Presence and diversity of free-living amoebae and their potential application as water quality indicators.

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are found in diverse environments, such as soils, rivers, and seas. Hence, they can be used as bioindicators to assess the water quality based solely on their presence. In this study, we determined the presence of FLA in river water by filtering water samples collected from various sites and culturing the resulting filtrates. FLA were detected in all the water samples with varying quality grades (Grades Ι-V). The significant increase in the size of the amoebae population with the deterioration in the water quality. Monoxenic cultures of the amoebae were performed, and genomic DNAs were isolated, among which 18S rDNAs were sequenced to identify the amoeba species. Of the 12 species identified, 10 belonged to the Acanthamoeba genus; of the remaining 2 species, one was identified as Vannella croatica and the other as a species of Vermamoeba. Acanthamoeba was detected in samples with Grades Ι to VI quality, whereas the Vermamoeba species was present only in Grade Ι water. V. croatica was found exclusively in water with Grade ΙΙ quality. Following morphological observations, genomic DNA was sequenced using 16S rDNA to determine whether the species of Acanthamoeba harbored endosymbionts. Most of the isolated Acanthamoeba contained endosymbionts, among which 4 species of endogenous bacteria were identified and examined using transmission electron microscopy. This study provides evidence that the distribution of amoebae other than Acanthamoeba may be associated with water quality. However, further confirmation will be required based on accurate water quality ratings and assessments using a more diverse range of FLA.

Iodide enhances degradation of histidine sidechain and imidazoles and forms new iodinated aromatic disinfection byproducts during chlorination.

Peptide-bound histidines and imidazoles are important constituents of dissolved organic matter in water, and understanding the formation of halogenated disinfection byproduct (DBP) formation from these compounds during disinfection is important for ensuring a safe drinking water supply. Previous studies suggested that histidine has low reactivity with chlorine only; this study indicates that iodide substantially enhances histidine reactivity with the disinfectant at a time scale from days to hours. Mono- and di-iodinated histidines were identified as dominant transformation products with cumulative molar yields of 3.3 % at 6 h and they were stable in water over 7 days. These products were formed via electrophilic substitution of iodine to imidazole ring when hypoiodous acid reacted with histidine sidechain. Bromide minimally influenced the formation yields of these iodinated products, and higher pH increased yields up to 12 % for pH in the range 5-9. The cumulative concentration of low-molecular-weight DBPs, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, was less than 0.3 % under the same conditions. Similar iodinated imidazole analogs were also identified from other imidazoles (i.e., imidazole-carboxylic and phenyl-imidazole-carboxylic acids). This study demonstrated that peptide-bound histidine and imidazoles can serve as important precursors to iodinated aromatic DBPs, facilitating the identification of less-known iodinated DBPs.

Mechanisms of absorption and desorption of CO2 by molten NaNO3-promoted MgO.

In order to realize carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), a technology proposed to circumvent the global warming problem while maintaining the present level of economic activity, the development of efficient carbon-capturing agents is of prime importance. In addition to the prevailing amine-based agents that operate at temperatures lower than 200 °C, agents that can operate at higher temperatures are being considered to reduce the cost of CCS. For the mid-temperature (200-500 °C) operation, alkali nitrate-promoted MgO is a promising candidate; whose detailed reaction mechanisms are not yet fully understood, however. In the present study, we have performed a comprehensive investigation on the mechanisms of CO2 absorption and desorption of NaNO3-promoted MgO. Highly efficient CO2 absorbents were obtained by decomposing Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O with NaNO3 intimately mixed with it. Our collective data, including isothermal CO2 uptake curves, MgO solubility in molten NaNO3, and observations on the reaction of MgO wafers with CO2, indicate that the absorption takes place in the molten NaNO3 medium in which both CO2 and MgO are dissolved. MgCO3 is formed inside the molten promoter through the nucleation and growth steps. The decomposition of MgCO3 back to MgO, that is desorption of CO2, is also facilitated by molten NaNO3, which we attribute to the decreased relative stability of MgCO3 with respect to MgO when in contact with molten NaNO3. The relative affinity of molten nitrate to MgO and MgCO3 was estimated by measuring the 'contact angles' of nitrate on them. Implications of our findings for the real applications of alkali nitrate-promoted MgO absorbents with numerous repeated cycles of absorption and desorption of CO2 are discussed.

Effects of Cr2O3 modification on the performance of SnO2 electrodes in DSSCs.

In this paper, we demonstrate that Cr(2)O(3), a visible absorbing insulator, can be used as an efficient blocking layer material for the anode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We prepared SnO(2) electrodes surface-modified with Cr(2)O(3) with various Cr/Sn ratios and studied the effect of the modification on the performance of DSSCs. DSSCs with Cr/Sn ratios 0.02, 0.05, and 0.10 showed increased overall photon-to-electricity conversion efficiency from that of pure SnO(2). Especially, the DSSC with the Cr/Sn ratio 0.02 showed a remarkably large increase by 55%. The electrode materials were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption studies, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The Cr-containing species appears to be Cr(2)O(3) nanoparticles, spread evenly on the SnO(2) nanoparticles and filling the gap space between SnO(2) particles. The electrochemical properties of the electrodes were characterized by Mott-Schottky plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. As the Cr-content increases, the flat-band potential is negatively shifted. The impedance spectroscopy data show that Cr/Sn = 0.02 and 0.05 samples have lower charge transport resistance at the electrode, which can be explained by the rise of the conduction level due to the charge transfer from the more basic Cr(2)O(3) nanoparticles to SnO(2) nanoparticles. These observations corroborate with the trends of the short-circuit current and the open-circuit voltage of the DSSCs.