Vol. 9(3) September 2005
210Po and 210Pb in water Column of Pulau Redang, Terengganu,
Peninsular of Malaysia: Southern South china Sea
Che Abd. Rahim Mohamed*, Tee Lee Theng and Zaharuddin Ahmad
Vertical profiles of 210Po and 210Pb in dissolved and
particulate phases were determined at six stations around the Pulau Redang, Terengganu,
Peninsular of Malaysia on September 2002. Results of 210Po and 210Pb in both phases
have showed the differences in distribution and chemical behaviors, where both nuclides
were found more dominant in the particulate phase with a ratio of 210Po/210Pb >1.0.
The distribution coefficient (Kd) values of 210Po and 210Pb were varied between
6.87 X 105 L/g to 6433 X 105 L/g, and between 6.07 X 105 L/g to 28351 X 105 L/g,
respectively. High Kd values indicated a strong adsorption of 210Po and 210Pb onto
suspended particles with dominantly appearance by planktonic organisms and biogenic
particles.
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Raman Spectroscopic Study for Characterization of
hydrophobized and silver doped Clinoptilolites vs. Chromate and Arsenate Interactions
Eva Chmielewská* and Marián Vojs
FT Raman spectroscopy enables to characterize a broad
analytical structure of solids up-to-dated by biological, pharmaceutical, medical
or chemical producers and composed from a variety of recent biopolymers or chemical
complexes. The scope of our current study is to define the type of chromate and
arsenate oxyanions bounds on the surface of two differently modified clinoptilolite
dominated zeolites from inland repositories, i.e. surfactant loaded and silver exchanged
ones, using the Fourier Transform Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the spectral analytical
results are supported by conventional laboratory desorption trials. Surfactant loaded
clinoptilolite seems to have much higher toxic anions adsorption potential in some
water purification processes than the silver doped species.
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Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Content in Bitumen
Derivatives: an Environmental Risk?
Carla Boga, Erminia Del Vecchio, Luciano Forlani* and Roberto Vaccari
Bitumen and the bitumen part of asphalt are analysed
mainly by GC-MS method. The content of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
is 0.2 % of the bitumen part of asphalt. This amount decreases in old manufactured
asphalt. Some quantitative data about the heating of asphalt in air reveals the
formation of large amounts of asphaltene during the asphalt preparation immediately
before the application, and of some oxidised derivatives of PAHs. By considering
the extension of surfaces covered by bitumen derivatives, the authors pose the question
of whether the PAHs of bitumen are really dangerous for asphalt workers and for
citizens.
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A Comparative Analysis of the Toxic Action of two
Industrial Mixtures on Laboratory Mice
M. Topashka-Ancheva and S. E. Teodorova*
Two types of polymetal industrial dusts, ferrous and
non-ferrous, were studied as representative of emissions to the environment and
their toxic effects on laboratory mice were compared. Animal responses to both mixtures
showed an essential difference depending on the mixture chemical composition and
on metal concentrations. The levels of Cd and Pb were high in non-ferrous dust and
relatively low in ferrous one. The ferrous mixture contained however, other metals
in toxic concentrations as Al, Ni, Mn. The polymetal dusts, emitted from the industrial
plants, were mixed with conventional animal food. White mice BALB/c were exposed
to non-ferrous dust but white mice ICR - to ferrous dust, containing 10 and 12 times
less Pb and Cd, respectively, significant alterations of the chromosome status,
hematopoiesis and body weight gain of the laboratory mice were observed. In BALB/c
mice chromosomal aberration frequency was an average of 2.5 times higher and breaks
were of 4.6 times higher compared with those in ICR mice. Significant differences
in RBC number, hematocrit, and mean body weight between BALB/c and ICR mice were
established after day 60. Significant decreases of thymidine and mitotic indices
(about 3 times) were observed in exposed ICR mice. No dependence was established
between the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and duration of the exposure.
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Rapid and Inexpensive Surrogate Parameter for Evaluating
the Removal of Target Synthetic Organic Chemicals by Activated Carbon Adsorption
Akinori Ishizuka*, Motoi Machida and Hideki Tatsumoto
Detection of various types of hazardous organic compounds
needs the use of expensive analytical tools such as gas chromatography /mass spectrometry
(GC/MS) and liquid chromatography /mass spectrometry (LC/MS) which require hours
to days to provide the results. Since naturally occurring ultraviolet (UV) active
organic compounds are commonly present in almost all sources waters for water supply
and can be rapidly and inexpensively monitored by UV absorbance at 260 nm (E260),
the extent of correlation between the removal of E260 and the removal of target
synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) by activated carbon adsorption was investigated.
