15 Environment (pollution, health protection, safety)

97100664 A sensitive and quantitative biosensing method for the determination of -,-ray emitting radionuclides in surface water Wolterheek, HTh. and van der Meer, AJGM., Journal of Enl~ironmenral Radioactivity, lYY6, 33. (3), 237-254. A quantitative and sensitive hiosensing method has been developed for the determination of ?-ray emitting radionuclides imsurface water. The method is based on the concept that at equilibrium the specific radioactivity in the hiosensor is equal to the specific radioactivity in water. The method consists of the measurement of both the radionuclide and the element in the bionensor and the determination of the element level in water. This three- way analysis eliminates problems such as unpredictable biosensor heha- viour, effects of water elemental composition or further abiotic parameter: what remains is the generally high enrichment (bioaccumulation factor BCF) of elements and radionuclides in the hiosensor material.

97100665 Sensitivity of the CH4 growth rate to changes in CH., emissions from natural gas and coal Law. K. S. and Nishet. E. G. J. Geophys. Res.. /A~nto.s./ lY96, ltll(D9). 143X7-14397. This sensitivity study of the CH4 growth rate illustrated the large potential for significantly lowering this growth rate of atmospheric CH1 by reducing fossil fuel emissions from coal, and in particular, by reducing leakage rates from natural gas installations.

97100666 Subacute toxicity of the water-soluble fractions of Kuwait crude oil and partially combusted crude oil on Menidia beryllina and Palaemonetes pugio Gundersen, D. T. cf al., Arch. Environ. Contum. Toxrcol., 1996, 31, (I), I- x. In this study the toxicity of the water-soluble fraction bf crude oil and partially combusted crude oil on a fish, Menidia beryllina. and an invertebrate. Palaemonetes pugio, in l&day flow-through tests was investigated. Specific growth rate was studied as a function of total petroleum hydrocarbon concentration in water. Reductions in specific growth rate were observed in fish exposed to partially combusted crude oil and crude oil water-soluble fractions, with total petroleum hydrocarbon water concentration being IO-fold higher in crude oil exposures than in partially comhusted crude oil exposures.

97100667 Sulfur and nitro 8

en content of conifers and broad- leaved vegetative organs in lovakia Mankovska, B., Ekologia (Bratislavn), 1996, 15, (2). 225-236. The sulfur and nitrogen contents of assimilatory organs of forest trees in four National Parks (NP) and I6 Landscape protection areas (LPA) were ascertained and compared with 1483 permanent monitoring plots in Slovakia. Fly ashes from coal combustion were present on all NP and LPA.

97100666 Surfactant-enhanced bioremediation Churchill, P. F. et al.. Waste Management. 1995, 15. (5/h). 371-377. Model studies were conducted to investigate the ability of three structurally related, non-ionic surfactants and an oleophilic fertilizer to enhance the rate of transport and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons into bacterial cells, and to assess the impact that increasing the aqueous volubility of hydrocarbons has on their rate of biodegredation. Each surfactant dramatically increased the apparent aqueous solubility of phenanthrene. Our results indicate that increasing the apparent aqueous solubility of hydrocarbons can lead to enhanced biodegredation rates by two fsendomotm~ saccharophrfia strains. However, the experiments also suggest that some surfactants can inhibit aromatic hydrocarbon biodegra- dation by certain bacteria. Our data also support the hypothesis that surface-active components present in the oleophilic fertilizer may have significantly contributed to the positive results reported in tests of remedial agent impact on bioremediation, which was used as a supplemental clean- up technology on Exxon Valdez crude oil-contaminated Alaskan beaches.

97100669 Surfactant-enhanced dissolution and biodegrada- tion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coal tar contami- nated soil. Yeom, I., Di.r\. Ahrtr. I~I.. R, 1996, 57, (2). 1348.

97100670 Think globally, act locally? Local climate change and energy policies in Sweden and the UK Collier, U. and Ldfstedt. R. E., Cl&a/ EGronmental Change, April 1997. 7, (I), 25-40. While climate change is obviously a global environmental problem. there is nevertheless potential for policy initiatives at the local level. Although the competences of local authorities vary between countries, they all have some responsibilities in the crucial areas of energy and transport policy. This paper examines local competences in Sweden and the UK and looks at the responses to the climate change issue by six local authorities, focusing on energy related developments. The points of departure are very different in the two countries. Swedish local authorities are much more independent than UK ones, especially through the ownership of local energy companies. Yet. UK local authorities are relatively active in the climate change domain, at least in terms of drawing up response strategies, which they see as an opportunity for reasserting their role, after a long period of erosion of their powers. Furthermore, there is more scope for action in the UK, as in Sweden many potential measures, especially in the energy efficiency field,

have already been taken. However, in both countries climate change is only a relatively marginal area of local environmental policy making and the political will, as well as the financial resources, for more radical measures are often absent.

