Search

This study investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of nitrate and nitrite concentration in groundwater from different geographical regions, in Romania. A special emphasis was put on a descriptive statistical analysis of data, namely on the determination of seasonal indices during dry and wet seasons. Nitrate and nitrite concentrations were monitored in 24 groundwater sources situated in different areas, between January 2016 and February 2020. The obtained data showed that the values of nitrate concentrations were situated between 8.03 mg/L in the North-Eastern part of Romania, 6.37 mg/L in the South-Eastern part of the country, and 3.55 mg/L in the Western part towards the center of the country. Nitrite concentration values were situated under the national maximum admitted limit, 0.5 mg/L, in all the investigated areas. The obtained data shows small changes in water quality during the monitoring period, which leads to the conclusion that, in this long interval of time, there were no significant groundwater contaminations with nitrate and nitrite. For adequate control of water pollution and rigorous management of groundwater sources, seasonal indices were calculated.

Antidiabetic compounds are a class of emerging contaminants in environment, for which there are no regulations in the world environmental legislation. These compounds are among the most widely used drugs in the world due to the large number of patients with diabetic conditions. The presence of these pollutants in the environment is insufficiently studied, so efficient analytical methods are needed to allow their detection at trace levels (ng/L). For the simultaneously quantification of the five antidiabetics (glyburide, metformin, glipizide, gliclazide, glimepiride) and one bio-degradation product (guanyl urea) in surface water samples a SPE-LC-MS/MS (solid phase extraction -liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry detection) method was validated using real river water samples. The compounds were separated on C18 LC column in 9 minutes at 300C using a gradient of mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile. Good performance parameters were obtained using the method: low limits of quantification (LOQs 0.1-2.4 ng/L), precision (repeatability 3.5-7.2% and reproducibility 6.5-12.7%) and determination coefficients (higher than 0.99). The most contaminated river was represented by Ialomita, which had a total concentration of antidiabetics of 112.1 ng/L in the downstream point, followed by the Siret and Dambovita rivers, which had a total concentration of antidiabetics of 66.3 ng/L and 57.3 ng/L, respectively, also in the downstream points.

The paper focused on the possible links among pollution, pollution management efficiency including waste management and the propensity of a variety of emerging diseases in our society by answering the question: “How pollution can affect human health?” Environmental pollution is a reality and our planet ecosystem possibilities to face the challenges due to the constant exceeding its resilience are becoming smaller and smaller. The evolution of the climate change indicators like global temperature, global CO2 emissions, oceans acidification and species extinction point out that in a not very long period of time, the planet will not be able to sustain any more the present society’s life style set by the current economic development. Therefore, many warning signals have been issued to change the present behavior in order to reduce significant damages done to the environment and on human health with serious implications on the dysregulation of our immunity and the onset of a plethora of diseases. In this respect, the present paper reviewed relevant aspects linked to the environmental pollution issues that become part of scientific and public debates presented in specialty literature in recent years emphasizing why the implementation of “One Health” concept is necessary.

A newly developed direct injection HPLC-DAD method for the simultaneous detection of Brilliant Blue (BB), Sunset Yellow (SY) and Tartrazine (TA) synthetic dyes was validated and applied to surface and wastewater samples. Chromatographic separation was achieved using an Acclaim Surfactant Plus column (150 x 3.0 mm, 3 um) in isocratic elution mode with a mobile phase consisting of 100 mM CH3COONH4 and ACN in the ratio 50/50 (v/v). Linear calibration curves were plotted in the range of 2-100 μg/L (BB) and 6-300 μg/L (SY, TA) respectively with correlation coefficients (R2) higher than 0.99. Low quantitation limit values (LOQ) were obtained for the direct injection HPLC-DAD method, namely: 1.0 �g/L (BB), 5.5 �g/L (SY) and 5.8 �g/L (TA), respectively. The entire sample preparation procedure consisted only in simple filtration using PTFE syringe filters (0.45 �m) without sample extraction or concentration, which improved method accuracy and precision. HPLC-DAD developed method proved to be fast (6 minutes run-time), sensitive and accurate and was succesfully applied for the analysis of the synthetic dyes in surface and wastewater samples. Considering all analyzed samples (8 surface water and 11 wastewater samples), Brilliant Blue was found in influent samples with values between 4.49 � 14.17 �g/L and effluent samples with values between 1.07 � 9.54 �g/L, whereas Sunset Yellow and Tartrazine were not detected in any of the analyzed samples.

