TY - JOUR A1 - Bresch, Harald A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Schmidt, Alexandra A1 - Rasmussen, K. A1 - Rauscher, H. T1 - Counting Small Particles in Electron Microscopy Images — Proposal for Rules and Their Application in Practice N2 - Electron microscopy (EM) is the gold standard for the characterisation of the morphology (size and shape) of nanoparticles. Visual observation of objects under examination is always a necessary first step in the characterisation process. Several questions arise when undertaking to identify and count particles to measure their size and shape distribution. In addition to challenges with the dispersion and identification of the particles, more than one protocol for counting particles is in use. This paper focuses on precise rules for the counting of particles in EM micrographs, as this influences the measurement accuracy of the number of particles, thus implicitly affecting the size values of the counted particles. We review and compare four different, commonly used methods for counting, which we then apply in case studies. The impact of the selected counting rule on the obtained final particle size distribution is highlighted. One main aim of this analysis is to support the application of a specific, well-defined counting approach in accordance with regulatory requirements to contribute to achieving more reliable and reproducible results. It is also useful for the new harmonised measurement procedures for determining the particle size and particle size distribution of nanomaterials. KW - Nano KW - Particle size distribution KW - Nanoparticle KW - Nanomaterial KW - OECD PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551891 SN - 2079-4991 VL - 12 IS - 13 SP - 2238 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-55189 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Simon, Fabian A1 - Gehrenkemper, Lennart A1 - von der Au, Marcus A1 - Wittwer, Phillip A1 - Roesch, Philipp A1 - Pfeifer, Jens A1 - Cossmer, Antje A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - A fast and simple PFAS extraction method utilizing HR–CS–GFMAS for soil samples N2 - Here, we describe an optimized fast and simple extraction method for the determination of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) in soils utilizing high resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR–CS–GFMAS). To omit the bias of the solid phase extraction (SPE) step commonly used during the analysis of extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF) we optimized a fast and simple SPE-free extraction method. The developed extraction method consists of a liquid-solid extraction using acidified methanol without any additional SPE. Four extraction steps were representative to determine a high proportion of the EOF (>80% of eight extractions). Comparison of the optimized method with and without an additional SPE clean-up step revealed a drastic underestimation of EOF concentrations using SPE. Differences of up to 94% were observed which were not explainable by coextracted inorganic fluoride. Therefore, not only a more accurate but also a more economic as well as ecologic method (bypassing of unnecessary SPE) was developed. The procedural limit of quantification (LOQ) of the developed method was 10.30 μg/kg which was sufficient for quantifying EOF concentrations in all tested samples. For future PFAS monitoring and potential regulative decisions the herein presented optimized extraction method can offer a valuable contribution. KW - Per- and polyfluorinated alkly substances (PFASs) KW - High resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) KW - Soils KW - Solid phase extraction (SPE) KW - Extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF) KW - Solid-liquid extraction PY - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133922 VL - 295 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-54359 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Albarrán Martínez, M. J. A1 - Ghigo, Tea T1 - The practice of writing inside an Egyptian monastic settlement N2 - Over the last few years, the Federal Institute for material research (BAM, Berlin) together with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC, University of Hamburg) have initiated a systematic material investigation of black inks produced from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages (ca. fourth century CE–fourteenth/fifteenth centuries CE), aimed primarily at extending and complementing findings from previous sporadic studies. Part of this systematic investigation has focused on Egyptian Coptic manuscripts, and the present preliminary study is one of its outputs. It centres on a corpus of 45 Coptic manuscripts—43 papyri and 2 ostraca—preserved at the Palau-Ribes and Roca-Puig collections in Barcelona. The manuscripts come from the Monastery of Apa Apollo at Bawit, one of the largest monastic settlements in Egypt between the Late Antiquity and the Early Islamic Period (sixth–eighth centuries CE). The composition of their black