News – Page 4 – Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog

Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Concerns over chemical treatment of reclaimed fracking fluid

02 Sep 2014

The study analysed water samples from shale gas wells in Marcellus (Pennsylvania), Eagle Ford (Texas), and Barnett (New Mexico) © Michael J Mullen Scranton Times-Tribune/AP/Press Association Images

Estimates suggest that in the next 50 years, over one trillion gallons of water will be used in shale gas extraction but research from scientists in the US suggests that environmentally detrimental compounds are being created when this fluid is recycled.

Shale gas is found in rock formations kilometres underground. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, facilitates the release of this energy dense fuel in a cost-effective and timely manner. Water, sand and a combination of other additives are pumped into the ground at high pressure, breaking the shale formations apart, allowing the gas to migrate to the surface where it can be collected.

To read the full article, please visit Chemistry World.

Organic compounds in produced waters from shale gas wells
Samuel J. Maguire-Boyle and Andrew R. Barron
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4EM00376D, Paper

Comments Off on Concerns over chemical treatment of reclaimed fracking fluid

Passive Sampling Themed Issue

19 May 2014

Philipp Mayer, Frank Wania and Charles S. Wong introduce an Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts themed issue on passive sampling.

This themed collection showcases some of the latest developments in passive sampling research – which has now progressed well beyond measuring aqueous concentrations of legacy contaminants. The contributions in this collection contain a wide range of different passive sampling approaches which were applied to water, air, soil vapours, sediments and even fish tissue. Improved sampler designs and materials are being developed and tested, contributing to the increasing popularity of passive sampling. The apparent simplicity of passive sampling is at the core of its true potential and betrays a wealth of opportunity for future research and monitoring.

To celebrate this collection, the following articles are free* to access – for a limited time only!

A review of passive sampling systems for ambient air mercury measurements
Jiaoyan Huang, Seth N. Lyman, Jelena Stamenkovic Hartman and Mae Sexauer Gustin
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00501A

Application of passive sampling methods for measurement of Hg concentrations and deposition is useful for understanding source and trends.

Evaluation of DGT as a long-term water quality monitoring tool in natural waters; uranium as a case study
Geraldine S. C. Turner, Graham A. Mills, Michael J. Bowes, Jonathan L. Burnett, Sean Amos and Gary R. Fones
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00574G

DGT can be used as a long-term water quality environmental monitoring tool.

Field calibration of low density polyethylene passive samplers for gaseous POPs
Mohammed A. Khairy and Rainer Lohmann
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00493G

A field calibration study of low density polyethylene for measuring atmospheric concentrations of persistent organic pollutants was performed in East Providence (RI) USA.

*Access is free until 13.06.14 through a registered RSC account – click here to register

Comments Off on Passive Sampling Themed Issue

Fireworks and the spread of particulate matter

04 Feb 2014

A detailed study on the spatiotemporal distribution of atmospheric pollutants arising from the wide scale use of fireworks has been carried out by scientists in China, with a view to highlighting related environmental and health concerns.

Fireworks and firecrackers are used extensively across the globe in all manner of celebrations, though few match the sheer scale of Chinese New Year. They generate a variety of contaminants, including gasses such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, in addition to aerosols of microparticles known as particulate matter.

Read the full article for free!

Study on spatial and temporal distributions of contaminants emitted by Chinese New Year’ Eve celebrations in Wuhan
Ge Han, Wei Gong, Jihong Quan, Jun Li and Miao Zhang
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00588G, Paper

Comments Off on Fireworks and the spread of particulate matter

Seasons greetings from Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts!

20 Dec 2013

The holidays are nearly here!

We know everyone’s been working hard to finish off semesters and write up those papers. Here in Cambridge we’ve been working hard too, planning for the New Year and wrapping up 2013.

To spread the holiday cheer, we’ve chosen three highly accessed papers and made them *FREE TO ACCESS* for the next four weeks. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts team!

Perspective: Human exposure to aluminium, by Christopher Exley, Keele University

Paper: Do natural rubber latex condoms pose a risk to aquatic systems? by Scott Lambert, Food and Environments Agency, UK

Paper: The impact of an anti-idling campaign on outdoor air quality at four urban schools, by Patrick H Ryan, Cincinnati

Access is free through a registered RSC account – click here to register

Comments Off on Seasons greetings from Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts!

HOT articles – free to access!

