AbstractMicrobial flora is an indicator of the environmental potential of allowing the air-transmitting infections. The paper presents the determination of micro-flora from public indoor spaces and hospital wards in an urban zone. There were used the following sampling and insemination methods: harvesting by sedimentation (Koch method) and harvesting by aspiration, filtration methods, barbotage method, impact method, electro-precipitation method and biotest Hycon. Air micro-flora determinations ...
Autori: Capatina Camelia, Cristinel Racoceanu, Gheorghe Lazăr
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25139

? Denitrifying activity of activated sludge in suspension and in biofilm? Denitrifying potential of an activated sludge derived consortium? Biosorption of hexavalent chromium based on modified Y zeolites obtained by alkali-treatment? Identifying anaerobic digestion models using simultaneous batch experiments? Olive mill wastewater as a renewable resource? Influence of innoculum acclimation in the biodegradation rate and estimated biodegradbility of cow manure, food waste and oil? Studies on the ...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25378

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the immobilization of denitrifying bacteria on microbial cellulose (MC) for biological denitrification. A novel denitrifying bacterium, Pseudomonas stutzeri, was immobilized in microbial cellulose and introduced into an up flow packed bed reactor in order to remove nitrate from synthetic influent. The MC presented the high biomass concentration throughout the experiment, achieving 3.4 mg biomass/g support. The efficiency of the system for deni...
Autori: Abbas Rezaee, Hatam Godini, Hossein Bakhtou
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25302

AbstractA greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the phytotoxic effect of heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn on the growth of Sunflower (Helianthus annuus): on the seed germination, root/shoot growth and uptake of metals in soil-vermicompost media. The selected metals were dosed at various concentrations ranging from 0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 50 ppm separately in soil - vermicompost media (3:1) in pot experiment. The seed germination, root and shoot growth were found significantly a...
Autori: Chhotu D. Jadia, Madhusudan H. Fulekar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25306

AbstractDark fermentation hydrogen production from a mixture of food components using two different methods of methanogenic inhibition (autoclaving and BES) and three different temperatures (37, 60, and 70 Â?C) was examined in batch assays for two different mixed anaerobic cultures - one suspended sludge (S) obtained from an anaerobic digester and one granular sludge (G) obtained from a brewery wastewater treatment plant. In general, BES-inhibition of sludge was more robust when compared against...
Autori: Angela A. Abreu, Anthony S. Danko, Francisco Pinheiro, Maria Madalena Alves
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25308

Include urmatoarele articole:� Biomass - A source of chemicals and energy for sustainable development � Equilibrium study of Pb(II) and Hg(II) sorption from aqueous solutions by moss peat� Wood-based epoxy resins and the ramie fiber reinforced composites� Studies on the interaction between birch veneer and compounds with biocide potential action� Effect of methanogenic inhibitors, inocula type, and temperature on biohydrogen production from food components� Energy from biomass in pul...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25313

Abstract The paper presents the capacity of biodegradation of selected microorganism, cultivated on liquid culture media to which diesel was added in different amounts, to determine petroleum products and process efficiency. The optimum necessary conditions for development of microbial strains (pH, temperature, the quantities petroleum product / inoculum) have been established with the help of an experimental optimization program, SIMPLEX....
Autori: Dana-Camelia Cocut, Cornel Cojocaru, Mariana Diaconu, Matei Macoveanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25414

Abstract Organic matter is ubiquitous in every type of aquatic system and due to the influence that it has on their ecological health, can be used as a useful water quality indicator. Fluorescence spectroscopy has been efficiently used in the past decades to determine and characterize organic matter, and its link to function and chemical water quality. In this paper, fluorescence fingerprints are presented in order to evidence the anthropogenic influence on different aquatic systems. Using f...
Autori: Elfrida M. Carstea, Luminita Ghervase, Gabriela Pavelescu, Dan Savastru
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25576

Abstract The Jajrood River watershed is one of the main drinking water resources of Tehran, the capital city of Iran. In addition it provides many recreational usages. However, a variety of microbial pollutions is commonly perceived in the Jajrood River, among them a high concentration of coliform group bacteria that has caused strong concerns. In this article, different aspects of microbial pollution as well as the main microbial pollution sources in the region are discussed. Coliform group ...
Autori: Mahdi Jamshidi, Mahdi Maghrebi, Masoud Tajrishy
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25627

Abstract Two different inocula - acclimated and non-acclimated to fat- were used to evaluate the methane production of cow manure, food waste and oily waste in batch assays. The inoculum adapted to fat had a better performance in the methanisation of substrates with significant lipids content. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that an increase in the ratio inoculum/substrate can enhance the initial methane production rate of oily waste when using a non-adapted inoculum, improving also the ultim...
Autori: Lucia Neves, Maria Madalena Alves, Raquel Ferreira, Rosario Oliveira
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25634

? POLLUTION PREVENTION, A KEY TO ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY ? A COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT SCENARIOS OF ROMANIAN MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE TREATMENT BEFORE LANDFILLING ? A STUDY ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN ROMANIA ? ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON STRESSED METALLIC SURFACES ? ASPECTS OF HYDRODYNAMICS AND MASS TRANSFER IN DIFFUSED AERATION SYSTEMS ? THE STATUS OF SOME SELECTED HEAVY METALS IN ROADSIDE SOILS OF BURSA PROVINCE, TURKEY ? PREPARATION AND CHARACTERI...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25656

? GREEN SYNTHESIS OF SYMMETRICAL CARBONATE FT-IR STUDY ? SINTERED BASALT AS A PROMISING SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ? DESIGN OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ? ANALYSIS METHODS FOR PYRAZINE-2,3-DICARBOXYLIC ACID SYNTHESIZED USING ELECTROCHEMICALLY REGENERATED KMnO4 ? RESEARCH ON NaCl SALINE AEROSOLS II. NEW ARTIFICIAL HALOCHAMBER CHARACTERISTICS ? DETERMINATION OF AEROSOLS POLLUTANTS ON MEMBRANES. 1. MEMBRANES PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATIO...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25660

? STUDY OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM OILSEED PLANTS II. EVALUATION OF BIODISEL PRODUCTION FROM SOME CULTIVARS OF RAPES ? STUDY OF BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM OILSEED PLANTS I. EVALUATION OF THE GENETIC SIMILARITY OF SOME Brassica Napus CULTIVARS USING RAPD MARKERS ? STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION AND IN VITRO CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF COAL DUST IN A ROMANIAN POWER PLANT ? MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN BENGHAZI (LIBYA): CURRENT PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES ? COMPARATIVE ENVIRONM...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25661

