Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe study aimed to determine the level of mercury (Hg) and its labile and stable forms in the surface sediments of the Baltic Sea. The work considers the impact of current and historical sources of Hg on sediment pollution, together with the influence of different environmental parameters, including water inflows from the North Sea. Surface sediments (top 5 cm) were collected in 2016–2017 at 91 stations located in different areas of the Baltic Sea, including Belt Sea, Arkona Basin, Bornholm Basin, Gdańsk Basin, West Gotland Basin, East Gotland Basin, and the Bothnian Sea. Besides, the particulate matter suspended in the surface and near-bottom water was also collected. The analysis of total Hg concentration and individual Hg forms in collected samples was carried out using a 5-step thermodesorption method. This method allows for the identification of three labile and thus biologically available, fractions of Hg, which are mercury halides, organic Hg, mercury oxide and sulphate. Two stable fractions, mercury sulphide and residual Hg, were also determined. The highest Hg concentrations, reaching 341 ng g−1, were measured in the highly industrialised Kiel Bay, which was additionally a munition dumping site during and after World War II. High Hg level, ranging from 228 to 255 ng g−1, was also recorded in the surface sediments of the Arkona Basin, which was a result of the cumulative effect of several factors, such as deposition of Hg-rich riverine matter, favourable hydrodynamic conditions and military activities in the past. The relatively elevated Hg concentrations, varying from 60 to 264 ng g−1, were found in the Gdańsk Basin, a region under strong anthropopressure and dominated by soft sediments. The sum of labile Hg in sediments was high and averaged 67% (with the domination of organic Hg compounds), which means that a large part of Hg can be released to the water column. It was found that the water inflows from the North Sea intensify the remobilisation of Hg and its transformation into bioavailable labile forms. As a consequence, the load of Hg introduced into the trophic chain can increase. Despite the significant reduction of Hg emission into the Baltic in the last decades, surface sediments can be an important secondary Hg source in the marine ecosystem. This is especially dangerous in the case of the western Baltic Sea.

The study aimed to determine the level of mercury (Hg) and its labile and stable forms in the surface sediments of the Baltic Sea. The work considers the impact of current and historical sources of Hg on sediment pollution, together with the influence of different environmental parameters, including water inflows from the North Sea. Surface sediments (top 5 cm) were collected in 2016–2017 at 91 stations located in different areas of the Baltic Sea, including Belt Sea, Arkona Basin, Bornholm Basin, Gdańsk Basin, West Gotland Basin, East Gotland Basin, and the Bothnian Sea. Besides, the particulate matter suspended in the surface and near-bottom water was also collected. The analysis of total Hg concentration and individual Hg forms in collected samples was carried out using a 5-step thermodesorption method. This method allows for the identification of three labile and thus biologically available, fractions of Hg, which are mercury halides, organic Hg, mercury oxide and sulphate. Two stable fractions, mercury sulphide and residual Hg, were also determined. The highest Hg concentrations, reaching 341 ng g(−1), were measured in the highly industrialised Kiel Bay, which was additionally a munition dumping site during and after World War II. High Hg level, ranging from 228 to 255 ng g(−1), was also recorded in the surface sediments of the Arkona Basin, which was a result of the cumulative effect of several factors, such as deposition of Hg-rich riverine matter, favourable hydrodynamic conditions and military activities in the past. The relatively elevated Hg concentrations, varying from 60 to 264 ng g(−1), were found in the Gdańsk Basin, a region under strong anthropopressure and dominated by soft sediments. The sum of labile Hg in sediments was high and averaged 67% (with the domination of organic Hg compounds), which means that a large part of Hg can be released to the water column. It was found that the water inflows from the North Sea intensify the remobilisation of Hg and its transformation into bioavailable ...

