A needle-type extraction device is one of the promising sample preparation devices for the gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of various organic compounds. The most remarkable advantage of this device is a simple and rapid desorption of the analytes by direct insertion of an extraction needle into a conventional GC injection port. In this review, fundamental aspects of the needle-type extraction...

Trace organic compounds associated with human activity are now ubiquitous in the environment. As the population becomes more urbanized and the use of pesticides and person care products continues to increase, urban waterways are likely to receive higher loads of trace organic contaminants with unknown ecological consequences. To establish the extent of trace organic contamination in urban runof...

An initial goal of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program is to determine the frequency of occurrence and concentrations of a wide range of anthropogenic and natural compounds in the Nation’s surface and ground water. A large number of contaminants are being monitored including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, nutrients, and trace elements. ...

Results reported here highlight the potential and several challenges in the development of a novel osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) process for the treatment of municipal wastewater. Following the initial gradual decline, a stable permeate flux value was obtained after approximately four days of continuous operation. There was evidence of continuous deterioration of biological activity of the...

BACKGROUND The widespread utilization of organic compounds in modern society and their dispersion through wastewater have resulted in extensive contamination of source and drinking waters. The vast majority of these compounds are not regulated in wastewater outfalls or in drinking water while trace amounts of certain compounds can impact aquatic wildlife. Hence it is prudent to monitor these co...

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) are two types of microbial bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) that use microorganisms to convert chemical energy in wastewaters into useful energy products such as (bio)electricity (MFC) or hydrogen gas (MEC). These two systems were evaluated for their capacity to attenuate trace organic compounds (TOrCs), commonly found in muni...

Selenium is an important trace element with anti-cancer properties. In the present study, the apoptosis-inducing effects of organic selenium derivatives, namely methyl-L-selenocysteine and selenomethionine, were evaluated in vitro on human tumour-derived cell lines from breast, liver, colon, brain, skin and a non-tumorigenic line of epithelial origin. Apoptosis was assessed by cell-death detect...

The trace minerals zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium are components of a wide variety of enzymes and proteins that support metabolism, growth, production, and reproduction. Trace mineral supplements are added to dairy cattle rations to prevent mineral deficiencies, and supplementation has traditionally been provided in the form of inorganic salts. When these inorganic salts dissociate in th...

It is well-documented that organic compounds form strong complexes with most metals in aquatic systems, and that seawater is a complex medium which contains a large variety of organic and inorganic ligands, including colloidal matter. We suggest that most trace metals are complexed in seawater and that some inorganic metals complexes are either labile or not stable. In contrast, metal-organic c...