inks was investigated in situ using near-infrared reflectography (NIRR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The analyses determined that the manuscripts were written using different types of ink: pure carbon ink; carbon ink containing iron; mixed inks containing carbon, polyphenols and metallic elements; and iron-gall ink. The variety of inks used for the documentary texts seems to reflect the articulate administrative system of the monastery of Bawit. This study reveals that, in contrast to the documents, written mostly with carbon-based inks, literary biblical texts were written with iron-gall ink. The frequent reuse of papyrus paper for certain categories of documents may suggest that carbon-based inks were used for ephemeral manuscripts, since they were easy to erase by abrasion. KW - Papyrus KW - Ink analysis KW - Coptic manuscripts KW - Bawit KW - Mixed ink KW - Near-infrared refectography KW - X-ray fuorescence PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-528833 SN - 2050-7445 VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Springer Open CY - Rome, Italy AN - OPUS4-52883 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Borzekowski, Antje A1 - Drewitz, T. A1 - Keller, Julia A1 - Pfeifer, Dietmar A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Koch, Matthias A1 - Rohn, S. A1 - Maul, R. T1 - Biosynthesis and characterization of zearalenone-14-sulfate, zearalenone-14-glucoside and zearalenone-16-glucoside using common fungal strains N2 - Zearalenone (ZEN) and its phase II sulfate and glucoside metabolites have been detected in food and feed commodities. After consumption, the conjugates can be hydrolyzed by the human intestinal microbiota leading to liberation of ZEN that implies an underestimation of the true ZEN exposure. To include ZEN conjugates in routine analysis, reliable standards are needed, which are currently not available. Thus, the aim of the present study was to develop a facilitated biosynthesis of ZEN-14-sulfate, ZEN-14-glucoside and ZEN-16-glucoside. A metabolite screening was conducted by adding ZEN to liquid fungi cultures of known ZEN conjugating Aspergillus and Rhizopus strains. Cultivation conditions and ZEN incubation time were varied. All media samples were analyzed for metabolite formation by HPLC-MS/MS. In addition, a consecutive biosynthesis was developed by using Fusarium graminearum for ZEN biosynthesis with subsequent conjugation of the toxin by utilizing Aspergillus and Rhizopus species. ZEN-14-sulfate (yield: 49%) is exclusively formed by Aspergillus oryzae. ZEN-14-glucoside (yield: 67%) and ZEN-16-glucoside (yield: 39%) are formed by Rhizopus oryzae and Rhizopus oligosporus, respectively. Purities of ≥73% ZEN-14-sulfate, ≥82% ZEN-14-glucoside and ≥50% ZEN-16-glucoside were obtained by 1H-NMR. In total, under optimized cultivation conditions, fungi can be easily utilized for a targeted and regioselective synthesis of ZEN conjugates. KW - Mycotoxin KW - Zearalenone KW - Conjugate KW - Biosynthesis KW - Fusarium KW - Aspergillus KW - Rhizopus PY - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-444246 SN - 2072-6651 VL - 10 IS - 3 SP - Article 104, 1 EP - 15 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-44424 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Smol, M. A1 - Adam, Christian A1 - Kugler, Stefan T1 - Analiza możliwości wykorzystania w Polsce popiołów ze spalania komunalnych osadów ściekowych na cele nawozowe T1 - Use of municipal sewage sludge ash for fertilizing purposes. An analysis of possibilities in Poland N2 - Popioły pochodzące z instalacji do spalania komunalnych osadów ściekowych, znajdującej się na terytorium Polski, poddano procesom termochemicznego przekształcania, dzięki czemu otrzymano produkty nawozowe spełniające kryteria dopuszczające je do obrotu jako nawozy mineralne. Ponadto dokonano analizy możliwości wykorzystania popiołów na cele nawozowe zgodnie z obecnie przyjętymi dokumentami strategicznymi i planistycznymi dotyczącymi gospodarki odpadami na poziomie krajowym i europejskim. N2 - Ashes from thermal transformation of municipal sewage sludge were thermochem. modified at 1000°C in the presence of NaHCO3 and sewage sludge to obtain CaNaPO4 and reduce the content of heavy metals in the produced fertilizer. Its bioavailability was more than 99% higher than that of raw ashes (50%). The nutrient content was 13.56 % Ca, 6.33% P, 4.36% K and 5.0% Fe. The content of heavy metals in fertilizer products met the std. requirements and was exceeded only in the case of Pb (278.3 mg/kg d.m.). KW - Ashes KW - Waste KW - Phosphorus KW - Recovery KW - Fertilizer PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.15199/62.2020.8.14 VL - 99 IS - 8 SP - 1186 EP - 1191 AN - OPUS4-51267 LA - pol AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kalbe, Ute A1 - Lehnik-Habrink, Petra A1 - Bandow, Nicole A1 - Sauer, Andreas T1 - Validation of European horizontal methods for the analysis of PAH, PCB and dioxins in sludge, treated biowaste and soil N2 - Draft standards