Organophosphorus pesticide ozonation and formation of oxon intermediates.

In the present study, organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) (diazinon, methyl parathion, and parathion) were oxidized by bubbling ozone into a glass reactor. OP residues were detected using HPLC and ozonation intermediates were identified using GC-MS. The degradation of OPs followed pseudo-first-order kinetics through direct ozone oxidation and indirect hydroxyl radical oxidation. Diazinon, based on its relatively higher degradation constant, was easily degraded by ozonation. Increasing the pH of the solution accelerated diazinon degradation, but little effect was observed for methyl parathion or parathion. Diazoxon, methyl paraoxon and paraoxon were identified as ozonation intermediates of diazinon, methyl parathion and parathion, respectively. The ozonation of the PS group results in the formation of oxon intermediates, which suggests that OPs with this group would be degraded in a similar manner to that seen for the OPs tested in this study. Diazoxon was completely decomposed by ozonation in 30min, while trace methyl paraoxon and paraoxon accumulated to different amounts when the solution pH was varied. The presence of oxon intermediates should be noted in OP removal by ozonation.

Effects of organophosphorus pesticides and their ozonation byproducts on gap junctional intercellular communication in rat liver cell line.

The effects of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), oxons and their ozonation byproducts on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) on cultured BRL cell line were investigated using scrape loading and dye transfer (SL/DT) technique. The neutral red uptake assay was used to identify the non-cytotoxic levels of diazinon, parathion and methyl-parathion applied to GJIC assay. The concentration-dependent inhibition of GJIC was observed over a range of 50-350 mg/l diazinon, parathion and methyl-parathion after 90 min incubation compared with the vehicle control. However, oxons and ozonation byproducts of OPs had no inhibition effect on GJIC at any of the concentrations tested. The inhibition of GJIC by OPs was reversible after removal of the tested pesticides followed by incubation with fresh medium. The present study suggested that the ozonation treatment could be used for the detoxification of drinking water and food crops contaminated with diazinon, parathion and methyl-parathion without formation of GJIC toxicity.

Structural characterization of a 2-O-acetylglucomannan from Dendrobium officinale stem.

A heteropolysaccharide obtained from an aqueous extract of dried stem of Dendrobium officinale Kimura and Migo by anion-exchange chromatography and gel-permeation chromatography, was investigated by chemical techniques and NMR spectroscopy, and is demonstrated to be a 2-O-acetylglucomannan, composed of mannose, glucose, and arabinose in 40.2:8.4:1 molar ratios. It has a backbone of (1-->4)-linked beta-d-mannopyranosyl residues and beta-d-glucopyranosyl residues, with branches at O-6 consisting of terminal and (1-->3)-linked Manp, (1-->3)-linked Glcp, and a small proportion of arabinofuranosyl residues at the terminal position. The acetyl groups are substituted at O-2 of (1-->4)-linked Manp and Glcp. The main repeating unit of the polysaccharides is reported.

Evaluation of leachate recirculation on nitrous oxide production in the Likang Landfill, China.

Landfill leachate recirculation is efficient in reducing the leachate quantity handled by a leachate treatment plant. However, after land application of leachate, nitrification and denitrification of the ammoniacal N becomes possible and the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) is produced. Lack of information on the effects of leachate recirculation on N2O production led to a field study being conducted in the Likang Landfill (Guangzhou, China) where leachate recirculation had been practiced for 8 yr. Monthly productions and fluxes of N2O from leachate and soil were studied from June to November 2000. Environmental and chemical factors regulating N2O production were also accessed. An impermeable top liner was not used at this site; municipal solid waste was simply covered by inert soil and compacted by bulldozers. A high N2O emission rate (113 mg m-2 h-1) was detected from a leachate pond purposely formed on topsoil within the landfill boundary after leachate irrigation. A high N2O level (1.09 micrograms L-1) was detected in a gas sample emitted from topsoil 1 m from the leachate pond. Nitrous oxide production from denitrification in leachate-contaminated soil was at least 20 times higher than that from nitrification based on laboratory incubation studies. The N2O levels emitted from leachate ponds were compared with figures reported for different ecosystems and showed that the results of the present study were 68.7 to 88.6 times higher. Leachate recirculation can be a cost-effective operation in reducing the volume of leachate to be treated in landfill. However, to reduce N2O flux, leachate should be applied to underground soil rather than being irrigated and allowed to flow on topsoil.