong link with solar irradiance is suggested by the coherence between periods of more positive water balance and phases of reduced solar activity. Changes in winter precipitation and dominance of NAO negative phases would be responsible for wet LIA conditions in western Mediterranean regions. The main environmental stages recorded in Lake Estanya are consistent with Western Mediterranean continental records, and show similarities with both Central and NE Iberian reconstructions, reflecting a strong climatic control of the hydrological and anthropogenic changes during the last 800 years.