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In the European Union, the hazardous waste recycling has become a priority, as response at legal prohibition for landfilling of untreated WEEE. The economic and eco-efficient recycling methods acquire more and more interest from the industry. The Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) glass derived from Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) dismantle is known as hazardous waste, because of their heavy metals content, especially lead. For this type of waste, the authors have proposed in previous studies a green recycling method by embedding it in cement matrix. The purpose of this study is to obtain unconventional mortars with different ratio of CRT waste glass as substituent of natural aggregates, and to compare their mechanical strength with another original CRT composite one. The goal was to demonstrate the viability of the new CRT materials, obtained under the mortars EU Standard provisions, in order to enlarge the possibilities to recycle this type of waste. Mechanical tests and SEM analyses have been performed. The results showed that mechanical strength decreased with the increasing of CRT waste amounts; whereas the new original composite's mechanical properties are higher than the standard mortar. Nevertheless, the CRT "mortar" mechanical properties allow a comparison with plastering mortar even 100% of natural aggregates were substituted. This type of mortars represents an environmentally friendly option for WEEE recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As air quality becomes increasingly deteriorated in world-wide cities, air quality monitoring has extended beyond the criteria pollutants (CO, SO2, NOx, O3 and PM) in order to include several toxic air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the present study it was investigated the presence of 29 VOCs and PM including PM2.5, PM2.5-10 and PM>10 fractions, in an urban area from Romania. The total VOCs was higher in the urban area (176.72 - 192.54 µg/m³) than in the rural area (131.58 µg/m³). The dominant VOCs from the rural area were terpenes (23.0%), esters (21.5%) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (21.1%), while in the urban area the dominant VOCs were aldehydes/ketones (23.5 - 30.8%), aliphatic hydrocarbons (25.2 - 28.6%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (15.8 - 16.8%). The BTEX level ranged between 21.23 - 27.15 µg/m³. The level of PMtotal was higher, almost triple, in the urban area (21.2 - 320.5 µg/m³) than in the rural area (29.2 - 117.3 µg/m³), reflecting the general level of urbanization. In the rural area the fine particles (PM2.5) was the dominating fraction (91%), while in the high traffic urban area, the coarse particles (PM2.5-10) was the dominating fraction (44%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using lab experiments, the heavy metal tolerance of young ectomycorrhizal trees was assessed in two axenic systems, co-cultures on germination medium and a sandwich technique system with Modified Melin-Nokrans medium. Sterilized seeds of the tree species Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) were inoculated with the ectomycorrhizal fungi Paxillus involutus and/or Tricholoma vaccinum in media containing either 10 mM CsCl or 0.25 mM CdCl2. The behavior of the seedlings and young trees was investigated over a period of eight weeks. The young mycorrhizal trees showed an increased biomass in comparison to non-mycorrhizal trees. The heavy metals induced stress was visible in reduced germination capacity, reddish colored, instable stems, reduced growth and increased lethality during the first six weeks of growth which was clearly relieved in mycorrhizal association. The results may be important for remediation actions and re-forestation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of 500 water samples collected from various sites of Tarnava Mare River, between Medias and Copsa Mica were analyzed, during three years (2010-2012). The physicochemical parameters like: temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), lead (Pb2+), chloride (Cl-), sulfate (SO42-), ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-) and nitrate (NO3-) were determined. The results were compared with the standards prescribed by WHO (2003) and Romanian Water Law (2004). It was found that the water samples collected from various sites were contaminated with chloride, nitrate and nitrite. Since health, plant and animal life can be affected, the system needs to be monitored and improved in terms of water quality, based on appropriate measures and rehabilitation options, to make it good for uses. In particular, the industrial units along the river need to improve their technology and implement cleaner production methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the analysis of several carbonyl compounds in air samples. The air samples were collected using a passive sampling method and cartridges based on florisil impregnated with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH). After derivatization the carbonyl compounds were analyzed by liquid chromatography technique coupled with UV detection. The developed RP-HPLC method was used to analyze eight carbonyl compounds in air samples collected from the indoor environment of a faculty building located in Cluj-Napoca. The analyses results indicated the presence of three carbonyl compounds: propionaldehyde (2.65-3.14 µg/m³), acetaldehyde (10.45-26.91 µg/m³), and acetone (44.96-89.88 µg/m³). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]