Research Publications (Food Safety)

Forest soils play an important role in the global ecosystem, providing many beneficial services. Protection of forests and their soils from anthropogenic impacts is therefore of utter importance to conservation efforts. Lead (Pb) is one of the most widespread anthropogenic pollutants and has been introduced into forests of the Czech Republic since medieval times, mostly from smelting, coal burning, and later also leaded gasoline.

The study reported here concerns the geochemical distributions of macro- and trace elements (including potentially toxic elements, PTEs) in the vineyard soils of Alcubillas, which is one of the oldest, albeit not world-renowned, wine-growing areas in La Mancha (Central Spain). Soil and leaf samples were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to ascertain the levels of various elements in the soil and the plant.

In today’s agriculture, the use of pesticides has become a necessity for higher yield of crops. Out of the total pesticides applied, only a small fraction reaches the target pest and the rest pollute different environmental segments. The present study signifies the effect of soil moisture and enhanced sunlight intensity on the degradation of dimethoate, a commonly used organophosphate pesticide in soil.

We investigated the dissolution and oxidation behaviors of sulfuric waste from secondary batteries by reacting the waste with synthetic rainwater to examine the optimal management of this waste at a disposal site. Morphological observation and chemical analysis of bulk sulfur (S) wastes revealed heterogeneous distributions of sodium sulfide (NaS) and thiosulfate (Na2S2O3).

In today’s agriculture, the use of pesticides has become a necessity for higher yield of crops. Out of the total pesticides applied, only a small fraction reaches the target pest and the rest pollute different environmental segments. The present study signifies the effect of soil moisture and enhanced sunlight intensity on the degradation of dimethoate, a commonly used organophosphate pesticide in soil.

In order to achieve maximum crop yields, the use of fertilizers has become prevalent in the agricultural industry. Chemical fertilizers are a controversial topic where the accumulation of heavy metals is detrimental to soil conditions, as well as in water and air pollution. However, there is little information from investigations on the effectiveness of different fertilizers on seed germination.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) is an important organic contaminant substance in the environment. Their concentration monitoring is of great significance for predicting the potential environmental risk and protecting the organism safety. Here, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) coating was prepared on zylon heat-resistant fiber by in situ polymerization, which was packed to a stainless steel needle to develop a needle-type device (NTD) for the analysis of PAHs.

Forest soils play an important role in the global ecosystem, providing many beneficial services. Protection of forests and their soils from anthropogenic impacts is therefore of utter importance to conservation efforts. Lead (Pb) is one of the most widespread anthropogenic pollutants and has been introduced into forests of the Czech Republic since medieval times, mostly from smelting, coal burning, and later also leaded gasoline.

To solve the heavy metal water contamination problem of mercury ions, salix psammophila (SPP) powder was functionalized by thiol to prepare a novel adsorbent (TSPP). The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetry (TG), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are harmful to the health of people and other organisms due to their high toxicity, difficult degradation, and wide distribution. At present, the removal of PAHs from the environment is still an urgent challenge. In this study, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles were conjugated with DNA and then used to remove 1, 2-benzoanthracene (BaA) from aqueous solution due to the intercalation between BaA and DNA.

Nursery runoff may contain pesticide residues, which, if released off-site, could impair surrounding ecosystems. As a solution, nursery growers can retain runoff water on-site and recycle retained water to irrigate plants. However, concerns related to potential phytotoxicity caused by residual pesticides in recycled water can discourage growers from recycling water.

Despite the large number of scientific studies on the effects of antibiotics on soil microorganisms, little is known about the role played by soil organic matter (humus) in the interaction of antibiotics with microorganisms and plants, including the impacts on respiration and growth rate and the implications for nitrogen metabolism, which is an important factor in soil fertility The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of two widely used antibiotics, tetracycline and streptomycin, on

In order to determine the heavy metal amounts of white birch afforestation, cobalt (Co), chrome (Cr), arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) and manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) concentrations were calculated within the scope of this study. And it is seen that heavy metal concentrations in soil and plant tissues varied. The highest concentration of heavy metals in soil was discovered in Mn, while the lowest concentration was observed in Cd.

To improve the water quality, a new type of grafted poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) particles was designed and synthesized to adsorb trace Pb2+ in water. Through the surface hydroxylation of PVDF particles, followed by the sequential coupling of gelatin, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and acrylic acid (AA) provide grafted PVDF particles (PAGCA) with multi-functionalized groups. The newly prepared PAGCA particles were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, and SEM.

Functionalized ceramic microfilters can treat both particulate and ionic heavy metals via simultaneous sorption and filtration capabilities. This study investigated the reactivity of the raw material of the functionalized ceramic microfilter to heavy metal ions (Zn, Cu) by using a MgO-coated ceramic ball. The maximum removal capacities (Qm) of the ceramic ball were calculated using the Langmuir isotherm model, and found to be 4.53 (Zn) and 1.70 (Cu) mg/g.

Benzophenone-1 (BP1) has been classified as a potential endocrine disruptor due to its reported negative effect on different living beings. In addition, its presence in different water bodies has been detected. In this way, the ultrasonic removal of BP1 was studied considering the effects of the frequency, the power density, and the pollutant initial concentration. In general, results indicated that very high values of frequency and power density inhibit the pollutant removal.

Optimization of different types of exposure to workers, public, and vegetation is a major issue for several institutions. The main exposure is due to the activities related to various ores of the subsoil such as phosphate which generates heavy metals during its exploitation. This study used the energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry to investigate the heavy metal pollution that affects life on earth.

Here, we evaluate the potential for trace metal accumulation of nine elements (Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb) in the cestodes Proteocephalus macrophallus parasitizing the tucunaré, Cichla kelberi, in the Jacaré-Guaçú River, southeastern Brazil. For metal quantification in the tissues of hosts and parasites, an inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was used.

This paper describes a hydrochemical study held at Alambari river, which crosses the installations of Henrique Lage refinery (Revap), São José dos Campos city, São Paulo State, Brazil. The hydrochemical characterization of the Alambari river waters allowed to assess its quality and verify the presence of domestic and/or industrial effluents and other environmental impacts caused by urbanization and refinery activities.

Abstract

This manuscript deals with the bioremediation of aqueous media containing Cd2+ and Pb2+ by using dead biomass of the fungus Phialomyces macrosporus. This filamentous fungus with 19.1 m2 g−1 of surface area showed promising adsorption results, since more than 80 % of Cd2+ and Pb2+ were removed from synthetic aqueous media.

The metal cutting wastewater was treated with electrocoagulation (EC) and electrochemical-Fenton (EF) method in a bipolar trickle tower reactor. In EC treatment, the COD removal efficiency was obtained as 81.3% with 89.0 kWh/m3 energy consumption using 0.7 mA/cm2 current density and 0.2 mM Na2SO4.

Abstract

Presence of heavy metals in industrial discharge warrants the adoption of efficient and cost-effective treatment technologies. In this work, lichen Parmotrema tinctorum biomass was utilized as biosorbent for removal of Ni (II) from metal finishing industry effluents. Optimal adsorption was observed at pH 7, stirring speed of 300 rpm, 120 min incubation from independent batch experiments.

The central sewer of Athens had been discharging untreated sewage from 1950 until 1995 in the marine area between the island of Psyttalia and Keratsini. As a result, a surficial layer of organic mud was formed covering the seafloor. To assess the spatial and temporal distribution of metal contaminants in the area, six sediment cores were collected and analyzed for grain composition, organic carbon content (Corg), and metal concentrations.