11 Sep 2013

Take a look at our HOT articles recommended by our referees – these have been made free to access for 4 weeks*

Nanomaterial disposal by incineration
Amara L. Holder, Eric P. Vejerano, Xinzhe Zhou and Linsey C. Marr
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00224A

Combining multivariate statistics and analysis of variance to redesign a water quality monitoring network
Nathalie Guigues, Michèle Desenfant and Emmanuel Hance
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00168G

The oxidative toxicity of Ag and ZnO nanoparticles towards the aquatic plant Spirodela punctuta and the role of testing media parameters
Melusi Thwala, Ndeke Musee, Lucky Sikhwivhilu and Victor Wepener
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00235G

Lability, solubility and speciation of Cd, Pb and Zn in alluvial soils of the River Trent catchment UK
Maria Izquierdo, Andrew M. Tye and Simon R. Chenery
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00370A

Human exposure to aluminium
Christopher Exley
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00374D

Human biomonitoring issues related to lead exposure
Evert Nieboer, Leonard J. S. Tsuji, Ian D. Martin and Eric N. Liberda
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00270E

*Free access to individuals is provided through an RSC Publishing personal account. It’s quick, easy and more importantly – free – to register!

Comments Off on HOT articles – free to access!

Journal of Environmental Monitoring: The Most Cited Articles of 2010 and 2011

16 Aug 2013

The editors at Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts (formally Journal of Environmental Monitoring, JEM, until 2012) would like to introduce the most cited articles of 2010 and 2011, and use this chance to highlight some of the fantastic work that the environmental science community is producing right now.

As of now, all of the below articles will be free for 4 weeks (until Monday 16th Sept),* so make the most of this opportunity to download the full papers!

Top 3 Cited Reviews:

B Nowack & F Gottschalk: The release of engineered nanomaterials to the environment. (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00547a).A critical review on the environmental release of nanomaterials and our current ability to quantitatively monitor their concentration in the environment. Nowack and Gottschalk discuss the limits of our knowledge in measuring nanomaterial release, and why.
JW Martin et. al.: PFOS or PreFOS? Are perfluorooctane sulfonate precursors (PreFOS) important determinants of human and environmental perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure? (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00295j).A critical review on the extent to which perfluorooctanesulfonate precursors (preFOS) play a role in human or environmental exposure to the global pollutant, prefluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS).
M Elsner: Stable isotope fractionation to investigate natural transformation mechanisms of organic contaminants: principles, prospects and limitations (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00277a)A critical review on the use of gas chromatography ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) and its use in the analysis of organic contaminants in environmental samples.

Top 10 Cited Research Papers:

P Westerhoff et. al.: Occurrence and removal of titanium at full scale wastewater treatment plants: implications for TiO2 nanomaterials (DOI: 10.1039/c1em10017c).A paper on the titanium concentrations of treated water samples from a range of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), showing evidence of Nanoscale particles passing through WWTPs, with the ability to enter aquatic systems.
RI MacCspie et. al.: Challenges for physical characterization of silver nanoparticles under pristine and environmentally relevant conditions (DOI: 10.1039/c1em10024f)A paper which discusses the reasons behind our limitations in the measurement of silver nanoparticles in the environment, and presents an approach to developing routine screening.
F Wania et. al.: Spatial and temporal pattern of pesticides in the global atmosphere (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00134a).A paper on the measurement of a number of banned organochloride pesticides and a number of current-use pesticides, as part of the Global Atmospheric Passive Sampling (GAPS) study.
R Ashauer et. al.: Advantages of toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic modelling in aquatic ecotoxicology and risk assessment (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00234h)
L Hanssen et. al.: Perfluorinated compounds in maternal serum and cord blood from selected areas of South Africa: results of a pilot study (DOI: 10.1039/b924420d)
KR Smith et. al.: Estimating personal PM2.5 exposures using CO measurements in Guatemalan households cooking with wood fuel (DOI: 10.1039/b916068j)
GS Bilotta et. al.: Assessing catchment-scale erosion and yields of suspended solids from improved temperate grassland (DOI: 10.1039/b921584k)
YQ Cai et. al.: Investigation of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in mollusks from coastal waters in the Bohai Sea of China (DOI: 10.1039/b909302h)
BK Gaiser et. al.: Effects of silver and cerium dioxide micro- and nano-sized particles on Daphnia magna (DOI: 10.1039/c1em10060b)
HY Guo et. al.: TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles negatively affect wheat growth and soil enzyme activities in agricultural soil (DOI: 10.1039/c0em00611d)

*free through an RSC account

Comments Off on Journal of Environmental Monitoring: The Most Cited Articles of 2010 and 2011

Take 1.. minute for chemistry in health

29 May 2013

Do you know how chemical scientists can tackle global challenges in Human Health? If so, the RSC is running a one minute video competition this summer for young researchers such as PhD and Post-doc students; get involved and innovate the way scientists share their research. Your video should communicate your own personal research or an area of research that interests you, highlighting its significance and impact to Human Health.