AbstractThe common use of chemical elements by man has been contributing to their extraction for centuries. As a consequence, they have been directly or indirectly introduced into the biogeochemical cycle. In the framework of many conventions, mining and processing of elements are currently subject to many restrictions. However, their large load that has already been deposited in the soil and bottom sediments can be remobilised and enter the food chain. The identification of factors favouring this process is very important, especially during the period of adopting new legal regulations on limiting the emission of pollutants. It became possible in February 2018 during the persistence of ice cover on the lagoon's surface. This allowed observation of processes, the effect of which in the absence of ice is blurred by wind mixing water. Therefore, an investigation of sources of 25 elements in a lagoon of the southern Baltic has been undertaken, based on the example of the Vistula Lagoon. The results point to the remobilisation of chemical elements (including the toxic ones) from land and bottom sediments, where they have been deposited for decades. These processes led to the accumulation of metals in certain areas of the lagoon. It may result in their uptake and accumulation in the benthic organisms inhabiting the lagoon and further transfer in the food chain. It is of major importance as the lagoons in the southern Baltic fulfil many essential functions in the scope of tourism, economy, and fishery. Thanks to restrictions on the quality of wastewater and the emission of pollutants, it has been noticed a substantial "purifying" effect of rivers, too.

Biomass is defined as organic matter from living organisms represented in all kingdoms. It is recognized to be an excellent source of proteins, polysaccharides and lipids and, as such, embodies a tailored feedstock for new products and processes to apply in green industries. The industrial processes focused on the valorization of terrestrial biomass are well established, but marine sources still represent an untapped resource. Oceans and seas occupy over 70% of the Earth's surface and are used intensively in worldwide economies through the fishery industry, as logistical routes, for mining ores and exploitation of fossil fuels, among others. All these activities produce waste. The other source of unused biomass derives from the beach wrack or washed-ashore organic material, especially in highly eutrophicated marine ecosystems. The development of high-added-value products from these side streams has been given priority in recent years due to the detection of a broad range of biopolymers, multiple nutrients and functional compounds that could find applications for human consumption or use in livestock/pet food, pharmaceutical and other industries. This review comprises a broad thematic approach in marine waste valorization, addressing the main achievements in marine biotechnology for advancing the circular economy, ranging from bioremediation applications for pollution treatment to energy and valorization for biomedical applications. It also includes a broad overview of the valorization of side streams in three selected case study areas: Norway, Scotland, and the Baltic Sea. ; This publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18238 (Ocean4Biotech), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). AR and KK: this research was funded by the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding P1-0245 and P1-0237). AR: this publication has been produced with financial assistance of the Interreg MED Programme, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (Project No. 8MED20_4.1_SP_001, internal ref. 8MED20_4.1_SP_001) – B-Blue project. SG, CT, and JO: this work is financed by national funds from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences - UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy – i4HB. JaB and WH: the preparation of the manuscript was supported by the Project CONTRA (Conversion of a Nuisance to a Resource and Asset #R090, 2018–2021) of the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region Program, and Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education from the 2019–2021 science funding allocated for the implementation of international co-financed project W24/INTERREG BSR/2019. Research of Maris Klavins, VB, and LA was supported by ERDF project 1.1.1.1/16/A/050 "Variable fuel gasification for municipal solid waste recovery." MC acknowledges the funding from CEEC program supported by FCT/MCTES (CEECIND/02968/2017) and Strategic Funding UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 supported by national funds provided by FCT and ERDF. AD acknowledges financial support provided by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the grant agreement No 857287 and Latvian Council of Science research project No. lzp-2020/1-0054. MKa: the Interreg LAT_LIT Programme, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (LLI-525 ESMIC). LB acknowledges the funding from Erasmus + Project No. ECOBIAS 609967-EPP-1-2019-1-RS-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP; GA.2019-1991/001-001. Development of master curricula in ecological monitoring and aquatic bioassessment for Western Balkans HEIs/ECOBIAS. IS and KP acknowledge financial support provided by the projects CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/17_048/0007323 and CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000754 (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic). ZV-G acknowledges support within the project No.1.1.1.2/VIAA/1/16/029 (Formula of peat-free soil conditioner with controlled-release fertilizing effect applicable for soil remediation and quality improvement of agricultural production). IZ: the projects SLTKT20427, KIK 17431 and SARASWATI 2.0. JuB: the project No.1.1.1.2/VIAA/3/19/531 (Innovative technologies for stabilization of landfills – diminishing of environmental impact and resources potential in frames of circular economy). The work conducted by CR, LA-H, and MA was fully financed by Møreforsking AS. ; Peer reviewed