Search

This paper refers to the application of XRF method for the simultaneous determination of arsenic and selected metals from waste samples resulted from the dismanlting of distilleries in the perimeter of Azomures S.A., Mures County, Romania. The dismantling operation was carried out by a specialized Romanian company, and from this operation resulted several refractory construction wastes, such as sands with a very high content of arsenic and its chemical compounds. In order to determine the arsenic and other metals concentration, the energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectrometric technique was employed. Application of the ED-XRF method was performed in an accredited laboratory for the determination of toxic substances from various samples, using a Genius portable XRF (p-XRF) spectrometer manufactured by Skyray Instruments Inc.

Water is a fundamental and indispensable constituent of the human body. Small changes produce serious disorders and insufficient water intake is much less tolerated than in other deficiency. The aim of this work is the study of drinking water quality indicators in selected localities in SE Romania (Galati, Braila, Buzau, and Vrancea counties). Water samples were taken from sources of drinking water (tap water, well water, spring water, filtered tap water with biological filter), frequently used by the population (15 places). They were subjected to chemical and physico-chemical analysis in order to determine the physical, chemical parameters of quality that can have impact on the health of residents. In five water sources (Independenta (tap), Independenta (spring), Lunca/Buzau, Liesti fountain at 40 m depth and Galati (biologically filtered tap water) the pH is below 6.5, a value that does not fit into STAS acquis in force - SR ISO 10523-2009. Oxidability index values in the majority of cases are below the maximum allowed, of 5 mg O2/L water, according to SR EN ISO 8467-2001; in some cases, the values exceed the limits as following: Independenta: 8 mg O2/L; Lunca/Buzau: 10 mg O2/L; Focsani spring: 9 mg O2/L; Focsani tap: 8 mg O2/L; Galati tap: 6 mg O2/L.

The development of chlorophyll a is dependent on a number of physico-chemical factors with high sensitivity to changes in water properties. Among the factors that influence the development of chlorophyll the most important are pH, temperature, solid suspensions, salinity, light, transparency, hydrology and human activities. The sampling was carried out along the Danube from km 375, until the flow of the three arms into the Black Sea. A number of 25 points were selected along this length, which includes the eastern Pontic sector, the Predobrogean sector and the Deltaic sector. The determinations were performed in June, in the years 2019 and 2020, a period in which the course of the Danube river usually has a tendency to reduce the flow. In the determinations performed along the Danube were identified low values of chlorophyll a varying between 2.77 μg / L and 7.23 μg / L in 2019, and between 1.98 μg / L and 9.91 μg / L in 2020, which correspond to quality class I according to the Order of the Minister of Waters and Environmental Protection 161 / 16.02.2006.

Soil has an important influence on human health, especially for children, due to more frequent dermal contact, ingestion and inhalation. Urban playgrounds are of particular concern, because of the presence of a multitude of dust particles of natural or anthropogenic origin, which could enter or interact with the toddlers’ body. In this work, the soil samples were collected from important playgrounds from Galati city, Romania, being subjected to a mineralogical investigation by Total Attenuated Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (ATRFTIR) technique using a BRUKER TENSOR 27 FTIR spectrometer coupled with a diamond ATR device. Preliminary results of ATR-FTIR analyses of the soil samples highlighted the presence of montmorillonite, kaolinite, quartz and calcite as soil mineralogical constituents. The main aim of this paper was to observe if the characteristic peak of Chrysotile, a component of asbestos, can be identified in the spectra of the investigatedtarget urban soils from playgrounds.

It is well known the role of nutrients in growing crops and obtaining cost-effective production, but also to ensure a nutritious contribution to humans and animals alike, in food safety conditions. This study aims to evaluate both the supply of nutrients and the main parameters of agricultural soils, in 0-30 cm layer, under intensive agricultural practices pressure, undertaken in an agricultural area influenced by steel industry activities. The soil samples were collected from three sites and different plots grown with wheat, corn and sunflower, and subjected to analysis protocols within Galati County Soil Survey Office. Soil supply with the main macronutrients indicates imbalances in all studied sites, regardless of the cultivated plants. Overall, soils have a high nitrogen deficiency, correlated with the low level of soil organic matter supply. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen values are between 0.076-0.258 % for all surveyed plots. Mobile phosphorus is low to very high (8-276 ppm), while mobile potassium is low to very high (70-600 ppm). This is due on the one hand to the natural process of soil degradation through water and wind erosion, and on the other to anthropogenic activities. Most of the time, out of the desire to obtain large harvests, farmers apply non-compliant amounts of fertilizers, which translates into the physical and chemical degradation of agricultural soils and poor management of crop nutrition. Other investigated soil parameters were pH, particle size fractions, as they are related to the dynamics of chemical elements in soil. It could be concluded that, the studied agricultural soils are characterized by imbalances in terms of providing chemical elements accessible to plants, in relation to the main investigated physico-chemical parameters and environmental conditions.

