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The effluent generated in the beverage industry is rich in organic load, requiring a high degree of treatment of the process water, before returning it to nature. In this context, the main objective of this study is to verify was to evaluate the phytotoxicity of effluent from the beverage industry by root elongation and seed germination of Lactuca sativa L. (lettuce) as well as the correlation of these variables with the Color and COD of the raw and treated effluent. The seed germination and root elongation of 540 lettuce seeds divided into 4 concentrations, one positive control and one negative control, each of which was represented by 3 Petri dishes (replicates) with 15 seeds in each plate were evaluated. The seeds were incubated in the absence of light at a constant temperature of 22 ± 2 ° C for 120 hours. At the end of the exposure period, the results showed that there was no statistical difference between the EC50 root growth and the germination index of the treated and treated effluent and the root elongation index showed significant inhibition according to the method for both the effluent Treated as for the brute. Since the percentage of germination and root growth showed a significant correlation with color and COD, it is possible to conclude the treatment inefficiency of the treatment by advanced oxidative process in the studied effluent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to carry out a first diagnosis of local birds, concentrating in six fragments of Ombrophylous Mixed Forest, using methods adequate to be repeated in subsequent periods. The assessment of birds on long-term may be used as local bioindicator, especially because these areas will be managed in the future. In the sampled area it was registered 124 species from 41 families. Four species listed in the Red Book of Threatened Fauna in the State of Paraná were recorded: Polioptila lactea (Creamy-bellied Gnatcatcher), Mesembrinibis cayennensis (Green Ibis), Accipiter superciliosus (Tiny Hawk) and Leptasthenura striolata (Striolated Tit-Spinetail). When the six forest fragments were assessed using the irregular transects method, it was registered 102 species. The trees survey, carried out by sample plots, resulting in 92 species. The Relative Frequency of wild bird community matrix and its sub-group of forest specialist birds presented significant correlation with the Coverage Value of the tree community (DBH ≥ 10cm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogas generation capacity from a sanitary landfill is investigated by two approaches with two first order models: practical approach with experimentally calculated parameters from laboratory biodigestors; a theoretical approach with defaults. Results showed that accumulated total between 2008 and 2148 reached 42,877 tons of biogas or 11,453 tons of methane, and 148,062 ton of biogas or 39,549 tons of methane, by the theoretical approach. Highest rate of biogas production would be the same in the two approaches by 2020. The model revealed that theoretically biogas production may be three times greater than practical results and the real period of higher generation rates would be shorter than forecasted when default parameters were employed. The above means that international data may not be applicable to the true situation of landfills in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove forests have a simple architecture. They shelter a few number of arboreal species that grow in a saline environment subject to tidal activity. The research objective was to evaluate possible interactions between physical-chemical soil attributes and plant-leaf nutrient concentrations of different mangrove species. Different mangrove species growing in the same soil, and the same mangrove species growing in two different soil classes were evaluated as to their leaf nutrient concentration patterns. The study was carried out in mangrove areas of the State of Paraná, southern Brazil, in two distinct soil classes: HISTOSOL THIOMORPHIC Salic sodic and GLEYSOL THIOMORPHIC Salic sodic; and three different species: Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle. Two subareas were delimited within each area from which soil and leaf samples were collected. Samplings from five individuals of each dominant mangrove species were taken from the soil (0-10 cm deep) under each tree crown projection. The data was submitted to statistical analysis using a set of simple and multivariate analysis in order to determine possible differences among mangrove species leaf nutrient concentrations, and whether these differences might be correlated with the soil attributes or not. The results exposed that the nutritional state of the mangrove species is different and independent form the soil attributes in which they grow. Few correlations were found among leaf nutrient concentrations and soil attributes, suggesting differential selective nutrient uptake among species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]