Universitärer Forschungscluster „Sustainable Technologies in Metal Production and Processing” (STMP)

Foundation of a university research cluster — Co-operation along the value creation chain from raw materials to components — Evidence of joint performance offers — Utilization of synergies — Integration of Christian Doppler Laboratories — Flexible arrangement of co-operations and networks     

The Effects of Isolation and Acid Mine Drainage on Fish and Macroinvertebrate Communities of Monday Creek, Ohio, USA

Isolated headwater streams in mined watersheds may have good water quality and fish habitat, yet be disconnected from immigration sources by stream segments impaired by acid mine drainage (AMD). Studies of fish and macroinvertebrate communities, habitat, and a number of hydrochemical parameters in Monday Creek, Ohio, show that AMD eliminates fish communities and severely limits macroinvertebrate communities in directly affected tributaries. Isolated headwaters in the heavily mined Monday Creek watershed have relatively good water quality and habitat, but poor fish communities. Comparison of isolated Monday Creek headwaters with non-isolated reaches in unmined watersheds indicates that differences in fish communities are attributable to isolation. Fish communities in isolated headwaters have lower Indices of Biotic Integrity (IBI) than comparable non-isolated communities, reduced species numbers, and lower numbers of individuals, despite suitable habitat as measured by the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI). Comparison of macroinvertebrate communities shows higher Invertebrate Community Indices (ICI), and no apparent species loss, which can be attributed to the obligate flight stage in the life cycle of many macroinvertebrates, which enables them to overcome aquatic barriers. The implication of this research is that there is an opportunity for recovery of depleted fish communities in large AMD-isolated areas with good water quality, suitable habitat, and intact macroinvertebrate communities, by downstream treatment or source control of AMD to create aquatic corridors for fish immigration.     

'EUROPART'. Airborne particles in the indoor environment. A European interdisciplinary review of scientific evidence on associations between exposure to particles in buildings and health effects

The relevance of particle mass, surface area or number concentration as risk indicators for health effects in non-industrial buildings has been assessed by a European interdisciplinary group of researchers (called EUROPART) by reviewing papers identified in Medline, Toxline, and OSH. Studies dealing with dermal effects or cancer or specifically addressing environmental tobacco smoke, house dust-mite, cockroach or animal allergens, microorganisms and pesticides were excluded. A total of 70 papers were reviewed, and eight were identified for the final review: Five experimental studies involving mainly healthy subjects, two cross-sectional office studies and one longitudinal study among elderly on cardiovascular effects. From most studies, no definite conclusions could be drawn. Overall, the group concluded that there is inadequate scientific evidence that airborne, indoor particulate mass or number concentrations can be used as generally applicable risk indicators of health effects in non-industrial buildings and consequently that there is inadequate scientific evidence for establishing limit values or guidelines for particulate mass or number concentrations.     

Amphibians as a model to study endocrine disruptors: I. Environmental pollution and estrogen receptor binding

Many chemicals released into the environment without toxicological risks have the capacities to disrupt the function of endocrine systems. These endocrine disruptors disturb normal endocrine mechanisms and have been observed in nearly all classes of vertebrates. The aim of this research is to develop a comprehensive model to study endocrine disruption using the amphibian Xenopus laevis. The assessment of estrogenic potencies of endocrine disruptors includes several levels of investigation: (I) binding to liver estrogen receptor, (II) estrogenic activity in vitro by inducing vitellogenin synthesis in primary cultured hepatocytes, and (III) in vivo effects on sexual development caused by exposure of larvae. The present paper is focused on the first part by establishing a radioreceptorassay for [3H]17 beta-estradiol ([3H]E2) binding using liver cytosol fraction. In order to get optimum binding conditions we performed kinetic, saturation, and competitive displacement experiments. Association of [3H]E2 to estrogen receptor revealed that maximum specific binding is achieved between 18 and 48 h of incubation. Scatchard analyses of saturation experiments resulted in a homogenous saturable population of estrogen receptors having no significant differences of binding parameters between both sexes. The values of Kd (dissociation constant) in males and females were 22.4 +/- 6.0 and 15.0 +/- 2.8 nM (mean +/- S.E.M.; n = 5), respectively, while corresponding Bmax (maximum binding capacity) revealed 89 +/- 46 and 136 +/- 46 fmol [3H]E2/mg protein. The specificity of estrogen receptors as shown by competitive displacement experiments demonstrated receptors being highly specific just for estrogens, but not for other endogenous steroids having the following ranking of binding affinities: E2 > estrone > dehydroepiandrosterone > aldosterone > or = testosterone > or = corticosterone > or = progesterone. The affinity ranking of environmental chemicals compared to E2 was: E2 > tetrachlorbiphenyl > diethylphthalate > 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propan (bisphenol A) > or = 4-nonylphenol > or = 3-t-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole > or = 4-octylphenol > dichlor-diphenyl-trichlor-ethan (4,4'-DDT). Analyses of five sewage effluents for displacement of [3H]E2 binding resulted in three samples displacing more than 50% of specific binding at their original concentration. Taken together the established radioreceptorassay for [3H]E2 binding in Xenopus laevis liver cytosol is useful to screen estrogen receptor binding of pure compounds or complex mixtures of them, which is the prerequisite for causing either estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects.     

Synthesis of ettringite: a way to deal with the acid wastewaters of aluminium anodising industry

Synthesis of ettringite from acid wastewaters of the aluminium anodising industry has been studied as a possible route of reducing the emissions to the environment, recovering at the same time resource materials as a useful marketable mineral. Wastewaters of different concentrations have been subjected to the process of synthesis suspending calcium oxide and calcium aluminate powders at different time and pH conditions. High caustic alkalinity (pH approximately 12) and low sulphate concentrations (<0.1 M) are the most suitable conditions to synthesise ettringite. The mineral characterisation has been performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), proving the high purity of the pursued solid product when hydrated in the appropriate sodium hydroxide concentrations. In such conditions, around 90% of the aluminium initially present in the wastewater solutions is recovered in the form of ettringite.     

THE EFFECTS OF IMPROVING SEWAGE SLUDGE DIGESTION

A model was developed and tested to investigate the effects of various parameters on the processing costs of anaerobic digestion. The model was based on empirical data collected from full-scale plants which varied in size from 35,000 to 900,000 population equivalents. (Equivalent to loading rates of 0.5 to 2.7 kg VS/m³/d.) In spite of different operating regimes and conditions of the plants analysed, various relationships were discovered between: sludge quality and volatile solids destruction; sludge quality and biogas yield; and, effluent volatile solids and dewatering. Where correlations existed, these were used to make predictions on operating costs of the digestion and dewatering plant based on sensitivity analysis. The results of the model were used to make recommendations on how to optimise the operation of an anaerobic digestion plant.