Effect of inoculation with white-rot fungi and fungal consortium on the composting efficiency of municipal solid waste.

An investigation was carried out on the effect of inoculation methods on the compost of an organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Three types of white-rot fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Fomes fomentarius), and a consortium of these fungi, were used. The study assessed their influence on microbial enzymatic activities and the quality of the finished compost. It was found that the addition of white-rot fungi to municipal solid waste (after 37days of composting) could be a useful strategy for enhancing the properties of the final compost product. In comparison with the control sample (compost without inoculation), it accelerates degradation of solid waste as indicated by changes in C/N, electrical conductivity and pH. However, the effectiveness of waste degradation and compost maturation depends on the type of microorganism used for inoculation. The presence of inoculants, such as Trametes versicolor and Fomes fomentarius, led to a higher degrading ratio and a better degree of maturity. This resulted in an increase of enzymatic activities (especially dehydrogenase and protease) and a germination index in comparison with inoculation using Phanerochaete chrysosporium or a consortium of fungi.

Online molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of hormones in water and sediment samples.

The molecularly imprinted SPE directly coupled to RP LC-MS/MS method has been developed and successfully validated for the determination of six hormones in water and sediment samples. The method is based on the use the home-made column filled with a molecularly imprinted sorbent (imprinted against estrogens) that was used under nonaqueous conditions. Thus, its high selectivity could be utilized resulting in low matrix components' coextraction. The method showed excellent recovery (92-105%) and satisfactory sensitivity (LOQs water: 1.9-4.0 ng/L; LOQs sediment: 0.2-0.5 ng/g). The intra- and interprecision for water and sediment was in the range of 4.0-6.0% and 4.4-7.6%, respectively. Finally, 20 water and sediment samples collected from the Svratka river were analyzed. Only estrone was quantified in eight water samples (4.4-7.1 ng/L); no analytes were found in sediment samples.