Heavy metal toxicity in plants is well known due to their severe phytotoxic effects and also because of their capability to accumulate in vegetables. The use of aromatic plants in remediation techniques has increased in the context of environmental pollution issues, including metal soil contamination. Cadmium is knowed as a toxic and bio accumulative element provided by natural or anthropic sources. In this context, the paper presents a laboratory experimental study aiming to evaluate the accumulating and transfer behavior of Cd in the plant organs of Sinapis alba L. (white mustard) and in the presence of essential elements (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni). The study involves a comparison between white mustard cultivated in unpolluted soil and in two Cd polluted soils at values above the alert (2.8 mg/Kg), respectively intervention threshold for soils with sensitive use (5.6 mg/kg) according to the legislation in force in Romania. While Cd accumulated predominantly in roots (TC values 1.46 and 2.22), its transfer to the stem and leaves was observed too, the TF values for the aerial part of the plant being greater than 1. Moreover, the study showed that certain elements (Zn, Ca, Mg, Mn) were found in higher concentrations in plants subjected to Cd pollution than in the control sample indicating antagonistic effects and Cd toxicity limiting. Other essential metals, such as Cu, Fe and Ni were found in lower concentrations in intoxicated plants compared to control plants. Their translocation from soil in plant organs could be reduced by the Cd toxicity. Contrariwise, the mobility of these elements from roots to leaves could support the tolerance effect of plants to Cd stress. The study allows us to consider that Sinapis alba L. aromatic plants are suitable for soil phytoremediation technologies used in Cd decontamination.

This study presents the behavior of white mustard seedlings Sinapis alba grown for three months in laboratory polluted soil containing As, Cd, Ni and Pb. Four different experiments were performed in which As was combined with the other three toxic metals in different combinations (As, AsCd, AsCdNi, AsCdNiPb), keeping the same concentrations of As and Cd in all tests and following the national soil quality regulations. The effects of these metals were monitored by the analytical control of metal concentrations in soil and plants, bioavailability tests of mobile metal fractions using three different extracting solutions (DTPA + TEA + CaCl2-DTPA, DTPA + CaCl2-CAT, and CH3COONH4 + EDTA-EDTA) and calculation of bioaccumulation and translocation factors. Additionally, micro, and macro-nutrients both in soil and plant (root, stem, leaves, flowers and seeds) were analyzed in order to evaluate the impact of toxic metals on plant nutrient metabolism. Metals were significantly and differently accumulated in the plant tissues, especially under AsCdNi and AsCdNiPb treatments. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the concentration of both As and Cd were highlighted. Translocation could be influenced by the presence of other toxic metals, such as Cd, but also of essential metals, through the competition and antagonism processes existing in plant tissues. Significantly, more Cd and Ni levels were detected in leaves and flowers. Cd was also detected in seeds above the WHO limit, but the results are not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The extraction of metallic nutrients (Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, Cr) in the plant was not influenced by the presence of toxic metal combinations, on the contrary, their translocation was more efficient in the aerial parts of the plants. No phytotoxic effects were recorded during the exposure period. The most efficient methods of metal extraction from soil were for As-CAT; Cd-all methods; Pb and Ni-DTPA. The Pearson correlations (r) between applied extraction methods and metal detection in plants showed positive correlations for all toxic metals as follows: As-CAT > DTPA > EDTA, Cd-DTPA > CAT > EDTA, Ni-EDTA = DTPA > CAT, Pb-EDTA = DTPA = CAT). The results revealed that Sinapis alba has a good ability to accumulate the most bioavailable metals Cd and Ni, to stabilize As at the root level and to block Pb in soil.

