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Microbial and chemical quality assessment of the small rivers entering the South Baltic. Part I: Case study on the watercourses in the Baltic Sea catchment area
PublicationThe area of the Coastal Landscape Park (CLP) due to its location is extremely attractive touristic area. In the summer season, a significant increase in population density is observed, which influences surface water quality. Large numbers of tourists generate an increased amount of municipal wastewater, being treated in local treatment plants and discharged into rivers and streams. The paper presents preliminary research from summer...
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Comparative study on total nitrogen prediction in wastewater treatment 1 plant and effect of various feature selection methods on machine learning algorithms performance
PublicationWastewater characteristics prediction in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is valuable and can reduce the number of sampling, energy, and cost. Feature Selection (FS) methods are used in the pre-processing section for enhancing the model performance. This study aims to evaluate the effect of seven different FS methods (filter, wrapper, and embedded methods) on enhancing the prediction accuracy for total nitrogen (TN) in the WWTP...
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Application of a hybrid mechanistic/machine learning model for prediction of nitrous oxide (N2O) production in a nitrifying sequencing batch reactor
PublicationNitrous oxide (N2O) is a key parameter for evaluating the greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants. In this study, a new method for predicting liquid N2O production during nitrification was developed based on a mechanistic model and machine learning (ML) algorithm. The mechanistic model was first used for simulation of two 15-day experimental trials in a nitrifying sequencing batch reactor. Then, model predictions...
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Treatment of landfill leachate by constructed wetlands: three case studies
PublicationThe performance of three CW systems treating landfill leachate, two located in northern Poland (Szadółki near Gdańsk and Gatka near Miastko) and one in southern Sweden (Örebro), is discussed. The CWs differ in size, hydraulic regime, type of hydrophytic plants and type of leachate pre-treatment before discharging to the CW. The CW in Szadółki consists of two parallel beds with sub-surface, horizontal flow of leachate (HSSF) planted...
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25 years of research and experiences about the application of constructed wetlands in southeastern Poland
PublicationThis paper is a review of research and experiences related to the application of constructed wetland systems (CWs) in southeastern Poland in 1992–2016. On the basis of literature data, a comparison between pollutant removal efficiencies of one-stage and hybrid CWs was made. Some problems regarding the operation of these treatment plants were also presented. Data from various facilities indicate that one-stage CWs with horizontal...
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Application of dynamic headspace and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (DHS-GC-MS) for the determination of oxygenated volatile organic compounds in refinery effluents
PublicationThe paper presents a new procedure for the determination of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (O-VOCs) in postoxidative effluents from the production of petroleum asphalt using dynamic headspace coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode (DHSGC-MS). Among the GC capillary columns tested, a polar SLB-IL111 column with the ionic liquid stationary phase was found to be superior due...
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The use of constructed wetlands for the treatment of industrial wastewater
PublicationConstructed wetlands are characterized by specific conditions enabling simultaneous various physical and biochemical processes. This is the result of specific environment for the growth of microorganisms and hydro-phytes (aquatic and semiaquatic plants) which are capable of living in aerobic, anaerobic and facultative anaerobic conditions. Their interaction contributes to the intensification of oxidation and reduction responsible...
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Ranking of Heterogeneous Catalysts Metals by Their Greenness
PublicationCatalysis is very important process in industry and laboratory practice, especially from the point of green chemistry principles. However, eco-friendly character of heterogeneous catalysts, containing transition metal components has not been evaluated, yet. Therefore, we perform a comprehensive assessment of 18 heterogeneous metal catalysts (Pd, Pt, V, Co, Ni, Mo, Ru, Mn, Au, Cu, Cd, Zr, Fe, Rh, Ir, Sn, Zn, Ag) using multicriteria...
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Removal of indicator bacteria from treated wastewater using physical and chemical methods. Pilot plant study.
