An application of life-cycle assessment for environmental planning and management: the potential environmental and human health impacts of growing genetically-modified herbicide-tolerant sugar beet

Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) was used to assess the potential environmental and human health impacts of growing genetically-modified (GM), herbicide-tolerant sugar beet in the UK and Germany compared with conventional sugar beet varieties. The GM variety results in lower potential environmental impacts on global warming, airborne nutrification, ecotoxicity (of soil and water) and watercourse enrichment, and lower potential human health impacts in terms of production of toxic particulates, summer smog, carcinogens and ozone depletion. Although the overall contribution of GM sugar beet to reducing harmful emissions to the environment would be relatively small, the potential for GM crops to reduce pollution from agriculture, including diffuse water pollution, is highlighted.

The use of life-cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental impacts of growing genetically modified, nitrogen use-efficient canola

Agriculture, particularly intensive crop production, makes a significant contribution to environmental pollution. A variety of canola (Brassica napus) has been genetically modified to enhance nitrogen use efficiency, effectively reducing the amount of fertilizer required for crop production. A partial life-cycle assessment adapted to crop production was used to assess the potential environmental impacts of growing genetically modified, nitrogen use-efficient (GMNUE) canola in North Dakota and Minnesota compared with a conventionally bred control variety. The analysis took into account the entire production system used to produce 1 tonne of canola. This comprised raw material extraction, processing and transportation, as well as all agricultural field operations. All emissions associated with the production of 1 tonne of canola were listed, aggregated and weighted in order to calculate the level of environmental impact. The findings show that there are a range of potential environmental benefits associated with growing GMNUE canola. These include reduced impacts on global warming, freshwater ecotoxicity, eutrophication and acidification. Given the large areas of canola grown in North America and, in particular, Canada, as well as the wide acceptance of genetically modified varieties in this area, there is the potential for GMNUE canola to reduce pollution from agriculture, with the largest reductions predicted to be in greenhouse gases and diffuse water pollution.

Contributing understanding of mitigation options for phosphorus and sediment to a review of the efficacy of contemporary agricultural stewardship measures

Experiences from the Mitigation Options for Phosphorus and Sediment (MOPS) projects, which aim to determine the effectiveness of measures to reduce pollutant loading from agricultural land to surface waters, have been used to contribute to the findings of a recent paper (Kay et al., 2009, Agricultural Systems, 99, 67–75), which reviewed the efficacy of contemporary agricultural stewardship measures for ameliorating the water pollution problems of key concern to the UK water industry. MOPS1 is a recently completed 3-year research project on three different soil types in the UK, which focused on mitigation options for winter cereals. MOPS1 demonstrated that tramlines can be the major pathway for sediment and nutrient transfer from arable hillslopes, and that although minimum tillage, crop residue incorporation, contour cultivation, and beetle banks also have potential to be cost-effective mitigation options, tramline management is the one of the most promising treatments for mitigating diffuse pollution losses, as it was able to reduce sediment and nutrient losses by 72–99% in four out of five site years trialled. Using information from the MOPS projects, this paper builds on the findings of Kay et al. to provide an updated picture of the evidence available and the immediate needs for research in this area.

Phylogenetic group distribution among Escherichia coli isolated from rivers in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

The phylogenetic group distribution of Escherichia coli strains isolated from the Sorocaba and Jaguari Rivers located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is described. E. coli strains from group D were found in both rivers while one strain from group B2 was isolated from the Sorocaba river. These two groups often include strains that can cause extraintestinal diseases. Most of the strains analyzed were allocated into the phylogenetic groups A and B1, supporting the hypothesis that strains from these phylogenetic groups are more abundant in tropical areas. Though both rivers are located in urbanized and industrialized areas where the main source of water pollution is considered to derive from domestic sewage, our results suggest that the major sources of contamination in the sampling sites of both rivers might have originated from animals and not humans.