Percentage removal of E260 was well correlated to those of SOCs. Almost 100 % removal
of SOCs was possible when around 50 % background E260 removal was achieved in the
experimental runs, probably because the aqueous solubility of background organic
matter caused by E260 is much greater than that of SOCs. In addition, activated
carbon unadsorbable background dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was estimated by use
of DOC/E260 of the source water. Excellent agreement between estimated activated
carbon unadsorbable background DOC and measured values was achieved.
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Preparation and Adsorption Properties of Different
Forms of Chitosan for Mercury(II)
Caihua Ni*, Zhiyun Feng and Liangchao Li
Chitosan has been made into different forms of piece,
powder, dilute acetic solution and water soluble solution. Adsorbing capacities
(AC) and adsorbing percentage (AP) of these forms of chitosan for Hg2+ in dilute
solutions were investigated. It was found by comparison that water soluble chitosan
exhibited the highest adsorbing capacities ( 5.5 mmol/g) and adsorbing percentage
(99%) among the different forms. Some factors such as chitosan forms, adsorbing
time, adsorbing temperature, concentration of Hg2+ and pH value affected the adsorbing
behavior. The conditions for removing Hg2+ have been optimized.
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Synthesis and Characterization of Mixed Ligand Nickel(ii)
Complexes of Nitrilotriacetic Acid and Hippuric Acid
G. Kumar* and M. N. Srivastava
Mixed ligand nickel (II) complexes, Na2 [Ni ( C6H5 CO
NH CH2 COO){N ( CH2 COO)3 }].8H2O and Na2 [Ni ( C6H5 CO NH CH2 COO ) { N ( CH2 COO)3}].2H2O
formed with nitrilotriacetic acid and hippuric acid have been synthesized and characterized
by elemental analysis, magnetic measurements and spectral (IR and electronic spectra)
studies. In both complexes, nitrilotriacetic acid acts as a tetradentate ligand
and hippuric acid as a bidentate ligand. With nitrilotriacetic acid, the coordination
occurs through three carboxylate oxygen atoms and the nitrogen atom. Hippuric acid
coordinates through the carboxylate oxygen atom and the nitrogen atom of the amido
group. Nickel(II) complexes have been suggested to show six fold octahedral structure.
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Variation in Microbial Population in a Mangrove Ecosystem
in Parangipettai Coast (Southeast Coast of India): Effect of Tsunami?
Surajit Das*, P. S. Lyla and S. Ajmal Khan
Microbial population in the developing mangrove ecosystem
along the Parangipettai coast was studied. Sediment samples were collected three
days after the tsunami disaster. Total heterotrophic bacteria and actinomycetes
count were estimated and compared with the previous data available. Two fold increase
in total heterotrophic bacterial count and one fold increase in actinomycetes count
were observed.
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Fluorinated Organic Chemicals: A Review
Kurunthachalam Senthil Kumar
Recent studies reveal accumulation potential of environmentally
peculiar, recalcitrance and emerging chemicals namely “fluorinated organic chemicals
(FOCs)” in un-occupationally exposed human blood, serum, liver, wildlife from aquatic
and terrestrial environment, human food-stuff samples, drinking water and even in
biota from Arctic and Antarctic regions. Particularly, perfluorooctane sulfonate
(PFOS) is an important surfactant itself as well as a precursor to other fluorinated
surfactants and pesticides. Consequently, they are considered as major representative
chemicals for future work. PFOS exposure results in lowered food intake, body-weight
(BW) and further estrous cyclicity in rats. PFOS treatment also increased norepinephrine
concentrations in the paraventri-cular nucleus of the hypothalamus in rats. Other
fundamental studies with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) elucidated peroxisome proliferation
in humans. A numbers of studies demonstrated that PFOS, PFOA and other FOCs can
alter brain monoamines, serum corticosterone and leptin levels in rodents and primates.
Therefore, FOCs are an important class of specialty chemicals that have physio-chemical
properties that differentiate them from chlorinated hydrocarbon surfactants. Little
is known about the occurrence, transport, bio-degradation, and toxicity of FOCs
in environment. Considering these facts, in this study, various aspects regarding
FOCs have been reviewed and highlighted.
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