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- 4 Material und Umwelt (442)
- 4.4 Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung (95)
- 4.1 Biologische Materialschädigung und Referenzorganismen (91)
- 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien (81)
- 4.2 Material-Mikrobiom Wechselwirkungen (77)
- 4.5 Kunst- und Kulturgutanalyse (66)
- 4.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (46)
- 6 Materialchemie (30)
- 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien (27)
- 6.1 Oberflächen- und Dünnschichtanalyse (16)
- 1.1 Anorganische Spurenanalytik (11)
- 1.4 Prozessanalytik (10)
- 6.2 Material- und Oberflächentechnologien (10)
- 7 Bauwerkssicherheit (10)
- 1.7 Organische Spuren- und Lebensmittelanalytik (7)
- 1.8 Umweltanalytik (7)
- 4.6 Molekulare und angewandte Entomologie (7)
- 5 Werkstofftechnik (7)
- 7.1 Baustoffe (6)
- 1.2 Biophotonik (5)
- 7.4 Baustofftechnologie (5)
- 8 Zerstörungsfreie Prüfung (5)
- 9 Komponentensicherheit (5)
- 1.9 Chemische und optische Sensorik (4)
- 6.3 Strukturanalytik (4)
- 6.6 Physik und chemische Analytik der Polymere (4)
- 5.4 Multimateriale Fertigungsprozesse (3)
- 7.5 Technische Eigenschaften von Polymerwerkstoffen (3)
- 8.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (3)
- 9.3 Schweißtechnische Fertigungsverfahren (3)
- 5.1 Mikrostruktur Design und Degradation (2)
- 5.3 Polymere Verbundwerkstoffe (2)
- 8.1 Sensorik, mess- und prüftechnische Verfahren (2)
- 8.5 Röntgenbildgebung (2)
- 9.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (2)
- 1.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (1)
- 2 Prozess- und Anlagensicherheit (1)
- 2.1 Sicherheit von Energieträgern (1)
- 5.6 Glas (1)
- 6.7 Materialsynthese und Design (1)
- 7.6 Korrosion und Korrosionsschutz (1)
- 8.4 Akustische und elektromagnetische Verfahren (1)
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) on desktop 3D printers is a material extrusion-based technique often used by educational institutions, small enterprises and private households. Polymeric filaments are melted and extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extrusion temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job, but also one of the main driving factors for the emission of harmful air pollutants, namely ultrafine particles and volatile organic gases, which are formed by thermal stress on the polymeric feedstock. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, the multiplicity of study designs makes an objective comparison of emission data challenging because printer hardware factors such as the actual extruder temperature (TE) and also feedstockspecific emissions are not considered. We assume that across the market of commercial low- and mid-price FFF printers substantial deviations between actual and set extruder temperatures exist, which have a strong effect on the emissions and hence may bias the findings of exposure studies. In our last publication, we presented a standardized feedstock-specific emission test method and showed that for each investigated feedstock an increase in actual extruder temperature was accompanied by an increase in particle emissions (Tang and Seeger, 2022). Therefore, any systematic discrepancy between set and actual extruder temperature matters. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperatures at different heights. We found significant under- and overestimation of the actual extruder temperatures by the respective set temperatures in three commercial printers. This caused a broad variation of the measured total numbers of emitted particles (TP), even when the same feedstock was operated. For the determination of TP, we followed the DE-UZ 219 test guideline. In a second round we repeated the tests with all printers adjusted to exactly the same extruder temperatures, i.e., to TE=230°C for ABS and TE=210°C for PLA. All measurements were conducted in a 1 m³ emission test chamber. Particle emissions in the size range between 4 nm and 20 μm were detected. Printing on three different printer models without temperature adjustment resulted for each of the investigated feedstocks in a variation in TP of around two orders of magnitude. After temperature adjustment, this was substantially reduced to approx. one order of magnitude and hence minimizes the bias of printer hardware on the emissions. Our findings suggest that adjustment of the extruder temperature should be mandatory in emission testing standards. It also poses a more accurate benchmark and provides more reliable emission data for evaluation of indoor air quality or for health risk assessments. In addition, a proper temperature setting is in the interest of the user. Some commercial FFF printers may have a higher actual extruder temperature than displayed and unintended overheating may not only impair the print quality but may cause unnecessarily increased exposure to particle emissions.
Basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) is a by-product of steelmaking of which about 10.4 Mt are produced annually in the EU. BOFS is mostly used in road construction, earthwork and hydraulic engineering. However, in this use, the iron bound in BOFS is lost and the opportunity to produce higher value products from BOFS is forgone.
In recent decades, many researchers have investigated the production of both Portland cement clinker and crude iron from BOFS via a thermochemical reductive treatment. The reductive treatment of liquid BOFS causes a reduction of iron oxides to metallic iron, which separates from the mineral phase due to its higher density and can be recovered. An advantage of this process is that simultaneously the chemical composition of the reduced BOFS is adapted to that of Portland cement clinker and the hydraulic reactive mineral alite (Ca3SiO5) is formed.
In this study, German BOFS was reduced in a small-scale electric arc furnace and a low-iron mineral product rich in alite was produced. Despite a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to that of Portland cement clinker, the reduced BOFS produced less heat of hydration, and its reaction was delayed compared to Portland cement. However, adding gypsum accelerated the hydration rate of the reduced BOFS.
Further research to improve the hydraulic properties of the reduced BOFS is essential. If successful, the production of a hydraulic material and crude iron from BOFS could have economic and ecological benefits for both the cement and steel industry.
Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. These approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively, as well as the fluoride mineralization by ion chromatography (IC) and fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
The presentation gives general information about the European Standard EN 16516 “Construction products – Assessment of release of dangerous substances – Determination of emissions into indoor air”. This test standard was developed based on the mandate M/366 of the European commission and is a horizontal reference method for the determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from different classes of construction (building) products. Specific test conditions are to be selected by the product TCs (technical committees) in a way that a product is tested under its intended condition of use.
The test is based on the use of emission test chambers which are operated at constant air change rate and climate (23°C, 50 % r.h.) over 28 days. The standard defines the conditions and requirements for the measurement including loading factor, air change rate, sampling, analysis and calculation of emission rates of the substances. A 30 m³ reference room is described which is used to calculate air concentrations from the determined emission rates.
The standard EN 16516 enables the evaluation of construction products regarding their emissions into indoor air under defined and comparable conditions. The evaluation includes the determination of identified target compounds, non-identified target compounds, volatile carcinogenic compounds and the sum values TVOC, TSVOC and R.
Glutaraldehyde is widely used as a disinfectant and preservative, but little is known about its effects on bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics and the selection of tolerant phenotypes. We found that short-term exposure to sub-inhibitory levels of glutaraldehyde makes E. coli resistant to high doses of bactericidal antibiotics from different classes. This tolerance is associated with delayed, heterogeneous regrowth dynamics and global transcriptome remodeling. We identified over 1200 differentially expressed genes, including those related to antibiotic efflux, metabolic processes, and the cell envelope. The cells entered a disrupted state likely due to the unspecific mode-of-action of glutaraldehyde. Despite this unregulated response, we identified several differentially expressed genes not previously associated with antibiotic tolerance or persistence that induce antibiotic tolerance when overexpressed alone. These findings highlight how the unspecific mode-of-action of disinfectants can make bacteria temporarily resistant to antibiotics. They have implications for settings where disinfectants and antibiotics are used in close proximity, such as hospitals and animal husbandry, and for the selection dynamics of tolerant pheno- and genotypes in fluctuating environments where microorganisms are exposed to these substances, such as sewage systems. A trade-off arises from overcoming the disrupted state as quickly as possible and maintaining antibiotic tolerance.
Glutaraldehyde is widely used as a disinfectant and preservative, but little is known about its effects on bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics and the selection of tolerant phenotypes. We found that short-term exposure to sub-inhibitory levels of glutaraldehyde makes E. coli resistant to high doses of bactericidal antibiotics from different classes. This tolerance is associated with delayed, heterogeneous regrowth dynamics and global transcriptome remodeling. We identified over 1200 differentially expressed genes, including those related to antibiotic efflux, metabolic processes, and the cell envelope. The cells entered a disrupted state likely due to the unspecific mode-of-action of glutaraldehyde. Despite this unregulated response, we identified several differentially expressed genes not previously associated with antibiotic tolerance or persistence that induce antibiotic tolerance when overexpressed alone. These findings highlight how the unspecific mode-of-action of disinfectants can make bacteria temporarily resistant to antibiotics. They have implications for settings where disinfectants and antibiotics are used in close proximity, such as hospitals and animal husbandry, and for the selection dynamics of tolerant pheno- and genotypes in fluctuating environments where microorganisms are exposed to these substances, such as sewage systems. A trade-off arises from overcoming the disrupted state as quickly as possible and maintaining antibiotic tolerance.
Die Europäische Kommission präsentierte am 11. Dezember 2019 den European Green Deal, ein Konzept mit dem Ziel, bis zum Jahr 2050 als erster Kontinent Klimaneutralität zu erreichen. Mit Inkrafttreten der Verordnung (EU) 2021/1119 des Europäischen Parlaments und des Europäischen Rates am 29. Juli 2021 zur Schaffung des Rahmens für die Verwirklichung der Klimaneutralität („Europäisches Klimagesetz“), ist dieses, sowie das Ziel der Reduzierung der Nettotreibhausgasemissionen um mindestens 55 % bis 2030 in der Gesetzgebung der Europäischen Union verankert. Die Stahlindustrie in der Europäischen Union mit ca. 57 Mio. t Nettotreibhausgasemissionen im Jahr 2020, die annähernd 2 % der Emissionen der Europäischen Union ausmachen (Inklusive Energie: 127 Mio. t; 4 %), bekennt sich zur erheblichen Reduzierung der CO2-Emissionen bis zum Jahr 2030 und zum Erreichen der Klimaneutralität bis zum Jahr 2050. Als Schlüsselwege zur Verwirklichung dieser Zielstellung hat sie zum einen Smart Carbon Usage (SCU) und zum anderen Carbon Direct Avoidance (CDA) in einer Roadmap formuliert. SCU umfasst CO2-reduzierende Maßnahmen in bestehenden Eisen- und Stahlproduktionsprozessen, Carbon Capture and Storage- (CCS) sowie Carbon Capture and Usage-Technologien (CCU). Wohingegen bei CDA CO2-Emissionen durch erneuerbare elektrische Energie sowie wasserstoffbasierte Reduktion des Eisenerzes gar nicht erst entstehen sollen. Der CDA-Weg, der voraussichtlich beschritten werden muss, um eine klimaneutrale Stahlproduktion zu erreichen [38], geht mit einer kostenintensiven Transformation der Stahlproduktion einher, die bereits von vielen Unternehmen der Stahlindustrie eingeleitet wurde und von der im Wesentlichen die beiden in Europa vorherrschenden Stahlproduktionsrouten Hochofen-Konverter-Route und Elektrolichtbogenofen-Route betroffen sind. Die CO2-Emissionen der Hochofen-Konverter-Route, von denen der überwiegende Anteil auf den Hochofen fällt, liegen laut einer für das Jahr 2015 erstellten Studie bei 1921 kg CO2/t Rohstahl inklusive der CO2-Last der Pellets als Einsatzmaterial sowie der Emissionen der nachgelagerten Stranggießanlagen und Walzwerke. Im Hochofen wird das Eisenerz durch Kohlenstoff (C) bzw. Kohlenstoffmonoxid (CO) – welche größtenteils aus dem Koks, der dem Hochofen zusammen mit dem Möller über die Gicht zugeführten wird, stammen – unter Entstehung von Roheisen und Kohlenstoffdioxid (CO2) reduziert. Das neben dem CO2 im Prozessgas enthaltene CO wird zum Beispiel zur Energiegewinnung in peripheren Prozessen ebenfalls unter Bildung von CO2 verbrannt. Zusätzlich zur Reduktion hat der Koks unter anderem physikalische Aufgaben, wie die Errichtung eines Stützgerüstes und die Gewährleistung der Permeabilität im Hochofenprozess. Somit ist eine vollkommene Substitution des Kokses zur Vermeidung der CO2-Emissionen im Hochofen nicht denkbar. Viele Strategien der Stahlunternehmen zum Erreichen der Klimaziele verfolgen daher den Wechsel von der Rohstahlproduktion aus der Hochofen-Konverter-Route hin zur Rohstahlproduktion im Elektrolichtbogenofen (EAF – Electric Arc Furnace) mit dem Einsatz von direkt reduziertem Eisen (Eisenschwamm, DRI – Direct Reduced Iron) aus vorgelagerten Direktreduktionsanlagen, die mit Wasserstoff (H2) als Reduktionsmittel betrieben werden können. Dabei ist die Elektrostahlerzeugung kein neuer Prozess und nimmt in der europäischen Union bereits jetzt einen Anteil von ca. 44 % der Rohstahlproduktion ein, jedoch überwiegend mit Schrott als Einsatzmaterial. Bei der Elektrostahlerzeugung mit Schrotteinsatz fallen laut der oben genannten Studie von Lüngen für das Jahr 20152 410 kg CO2-Emissionen pro Tonne Rohstahl an, von denen der Großteil auf die CO2-Last der fremd bezogenen elektrischen Energie zurückzuführen ist und daher nicht im Produktionsprozess selbst entsteht. Auch die Direktreduktion wird schon seit 1972 in der weltweit zweiten und bis heute in Westeuropa einzigen Direktreduktionsanlage in Hamburg betrieben. Während hier noch mit einem Reduktionsgas gearbeitet wird, das hauptsächlich aus einem aus Erdgas gewonnenen Wasserstoff-Kohlenstoffmonoxid-Gemisch besteht, liegt eine aktuelle Kernherausforderung in der Bereitstellung des in der Größenordnung der von der Transformation betroffenen Rohstahlproduktionskapazitäten notwendigen, mit erneuerbarer elektrischer Energie hergestellten Wasserstoffs. Wird zusätzlich der Strom für das Einschmelzen im Elektrolichtbogenofen aus erneuerbaren Quellen gewonnen und werden schließlich als Brennstoff verwendete Kohle und als Brennstoff verwendetes Erdgas durch CO2-neutrale Bio-Brennstoffe ersetzt, sind sowohl für den Einsatz von mit Wasserstoff reduziertem und auf Pellets ohne CO2-Last basiertem Eisenschwamm als auch für den Einsatz von Schrott CO2-Emissionen von jeweils nur 60 kg CO2/t Rohstahl erreichbar, was eine Reduktion der Emissionen, ausgehend von der Konverter-Hochofen-Route um 97 % und ausgehend von der Schrott-Elektrolichtbogenofen-Route um 85 % bedeuten würde.