This study presents the behavior of white mustard seedlings Sinapis alba grown for three months in laboratory polluted soil containing As, Cd, Ni and Pb. Four different experiments were performed in which As was combined with the other three toxic metals in different combinations (As, AsCd, AsCdNi, AsCdNiPb), keeping the same concentrations of As and Cd in all tests and following the national soil quality regulations. The effects of these metals were monitored by the analytical control of metal concentrations in soil and plants, bioavailability tests of mobile metal fractions using three different extracting solutions (DTPA + TEA + CaCl2-DTPA, DTPA + CaCl2-CAT, and CH3COONH4 + EDTA-EDTA) and calculation of bioaccumulation and translocation factors. Additionally, micro, and macro-nutrients both in soil and plant (root, stem, leaves, flowers and seeds) were analyzed in order to evaluate the impact of toxic metals on plant nutrient metabolism. Metals were significantly and differently accumulated in the plant tissues, especially under AsCdNi and AsCdNiPb treatments. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the concentration of both As and Cd were highlighted. Translocation could be influenced by the presence of other toxic metals, such as Cd, but also of essential metals, through the competition and antagonism processes existing in plant tissues. Significantly, more Cd and Ni levels were detected in leaves and flowers. Cd was also detected in seeds above the WHO limit, but the results are not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The extraction of metallic nutrients (Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Mg, K, Fe, Ca, Cr) in the plant was not influenced by the presence of toxic metal combinations, on the contrary, their translocation was more efficient in the aerial parts of the plants. No phytotoxic effects were recorded during the exposure period. The most efficient methods of metal extraction from soil were for As-CAT; Cd-all methods; Pb and Ni-DTPA. The Pearson correlations (r) between applied extraction methods and metal detection in plants showed positive correlations for all toxic metals as follows: As-CAT > DTPA > EDTA, Cd-DTPA > CAT > EDTA, Ni-EDTA = DTPA > CAT, Pb-EDTA = DTPA = CAT). The results revealed that Sinapis alba has a good ability to accumulate the most bioavailable metals Cd and Ni, to stabilize As at the root level and to block Pb in soil.

The paper presents the test results regarding the evaluation of the accuracy of the PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter concentration measurement performed with the uRADMonitor A3 fixed air quality monitoring station produced by SC MAGNASCI SRL. The procedure involves the calculation of the accuracy elements: trueness and precision, based on the experimental data obtained by measuring the concentration of particulate matter using the tested analysers in parallel with the reference method, SR EN 12341: 2014, and analysis of data series by Pearson correlation and linear regression.

A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of six organic compounds (2-hydroxy benzophenone, 4-hydroxy benzophenone, 2,2�,4,4�-tetrahydroxy benzophenone, 2,4-dyhydroxy benzophenone, 4,4�-dyhydroxy benzophenone, 2,2�-dyhydroxy-4-methoxy-benzophenone) used as UV filters in personal care products used to protect against UV radiation. The major concern about this type of pollutants is due to their persistence and bioaccumulation potential in the environment and aquatic organisms and for their endocrine disruptor properties. Solid phase extraction was used for sample preparation, followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Benzophenone derivatives were analyzed on a Phenomenex Luna C18 column (150 x 2.0 mm, 3.0 �m) with the mobile phase run in gradient mode with a mixture of aqueous 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase components (at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min). MS detector response was linear, on the tested concentration domain from 1 to 100 μg/L with correlation coefficient R2 ] 0.998. The recoveries of benzophenone derivatives after solid phase extraction procedure from surface water was found to be ]81% for surface water and higher than 79% for wastewater matrix. The standard deviation values for intra-day precision were situated between 7.67% and 9.88% for lower concentration and 7.27% and 8.86% for higher concentration respectively. The limits of quantitation were calculated for both environmental water matrices (1.6-4.1 ng/L for surface water and 3.3-8.2 ng/L for wastewater). This method can be applied for benzophenone derivatives detection in real environmental samples.

The purpose of this study was to characterize some types of biomass wastes resulted from different activities such as: agriculture, forestry and food industry using thermogravimetric and ICP-MS analyses. Also, it was optimized an ICP-MS method for the determination of As, Cd and Pb from biomass ash samples. The ICP-MS analysis revealed that the highest concentration of metals (As, Cd, Pb) was recorded in the wood waste ash sample, also the thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the highest amount of ash was obtained for the same sample (26.82%). The biomass wastes mentioned in this study are alternative recyclable materials, reusable as pellets and briquettes. Keywords: ash, biomass, ICP-MS, minor elements, TG

The main objective of this study was to investigate the adsorption processes occurring on the surface of microplastic particles using an important class of organic pollutants (organochlorine pesticides). The adsorption study of some organochlorinated compounds has shown that these compounds, being in contact with microplastic particles, can be significantly adsorbed (up to 50% of the added amount controlled in the in vitro study depending on hydrophobicity and water solubility) on their surface and can be transported in natural waters. Contaminated particles may be ingested by aquatic organisms and may bioaccumulate there in causing damage to the entire trophic chain. Keywords: adsorption, microplastics, organochlorine pesticides, polyethylene terephthalate

The continuous increase of the volume of waste, in direct correlation with the number of the population represents an important problem for the specialists involved in waste management and the identification of the most efficient solutions for their management in an environmentally friendly way with minimal impact on the environment. A large-scale waste reduction solution is to incinerate them in dedicated installations with strict control over air pollutant emissions from the incineration process. The paper presents the results of the tests carried out in two types of waste incinerators for the assessment of pollutant emissions in the air in order to reduce them and to meet the requirements of the environmental regulations in this field.

