Dye removal by immobilised fungi.

In this article the environmental and socio-economical impacts of the production of ethanol from sugarcane in the state of Sao Paulo (Brazil) are evaluated. Subsequently, an attempt is made to determine to what extent these impacts are a bottleneck for a sustainable and certified ethanol production. Seventeen environmental and socio-economic areas of concern are analysed. Four parameters are used to evaluate if an area of concern is a bottleneck: (1) the importance of the area of concern, based on the severity of the impact and the frequency of which an aspect is mentioned in the literature as an area of concern, (2) the availability of indicators and criteria, (3) the necessity of improvement strategies to reach compliance with Brazilian and/or (inter) national legislation, standards, guidelines and sustainability criteria, and (4) the impact of these improvement strategies on the costs and potential of ethanol production. Fourteen areas of concern are classified as a minor or medium bottleneck. For 7 areas of concern the additional costs to avoid or reduce undesirable effects have been calculated at ⩽+10% for each area of concern. Due to higher yields and overlapping costs the total additional production costs of compliance with various environmental and socio-economic criteria are about +36%. This study also shows that the energy input to output ratio can be increased and the greenhouse gas emissions reduced by increasing the ethanol production per tonne cane and by increasing the use of sugarcane waste for electricity production. A major bottleneck for a sustainable and certified production is the increase in cane production and the possible impacts on biodiversity and the competition with food production. Genetically modified cane is presently being developed, but is at this moment not (yet) applied. Both a ban on and the allowance of the use of genetically modified cane could become a major bottleneck considering the potentially large benefits and disadvantages, that are both highly uncertain at this moment. The approach demonstrated in this report provides a useful framework for the development of a practically applicable certification system, but further monitoring and research is required to reduce gaps in knowledge in combination with stakeholder consultation (particularly with respect to the three bottlenecks identified in this article).

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The sustainability of Brazilian ethanol - an assessment of the possibilities of certified production

Paraquat-loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles: preparation, characterization and soil sorption studies.

From their origin as an early alpha proteobacterial endosymbiont to their current state as cellular organelles, large-scale genomic reorganization has taken place in the mitochondria of all main eukaryotic lineages. So far, most studies have focused on plant and animal mitochondrial (mt) genomes (mtDNA), but fungi provide new opportunities to study highly differentiated mtDNAs. Here, we analyzed 38 complete fungal mt genomes to investigate the evolution of mtDNA gene order among fungi. In particular, we looked for evidence of nonhomologous intrachromosomal recombination and investigated the dynamics of gene rearrangements. We investigated the effect that introns, intronic open reading frames (ORFs), and repeats may have on gene order. Additionally, we asked whether the distribution of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) evolves independently to that of mt protein-coding genes. We found that fungal mt genomes display remarkable variation between and within the major fungal phyla in terms of gene order, genome size, composition of intergenic regions, and presence of repeats, introns, and associated ORFs. Our results support previous evidence for the presence of mt recombination in all fungal phyla, a process conspicuously lacking in most Metazoa. Overall, the patterns of rearrangements may be explained by the combined influences of recombination (i.e., most likely nonhomologous and intrachromosomal), accumulated repeats, especially at intergenic regions, and to a lesser extent, mobile element dynamics.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01302669/document

High Variability of Mitochondrial Gene Order among Fungi

The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture can lead to water contamination and cause adverse effects on non-target organisms. Brazil has been the world's top pesticide market consumer since 2008, with 381 approved pesticides for crop use. This study provides a comprehensive literature review on the occurrence of pesticide residues in Brazilian freshwaters. We searched for information in official agency records and peer-reviewed scientific literature. Risk quotients were calculated to assess the potential risk posed to aquatic life by the individual pesticides based on their levels of water contamination. Studies about the occurrence of pesticides in freshwaters in Brazil are scarce and concentrated in few sampling sites in 5 of the 27 states. Herbicides (21) accounted for the majority of the substances investigated, followed by fungicides (11), insecticides (10) and plant growth regulators (1). Insecticides are the class of major concern. Brazil would benefit from the implementation of a nationwide pesticide freshwater monitoring program to support preventive, remediation and enforcement actions.

Pesticides in Brazilian freshwaters: a critical review.

SPATIAL-TEMPORAL DIAGNOSTIC OF HERBICIDE OCCURRENCE IN SURFACE WATERS AND SEDIMENTS OF CORUMBATAI RIVER AND MAIN AFFLUENTS. Residues of herbicides from sugarcane were monitored in waters and sediments of Corumbatai River and tributaries. Ametryne, atrazine, simazine, hexazinone, glyphosate, and clomazone were detected in water samples, with negligible levels of ametryne and glyphosate in sediment samples. The area of recharge of the Guarani aquifer presented the highest triazine and clomazone levels. The triazines were detected at higher levels, with atrazine above Brazil's potability and quality standards. Total herbicide levels at some sampling points were 13 times higher than the European Community potability limit. There is no Brazilian standard for ametryne, although the risk is larger due to ametryne's higher toxicity for the aquatic biota.

/pdf/diagnostico-espaco-temporal-da-ocorrencia-de-herbicidas-nas-18jyn37tgs.pdf

Diagnóstico espaço-temporal da ocorrência de herbicidas nas águas superficiais e sedimentos do Rio Corumbataí e principais afluentes

The state of Sao Paulo is the main Brazilian consumer of pesticides. Sugar cane, which uses a great amount of these products, is extensivelly cultivated in this state, such as in the Corumbatai river basin, an important source of water for the region. In order to implement an efficient and low-cost monitoring program, the temporal characterization of the use of pesticides on sugar cane in this basin was performed. After knowing the seasonal trends of consumption, a better choice of sampling time, became possible. The combination of data from this survey with partitioning indices, average doses and toxicological classifications showed to be important for defining the pesticides to be included in the monitoring program.

/pdf/uso-de-agrotoxicos-em-cana-de-acucar-na-bacia-do-rio-4oghvr4sbb.pdf

Uso de agrotóxicos em cana-de-açúcar na bacia do Rio Corumbataí e o risco de poluição hídrica

https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/bitstream/icict/19391/2/Formighieri%20E%20The%20mitochondrial%20genome%20of%20the%20....pdf

The mitochondrial genome of the phytopathogenic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is 109 kb in size and contains a stable integrated plasmid

Effluents generated by the textile industry are of environmental concern because of the presence of dyes with complex molecular structure, which confer them recalcitrant characteristics. Indigo is one of the most widely used dyes within the textile sector and studies have suggested that edible fungi may be capable of its biodegradation. A textile effluent was mixed with sugarcane bagasse and inoculated with Pleurotus sajor-caju, the decolorization being evaluated after 14 days, when the process was observed. Enzymatic activities of laccase, peroxidase and manganese peroxidase were determined, the production of these ligninolytic enzymes being evident and a synergism among them being likely in the decolorizing process.

/pdf/biodegradacao-de-efluente-textil-por-pleurotus-sajor-caju-329r37w7oa.pdf

Eduardo Dutra de Armas

Papers

Diagnóstico espaço-temporal da ocorrência de herbicidas nas águas superficiais e sedimentos do Rio Corumbataí e principais afluentes

Uso de agrotóxicos em cana-de-açúcar na bacia do Rio Corumbataí e o risco de poluição hídrica

The mitochondrial genome of the phytopathogenic basidiomycete Moniliophthora perniciosa is 109 kb in size and contains a stable integrated plasmid

Biodegradação de efluente têxtil por Pleurotus sajor-caju