Der Betrieb von Elektrolichtbogenöfen macht die an den Standorten vorhandenen Konverter sowie die Infrastruktur für Behandlung und Transport des Roheisens überflüssig. Die fortwährende Nutzung dieser bestehenden Anlagenstruktur dient daher unter anderem als Motivation für die Entwicklung einer zweiten Transformationsstrategie, die einen sogenannten Einschmelzer (SAF – Submerged Arc Furnace) als der Direktreduktionsanlage nachgelagerten Prozess vorsieht, in dem wiederum Roheisen erschmolzen wird, das anschließend im Konverter zu Rohstahl veredelt wird.
Die Transformation der Stahlindustrie beeinflusst einen weiteren CO2-intensiven Industriesektor, nämlich die Zementindustrie die verantwortlich ist für rund 4 % der CO2-Emissionen in der EU. Etwa zwei Drittel dieser Emissionen entfallen als Prozessemissionen auf die Entsäuerung des Rohstoffs Kalkstein (CaCO3), also auf die Abspaltung von CO2 unter Entstehung des für die Herstellung von Zementklinker notwendigen Branntkalks (CaO) als Zwischenstufe bei der Bildung der hydraulischen Phasen Tri- und Dicalciumsilikat. Als eines der fünf Themenfelder (5C-Ansatz: Clinker, Cement, Concrete, Construction, Carbonation), welche die europäische Zementindustrie entlang ihrer Wertschöpfungskette zum Erreichen der gesetzlichen Vorgaben der europäischen Union erarbeitet hat, umfasst das Feld "Cement" zum größten Teil die Reduzierung des Klinker-Zement-Faktors. Im Jahr 2017 betrug er 77 %, das heißt, dass 23 % des Klinkers durch alternative Materialien ersetzt wurden. Bis zum Jahr 2030 wird ein Faktor von 74 % und bis zum Jahr 2050 von 65 % angestrebt. Den größten Anteil an den Klinkersubstituten hat mit 33 % der Hüttensand aus der Stahlindustrie. Bei der Roheisenproduktion im Hochofen entsteht als Nebenprodukt Hochofenschlacke, die unter Zugabe von Schlackebildnern die Gangart des Möllers und mineralische Koksbestandteile abbindet, sowie weitere unerwünschte Begleitelemente wie Schwefel und Alkalien aufnimmt. Allein in Deutschland wurden im Jahr 2021 6,90 Mio. t – das entspricht 90 % der gesamten produzierten Hochofenschlacke – zu glasig erstarrtem Hüttensand granuliert. Dieser Hüttensand besitzt latent hydraulische Eigenschaften und wird daher seit mehr als 140 Jahren als Zementbestandteil eingesetzt, wodurch in Deutschland jährlich rund 4,5 Mio. t CO2-Emissionen eingespart werden. Alle Transformationsstrategien der Stahlindustrie beinhalten die notwendige Außerbetriebnahme der CO2-intensiven Hochöfen. Dies hat unter anderem zur Folge, dass die Hochofenschlacke als Nebenprodukt der Rohstahlerzeugung im Hochofen nicht mehr zur Verfügung stehen wird, wodurch die weitere Reduzierung des Klinker-Zement-Faktors erhebliche Zusatzmengen alternativer Materialien benötigen wird. Derzeit ist noch unklar, ob z.B. calcinierte Tone im benötigten Umfang erzeugt werden können.
Der Fachbereich Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung der Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) und das Institut für Baustoffforschung FEhS forschen zusammen mit Industriepartnern und weiteren Forschungseinrichtungen im Rahmen zweier Projekte in den Kooperationssphären der Stahl- und Zementindustrie, die zur Bewältigung dieser Herausforderungen beitragen. Im Projekt SlagCEM wird die Produktion eines hydraulischen Zementbestandteils durch Reduktion von Konverter- bzw. Linz-Donawitz-Schlacke (LDS) untersucht. Die mit den zusätzlich aufgenommen Lichtbogenofenkapazitäten steigenden Mengen an Elektrolichtbogenofenschlacke (EOS, engl. electric arc furnace slag, EAFS) werden im Projekt DRI-EOS behandelt, welches die Produktion eines latent hydraulischen Hüttensandsubstituts zum Ziel hat.
Hydrogen plasma treatment of iron ores or iron oxide containing wastes can be an efficient option to produce green iron e.g. for steel production. This way iron oxide is reduced to metallic iron in the liquid form by the highly reactive species that are formed in a hydrogen plasma. Hydrogen plasma can be used at the same time to remove undesired gangue elements. The presentation shows the experimental setup, shows first results of iron ore reduction by hydrogen plasma and gives an outlook for industrial application of the technology.
Vortrag über die Regelungen der AbfKlärV bezüglich P-Rückgewinnung. Diskussion der Auswirkung einer konzentrationsbezogenen Grenze auf die Pflicht zur P-Rückgewinnung. Diskussion der nach AbfKlärV zulässigen analytischen Verfahren zur Bestimmung von P in Klärschlamm und Ableitung von Empfehlungen. Vorstellung der Ergebnisse eines Ringversuchs mit 28 Laboren.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination. In this presentation the advantages of fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy for various environment samples are shown.
In Deutschland fallen aktuell pro Jahr über 5 Mio. Tonnen Hausmüllverbrennungs-aschen (HMVA) an. Eine Verwertung dieser Aschen und Schlacken ist in Deutschland möglich und findet überwiegend im Deponiebau statt. Für die Verwertung sind in der Ersatzbaustoffverordnung Eluatgrenzwerte für Schwermetalle und einige andere Parameter vorgesehen.
Der Umgang mit HMVA könnte durch eine Einstufung als gefährlicher Abfall erschwert werden. Maßgeblich für die Einstufung eines Abfalls als gefährlich oder ungefährlich sind die gefahrenrelevanten Eigenschaften HP 1 bis HP 15 nach Anhang III der Richtlinie 2008/98/EG über Abfälle mit dort festgelegten Konzentrationsgrenzen. Für HMVA ist im Wesentlichen nur der Parameter HP 14 (Ökotoxizität) von Bedeutung. Dafür sind entscheidend die Gehalte an chemischen Verbindungen mit den Gefahrenhinweiscodes (hazard statement code, HSC) H400, H410, H411, H412 und H413. Eine detaillierte Diskussion zu den übrigen Gefahreneigenschaften bei HMVA findet sich in der Literatur. Die Einstufung als gefährlicher Abfall erfolgt nach festgelegten Rechenregeln.
Die BAM bearbeitet ein durch das UBA gefördertes Forschungsprojekt zur Erfassung und Bewertung von Analysedaten zu Aschen und Schlacken aus Abfallverbrennungsanlagen. Die Ergebnisse des Vorhabens sollen bei der Weiterentwicklung des vorhandenen Konzeptes für eine bundeseinheitlichen Untersuchung und abfallrechtlichen Einordnung von Aschen und Schlacken aus deutschen Abfallverbrennungsanlagen unterstützend herangezogen werden. Im Vortrag werden Verfahren zur quantitativen Bestimmung der einstufungsrelevanten Verbindungen vorgestellt: 1.) der Praxisleitfaden von ITAD und IGAM, 2.) Methode basierend auf der Bioverfügbarkeit und 3.) Methode basierend auf Speziierungsanalyse.
Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen (KDB) aus PE-HD (Polyethylen hoher Dichte) werden häufig zur Abdichtung von Bauwerken in der Geotechnik verwendet. Diese Produkte werden aus einem Kunststoff mit relativ komplexer Zusammensetzung hergestellt. Um eine Aussage über die Haltbarkeit von KDB aus PE-HD treffen zu können, muss das Materialverhalten berücksichtigt werden. In diesem Zusammenhang sind die wichtigsten Aspekte der Dauerhaftigkeit die Spannungsrissbeständigkeit und die Beständigkeit gegen Oxidation. Verschiedene PE-Sorten weisen eine unterschiedliche Spannungsrissbeständigkeit auf. Um dieser Eigenschaft von PE-HD zu begegnen, werden nur KDB aus sehr hochwertigen Rohstoffen zugelassen. Auf der anderen Seite werden hohe Anforderungen an die umgebenden Schichten, wie Auflager und Schutzschicht gestellt, um möglichst geringe Spannungen zu erzeugen und damit Dehnungen die Dehnungen der KDB gering zu halten. Bestimmte Medien, die bei den betreffenden Prüfungen verwendet werden, dürfen nicht mehr in der EU in Verkehr gebracht werden. Im Folgenden sollen die Zusammenhänge in Kürze dargestellt werden. Darüber hinaus sollen Diskussionen und Änderungen der Zulassungsrichtlinie für Schutzschichten im und durch den Fachbeirat vorgestellt werden.