Global population growth is associated with an increase in the amount of water used. A consequence of this increase is the high amount of wastewater volume resulted, which can affect ecosystems balance. For this reason, the authorities are forced to account and improve wastewater treatment processes to minimize environmental impact. The physical-chemical properties of the effluent are unique and depend on the origin of the leakage, the sewer system infrastructure, the level of development of the area, the climatic conditions, and hence the wastewater stream has a unique composition of organic and inorganic loads. For a quick and easy understanding of wastewater quality, two types of water quality indices were developed. This study presents the results of a complex analytical investigation of effluents discharged from six rural WWTP’s situated in southern part of Romania compared with a simplified interpretation of wastewater quality by using a pollution index (PI) and a wastewater quality index (WWQI). Data recorded with a monthly frequency between 2013 and 2017 were used. Regarding the WWQI values calculated in this study, all wastewater analysed from the six WWTP’s, fit to the ‘Marginal’ Designation.

Particulates generated by anthropogenic activities are found in the ambient air in varying amounts, in a wide range of sizes and in a wide variety of chemical composition. The concentration of particulates at one site, as well as their composition, are influenced by their origin and dispersion factors. By chemical and dimensional analysis of particulates in an area, we can draw preliminary conclusions about the origin and level of pollution in that area. This paper presents the results obtained by concomitant monitoring of particulates emissions and the concentration of particulate matter in ambient air in the adjacent area of an industrial plant. The result of the measurements obtained and their correlation with the specific conditions during the monitoring period lead us to the conclusion that the concentration of particulate matter at the emission sources directly influences the concentrations of particulate matter in the neighbouring area.

Two spectrometric methods have been developed for quantitative simultaneous determination of procaine hydrochloride (PH·HCl), procainamide hydrochloride (PHA·HCl) and lidocaine (Lid) from synthetic mixture. The methods employed are first derivative spectrometry, using zero crossing method and multicomponent analysis which is based on the additivity law. Using first derivative spectrometry, the wavelength selected for the quantitative determination of PH·HCl was 237 nm for Lid was 242 nm and for PHA·HCl was 290 nm in mixture. The method is linear when the concentration ranged between 6.62-9.93 μg/mL for PH·HCl, 6.43-9.64 for PHA·HCl and 5.56-8.35 for Lid. The multicomponent analysis is a direct method and involves the absorbance measurements of at three different wavelengths. The molar absorption coefficients values were calculated at each wavelength and the concentration of PH·HCl, PHA·HCl and Lid from mixture was determined by solving matrix using Cramer's rule. The recovery of each compound in mixture was calculated and it is 101.4 % for PH·HCl, 100.4 % for PHA·HCl and 98.4 % for Lid.

This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of Mentha piperita under Cd, Pb, Ni, and As soil contamination and their transfer from soil in plants as well as translocation in the roots/stems/leaves system compared with a control without metal addition. The mint seedlings were exposed for a three-month period using two metal mixtures in the same concentrations such as AsCd and AsCdNiPb (23.7 mg/kg As, 5 mg/kg Cd, 136 mg/kg Ni, and 95 mg/kg Pb). The results of metal concentration in plants showed that Cd, Ni, and Pb were accumulated in different parts of the plant, except for As. In plants organs, the order of metal accumulation was roots &gt, stems &gt, leaves. No significant impact on the growth, development, and chlorophyll content compared to the control was observed in the first month of exposure. After three months of exposure, phytotoxic effects occurred. Generally, the transfer coefficients and translocation factors values were less than 1, indicating that Mentha piperita immobilized the metals in root. The laboratory experiments highlighted that for a short period of time, Mentha piperita has the capacity to stabilize the metals at the root level and was a metal-tolerant plant when using a garden rich-substrate.