The assessment of sediments quality from Romanian part of MONITOX Network was performed using both single indices - Single Ecological Risk Index (ErMe), Contamination Factor (CF Me), Enrichment Factor (EF Me), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo Me) - and integrated indices - Ecological Risk Index (RI), Global Pollution Index (PLI), Nemerow Pollution Index (PI N), Degree of Contamination (mCd), Probability of Toxicity (MERMQ), Contamination Security Index (CSI) - considering the heavy metals concentrations. The sediments were collected in 2019 and 2020 from 32 sampling points in the system of Danube river – Danube Delta - Black Sea, as follows: Lower Danube RO-BG (1), Lower Danube RO (10), Lower Prut RO-MD border (2), Danube Delta RO-UA border (7), Danube Delta –RO (2), Black-Sea area-RO (10). The selected heavy metals investigated in this work by ICP-MS technique are: Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn. For the evaluation of defined indices, the standard quality levels and background concentrations corresponding to the selected heavy metals were used. At the individual and integrated levels, it was observed an annual decreasing trend. The sediments from the Black Sea area are much less contaminated with heavy metals than those from the Lower Danube (Romania), attributed to the historical pollution resulting from anthropogenic activities. CSI – an index that includes the biological effects – shows values indicating that in 2019 and 2020 the sediments were unpolluted with heavy metals; however, the CSI value for both years (0.402 for 2019 and 0.398 for 2020) is very close to 0.5, the limit which separates the two quality classes/risk levels for heavy metals in sediments - uncontaminated and very low contaminated.

Climate change and intensive hydropower development pose serious challenges to the sustainable water supply of natural and social systems. This study&rsquo, s purpose is to statistically estimate the complex influence of these factors on the Prut River flow. Its methodical approach is based on a comparative analysis of the flow in 1961&ndash, 1990 and 1991&ndash, 2018, reflecting the regional climate before and after an intensive global warming onset, and in 1950&ndash, 1975 and 1980&ndash, 2017, before and after the construction of the Stanca-Costesti hydropower plant (HPP) on the Prut&rsquo, s riverbed. The compared statistics include annual, seasonal and monthly averages and trends of climatic and hydrological parameters for each period. Since the 1990s a statistically significant increase has been demonstrated in the basin-wide annual mean, maximum and minimum temperatures, of 1.04, 1.11 and 1.21 &deg, C, respectively. Negative trends of annual precipitation were negligibly small and statistically insignificant in both periods (&minus, 2.1 mm and &minus, 0.6 mm/year, respectively), with annual totals differing by 1.4 mm. The seasonal transformation and changes of the Prut river flow, showing a small annual increase in the period 1961&ndash, 1990 and a 1.8% decrease over next decades, are in good agreement with variability patterns of temperature (positive tendencies) and precipitation (negative tendencies). The operation of mean-capacity HPP has no significant impact on the total water discharge downstream, but modifies the seasonal distribution of the river&rsquo, s streamflow.

The paper presents the results of a national radon survey conducted in the context of the Republic of Moldova. The study included about 2500 homes of different types, located in urban and rural localities in different areas of the country. The RADTRAK2 detectors kindly provided by the RADONOVA laboratory, Uppsala, Sweden, for the MOL9007 project funded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been used. The exposure period was 90 days. The measured radon concentrations are the following: the average (±standard deviation) 252.8 ± 215.9 Bq/m3, the range (minimum–maximum) 10–1480 Bq/m3, the median 200 Bq/m3 and the geometric mean (± geometric standard deviation) 158.5 ± 3.0 Bq/m3. The results of the study allowed mapping indoor radon and identifying localities with increased radon concentrations. In order to reduce the high radon concentrations in places recording &gt, 300 Bq/m3, appropriate measures have been proposed according to the legislation in force. The cluster analysis showed positive links between the radon concentration in dwellings and the incidence of respiratory diseases, especially the bronchopulmonary cancer in the country.

