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Advanced nanomaterials and metal-organic frameworks for catalytic bio-diesel production from microalgal lipids – A review
PublicationIncreasing energy demands require exploring renewable, eco-friendly (green), and cost-effective energy resources. Among various sources of biodiesel, microalgal lipids are an excellent resource, owing to their high abundance in microalgal biomass. Transesterification catalyzed by advanced materials, especially nanomaterials and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), is a revolutionary process for overcoming the energy crisis. This review...
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Fast, sensitive and reliable multi-residue method for routine determination of 34 pesticides from various chemical groups in water samples by using dispersive liquid – liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography – mass spectrometry
PublicationA simple and efficient dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction technique (DLLME) was developed by using a mixture of two solvents: 40 μL of tetrachlorethylene (extraction solvent) and 1.0 mL of methanol (disperser solvent), which was rapidly injected with a syringe into 10mL ofwater sample. Some important parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as type and volume of solvents, water sample volume, extraction time,...
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Propagation of Ship-Generated Noise in Shallow Sea
PublicationContamination of sea environment by noise and any energy radiated to water constitutes today a problem to which more and more attention is paid, in view, a.o., of consequences of an impact of these factors onto marine fauna. European Union has introduced a directive by which EU countries are made responsible to undertake efforts aimed at reaching a good envirenmental status of European seas by 2020. A main source of underwater...
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Implementation of Solute Transport in the Vadose Zone into the “HYDRUS Package for MODFLOW”
PublicationThe “HYDRUS package for MODFLOW” is an existing MODFLOW package that allows MODFLOW to simultaneously evaluate transient water flow in both unsaturated and saturated zones. The package is based on incorporating parts of the HYDRUS‐1D model (to simulate unsaturated water flow in the vadose zone) into MODFLOW (to simulate saturated groundwater flow). The coupled model is effective in addressing spatially variable saturated‐unsaturated...
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Sources and composition of chemical pollution in Maritime Antarctica (King George Island), part 1: Sediment and water analysis for PAH sources evaluation in the vicinity of Arctowski station
PublicationThe paper presents a study regarding the identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fresh waters and surface sediments on the western shore of Admiralty Bay over four sampling seasons from 2017 to 2018. The results were compared to literature data from 2016 to provide a more comprehensive image of the environmental fate of PAHs over the years. The highest value of Σ PAHs was 82.9 ng/L and 445 ng/g dw in water...
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Green products from herbal medicine wastes by subcritical water treatment
PublicationHerbal medicine wastes (HMWs) are byproducts of medicine factories, which are mainly landfilled for their environmental problems. Only bearing in mind the contamination and concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental emissions, the worth of herbal medicine wastes management and conversion to green products can be understood. In this work, subcritical water treatment was carried out batch-wise in a stainless tube...
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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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Troubleshooting of the determination of bisphenol A at ultra-trace levels by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry
PublicationDetermination of trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) may cause problems mainly related to the presence of BPA in solvents (even in LC-MS grade), laboratory vessels, and plastic equipment used for sample preparation. Variable and sometimes significant amounts of BPA present in the background cause problems in obtaining good repeatability of measurements at the ultra-trace levels. Such observations (i.e., poor repeatability of results)...
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‘Green’ multi - residue methods for the determination of high importance currently used pesticides in environmental samples
PublicationThe purpose of the research has been to develop and apply ‘green’ analytical methodologies to control and monitor the level of currently used pesticides from different chemical groups in aqueous samples. For extraction of analytes solid - phase microextraction (SPME) and dispersive liquid - liquid microextraction (DLLME) have been applied and compared. For SPME, commonly used materials for coating fibers include: polydimethylsiloxane...
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FFT analysis of temperature modulated semiconductor gas sensor response for the prediction of ammonia concentration under humidity interference
PublicationThe increasing environmental contamination forces the need to design reliable devices for detecting of the volatile compounds present in the air. For this purpose semiconductor gas sensors, which have been widely used for years, are often utilized. Although they have many advantages such as low price and quite long life time, they still lack of long term stability and selectivity. Namely, environmental conditions have significant...
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Selected anionic and cationic surface active agents: case study on the Kłodnica sediments
PublicationSurface active agents (surfactants) are a group of chemical compounds, which are used as ingredients of detergents, cleaning products, cosmetics and functional products. After use, wastes containing surfactants or their degradation products are discharged to wastewater treatment plants or directly into surface waters. Due to their specific properties of SAAs, compounds are able to migrate between different environmental compartments...
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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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The occurrence of heavy metals and metal-resistant bacteria in water and bottom sediments of the Straszyn reservoir (Poland)
PublicationThe aim of this study is investigate the distribution of selected heavy metals (zinc, copper, lead, cadmium) and metal-resistant bacteria in water and bottom sediments of drinking water reservoir for Gdańsk (Poland). The research area - Straszyn Lake is a dam reservoir on Radunia river, of the total volume of 3 mln m3. Sediment and water sampling took place between May and October 2013 (eight series). Regarding metal concentration...
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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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Analityka surfaktantów w próbkach środowiskowych
PublicationSurfaktanty stanowią grupę związków charakteryzujących się specyficznymi właściwościami fizykochemicznymi (m.in. amfifilowa budowa, zdolność rozpuszczania się w cieczach o różnej polarności, zdolność do tworzenia micelli) i z tego względu są one wykorzystywane w wielu sferach działalności człowieka. Związki powierzchniowo-czynne ulegają różnorodnym przemianom fizykochemicznym, co umożliwia ich migrację między różnymi elementami...
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A New Double Digestion Ligation Mediated Suppression PCR Method for Simultaneous Bacteria DNA-Typing and Confirmation of Species: An Acinetobacter sp. Model
PublicationWe have designed a new ddLMS PCR (double digestion Ligation Mediated Suppression PCR) method based on restriction site polymorphism upstream from the specific target sequence for the simultaneous identification and differentiation of bacterial strains. The ddLMS PCR combines a simple PCR used for species or genus identification and the LM PCR strategy for strain differentiation. The bacterial identification is confirmed in the...
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Diving boldly into COVID‐19 contaminated wastewater: Eyes at nanotechnology‐assisted solutions
PublicationSeveral studies have been directed to find scalable, swift, accurate, and cost-effective strategies for detecting, monitoring, and treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Indeed, the lack of a fast and practical method for detecting the infected regions makes decision-making challenging to combat the critical pandemic-struck situations. The probable ‘wrong’, or rather inadequate, decisions not only have a boomerang effect...
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Heavy metal accumulation and distribution in Phragmites australis seedlings tissues originating from natural and urban catchment
PublicationThe retention of heavy metal (HM) was studied in root and rhizomes (BLG), stems (ST), and leaves (LF) of Phragmites australis (common reed) seedlings collected from different locations, differing in the scale of anthropogenic interference. The analysis includes the reference samples of sediments in uncontaminated lake Garczonki and contaminated roadside ditch in Cieplewo. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr were analyzed...
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Optimization and Modeling of Cr (VI) Removal from Tannery Wastewater onto Activated Carbon Prepared from Coffee Husk and Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) as Activating Agent by Using Central Composite Design (CCD)
PublicationThe primary goal of this research is to lower the hexavalent chromium (Cr (VI)) concentration that has occurred from the growth of the tannery industry. As a result, the potential for heavy metal concentration is increasing day by day. Industrial effluent containing Cr (VI) contributes significantly to water pollution. Chromium hexavalent ion (Cr (VI)) in wastewater is extremely hazardous to the environment. It is critical to address...
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A multi‑criteria approach to investigate spatial distribution,sources, and the potential toxicological effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments of urban retention tanks
PublicationBottom sediments deposited in retention tanks (RTs) located on two urban streams (Oliwski and Strzyza) in the central part of Gdansk (Poland) were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons’ (PAHs) content. PAHs were extracted from samples with methylene chloride, then the extracts were subjected to clean-up applying the solid phase extraction (SPE) method. Quantitative and qualitative determination of 16 PAHs was performed...