The roles of DHN melanin and the stress-activated MAP kinase in the rock inhabitant Knufia petricola
(2023)
Black fungi/yeasts exhibit high stress tolerance, yeast‑like or meristematic growth, and constitutive 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin formation. Due to their slow growth, robust cell walls and the lack of sexual cycles and genetic tools, the underlying mechanisms of their phenotypic traits have remained largely unexplored. Using recently developed genetic tools, it is now possible to manipulate the genome of the rock-inhabiting model fungus Knufia petricola. Thus, gene functions and the cell biology of black fungi can be studied using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing and live-cell imaging with genetically encoded fluorescent proteins. Here, we are addressing the question to which extent constitutive pigment formation (melanin and carotenoids) and responses mediated by the stress-activated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase contribute to the observed extremotolerance of K. petricola. The mutations of pks1, phs1 and both genes result in melanin-free (pink), carotenoid-free (black) and pigment-free (white) strains, respectively. The other putative melanogenic genes were identified in the genome, deleted to confirm their involvement in DHN melanogenesis and co-expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for reconstruction of the synthesis pathway. Sak1 encoding the stress-activated MAP kinase was deleted in the wild-type and different pigment-deficient backgrounds. Growth of the obtained single, double and triple deletion mutants was tested by droplet tests on media supplemented with different stress-inducing agents. The Δsak1 mutants show slightly reduced growth rates even without environmental pressure and are hypersensitive to different stresses: e.g. osmotic, oxidative, membrane, pH and heat stress. Melanin-free Δsak1 mutants are more sensitive than black Δsak1 mutants to some but not all stress conditions, suggesting that melanin and the SAK1 pathway have complementary roles in protecting K. petricola from stress.
In industrialised countries more than 80% of the time is spent indoors. Products, such as building materials and furniture, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are therefore ubiquitous in indoor air. Different VOC combinations may, under certain environmental and occupational conditions, result in reported sensory irritation and health complaints. A healthy indoor environment can be achieved by controlling the sources and by eliminating or limiting the release of harmful substances into the air. One way is to use materials proven to be low emitting. Meanwhile, a worldwide network of professional commercial and non-commercial laboratories performing emission tests for the evaluation of products for interior use has been established. Therefore, comparability and metrological traceability of test results must be ensured. A laboratory’s proficiency can be proven by internal and external validation measures that both include the application of suitable reference materials. The emission test chamber procedure according to EN 16516 comprises several steps from sample preparation to sampling of test chamber air and chromatographic analysis. Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) must therefore be ensured. Currently, there is a lack of suitable reference products containing components relevant for the health-related evaluation of building products.
The EU-funded EMPIR project 20NRM04 MetrIAQ (Metrology for the determination of emissions of dangerous substances from building materials into indoor air) aims to develop 1) gaseous primary reference materials (gPRM), which are used for the certification of gaseous (certified) reference materials (gCRM) and 2) emission reference materials (ERM).
Most commercial gas standards of indoor-relevant compounds are not certified due to the lack of primary reference materials to which the project aims to contribute. The gPRM under development is a gas-phase standard containing trace levels of VOCs in nitrogen or air from the check standard according to EN 16516 (n-hexane, methyl isobutyl ketone, toluene, butyl acetate, cyclohexanone, o-xylene, phenol, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) with a target uncertainty of 5 %. The gPRM can be sampled into sorbent tubes to obtain transfer standards in the form of gCRM.
The well characterised ERM represents a sample of a test specimen, e.g. building material, that is loaded into the emission test chamber for a period of several days and is used to evaluate the whole emission test chamber procedure. It shall have a reproducible and temporally constant compound release of less than 10 % variability over 14 days. Different approaches for retarded VOC release, such as the encapsulation of pure compounds and the impregnation of porous materials, are being tested to reach this aim. Furthermore, the design of the ERM is accompanied by the development of a numerical model for the prediction of the emissions for each of the target VOCs. The current progress of the work on both materials will be presented.
SRB are environmentally and industrially important microorganisms. The disadvantage of their metabolic activity (e.g. sulfate reduction) results in the formation of toxic sulfide that leads to microbial influenced corrosion. SRB have been responsible for biocorrosion of ferrous metal. One of mitigation strategy is the use of biocides. However, it has been shown that various bacteria develop antimicrobial resistance due to excessive use of biocides. Thus, a deeper understanding of the evolution of biocide resistance of SRB is necessary. Three commonly used biocides, THPS, BAC, and GLUT were applied to investigate the susceptibility of Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20.The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentration and the killing kinetics of the three biocides was determined. These results will be used to conduct evolution experiments to determine the evolution of resistance towards biocides of SRBs. The outcome of this work can be helpful to improve the management of MIC treatments.
Der Vortrag widmet sich der materialwissenschaftlichen Analyse von Zeichnungen einiger Bauhausschülerinnen und Bauhausschüler und legt besonderen Fokus auf die verwendeten Farbmittel. Die Objekte werden mit nicht-invasiven bildgebenden Verfahren untersucht, in dem die Wechselwirkung zwischen Röntgen-, sichtbarem und infraroten Licht und den Zeichnungen studiert wird.
Dier Analysen liefern nicht nur generell Erkenntnisse über die Art und Zusammensetzung und damit das Alter der verwendeten Farbmittel. Durch die Auffindung von Vorzeichnungen, die Bestimmung von Überarbeitungen und Korrekturen werden Erkenntnisse über die Genese von Zeichnungen gewonnen. Auf der Basis dieser materialwissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse werden die Begriffe Original, Kopie, Fälschung diskutiert.
Da die nicht-invasiven Untersuchungen einen umfassenden Einblick in die Materialität der – überwiegend aus Papier bestehenden – Objekte erlauben, bilden sie die Grundlage für die Erstellung nachhaltiger Konservierungs- und Restaurierungskampagnen und deren dauerhaften Erhalt.
Rock-inhabiting black fungi are adapted to survive extreme stresses such as radiation and lack of water and are thus able to colonise arid material surfaces like solar panels and marble monuments. Black fungi can typically grow as one of two cell types: depending on the environmental conditions, they are able to form yeast-like cells or hyphal filaments. Knufia petricola is one member of the rock-inhabiting black fungi which functions as a model reference species. As there is no mathematical model for biofilm formation of RIF, we are going to develop a model for K. petricola which describes fungal growth on the level of individual cells adn biofilm formation.
Rock-inhabiting fungi are known to colonise air-exposed substrates like minerals, photovoltaic panels building facades and monuments, withstanding the various stresses these extreme habitats are known for. Here we show how both colonisation and stress resistance are linked to the properties of the fungal cell surface. By deleting genes involved in the synthesis of melanin and carotenoid pigments of the model rock-inhabiting fungus Knufia petricola via CRISPR-Cas and comparing the behaviour of the gene-deletion mutants with the wild type (WT), we studied the role of these genes in mineral colonisation and stress sensitivity. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of biofilms of the WT and mutants were extracted, quantified and chemically characterised. We observed that the absence of melanin affected the quantity and composition of the produced EPS: melanin-deficient mutants synthesised more EPS containing fewer pullulan-related glycosidic linkages. Moreover, in mineral dissolution experiments, these mutants showed a lower ability to colonise the mineral olivine. We hypothesise that not melanin, but the pullulan-related linkages enabled the melanin-producing strains to attach more strongly to the mineral. Moreover, ICP-OES analysis of the aqueous mineral-derived solutes showed that biofilms of the K. petricola mutants which could attach were able to dissolve the olivine faster than those that could not. The same mutants were also characterised by their sensitivity to desiccation stress: only the mutant deficient in both melanin and carotenoid synthesis was more sensitive to desiccation compared to the WT, indicating that a combination of both pigments is critical to withstand desiccation. Overall, these results show the critical role of the cell surface in the specific capacities of rock-inhabiting fungi.
In industrialised countries more than 80% of the time is spent indoors. Products, such as building materials and furniture, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are therefore ubiquitous in indoor air. VOC in combination may, under certain environmental and occupational conditions, result in reported sensory irritation and health complaints. Emission concentrations can become further elevated in new or refurbished buildings where the rate of air exchange with fresh ambient air may be limited due to improved energy saving aspects. A healthy indoor environment can be achieved by controlling the sources and by eliminating or limiting the release of harmful substances into the air. One way is to use (building) materials proved to be low emitting. Meanwhile, a worldwide network of professional commercial and non-commercial laboratories performing emission tests for the evaluation of products for interior use has been established. Therefore, comparability of test results must be ensured. A laboratory’s proficiency can be proven by internal and external validation measures that both include the application of suitable emission reference materials (ERM). For the emission test chamber procedure according to EN 16516, no artificial ERM is commercially available. The EU-funded EMPIR project MetrIAQ aims to fill this gap by developing new and improved ERMs. The goal is to obtain a material with a reproducible and temporally constant compound release (less than 10% variability over 14 days). Different approaches, such as the impregnation of porous materials, are being tested. The generation as well as results of the most promising materials will be presented.
Biocides used as material preservatives are in contact with various environments during direct application or passive leaching from protected materials [1]. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem and the environment is an important compartment for the evolution and transmission of AMR [2,3]. Soil is an environment with a large reservoir of natural microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Those natural microbial communities are frequently exposed to biocides used as material preservatives. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics, metals and pesticides affect the underlying processes of resistance evolution and spread; namely de novo mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer by conjugation and transformation in microbial communities. However, it is unknown if active substances used in material preservatives are involved in these processes. We show that biocides used as material preservatives affect rates of mutation and conjugation in microorganism in a species- and substance-dependent manner, while rates of transformation are not directly affected. Our data highlights the importance of assessing the contribution of material preservatives on AMR evolution and spread in the environment.
Biocides used as material preservatives are in contact with various environments during direct application or passive leaching from protected materials. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem and the environment is an important compartment for the evolution and transmission of AMR. Soil is an environment with a large reservoir of natural microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Those natural microbial communities are frequently exposed to biocides used as material preservatives. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics, metals and pesticides affect the underlying processes of resistance evolution and spread; namely de novo mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer by conjugation and transformation in microbial communities. However, it is unknown if active substances used in material preservatives are involved in these processes. We show that biocides used as material preservatives affect rates of mutation and conjugation in microorganism in a species- and substance-dependent manner, while rates of transformation are not directly affected. Our data highlights the importance of assessing the contribution of material preservatives on AMR evolution and spread in the environment.
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a highly unpredictable process dictated by the environment, microorganisms, and the respective electron source. Interaction pathways between cells and the metal surface remain unclear. The development of this novel single cell-inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry analytical method and a MIC-specific staining procedure facilitate the investigation of steel-MIC interactions. With this it is possible to analyze the multi-elemental fingerprint of individual cells. The detection method revealed elemental selectivity for the corrosive methanogenic archaeal strain Methanobacterium-affiliated IM1. The interface between material and environmental analysis thus receives special attention, e.g., when considering MIC on solid steel. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples is investigated. Results showed the cells responded at a single-cell level to the different types of supplemented elements and displayed the abilities to interact with chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and molybdenum from solid metal surfaces. The information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop possible material protection concepts, thus combining modern methods of analytical sciences with materials research.
Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) im Klärschlamm - Analytische Methoden und Grenzwerte
(2022)
Per- und Polyfluoralkylsubstanzen (PFAS) sind eine Gruppe von mehr als 4700 anionischen und kationischen anthrophonen Stoffen, die aufgrund ihrer inerten chemischen Stabilität und ihrer Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen den Abbau durch Hitze oder Säuren in einer Vielzahl von Produkten verwendet werden. Infolge der ständigen Verwendung, vor allem in Feuerlöschschäumen für die Luftfahrt, wurden in Tausenden von Industrie- und Militäranlagen kontaminierte Böden und Grundwasservorkommen gefunden. Aufgrund der ständigen Verwendung von fluorierten Konsumgütern haben sich jedoch auch Abwässer und Klärschlamm aus Kläranlagen als Quelle für die Kontamination der aquatischen Umwelt mit PFAS erwiesen. Infolge der strengeren Vorschriften und Beschränkungen, die in den letzten Jahren für die Verwendung langkettiger (≥C8) PFAS erlassen wurden, findet in der chemischen Industrie eine deutliche Verlagerung hin zur Herstellung kurz- (C4-C7) und ultrakurzkettiger (C1-C3) Alternativen statt. Mit der Novellierung der Klärschlammverordnung im Jahr 2017 hat der deutsche Gesetzgeber die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm auf landwirtschaftlichen Flächen verboten, und bis 2029/2032 wird die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm in der Landwirtschaft vollständig verboten sein. Während die Belastung der Umwelt mit organischen Schadstoffen wie PFAS, Pestiziden und Arzneimitteln nicht mehr erwünscht ist, muss Phosphor (P) aus Klärschlamm weiterhin zur Herstellung hochwertiger P-Dünger für eine Kreislaufwirtschaft genutzt werden. Derzeit können pflanzenverfügbare P-Düngemittel aus Klärschlamm/Abwasser mit verschiedenen Behandlungsmethoden hergestellt werden, darunter Fällung, Auslaugung und thermische Behandlung. Der Verbleib von PFAS bei der Auslaugung, Ausfällung und Behandlung von Klärschlamm und Abwasser ist jedoch noch weitgehend unbekannt.