Rhizobag incubation experiments were conducted to study microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), soil respiration and enzyme activity (urease and phosphatase) in the rhizosphere soil of three different wetland plants and its influence on the removal of total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN). MBC, MBN, soil respiration and enzyme activity were higher in the rhizosphere than in the non-rhizosphere soil of the wetland plants. Microbial activity in the rhizospher...
Autori: Defu Xu, Hua Fang, Xianghua Xu, Xiaoli Zhao, Yingxue Lihttp://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25679

Abstract:In this paper, the effect of the ultraviolet light on various pathogen microbial strains present in drinkable groundwater samples (wells) from Constanţa County, Romania (localities Moviliţa, Topraisar, M. Kogălniceanu) was analyzed. The investigations were conducted in an original UV-C irradiation prototype installation for water samples. The efficiency of this prototype in destroying the pathogen agents present in drinkable groundwater was established by monitoring the p...
Autori: Bogdan Negreanu-Pîrjol, Elena Gorun, Remus Zăgan, Sabina Zăgan, Ticuţa Negreanu-Pîrjol
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25802

The aim of this work is the study of activated sludge floc samples stained with different dyes and imaged by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). Activated sludge flocs were stained for lipids, sugars and esterase enzyme producing bacteria. Images were acquired for different samples to analyze the structural characteristics of the bioaggregates. The analysis of the CLSM images allowed for the localization and estimation of the quantity of different build-up materials. The 3-D reconstructio...
Autori: Bela Abraham, Botond Raduly, Dan Niculae Robescu, Szabolcs Lanyi, Szabolcs Szilveszter, Szilard Bucs
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25937

Marine species (n=36) available in a supermarket of Cluj-Napoca city, Romania were collected and analyzed for the levels of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg) and As, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and analogous, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The collection included samples from twelve fish groups (sardine, tuna, herring, pangasius, marbled rockcod, hake, shrimp, pink shrimp, lo...
Autori: Adriana Gog, Claudiu Tanaselia, Ioan Ştefan Groza, Marin Senila, Mirela Miclean, Oana Cadar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25863

Chromium and cadmium are heavy metals that occur naturally in the environment and especially in soils. Their toxic effect is more pronounced at high concentrations and it depends on the oxidation states. While Cr (III) is considered an essential trace element for the metabolism of living organisms, Cr (VI) has a higher mobility and is easily soluble in soils and can be leached into surface water or groundwater, and taken up by plants. That leads to a toxic and carcinogenic effect to humans via i...
Autori: Dumitru Bulgariu, Florian Statescu, Maria Gavrilescu, Mariana Diaconu, Vasile Lucian Pavel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25866

Two experimental periods have been undertaken to investigate the biodegradability of sewage streams (mainly regarding the organic substances) produced by a gas cartridge production, filling and distribution company. A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was used for the laboratory examinations launched with municipal sewage sludge with a concentration of approx. 3 g MLSS/L. The various conditions in the reactors followed each other cyclically (fill, anoxic, aerobic, settle, draw) three times a day. T...
Autori: Bence Fazekas, Karoly Reich, Krisztian Varga, Viktoria Pitas, Viola Somogyi, Zsuzsanna Banyai
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25902

Abstract A one-stage aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) (Reactor A) and a combined reactor (Reactor B) involving an anoxicgravel-bed biofilm reactor (GBBR) and an aerobic MBBR were applied to the treatment of heavily polluted river water. Reactorperformance was investigated throughout the experiment for almost 200 days and molecular techniques including PCR-DGGE,FISH/CLSM and FISH/FCM were used to reveal the evolutions of bacteria community, abundance of nitrifying bacteria and their...
Autori: Linyun Gu, Xiangchun Quan, Yin Qian, Yuansheng Pei, Zhifeng Yang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25942

AbstractVegetable waste was used as the fuel of a two-chamber microbial fuel cell (MFC) for simultaneous power recovery and wastedegradation. Effects of ultrasonic pretreatment, organic loadings, anolyte pH adjustment on the MFC performance wereinvestigated. Results showed that higher power generation and organic compounds removal efficiency were achieved in theMFCs with the vegetable waste pretreated with ultrasonication at >1.0W/mL compared to the un-pretreated control. A maximumvoltage of ...
Autori: Kun Tao, Xiangchun Quan, Yanping Quan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25953

AbstractThis paper reports the effects of COD:sulfate ratio on sulfate removal and electricity generation from oil shale retort watertreatment using microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Field-collected retort water was augmented with organics to obtain a range of initialCOD:SO42- ratios (0.5:1 to 2:1), and treated in two different MFC designs (tubular and two-chambered). The two-chamberedMFCs exhibited COD and sulfate removal 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than those of the tubular MFCs. The tubular ...
Autori: Ho Il Park, Lian-Shin Lin
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25954

AbstractThe preliminary assessment of a cost-effective flow-sheet for the production of biodiesel from microalgae lipid fraction wascarried out. The study was based on approximated cost-estimation methods integrated with the simulation software Aspen PlusŽ.Several scenarios were investigated to compare costs regarding the main steps of the biodiesel production process. Ranges ofinput variables from downstream literature and experimental data were used to simulate the sections that define concret...
Autori: Antonio Marzocchella, Giuseppe Olivieri, Piero Salatino, Teresa Guida
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=25973

AbstractA new approach to environmental protection management is the aerobic microbial digestion of food industry wastewaters byusing those waters as substrate, while the pollutants contained work also as oxygen-vectors. In biotechnology, oxygen masstransfer is a key parameter involved in the design and operation of mixing–sparging bioreactors and it can be analyzed by meansof the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kLa). The influence of a second liquid phase with higher oxygen affinity (in this ...
Autori: Elena Folescu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26097

The book edited by Haibo Xie and NicholasGathergood focuses on one of the most importantscientific issues of the 21 century which is thereplacing fossil fuel with sustainable alternatives suchas biomass. Fossil fuels are conventional rawmaterials for many industrial sectors includingchemical and energy production. Usage of fossil fuelis limited by their availability, price and carbonfootprint. Biomass is a renewable resource globallyavailable, cheaper and carbon sequestering. Step bystep shiftin...
Autori: Adrian Catalin Puitel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26101

Abstract Our researches have focused primarily on variations of different biophysical and biochemical effects on vegetal and animal material at macro, micro, and ultra-micro scale resulted from changes in environmental condition. Growth and spectral parameters of rapeseed seedlings from seeds exposed to UVA-VIS radiation with a high pressure lamp which emits incoherent continuously radiation for different time periods were examined 14 days after germination. These studied parameter...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26138

AbstractIn the conventional water flooding process of Daqing Oilfield in China, the occurrence of abundant sulfate-reducing bacterialpopulations has substantially affected the industrial production. This study was conducted from the perspective of ecologicalsuppression by operating anaerobic ABR reactors and dosing ecological inhibitors in a continuous-flow experiment. The practicaloperating efficacy was investigated and associated dynamic bacterial population succession was analyzed. Results sh...
Autori: Bin-song Wang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26165