The present study investigated the distribution and environmental fate of Bisphenol A (BPA), the 4-hydroxyacetophenone (4-HAP) metabolite, and 5 other bisphenol congeners in 2 municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their receiving rivers in Romania. Accordingly, a new, highly sensitive and accurate solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated. This technique generated low limit of quantitation values: below 2.3 ng/L for surface water and less than 2.4 and 2.7 ng/L for WWTP effluent and influent water. The sum of detected analytes in wastewater was between 1337 and 16 118 ng/L for influent samples and between 15 and 96 ng/L for effluent samples. In surface water, the total of all compounds was somewhere between 34 and 240 ng/L. The highest concentration observed was for BPA in all 3 types of analyzed water (up to 9140 ng/L for influent, as high as 75 ng/L for effluent, and a maximum of 135 ng/L in surface waters). All analyzed samples were free of bisphenols B, C, and F. For all analytes detected in surface water, the concentration values were higher than those determined in the effluent samples, which may be caused by intrinsic contamination of the 2 rivers (Danube and Jiu Rivers). Values of environmental risk coefficients, calculated for both effluents and surface waters, indicated a low ecological risk or no ecological risk for 3 types of organisms (algae, daphnia, and fish). Human risk assessment calculation suggests no risk to human health as a result of the presence of BPA in either of the 2 rivers. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:435-446. © 2020 SETAC.

The paper presents the chemical fractions and leaching of the heavy metals in the bottom and filter ashes from the incineration of medical waste by two comparative methods of sequential extraction and by Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test (TCLP). The BCR classic method has higher extraction percentages than proposed modified BCR method. In both ashes, the metals are predominantly bounded in F1 (exchangeable) and F2 (iron and manganese oxides) fractions. Due to the high content of metals in filter ash, representing over 17,000 mg/kg dry matter for Zn, 7,000 mg/kg dry matter for Pb, and 1,400 mg/kg dry matter for Cr and Cu in F1 and F2 fractions, a special attention should be given to the management and storage of this waste.

The fate of organochlorine compounds in soil ecosystem is shaped by their physical-chemical properties and by environmental conditions. The high persistence of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in soil is given by a slow degradation which varies from months to years (the half-life of PCB 28 is 10.9 years, and PCB 52, 11.2 years). Due to high lipophilicity, these carcinogenic compounds can be easily uptaken by plants and transferred to the food chain. The widespread use of medicinal plant, Mentha Piperita, in pharmaceutical and food industry represents a risk of contamination and pollution. Through laboratory studies, we worked to identify the chemical behavior in soil and plants of some PCB congeners: 28, 52, 138, 153 and 180). The compounds mobility from soil to the roots and then through plant was monitored for 5 weeks. By optimizing the analytical method the contaminants were determined from soil and plant with good recoveries and with reduced limit of detection, below 0.01 mg/kg. It was reported that usually are uptaken into the plant high chlorinated PCBs like PCB 153 and PCB 180 but this study shows that after 5 weeks of PCB application, the concentration of PCB 28, a trichlorobiphenyl, is increasing. Fortunately, calculating the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of the selected PCBs in roots, it was shown that is similar to BCF of other plants like poplar and zucchini. The obtained value of 0.2 is assessed as being low.

The persistent pollutant azo dye, Acid Orange 10, was removed from the environment by an Amberlite IRA 400 anion-exchange resin and then biodegraded by two bacterial strains. Moreover, the pollutant ecotoxicity was studied by a bacterial model. The objective of this study was to offer a new synergetic/compatible physico-chemical and biological method to remove and biodegrade the azo dye, Acid Orange 10, from the environment. Bach method was applied. The Acid Orange 10 sorption on the resin (Acid Orange 10 concentration, its contact time and stability) was characterized based on the various parameters such as pH and temperature. The biodegradation and the ecotoxicity effect of Acid Orange 10 have been monitorized on two bacterial strains such as Salmonella enterica (gram-negative bacteria) and Enterococcus faecalis (gram-positive bacteria). Experimental data detected from ion-exchange studies showed that the strongly basic anion-exchange resin Amberlite IRA 400, can removed efficiently up to 96.8% at 10−2 M of Acid Orange 10 concentration. Moreover, 10−2 M Acid Orange 10 induced in 1 h a significant 50% growth inhibition on S. enterica, but not on the E. faecalis. This result was linked to E. faecalis ability to degrade more than 60% of Acid Orange 10 compared to S. enterica (30% Acid Orange 10 degradation). The methods tested in this study can be used for removed/biodegradation of Acid Orange 10 from different polluted waters.

This paper brings into attention of the indoor air specialists new information regarding the assessment of the potential cumulated impact of the air chemical compounds and microclimate factors on materials; for exemplification it was selected a wooden church made by oak and the monitoring values for temperature, humidity and the concentration of four chemical compounds with a destructive potential on organic materials generally: NO2, SO2, O3 and PM2.5.