Five videos will be shortlisted by our judging panel and the winner will be selected during the ‘How does chemistry keep us healthy?’ themed National Chemistry Week taking place 16-23 November.

A £500 prize and a fantastic opportunity to shadow the award winning video Journalist, Brady Harran, is up for grabs for the winner.

The judging panel will include the makers of The Periodic Tale of Videos, Martyn Poliakoff and Brady Harran, and RSC Division representatives.

Check out our webpage for further details of the competition and an example video.

The competition will open 02 April 2013 and the closing date for entries is 01 July 2013. Please submit your entries to rsc.li/take-1-video-competition.

Any questions please contact science@rsc.org.

Comments Off on Take 1.. minute for chemistry in health

Top ten most accessed Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts articles in January 2013

25 Mar 2013

This month sees the following articles in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts that are in the top ten most accessed:-

Evaluation of a low-cost commercially available extraction device for assessing lead bioaccessibility in contaminated soils
Clay M. Nelson, Thomas M. Gilmore, James M. Harrington, Kirk G. Scheckel, Bradley W. Miller and Karen D. Bradham
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 573-578
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30789H

Size distribution effects of cadmium tellurium quantum dots (CdS/CdTe) immunotoxicity on aquatic organisms
A. Bruneau, M. Fortier, F. Gagne, C. Gagnon, P. Turcotte, A. Tayabali, T. L. Davis, M. Auffret and M. Fournier
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 596-607
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30896G

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil, sediment and dust samples collected from various electronic waste recycling sites within Guiyu town, southern China
Iryna Labunska, Stuart Harrad, David Santillo, Paul Johnston and Kevin Brigden
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 503-511
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30785E

The impact of marine shallow-water hydrothermal venting on arsenic and mercury accumulation by seaweeds Sargassum sinicola in Concepcion Bay, Gulf of California
María Luisa Leal-Acosta, Evgueni Shumilin, Nicolai Mirlean, Francisco Delgadillo-Hinojosa and Ignacio Sánchez-Rodríguez
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 470-477
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30866E

Monitoring the Performance and Microbial Diversity Dynamics of a Full Scale Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment Plant Treating Sugar Factory Wastewater
N. Altınay Perendeci, F. Yeşim Ekinci and Jean Jaques Godon
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 494-502
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30597F

Link fluorescence spectroscopy to diffuse soil source for dissolved humic substance in Daning River, China
Hao Chen, Bing-hui Zheng and Lei Zhang
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 485-493
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30715D

Resolving sources of water-soluble organic carbon in fine particulate matter measured at an urban site during winter
Sung Yong Cho and Seung Shik Park
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 524-534
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30730H

A Portable Analyzer for the Measurement of Ammonium in Marine Waters
Natchanon Amornthammarong, Jia-Zhong Zhang, Peter B. Ortner, Jack Stamates, Michael Shoemaker and Michael W. Kindel
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 579-584
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30793F

Uncertainty models and influence of the calibration span on ambient air measurements of NO₂ by chemiluminescence
Marta Doval Miñarro, Pascual Pérez Ballesta, Jonathan Barberá Rico and Enrique González Ferradás
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 512-523
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30395G

Impact of a snail pellet on the phytoavailability of different metals to cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.)
Sabine Freitag, Eva M. Krupp, Andrea Raab and Jörg Feldmann
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 463-469
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30806A

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

Comments Off on Top ten most accessed Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts articles in January 2013

Webinar: The power of modern HPTLC

12 Mar 2013

Join Chemistry World and Advion for a webcast on the latest developments in HPTLC technology.

WHAT: Professor Morlock from the University of Giessen, Germany, will give an overview of current HPTLC methodology, explore some examples of HPTLC-MS coupling and review other current hyphenations in HPTLC. By the end of this free webinar, you will be able to:
– Recognise the power of modern HPTLC
– Learn about current hyphenations in HPTLC
– Understand the principle of elution-based HPTLC-MS
– Recognise how HPTLC hyphenations efficiently support analyses

WHEN: Wednesday, 20 March 2013 – 15:00 GMT

HOW: Click here to register (free)

Register today, even if you can’t make it on 20^th March, and we’ll send you a link to the recorded webinar.

Comments Off on Webinar: The power of modern HPTLC

Submission portal changes from 1st October 2012

28 Sep 2012

We would like to make our authors and referees aware that from Monday 1^st October 2012 our online submission portal will be changed to reflect our new name, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.

Author and referee accounts will remain valid, and we would like to remind all our readers that the scope of the journal remains the same.

If you have any queries about the name change please do not hesitate to contact us, we will be very happy to help!

Comments Off on Submission portal changes from 1st October 2012

Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog