Anodic Oxidation as Green Alternative for Removing Diethyl Phthalate from Wastewater Using Pb/PbO2 and Ti/SnO2 Anodes

The electrochemical oxidation (EO) of diethyl phthalate (DEP) in aqueous solution was studied at Pb/PbO₂ and Ti/SnO₂ anode materials under galvanostatic‐experimental conditions. Results obtained clearly demonstrated that the anode plays a significant role for the optimization of the oxidation process, deciding the mechanisms and by‐products formed. DEP and by‐products of oxidation were also analyzed during various stages of the electrolysis reaction by HPLC and GC/MS techniques. Before the analysis by GC/MS technique, the samples were treated by solid phase microextraction (SPME) in order to concentrate the compounds from the reaction solution and identify all electrolysis intermediates. Current efficiencies (instantaneous current efficiency; ICE and total current efficiency; TCE) achieved during EO experiments were dependent on anode used and current density (20–40 mA cm^?2) at 40°C. The results obtained demonstrated that the environmental electrochemical methods can be a feasible alternative for the wastewater treatment containing hazardous phthalates.     

Hydrogeochemical processes,mixing and isotope tracing in hard rock aquifers and surface waters from the Subarnarekha River Basin, (east Singhbhum District,Jharkhand State,India)

Geochemical observations, including major ion and trace element analysis, and isotopic tracing have been carried out in the Subarnarekha River system (northeastern India) during a surface-water- and groundwater-monitoring program aimed at evaluating impacts of mining. The aquifer is of fracture type. Groundwater flow conditions and pollutant transfer were observed through a network of 69 wells. δ¹⁸O and δ²H results suggest that transfer from rainfall towards groundwater storage through soils and the unsaturated zone is fast, without any major transformation like evaporation. The scatter of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signatures in surface water and groundwater are explained by three end-members. One is compatible with rainwater inputs. The most mineralised end-member represents anthropogenic inputs (agricultural practices and ore processing). The third end-member, characterised by a high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signature, is believed to be controlled by natural geochemical processes, although affected by human activities (e.g. drainage of mine waste). Potential flow paths, investigated north of the area, reveal that all groundwater types seem to evolve more in pockets than along a flow path. The limited extent of transfer and the predominance of natural phenomena help to explain the moderate level of groundwater contamination and the characteristics of surface water contamination by mining and the metallurgy industry.     

Characterization of loess in central Spain: a microstructural study

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the materials developed in the middle Tajo River valley, Central Spain. These sediments are loess, the characterization of which has not been reported in the international bibliography. The sediments are related to the next geological context and their characterization is indispensable to locate the said material in the adequate environment. A few different methods have been employed in this study, such as the pipette method (for determining the grain size) and separation of the light and heavy minerals of the sand fraction by using bromoform. The mineralogical composition was determined by XRD and textural study was accomplished by SEM/EDX. The loessic materials are silt-clay or sandy-silt that are quite unstable. The mineralogical composition shows quartz, feldspar, calcite and clay minerals. Some samples show gypsum; this mineral and calcite present dissolution and stability problems. The heavy minerals starting from the sand fraction are tourmaline, zircon, garnet, staurolite, sillimanite and biotite associations. The studies carried out with SEM show that the quartz grain surfaces present etch pits typical of the wind-blown origin.     

Gravity-geoelectric joint inversion over the Potiguar rift basin, NE Brazil

A joint inversion of gravity and geoelectrical data has been performed along a 100 km long profile across the oil-bearing Potiguar rift basin in NE Brazil. The integrated approach is based on the connection between density and resistivity of a sedimentary sequence through the porosity. Seventy-one gravity stations and twenty-nine vertical electrical soundings were carried out across the central part of the Early Cretaceous basin in the Precambrian Borborema Province to apply the proposed joint inversion. Both the physical properties and geometry of the multilayer deep model were well constrained by a wide set of prior information obtained by surface mapping, geophysical logs and seismic sections. The results reveal a rift architecture formed by a 5000 m thick half-graben structure separated by an intervening basement high and an extensive adjacent platform with a sedimentary infill of about 300 m thick. The calculated model shows geometries for the sedimentary density/resistivity interfaces in agreement with the seismostratigraphic sequences revealed by seismic section, representing a substantial improvement in comparison with previously published gravity models.     

Stellar kinematics and populations of early-type galaxies with the SAURON and OASIS integral-field spectrographs

We summarise the results and achievements of integral-field spectroscopy of early-type galaxies, observed as part of a survey using both the SAURON and OASIS spectrographs. From the perspective of integral-field spectroscopy, these otherwise smooth and featureless objects show a wealth of structure, both in their stellar kinematics and populations. We focus on the stellar content, and examine properties on both kiloparsec scales with SAURON, and scales of 100’s of parsecs with OASIS. These complementary studies reveal two types of kinematically distinct components (KDCs), differing primarily in their intrinsic sizes. In previous studies, KDCs and their host galaxies have generally been found to be unremarkable in other aspects. We show that large KDCs, typical of the well-studied cases, indeed show little or no age differences with their host galaxy. The KDCs detected with the higher spatial-resolution of OASIS are intrinsically smaller and include, in contrast, a significant fraction of young stars. We speculate on the relationship between KDCs and their host galaxies, and the implications for young populations in early-type galaxies.