The Chilia branch is the north branch of the Danube River at the Romania-Ukraine border in the Danube Delta, it is a complex system with economic and ecological values. The surface water quality is a major concern and monitoring programs have been developed at the national and international level. The objective of this study was to evaluate the water quality of the Chilia branch in different sampling points from the mouth to the discharge in the Black Sea. The assessment of water quality was done at the individual level taking into account the nutrient concentrations and the standard limits for good ecological status and at integrative levels, using CCME WQI. The longitudinal distribution of Chilia branch water quality was done using GIS method. A total of 106 water samples were collected between 2013 and 2019 from five sampling points. At the individual level, the Chilia branch has a good ecological status except for its levels of total nitrogen, due to the organic nitrogen contribution in 2015. In 90% of nutrient concentrations, low values predominate and high values are considered extreme, only in 10% do high values predominate and low values are considered extreme concentrations. In equal percentages, 50% of the nutrient concentrations have a high degree of heterogeneity and the other 50% of concentration values are very close to the average values, with a high degree of homogeneity. CCME WQI method indicated that 39.93% of surface waters from the Chilia branch had an excellent quality, 45.45% a good quality, and only 14.62% a fair quality.

In order to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a reservoir or from several reservoirs in a country or a climatic zone, simpler or more complex models based on measurements and analyses of emissions presented in the literature were developed, which take into account one or more reservoir-specific parameters. The application of the models in the assessment of GHG emissions from a multipurpose reservoir gave values that are more or less close to the average values reported in the literature for the temperate zone reservoirs. This is explained by the fact that some models only consider emissions caused by impoundment and not degassing, spillway emissions, and downstream emissions, or those that use different calculation periods. The only model that calculates GHG emissions over the life cycle that occur pre-impoundment, post-impoundment, from unrelated anthropogenic sources and due to the reservoir construction is the model used by the G-res tool. In addition, this tool is best suited for multipurpose reservoirs because it allocates GHG emissions for each use, thus facilitating the correct reporting of emissions. The G-res tool used to calculate GHG emissions from the Stânca-Costești Multipurpose Reservoir shows that this is a sink of GHG with a net emission of −5 g CO2eq/m2/yr (without taking into account the emissions due to dam construction).

The main goal of this study is assessing the degree of water and bottom sediment pollution in the lower Dniester by organochlorine pesticides. During the study period, the waters of the lower Dniester were in satisfactory state, an excess of EQS was registered only for the γ-isomer of HCH (Lindane), for other pollutants, an excess of EQS was not noted. The main pollutants were accumulated in bottom sediments, which is associated with the input of organic matter, bio-sedimentation. The concentration of γ-isomer HCH (lindane) in bottom sediments exceeded EQS by 5 and 20 times in spring and summer, respectively, DDT exceeded EQS by more than 4 times in summer, POPs (dieldrin and heptachlor) in summer exceeded EQS by 10.8 and 2.5 times, respectively.

The present study was carried out on commercial types of Aswan granite used as building and decorative materials. Nearly 29 granitic rocks samples from 11 classes (black Aswan, red Aswan, dark Rosa, light Rosa, yellow Verdi, grey Shirka, Gandolla, Forsan, red Nefertiti, Royal, and white Halayeb) were collected from three stations near Aswan city for petrographical description and assessment of natural radioactivity. The petrographical study of granites was conducted by polarized-light microscope in order to determine their mineralogical composition and investigate their texture, the activity of the natural radionuclides 238U, Ra226, 232Th, and 40K was measured by gamma-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. The average values of the activities, 52.2 Bq kg−1, 57.8 Bq kg−1, 31.2 Bq kg−1, and 1055.7 Bq kg−1 of U-238, Th-232, Ra-226, and K-40, respectively, were higher than that the world average values of 35 Bq kg−1, 30 Bq kg−1 and 400 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, respectively, according to the recommended levels from UNSCEAR reports. The minimum and maximum values obtained were compared with the value ranges from other locations in the Eastern Desert, highlighting the fact that that the maximum values obtained in this work are higher than those in other areas. According to the radiological hazards indices results, most samples lie in the permissible level ranges, suggesting their favorability for use as building materials. In contrast to that, some samples have some environmental parameters higher than the international levels, indicating their unsuitability as building materials.