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Chemical Derivatization Processes Applied to Amine Determination in Samples of Different Matrix Composition
PublicationAmines are important biological compounds, and so their analysis and monitoring in various matrices is worthy of investigation and development.Due to the polar nature of amines, chromatographic analysis of free amines is generally unsatisfactory owing to adsorption and decomposition of the solute on the column, resulting in peak tailing and losses. Therefore, many derivatization reactions are employed to reduce the polarity, improve...
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Analysis of the influence of polystyrene microplastics and their derivatives on the DNA of human colon epithelial cells HT29 with the comet assay
PublicationWe have been using plastic for almost a century and nowadays a lot of them circulates as pollutants in the environment and still defragmenting to micro and nanoscale. The exposition through the food chain and its precise impact on human health is still not clear. In our study, we tested real food packaging after contact with food products and real thermoinsulation and environmental samples of polystyrene in different model liquids,...
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Seasonal changes of mercury speciation in the coastal sediments
PublicationPurpose Mercury speciation in sediments is linked to environmental conditions and processes. Domination of particular mercury species depends on its source, displays considerable seasonal behavior, and may be further modified due to oxygen levels, icing conditions, or the input of fresh organic matter. The purpose of this study was to examine the coastal area of the Gulf of Gdańsk in terms of mercury contamination and the influence...
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Water retention curves of sandy soils obtained from direct measurements, particle size distribution, and infiltration experiments
PublicationAccurate information about soil water retention curves (SWRCs) of sands is essential for evaluating groundwater recharge and vulnerability to contamination in many shallow sandy aquifers which are widespread on post glacial areas in Northern Europe and North America. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) allow to estimate SWRC from basic physical characteristics of soils, such as textural composition. However, in the case of clean sands...
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A novel cold-active beta-D-galactosidase from the Paracoccus sp. 32d - gene cloning, purification and characterization
PublicationBeta-D-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing beta-D-galactose residues in beta-D-galactosides. Cold-active beta-D-galactosidases have recently become a focus of attention of researchers and dairy product manufactures owing to theirs ability to: (I) eliminate of lactose from refrigerated milk for people afflicted with lactose intolerance, (II) convert lactose to glucose and galactose which...
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The cement-bone bond is weaker than cement-cement bond in cement-in-cement revision arthroplasty. A comparative biomechanical study
PublicationThis study compares the strength of the native bone-cement bond and the old-new cement bond under cyclic loading, using third generation cementing technique, rasping and contamination of the surface of the old cement with biological tissue. The possible advantages of additional drilling of the cement surface is also taken into account. Femoral heads from 21 patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty performed for hip arthritis...
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Concentration and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in surface soil near a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill
PublicationDue to a continuous demand of land for infrastructural and residential development there is a public concern about the condition of surface soil near municipal solid waste landfills. A total of 12 surface (0–20 cm) soil samples from a territory near a landfill were collected and the concentration of 16 PAHs and 7 PCB congeners were investigated in these samples. Limits of detection were in the range of 0.038–1.2 μg/kg for PAHs...
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Exploring avian exposure to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): Using the common eider Somateria mollissima in a global context
PublicationCompared to other organic contaminants, birds are rarely studied for their exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mainly due to their effective metabolization of parent PAHs. However, as some studies suggest, exposure to PAHs may result in adverse health effects including decreased survival, especially following oil spills. In the present study, we analyzed samples from a sea duck, the common eider Somateria mollissima...
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Change in Heavy Metals Concentrations in Sediments Deposited in Retention Tanks in a Stream after a Flood
PublicationOur paper presents the results of heavy metal (HM) (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd) content in bottom sediments from retention tanks along Oliwa Stream in Gdańsk, Poland, before a flood (BF) and after a flood (AF) 14-15 July 2016. The flood had a huge impact on the quality of bottom sediments and their displacement. The concentrations of HM differed significantly for research series conducted 3 months BF and 8 months AF. The concentration of Cu...