Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment of Paper Mill Effluent Waste Water

Aquatic ecosystem has been reported to be the universal sufferer of pollution caused by direct exposure of industrial discharges which causes severe genotoxic damages to aquatic flora and fauna. Researchers have found that fish have been extensively harmed by such exposure compared to other aquatic fauna. As living organisms directly depend on fish as a food resource, hence the study of mutagenicity induced have been extensively important not only for safety of aquatic organisms but also for safety of other living organisms too. Micronucleus (MN) assay has been continuously used in the evaluation of DNA damage. Mutagenic and genotoxic studies employed this methodology to evaluate possible carcinogenic risk due to exposure to harmful xenobiotics in including aquatic organisms. The aim of this study was to monitor the level of genotoxicity induced in fishes due to exposure to local paper mill effluent by using micronucleus assay as a biomarker. Fish were exposed to different concentrations of PME as 10%, 25% and 50%. Variation of body weight, survivality rate and percentage of micronucleated PCEs were analyzed. One-way anova was performed and data were expressed as Mean± S.E. Consecutive dose dependent and time dependent increase of toxicity was recorded in PME compared to negative and positive control (Mitomycin C). Our study supported the carcinogenic and chromosomal damage induced in aquatic organisms specially in fishes due to direct exposure of industrial discharges; also, the importance of MN test as an effective indicator for testing genotoxicity in fishes was confirmed.

INNOVATIVE METHODS OF SEPARATION OF GLYCEROL-CONTAINING RAW MATERIALS FROM BIOFUELS

Transport consumes about 20% of the world's primary energy, mainly oil. This situation is unacceptable for countries that do not have their own oil reserves and want a stable economy and energy independence. Communities in many countries recognize that these problems continue to accompany the use of road transport and have long paid serious attention to the use of alternative fuels for vehicles, including biofuels, natural gas and hydrogen. However, in the current increase in the number of food industry facilities, it is necessary to deal with food products that have a negative impact on the environment (food fats). According to some data, the amount of garbage per day can range from a few kilograms to tens of tons. Approximately 90% of diesel biofuels (DBs) are mainly derived from processed oils and raw materials, including fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin that are recyclable. Biofuel is a biologically harmless product. In contact with water, the wine does not harm aquatic flora and fauna. In water or soil, it undergoes almost complete biological decomposition. Combustion of diesel biofuels emits much less carbon dioxide (CO2) than combustion of conventional fuels. Of course, there are drawbacks. First, biofuels have low frost resistance. Undiluted biofuel damages rubber hoses and gaskets. Biofuels have a certain shelf life. Due to increased maintenance costs, deposits can contaminate fuel equipment and filters during operation. Particular attention should be paid to the free glycerin that remains during production. The article considers biofuel production technologies and methods of glycerin removal. The focus is on devices that allow you to remove glycerin mobile. As a result, a faucet was proposed in which a filter was installed to remove residual glycerin and a study of its operation using the FlowVision program was performed. The simulation model of operation of the mixer with reception of indicators of its work is executed.

POLYPLOIDY OF NORTH EAST ASIA AQUATIC AND SEMIAQUATIC VASCULAR PLANTS

The chromosome numbers of aquatic and semiaquatic vascular plants growing in extreme North-East Asia, east of the Lena River, were analyzed. We have reviewed the information about the karyological peculiarity of the aquatic flora based on published data, including our own definitions. The karyological data are considered depending on the taxonomic position, distribution and ecological characteristics of the species. The chromosome numbers are known for 119 out of 123 species. There is no data on Zannichellia komarovii, Eleocharis termale, Stuckenia subretusa and Potamogeton sibiricus. In the aquatic flora of North-East Asia, the proportion of polyploids is higher (79%) than that reported for the entire Beringian flora (69%). We analyzed species for the presence of polyploidy depending on the type of area. Analysis by latitudinal groups revealed that all Arctic and hypoarctic species of aquatic plants are polyploids. The minimum proportion of polyploids is observed among arctoboreal species. Analysis by longitudinal groups revealed that the lowest proportion of polyploids was noted among species found only in Eurasia and absent in North America (61%), and it was the highest among pluriregional species (96%). The species of the families Cyperaceae, Lemnaceae, Ranunculaceae and Poaceae are characterized by a high level of variability in the number of chromosomes. The greatest variety of chromosome numbers is observed in the polymorphic species Caltha palustris s. l., Agrostis stolonifera, Dupontia fisheri s. l., Phragmites australis, in all species of the genus Eleocharis, and in Nymphaea tetragona, Acorus calamus, Calla palustris. The isolated cases of a high level of ploidy were found in the extreme northeast, at the northern borders of ranges, in 3 species - Hippuris vulgaris, Arctophila fulva and Beckmannia syzigachne. Only diploids are known in the families Equisetaceae, Typhaceae, Zosteraceae from the flora of North East Asia. We revealed the existence of several chromosomal races in Ranunculus gmelinii and Caltha palustris (Ranunculaceae) in the Magadan region; the distribution of chromosomal races is partly related to geographic location and partly to plant habitats. Rare karyotypes in these species are observed in aquatic forms with mainly vegetative reproduction, growing in non-freezing watercourses.