BIOCIDE
(2022)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem with the environment being an important compartment for the evolution, selection and transmission of AMR. These processes are impacted by pollution with antibiotics. However, biocides used as disinfectants and material preservatives are major pollutants by far excceding the market for antibiotics in terms of mass. Our work shows that biocides have the potential to affect evolutionary processes towards AMR by increasing the rates of de-novo mutation and conjugation. These effects depend on the species and biocidal substance. Importantly, chlorhexidine and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) affect rates of mutation and conjugation at environmentally relevant concentrations in E. coli. Moreover, our results show a connection between the RpoS-mediated general stress and the RecA-linked SOS response with increased rates of mutation and conjugation, but not for all biocides. Furthermore, our work highlights the potential of biocides to contribute to selection and transmission of AMR. We show that the application of biocides, especially QAC disinfectants, leads to the rapid evolution of tolerance (i.e. increased survival) in adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments. The evolved tolerant strains have a selective advantage in the presence of environmentally-relevant concentrations of antibiotics, which could lead to the stabilization of biocide tolerance in environments where biocides and antibiotics co-occur (e.g. wastewater, animal stables). ALE experiments with biocide tolerant strains indicate a decreased evolvability of resistance to antibiotics. Taken together, our work shows the importance of assessing the contribution of biocides on evolution, selection and transmission of AMR in the environment.
Der Fachbeirat kommt bereits seit 13 Jahren in seiner jetzigen Form zusammen, um Zulassungsrichtlinien, weitere Dokumente und fachliche Fragestellungen zu beraten. Die Zeit bringt auch personelle Veränderungen mit sich, darüber wollen wir berichten. Derzeit wird die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Schutzschichten im Fachbeirat und in seiner Arbeitsgruppe Geotextilien und Kunststoff Dränelemente (AG Geotextilien) überarbeitet. Zudem wurde die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen auf den aktuellen Stand der Regelsetzung und Normung gebracht. Bestimmte Medien, die hier bei einigen Prüfungen verwendet werden, dürfen nicht mehr in der EU in Verkehr gebracht werden. Hier werden die Hintergründe und Zusammenhänge in Kürze aufgezeigt. Zuletzt wird die Diskussion in Bezug auf den Einsatz von Rezyklaten in den zugelassenen Produkten aufgeführt.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. As a result of the perpetual use of PFAS containing products, effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been observed to be an important pathway for PFAS into the environment. In Germany, phosphorus and other nutrients from sewage sludge and wastewater should be recycled in WWTPs of cities with a large population. However, it is not clear if PFAS contamination from wastewater and sewage sludge end up in novel wastewater-based fertilizers. Normally, PFAS are analyzed using PFAS protocols typically with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) quantification. To get a better overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” we applied sum parameter methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to screen the PFAS contaminations in various sewage sludge and wastewater-based fertilizers. Furthermore, current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem.
Steelmaking slags are a by-product of steel production, that are currently used primarily in road construction, earthwork, and hydraulic engineering. In this use, the iron bound in the steelmaking slags (< 30 wt.%) is lost.
Recovery of iron from steelmaking slags is possible by thermochemical reductive treatment. The reductive treatment of liquid steelmaking slags causes iron oxides to be reduced to metallic iron, which separates from the mineral phase due to its higher density. The chemical composition of the mineral phase is thus adapted to that of the Portland cement clinker and the mineral alite, the most important component of Portland cement, is formed. This way, crude iron can be recovered, and at the same time a hydraulic binder can be produced.
This process, however, is uneconomical due to the high temperatures required (~1800 °C). In the current project, the process is to be adapted so that the reduction of liquid steelmaking slag can be carried out at ~1600 °C. The chemical composition is to be modified in such a way that the melting temperature of the slags as well as their viscosity are in a technically suitable range and still a product with good cementitious properties is obtained.
Basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) is a by-product of steelmaking of which about 10.4 Mt are produced annually in the EU. BOFS is mostly used in road construction, earthwork and hydraulic engineering. However, in this use, the iron bound in BOFS is lost and the opportunity to produce higher value products from BOFS is forgone.
In recent decades, many researchers have investigated a thermochemical process to reduce iron oxides to metallic iron in molten BOFS. The metallic iron formed separates from the reduced slag due to its higher density and can be recovered. An advantage of this process is that simultaneously the chemical composition of the reduced slag is adapted to that of the Portland cement clinker and the hydraulic reactive mineral alite is formed.
In this study, BOFS was reduced in a small-scale electric arc furnace using petrol coke as reducing agent, and the hydraulic properties of the reduced, low-iron BOFS were investigated. Despite a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to that of Portland cement clinker, the reduced BOFS produced less heat of hydration, and its reaction was delayed compared to Portland cement. However, the addition of gypsum, as is also done in cement production from Portland cement clinker, has been found to accelerate the hydration rate of reduced BOFS.
Further research to improve the hydraulic properties of the reduced slag is essential. If successful, the production of a hydraulic binder and crude iron from BOFS could have economic and ecological benefits for both the cement and steel industry.
During iron and steel production, several by-products such as slags, dusts, and sludges are generated in addition to pig iron and steel as primary products. Especially for filter dusts and sludges containing zinc and lead from gas purification, there are still considerable recycling problems. However, the high heavy metal contents make landfilling of these dusts and sludges cost-intensive and ecologically problematic. In addition, the relatively high zinc and iron loads represent a valuable resource, which can make reprocessing of the material with recovery of the zinc and iron loads as secondary raw materials ecologically as well as economically attractive. Nevertheless, established recycling methods like the Waelz process fall short in regaining more than one valuable metal from the dusts and operate only under narrow ranges of material compositions, which makes it problematic to adapt these processes to new dust compositions as are to be formed in future steel work operations.
To tackle these problems, the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and Ferro Duo GmbH investigate innovative recycling methods for steelwork dusts and sludges in a joint project. This mainly focusses on regaining valuable metals such as iron as well as zinc from blast furnace sludge (BFS) and electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) by thermochemical treatment.
Therefore, mixtures of these materials are heated under inert atmosphere employing the carbon present in BFS as internal reducing agent. During the process, metallic iron is formed in the solid reaction product while zinc and other volatile heavy metals are evaporated. This paves the way for the generation of zinc as well as sponge iron as two separate products valuable for metallurgical processes. The process basically consists of heating a mixture of BFS and EAFD to temperatures between 700 and 1100 °C under inert (e.g., nitrogen) or reducing (e.g., CO) gas flow. When a suitable mixing ratio is applied, the carbon present in the BFS can be effectively used as reducing agent for iron and zinc present in both starting materials generating a solid residue with high metallic iron and low carbon content as well as a gas stream laden with zinc and other volatile heavy metals, that can be regained by off-gas treatment.
The project aims at testing this concept as a continuous process in a pilot plant established by Ferro Duo GmbH with BAM supplying comprehensive scientific support by lab- and small scale-experiments.
Additionally, considering the necessity to mitigate CO2 emissions and the resulting shift in compositions of steel work dusts and sludges, our research also investigates replacement of carbon present in the sludges by hydrogen as potentially carbon-neutral reducing agent. Here, the use of non-explosive forming gas as reducing agent for EAFD shows potential to give a product high in metallic iron while zinc and other heavy metals are effectively evaporated from the solid material making it possible to regain them from the exhaust gas stream.
extraWERT Forschungsvorhaben
(2022)
Die novellierte AbfKlärV (2017) beinhaltet die Verpflichtung zum P-Recycling ab einem P-Gehalt im Klärschlamm von 20 g/kg. Im Vortrag werden Ergebnisse des Forschungsvorhabens extraWERT zu diesem Themenkomplex vorgestellt. Es werden Untersuchungen zu P-Gehalten deutscher Klärschlämme und zu den zulässigen Analysemethoden dafür vorgestellt.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms (see Figure 1) and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, because of the continuous contamination through PFAS containing commercial products, effluents and sewage sludge from WWTPs have been shown to be an important source of PFAS discharge into the aquatic environment. In the last few years, legacy PFAS (≥C4) have been found in various environments, including soil, water and wastewater, and their environmental pathways have been partly described. To get a better
overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) are in development. CIC results in data regarding the sum of absorbable organic fluorine (AOF) or extractable
organic fluorine (EOF), which can also quantify other organically bound fluorine compounds such as fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceutical. Additionally, for research purpose several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are available. Therefore, an overview is given on various analytical techniques for PFAS in environmental samples and their application possibilities discussed for different kind of PFAS compounds
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic organofluorine surfactants used in the formulations of thousands of products and consumer goods, including aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) used to suppress aviation fires in training scenarios, non-stick cookware, fast-food wrappers, water-repellent fabrics, medical equipment. Because PFAS have been extensively used in a variety of AFFF products they can be found in soils from industrial and military installations. Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Previously, mechanochemical treatment of polychlorinated organic compounds in soils showed an efficient dechlorination. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively, as well es the fluoride mineralization by ion chromatography (IC) and fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
Analytical Challenges for PFAS in Environmental Samples - Methods, Approaches and Applicability
(2022)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include up to 1.7 M compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, because of the continuous contamination through PFAS containing commercial products, effluents and sewage sludge from WWTPs have been shown to be an important source of PFAS discharge into the aquatic environment. In the last few years, legacy PFAS (≥C4) have been found in various environments, including soil, water and wastewater, and their environmental pathways have been partly described.
Several long-chain PFAS species, and their respective salts are considered as persistent organic pollutants by the United Nations Stockholm Convention. These pollutants have been linked to altered immune and thyroid function, liver disease, lipid and insulin dysregulation, kidney disease, adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes, and cancer. A significant shift in the chemical industry towards production of short (C4-C7) and ultrashort (C1-C3) alternatives was observed in response to recently intensified regulations and restrictions on the use of long-chain (≥C8) PFAS. PFAS analysis in environmental samples is currently mainly done by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This efficient method is conducted in a targeted fashion analyzing a small subset of PFAS. The US EPA method for analysis of PFAS using LC-MS/MS for example currently lists 40 PFAS (≥C4). However, to get a better overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) are in development. CIC results in data regarding the sum of absorbable organic fluorine (AOF) or extractable organic fluorine (EOF), which can also quantify other organically bound fluorine compounds such as fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceutical. Moreover, non-target and suspect screening mass spectrometry can be used to identify novel emerging PFAS and partly unknown fluorinated compounds in environmental samples. Furthermore, to analyze ultrashort PFAS (C1-C3), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are available, but further research is needed to develop reliable and accurate methods to quantify several ultrashort PFAS in environmental samples.
Additionally, for research purpose several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES)spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are available.
Since 1997, the Committee for Health-related Evaluation of Building Products (AgBB) has been developing the basis for building regulations for protection against indoor health risks that may arise when building products are used. In 2009, the AgBB decided to include relevant VVOCs in the assessment procedure. The ISO 16000-6 (2021) states that the use of the thermal desorption gas chromatography technique is appropriate for VVOCs, if adaptations are considered. However, a suitable method for the trustworthy quantification of VVOC emissions from building products and in the indoor air is still missing.
This webinar will present the results of a research project on the development of a procedure for VVOC analysis:
• identification of the gaps towards standardization
• investigations on gas standards and the suitability of chromatography columns
• investigations on sorbent combinations and water management
• validation of the method and screening of VVOC emissions from building products.