AbstractExcess biomass produced in the degradation processes of organic pollutants is creating environmental challenges for wastewatertreatment plants. The A+OSA system, a modification of the anoxic / oxic (A/O) process via insertion of a sludge holding tankinto a sludge return line, has been demonstrated to be capable of achieving simultaneous nutrient removal and sludge reduction.Here we report the results of an investigation aimed at evaluating the impact of the sludge holding tank on the bio...
Autori: Li Jia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26207

AbstractKohonen Self-organizing map (KSOM) modeling have been applied increasingly for analysis, estimation and prediction ofseveral water quality processes, which are embedded with high complexity, dynamism and non-linearity. KSOM or unsupervisedneural networks were applied to microbial data (Escherichia coli, faecal streptococci, and total coliforms) from the effluent of atwo year data set (2008-2010) on two permeable (pervious) pavement systems used to treat storm water runoff contaminated wi...
Autori: Kiran Tota-Maharaj
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26226

AbstractWastewater sludges are organic and nutrient-rich materials that could be used to improve soil tilth. However, the land applicationof sludge needs to be properly managed to avoid the detrimental effects on micro and macroorganisms in the soil. Earthwormsare one of the most important soil macroorganisms. Addition of sludge to the soil environment may impact earthworm activity,and in turn, soil productivity and health. In this study, sludge from the canned food industry was added to soil mi...
Autori: Efsun Dindar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26238

AbstractThe aim of this study is to elaborate a survey on the efficiency of three anti-aging cosmetic formulations by applying FourierTransform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) with Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) in order to characterize and identify thespecific recognition markers of the active ingredients. FTIR (ATR) spectrometry in specific regions was applied also to theingredients used in these products, depending on their role in the specific cream. Comparing the different composition of th...
Autori: Anca Maria Juncan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26261

AbstractThe applications of biofilm treatment technologies for domestic wastewater are being increased in many parts of the world. Theaim of the study is to assess a compacted aerobic attached growth fix-film unit (termed Bio-cache) for treatment of small volumedomestic wastewater. The system consists of the miniature plastic packing matrix, which provides a large surface area of 300m2/m3, so as to maintain the high rate growth of viable organisms responsible for organic degradation. The study o...
Autori: Alireza Valipour
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26266

AbstractThe efficiency of solar disinfection (SODIS) was evaluated and enhanced by concentrating sunlight at low pH values in a solar collector disinfection (SOCODIS) system at different sunlight intensities and is highlighted in the author’s earlier findings. In order for further improving the rainwater disinfection, simple technique like wrapping the PET bottles with heat-resistant plastic bags (Wp) were used for enhancing the thermal/synergistic effects of solar radiations. An analysis of the...
Autori: Abdulrahman Ali Alazba, Mooyoung Han, Muhammad Nasir Amin, Muhammad Tahir Amin
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26298

AbstractThe monitored natural attenuation (MNA) of groundwater contamination is in many cases considered to be a cost-effective andappropriate strategy to manage the remediation of contaminated aquifers. A prerequisite for the public acceptance of such NAremediationapproaches is that the efficiency of the presumed NA-processes should be proven. This proof must be based on anextensive hydrogeological and in-situ characterization of the ongoing aquifer processes. Additional investigations of aquif...
Autori: Achim Möller, Anja Berning, Anne Berghoff, Bernd Mahro, Christoph Wortmann
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26312

AbstractSeed priming has been reported to be a simple technique for enhancing seedling establishment in environment and cropproduction under stressed condition. In this study, we investigated osmo and hydropriming effect in two salt stressed chickpeacultivars. This research monitors the changes in growth factors, proline content, lipid peroxidation and H2O2 scavenging enzymesactivities in osmo (mannitol 4%) and hydro (water) primed plantlets of two salt stressed chickpea cultivars (Arman and Biv...
Autori: Akbar Mostajeran, Fatemeh Khodabakhsh, Rayhaneh Amooaghaie
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26315

AbstractA lab-scale packed-bed biofilm channel reactor that operates as a plug-flow system equipped with top aeration modules wasconstructed and evaluated. To assess the reactor performance a microbial community able to degrade linuron was used. Changingthe fluid flow rates and the linuron concentrations in the inflowing medium the volumetric loading rates of linuron (BV,L) weregradually increased from 0.29 to 14.93 mg/Lh. During the operation of the reactor, an airflow rate of 0.15 ą 0.05 L/min...
Autori: Erick Marrón-Montiel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26465

AbstractFluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor (PARAFAC) form a powerful tool in separating different fluorophores and maybe useful in detecting the fluorescent signature of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Despite the large number of studies onfluorescence and PARAFAC it is still uncertain if this combination is capable to separate DOM from different water types byanalyzing the presence of specific components and their spectral shape. This paper presents a preliminary study on thefluoresc...
Autori: Elfrida M. Carstea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26495

AbstractEnhanced nitrogen inputs to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems affects biodiversity at all its levels. Grasslands provide acomplex range of functions, due to their wide representation throughout terrestrial ecosystems. Numerous studies demonstratesoil acidification, eutrophication and species richness reduction as a result of elevated reactive nitrogen availability. The presentstudy aims to assess soil nitrogen stocks and transformations for two Romanian grasslands during November 2...
Autori: Carmen Postolache
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26497

AbstractThe aim of the present work is to study the performance of a constructed wetland for domestic wastewater depuration alsoworking as a microbial fuel cell (MFC) under two different subsurface flow modes in the upper cathodic compartment (horizontalflow, HF, or vertical flow, VF), and to compare the efficiency under both situations. A pilot-scale subsurface constructed wetlandtreating domestic wastewater was used, and the installation also included the electrodes and devices needed to work ...
Autori: José Villaseńor Camacho
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26574

Abstract Toxic chemical nature of tannery wastewater makes it difficult to be treated by routine biological treatment processes. Microbes, already present in tannery wastewater can adapt to these conditions and degrade the organics in tannery wastewater. In the present contribution, three bacterial electrogenic strains, tolerant to tannery environment, were isolated from soil contaminated with tannery waste and named as BS1, BS2, and BS3. Tannery wastewater was treated with these pure and mi...
Autori: Abhilasha Singh Mathuriya
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26588

Abstract The degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene were investigated under thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic-methanogenic conditions. By using central composite design, the impact of PAH concentration and soil to inocula ratio were systematically studied for their influence on PAH removal and biogas production. During the first 30 days, PAH concentration decreased in all samples indicating that the ino...
Autori: Tahseen Sayara
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26629