PublicationEven after highly efficient biological processes the effluents from wastewater treatment plants may contain significant number of fecal bacteria, from 104 to 106 CFU/100 mL. Since no standards are set on the bacteriological quality of treated wastewater in Poland the elimination of bacterial contaminants is not a priority in wastewater treatment policy. Thus microbiological hazards become particularly significant in the situation...
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Complementary use of GCxGC–TOF–MS and statistics for differentiation of variety in biosolid samples
PublicationFormation of biosolid cakes, which are one of the main wastes generated in wastewater treatment plants, is connected with emission of many hazardous chemical compounds, including odoriferous ones. To optimize particular processes of biosolid cake processing, it is necessary to assess chemical composition of the gas mixtures containing the compounds released from the cakes. The paper proposes application of two-dimensional gas chromatography...
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Polish experience in operation of sludge treatment reed beds
PublicationSludge Treatment Reed Beds (STRBs) is the technology of sludge treatment, which is based on natural processes occurring in the environment, in specially designed and operated facilities to achieve benefits for the environment. Integrated dewatering and stabilization occur in reed systems. For economic and environmental reasons it is an attractive solution, especially in rural areas where there are no appropriate facilities. In...
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Web-based real-time simulation system
PublicationThe paper presents the development of a simulation system composed of a real-time plant simulator with real-time controller included in the software-in-the-loop structure using web-based communication. The client-server architecture build in a TCP/IP network environment was introduced, where the server is a computing unit for real-time high temporal resolution plant simulation (and optionally also as controllers' platform) and...
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Hydrochars as a bio-based adsorbent for heavy metals removal: A review of production processes, adsorption mechanisms, kinetic models, regeneration and reusability of hydrochar
PublicationThe spread of heavy metals throughout the ecosystem has extremely endangered human health, animals, plants, and natural resources. Hydrochar has emerged as a promising adsorbent for removing heavy metals from water and wastewater. Hydrochar, obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of biomass, owns unique physical and chemical properties that are highly potent in capturing heavy metals via surface complexation, electrostatic interactions,...
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Application of Nanomaterials for Cadmium Adsorption for Sustainable Treatment of Wastewater: a Review
PublicationMany heavy metals, particularly cadmium, are detrimental to both people and the environment when present in large quantities. In wastewater treatment plants, several conventional approaches are employed for cadmium abatement to restore the ecosystem, food supplies, and health of people and animals. Ion exchange, coagulation, membrane filtration, and chemical precipitation are a few examples of ways for removing heavy metals from...
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Multidirectional Characterization of Phytochemical Profile and Health-Promoting Effects of Ziziphora bungeana Juz. Extracts
PublicationZiziphora species (Lamiaceae) have been used in traditional medicine as sedatives, anti-septics, carminatives, or expectorants. Despite their common applications in phytotherapy, there is still lack of evidence about the composition of their extracts and its impact on biological properties of the plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the content of Ziziphora bungeana, a less studied species growing in Kazakhstan, using...
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Modeling and simulation of blood flow under the influence of radioactive materials having slip with MHD and nonlinear mixed convection
PublicationRadioactive materials are widely in industry, nuclear plants and medical treatments. Scientists and workers in these fields are mostly exposed to such materials, and adverse effects on blood and temperature profiles are observed. In this regard, objective of the current study is to model and simulate blood based nanofluid with three very important radioactive materials, named as Uranium dioxide (UO2), Thorium dioxide (ThO2) and...
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Nanoparticles and nanofiltration for wastewater treatment: From polluted to fresh water
PublicationWater pollution poses significant threats to both ecosystems and human health. Mitigating this issue requires effective treatment of domestic wastewater to convert waste into bio-fertilizers and gas. Neglecting liquid waste treatment carries severe consequences for health and the environment. This review focuses on intelligent technologies for water and wastewater treatment, targeting waterborne diseases. It covers pollution prevention...