The paper presents soil quality assessment using pollution and bioavailability indexes in order to highlight possible pollution generated by a decommissioned mining area in Certej, Deva County, Romania. Metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were analyzed in pseudo-total and mobile form and the results were correlated with the content found in the vegetation collected from the same points during a previous study. The research shows a high mobility for Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively, a moderate mobility for Cd.

In the field of renewable energy, national targets imposed by the European Directive on promoting the use of energy from renewable sources is to reach 24% of gross final consumption of energy by 2020. This paper presents a solution for this target and for sustainable management of ash and slag closed deposits by plantation of energetic crops. Process of plantation was assessed by tracking energetic crops by determining the capacity of metals accumulation in wood biomass, correlations between the crops diameter and height, chemical composition of ash. The obtained data were compared with similar data recorded for other intensive crops. Amount of biomass harvested from 5.3 kg/m2 green table (after 3 years) reveals a good development and production of plantation wood, grown on the surface of ash and slag deposit. Based on obtained experimental data, we propose a model of vegetation with energy plants (Salix sp.) of a deposit of ash and slag after its closure was achieved. By implementing experimental model these surfaces can be reinserted in landscape and economic circuit, being in accordance with the provisions of Order No. 757 of 26/11/2004 for approval the Technical Normative of Waste Storage.

This study investigates the synergistic effects of ion exchange and biodegradation methods to remove the Acid Blue 193 also called Gryfalan Navy Blue RL (GNB) dye from wastewater. Ion exchange studies were performed using a strongly basic anion exchange resin Amberlite IRA 400. The equilibrium was characterized by a kinetic and thermodynamic points of view, establishing that the sorption of the GNB dye was subject to the Freundlich isotherm model with R2 = 0.8710. Experimental results showed that the activated resin can removed up to 93.4% when the concentration of dye solution is 5.62�10-2 mM. The biodegradation of the GNB was induced by laccase, an enzyme isolated from white-rot fungus. It was also analyzed the role of pH and dye concentration on GNB biodegradation, so 5�10-2 mM dye had a maximum discoloration efficiency of 82.9% at pH of 4. The laccase showed a very fast and robust activity reaching in a few minutes a Km value of 2.2�10-1mM. In addition, increasing the GNB concentration up to 8�10-1 mM did not triggered a substrat inhibition effect on the laccase activity. Overall, in this study we proposed a mixt physicochemical and biological approach to enhance the GNB removal and biodegradability from the wastewaters and subsequently the environment.

The Danube River is the major source of drinking water supply for the cities in the southern part of Romania. The study was a descriptive-analytical one and lasted for 9 month. Samples were taken monthly between March 2016 and November 2016. Six sampling sites were selected to evaluate the spatial and temporal changes of water quality along the river. The samples were analyzed based on the standard methods for the following parameters: pH, conductivity (EC), NH4+, NO3-, Cl -, suspended solids, PO43-, SO42-, metals (Fe, Cd, Cr, Pb, Ni, Hg, As, Zn, Cu, Mn). The obtained values were compared with those imposed by the Romanian environmental legislation. An efficient and simplified method to express the quality of water used for consumption is provided by the Water Quality Index (WQI). WQI reflects the quality of water in a single value by comparing data obtained from the investigation of a number of physico-chemical parameters to the existing limits. The evaluation of water quality was performed using the Water Quality Index of the Canadian Council of Ministries of the Environment (CCME WQI). Water quality indices were classified as: excellent, good, medium, bad and very bad. The results indicated the water quality classification as �good� in all six sampling selected sites.

Herbal drugs are widely used in pharmaceutical industry due to their beneficial effects on human health. The current research was carried out to evaluate the organic pollutant degradation in the flower part of the plant after a foliar application of pesticides. Also, based on the fact that selected pesticides are highly toxic to bees, it is important to monitor the removal rate of the pollutant. Under laboratory conditions, the marigold and French flowers (Calendula Officinalis and Tagetes Patula) were spiked with a mix of organophosphorus insecticide, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos and chlorfenvinphos, where the first two substances are still used on Romanian territory. The samples were extracted at different time moments over 300 min after sprayed treatment in order to evaluate the concentration in flower. The analytes were quantified by using gas chromatography with flame photometric detection (GC-FPD) technique. The developed method ensures the quality and comparability of analytical results, with a good sensitivity in determining the analytes over the concentration range 5-250 �g/L.