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin on diosmin, substance from the flavones category with important pharmacological properties. We carried out solubility studies, calculating the solubility constant of the complex formed between diosmin and hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrin at various temperatures (20, 25 and 37 0C) and in the presence of increasing cyclodextrin concentrations. AL type curves were obtained which suggest the format...
Autori: Constantin Ciobanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26643

Abstract Drinking water treatment using activated carbon (AC) decontamination offers effective methods for removing some organic compounds, tastes and odors, but it is not so efficient for metals, nitrates, microbial contaminants and other organic and inorganic contaminants. In the last years, nanotechnologies introduced several types of nanomaterials for organic, inorganic and biological removal of contaminants in drinking water, such as: sorption, filtrations and catalytic processes. In th...
Autori: Elena Radu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26671

Abstract The experiments on the olive oil mill wastewater treatment for removing the lipids by anaerobic and aerobic biodegradation with mixed Bacillus spp. culture indicated that the rate of the aerobic process is up to two times higher than that of the anaerobic one. In this context, it was found that the influence of the dissolved oxygen concentration on the lipids biodegradation process is significant, but the kinetic model given in literature does not consider this parameter. Therefore,...
Autori: Ramona Mihaela Matran
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26674

Abstract Magnetic contamination is considered more and more as a challenging issue related to biosphere pollution with magnetic materials originating in natural and artificial sources (volcanic eruptions and respectively industrial activities that contributed to iron and other metal compounds spreading in air, water and soil). Aiming to study the impact of magnetic metal ions such as iron and cobalt on the metabolism of some environmental microorganisms, in this paper an experimental simulat...
Autori: Lacramioara Oprica
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26675

Abstract In the process of chitin extraction, shrimp shell powder was treated by Lactobacillus plantarum culture. The efficiency of microbial demineralization (DM) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was investigated. The shrimp shell powder was incubated at 30 °C for 6 days with L. plantarum. In order to prepare microbial culture, inoculums size was 5% for culture inoculation. Date syrup with total reduce sugar concentration of 30 g.L-1 was used. The value of pH in anaerobic conditio...
Autori: Marjan Khorrami
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26692

Abstract In this study we report the preparation and evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of a new hybrid material based on chitosan (CH), magnetite (Fe3O4) and phytocomponents from the Eugenia carryophyllata aqueous extract (AE). CH/Fe3O4 was prepared by chemical precipitation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and CH. E. carryophyllata’s dried buds were hydrodistilled under microwave conditions. The AE was separated in three equal parts, one for the chl...
Autori: Ion Anghel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26707

Abstract Extensive use of plastics leads to the increase of non biodegradable wastes that have to be recycled due to both dramatically decrease of natural resources to producing them and to their increasing need as well as due to environmental issues. Most of goods made by materials based on wastes have to be commonly used by people. Antibacterial character of those is necessary to avoid epidemics. This paper deals with determination of antimicrobial character of materials based on polymeric...
Autori: Florica Silvia Cristina Patachia
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26751

Abstract The use of non-conventional water resources including treated municipal wastewater has been increasing in the Mediterranean regions over the last decades to cope with water shortages and uneven rainfalls due to climate change. The aim of this paper is to present the first results from two years of experimental field activities carried out in two different demo-places in Southern Italy: the municipal wastewater treatment plants of Noci and Castellana Grotte (Apulia region). In these ...
Autori: Antonio Lonigro
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26787

Abstract Hydrolysates of Arundo donax, a crop offering high productivity in contaminated or salinized soils with no inputs of irrigation and agrochemicals, were used in a discontinuous fermenter to grow the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkey, to obtain microbial oils potentially useful for the production of 2nd-generation biodiesel. A mixture of fermentable sugars was obtained by steam-explosion and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis of the lignocellulosic materials. The concentration of Ni2+ ...
Autori: Domenico Pirozzi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26789

Abstract In this paper, the structure and working principles of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) are analysed, and a mathematical simulation model of MFCs is established based on the electrochemical equation, kinetic equation and material balance equation of a MFC. A simulation analysis and discussions are conducted in a MATLAB environment to investigate the effect of acetate concentration, influent flow and external resistance on the performance of a MFC system. The simulation model is demonstra...
Autori: Aimin An
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26803

Abstract Waste engine oil contains hydrocarbons which are potentially carcinogenic. The objective of this study was to determine if organic wastes, specifically cow dung (T1) and poultry manure (T2) can improve the microbial degradation of the hydrocarbons. A questionnaire survey to determine generation, management and disposal of waste engine oil was carried out. A Complete Randomized Design, with two treatments and three replications was used to set up plots at Makerere University Agricult...
Autori: Richard Elijah Ssonko
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26820

Abstract Isotopic composition and electrical conductivity (EC) of groundwater were analyzed to trace the source and transport of pathogenic microbes in shallow and deep groundwater wells over a depth range from 9 m to 75 m below land surface (bls). Stable isotopic composition was used for the identification of the source of water while environmental tritium contents were used to estimate the time elapsed since the recharge of the groundwater. The results revealed that drain water contaminate...
Autori: Anju Pant
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26851

Abstract In the present study, several selected formulations based on recycled (rPP) or virgin polyolefins (vPP) and lignocelluloses were prepared and subjected to microorganism attack. Biodegradation tests were performed with microbial strains belonging to fungal genera, like Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium. The initiation of biodegradation was demonstrated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs showing the colonization of surface samples by microbial strains. The crystalli...
Autori: Luiza Jecu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26879

Abstract Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is the most widely used material for the production of medical devices such as intravenous fluid bags and tubing, enteral feeding, dialysis equipment and catheters. Despite of their numerous advantages, the plastic medical devices are non biodegradable and prone to microbial colonization causing biofilm associated infections which are difficult to treat and tend to chronicisation. A possible solution to surpass these limitations could be the fabrication of...
Autori: Petruța Stoica
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26894

Ranunculus rionii and Ceratophyllum demersum develop aquatic dense stands, which lately started to represent a major ecological concern for all the ponds and/or lakes in Romania. The potential relationships between the phytochemical compounds detected in these plant extracts (acids, phenols, heterocycles, alcohols, hydrocarbures) and the allelopathic properties against Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial strains and microalgal cultures were investigated and discussed in the current stud...
Autori: Mariana Lupoae
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26971

In the present study, the effects of two methods for thermal sanitization of soil, by oven and by autoclave, and two non-ionizing radiation sterilization methods, UVC and microwave on pH, conductivity, dry weight, total number of germs and respiration of samples from neutral commercial soil were evaluated, using international standard methods. Also, the infrared and UV-VIS spectroscopy were applied for the determination of chemical properties and structural characterization of humic acid and ...
Autori: Dumitra Raducanu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26985

Biomass is a very important source for the production of biofuels. During the hydrolysis step of the process for obtaining biofuels the rate of decomposition of biomass is strictly related to its organic matter content and the operating mode of the facilities. This paper highlights the effect of different pretreatments on the composition of biomass at the molecular level using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For this experiment, a mixture...
Autori: Andreea Cocarcea Rusei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=26986