Microcolonial black fungi are inhabitants of exposed natural and man-made surfaces in all climate zones. Genetic studies are hampered by slow growth, lacking sexual cycles and difficulties to transform these fungi. Recently, we implemented CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic tools enabling efficient targeted mutations of the rock inhabitant Knufia petricola (Eurotiomycetes/Chaetothyriales) for studying stress responses, the unusual types of cell division, mineral weathering and symbiotic interactions with phototrophic microbes (Voigt, Knabe et al. 2020, Sci Rep; Erdmann et al. 2022, Front Fungal Biol). To further explore the genome of this fungus as representative of the polyphyletic group of black fungi and to assign functions to yet unknown genes, a forward genetics approach is aimed. We chose the two-component Activator/ Dissociation (Ac/Ds) transposon system from maize for generating a collection of insertional mutants by in-vivo mutagenesis. For the optimal use of this genetic tool, an inducible promoter for the expression of the Ac transposase and by this the regulatable transposition of the resistance cassette-containing Ds transposon is requested. However, endogenous promoters for nitrate assimilation and galactose catabolism that are often used in fungi for regulatable gene expression are not inducible by their substrates in K. petricola suggesting that the regulatory networks for nutrient acquisition differ significantly in the oligotrophic black fungi. Therefore, the metabolism-independent Tet-on system was adopted and validated using a Ptet::gfp construct. No GFP fluorescence was detected in absence of the inducer doxycycline (DOX) while fluorescence intensities increased with increasing inducer concentrations. Consequently, the Tet-on system is suitable for regulatable expression of endogenous and foreign genes in K. petricola.
Geosynthetic materials are applied in measures for coastal protection. Weathering or any damage of constructions, as shown by a field study in Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia), could lead to the littering of the beach or the sea (marine littering) and the discharge of possibly harmful additives into the marine environment. The ageing behavior of a widely used geotextile made of polypropylene was studied by artificial accelerated ageing in water-filled autoclaves at temperatures of 30 to 80° C
and pressures of 10 to 50 bar. Tensile strength tests were used to evaluate the progress of ageing, concluding that temperature rather than pressure was the main factor influencing the ageing of geotextiles. Using a modified Arrhenius equation, it was possible to calculate the half-life for the loss of 50% of the strain, which corresponds to approximately 330 years.
The diversity of fused filament fabrication (FFF) filaments continues to grow rapidly as the popularity of FFF-3D desktop printers for the use as home fabrication devices has been greatly increased in the past decade. Potential harmful emissions and associated health risks when operating indoors have induced many emission studies. However, the lack of standardization of measurements impeded an objectifiable comparison of research findings. Therefore, we designed a chamber-based standard method, i.e., the strand printing method (SPM), which provides a standardized printing procedure and quantifies systematically the particle emission released from individual FFF-3D filaments under controlled conditions. Forty-four marketable filament products were tested. The total number of emitted particles (TP) varied by approximately four orders of magnitude (1E9 ≤ TP ≤ 1E13), indicating that origin of polymers, manufacturer-specific additives, and undeclared impurities have a strong influence. Our results suggest that TP characterizes an individual filament product and particle emissions cannot be categorized by the polymer type (e.g., PLA or ABS) alone. The user's choice of a filament product is therefore decisive for the exposure to released particles during operation. Thus, choosing a filament product awarded for low emissions seems to be an easily achievable preemptive measure to prevent health hazards.
Biocides, including disinfectants and antimicrobial surfaces (AMCs), are important to prevent the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria via surfaces. However, concerns have been raised about the evolution and selection of resistance against disinfectants and AMCs. In turn, resistance against disinfectants and AMCs can be associated to antibiotic resistance due to cross-resistance and co-resistance. We need to understand the mechanisms and risks of disinfectants and AMCs for resistance and cross-resistance evolution to optimize their application and safeguard their long-term efficacy. We used adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments based on repeated exposure of bacteria to disinfectants. Our results show that repeated disinfection of E. coli with benzalkonium chloride in suspension results in a 2000-fold increase in survival within 5 exposure cycles. Adaption is linked to the initial presence of persister cells highly tolerant to benzalkonium chloride. We used the same approach to develop standardizable ALE experiments to determine resistance evolution to AMCs. The results highlight rapid adaptation of E. coli and P. aeruginosa towards copper surfaces. Moreover, there are multiple situations in the clinic or in the environment in which biocides and antibiotics co-occur and in which combination effects can shape their antimicrobial activity or their selective effects. Our work with P. aeruginosa shows prevalent combination effects of biocides and antibiotics, ranging from synergy to antagonism and resulting in the selection for or against antibiotic resistant strains. The combination effects are dependent on the biofilm mode-of-growth, manifesting in apparent differences in the structural arrangement of antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains in biofilms exposed to combinations. Furthermore, biocides affect rates of mutation and horizontal gene transfer, thereby having a potential facilitating effect on resistance evolution. Taken together, our work shows that the role of biocides as potential drivers of resistance evolution and selection deserves further study and regulative action.
Mehrere Aspekte wurden im Hinblick auf die Standardisierung eines geeigneten Verfahrens für die Analyse sehr flüchtiger organischer Verbindungen (VVOCs) untersucht. Die Verwendung gasförmiger Standards ist notwendig und es wurde ein stabiles Standardgasgemisch aus 60 Substanzen erfolgreich erzeugt und auf Stabilität und Reaktivität überprüft. Die Eignungsuntersuchung verschiedener Chromatographiesäulen ergab, dass PLOT-Säulen (Porous Layer Open Tubular) für die VVOC-Analytik gut geeignet sind. Für die 60 Analyten wurden Wiederfindungsraten auf mehreren Adsorbenzien und deren Kombinationen bestimmt. Dabei zeigte eine Kombination aus einem graphitierten Ruß und einem Kohlenstoff-Molekularsieb hervorragende Ergebnisse für alle Zielkomponenten. Nachteilig an Kohlenstoff-Molekularsieben ist, dass sie Wasser adsorbieren, was die Analyse beeinträchtigen kann. Zur Wasserentfernung wurden verschiedene Optionen wie das Trockenspülen oder der Einsatz eines Trocknungssystems untersucht.
Aim. The European biocidal products regulation requires environmental risk assessments for biocidal products under service conditions. This is only possible, if processes that lead to biocide emissions into the environment are understood and can be reasonably predicted.
Actual emissions due to leaching result from different processes that are affected by material properties and environmental conditions. Transformation of biocides can affect emissions considerably.
Leaching and possible transformation of the film preservatives carbendazim, diuron, OIT and terbutryn in paints was observed under laboratory and field conditons in order to investigate the influence of different factors, e.g. water contact and radiation on biocide emissions. The paints contained either white titanium dioxide or a red iron oxide pigment to check whether pigments affect leaching processes.
Methods. Test specimens of a water-based styrene acrylic dispersion paint on glass were exposed to UVA-radiation in a UV weathering device and/or exposed to water contact by immersion events on the basis of the European standard EN 16105. Plywood panels were coated and exposed to natural weather conditions in a semi-field experiment. Concentrations of biocides and transformation products were analysed in leachates from laboratory tests, runoff samples and remaining coatings.
Results. The impact of weathering conditions on transformation processes differs for the investigated active substances. Water contact, radiation as well as pigments in the paints determine the pattern and amount of transformation products on coatings, leachates and runoff water. Observations from laboratory and field experiments were compared. It proved that results from laboratory tests support understanding of data from field experiments.
Detailed knowledge on the fate of active substances under environmental conditions supports manufacturers to develop safe applications of film preservatives and authorities to evaluate its environmental impact.
Fungi that share light-flooded habitats with phototrophs may profit from their excess photosynthetic products. But to cope with sunlight-associated stresses [e.g. high temperatures, UV radiation with associated DNA damage, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), desiccation and osmotic stresses] it is important for fungi to accurately sense and respond to changes in light. The genomes of black [dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin-containing] fungi from phyllosphere and exposed solid surfaces contain multiple photoreceptors (PRs). The plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea (Leotiomycetes) has a highly sophisticated photosensory and signalling system that helps to avoid light and to locate susceptible hosts. Rock-inhabiting Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes including Knufia petricola possess equal numbers of PRs along with the same set of protective pigments. This similarity between black fungi from plant and rock surfaces suggests that photoperception and -regulation are important for fungi that receive nutrients through cooperation with phototrophs.
Sunlight is an important environmental factor is almost all ecosystems by being a source of energy, information, and stress. All organisms must protect themselves from the harmful effects of light such as UV radiation, ROS accumulation, heat, and desiccation. Finally, light qualities and quantities can be used for decision making, timing and as guide for directed growth when they are sensed and transduced into intracellular signals. Botrytis cinerea and other plant pathogens infecting the sun-exposed parts of the plant must cope with the high light conditions the host plant seeks. Further they experience an altered light spectrum (‘green gap’) when they colonize shaded parts of the plant; it is depleted for blue and red light that is absorbed by the plant chlorophyll and enriched for green and far-red light that is reflected or transmitted by the plant tissue. As these ambient light conditions trigger the shade avoidance response in the plant, the pathogens may trigger their own ‘shading response’ such as the upregulation of virulence determinants and inoculum production. B. cinerea maintains a highly sophisticated light signaling machinery that senses different light qualities to trigger a variety of responses, that are protection, morphogenesis, positive and negative tropisms, and entrainment. These characteristics render B. cinerea a valuable model to enlighten the role of light in parasitic fungus-plant interactions and beyond. The vegetative mycelium – the core of all infection and developmental programs – is not visibly pigmented and thus considered to be sensitive to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the vegetative hyphae have a very limited half-life and are usually restricted to the invasive growth phase in which they are protected from light by the plant tissue. Fast colonization of host tissues and by this proper nutrient acquisition enables the rapid formation of long-lasting reproduction structures (melanized conidiophores with conidia, sclerotia) on the surfaces of rotted plant tissues. Depending on the light and temperature conditions, conidiation or sclerotial development is initiated. Taken together, B. cinerea uses light-regulated signaling networks to avoid light whenever possible; for example, by minimizing the half-life of sensitive cells that are hiding in plant tissues and by scheduling critical steps such as conidiogenesis, conidial germination and penetration of plant tissues for the night.
Die passive Probenahme von VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) mit Tenax® TA und Thermodesorption GC/MS Analytik ist eine einfache, kosteneffiziente und repräsentative Methode zur Bestimmung der VOC-Konzentrationen in der Innenraumluft. In der Theorie ist die Stoffaufnahme in den Passivsammler nur abhängig vom Diffusionskoeffizienten der Substanz in Luft und der Geometrie des Sammlers (ideale Adsorption). Um sie zu charakterisieren, wird die Aufnahmerate (UR), definiert als Quotient der Massenaufnahme und dem Produkt aus Konzentration und Expositionszeit, verwendet. Viele effektive Aufnahmeraten (UR,eff) unterscheiden sich beträchtlich von idealen (theoretischen) Werten (UR,id). Literaturwerte sind in nationalen und internationalen Normen lediglich für bestimmte Expositionszeiten vorgegeben, während detaillierte Informationen über den zugehörigen Konzentrationsbereich fehlen. Außerdem ist die Anzahl der insgesamt in der Literatur beschriebenen Substanzen begrenzt. Das Ziel der vorgestellten Studie ist es diesen Fundus an Aufnahmeraten zu begutachten und zu prüfen und ihn durch die Bestimmung eigener qualitätsgesicherter Laborwerte zu ergänzen. Die bestimmten Aufnahmeraten werden als akkurat bezüglich ihrer relativen Standardabweichung und Vergleichbarkeit zu Literaturwerten betrachtet und können für Expositionszeiten von 7 Tagen bei Konzentrationen von 50 100 µg/m³ (ca. 100 300 ppm min) empfohlen werden. Die Sieben Tage Aufnahmeraten aus ISO16017 2 und ASTM D6196 sind nicht generell für diesen Zweck geeignet, wie exemplarisch für Benzol gezeigt wurde.
