Soil remediation time to achieve clean-up goals II: influence of natural organic matter and water contents

This work reports a relatively rapid procedure for the forecasting of the remediation time (RT) of sandy soils contaminated with cyclohexane using vapour extraction. The RT estimated through the mathematical fitting of experimental results was compared with that of real soils. The main objectives were: (i) to predict the RT of soils with natural organic matter (NOM) and water contents different from those used in experiments; and (ii) to analyse the time and efficiency of remediation, and the distribution of contaminants into the soil matrix after the remediation process, according to the soil contents of: (ii1) NOM; and (ii2) water. For sandy soils with negligible clay contents, artificially contaminated with cyclohexane before vapour extraction, it was concluded that: (i) if the NOM and water contents belonged to the range of the prepared soils, the RT of real soils could be predicted with relative differences not higher than 12%; (ii1) the increase of NOM content from 0% to 7.5% increased the RT (1.8–13 h) and decreased the remediation efficiency (RE) (99–90%) and (ii2) the increase of soil water content from 0% to 6% increased the RT (1.8–4.9 h) and decreased the RE (99–97%). NOM increases the monolayer capacity leading to a higher sorption into the solid phase. Increasing of soil water content reduces the mass transfer coefficient between phases. Concluding, NOM and water contents influence negatively the remediation process, turning it less efficient and more time consuming, and consequently more expensive.

Remediation of soils combining soil vapor extraction and bioremediation: benzene

This work reports the study of the combination of soil vapor extraction (SVE) with bioremediation (BR) to remediate soils contaminated with benzene. Soils contaminated with benzene with different water and natural organic matter contents were studied. The main goals were: (i) evaluate the performance of SVE regarding the remediation time and the process efficiency; (ii) study the combination of both technologies in order to identify the best option capable to achieve the legal clean up goals; and (iii) evaluate the influence of soil water content (SWC) and natural organic matter (NOM) on SVE and BR. The remediation experiments performed in soils contaminated with benzene allowed concluding that: (i) SVE presented (a) efficiencies above 92% for sandy soils and above 78% for humic soils; (b) and remediation times from 2 to 45 h, depending on the soil; (ii) BR showed to be an efficient technology to complement SVE; (iii) (a) SWC showed minimum impact on SVE when high airflow rates were used and led to higher remediation times for lower flow rates; (b) NOM as source of microorganisms and nutrients enhanced BR but hindered the SVE due the limitation on the mass transfer of benzene from the soil to the gas phase.

Carbon footprint of the academic community of Lisbon School of Health Technology, Portugal

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the average temperature of the Earth's surface has risen about 1º C in the last 100 years and will increase, depending on the scenario emissions of Greenhouse Gases. The rising temperatures could trigger environmental effects like rising sea levels, floods, droughts, heat waves, hurricanes. With growing concerns about different environmental issues and the need to address climate change, institutions of higher education should create knowledge and integrate sustainability into teaching programs and research programs, as well as promoting environmental issues for society. The aim of this study is to determine the carbon footprint of the academic community of Lisbon School of Health Technology (ESTeSL) in 2013, identifying possible links between the Carbon Footprint and the different socio-demographic variables.

Influence of mixtures of acenaphthylene and benzo[a] anthracene on their degradation by Pleurotus ostreatus in sandy soil

Purpose Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of organic compounds commonly found as soil contaminants. Fungal degradation is considered as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach to remove PAHs from soil. Acenaphthylene (Ace) and Benzo[a]anthracene (BaA) are two PAHs that can coexist in soils; however, the influence of the presence of each other on their biodegradation has not been studied. The biodegradation of Ace and BaA, alone and in mixtures, by the white rot fungus Pleurotus ostreatus was studied in a sandy soil. Materials and methods Experimental microcosms containing soil spiked with different concentrations of Ace and BaAwere inoculated with P. ostreatus. Initial (t 0) and final (after 15 days of incubation) soil concentrations of Ace and BaA were determined after extraction of the PAHs. Results and discussion P. ostreatus was able to degrade 57.7% of the Ace in soil spiked at 30 mg kg−1 dry soil and 65.8% of Ace in soil spiked at 60 mg kg−1 dry soil. The degradation efficiency of BaA by P. ostreatus was 86.7 and 77.4% in soil spiked with Ace at 30 and 60 mg kg−1 dry soil, respectively. After 15 days of incubation, there were no significant differences in Ace concentration between soil spiked with Ace and soil spiked with Ace + BaA, irrespective of the initial soil concentration of both PAHs. There were also no differences in BaA concentration between soil spiked with BaA and soil spiked with BaA + Ace. Conclusions The results indicate that the fungal degradation of Ace and BaA was not influenced by the presence of each other’s PAH in sandy soil. Bioremediation of soils contaminated with Ace and BaA using P. ostreatus is a promising approach to eliminate these PAHs from the environment.