In studies of biochemical methane production (BMP) researchers often collate a large number of samples at the same time for a sample archive. The samples are often frozen to avoid microbial transformation, further homogenized by grinding. We studied the influence of subfreezing/thawing and drying/milling of energy crop on BMP and anaerobic biodegradability (BD). Relative standard deviation (RSD, %) between the BMP of controls and of the subfrozen was in the range 2.1–9.0%, and of the d...
Autori: Jin Mi Triolo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27079

The release of low molecular weight (LMW) organic acids under lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) stresses in Typha latifolia (T. Latifolia) and Vetiver zizanioides (V. zizanioides) were investigated. In addition, changes in antioxidative enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) in the leaves of T. Latifolia under Pb stress were also examined. Amongst the eight types of LMW organic acids detected in the present study, oxalic acid was found to be the most dominant during Pb and Zn treatmen...
Autori: Yu Bon Man
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27092

This study proposes a modified fractional fuzzy simulation (MFFS) method to predict the toluene and oxygen concentrations in aquifers under microbial attenuation conditions. The method integrates the modeling of groundwater flow contaminant transport and fuzzy parameters analysis within a general framework. Compared to conventional fractional fuzzy simulation (FFS), decreased interior points of fuzzy parameters need to be used, thus reducing the simulation time. The method is applied to an a...
Autori: Li He
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27106

Biological control relying on soil microorganisms may offer feasible and sustainable perspectives in many agrosystems for management of soil pests such as root-knot nematodes (RKNs, Meloidogyne spp.). The rhizosphere environment shows a complex of soil microbial communities, including beneficial organisms such as specialized bacterial pathogens and/or of rhizosphere fungi. New advanced technologies like Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) may enlarge our knowledge about the biodiversity and rol...
Autori: Aurelio Ciancio
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27109

Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), the bioelectrochemical devices for conversion of waste into electricity through bacterial metabolic activity can use substrates with different complexity and strength. Wastewaters with moderate to high organic content can be exploited as MFC substrates. In this study, four different industrial wastewaters (from a chemical company, milk industry, soyabased food and soft-drink company and laundry) with different compositions were used as substrates in identical MFCs...
Autori: Deepak Pant
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27117

Waste frying oil (WFO) is a complex and heterogeneous waste collected mainly from restaurants and, to a lesser extent, from food processors and households. In the last decades, interest for this waste has deeply grown and a strong competition in grabbing this raw material has begun. About 90% of WFOs collected in Europe is recycled for biodiesel production, being the high free fatty acids (FFAs) concentration in WFOs one of the main drawback limiting the yield of the conversion process. In th...
Autori: Cinzia Pezzella
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27130

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bioelectrochemical reactors that directly convert the chemical energy stored in chemical bonds of organic substrates, to electrical energy. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was implemented as biocatalyst in the anaerobic anode compartment of an MFC using glucose as carbon source and methylene blue as electron mediator. Our results showed the effect of methylene blue on the microbial metabolism and the reversibility of the redox reaction of the shuttle mediator in the p...
Autori: Ruggero Rossi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27131

The aim of the present study was to prepare environmentally friendly silver-based materials using Cornus mas L. fruits extract. For this purpose, silver nanoparticles (Cornus mas-AgNPs) were green synthesized using this plant extract. The bioreduction of silver ions was analyzed by UV–VIS and ATR-FTIR spectroscopic studies. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed the formation of spherical phyto-nanosilver particles with size ranging between 12 and 40 nm. Different amounts ...
Autori: Ioana-Raluca Suica-Bunghez
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27139

Antibiotic pollution has become one of the most important emerging soil contamination types, and has received great attentions in recent years. Understanding the microbial functional processes of soil ecosystems under antibiotic contamination is of critical importance for ecological risk assessment and pollution control. In this study, the responses of soil microbial respiratory activity and ammonification were studied under different concentrations of tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and nor...
Autori: Liangyin Yi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27151

Safe utilization of fly ash (FA) and reclamation of sodic soils are important environmental problems. In this study a field experiment was carried out with Vigna radiata L. crop using fly ash (FA) and phosphogypsum (PGY) as amendments in sodic soil during 2011 at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. V. radiata L. was sown in sodic soil amended with press mud (10 t ha-1) considered as control. Besides, 10 and 20 t ha-1 doses of FA and PGY were considered as other four treatments, respectively. The grow...
Autori: Kripal Singh
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27180

There has been a growing amount of work on microbial fuel cells (MFCs) in the last years, both on the microbiological issues and on the engineering ones, which managed to increase power outputs by an order of magnitude. However, they are technically still far from attaining acceptable levels of power output. Therefore, it is necessary to go deeper in understanding the mechanisms involved in electricity production with MFCs and use this new knowledge to achieve significant increases in power outp...
Autori: Vânia Oliveira
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27187

In this work, the effect of cyclic anaerobic/aerobic conditions on the biodegradative capability of the mixed microbial culture for the azo dye Acid Red 18 was investigated in the sequencing batch reactors. For this purpose, five anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactors were operated under the same operation conditions at different anaerobic/aerobic reaction times. The whole reaction time was 22-h with anaerobic/aerobic periods of 6/16, 10/12, 14/8, 18/4 and 22/0 (h/h) in An/ASBR1 to 5, respe...
Autori: Mohammad Hakimelahi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27191

The mixed microbial culture, isolated from the aerobic sludge was used to study biodegradation of 1,1-DCE as the sole carbon source in batch flasks. 1,1-DCE initial concentration in the medium was varied from 100μg/L to 1000μg/L. The maximum removal rate of 1,1-DCE was 89.2% obtained at 400μg/L 1,1-DCE concentration in the medium. The biodegradation kinetics of 1,1-DCE was found to follow three-half-order model at all initial 1,1-DCE concentrations with regression values greater than 0....
Autori: Shizong Wang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27219

In this study, the oleaginous yeasts cultured in tomato waste hydrolysates (TWH) to produce microbial lipids that offer a suitable alternative to vegetable oils as feedstock for the biodiesel synthesis. The TWH were prepared by acid hydrolysis (2.5% H2SO4). To obtain higher growth rates, as well as higher lipid contents, Lipomyces starkeyi were cultured under original nitrogen content (TWHON), lower nitrogen content (TWHLN), attained by alkaline precipitation of TWHON followed by centrifugation ...
Autori: Abu Yousuf
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27226

Non-availability of good quality water in sufficient quantities and the environmental impacts of used water discharges have led to the treatment and reuse of the aquaculture water contaminated with dissolved organics and ammonia rather than discharging it. This paper explores the effectiveness of in-situ sediment microbial fuel cell (MFC) for aquaculture water treatment along with generation of electricity. A sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) was designed and the efficiency of stainless steel ...
Autori: Thypparampil Karunakaran Sajana
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27261