Avaliação ecotoxicológica de efluentes industriais utilizando Danio rerio Hamilton-Buchanan, 1822 (TELEOSTEI, CYPRINIDAE)

The industrial effluents are one of the main sources of water pollution. For an appropriate characterization and control of their discharges, the most efficient strategy is the integrated use of chemical, physical and ecotoxicological analyses. The aims of this study were to asses the efficiency of the treatment plant of a textile industry performing acute toxicity tests and physical-chemical analyses of the effluents before and after the treatment, besides evaluate the toxicity of the effluents of the Treatment System of Liquids Effluents (Sistema de Tratamento de Efluentes Líquidos - SITEL) of Distrito Industrial de Natal (DIN) and some of their physical-chemical variables. The species used in the ecotoxicological tests was the fish Danio rerio. The results showed that the treatment plant reduced significantly (around 50%) the toxicity of the raw textile effluent in only three of the seven tests but, in general, it promoted the reduction of the physical-chemical parameters analyzed. The toxicity and the physical-chemical factors of the effluents of SITEL of DIN varied among the tests and show the importance of monitoring their discharges in the Potengi river, one of the most important rivers of the Rio Grande do Norte state

Desenvolvimento de filtros cerâmicos impregnados com nanopartículas de prata para desinfecção de água potável

Brazil has vast amounts of hydric resources, whose quality has been deteriorating due to pollutant dumping. Household waste disposal is one of the main sources of water pollution, stimulating bacteria proliferation and introducing microorganisms, including those from fecal matter. Conventional water disinfection methods are a solution, but on the downside, they lead to the formation byproducts hazardous to human health. In this study, aiming to develop bactericidal filters for the disinfection of drinking water; silver nanoparticles were deposited on alumina foams through three routes: sputtering DC, dip coating and in situ chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The depositions were characterized through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and EDS element mapping. The influence of the depositions on permeability and mechanical properties of the ceramic foams was assessed and, in sequence, a preliminary antibacterial efficiency analysis was carried out. Characterization results indicate that the chemical reduction routes were efficient in depositing homogeneously distributed silver particles and that the concentration of the metallic precursor salt affects size and morphology of the particles. The antibacterial efficiency analysis indicates that the chemical reduction filters have potential for water disinfection

Characterization of the Interactions between Endocrine Disruptors and Aquatic Humic Substances from Tropical Rivers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Alteração da qualidade do solo em zona ripária sob diferentes usos: potencial de poluição para um manancial tropical

The demographic growth press environments that are more susceptible to perturbations, like riparian areas, without knowing about the effects of replacing these natural environments by different land uses on soil quality and, consequently, on watershed. The study of soil quality has evolved as an important tool for soil sustainable management of this component of the biosphere that affects aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems functions. Thus, physical and chemical soil proprieties were measured to assess soil quality under different land uses (agricultural, pasture, urban, industrial and natural vegetation,) in the riparian zone of Extremoz Lake, an important human water source, evaluating whether the soil offers potential risk to water pollution. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results showed negative changes in soil quality such as alkalinization and increase in P, Pb, Mn and Zn contents in most anthropized areas. The sandy texture and low organic matter content in all soils showed the fragility of the soil to erosion and leaching of elements in excess to water bodies, evidencing that this soils has potential to diffuse contaminants. Conservative management of soil is necessary to provide an adequate ecological state in riparian zones of the Extremoz Lake, thus allowing controlling and buffering diffuse sources of pollution to this important water supply source

Adubação nitrogenada na cultura do milho

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Desenvolvimento de um reator fotoquímico aplicável no tratamento de efluentes fenólicos presentes na indústria do petróleo

With water pollution increment at the last years, so many progresses in researches about treatment of contaminated waters have been developed. In wastewaters containing highly toxic organic compounds, which the biological treatment cannot be applied, the Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) is an alternative for degradation of nonbiodegradable and toxic organic substances, because theses processes are generation of hydroxyl radical based on, a highly reactivate substance, with ability to degradate practically all classes of organic compounds. In general, the AOP request use of special ultraviolet (UV) lamps into the reactors. These lamps present a high electric power demand, consisting one of the largest problems for the application of these processes in industrial scale. This work involves the development of a new photochemistry reactor composed of 12 low cost black light fluorescent lamps (SYLVANIA, black light, 40 W) as UV radiation source. The studied process was the photo-Fenton system, a combination of ferrous ions, hydrogen peroxide, and UV radiation, it has been employed for the degradation of a synthetic wastewater containing phenol as pollutant model, one of the main pollutants in the petroleum industry. Preliminary experiments were carrier on to estimate operational conditions of the reactor, besides the effects of the intensity of radiation source and lamp distribution into the reactor. Samples were collected during the experiments and analyzed for determining to dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content, using a TOC analyzer Shimadzu 5000A. The High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was also used for identification of the cathecol and hydroquinone formed during the degradation process of the phenol. The actinometry indicated 9,06⋅1018 foton⋅s-1 of photons flow, for 12 actived lamps. A factorial experimental design was elaborated which it was possible to evaluate the influence of the reactants concentration (Fe2+ and H2O2) and to determine the most favorable experimental conditions ([Fe2+] = 1,6 mM and [H2O2] = 150,5 mM). It was verified the increase of ferrous ions concentration is favorable to process until reaching a limit when the increase of ferrous ions presents a negative effect. The H2O2 exhibited a positive effect, however, in high concentrations, reaching a maximum ratio degradation. The mathematical modeling of the process was accomplished using the artificial neural network technique