The article presents the results obtained from the analyses of wastewater samples with a high heavy metal content, resulted from the metallurgical industry, on which the algal mass biosorption technique has been applied in order to demonstrate its suitability for cleaning wastewater containing heavy metals. Biosorption is a process of accumulation of heavy metals from aqueous solutions through a metabolic controlled system or through different physicochemical processes. This wastewater treatment technique is an alternative perspective method and, compared to conventional heavy metal removal techniques, is an easy and cost-effective process. Wastewater samples were analyzed by spectrophotometric method, for the heavy metals Zn2+, Cu2+, Cr3+ & Cr6+, Fe2+ & Fe3+ initial concentrations and after application of the seaweed biosorption method. For this experiment five different algae species from Black Sea, Romania, were used: Ulva rigida, Punctaria latifolia, Pyropia leucosticta, Callithamnion corymbosum and Cladophora vagabunda. The experimental data processing was carried out in the laboratory of the INPOLDE research center, ReForm-UDJG multidisciplinary platform, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, Romania.

The Dniester is one of the largest transboundary rivers of the Black Sea basin, and its lower reaches integrate the influence of climate change and hydropower plant (HPP) impact on the waterway. The decrease in precipitation and average annual air temperature increase and intensive hydroelectric construction have led to a decline in the total water content of the river, during the last 10 years, being below the long-term historical “norm”. The shifts in the river flow result in multidirectional seasonal dynamics of nutrient concentrations. During the modern period, a stabilization of nutrient concentrations takes place, being lower than at the peak of eutrophication in the 1970s–1980s, but higher than in the natural flow period. The construction of reservoirs leads to a long-term decline in silica concentrations, continuing in the modern period. The concentration of heavy metals and metalloids in water and bottom sediments of the river generally corresponds to the ecological status of “Moderate”. Biological communities show a high β-diversity of microalgae, but low diversity of plankton and benthic invertebrates. Biological communities respond to the impact of HPP in both the short- and long-term. Hydroelectric dams change the bioavailability of nutrients downstream which, in the long-term, causes shifts in phytoplankton composition, especially the reduction of Bacillariophyta due to the lack of silicates that are deposited in reservoirs. However, in the short-term, after the discharge from the HPP dam, the concentration of silicates and the proportion of diatoms increase. Long-term changes also include a decline in the proportion of Rotifera and an increase in Copepoda in the total abundance of zooplankton and the unification of the benthic community with an increase in the biomass of gastropods in the area, which can be considered as indicators of the impact of hydroelectric power plants. The saprobity index, calculated both for zooplankton and macrozoobenthos, characterised the water as moderately polluted, benthic biotic indexes (Biological monitoring working party (BMWP), Belgian Biotic Index (BBI), Danish Stream Fauna Index (DSFI)) calculated on macrozoobenthos described the condition as “low” quality.

The tremendous impact of natural and anthropogenic organic and inorganic substances continuously released into the environment requires a better understanding of the chemical status of aquatic ecosystems. Water contamination monitoring studies were performed for different classes of substances in different regions of the world. Reliable analytical methods and exposure assessment are the basis of a better management of water resources. Our research comprised publications from 2010 regarding the Lower Danube and North West Black Sea region, considering regulated and unregulated persistent and emerging pollutants. The frequently reported ones were: pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim), pesticides (atrazine, carbendazim, and metolachlor), endocrine disruptors—bisphenol A and estrone, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorinated pesticides, and heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cu, Cr). Seasonal variations were reported for both organic and inorganic contaminants. Microbial pollution was also a subject of the present review.

The microbiological contamination of the water with faecal bacteria resulting from anthropogenic activity is an important issue for population health and the assessment of the presence of pathogenic bacteria in water is a major concern for the protection of humans and animals. Coliform bacteria are indicators for the assessment of faecal pollution and a potential presence of pathogens, which is caused mainly of untreated wastewater. In this paper, a comparative study was carried out in 32 sampling sites of MONITOX network in two periods, June 2019 and June-July 2020, before and after COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, regarding the rate of the water microbiological contamination in Lower Danube (Calarasi/Silistra-Galati-Tulcea sectors, Danube Delta and Black Sea coast, from SE part of Romania, by counting of the bacteria indicators of the organic pollution (heterotrophic bacteria and total coliforms). The results demonstrate a decrease of microbiological contamination of surface water in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown in all the samples collected form Black Sea coast, Danube branches, Danube-Black Sea confluence, and Danube river downwards Galati town.