The purpose of this paper is to integrate recent results on the remediation of organic contaminated soils, and introduce a physical remediation method—thermal desorption technology. There are mainly four kinds of thermal desorption technology, which include rotary kiln, fluidized bed, microwave and vacuum strengthen far-infrared thermal desorption. Through comparing with four kinds of remediation methods, rotary kiln and fluidized bed are more mature technologies, which have high treatment...
Autori: Zhongxin Tan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27310

Conversion of natural ecological systems has been one of the greatest human impact on terrestrial ecosystems. The expansion of anthroposphere altered virtually all biogeochemical cycles of elements. Nitrogen holds a key place in sustaining life and presents unique traits such as broad chemical speciation and mobility within the environmental compartments. With historically adapted ecosystems to low bioavailable nitrogen, understanding the complexity of the nitrogen disruption is a continuous cha...
Autori: Andreea Csolti
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27329

To evaluate the effects of seasonal fluctuations, soil types, land use and management inputs on the abundance and composition of soil bacteria, twenty soils types from Moldavia region located in north-eastern Romania were compared. Changes in soil microbiota are an early and sensitive indicator of soil pollution and can be used to predict long-term trends in soil quality. The use of microbial properties as indicator of soil pollution is easily measured and can also be measured accurately across ...
Autori: Eugen Ulea
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27333

In this pilot study, exposure to airborne microorganisms in solid recovered fuel (SRF) plants has been measured. Different steps in SRF production processes such as separation and size reduction can cause generation of airborne microorganisms. Exposure to these biological agents can cause some health problems, so their levels should be measured to assess the potential risks. Therefore, exposure to airborne total bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi were measured in the runn...
Autori: Şenol Yildiz
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27373

The kinetics of azo dye reduction based on combined effect of biochemical reduction by anaerobic mixed culture and chemical reduction with hydrogen sulfide was investigated. Hydrogen sulfide was produced by sulphate reducing bacteria existing in the anaerobic mixed culture. The effect of initial anaerobic biomass, initial substrate, and initial dye (Reactive Orange 107) concentrations on reduction kinetics were studied with batch assays. The municipal waste sludge was used as electron donating s...
Autori: Umay Gokce Ozkan-Yucel
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27386

• EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE PARAMETERS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS    • CONCENTRATIONS OF CHROMIUM, CADMIUM AND NICKEL IN TWO CONSUMED FISH SPECIES OF PERSIAN GULF, IRAN    • IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS BY USING A DRAIN WATER HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM    • ASSESSMENT OF METAL CONTAMINATION AND ECOLOGICAL RISK IN URBAN SOILS SITUATED NEAR A METALLURGICAL COMPLEX    • FINANCIAL DE...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27398

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE PARAMETERS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS    • CONCENTRATIONS OF CHROMIUM, CADMIUM AND NICKEL IN TWO CONSUMED FISH SPECIES OF PERSIAN GULF, IRAN    • IMPROVING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS BY USING A DRAIN WATER HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM    • ASSESSMENT OF METAL CONTAMINATION AND ECOLOGICAL RISK IN URBAN SOILS SITUATED NEAR A METALLURGICAL COMPLEX    • FINANCIAL DEVELOPME...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27399

The anaerobic digestion (AD) of fat-containing waste is often prolonged in time and problematic. Differences in AD performances could rely in a different probability for microorganisms to access the substrate. The aim of this study was to study the AD of waste cooking oil (WCO) with a biophysical approach. Two laboratory experiments were carried out using model systems consisting of WCO + hydration medium (HM) in 100 mL, static, in-batch reactors. In the first experiment, we assumed the WCO to H...
Autori: Francesca Fiume
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27409

One of the environmental problems caused by the large-scale livestock industry in China is odor pollution. Using the microbial strains with high deodorization efficiency is a feasible strategy to handle this problem. In this study, a Lactobacillus strain A2 with high efficient deodorization was isolated. To find the optimal deodorization conditions of strain A2, the deodorization efficiencies at different temperatures and inoculation quantities were tested. Our result showed that suitable tem...
Autori: Zhiying Yan
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27447

The present study deals with the production of biogas from post-harvest wastes of pineapple such as peels, leaves, mixture of peels and leaves with the two different types of inoculum viz., Cow Manure (CM) and Novel microbial Consortia (NC). The results between the two types of inoculum were compared to find out their efficiency. Among the different substrate-inoculum combinations, the biogas production potential was evaluated which resulted that NC was more efficient compared to CM. All assays ...
Autori: Mukesh Kumar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27496

This work describes the variations in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal performances and bacterial population dynamics in response to different influent C/N and C/P ratios in a novel BNR-IC process combining biological nutrients removal (BNR) with induced crystallization (IC). A good nutrients removal performance was achieved at 7.8 of C/N ratio and 23.3 of C/P ratio, where P and TN removal efficiencies were 94.0±2.4% and 90.5±4.3%, respectively. Moreover, significant changes...
Autori: Haiming Zou
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27523

An anaerobic-aerobic (An-Ox) sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated for the growth of phosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), while an anaerobic-anoxic (An-Ax) SBR was used for the growth of denitrifying PAOs (dPAOs). Both reactors exhibited successful enhanced biological phosphorous removal (EBPR) performance. The sludge P contents in the two reactors increased from approximately 2% at the beginning of the operation to 9.1% (An-Ox SBR) and 7.3% (An-Ax SBR) after 140 d. The results of the...
Autori: Hansaem Lee
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27525

Microalgae can be considered as significant sources of sustainable and beneficial biocompounds such as carotenoids, lipids, proteins, polysaccharides, pigments, vitamins etc., with many uses in energy production (biofuels), pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. This class of microorganisms are considered as sustainable feedstock due to some major advantages related to metabolism modulation, faster growth rate compared to plants, no use of terrestrial land. This review will present the mo...
Autori: Alexandra Cristina Blaga
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27558

The study provides information about separation and identification of natural bioactive compounds from beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) bark with potential therapeutic applications such as antibacterial activity against human pathogens. Beech is a common material used in the wood industry, but its bark is separated from the wood and is considered a by-product. In this study, natural compounds with biological activity were obtained from beech bark by hot water extraction. The high-performance liquid ch...
Autori: Corneliu Tănase
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27561

The performance and microbial community of an anoxic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating saline wastewater were investigated at different influent COD/N ratios. The average COD removal efficiencies at steady states were 87.46%, 73.75%, 64.87% and 88.34% at the COD/N ratios of 20, 10, 6 and 30, respectively. The average NH4+-N removal efficiencies were 79.74%, 74.34%, 64.55% and 89.29% at the COD/N ratios of 20, 10, 6 and 30, respectively. No obvious accumulation of NO2--N and NO3--N ...
Autori: Sen Wang
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27592