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Sources of contamination in sediments of retention tanks and the influence of precipitation type on the size of pollution load
PublicationDensification of cities and urban population contributes to increased runoff and suspended solids and alteration of the urban water cycle. Nowadays, Blue-Green Infrastructure is promoted to increase a city’s resilience to floods; however, stormwater drainage systems, supported with retention tanks are still important in protecting urban areas against floods. Sediment accumulation in stormwater infrastructure relates to an issue...
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Multi-Analytical Techniques for the Study of Burial Clothes of Polish King Sigismund III Vasa (1566–1633) and His Wife Constance Habsburg (1588–1631)
PublicationThe subjects of this research are the burial clothes of Polish King Sigismund III Vasa and his wife Constance, which were woven and embroidered with silk and metal threads. Fragments of the textiles underwent spectroscopic, spectrometric, and thermogravimetric analyses. The hydrofluoric acid extraction method was improved to isolate various classes of dyes from the textile samples that had direct contact with human remains. High-performance...
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Recent developnents in wastewater treatment in constructed wetlands in Poland
PublicationNowadays more than 100 constructed wetlands are in operation in Poland. Most of them are one stage wetland systems with horizontal subsurface flow. Such constructed wetlands ensure efficient removal of organic matter (BOD5, CODCr) and suspended solids but efficiency of nitrogen compounds removal in many cases is insufficient.In the period from 1995 to 2003 measurements of removal of contaminations in 11 individual pilot household...
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An Overview of Treatment Approaches for Octahydro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetranitro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetrazocine (HMX) Explosive in Soil, Groundwater, and Wastewater
PublicationOctahydro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetranitro-1, 3, 5, 7-tetrazocine (HMX) is extensively exploited in the manufacturing of explosives; therefore, a significant level of HMX contamination can be encountered near explosive production plants. For instance, up to 12 ppm HMX concentrations have been observed in the wastewater effluent of a munitions manufacturing facility, while up to 45,000 mg/kg of HMX has been found in a soil sample taken from...
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Model-based identification of the dominant N2O emission pathway in a full-scale activated sludge system
PublicationActivated sludge models (ASMs), extended with an N2O emission module, are powerful tools to describe the operation of full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Specifically, such models can investigate the most contributive N2O production pathways and guide towards N2O and carbon footprint (CF) mitigation measures. A common practice is to develop and validate models using data from a single WWTP. In this study, a successfully...
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A Systematic Review for Establishing Relevant Environmental Parameters for Urban Lighting: Translating Research into Practice
PublicationThe application of lighting technologies developed in the 20th century has increased the brightness and changed the spectral composition of nocturnal night-time habitats and night skies across urban, peri-urban, rural, and pristine landscapes, and subsequently, researchers have observed the disturbance of biological rhythms of flora and fauna. To reduce these impacts, it is essential to translate relevant knowledge about the potential...
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From the pills to environment – Prediction and tracking of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug concentrations in wastewater
PublicationThe extend of environment pollution by pharmaceuticals is in a stage that required more automatic and integrated solutions. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most popular pharmaceutical in the world and emerging pollutants of natural waters. The aim of the paper was to check the correlation of the sales data of selected NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac) and their concentration in the WWTP...
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Comparison of the Effects of Conventional and Alternative External Carbon Sources for Enhancing of the Denitrification Process
PublicationFood industry effluents are considered a potential alternative for methanol when seeking external carbon sources to enhance denitrification in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effects of dosing different carbon sources on the denitrification capability of process biomass from the "Wschod" WWTP in Gdansk (northern Poland). Five carbon sources, including settled wastewater,...
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Environmental characteristics of a tundra river system in Svalbard. Part 1: Bacterial abundance, community structure and nutrient levels
PublicationThe Arctic hosts a set of unique ecosystems, characterised by extreme environmental conditions and undergoing a rapid change resulting from the average temperature rising. We present a study on an aquatic ecosystem of the Revelva catchment (Spitsbergen), based on samples collected from the lake, river and their tributaries, in the summer of 2016. The landscape variety of the study site and the seasonal change in the hydrological...