This paper recommends maize stalk as a cheap natural ion exchanger. Ion exchange equilibrium was studied using thermodynamic and kinetic models. The results showed a high selectivity towards cationic species of antimony (III), molybdenum (VI), lead (II) and arsenium (III). Waste waters and sediments from tailing ponds samples were analysed.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a large-scale usage brominated flame retardant consisting of a mixture of diastereoisomers which has been reported as an ubiquitous environmental contaminant. HBCD has attracted much attention due to its toxicity and increasing levels in waste water sewage sludge. Since November 2014, HBCD was added to the Persistent Organic Pollutants list of the Stockholm Convention which generated a higher concern regarding its presence in the environment. A rapid (8 min) and accurate liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed to separate and detect a-, b- and g-HBCD isomers from sewage sludge. Optimization of LC-MS parameters (column temperature, mobile phase composition and flow, collision energy, fragmentor voltage, capillary voltage and drying gas temperature) allowed complete separation of the three isomers and also very good detection sensitivity with instrumental quantitation limits (IQLs) between 0.3 and 0.6 ng/mL. The three isomers were separated on a C18 reversed-phase column, kept at 18�C, using a H2O/ACN/MeOH mobile phase mixture and detected by negative electrospray ionization using MRM mode with two transitions, one for quantitation and one for confirmation. MS detector response was linear in the range 1.0 � 100.0 ng/mL with correlation coefficients (R2) higher than 0.99 for all three isomers. A simple ultrasonic assisted liquid-solid extraction procedure using a solvent mixture was employed to extract HBCD isomers from WWTP sewage sludge. Overall method intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD%) were situated between 7.6 � 9.2% and 10.3 � 14.5%, respectively. LOQs for a-, b- and g-HBCD were 1.4, 0.7 and 1.0 ng/g, comparable and even lower to those reported by similar studies concerning HBCD presence in WWTP sewage sludge. HBCD presence was tested from several WWTP sludge samples. All three isomers were found with 100% detection frequency ranging from 3 to 76 ng/g.

Squalene is natural occurring polyprenyl compound with a linear triterpene chemical structure commonly found in animal and vegetal sources such as skin lipids from human body, liver of certain species of fish, especially sharks, crude vegetable oils (e.g olive, amaranth, palm oil etc.). Recently there has been an increasing interest in studying polymers that can be used as promising emulsions for drug delivery and vaccine applications. Recent studies proved that squalene has several beneficial and unique properties such as natural antioxidant, ensure skin hydration, biocompatibility. This can be used as such or for preparing stable and non-toxic emulsions. Herein we present the preparation and characterization of squalene oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by different non-ionic emulsifiers. Emulsion stability is a primary concern, therefore physical stability of squalene emulsions was also investigated. The major aim of the study was to find the optimal preparation conditions and assessing emulsion stability correlated with their viscosity and composition. In order to establish the connection between their physical stability and viscosity were performed rheological studies.

The paper describe the sonochemical degradation of organochlorine compounds (Trichloroethylene, Tetrachloroethene and 1, 1, 2-Trichloroethane) from aqueous solutions. The experiments was realized with two types of equipment: ultrasound bath UCD-150 and sonotrode UP 200 Ht. The experimental results showed high efficient removal for all three compounds: Tetrachloroethene 93.8%, 1, 1, 2-Trichloroethane 92.9% and Trichloroethylene 86.6% in bath ultrasound treatment after 50 min. The ultrasound efficiency treatment depend by the sonotronde diameter. The degradation of Trichlorethylene and 1, 1, 2 -Trichloroethane is much better for sonotrode with 14 mm diameter (92.1% respectively 92.7%) than for sonotrode with 40 mm diameter (71.9% and 61.6%), while for Tetrachloroethene values were very close, 88.7% respectively 89.4% for the same above mentioned diameters.

Distribution of heavy metals and trace elements from anthropogenic origin in water, sediments, aquatic plants and different tissues of fish from Snagov Lake, Romania. has been investigated. The concentration of Cu, Zn, Cd, Ti, V, Cr, Mo, Co and Ni, was collected from three sites of the lake, during spring time from water, sediments, Ceratophyllum demersum, Phragmites australis reed, and Scardinius Erytrophtalmus fish. The fish samples were taken from gills, muscles, scales and bones. The ecological risk index has been assesed and bio-concentration factor, (BCF), of metals in anatomical tissues of studied fishes to be used as a diagnostic tool for lake pollution Experiments have shown that Ti and Zn had the highest concentration in water, sediments, aquatic plants and fish samples. Also, the metals bio-concentration is increased in branchiae and scales, compared with muscles and bones.