α-cypermethrin is a pyrethroid and environmental genotoxic pesticide extensively used worldwide for agricultural applications. However, like other pesticides, it affects non-target organisms as well as target organisms and causes various toxic effects. To evaluate α-cypermethrin toxicity in non-target organisms, the effect of α-cypermethrin on the activity of malondialdehyde (MDA, an indicator of lipid peroxidation) content, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; perox...
Autori: Ozkan Aksakal
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27647

The performance of microbial fuel cells (MFC) employing an earthen plate as a membrane separator is compared to that using Nafion 117 in an identical up-flow dual-chambered cylindrical cell configuration. The MFC configuration is of a cylindrical outer cathode chamber separated by the membrane from a concentric rectangular inner anode chamber. The fuel cells, operated under continuous mode at hydraulic retention time of 12 hr, achieved average chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 60% and...
Autori: Partha Sarathi Jana
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27649

Five indigenous soil microbes were isolated from chickpea rhizosphere soils of different location of Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Varanasi and Azamgarh district of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The microbial strains were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa BHUPSB01, Pseudomonas putida BHUPSB04, Bacillus megaterium BHUPSB14, Paenibacillus polymyxa BHUPSB16 and Mesorhizobium sp. BHURC05 by biochemical and molecular characterization. The isolated strains were tested for their plant growth promoting properties....
Autori: Jay Prakash Verma
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27654

The performance of cathode affects the overall performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC), and cathode configuration affects the fabrication cost of this bioelectrochemical system in a large way. Various modifications in cathode structures have been observed in MFCs. Among them air-cathode MFCs are considered to be the most efficient and sustainable option due to elimination of aeration, as required in aqueous cathodes which consumes energy and increases operating cost of MFCs. An air cathode us...
Autori: Pritha Chatterjee
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27680

The objectives of this study were to investigate: a) whether the duration of organic farming influences the dimension, shape and geometry (fractal dimension) of soil micropores (<50μm) and b) for relationships of morphometric traits with certain chemical and biochemical soil variables (microbial biomass, N- and C-mineralization rates, NH4+, NO3-, organic C and N, extractable P, Mg+2, K+, Ca+2). We compared soil micromorphometric traits (area, perimeter, compactness, solidity, eccentricity)...
Autori: Nikolaos Monokrousos
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27682

Though Scirpus triqueter plays an important role in protecting the ecological functions of Yangtze River estuary wetland which is frequently contaminated by petroleum, knowledge is limited about the mechanisms involved. In this study, comparative analysis of soil properties, microbial community structure and soil enzymes in the rhizosphere of S. triqueter and bulk soil was conducted throughout one year to provide an insight into the phytoremediation mechanism in the field. The total petroleum hy...
Autori: Jing Wei
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27697

Gaseous toluene biofiltration as affected by ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) roots was investigated in this study. The results revealed that the populations of bacteria, actinomycetes were larger in the ryegrass rhizosphere than in the bulk soil since ryegrass provided root exudates as major nutrients available for the microorganisms. An increase in the microbial populations in a ryegrass-growing biofilter would significantly stimulate toluene biodegradation in comparison with a vegetation-free bio...
Autori: Zhongjun Xu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27772

The Water Safety Plan (WSP) model provides a completely new, cross-cutting and multidisciplinary approach for the risk assessment of drinking water pollution. The concept of “control” of the drinking water supply system (DWSS) is replaced by the concept of “under control”, in order to protect human health. The key factor of the WSP approach is the identification and mitigation or, if possible, the elimination of all factors that may cause a chemical, physical, microbial a...
Autori: Maria Cristina Collivignarelli
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27790

The present study describes the results of air quality analysis and surfaces inside the Orthodox Church in Oradea City, Romania, a wooden monument (BH-II-m-B-20958), originally built in the village Letca from Sălaj County and displaced in 1991 to the campus of the University of Oradea. The paper focuses on the degree of microbial and fungal contamination of surfaces and air inside the wooden church. It also identifies various microbial species with potential risk on the health of parishione...
Autori: Dorina Camelia Ilieș
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27858

The paper reveals original findings in agrobiodiversity, as part of the global biodiversity puzzle. The Grey Steppe cattle are endangered to extinction and are part of a genetic preservation program in Romania. The research approached the productive performance, the genetic determinism of milk production traits, studied on a Grey Steppe breed population nucleus of 30 individuals, throughout 4 productive cycles. The average milk yield in all 4 consecutive lactations reached 1858 kg per capita, wh...
Autori: Vasile Maciuc
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27859

Tunisian fish-processing industries generates large amounts of by-products. Their disposal is an increasing environmental and health problem. For an economic utilization, these by-products may be used in producing higher value-added products such as protein hydrolyzates. In this study, protein hydrolyzates with different degrees of hydrolysis (12%, 20% and 26%) were prepared from heads and viscera of Sardinella aurita using crude protease of Bacillus licheniformis NH1. The obtained hydrolyzates ...
Autori: Nabil Souissi
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27852

In this study, nine microbial strains with oil-degrading function were isolated from oil-contaminated soil near four oil wells in the 0.6 km2 area of the Jinnan Oil Field, Huaian, Jiangsu, China (32°57′ N, 119°02′ E). Based on morphological observations, physiological and biochemical responses, and molecular identification, we confirmed that the nine strains belong to five genera: Pseudomonas, Raoultella, Lysinibacillus, Escherichia, and Klebsiella. The degradation capacity o...
Autori: Yujia Liu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27848

A study on the biodegradability of several formulations based on poly[vinyl alcohol] (PVA) and wood flour has been carried out. Basically, all formulations are based on PVA and wood flour, and the influence of starch, glycerol and/or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) incorporated in some of them was investigated. Biodegradation was performed by incubation of the composites with a selected Aspergillus niger strain able to act as an polymer biodegrading agent. The composites biodegradation was evaluated...
Autori: Luiza Jecu
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27886

In order to reduce Cr(VI) and Cr(III) simultaneously, a double microbial fuel cell (MFC) system was employed to treat Crcontaining wastewater. Cr(VI)-MFC used Cr(VI) as a catholyte to supply the generated power to Cr(III)-MFC, while the latter MFC functioned as an external load resistor of the former one. Buffer characteristics of the catholyte greatly affected the reduction of chromium ions. At an initial pH of 2.0, Cr(VI) removal increased from 49.9% to 99.9% when KH2PO4 was added. Keeping ...
Autori: Fang Li
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27896