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Influence of steam cooking on pro-health properties of Small and Large variety of Momordica charantia
PublicationSteam cooking is one of the most common preparations of Momordicacharantia dishes. This method improved the tastiness of the fruits but at the same time, some changes occurred in the volatile and non-volatile parts of their food matrices. In this study, for the first time these properties were correlated with the found substances affecting the bioactivity of this fruit. Two varieties of Momordicacharantia were analysed and compared....
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Effect of MgSO4 nutrition on Theobroma cacao L. susceptibility to Phytophthora megakarya infection
PublicationA new strategy to reduce the severity of black pod disease (BPD) in T. cacao plants using MgSO4 nutrition was investigated. The dynamics of the tolerance to BPD of 18 susceptible T. cacao plantlets coming from the cross (♀SNK64 × ♂UPA14) was monitored during weekly (8 weeks) supply of MgSO4 into the soil. Prior to MgSO4 application, disease scores of the 18 plantlets (in six sets of three plantlets per set) were varying between...
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Phytoplankton communities of polar regions–Diversity depending on environmental conditions and chemical anthropopressure
PublicationThe polar regions (Arctic and Antarctic) constitute up to 14% of the biosphere and offer some of the coldest and most arid Earth's environments. Nevertheless several oxygenic phototrophs including some higher plants, mosses, lichens, various algal groups and cyanobacteria, survive that harsh climate and create the base of the trophic relationships in fragile ecosystems of polar environments. Ecosystems in polar regions are characterized...
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A modern solid waste management strategy – the generation of new by-products
PublicationTo benefit the environment and society, EU legislation has introduced a ‘zero waste’ strategy, in which waste material should be converted to resources. Such legislation is supported by the solid waste hierarchy concept, which is a set of priorities in waste management. Under this concept, municipal solid waste plants (MSWPs) should be equipped with sorting and recycling facilities, composting/incineration units and landfill prisms...
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Phosphorus removal by application of natural and semi-natural materials for possible recovery according to assumptions of circular economy and closed circuit of P
PublicationIn the last fewyears the idea of circular economy has become essential. Thus, designing methods of nutrients removal should be based on usingmaterials that make it possible to recover those nutrients. Recently,methods applied in wastewater treatment plants cannot provide optimal results; moreover, the application of commercial coagulants like ferric chloride and polyaluminumchloride can cause difficulties in potential recovery...
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The influence of phosphorus fractions in bottom sediments on phosphate removal in semi-natural systems as the 3rd stage of biological wastewater treatment
PublicationThe research was carried out in two semi-natural systems (the polishing ponds in Swarzewo and the free water surface constructed wetland in Zarnowiec) in Poland. They were built as the 3rd stage of a conventional mechanical–biological wastewater treatment plant. These systems were built to improve the quality of the effluent of treated wastewater. In the polishing ponds and FWS wetland system, suspended solids, organic matter as...
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DETERMINATION OF SURFACTANTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLES - PART I. CATIONIC COMPOUNDS = Oznaczanie Surfaktantów W Próbkach Środowiskowych. Część I. Związki Kationowe
PublicationCompounds from the group of cationic surfactants are widely applied in household, industrial, cleaning, disinfectant, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products as their specific properties (antimicrobial, emulsifying, anticorrosion, softening). After use, cationic surfactants are disposed to wastewater-treatment plants and finally with effluent water to surface waters due to their incomplete degradation. Moreover, they can freely circulate...
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Maximizing Bio-Hydrogen and Energy Yields Obtained in a Self-Fermented Anaerobic Bioreactor by Screening of Different Sewage Sludge Pretreatment Methods
PublicationEgypt faces significant challenges in managing its sewage sludge generated in large quantities from wastewater treatment plants. This study investigates the feasibility of utilizing sewage sludge as a renewable resource for hydrogen production through anaerobic digestion at the 100 L bioreactor level. Hydrogen is considered a promising alternative energy source due to its high energy content and environmental benefits. To optimize...
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Relationship between the betalain composition in Opuntia ficus indica and Beta vulgaris varieties and biological activity of their extracts
PublicationBetalains are a class of pigments that are much less com- monly found in nature than anthocyanins or carotenoids. They occur only in a few edible plants such as red beetroot (Beta vulgaris), prickly pears (Opuntia ficus indica), amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) and some mushrooms. This group of pig- ments can be divided into two major groups: yellow vulgax- anthins and red betanins. Despite their structural similarity to compounds from...
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Polysaccharide nanocomposites in wastewater treatment: A review
PublicationIn modern times, wastewater treatment is vital due to increased water contamination arising from pollutants such as nutrients, pathogens, heavy metals, and pharmaceutical residues. Polysaccharides (PSAs) are natural, renewable, and non-toxic biopolymers used in wastewater treatment in the field of gas separation, liquid filtration, adsorption processes, pervaporation, and proton exchange membranes. Since addition of nanoparticles...
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Nanoparticle-assisted biohydrogen production from pretreated food industry wastewater sludge: Microbial community shifts in batch and continuous processes
PublicationBiohydrogen production from industrial waste has gained a significant attention as a sustainable energy source. In this study, the enrichment of biohydrogen production from pretreated dissolved air flotation (DAF) sludge, generated from food industry wastewater treatment plants, was investigated using SiO2@Cu-Ag dendrites cor- e–shell nanostructure (NS). The effect of NS on the changes of the microbial community and biohydrogen...
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Remediation of soils on municipal rendering plant territories using Miscanthus × giganteus
PublicationPhytoremediation, as a cost-effective, highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and green approach, gained attention to the removal of metals, including heavy metals, from contaminated soils. The toxic nature of heavy metals can have an adverse effect on human health and the ecosystem, and their removal remains a worldwide problem. Therefore, in this study, a field experiment was carried out to evaluate the potential of Miscanthus × giganteus...
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Identification of novel halogenated naturally occurring compounds in marine biota by high-resolution mass spectrometry and combined screening approaches
PublicationMarine animals, plants or bacteria are a source of bioactive naturally-occurring halogenated compounds (NHCs) such as bromophenols (BPs), bromoanisoles (BAs) and hydroxylated or methoxylated analogues of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (HO-PBDEs, MeO-PBDEs) and bromobiphenyls (HO-BBs, MeO-BBs). This study applied a comprehensive screening approach using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry and combining target,...
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Seaweed utilization issues in biogas production
PublicationMacroalgae can be seen as a renewable feedstock for the production of biofuels in many coastal areas around the World and especially in Baltic Sea region where the eutrophication is particularly troublesome. The investigation of anaerobic digestion technologies for extracting inexhaustible bioenergy from seaweed was conducted in many research institutions mainly in laboratory scale. Although seaweeds seem to have a great potential...
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Technical solutions and benefits of introducing rain gardens – Gdańsk case study
PublicationNowadays, Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs) are developing as innovative multifunctional tools to maximize urban ecosystem services such as storm water preservation, reduction of runoff and flood protection, groundwater pollution prevention, biodiversity enhancement, and microclimate control. Gdańsk is one of the first Polish cities to widely introduce rain gardens (one example of an NBS) in different areas such as parks, city center,...
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Effects of beach wrack on the fate of mercury at the land-sea interface – A preliminary study
PublicationSince the 1970s, the amount of aquatic plants and algae debris, called beach wrack (BW), has increased along the shores of industrialised regions. The strong ability of primary producers to accumulate pollutants can potentially result in their deposition on the beach along with the BW. Despite that, the fate and impact of such pollutants on sandy beach ecosystems have not been investigated so far. This study examines the fate...
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Functional safety and human factors
PublicationRozdział przedstawia istotny problem uwzględnienia czynników ludzkich (H&OF) w analizie bezpieczeństwa funkcjonalnego, które wpływają istotnie na bezpieczeństwo przemysłowych obiektów podwyższonego ryzyka, nie ujęty jednak w normach bezpieczeństwa funkcjonalnego. Przedstawia się metody analizy niezawodności człowieka (HRA) w kontekście tych czynników, które wpływają na błędy człowieka. Czynniki ludzkie i organizacyjne powinny być...
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Structure and evolution of the 4-helix bundle domain of Zuotin, a J-domain protein co-chaperone of Hsp70
PublicationThe J-domain protein Zuotin is a multi-domain eukaryotic Hsp70 co-chaperone. Though it is primarily ribosome-associated, positioned at the exit of the 60S subunit tunnel where it promotes folding of nascent polypeptide chains, Zuotin also has off-ribosome functions. Domains of Zuotin needed for 60S association and interaction with Hsp70 are conserved in eukaryotes. However, whether the 4-helix bundle (4HB) domain is conserved remains...
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A review of phosphorus recovery methods at various steps of wastewater treatment and sewage sludge management. The concept of “no solid waste generation” and analytical methods
PublicationPhosphorus deposits around the world are rapidly depleting, therefore phosphorus recovery methods are gaining more and more interest both in science and industry. This article presents the main methods of phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge. The described approaches are divided in two groups: phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge and leachate, and recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge ashes. The latter seems to have more...
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Flavones in cocoa defence against Phytophthora megakarya
PublicationCross-pollination of suitable genotypes and earlier selection of elite offspring using adequate plants-associated defence markers in plantlets leaves are decisive for development of T. cacao genotypes tolerant to black pods disease (BPD). T. cacao plantlets from manual cross-pollination of ♀SNK64 × ♂UPA143 were analyzed for their susceptibility to BPD using leaf disc test. Subsequently, leaves (healthy, wounded and wound+infected)...
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Partial characterization of indigo (Polygonum tinctorium Ait.) plant seeds and leaves
PublicationThe aim of this study was to assess the contents of indigo's bioactive compounds, its antioxidant and anticancer activities in acetone, hexane and DMSO extracts and to compare the overall bioactivity with another more used medicinal plant named prolipid. It was found that the contents of the bioactive compounds in the studied extracts from different parts of indigo plant varied (P < 0.05): the significantly highest content of polyphenols...
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Uptake, accumulation, and translocation of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr by P. australis seedlings in an urban dredged sediment mesocosm: impact of seedling origin and initial trace metal content
PublicationThe study presents results from 6 months of phytoremediation of sediments dredged from three urban retention tanks carried out in a mesocosm setup with the use of P. australis. Two kinds of P. australis seedlings were considered: seedlings originating from natural (uncontaminated - Suncont) and anthropogenically changed environments (contaminated – Scont); this distinction was reflected in the baseline concentrations of trace metals...
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Diverse roles, advantages and importance of deep eutectic solvents application in solid and liquid-phase microextraction techniques – A review
PublicationDeep eutectic solvents (DESs) are an emerging class of promising green solvents used as an alternative to traditional organic solvents in various scientific fields. The high biodegradability, biocompatibility, eco-friendliness, tunable properties, and presence of active groups in DESs make them the preferred solvent in a variety of solid- and liquid-phase microextraction techniques. Aside from these benefits, the use of DESs in...
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Evaluation of Sicilian landraces of broccoli (B. oleracea var. italica Plenck) for quality traits
PublicationBrassica oleracea L. var. italica Plenck is one of the most popular vegetables which belong to Brassicaceae family. It is getting attention as an important source of bioactive compounds such as glucosinolates, and many other phytochemicals. In the frame of the H2020 BRESOV project, we evaluated three landraces (‘Broccolo nero', ‘Ramoso calabrese' and ‘Sparaceddu') and two commercial F1 hybrid cultivars (‘Marathon' and ‘Naxos')....