Environmental lead poisoning among children in Porto Alegre state, Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of lead poisoning in children and to identify associated factors, as well as possible local sources of contamination. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2006 with a random sample of 97 children age zero to five years from a neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Blood lead levels were measured and a questionnaire administered to collect information on sociodemographics, recycling and dwelling. A preliminary environmental evaluation was carried out with direct analysis of soil and indirect analysis of air pollution with bioindicators to identify possible sources of contamination. To analyze lead concentrations from the different collection sites, for each type of material studied, ANOVA was performed with a Brown-Forsythe adjustment for heteroscedasticity and with Dunnett's T3 procedure for multiple comparisons of unequal variances. RESULTS: Blood lead levels > 10.0 µg/dL was found in 16.5% of children. Recycling of waste at home, low father's education level, and increased age of children were associated with increase blood lead levels. High lead levels were found in soil, and there was little indication of lead air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of lead poisoning was identified, and the potential sources of contamination in this community appear related to waste recylcing activities. Studies should be conducted with other populations of Brazilian children and evaluate potential sources of local and general contamination, to accurately characterize this issue in Brazil.

Professional and community satisfaction with the Brazilian family health strategy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the strengths and limitations of the Family Health Strategy from the perspective of health care professionals and the community. METHODS: Between June-August 2009, in the city of Vespasiano, Minas Gerais State, Southeastern Brazil, a questionnaire was used to evaluate the Family Health Strategy (ESF) with 77 healthcare professionals and 293 caregivers of children under five. Health care professional training, community access to health care, communication with patients and delivery of health education and pediatric care were the main points of interest in the evaluation. Logistic regression analysis was used to obtain odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals as well as to assess the statistical significance of the variables studied. RESULTS: The majority of health care professionals reported their program training was insufficient in quantity, content and method of delivery. Caregivers and professionals identified similar weaknesses (services not accessible to the community, lack of healthcare professionals, poor training for professionals) and strengths (community health worker-patient communications, provision of educational information, and pediatric care). Recommendations for improvement included: more doctors and specialists, more and better training, and scheduling improvements. Caregiver satisfaction with the ESF was found to be related to perceived benefits such as community health agent household visits (OR 5.8, 95%CI 2.8;12.1), good professional-patient relationships (OR 4.8, 95%CI 2.5;9.3), and family-focused health (OR 4.1, 95%CI 1.6;10.2); and perceived problems such as lack of personnel (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.2;0.6), difficulty with access (OR 0.2, 95%CI 0.1;0.4), and poor quality of care (OR 0.3, 95%CI 0.1;0.6). Overall, 62% of caregivers reported being generally satisfied with the ESF services. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the limitations and strengths of the Family Health Strategy from the healthcare professional and caregiver perspective may serve to advance primary community healthcare in Brazil.

Integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth in Iberian viticultural regions

The Iberian viticultural regions are convened according to the Denomination of Origin (DO) and present different climates, soils, topography and management practices. All these elements influence the vegetative growth of different varieties throughout the peninsula, and are tied to grape quality and wine type. In the current study, an integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth was performed for the Iberian DO regions, using state-of-the-art datasets. For climatic assessment, a categorized index, accounting for phenological/thermal development, water availability and grape ripening conditions was computed. Soil textural classes were established to distinguish soil types. Elevation and aspect (orientation) were also taken into account, as the leading topographic elements. A spectral vegetation index was used to assess grapevine vegetative growth and an integrated analysis of all variables was performed. The results showed that the integrated climate-soil-topography influence on vine performance is evident. Most Iberian vineyards are grown in temperate dry climates with loamy soils, presenting low vegetative growth. Vineyards in temperate humid conditions tend to show higher vegetative growth. Conversely, in cooler/warmer climates, lower vigour vineyards prevail and other factors, such as soil type and precipitation acquire more important roles in driving vigour. Vines in prevailing loamy soils are grown over a wide climatic diversity, suggesting that precipitation is the primary factor influencing vigour. The present assessment of terroir characteristics allows direct comparison among wine regions and may have great value to viticulturists, particularly under a changing climate.