Die Zementindustrie und weitere energieintensive Industrien wie etwa die Stahlindustrie stehen vor dem Hintergrund der Transformation unserer Gesellschaft zur Klimaneutralität vor erheblichen Herausforderungen. Ziel dieser Branchen ist perspektivisch die vollständige Vermeidung klimaschädlicher Emissionen – mit besonderem Fokus auf Kohlendioxid. Neben der Umstellung auf regenerative Energieträger, sind im Speziellen für die Zementindustrie die erheblichen Anteile an CO2-Emissionen durch die Entsäuerung von Kalkstein zukünftig zu vermeiden. Da die hervorragenden Bindemitteleigenschaften des bisher hauptsächlich in Zementen eingesetzten Portlandklinkers jedoch auf Calciumverbindungen wie Tri- und Di-calciumsilikaten basieren, stellt die Substitution des Kalks derzeit für die Zementindustrie die größte Herausforderung dar. Neben vollständig neuen Bindemittelsystemen ohne Verwendung von Kalk und CCS/CCU-Technologien zur Vermeidung der CO2-Emissionen bei Verwendung von Kalk, können Abfälle und Nebenprodukte wie etwa Betonbrechsand, verschiedene Schlacken und weitere Massenreststoffe sinnvoll zur Einsparung von Rohstoffen und zur Vermeidung von CO2-Emissionen eingesetzt werden. Es gilt diese Potentiale von Sekundärrohstoffen branchenübergreifend zu identifizieren und Synergien zwischen den Branchen nutzbar zu machen. Hierbei werden neben der chemischen Zusammensetzung der Abfälle und Nebenprodukte auch die Verfügbarkeit und der Massenstrom relevante Kriterien sein. Die potenziellen Sekundärrohstoffe und deren Gemische mit chemisch ähnlicher Zusammensetzung wie die bisher verwendeten Bindemittel, können durch verschiedene technische Ansätze wieder in reaktive Bindemittel umgewandelt und damit nutzbar gemacht werden. Eine gezielte Umwandlung der nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen in neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften, kann u. a. durch Schmelzprozesse erzielt werden. In Schmelzen können bei hohen Temperaturen die bestehenden, nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen zerstört und neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften erzeugt werden. Hohe Freiheitsgrade durch gezielte Einstellung der stofflichen Zusammensetzung der Schmelze, durch Stoffseparationen und durch geregelte Abkühlregimes können eine maßgeschneiderte Erzeugung neuer Bindemitteltypen ermöglichen. Aufgrund der hohen erforderlichen Temperaturen von Schmelzprozessen ist die Umsetzung dieser neuen Verfahren nach Möglichkeit in bestehenden pyrometallurgischen Produktionsrouten wie etwa der Stahlproduktion vorzunehmen. So kann etwa der Einsatz von Betonbrechsand als Schlackebildner in der Stahlproduktion zielführend sein, wenn die Schlacke wieder zu einem Bindemittel prozessiert wird und in Zementen Verwendung findet. Eine stoffliche Kreislaufführung wäre hiermit gegeben, wobei der Einsatz von Kalkstein als Schlackebildner oder Rohstoff für die Zementproduktion, und damit die entsprechenden CO2-Emissionen, vermieden werden. Die Entwicklung neuartiger Bindemittelsysteme auf Basis von Sekundärrohstoffen sollte von erforderlichen Anpassungen und neuen Entwicklungen in der Regelsetzung und Normung begleitet werden. Vor allem muss gewährleistet sein, dass die mit neuen Bindemitteln hergestellten Betone den hohen Anforderungen an Dauerhaftigkeit und Umweltverträglichkeit genügen. Des Weiteren sollte mit den etablierten Methoden, wie etwa der Lebenszyklusanalyse, untersucht werden, inwiefern und in welchem Umfang die neuen technischen Entwicklungen zu Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz beitragen.
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion of Cast Iron Containers for High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal
(2022)
Ductile and corrosion resistant cast iron is investigated as a potential container material to store high-level nuclear waste (HLW) in deep geological repositories (DGR) in claystone bedrock. The dynamic corrosion process is dependent on the conditions present in the DGR which are influenced and/or controlled by geochemical parameters (e.g., redox potential, pH, presence of and ionic concentration in (pore-)water), physical parameters (e.g., pressure), and the influence of metabolically active microorganisms. Cast iron corrosion will occur at the intersection of container and its decontaminable coating with the bentonite backfill material which contains natural microbial populations.
The conditions in a DGR are simulated in microcosm experiments to investigate the impact of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC); the microcosms contain: B27 bentonite, synthetic pore water, N2 or N2-CO2 atmosphere, cast iron coupons, as well as the bacterium Desulfosporosinus burensis (isolated from repository depth in Buré, France). Three coupon configurations will be used: untreated, coated with decontaminable coating, and coated with decontaminable coating which has been damaged to simulate possible damages. The microcosms will be examined for bio- and geochemical parameters, such as pH, redox potential, mineral phases, sulphate concentration, Fe(II):Fe(III), changes in microbial populations, and the corrosion process for formation of corrosion products, and potential microbial influence, after a 270-day incubation period at 25°C under anaerobic conditions. In subsequent experiments, the sorption behavior of lanthanides and actinides onto the membranes of viable cells and spores of D. burensis, as well as the surface of corroded cast iron coupons will be investigated.
Analyseverfahren und Messhäufigkeit zur Bestimmung des Phosphorgehalts im Klärschlamm nach AbfKlärV
(2022)
Auf dem Betreiberforum der DWA-Plattform P-Rück wurden die Empfehlungen für den Vollzug der Phosphorrückgewinnungspflicht aus Klärschlamm vorgestellt. Diese Empfehlungen behandeln die Häufigkeit der Phosphoruntersuchungen im Klärschlamm, wo ein Jahresgang empfohlen wird und eine Empfehlung der Phosphorbestimmung über Aufschluss der Probe in der Mikrowelle und Messung mit ICP-OES. Untermauert wurden die Empfehlungen mit den Ergebnissen von Klärschlamm-Monitoring, Ringversuch und Analytikvergleich aus dem Vorhaben extraWERT.
For the European sewage sludge ash monitoring ash samples from sewage sludge incineration plants were requested from all over Europe. First results of the received samples regarding main and trace element contents were presented at ESPC4. Moreover, a list of all known European facilities for sewage sludge monoincineration was presented.
Klärschlammaschen können eine hohe Phosphatkonzentration aufweisen und stellen damit einen geeigneten Sekundärrohstoff für die Produktion von Phosphatdüngemitteln dar. Bisher wird dieses Potential der Klärschlammaschen für die Phosphor-Rückgewinnung jedoch kaum genutzt, da die in den Aschen enthaltenen Phosphate für Pflanzen kaum verfügbar und die Aschen teilweise mit toxischen Schwermetallen belastet sind.
Im AshDec®-Verfahren wird die Klärschlammaschen im Drehrohrofen im Temperaturbereich 800-1000°C unter Zugabe von Alkali-Additiven (bsp. Na2CO3) thermochemisch behandelt, um ein wirksames und schadstoffarmes Phosphatdüngemittel herzustellen. Aktuell bereitet die Firma Emter GmbH den Bau der ersten großtechnischen AshDec®-Anlage mit einer Kapazität von 30.000 Jahrestonnen Klärschlammasche am Standort ihrer Klärschlammverbrennungsanlage (Altenstadt / Oberbayern) vor. Die erste Ausbaustufe dieser Anlage wird durch das BMBF-Projekt R-Rhenania im Rahmen der Förderinitiative RePhoR begleitet.
Using nanofiber-like cell appendages, secreted proteins and sugars, bacteria can establish initial surface contact followed by irreversible adhesion and the formation of multicellular biofilms. Here, the stabilizing extracellular biofilm matrix together with physiological changes on the single cell level leads to an increased resilience towards harsh environmental conditions, antimicrobials, the host immune response and established cleaning procedures. Persistent microbial adhesion on e.g., medical implants, in water supply networks or food-processing industry is often associated with chronic inflammation, nosocomial and foodborne infections, enhanced biofouling and product contamination. To prevent persistent microbial colonization, antibacterial surface strategies often target the initial steps of biofilm formation and impede adhesion of single cells before a mature biofilm is being formed. While chemical coatings have been widely used, their restricted biocompatibility for eukaryotic cells and attenuated antibacterial-effects due to compound release limit their areas of application and alternative strategies focus on modified surfaces topographies to impede bacterial adhesion. In this work, we used ns-UV laser treatment (wavelength 248 nm and a pulse duration of 20 ns) to generate laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) with different submicrometric periods ranging from ~210 to ~610 nm on commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils. Following structurally and chemically analyses, PET samples were subjected to bacterial colonization studies with Escherichia coli TG1, a bacterial test strain with a strong biofilm formation capacity due to the formation of nanofiber-like cell-appendages (pili). Bacterial adhesion tests revealed that E. coli repellence decisively depends on the spatial periods of the LIPSS with the strongest reduction (~91%) in cell adhesion observed for LIPSS periods of 214 nm. Scanning electron microscopy and additional biofilm studies using a pili-deficient E. coli TG1 strain revealed the importance of extracellular appendages in the bacterial repellence observed here, thus, pointing out new antibiotics-free strategies for antibacterial surfaces by impeding nanofiber-mediated bacterial adhesion.
The processing of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) represents a simple and robust way for the nanostructuring of solids that allows creating a wide range of surface functionalities featuring applications in optics, tribology, medicine, energy technologies, etc. While the currently available laser and scanner technology already allows surface processing rates at the m2/min level, industrial applications of LIPSS are sometimes hampered by the complex interplay between the nanoscale surface topography and the specific surface chemistry. This typically manifests in difficulties to control the processing of LIPSS and in limitations to ensure the long-term stability of the created surface functions. This presentation aims to identify some unsolved scientific problems related to LIPSS, discusses the pending technological limitations, and sketches the current state of theoretical modelling. Hereby, it is intended to stimulate further research and developments in the field of LIPSS for overcoming these limitations and for supporting the transfer of the LIPSS technology into industry.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged over the course of the last twenty years as a global pollution issue. Altogether, there are currently more than 4700 known but only partly characterized fluorinated compounds identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as shown by a recently published classification proposal.
The ongoing production of new, yet unrestricted PFAS alternatives has become a major challenge for environmental routine analytics, since the state-of-the-art method LC-MS/MS relies on structural information and availability of isotope standards of the targeted compound. First reported by Miyake et al., fluorine sum parameters like adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and total fluorine (TF) can be applied to survey and detect the presence of large amounts of unidentified organofluorine compounds in environmental matrices. Today fluorine sum parameters have been established as a useful supplement to classic target-analytical approaches of PFAS and were implemented for the first time as a sum value “PFAS-total” in the recently revised Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184) by the European Commission.
In contrast, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy has been widely applied to identify low concentration of element-specific contamination without pre-treatment in environmental samples in the past. The XANES approach enables a penetration depth of approx. 1 µm (at fluorine K-edge energy; depending on the matrix) which is significantly deeper than for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS; penetration depth approx. 10 nm). Furthermore, the method is fast, non-destructive and only simple preparation of the samples is required.
In our work, we combined both F-XANES spectroscopy and combustion ion chromatography (CIC) in order to present a new analytical perspective on the investigation of PFAS in environmental media and material samples.
In Deutschland ist ab 2029 eine Phosphorrückgewinnung aus Klärschlamm verpflichtend. Ausgenommen sind Klärschlämme mit weniger als 20 g P/kg TM. Für die Phosphorbestimmung sind verschiedene Methoden nach Klärschlammverordnung als gleichwertig zugelassen: Der Königswasseraufschluss in der Mikrowelle und am Rückfluss sowie die Messung an ICP-OES, ICP-MS und die photometrische Bestimmung mittels Ammoniummolybdaten. An der BAM wurden die unterschiedlichen Methodenkombinationen aus Aufschluss- und Messmethode an 15 Klärschlämmen überprüft und in einem Ringversuch mit einem Klärschlamm getestet. Die Ergebnisse werden in diesem Vortrag zusammengefasst. Als Folge der Untersuchungen wird für die Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm die ICP-OES-Messung nach Königswasseraufschluss in der Mikrowelle empfohlen.
The exposure to antimicrobial substances drives the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Biocides are antimicrobials used as disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives. They find application on a large scale in the industrial and medical sector, but also in private households. In terms of mass, the worldwide use of biocides exceeds that of antibiotics. Thus, despite their important role in preventing the spread of pathogens, due to their ubiquity, biocides are suspected to be drivers of the antimicrobial resistance crisis. In our work at BAM we try to understand how biocides contribute to the emergence of AMR, what the underlying adaptation principles and mechanisms are and how they compare to those found for antibiotics. Within our group, I mainly focus on the following two questions: How does phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria affect the ability to survive treatment with biocides? And what are the consequences of phenotypic heterogeneity for the evolution of resistance to biocides and antibiotics?