97100671 Trace element geochemistry of the Whitewood Mine coals in Alberta Gentzis, T. et al., Energy Sources. 1996, 18, (4). 419-445. The paper discusses how subbituminous coals. were taken from a freshly mined open pit and from nine drillholes in the Whitewood Mine, Alberta. and were analyzed for their elemental and radionuclide concentration. The coal ash was additionally analyzed for major oxides, and a comparison was made with coals of similar rank and present in the Highvale Mine (12km away). The Whitewood Mine coals are ‘clean‘ by world standards and do not contain any environmentally deleterious elements in excessive amounts. They are suitable for utilization, but care should be taken to minimize the negative opacity effects on the electrostatic precipitators. The low NazO content in the coals, particularly in the open-pit samples, may affect ash resistivity. This could result in a decrease in the flow of current and thus a decrease in the precipitator efficiency. Certain trends of major oxides in the coal ash are observed in a north-south direction and are discussed, with particular emphasis on the Na20 distribution in the six coal seams.

97100672 Treatment of acid mine water by sulfate-reducing bacteria; results from a bench scale experiment Christensen, B. et al., Water Res., 1996, 30, (7), 1617-3624. In water-filled mines and open pits in pyrite and coal mine areas the overflowing water is often acidic and severely polluted by metals and sulfates. In this paper the results of a study into the effect of stimulating bacterial sulfate reduction in such systems to improve water quality was examined in a bench scale experiment. Polyacrylate cylinders with a sand bed over a bottom layer of crushed stones were filled with acid mine water, supplied with whey to support bacterial growth, and incubated for 203 days. After an initial lag phase, the pH increased, redox potentials dropped, and dissolved Cu, Zn, Fe. and Al concentrations were reduced in cylinders supplied with whey. Simultaneously, a black sludge formed. Acetate tended to accumulate as an undesired waste product. These observations indicated that sulfate-reducing bacteria became active in the cylinders and con- tributed to metal removal. Inoculation with sulfate-reducing bacteria shortened the initial lag phase, but was not necessary to initiate the sulfate-reduction process. The in-y&t treatment concept may he useful in relatively small, well-defined mine water systems, where the process can be governed properly.

97100673 Two-dimensional analytical solutions for a two- pump free product recovery system Lingam, R. and Corapciogluc, M. Y.. Was/c~ Management, 1905, IS. (S/6). 315-323. Presents a model, developed to estimate the free product recovery by a two- pump operation in a two-dimensional aquifer. &verning equations were obtained in terms of free product thickness and water table drawdown by vertical averaging of the mass balance equations for the oil and water phases. Simultaneous analytical solutions of these two coupled equations were obtained by applying an integral transform. The analytical solutions estimate the temporal and spatial variation of free product thickness and drawdown. Presents, graphically the results to illustrate these variations for a particular set of model parameters.

97100674 The use of immunoassay technology to delineate petroleum hydrocarbon contamination Tracy, A. et al., Hydrocarbon Contum. Soils, 1994, 4. 187-397 This paper looks at two expedited site clearances at an army base in the Washington D.C. area performed by immunoassay field screening. One area contained a possible landfill with burn pits and another area involved underground storage tanks that had leaked fuel oil and diesel. This paper discusses time and budgetary savings, quality procedures and comparability of the field screening with laboratory results.

97100675 Vegetation and some properties of initial forest soil situated on the dumping ground slopes of the brown coal mines ‘Turow’ and ‘Adamow’ Krzaklewski, W. et al., Arch. Ochr. SrodoGsko.. 1405. (Pub. l996), (3-4), 99-l 10. Discusses how the result of forest reclamation in the soil environment of the dumping ground slopes in the brown coal mines ‘Adamow’ and ‘Turow’ is the origin of humus level A,,/A, with the depth of 3-6 cm. The humification rate increases after tree heads become fully compact and influences significantly the intensification of the soil-forming processes in the whole soil profile. Favorable content of auxiliary species, such as alder (Ahzus glutinosa) and lupine (Lupinus) is present. The changes in the soil are reflected in the state and development of the plant cover in which, among the plants of ground cover, there appear the first symptoms of forest hiocenosis creation. The evaluation data obtained at the dumping ground

Fuel and Energy Abstracts January 1997 53