Thermal Pollution Mitigation and Energy Harnessing of the Condensation Process of an Olive Oil Extraction Refinery: A Case Study

This paper presents a model to assess strategies for bettering a hexane condensation system from an olive oil extraction refinery in Portugal’s mountainous north. The water used as a cooling fluid is discharged with a higher temperature than the mountain river, provoking the deterioration of the aquatic flora and fauna, leading to high environmental impact. The model allowed the comparison of solutions for different temperatures of discharge for summer and winter and possible heat recovery back to the factory. The current condensation system power is 1.838 MW and consists of a four-walled pond of 115.3 m3 that cools down the submerged hexane pipes. Nudging in the pond’s structure leads to the introduction of internal channels to increase the turbulence, thus increasing the hexane–water heat exchange rate. Heat recovery of 19.38 kW is possible for the water coming from the pond in the drying bagasse process inside the factory, before discharge into the river. However, the model demonstrates that the decrease in temperature after the heat recovery process falls short of avoiding thermal pollution, leading to complementary actions such as shading the channel or changing the discharge velocity or angle to mitigate the thermal pollution locally.

Bio-Tolerance Potential and Environmental Risks Assessment of Oreochromis Niloticus and Lpomoea Aquatica in Agodi Reservoir, Nigeria

The concentration of nine heavy metals in Oreochromis niloticus and Ipomoea aquatica inhabiting Agodi reservoir, Oyo State, Nigeria were investigated for twelve months. The concentrations of the metals were carried out using PG990 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The Ecological Risk Quotient (ERQ) was calculated using standard methods while the tolerability was determined with Box Plot analysis. The metal bioaccumulation in O. niloticus and I. aquatica followed the order Mn>Fe>Zn>Cu>Co>Pb>Cd>Cr>Ni and Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu>Pb>Cd>Co>Cr>Ni respectively. The results revealed O. niloticus to bioaccumulate the metals more than I. aquatica. Most of the examined metals were higher than the safety limit for the metals concentration in O. niloticus and I. aquatica. Also, I. aquatica had higher tolerability for heavy metals than O. niloticus. In O. niloticus, metal concentration, as well as ERQ, was higher in the wet season while no particular order was observed for I. aquatica. The ERQ result revealed that Cd, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb exhibited a high level of ecological risk to both the aquatic flora and fauna as the ERQ values were above the risk limit of one (1). Thus, there is a significant environmental risk associated with heavy metals in the water body.

Multiple drivers of ecological change in Arctic lakes and ponds

Griffiths et al. (2017) analyzed several ponds and lakes from the Cape Herschel region of Ellesmere Island in order to “…explicitly examine the role of ice cover as the dominant driver of diatom assemblage change…”. I reanalyze their data and suggest that their classification scheme, that they propose is due to differences in ice cover seasonality (“warm”, “cool”, “cold”, and “oasis”), is confounded with other morphological and chemical variables that better explain the differences between the groups. The “cold” sites are the deepest (lakes) and differ from the small, shallow ponds that occasionally dry, which would therefore have different diatom assemblages and histories. The “oasis” sites are nutrient enriched and probably have more stable water supplies, thereby enabling an aquatic flora providing habitats for diatoms. A key part of their interpretation is that “warm” sites have responded more rapidly to recent climate change than “cold” or “cool” sites, but their chronologies do not allow for such a conclusion. There is no clear difference between “cool” and “warm” sites, and problems in dating the sequences means inferences about their histories are not supported by data. Their results, which are restricted to the past century, are contradicted by a Holocene sequence from the region.

Aquatic Macrophytes Occurrence in Mediterranean Farm Ponds: Preliminary Investigations in North-Western Sicily (Italy)

Mediterranean wetlands are severely affected by habitat degradation and related loss of biodiversity. In this scenario, the wide number of artificial farm ponds can play a significant role in the biodiversity conservation of aquatic flora. In the present contribution we show the preliminary results of a study on Mediterranean farm ponds of north-western Sicily (Italy), aimed to investigating the environmental factors linked to the occurrence of submerged macrophytes (vascular plants and charophytes). We studied the aquatic flora of 30 ponds and determined the chemical and isotopic composition of their water bodies on a subset of the most representative 10 sites. Results show that (1) farm ponds host few but interesting species, such as Potamogeton pusillus considered threatened at regional level; (2) Chara vulgaris, C. globularis and P. pusillus behave as disturbance-tolerant species, occurring both in nitrates-poor and nitrates-rich waters, whereas Stuckenia pectinata and Zannichellia palustris occur only in nitrates-poor waters. Although farm ponds are artificial and relatively poor habitats, these environments seem to be important for the aquatic flora and for the conservation of the local biodiversity, and can give useful information for the use of macrophytes as bioindicators in the Mediterranean area.

Coping with the Challenges of Abiotic Stress in Plants: New Dimensions in the Field Application of Nanoparticles

Abiotic stress in plants is a crucial issue worldwide, especially heavy-metal contaminants, salinity, and drought. These stresses may raise a lot of issues such as the generation of reactive oxygen species, membrane damage, loss of photosynthetic efficiency, etc. that could alter crop growth and developments by affecting biochemical, physiological, and molecular processes, causing a significant loss in productivity. To overcome the impact of these abiotic stressors, many strategies could be considered to support plant growth including the use of nanoparticles (NPs). However, the majority of studies have focused on understanding the toxicity of NPs on aquatic flora and fauna, and relatively less attention has been paid to the topic of the beneficial role of NPs in plants stress response, growth, and development. More scientific attention is required to understand the behavior of NPs on crops under these stress conditions. Therefore, the present work aims to comprehensively review the beneficial roles of NPs in plants under different abiotic stresses, especially heavy metals, salinity, and drought. This review provides deep insights about mechanisms of abiotic stress alleviation in plants under NP application.

Uptake and accumulation of heavy metals by water body and Azolla filiculoides in the Anzali wetland

The Anzali international wetland is a valuable habitat to a wide variety of aquatic flora and fauna. This wetland ecosystem is being threatened due to various pollutants particularly the heavy metals discharging from different point and non-point sources. Concentration of various heavy metals (Cr, Pb, Hg, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ag and Ti) was examined in the water body and Azolla filiculoides (an exotic fern in the Anzali wetland). The samples regarding water and A. filiculoides were randomly carried out in three parts of the wetland (eastern, central and western parts) in May 2015. After preparing and digesting the samples, the concentration of the heavy metals was measured using ICP OES method. The obtained results showed that the concentration of Zn in water and A. filiculoides samples was higher than other heavy meals in all parts of the wetland (p < 0.05). Overall, concentration of the heavy metals was significantly higher in the eastern part of the wetland than other two sampling locations (p < 0.05). Also with comparing the concentration of the heavy metals in water and A. filiculoides, it was found that all examined metals (except Cd and Ag) in A. filiculoides had significantly higher concentration than water sample, while Cd and Ag in water and A. filiculoides did not have a significant difference with each other. Based on the results, it can be concluded that A. filiculoides can effectively absorb Cr, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cu, Cd, Ag and Ti so that it might be used as a valuable species for the bioremediation and the removal of heavy metals from the wetland.

Study of aquatic flora of selected ponds of Gandhinagar, Gujarat

The aquatic plants of three ponds located in Gandhinagar district, Gujarat were studied for a period of seven months. Altogether 24 genera of aquatic and marshy plants were identified in the present investigation. The physico-chemical characteristics of pond water to be altered due to these aquatic plants.