Utilização De Polímeros à Base De Acrilamida Na Remoção De Cobre De Meio Aquoso

Environmental Laws and Regulations to dump wastewater are increasingly relevant and, together with pressure from environmentalists, provide awareness of academics in search of solutions. In Brazil, federal law, through Resolution No. 357 of 17/03/05 of the National Environmental Council - CONAMA, in Article 24 deals with the disposal of these effluents. Water pollution with heavy metals is concern because of the difficulty of the treatment and removal from the environment. Copper, for example, is a metallic element and in the form of salt is very soluble in water which dificults its removal. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the extraction of copper with acrylamide polymers through the process of assisted flocculation followed by filtration. Therefore, we used acrylamide polymers, produced by SNF Floerger, with varying degrees of ionicity which is the parameter examined on the extraction of copper. We used the FA polymers FA 920 SH, AH 912 SH, AN 905 SH, AN 910 SH, AN 923 SH, AN 945 SH, AN 956 SH and AN 977 SH, which have anionicities different from each other and growing in that order. The parameters temperature, pH, concentration of the copper solution and stirring speed are fixed. The polymer solution was added to a solution of 200 ppm copper, varying the concentration of polymer. After stirring, an assisted flocculation occurred followed by filtration of the effluent. The filtrate was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer and the percentage removal of copper ranged from 63 % to 97 %, noting that polymers with higher ionic charge were responsible for the highest percentage of copper extraction. The results of this study showed that these polymers can be applied in the treatment of wastewaters containing metals such as copper

Degradação fotoquímica de efluentes industriais contendo polipropileno e isoniazida

One of the main impacts to the environment is the water pollution, where the industrial sector is one of the main sources of this problem. In order to search for a solution, the industrial sector is looking forward to new technologies to treat its wastewaters with the goal to reuse the water in the own process. In this mode, the treatment presents a reduction in its costs with the water suply. One of these technologies that are getting more and more applications is the advanced oxidative processes (AOP´s). In this work two industrial wastewaters have been studied, i.e., containing polymers and pharmacus. In the case of the wastewaters with polymers the UV/H2O2 process has been applied with a systematic series of experiments, using irradiation from a mercury lamp and also solar. The following variables of the UV/H2O2 process for the polymers wastewaters have been studied systematically with the lamp reactor: mode of addition of hydrogen peroxide, temperature, time of reaction, hydrogen peroxide concentration and power of the lamp (80, 125, 250 and 400W). The results demonstrated to be satisfactory, obtaining rates of organic charge removal of 100% in 120 minutes of reaction. The studied variables for the experiments with solar irradiation using polymers wastewaters were only the time of reaction, the mode of addition and concentration of the hydrogen peroxide. The results with the solar irradiation demonstrated to be not satisfactory, reaching maximum of 22% of TOC removal in 240 minutes of reaction. This is in accordance with the fact that the solar source has only 5% of low UV irradiation. With respect to the photodegradation of the pharmacus wastewaters, the process UV/H2O2 and photo-Fenton have been applied. As a source of photons, in this case, a mercury UV lamp of 80 W has been used. The studied variables for the experiments with artificial irradiation with the pharmacus wastewaters were: initial concentration of the pollutant, concentration of Fe2+ and time of reaction. The results demonstrated a degree of degradation fairly satisfactory, showing a maximum conversion value of 46% in 120 minutes