A system dynamics (SD) process-based simulation model was developed using an object-oriented environment to simulate phosphorus (P) transformations in a two-stage pilot scale Dewatered Alum Sludge Cake (DASC) based Constructed Wetlands (CW), which is operated from February 2009 to January 2010 to treat relatively high concentration animal farm wastewater. Structural Thinking Experiential Learning Laboratory and Animation (STELLA v9.1.4) conceived on the principles of SD was used for the deve...
Autori: Lordwin Jeyakumar
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27907

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by plants is a simple, non-toxic and eco-friendly method. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for obtaining silver nanoparticles with biological properties. For reducing the silver ions, an extract of Tilia cordata (linden) flowers was used. Some parameters were investigated to optimize the synthesis method. Thus, the conditions of reaction were varied, such as pH, concentration of silver salt, different ratio of plant extract and silver sa...
Autori: Andreia Corciova
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27977

The present paper is a multidisciplinary investigation of the indoor air quality inside the Multipurpose Hall of the University of Oradea, based both on specific monitoring and questionnaire-based survey to identify people’s perception in this regard. The monitoring, carried out during October-November 2016 when the heating did not work, was focused on: relative air temperature and humidity (Thermohygrometer data logger Klimalogg Pro), carbon dioxide (CO2) (Extech Instruments CO250 model a...
Autori:
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27981

This study presents the influence of the storage recipients’ material and of the use and the type of stirring on the drinking water quality. The kinetics of drinkable water quality alteration under stationary conditions and under magnetic and sonical stirring have been monitored for a two weeks period. The microbiological parameters (total number of germs developed at 37°C and 22°C, lactose-positive and lactose-negative bacteria, coliform bacteria and Echerichia coli), as well a...
Autori: Laura Damian
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=27999

Common centaury, Centaurium erythraea Rafn., represent the best known and the most investigated medicinal plant species of genus Centaurium. Centaury has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Secondary metabolites such as bitter secoiridoid glucosides (gentiopicrin, swertiamarin and sweroside), xanthones (eustomin and demethyleustomin), and phenolic acids are the main constituents responsible for the therapeutic properties of centaury. Previous investigation showed that overexpression...
Autori: Milana Trifunović-Momčilov
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28068

This study is an attempt to monitor the indoor microclimate and the microbiological contamination of some indoor objects inside a wooden Orthodox church. Standard microbiological techniques were used for the isolation and identification of the fungi present in the dust of the superficial surface of the paintings chosen to be investigated for biodeterioration. Samples were taken from approximately 1 cm2 of the surface of the analysed paintings (cotton canvas, wood, on primer) using the cotton swa...
Autori: Dorina Camelia Ilieș
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28114

In this study we present time-related 3D ERI models for a site that was contaminated using waste automobile engine oil. The pristine geo-electrical characteristics of the site were recorded before the contamination was carried out. The purpose of the study was to progressively monitor the geo-electrical responses of the site for possible natural bio-transformations on the waste oil. Data were acquired once every two weeks for a period of three months using eight parallel 2D resistivity profiles....
Autori: Bokani Nthaba
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28118

Soils are influenced by stand composition and hydrological regime as well as by stress abiotic factors, including forest fires. As such, this study analyzed three stands affected by fires of different severities. Soil samples were gathered during the spring of 2017 from three sample areas in Vrancea County, eastern part of Romania. For each area studied, soil profiles were studied in 3 areas affected by fires and in control areas located close to each other. The soil respiration was determined b...
Autori: Aurelia Oneț
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28120

Biological ammonium removal from wastewater requires coupling of nitrification and denitrification processes in respective aerobic and anaerobic conditions. This difference in environmental requirements pose a big challenge in the design of systems intended to effect both nitrification and denitrification processes. Alcaligenes faecalis strain No. 4, however, has both heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification abilities in aerobic conditions, eliminating the need to provide anaerobi...
Autori: Hung-Soo Joo
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28186

Interest in water recycling has provided opportunities to evaluate the potential impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) on plants where recycled wastewater is used for watering and irrigation. Most researches have focused on the impact of pharmaceuticals on seed germination and plant physiology or the uptake of pharmaceuticals into plants. We sought to find out whether nutrient and metal uptake into wheat plants were affected by the presence of PPCPs (acetaminophen, caffein...
Autori: Etem Osma
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28193

Water shortage is one of the most worrisome issues around the globe, especially with the increase in the human population. Nowadays, attention has been drawn towards the reuse of greywater because of its large volume and low contaminants. In the present research, greywater samples were collected from different sources including; households, restaurants, mosques, laundries, guest houses and sport clubs in Mansoura city, Egypt. The counts of total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus sp., Ps...
Autori: Samir Radwanhttp://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28221

Techniques such as composting, a controlled process of decomposition of organic materials, have become fundamental to minimize the problems associated with the organic fraction of urban solid waste, as the potential to cause damage to public health, the environment and, consequently, to economic and administrative aspects can be related to this kind of waste. Microbial activity is also highlighted as a relevant factor since the microorganisms are fundamental in the degradation of organic matter...
Autori: Priscila da Costa
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28222

Pharmaceuticals in the environment are considered as emerging contaminants which are particularly persistent and which could represent a threat both for animals and humans following long-term exposure. Pharmaceuticals include, among others, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid hormones, antidepressants, β-blockers and lipid regulators. Excretion from humans is considered the main source of release of such compounds in the environment. The excreted compounds reach wastewater treatm...
Autori: Cristiana Morosini
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28257

Space exploration requires reliable, rapid, significant and safe methods for preventing, monitoring and controlling biocontamination risk in water loops and humid areas in manned Space habitats. Water is one of the most important resources of our everyday life. Its microbiological control in houses, public water dispensers and special conditions (e.g.: epidemics, catastrophes, isolation) is crucial. The presented solution is automated, compact and portable, and above all “integrated&rdquo...
Autori: Vincenzo Guarnieri
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28298

The work is devoted to the search and investigation of the properties of the effective environmentally friendly phytoremediation activators. An integrated approach was used to evaluate the effect of the compositions of thiosulfonates with rhamnolipid biosurfactant on remediation plants. The biochemical and biophysical analysis of the rapeseed and ryegrass plants grown in the oil polluted soil - photosynthetic pigments, indicators of oxidative reactions and electrical impedance characteristics we...
Autori: Olena Yaremkevych
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28319

The spread of antibiotic resistant organisms and those producing extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) has become a health care problem worldwide in communities and hospitals, as it leads to more complicated infections, longer duration of treatment, and increases in patient mortality. In the present study, we analyzed 226 clinical samples in order to assess the spread of ESBLproducing Enterobacteriaceae. 196 Enterobacteriaceae were identified and classified as members of the genera Pantoea...
Autori: Abdelbasset Mechai
ISSN: 1843 - 3707
http://www.ecozone.ro/reviste.php?RID=28331