for the determination of organic pollutants in the solid matter of environmental matrices such as sludge, treated biowaste and soil have been basically developed in the framework of the European standardization project HORIZONTAL. A research project financed by the German Federal Environment Agency was initiated to finalize some of these CEN standard drafts, since fully validated standard procedures are crucial for the evaluation of their reliability in the context of implementation in legislation on environmental health. Approach: Appropriate test materials (< 2mm particle size) were prepared and homogenized from contaminated soils, sludge and treated biowaste containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, furans and dioxin-like-PCB and served, along with reference solutions, as the basis for international interlaboratory comparisons. Performance data of three analytical standard procedures were obtained by the statistical evaluation of results received from 11 to 29 participants per test material. Results: The overall variation coefficients of reproducibility (between-lab standard deviations) for the sum parameters were roughly between 10 and 35 %. The variation coefficients of repeatability (within-lab standard deviations) range between 3 % and 8 % and show no trend considering the substance groups or matrices. The highest coefficients of reproducibility were found for the analysis of PAHs, which were between 26 and 35 %, depending on the matrix, whereas 7-17 % reproducibility was observed for toxicity equivalents (TEQ) comprising dioxins, furans and dl-PCB. Conclusions: Overall, the results confirm that the procedures described in the Technical Specifications are fit for purpose for all three matrices and that the feasibility of the HORIZONTAL approach, to cover several matrices with one standard per analyte, was thereby proven. KW - Standardization KW - Analytical methods KW - Organic contaminants KW - Validation trial KW - Interlaboratory comparison PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-479914 SN - 2190-4715 VL - 31 SP - 29, 1 EP - 10 PB - Springer CY - Berlin, Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-47991 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Borzekowski, Antje A1 - Anggriawan, R. A1 - Auliyati, M. A1 - Kunte, Hans-Jörg A1 - Koch, Matthias A1 - Rohn, S. A1 - Karlovsky, P. A1 - Maul, Ronald T1 - Formation of Zearalenone Metabolites in Tempeh Fermentation N2 - Tempeh is a common food in Indonesia, produced by fungal fermentation of soybeans using Rhizopus sp., as well as Aspergillus oryzae, for inoculation. Analogously, for economic reasons, mixtures of maize and soybeans are used for the production of so-called tempeh-like products. For maize, a contamination with the mycoestrogen zearalenone (ZEN) has been frequently reported. ZEN is a mycotoxin which is known to be metabolized by Rhizopus and Aspergillus species. Consequently, this study focused on the ZEN transformation during tempeh fermentation. Five fungal strains of the genera Rhizopus and Aspergillus, isolated from fresh Indonesian tempeh and authentic Indonesian inocula, were utilized for tempeh manufacturing from a maize/soybean mixture (30:70) at laboratory-scale. Furthermore, comparable tempeh-like products obtained from Indonesian markets were analyzed. Results from the HPLC-MS/MS analyses show that ZEN is intensely transformed into its metabolites alpha-zearalenol (alpha-ZEL), ZEN-14-sulfate, alpha-ZEL-sulfate, ZEN-14-glucoside, and ZEN-16-glucoside in tempeh production. alpha-ZEL, being significantly more toxic than ZEN, was the main metabolite in most of the Rhizopus incubations, while in Aspergillus oryzae fermentations ZEN-14-sulfate was predominantly formed. Additionally, two of the 14 authentic samples were contaminated with ZEN, alpha-ZEL and ZEN-14-sulfate, and in two further samples, ZEN and alpha-ZEL, were determined. Consequently, tempeh fermentation of ZEN-contaminated maize/soybean mixture may lead to toxification of the food item by formation of the reductive ZEN metabolite, alpha-ZEL, under model as well as authentic conditions. KW - Modified mycotoxins KW - Zearalenone sulfate KW - a-zearalenol KW - Food fermentation KW - Rhizopus and Aspergillus oryzae PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-491126 VL - 24 IS - 15 SP - 2697 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-49112 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schulze-Makuch, D. A1 - Haque, S. A1 - Beckles, D. A1 - Schmitt-Kopplin, P. A1 - Harir, M. A1 - Schneider, Beate A1 - Stumpp, C. A1 - Wagner, D. T1 - A chemical and microbial characterization of selected mud volcanoes in Trinidad reveals pathogens introduced by surface water and rain water N2 - Terrestrial mud volcanoes are unique structures driven by tectonic pressure and fluids from the deep subsurface. These structures are mainly found in active tectonic zones, such as the area near the Los Bajos Fault in Trinidad. Here we report a chemical and microbiological characterization