The study aims to assess the identification of the specific species of plants for selection of certain plant species and utilization of selected one�s in experimental biomonitoring studies.The purpose of the proposed study was to develop and apply new techniques, methods and methodologies for air quality assessing in the context of climate change and updating of international environmental studys. The novelty of the active biomonitoring method using plants is an innovative research area for the National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology in terms of the use of sentinel species. The first stage research activity was aimed to identify plant species with specific response to certain environmental pollutants, in our case, ozone. By exposing higher plants (from the Solanaceae family) to various environmental conditions, a direct impact measurement of ground-level ozone was considered - as an indicator of environmental pollution (air) - there was a significant difference relationship between soil level ozone variation and foliar necrosis.

A possible prediction methodology for the concentration of pollutants wave in aquatic environment using Rough Set Theory is presented. The issue is of increasingly importance especially for early pollution risk warning. The hydro-morphologic complex characteristics of surface water bodies should be taken into account when pollution dispersion models are designed. However, when more characteristics/multi-criteria are taken into account, including pollutants physical-chemical ones and their environmental-media partition trends and interactions, the complexity of the dispersion models increases, making those models appropriate only for specific case studies. Through the proposed computation formalism, Rough Set Theory is able to eliminate the uncertainty introduced by any model parameters, being based on the experimental and expert observations assessment. It is able to deal also with the uncertainty introduced by the data of non-homogeneous quality (incomplete, redundant etc). For those reasons it became a reliable new instrument to be used in diagnosis and prediction. Despite the fact that Rough Set Theory users community is present in different fields of activity for few decades, in the environmental field the theory is sparingly used. The new proposed methodology using Rough Set Theory shows the possibility to extend its applicability within the environmental field as an instrument able to characterize the relation: pollution source - migration ways of pollutants - targets and to manage the uncertainty in relation to the pollution evolution phenomena. Implemented with minimum computation requirements the methodology might be used as an economically and user friendly decision support.

The sulfate anion is a stable, oxidized form of sulfur that is an essential nutrient for plants and animals. Due to its stability, sulfate is part of a large number of natural minerals, the most common being gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O), anhydrite (CaSO 4 ), baryte (BaSO 4 ) and celestine (SrSO 4 ). Sulfate is an important component of non-polluted waters and is part of the six major ions in surface waters (Na + , Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Cl − , HCO 3 − , SO 4 2− ). Depending on its concentration, in association with calcium and magnesium, sulfate can give water a bitter taste and can provoke a laxative effect. Consequently, its concentration in drinking waters is regulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality at a maximum value of 250 mg/L. Here, we report a new method applied for the selective removal of sulfate from various kinds of water. The method employed a new material obtained by loading an organic reagent (4,4 ' - (ethane-1,2-diyl)bis[1-(2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)pyridinium] dibromide) on DOWEX 50W cation exchange resins having different grades of reticulation (×2 and ×10) that were previously activated by addition of HCl or NaCl. We found that the resins with the lowest grade of reticulation could bind all of the added reagents. In their reagent-bound form, the resins are capable of retaining the sulfate anion, with the greatest quantity retained by the reagent-bound form of the DOWEX 50WX2 resin that had previously been activated by HCl. The fixation of sulfate was selective in the presence of chloride and nitrate. Collectively, these results show that the method is applicable for the separation and selective concentration of the sulfate anion in water samples, by comparison to non-selective methods that use anion exchange resins.

The paper presents the results of tests carried out on a Romanian farm with the purpose of assessing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions specific to agricultural activities. GHG emissions from the agricultural sector come mainly from the livestock sector, manure management, land cultivation and fertilization. The tests carried out mainly focused on the CO2 , CH4 and N2O emissions generated from related manure storage activities as well as the emission level identified in animal shelters. For a correct interpretation of the results obtained, at the same time with the measurement of the GHG concentration, the weather parameters were measured: temperature, humidity and wind direction. The results obtained revealed the presence of these compounds in the air in the animal shelters and in the ambient air (CO2 and CH4) in concentrations that are in the range identified in similar studies around the world. The pollutant dispersion in the air leads to a reduction in the pollutant concentration with increasing distance from the observed source as well as the measurement points at 50, 100 and 500 m, that reaches values below the detection limit of the instrument for CH4 and N2O, whereas in the case of CO2 it reaches the level of the usual concentration in the ambient air.

International Symposium "The Environment and the Industry", 26-27 September 2019, Bucharest, Romania, pp. 18-19