The intensification of climate change has led to the degradation of thousands of arable lands through desertification and extreme weather events. The Danube River basin in the Galati-Braila region, SE Romania, is a transboundary area of community and international importance, increasingly affected by drought, water, and wind erosion. Consequently, the aim of this study is to evaluate the main physical and hydro-physical parameters of soils, implied in water storage and with a defining role in erosion intensity, nutrients and toxicants cycle and availability, and crops yield. Soil samples were collected both in the disturbed and undisturbed state, from Smardan, Sendreni, and Vadeni agricultural lands and riparian areas of semiaquatic ecosystems, located in the vicinity of the steel platform of the Galati industrial area. Specific laboratory methods of investigation and formulas were used. Chernozems (CZ), Fluvisols (AS), and Gleysols (GS) of different subtypes and various physico-chemical parameters were identified. The results suggested that CZ are of coarse and medium texture, while AS and GS are medium&ndash, fine and fine textured. In correlation with this, bulk density values range from extremely low&ndash, low to low&ndash, high classes. In relation to soil physical parameters and the content of organic matter, hydro-physical indices show water supply imbalances. Through the approached theme, the study is of practical importance for sustainable management of the soil, agricultural projects, and landscaping. This study provides government authorities and non-governmental organizations an overview of the local and regional soil conditions, so that new measures can be regulated to protect it against irrational use.

Background This paper aims to investigate the correlations between the concentrations of nine heavy metals in moss and atmospheric deposition within ecological land classes covering Europe. Additionally, it is examined to what extent the statistical relations are affected by the land use around the moss sampling sites. Based on moss data collected in 2010/2011 throughout Europe and data on total atmospheric deposition modelled by two chemical transport models (EMEP MSC-E, LOTOS-EUROS), correlation coefficients between concentrations of heavy metals in moss and in modelled atmospheric deposition were specified for spatial subsamples defined by ecological land classes of Europe (ELCE) as a spatial reference system. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and logistic regression (LR) were then used to separate moss sampling sites regarding their contribution to the strength of correlation considering the areal percentage of urban, agricultural and forestry land use around the sampling location. After verification LDA models by LR, LDA models were used to transform spatial information on the land use to maps of potential correlation levels, applicable for future network planning in the European Moss Survey. Results Correlations between concentrations of heavy metals in moss and in modelled atmospheric deposition were found to be specific for elements and ELCE units. Land use around the sampling sites mainly influences the correlation level. Small radiuses around the sampling sites examined (5 km) are more relevant for Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn, while the areal percentage of urban and agricultural land use within large radiuses (75–100 km) is more relevant for As, Cr, Hg, Pb, and V. Most valid LDA models pattern with error rates of

In recent decades, naturally growing mosses have been used successfully as biomonitors of atmospheric deposition of heavy metals and nitrogen. Since 1990, the European moss survey has been repeated at five-yearly intervals. In 2010, the lowest concentrations of metals and nitrogen in mosses were generally found in northern Europe, whereas the highest concentrations were observed in (south-)eastern Europe for metals and the central belt for nitrogen. Averaged across Europe, since 1990, the median concentration in mosses has declined the most for lead (77%), followed by vanadium (55%), cadmium (51%), chromium (43%), zinc (34%), nickel (33%), iron (27%), arsenic (21%, since 1995), mercury (14%, since 1995) and copper (11%). Between 2005 and 2010, the decline ranged from 6% for copper to 36% for lead ; for nitrogen the decline was 5%. Despite the Europe-wide decline, no changes or increases have been observed between 2005 and 2010 in some (regions of) countries.

In the present study 49 representative sites have been selected for the collection of water samples from central water supplies with different geographical locations in the region of Kavala, Northern Greece. Ten physicochemical parameters (pH, electric conductivity, nitrate, chloride, sodium, potassium, total alkalinity, total hardness, bicarbonate and calcium) were analyzed monthly, in the period from January 2010 to December 2010. Chemometric methods were used for monitoring data mining and interpretation (cluster analysis, principal components analysis and source apportioning by principal components regression). The clustering of the chemical indicators delivers two major clusters related to the water hardness and the mineral components (impacted by sea, bedrock and acidity factors). The sampling locations are separated into three major clusters corresponding to the spatial distribution of the sites - coastal, lowland and semi-mountainous. The principal components analysis reveals two latent factors responsible for the data structures, which are also an indication for the sources determining the groundwater quality of the region (conditionally named "mineral" factor and "water hardness" factor). By the apportionment approach it is shown what the contribution is of each of the identified sources to the formation of the total concentration of each one of the chemical parameters. The mean values of the studied physicochemical parameters were found to be within the limits given in the 98/83/EC Directive. The water samples are appropriate for human consumption. The results of this study provide an overview of the hydrogeological profile of water supply system for the studied area.