Dr György Deák and Dr. Monica MateiNational Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection INCDPM, Splaiul Independentei Bucharest, ROMANIA.
Title: Measurements and statistical analysis of CO2 efflux and related parameters from crop and forested lands
Abstract. The LULUCF sector (land use, land use change and forestry) can act as a carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, either by increasing the removals of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere or by reducing their current emissions. This paper intends to analyse results of the CO2 monitoring methodology by camber method in order to estimate the effect of different land use cover and management techniques. Thus, proper measures can be selected and implemented to increase the efficiency of GHGs storage in different types of land cover. For this purpose, seasonal CO2 efflux field measurements were conducted along two types of ecosystems (forested land and wheat crop) located in the adjacent area of Bucharest. CO2 efflux was analysed for each land cover in relation with physical characteristics of the soil, respectively soil temperatures and humidity, but also together with the main weather parameters. For the evaluation and comparison, the measurements were performed simultaneously in both land covers at relevant time intervals. Even the difference of measured values between the two ecosystems is recorded, the results of the statistical analysis showed a lack of differences by the correlation between the CO2 efflux values measured during the beginning of the vegetation season in the two study areas. This indicates that the CO2 efflux can be affected by particular elements of the environment spatial distribution which facilitates differences in soil temperature and humidity in the same weather conditions.
|
|
Dr. Orathai BoondamnoenDepartment of Materials Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Title: Enhancement of surface hydrophobicity of natural rubber and fabric for oil removal
Abstract. Oil removal from water has become more important for environment sustainability since there are many cases of oil leakage accidents. In this work, rubber foam attached with cotton fabric was prepared by casting process. The enhancement of hydrophobicity would increase the efficiency of oil removal. The cotton fabric was coated by natural rubber (NR) foam and subsequent treatment with hydrophobic agent. Firstly, the wet NR foam was prepared and then casted on the surface of cotton fabric. After that it was cured by steaming process. The obtained natural rubber foam-coated cotton fabric was immersed into a solution of trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (TMPTMS) for surface pre-treatment. Thereafter, hydrophobic treatment was proceeded using hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) as hydrophobic agent. The untreated NR foam-coated fabric was also prepared for comparison. The formation of hydrophobic agent with rough surface was revealed by SEM micrographs. The wetting behaviour of water on the side of cotton fabric was successfully developed achieving the superhydrophobic characteristic with the result of water contact angle (WCA) at 157°. In addition, the hydrophobicity of rubber foam surface was much improved to 140° of WCA. The treated NR foam-coated fabric exhibited oil absorption selectivity and completely removes the oily layer from water. From the results, the prepared NR foam-coated fabric presented an attractive hydrophobic property with simple and low-cost preparation.
|
|
Dr. Madalina BobocNational Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection INCDPM, Splaiul Independentei Bucharest, ROMANIA.
Title: Development and implementation of a methodology for National Wastewater Surveillance System of SARS-CoV-2 in Romania
Abstract. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly transmissible and pathogenic coronavirus and has caused a pandemic of acute respiratory disease. Over time, numerous studies have demonstrated the advantages of environmental surveillance through wastewater monitoring. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, several countries have conducted studies to detect viral RNA from SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Also, several countries have developed a National Wastewater Surveillance System of SARSCoV-2, currently it is also being implemented in Romania. The objective of the present study is to develop, based on the information already reported in the specialized literature, an effective methodology for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and highlighting the sample processing methods (these methods not being standardized). In addition, we summarize current knowledge on recent advances and applicability of SARS-CoV-2 virus monitoring in wastewater as a tool for surveillance of COVID-19.
|
|
Dr. Elena HolbanNational Institute for Research and Development in Environmental Protection INCDPM, Splaiul Independentei Bucharest, ROMANIA.
Title: Captive growth analysis of Siberian sturgeon juveniles (Acipenser baerii J. F. Brandt, 1869) fed on a commercial fodder and its importance to a sustainable development of the aquaculture sector
Abstract. Sturgeon aquaculture is an important continuously developing sector within freshwater aquaculture and its sustainability is one of the most pressing matters nowadays. Thus, the urge to apprehend the mechanics of sturgeon growth in captivity as well as in nature is of immediate importance, considering the increase in customers’ requests for captive-grown sturgeon meat, caviar, and adjacent by-products. The present study evaluates several canonical growth indices in a controlled, indoor environment that included fluctuations in temperature, dissolved oxygen saturation, and ponderal density (g/L), known to affect sturgeon growth performance. Over the 91 days of evaluation, no significant correlation was found between the weight gain and the ponderal density, dissolved oxygen values, and temperature, among the 4 tanks used in the experiment setup, indicating, along with the lack of significant variance for the RCI per tank, that the growth observed is correlated only with the fodder fed to the fish.
|
|