Eutrofização do Reservatório Cruzeta na bacia representativa do rio Seridó RN

Eutrophication has been listed as one of the main problems of water pollution on a global level. In the Brazilian semi-arid areas this problem takes even greater proportions due to characteristical water scarcity of the region. It is extremely important to the predictive eutrophication models development and to the reservoirs management in the semi-arid region, studies that promotes understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the expansion and control of algae blooms, essential for improving the water quality of these environments. The present study had as its main aims, evaluate the temporal pattern of trophic state, considering the influence of nutrients (N and P) and the light availability in the water column in the development of phytoplankton biomass, and perform the mathematical modelling of changes in phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations in the Cruzeta man-made lake located on Seridó, a typical semi-arid region of Rio Grande do Norte. To this, a fortnightly monitoring was performed in the reservoir in 05 stations over the months of March 2007 to May 2008. Were measured the concentrations of total phosphorus, total organic nitrogen, chlorophyll a, total, fixed and volatile suspended solids, as well as the measure of transparency (Secchi) and the profiles of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity in the water column. Measurements of vertical profiles have shown some periods of chemical and thermal stratification, especially in the rainy season, due to increased water column depth, however, the reservoir can be classified as warm polimitic. During the study period the reservoir was characterized as eutrophic considering the concentrations of phosphorus and most of the time as mesotrophic, based on the concentrations of chlorophyll a, according to the Thornton & Rast (1993) classification. The N:P relations suggest N limitation, conversely, significant linear relationship between the algae biomass and nutrients (N and P) were not observed in our study. However, a relevant event was the negative and significant correlation presented by Kt and chlorophyll a (r ² = 0.83) at the end of the drought of 2007 and the rainy season of 2008, and the algal biomass collapse observed at the end of the drought season (Dec/07). The equation used to simulate the change in the total phosphorus was not satisfactory, being necessary inclusion of parameters able to increase the power of the model prediction. The chlorophyll a simulation presented a good adjustment trend, however there is a need to check the calibrated model parameters and subsequent equation validation

Utilização de membranas no pós-tratamento de esgotos para reuso do permeado e aproveitamento do concentrado

The use of membrane filters in the post-treatment of sewage has been increasingly employed to obtain water quality, applicable to various forms of reuse. Despite the advantages presented using the permeate membranes, such as saving water and reducing water pollution, the concentrate generated in the process ends up being an inconvenience to the deployment of this technology due to lack of sustainable solutions for their management. Thus, the main objective of this research was to evaluate the use of membranes for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis concentrated in agriculture, using it as liquid fertilizer. The permeated membranes were also assessed in order to identify activities in which they could be reused. Five configurations were established from four types of membranes, so that each configuration represents a different system. The tests were conducted in batch mode, with triplicate for each configuration. The results indicated that permeated the microfiltration and ultrafiltration can be used in urban areas, in non-potable uses. Have the nanofiltration permeate can be reused in the industry, replacement cooling towers, and other non -potable uses required in the manufacturing unit. The permeate obtained in reverse osmosis met the intended uses for nanofiltration as well as the standards required for boiler feed, adding alkalizing being required to raise the pH to the recommended value. Concentrates generated in nanofiltration and reverse osmosis can be availed as liquid fertilizer in agriculture, but they must be diluted in the irrigation water, in order to adjust the salt concentration allowed for the least tolerant crops patterns

Poluição sonora: um grave problema na cidade de Mossoró-RN

In the latest decades, we have observed some environment alterations of big proportions in our planet. Sound pollution, visual pollution, water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, all the principal kinds of environment pollution have raised in the path of economy development. In Mossoró it is not different; the environment has suffered a long and continuous damage caused by predatory abuse. The river is polluted, the ciliar vegetation of Carnauba was totally altered and with it a part of the local fauna disappeared. In fact, the city urban environment has, and continues to be, deeply altered and the sound pollution is a reflex of the urban modifications undergone in the city as time goes by. Through bibliographic review, the gauging of noise and fieldwork, this research project had the objective of analyzing the principal activities that cause sound pollution in the urban perimeter of the city of Mossoró, RN, emphasizing the causes, effects and spacial distribution of the polluter agents, as well as understanding how the environmental laws treat the sound issue in the urban environment of the city. The President Dutra avenue, where popular events of Mossoró take place and an important access for the city, was the chosen place to study this pollution that became, recently, another hindrance that interferes on the life quality of the local population. The results of this brief research emphasizes the urgency to alert society, specially about the importance of law and public organs that are located in our city, therefore solving problems such as the aforementioned above