I will share published and unpublished results which demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity can enable the survival of biocide treatment and, through this, facilitate the evolution of AMR. On the other hand, we find that adaptation to a biocide can unexpectedly impair the ability to evolve resistance against an antibiotic.
Der Vortrag liefert eine Zusammenfassung der wichtigsten Ergebnisse des extraWERT-Vorhabens mit Schwerpunkt auf den Umsetzungsfragen zur Klärschlammverordnung. Bei diesen Punkten handelt es sich um die Untersuchung von monatlichen Phosphorschwankungen in kommunalem Klärschlamm und die Gleichwertigkeit verschiedener Verfahren zur Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm.
Die Zementindustrie und weitere energieintensive Industrien wie etwa die Stahlindustrie stehen vor dem Hintergrund der Transformation unserer Gesellschaft zur Klimaneutralität vor erheblichen Herausforderungen. Ziel dieser Branchen ist perspektivisch die vollständige Vermeidung klimaschädlicher Emissionen – mit besonderem Fokus auf Kohlendioxid. Neben der Umstellung auf regenerative Energieträger, sind im Speziellen für die Zementindustrie die erheblichen Anteile an CO2-Emissionen durch die Entsäuerung von Kalkstein zukünftig zu vermeiden. Da die hervorragenden Bindemitteleigenschaften des bisher hauptsächlich in Zementen eingesetzten Portlandklinkers jedoch auf Calciumverbindungen wie Tri- und Di-calciumsilikaten basieren, stellt die Substitution des Kalks derzeit für die Zementindustrie die größte Herausforderung dar. Neben vollständig neuen Bindemittelsystemen ohne Verwendung von Kalk und CCS/CCU-Technologien zur Vermeidung der CO2-Emissionen bei Verwendung von Kalk, können Abfälle und Nebenprodukte wie etwa Betonbrechsand, verschiedene Schlacken und weitere Massenreststoffe sinnvoll zur Einsparung von Rohstoffen und zur Vermeidung von CO2-Emissionen eingesetzt werden. Es gilt diese Potentiale von Sekundärrohstoffen branchenübergreifend zu identifizieren und Synergien zwischen den Branchen nutzbar zu machen. Hierbei werden neben der chemischen Zusammensetzung der Abfälle und Nebenprodukte auch die Verfügbarkeit und der Massenstrom relevante Kriterien sein. Die potenziellen Sekundärrohstoffe und deren Gemische mit chemisch ähnlicher Zusammensetzung wie die bisher verwendeten Bindemittel, können durch verschiedene technische Ansätze wieder in reaktive Bindemittel umgewandelt und damit nutzbar gemacht werden. Eine gezielte Umwandlung der nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen in neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften, kann u. a. durch Schmelzprozesse erzielt werden. In Schmelzen können bei hohen Temperaturen die bestehenden, nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen zerstört und neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften erzeugt werden. Hohe Freiheitsgrade durch gezielte Einstellung der stofflichen Zusammensetzung der Schmelze, durch Stoffseparationen und durch geregelte Abkühlregimes können eine maßgeschneiderte Erzeugung neuer Bindemitteltypen ermöglichen. Aufgrund der hohen erforderlichen Temperaturen von Schmelzprozessen ist die Umsetzung dieser neuen Verfahren nach Möglichkeit in bestehenden pyrometallurgischen Produktionsrouten wie etwa der Stahlproduktion vorzunehmen. So kann etwa der Einsatz von Betonbrechsand als Schlackebildner in der Stahlproduktion zielführend sein, wenn die Schlacke wieder zu einem Bindemittel prozessiert wird und in Zementen Verwendung findet. Eine stoffliche Kreislaufführung wäre hiermit gegeben, wobei der Einsatz von Kalkstein als Schlackebildner oder Rohstoff für die Zementproduktion, und damit die entsprechenden CO2-Emissionen, vermieden werden. Die Entwicklung neuartiger Bindemittelsysteme auf Basis von Sekundärrohstoffen sollte von erforderlichen Anpassungen und neuen Entwicklungen in der Regelsetzung und Normung begleitet werden. Vor allem muss gewährleistet sein, dass die mit neuen Bindemitteln hergestellten Betone den hohen Anforderungen an Dauerhaftigkeit und Umweltverträglichkeit genügen. Des Weiteren sollte mit den etablierten Methoden, wie etwa der Lebenszyklusanalyse, untersucht werden, inwiefern und in welchem Umfang die neuen technischen Entwicklungen zu Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz beitragen.
Klärschlammaschen können eine hohe Phosphatkonzentration aufweisen und stellen damit einen geeigneten Sekundärrohstoff für die Produktion von Phosphatdüngemitteln dar. Bisher wird dieses Potential der Klärschlammaschen für die Phosphor-Rückgewinnung jedoch kaum genutzt, da die in den Aschen enthaltenen Phosphate für Pflanzen kaum verfügbar und die Aschen teilweise mit toxischen Schwermetallen belastet sind.
Im AshDec®-Verfahren wird die Klärschlammaschen im Drehrohrofen im Temperaturbereich 800-1000°C unter Zugabe von Alkali-Additiven (bsp. Na2CO3) thermochemisch behandelt, um ein wirksames und schadstoffarmes Phosphatdüngemittel herzustellen. Aktuell bereitet die Firma Emter GmbH den Bau der ersten großtechnischen AshDec®-Anlage mit einer Kapazität von 30.000 Jahrestonnen Klärschlammasche am Standort ihrer Klärschlammverbrennungsanlage (Altenstadt / Oberbayern) vor. Die erste Ausbaustufe dieser Anlage wird durch das BMBF-Projekt R-Rhenania im Rahmen der Förderinitiative RePhoR begleitet.
Im Rahmen des Projekts wurde 1.) eine vollständige Bewertung des Stands der Technik in der EU bei der Behandlung von Rostasche vorgenommen und 2.) eine Optimierung der Nutzung der Feinfraktion in Labor- und Feldmaßstab untersucht.
Das Konsortium bestand aus zwei Universitäten aus Deutschland und Italien, der BAM als Forschungseinrichtung des Bundes und zwei Industriepartnern aus Deutschland und Schweden mit unterschiedlichen und spezifischen Fachkompetenzen.
Im Vortrag werden die Ergebnisse des weitgehend abgeschlossenen Projekts BASH-TREAT vorgestellt.
Black fungi also called black yeasts, rock-inhabiting fungi or microcolonial fungi are a group of Ascomycetes [Eurotiomycetes, Arthoniomycetes and Dothideomycetes] that exhibit high stress tolerance, yeast‑like or meristematic growth, and constitutive 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin formation. They dominate a range of hostile natural and man‑made environments – from desert rocks and salterns to dishwashers, roofs, and solar panels. Due to their slow growth and the lack of sexual cycles and genetic tools, the underlying mechanisms of black fungi’s phenotypic traits have remained largely unexplored. We consider the rock inhabitant K. petricola [Eurotiomycetes, Chaetothyriales] a suitable model for studying the phenotypic characteristics of black fungi. With K. petricola the regulation of pigment synthesis, general stress responses and the unusual modes of cell division can be dissected by advanced reverse and forward genetics approaches. The genome of K. petricola strain A95 was sequenced using a combination of short high quality Illumina reads and long PacBio reads. The final assembly consists of twelve contigs: five complete chromosomes and six contigs with one telomer each. Gene annotation supported by transcriptomics and proteomics data was manually curated. Recently, we developed a set of genetic tools to manipulate the genome for analyzing gene functions and studying the cell biology. This set includes CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing and live-cell imaging using genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, as well as protocols for -omics approaches and for simulation of mineral weathering in the laboratory. Mutants defective in DHN melanogenesis, carotenogenesis or both processes are currently studied to elucidate the role of these protective pigments in tolerance of natural and man-made stresses, weathering of olivine, penetration of marble, and adhesion to surfaces. Further, the established protocols and knowledge gained from K. petricola form a starting point for making other extremotolerant black fungi accessible to genetic manipulation.
Dust deposition is an important source of phosphorus (P) to many ecosystems. However, there is little evidence of dust-derived P-containing minerals in soils. Here we studied P forms along a well-described climatic gradient on Hawaii, which is also a dust deposition gradient. Soil mineralogy and soil P forms from six sites along the climatic gradient were analyzed with bulk (X-ray diffraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure)
and microscale (X-ray fluorescence, P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, and Raman) analysis methods. In the wettest soils, apatite grains ranging from 5 to 30 μm in size were co-located at the micro-scale with quartz, a known continental dust indicator suggesting recent atmospheric deposition. In addition to colocation with quartz, further evidence of dust-derived P included backward trajectory modeling indicating that dust particles could be brought to Hawaii from the major global dust-loading areas in central Asia and northern Africa. Although it is not certain whether the individual observed apatite grains were derived from long-distance transport of dust, or from local dust sources such as volcanic ash or windblown fertilizer, these observations offer direct evidence that P-containing minerals have reached surface layers of highly-weathered grassland soils
through atmospheric deposition.
In dieser Präsentation wurden dem Beirat Umwelt die High-Lights und der weitere Ausblick des Foresight Process MIC vorgestellt. Im Fokus stehen hierbei insbesondere die neu angelaufenen Projekte:
COST Action Euro-MIC
MIC im Endlager
Hydrogen: MIC & Wasserstoffversprödung
Biorezeptivität von Betonoberflächen
Mitigation schwarze Pilze
WIPANO ResTest
Phenotypic heterogeneity in disinfection: sources and consequences for antimicrobial resistance
(2022)
A summary of projects here at BAM which investigate the influence of phenotypic heterogeneity on the outcome of disinfection and the influence on antimicrobial resistance. This presentation was given in the Theory Seminar of the Quantitative and Theoretical Biology group of Prof. Oliver Ebenhöh at HHU Düsseldorf
Quantitative chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter (PM) is vital for the understanding of health effects in indoor and outdoor environments, as well as for enforcing air quality regulations. Typically, airborne particles are sampled over long time periods on filters, followed by lab-based analysis, e.g., with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Within the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET project, cascade impactor aerosol sampling was combined for the first time with on-site total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy to develop a tool for quantifying particle element compositions within short time intervals and even on-site. This makes variations of aerosol chemistry observable with time resolution of only a few hours and with good size resolution in the PM10 range. A proof of principles of this methodological approach and the comparison to standard methods within the scope of a field campaign will be presented. Secondly, aerosol sampling and TXRF analysis seems suitable for the quantification of elements in indoor aerosols as well and may provide an important enhancement of existing methods for the analysis of organic species in aerosols (such as sampling and TD-GC/MS). As an example, the TXRF analysis of particles emitted from laser printers under controlled conditions in an environmental test chamber will be presented.
Axial passive sampling of VOCs with Tenax® TA and thermal desorption GC-MS analysis is an accepted alternative to active sampling in occupational hygiene. In theory, the uptake into the passive sampler is only dependent on the diffusion coefficient of the analyte in air and the geometry of the sampler (ideal adsorption). For characterization, the uptake rate (UR) is used defined as the ratio of the mass adsorbed and the product of ambient concentration and exposure time. Various reported effective uptake rates (UR,eff) differ to an increasing degree from ideal values (UR,id) with increasing exposure doses (denominator of the given definition of UR), (Tolnai, 2001). In national and international standards, uptake rates are essentially sorted by the applicable exposure time, while detailed information about the corresponding concentration range is lacking. Moreover, especially for long exposure periods as applied in indoor air monitoring, the number of itemized substances is limited. Therefore it is the aim of this contribution to review and expand uptake rate data by comparison of literature and own laboratory values of assured quality. Passive samplers were exposed to nine single compound atmospheres of known concentrations for seven days. Concentrations were checked twice a day via active sampling.The determined uptake rates are considered accurate in terms of RSD and comparability to literature values and can be recommended for exposure times of seven days at 50 – 100 μg m-3 (approximately 100 – 300 ppm min). Seven-day uptake rates in ISO16017-2 and ASTM D6196 are not generally suited for this purpose, as has been exemplarily shown for benzene. Thus, it is crucial for optimization of the method to produce more reliable uptake rate data, including specific information about applicable exposure times and concentrations, which will be promoted in the course of this ongoing study.