of three mud volcanoes, which included analyses of multiple liquid and solid samples from the mud volcanoes. Our study confirms previous suggestions that at least some of the mud volcano fluids are a mixture of deeper salt-rich water and surficial/precipitation water. No apparent water quality differences were found between sampling sites north and south of a major geological fault line. Microbiological analyses revealed diverse communities, both aerobic and anaerobic, including sulfate reducers, methanogens, carbon dioxide fixing and denitrifying bacteria. Several identified species were halophilic and likely derived from the deeper salt-rich subsurface water, while we also cultivated pathogenic species from the Vibrionaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Shewanellaceae, and Clostridiaceae. These microorganisms were likely introduced into the mud volcano fluids both from surface water or shallow ground-water, and perhaps to a more minor degree by rain water. The identified pathogens are a major health concern that needs to be addressed. KW - Water stable isotope analysis KW - Mud volcanoe fluids KW - Metabolomics PY - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136087 VL - 707 SP - 136087 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-50499 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gehrenkemper, Lennart A1 - Simon, Fabian A1 - Roesch, Philipp A1 - Fischer, E. A1 - von der Au, Marcus A1 - Pfeifer, Jens A1 - Cossmer, Antje A1 - Wittwer, Philipp A1 - Vogel, Christian A1 - Simon, Franz-Georg A1 - Meermann, Björn T1 - Determination of organically bound fluorine sum parameters in river water samples - Comparison of combustion ion chromatography (CIC) and high resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) N2 - In this study, we compare combustion ion chromatography (CIC) and high resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) with respect to their applicability for determining organically Bound fluorine sum parameters. Extractable (EOF) and adsorbable (AOF) organically bound fluorine as well as total fluorine (TF) were measured in samples fromriver Spree in Berlin, Germany, to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of the two techniques used as well as the two established fluorine sum Parameters AOF and EOF. TF concentrations determined via HR-CS-GFMAS and CIC were comparable between 148 and 270 μg/L. On average, AOF concentrations were higher than EOF concentrations, with AOF making up 0.14–0.81% of TF (determined using CIC) and EOF 0.04–0.28% of TF (determined using HR-CSGFMAS). The results obtained by the two independent methods were in good agreement. It turned out that HR-CS-GFMAS is a more sensitive and precise method for fluorine analysis compared to CIC. EOF and AOF are comparable tools in Risk evaluation for the emerging pollutants per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances; however, EOF is much faster to conduct. KW - High resolution-continuum source-graphite furnace molecular absorption spectrometry (HR-CS-GFMAS) KW - Combustion ion chromatography (CIC) KW - Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) KW - Adsorbable organically bound fluorine (AOF) KW - Extractable organically bound fluorine (EOF) KW - Surface waters PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515351 SN - 1618-2650 VL - 413 IS - 28 SP - 103 EP - 115 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-51535 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Even, Morgane A1 - Juritsch, Elevtheria A1 - Richter, Matthias T1 - Measurement of very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs) in indoor air by sorbent-based active sampling: Identifying the gaps towards standardisation N2 - The ISO 16000-6 standard describes a method for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor and test chamber air by sorbent-based active sampling, thermal desorption and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). It also gives directions to adapt this methodology to very volatile organic compounds (VVOCs). Indeed, toxicologically based guideline values are being implemented for these compounds and it becomes necessary to measure them. But a comprehensive and robust measurement method is lacking. This work highlights the points that still need to be explored towards the standardisation of a suitable procedure: investigations on sorbent combinations, the suitability of chromatography columns and the use of gaseous standards are required. The biggest challenge remains in the fact that strong sorbents adsorb water together with VVOCs. Water may impair the analysis and the optimal approach to eliminate it is still to be found and integrated into the sampling strategy. KW - Solvents KW - Air analysis KW - VOC KW - Thermal desorption KW - Gas chromatography KW - ISO 16000-6 PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523919 VL - 140 SP - 116265 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-52391 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -