A study of factors affecting the incidence and growth rates of fungi in sewage bacteria beds

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Thermal stability of sewage sludge pyrolysis oil

The stability of the oil phase obtained from intermediate pyrolysis process was used for this investigation. The analysis was based on standard methods of determining kinematic viscosity, gas - chromatography / mass - spectrometry for compositional changes, FT-IR for functional group, Karl Fischer titration for water content and bomb calorimeter for higher heaating values. The methods were used to determine changes that occurred during ageing. The temperatures used for thermal testing were 60 °C and 80 °C for the periods of 72 and 168 h. Methanol and biodiesel were used as solvents for the analysis. The bio-oil samples contained 10 % methanol, 10 % Biodiesel, 20 % Biodiesel and unstabilised pyrolysis oil. The tests carried out at 80 °C showed drastic changes compared to those at 60 °C. The bio-oil samples containing 20 % biodiesel proved to be more stable than those with 10 % methanol. The unstabilised pyrolysis oil showed the greatest changes in viscosity, composition change and highest increase in water content. The measurement of kinematic viscosity and gas chromatograph mass spectrometry were found to be more reliable for predicting the ageing process.

Modifying the yield factor based on more efficient use of fertilizer — The environmental impacts of intensive and extensive agricultural practices

The aim of this article is to draw attention to calculations on the environmental effects of agriculture and to the definition of marginal agricultural yield. When calculating the environmental impacts of agricultural activities, the real environmental load generated by agriculture is not revealed properly through ecological footprint indicators, as the type of agricultural farming (thus the nature of the pollution it creates) is not incorporated in the calculation. It is commonly known that extensive farming uses relatively small amounts of labor and capital. It produces a lower yield per unit of land and thus requires more land than intensive farming practices to produce similar yields, so it has a larger crop and grazing footprint. However, intensive farms, to achieve higher yields, apply fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc., and cultivation and harvesting are often mechanized. In this study, the focus is on highlighting the differences in the environmental impacts of extensive and intensive farming practices through a statistical analysis of the factors determining agricultural yield. A marginal function is constructed for the relation between chemical fertilizer use and yield per unit fertilizer input. Furthermore, a proposal is presented for how calculation of the yield factor could possibly be improved. The yield factor used in the calculation of biocapacity is not the marginal yield for a given area, but is calculated from the real and actual yields, and this way biocapacity and the ecological footprint for cropland are equivalent. Calculations for cropland biocapacity do not show the area needed for sustainable production, but rather the actual land area used for agricultural production. The proposal the authors present is a modification of the yield factor and also the changed biocapacity is calculated. The results of statistical analyses reveal the need for a clarification of the methodology for calculating marginal yield, which could clearly contribute to assessing the real environmental impacts of agriculture.

Modifying the yield factor based on more efficient use of fertilizer — The environmental impacts of intensive and extensive agricultural practices

The aim of this article is to draw attention to calculations on the environmental effects of agriculture and to the definition of marginal agricultural yield. When calculating the environmental impacts of agricultural activities, the real environmental load generated by agriculture is not revealed properly through ecological footprint indicators, as the type of agricultural farming (thus the nature of the pollution it creates) is not incorporated in the calculation. It is commonly known that extensive farming uses relatively small amounts of labor and capital. It produces a lower yield per unit of land and thus requires more land than intensive farming practices to produce similar yields, so it has a larger crop and grazing footprint. However, intensive farms, to achieve higher yields, apply fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, etc., and cultivation and harvesting are often mechanized. In this study, the focus is on highlighting the differences in the environmental impacts of extensive and intensive farming practices through a statistical analysis of the factors determining agricultural yield. A marginal function is constructed for the relation between chemical fertilizer use and yield per unit fertilizer input. Furthermore, a proposal is presented for how calculation of the yield factor could possibly be improved. The yield factor used in the calculation of biocapacity is not the marginal yield for a given area, but is calculated from the real and actual yields, and this way biocapacity and the ecological footprint for cropland are equivalent. Calculations for cropland biocapacity do not show the area needed for sustainable production, but rather the actual land area used for agricultural production. The proposal the authors present is a modification of the yield factor and also the changed biocapacity is calculated. The results of statistical analyses reveal the need for a clarification of the methodology for calculating marginal yield, which could clearly contribute to assessing the real environmental impacts of agriculture.

Half-degree gridded nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use for global agriculture production during 1900-2013

In addition to enhance agricultural productivity, synthetic nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) fertilizer application in croplands dramatically altered global nutrient budget, water quality, greenhouse gas balance, and their feedbacks to the climate system. However, due to the lack of geospatial fertilizer input data, current Earth system/land surface modeling studies have to ignore or use over-simplified data (e.g., static, spatially uniform fertilizer use) to characterize agricultural N and P input over decadal or century-long period. We therefore develop a global time-series gridded data of annual synthetic N and P fertilizer use rate in croplands, matched with HYDE 3,2 historical land use maps, at a resolution of 0.5º latitude by longitude during 1900-2013. Our data indicate N and P fertilizer use rates increased by approximately 8 times and 3 times, respectively, since the year 1961, when IFA (International Fertilizer Industry Association) and FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) survey of country-level fertilizer input were available. Considering cropland expansion, increase of total fertilizer consumption amount is even larger. Hotspots of agricultural N fertilizer use shifted from the U.S. and Western Europe in the 1960s to East Asia in the early 21st century. P fertilizer input show the similar pattern with additional hotspot in Brazil. We find a global increase of fertilizer N/P ratio by 0.8 g N/g P per decade (p< 0.05) during 1961-2013, which may have important global implication of human impacts on agroecosystem functions in the long run. Our data can serve as one of critical input drivers for regional and global assessment on agricultural productivity, crop yield, agriculture-derived greenhouse gas balance, global nutrient budget, land-to-aquatic nutrient loss, and ecosystem feedback to the climate system.

Organic carbon sources and their transfer in a gulf of Mexico coral reef ecosystem

Coral reefs face unprecedented threats throughout most of their range. Poorly planned coastal development has contributed increased nutrients and sewage contamination to coastal waters, smothering some corals and contributing to overgrowth by macroalgae. My approach to assessing the degree to which coral reef ecosystems have been influenced by terrestrial and anthropogenic organic carbon inputs is through the use of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotopes and lipid biomarkers in a marine protected area, the Coral Reef System of Veracruz: Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano (PNSAV) in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Firstly, I used a C and N stable isotope mixing model and a calculated fatty acid (FA) retention factor to reveal the primary producer sources that fuel the coral reef food web. Secondly, I used lipid classes, FA and sterol biomarkers to determine production of terrestrial and marine biogenic material of nutritional quality to pelagic and benthic organisms. Finally, I used coprostanol to determine pollutant loading from sewage in the suspended particulate matter. Results indicate that phytoplankton is the major source of essential metabolite FA for marine fish and that dietary energy from terrestrial sources such as mangroves are transferred to juvenile fish, while seagrass non-essential FA are transferred to the entire food web mainly in the rainy season. Sea urchins may be the main consumers of brown macroalgae, especially in the dry season, while surgeon fish prefer red algae in both dry and rainy seasons. C and N isotopic values and the ratio C:N suggest that fertilizer is the principal source of nitrogen to macroalgae. Thus nitrogen supply also favored phytoplankton and seagrass growth leading to a better nutritional condition and high retention of organic carbon in the food web members during the rainy season when river influence increases. However, the great star coral Montastrea cavernosa nutritional condition decreased significantly in the rainy season. The nearest river to the PNSAV was polluted in the dry season; however, a dilution effect was detected in the rainy season, when some coral reefs were contaminated. In 2013, a new treatment plant started working in the area. I would suggest monitoring δ¹⁵N and the C: N ratio in macroalgae as indicators of the nitrogen input and coprostanol as an indicator of human feces pollution in order to verify the efficiency of the new treatment plant as part of the management program of the PNSAV.

Historical global map of NH4+ and NO3- application in synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, link to NetCDF files

This paper provides a method for constructing a new historical global nitrogen fertilizer application map (0.5° × 0.5° resolution) for the period 1961-2010 based on country-specific information from Food and Agriculture Organization statistics (FAOSTAT) and various global datasets. This new map incorporates the fraction of NH+4 (and NONO-3) in N fertilizer inputs by utilizing fertilizer species information in FAOSTAT, in which species can be categorized as NH+4 and/or NO-3-forming N fertilizers. During data processing, we applied a statistical data imputation method for the missing data (19 % of national N fertilizer consumption) in FAOSTAT. The multiple imputation method enabled us to fill gaps in the time-series data using plausible values using covariates information (year, population, GDP, and crop area). After the imputation, we downscaled the national consumption data to a gridded cropland map. Also, we applied the multiple imputation method to the available chemical fertilizer species consumption, allowing for the estimation of the NH+4/NO-3 ratio in national fertilizer consumption. In this study, the synthetic N fertilizer inputs in 2000 showed a general consistency with the existing N fertilizer map (Potter et al., 2010, doi:10.1175/2009EI288.1) in relation to the ranges of N fertilizer inputs. Globally, the estimated N fertilizer inputs based on the sum of filled data increased from 15 Tg-N to 110 Tg-N during 1961-2010. On the other hand, the global NO-3 input started to decline after the late 1980s and the fraction of NO-3 in global N fertilizer decreased consistently from 35 % to 13 % over a 50-year period. NH+4 based fertilizers are dominant in most countries; however, the NH+4/NO-3 ratio in N fertilizer inputs shows clear differences temporally and geographically. This new map can be utilized as an input data to global model studies and bring new insights for the assessment of historical terrestrial N cycling changes.

Fontes de matéria orgânica para a formulação de fertilizantes organominerais peletizados no desenvolvimento da cultura do sorgo

Organo-mineral fertilizers have been used to both meet plants’ nutritional needs and reduce producers’ reliance on mineral fertilizers. This practice improves both the use of nutrients by plants and the soil structure due to the organic matter in these fertilizers. This study aimed to determine the effect of organic matter sources in the composition of organomineral fertilizers and compare it to the effect of traditional mineral fertilizers when it comes to the initial development of sorghum. Research was carried out in a greenhouse at the Federal University of Uberlandia, in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sorghum seeds of grain-bearing simple hybrid 1G100 were used in the seeding process. The experiment followed a randomized complete block design in a 4 x 3 + 2 factorial arrangement. Factors included four levels (50, 75, 100 and 125% of 450 kg ha-1, which is the recommended dose for sorghum crops), three organic matter sources in the composition of the organomineral fertilizers (sewage sludge, filter cake, and peat), a control (100% mineral fertilizer), and an untreated check (no fertilizers). Each experimental plot consisted of four plants divided into two pots. Oxisol was used in all pots. Analyses were performed at 30 and 60 days after seeding (DAS) and targeted: plant height, stem diameter, chlorophyll A, chlorophyll B, and leaf area. After this period, plants were removed from the soil, and had their aerial parts isolated to be dried in an air-forced oven before measurement of their dry mass. Means of the organomineral fertilizers outperformed those of both control and untreated check plots in almost all variables at 30 DAS. The only exception was variable stem diameter, in which organomineral fertilizers outperformed untreated check plots only. Sorghum fertilized with organomineral fertilizers also showed positive results in the variables analyzed at 60 DAS: even with dose reduction, their means were similar to those found in control plots. Organomineral fertilizers had higher means in some variables, such as diameter and dry mass of the aerial part, than both control and untreated check plots. In the conditions set in this study and considering the variables herein reported, organomineral fertilizers can substitute mineral fertilizers in the initial development of sorghum, even with some dose reductions.

Spatially explicit estimates of N2O emissions from croplands suggest climate mitigation opportunities from improved fertilizer management

Acknowledgements We are grateful to Stefan Seibert for advice on reconciling the Monfreda datasets of yield and area and the Portmann dataset for irrigated area of rice. We thank Deepak Ray and Jonathan Foley for helpful comments. Research support to J.G. K.C., N.M, and P.W. was primarily provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Institute on Environment, with additional support from NSF Hydrologic Sciences grant 1521210 for N.M., and additional support to J.G. and P.W. whose efforts contribute to Belmont Forum/FACCE-JPI funded DEVIL project (NE/M021327/1). M.H. was supported by CSIRO's OCE Science Leaders Programme and the Agriculture Flagship. Funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Molecular epidemiological survey of rotaviruses in sewage by reverse transcriptase seminested PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay

Rotavirus double-stranded RNA was detected directly in sewage treatment plant samples over a 1-year period by reverse transcription followed by PCR amplification of the VP7 gene and Southern blot hybridization. The presence of naturally occurring rotaviruses was demonstrated in 42% of raw sewage samples and in 67% of treated effluent samples, Amplified viral sequences were analyzed bg restriction enzymes. Ten different restriction profiles were characterized, most of which were found in treated effluent samples. A mixture of restriction profiles was observed in 75% of contaminated effluent samples, The profiles were compared with those obtained from human rotavirus isolates involved in infections in children from the same area (six different profiles were detected), Five identical viral sequences were detected in both environmental and clinical samples, Restriction profiles sere also compared io profiles from known genomic sequences of human and animal viruses. Both human and animal origins of rotavirus contamination of water seemed likely.

Modificações na produtividade e nas características físicas e químicas da madeira de Eucalyptus grandis causadas pela adubação com lodo de esgoto tratado

O Eucalyptus grandis é uma das espécies mais cultivadas no Brasil devido à sua produtividade e qualidade da madeira. Avaliaram-se o efeito da aplicação de lodo de esgoto tratado (0 a 40 t ha-1 base seca) e uma dose de adubo mineral nos atributos físicos e químicos da madeira de Eucalyptus grandis de árvores com cinco anos de idade, no Município de Itatinga, São Paulo, Brasil. O tipo de solo foi caracterizado como Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrófico (argila = 120 g kg-1 na camada de 0-20 cm) e o clima, como mesotérmico úmido (Cwa), segundo a classificação de Köeppen. O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso, com seis tratamentos e quatro repetições. O diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP), a altura das árvores e o volume de madeira foram obtidos em todas as parcelas de oito árvores com DAP na classe de maior freqüência. As caracterizações físicas e químicas da madeira foram realizadas de acordo com as normas da ABTCP, TAPPI e ABNT. O lodo de esgoto diminuiu a densidade básica da madeira, mas não afetou os teores de celulose, lignina, extrativos e o poder calorífico da madeira. O decréscimo de densidade da madeira pela adubação com lodo de esgoto foi compensado pela maior produtividade de madeira.

CERAMIC MATERIAL FROM SEWAGE SLUDGE AS SUPPORT MATERIAL SUPPLY WATER FILTRATION

This study shows a possibility of using municipal sewage sludge after thermal treatment in the production of a filtering material to water treatment. Due to the fast urbanization and implementation of high standards for effluent in many countries in recent years, the sewage sludge is being produced in an ever increasing amount. Therefore, the use of sludge is a suitable solution for the expected large quantity of sludge. Dehydration of sludge was performed by controlled heating at temperatures of 1100 degrees C, 850 degrees C, 650 degrees C, 350 degrees C for 3 hours. After thermal treatment the sludge was characterized by X-ray fluorescence, TG/DTG/DTA, residue solubilization and residue lixiviation tests. The aim of the present work was to observe, thought the characterization techniques, if the treated sewage sludge is or not adequate to be used as filter material to water treatment. It will be verified which treatment temperature of the sludge offer possibility to its use in water treatment without carrying pollutants in concentrations out of the standards.