Collaborative environment to support a professional community

Dissertação apresentada na Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores

Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis and first isolation of Histoplasma capsulatum from soil of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

A case of acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, where the clinical histoiy and epidemiological data led to the identification of H. capsulatum natural source, is described. Specimens of spleen and liver, obtained after intraperitonial inoculation in mice, grew H. capsulatum in culture from the soil of rural area of General Câmara, by the first time in Rio Grande do Sul.

Land use/ land cover change and its impact on soil erosion process in Begnas Tal Rupa Tal watershed using geospatial tools, Kaski district, Nepal

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

On sampling collection procedure effectiveness for forest soil characterization

One of the most important measures to prevent wild forest fires is the use of prescribed and controlled burning actions as it reduce the fuel mass availability. The impact of these management activities on soil physical and chemical properties varies according to the type of both soil and vegetation. Decisions in forest management plans are often based on the results obtained from soil-monitoring campaigns. Those campaigns are often man-labor intensive and expensive. In this paper we have successfully used the multivariate statistical technique Robust Principal Analysis Compounds (ROBPCA) to investigate on the sampling procedure effectiveness for two different methodologies, in order to reflect on the possibility of simplifying and reduce the sampling collection process and its auxiliary laboratory analysis work towards a cost-effective and competent forest soil characterization.

Insignificant impact of prescribed fire on surface soil in a Pinus pinaster plantation, northern Portugal

Following a prescribed fire in a Pinus pinaster forest site located in the north-west Portugal, monitoring of any changes in selected soil characteristics and soil hydrology was undertaken to assess the effects of burning on the following: pH, electrical conductivity, water content, organic carbon and porosity. Thirty plots were established on a regular grid. At each sample plot before and after the fire, samples were collected (disturbed samples from depths of 0-1cm and 1-5cm; undisturbed core samples from 0-5cm). The results indicate that there was no measurable impact on the properties of the soil following this carefully conducted prescribed fire. The fire only affected the litter layer, as intended. Confirmation of this minimal impact on the soil was provided by regrowth of grasses and herbs already occurring two months after the fire. The implication is, therefore, that provided this wildfire-risk reduction strategy is carried out under existing strict guidelines, any impact on soil quality will be minimal.

Soil erosion after forest fires: evaluation of mitigation measures applied to drainage channels in the northwest of Portugal

The development and implementation of measures which promote the reduction of the impacts of forest fires on soils is imperative and should be part of any strategy for forest and soil preservation and recovery, especially considering the actual scenario of continuous growth in the number of fires and burnt area. Consequently, with the dendrocaustologic reality that has characterized the Portuguese mainland in recent decades, a research project promoted by the Center for the Study of Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT) was implemented with the objective of applying several erosion mitigation measures in a burned area of the Peneda-Geres National Park in NW Portugal. This paper therefore seeks to present the measures applied in the study area within the project Soil Protec, relating to triggered channel processes and the results of preliminary observations concerning the evaluation of the effectiveness of erosion mitigation measures implemented, as well as their cost/benefit ratio.

Water-contact patterns and schistosoma mansoni infection in a rural community in northeast Brazil

We evaluated the influence of water-related human activities, contaminative behaviour, house location, education and socio-economic status on endemic Schistosoma mansoni infection. The study was conducted in a hilry non-irrigated area of rural northeast Brazil amongst a defined population of subsistence farmers, of whom 93% were infected by age 20. The area was mapped, water bodies were surveyed, and a detailed questionnaire was performed on each household. Infection was assessed by duplicate stool examinations using the sensitive Bell technique to quantify egg excretion. For each household, and index of intensity of infection was computed by grouping individual log-transformed egg counts as an age-sex adjusted Z score. Few households had a sanitary installation or a domestic water supply. However, neither water-contact nor contaminative behavior were indiscriminate. The people made considerable effort to defaecate far from a water source, to obtain household drinking water from the cleanest source, and to bathe only at certain sites where privacy is assured. Land ownership and literacy correlated poorly with the household index of intensity of infection. The key influence on infection status was the relative location of the house and snail-free or snail colonized water sources. In this area, a safe domestic water supply is the critical input needed to achieve definitive control of endemic Schistosomiasis.