Thermochemische Behandlung von Klärschlammaschen - Phosphorrückgewinnung mit dem AshDec Prozess
(2021)
Klärschlammaschen können eine hohe Phosphatkonzentration aufweisen und stellen damit einen geeigneten Sekundärrohstoff für die Produktion von Phosphatdüngemitteln dar. Bisher wird dieses Potential der Klärschlammaschen für die Phosphor-Rückgewinnung jedoch kaum genutzt, da die in den Aschen enthaltenen Phosphate für Pflanzen kaum verfügbar und die Aschen teilweise mit toxischen Schwermetallen belastet sind.
Im AshDec®-Verfahren wird die Klärschlammaschen im Drehrohrofen im Temperaturbereich 800-1000°C unter Zugabe von Alkali-Additiven (bsp. Na2CO3) thermochemisch behandelt, um ein wirksames und schadstoffarmes Phosphatdüngemittel herzustellen. Aktuell bereitet die Firma Emter GmbH den Bau der ersten großtechnischen AshDec®-Anlage mit einer Kapazität von 30.000 Jahrestonnen Klärschlammasche am Standort ihrer Klärschlammverbrennungsanlage (Altenstadt / Oberbayern) vor. Die erste Ausbaustufe dieser Anlage wird durch das BMBF-Projekt R-Rhenania im Rahmen der Förderinitiative RePhoR begleitet.
Die Bewertung der Dauerhaftigkeit von Holz und Holzprodukten ist ein zentrales Thema im Holzschutz. Es wird zwischen einer natürlichen und einer herbeigeführten Dauerhaftigkeit unterschieden. Die Norm DIN EN 350 trägt beiden Richtungen Rechnung. Die Anwendung der Norm wird in vielen Fällen aber nicht korrekt durchgeführt. Schwachstellen werden diskutiert.
Gleichwertigkeit der nach AbfKlärV zulässigen Verfahren zur Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm
(2021)
In dem Meeting wurde den Notifizierern und Ausrichtern des jährlichen länderübergreifenden Ringversuchs Klärschlamm die Ergebnisse zu Untersuchungen hinsichtlich der Gleichwertigkeit verschiedener nach AbfKlärV zulässiger Verfahren zur Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm vorgestellt. Die Untersuchungen an 15 Klärschlammproben ergaben die höchsten Ergebnisse für das Messverfahren ICP-OES und das Aufschlussverfahren in der Mikrowelle. Diese Ergebnisse wurden im Ringversuch bestätigt.
Die Ergebnisse des extraWERT-Vorhabens wurden Vertreter*innen des Umweltministeriums von Bund und Ländern vorgestellt und im Zusammenhang mit dem Vollzug der AbfKlärV diskutiert. Es ging um die Phosphorschwankungen in kommunalem Klärschlamm und eine Empfehlung der Untersuchungshäufigkeit, um den Phosphorgehalt rechtssicher festzustellen. Des weiteren wurde die Performance verschiedener nach Verordnung gleichwertiger Analyseverfahren für Phosphor in Klärschlamm diskutiert anhand von Ringversuchsergebnissen und Eigenuntersuchungen an 15 Klärschlammproben.
Agricultural sewage sludge utilization becomes less important in Germany. In 2017, new fertilizer and waste laws caused the agricultural sewage sludge utilization to collapse by more than a quarter. From 2029, in German wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) phosphorus (P) must be recovered from sewage sludge ifit contains more than 2 wt % P. Agricultural utilization will be prohibited for large WWTPs > 100,000 population equivalents (pe) from 2029 and > 50,000 pe from 2032. In Germany, each federal state must annually report amounts and quality of agriculturally utilized sewage sludge which was 17 % of the total disposal in 2019. The reports of 10 States were evaluated for 2016 and 2017 representing approx. 60 % ofthe total agriculturallyused sludge volume. Whereas phosphorus recovery is mandatory this does not apply to other nutrients. However, many P recovery processes recover other nutrients, too. Considering three differentscenariosfor future German sewage sludge disposal shows that 70 - 77 % ofthe P load in sewage sludge will probably be recovered in the future. At the same time, this applies for about 0 - 16 % of nitrogen, 36 - 52 % of calcium, 31-53 % of potassium, and 40 - 52 % of magnesium. However, these recovered nut rient loads can substitute only 1 % or less ofthe commercial fertilizer demand except from phosphorus which is about 45 % ofthe demand.
The role of methanogens in microbiologically influenced corrosion (Mi-MIC) is often neglected, due to 1) low reported corrosion rates and 2) the suspected corrosion product siderite, which is electrically non-conductive. Typically, MIC corrosion studies are carried out using batch cultures, which did not represent the dynamic conditions, i.e. pipeline and provide insufficient information on the overall corrosion potential.
We established a unique approach, a multiport flow column (MFC), to simulate pipeline conditions and obtained 10-times higher corrosion rates than previously published. Our result showed that testing procedures have a large impact on the corrosive potential of methanogens. We found strong indications with a combination of ToF-SIMS, SEM-EDS and FIB-SEM analyses that siderite is not the sole corrosion product. The corrosion layers contain phosphorus, oxygen, magnesium, calcium and iron. To verify and deepen our understanding of Mi-MIC, we are currently studying the influence of other environmental parameters (e.g. pH) on Mi-MIC.
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a now well-known challenge and affects industry, society and infrastructure. For a long time, the impact of methanogen-induced MIC (Mi-MIC) was underestimated. This was mainly due to the rather low published corrosion rates and the presumed corrosion product siderite, which is not electrically conductive. In our laboratory, we were able to show that this trivialization or underestimation of Mi-MIC was due to the nature of the testing. The static systems used so far do not provide environmentally relevant information about the corrosion rate and the corrosion product, especially for methanogens
To further illustrate the importance of the environment on the MIC process, we established a multiport flow column (MFC), to simulate the natural environment. With this method, and in contrast to published results using the static conditions, we obtained ten times higher corrosion rates. We analyzed the corrosion products with a combination of techniques, like ToF-SIMS, SEM-EDS and FIB-SEM, and found strong evidence that siderite is not the sole corrosion product of Mi-MIC. The corrosion layers contain phosphorus, oxygen, magnesium, calcium and iron and lacked on carbon-related species. It is hypothesized that methanogens may have influenced the nucleation process of siderite, converting bicarbonate into carbon dioxide for methanogenesis. This results in increased localized corrosion and reduced siderite formation. To verify and deepen our understanding of Mi-MIC, we are currently studying the influence of additional environmental parameters (e.g. pH, salinity, flow rate etc.) on Mi-MIC and the subsequent impacts on corrosion rates and the corrosion products.
Overall, results of this study will expand the current understanding of MIC from both analytical and mechanistic points of view, thus aiding the development of different mitigation strategies for various industry sectors.
Corrosion is a very expensive and serious problem in the different industry sectors, eg. Petroleum-, On- and off-shore, infrastructure. It is estimated that 20% of all corrosion damage is caused by microorganisms or microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Several microorganisms are known to cause corrosion, including sulfate-reducing bacteria, nitrate-reducing bacteria, methanogens etc. For several years, methanogens were regarded as a mild corroder (~0.065 mm/yr), largely due to a lack of detailed investigation on the corrosion mechanism under real-environment simulated conditions. Resulting in the common belief that siderite, a non-conductive compound, is the sole corrosion product (CP) of methanogen-induced MIC (Mi-MIC).
To simulate natural environmental conditions, we developed and introduced the multiport flow column system (MFC), a multi-sectional corrosion flow-cell. Using the MFC, we obtained ten times higher corrosion rates than previously reported. With a combination of several analytical techniques, such as ToF-SIMS, SEM-EDS and FIB-SEM, we found strong indication that siderite is not the sole corrosion product of Mi-MIC. The corrosion layers contained phosphorus, oxygen, magnesium, calcium and iron. The differences in the CP between static and dynamic environments demonstrated the impact of testing procedures on the corrosive potential of methanogens. To further verify and deepen our understanding of Mi-MIC, we are currently studying the influence of additional environmental parameters (e.g. pH, salinity, flow rate) on Mi-MIC.
Overall, results of this study will expand the current understanding of MIC from both analytical and mechanistic points of view, thus aiding the development of different mitigation strategies for various industry sectors.
Der Fachbereich 7.6 untersucht seit einiger Zeit an Auslagerungsständen auf dem Testgelände in Horstwalde Korrosion im maritimen Bereich. Im Moment läuft das System mit künstlichem Meerwasser und simuliert die Bewitterung von Metallproben unter angenäherten klimatischen Bedingungen ähnlich zum natürlichem Habitat. Im Laufe der Zeit konnte nicht intendierter mikrobieller bewuchs beobachtet werden. Es stellte sich die Frage, welche Mikroorganismen vorlagen und ob diese einen Einfluss auf die Korrosionsuntersuchungen haben könnte. Aus diesem Grund wurden 16S-rRNA Untersuchungen durchgeführt welche alle drei Domänen des Lebens widerspiegeln Bakterien, Archaea und Eukaryoten. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass über 95% der vorliegenden Biomasse Grünalgen waren, die durch Licht Eintrag in den Container Photosynthese betrieben und dadurch an Biomasse zunahmen. Des weiteren konnten Bakterien detektiert werden, welche in der Regel halophilen und aeroben Habitaten zu finden sind. Allerdings wurden auch Sulfat reduzierende Bakterien (MIC) detektiert, wenn auch in einem geringen prozentualen Anteil. Es muss allerdings Berücksichtigt werden, dass die mikrobielle Zusammensetzung sich im Laufe der Zeit weiter ändern kann. Als Ursprung der Biomasse wird, das künstliche Sediment vermutet. Außerdem wäre es für zukünftige Experiment denkbar, das System mit echtem Sediment aus dem marinen Habitat anzuimpfen.
2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the first ERA.Net RUS joint call for European-Russian STI cooperation projects. Pooling the resources of more than 20 European and Russian funding agencies, more than 150 projects were funded with an estimated budget of about € 60 million.
Being even larger than many thematic ERA.NETs, the ERA.Net RUS Plus has been the biggest and most successful regional ERA.NET so far. Indicating a strong demand for scientific cooperation, the smaller-scale projects funded within the ERA.Net RUS (Plus) calls perfectly complement Russian participation in the EU Framework Programmes.
Not least of all, the ERA-Net RUS calls are examples of successful collaboration at a time when cooperation in other fields is complicated by the politically challenging situation. These calls contributed to keeping the communication channels open.
Against this background a dedicated event in late 2021 highlighted what has been achieved within the first decade of the initiative. The project EI-GEO coordinated by BAM was selected as best practice project. The presentation displays the main results of the project and discusses the key success factors.
Tour de table - BAM
(2021)
OECD Prüfrichtlinie zur Bestimmung der Partikelgröße und Anzahlgrößenverteilung von Nanomaterialien
(2021)
Abschlusspräsentation des Projektes "OECD Prüfrichtlinie zur Bestimmung der Partikelgröße und Anzahlgrößenverteilung von Nanomaterialien" - Projektteil Nanopartikel.
Es hat sich gezeigt, dass alle Methoden zur Bestimmung der Partikelgrößenverteilung Vor- und Nachteile haben. Es wird dringend empfohlen Größenverteilungen immer mit mindestens zwei unterschiedlichen Methoden zu bestimmen: Bildgebend und mit gute Anzahlstatistik.
Verschiedene Durchmesser wurden in der TG-PSD mit einem Indexsystem versehen, welches zukünftig Verwechslungen zwischen unterschiedlichen Durchmessern vermeiden soll.
Wird ein bestimmter Durchmesser benötigt (z.B. hydrodynamisch, aerodynamisch), muss die Methode passend gewählt werden. Eine Umrechnung von einem Durchmesser in einen anderen ist in der Regel fehlerbehaftet.
Es wurde ein einheitliches Reporting-System in der TG-PSD eingeführt.
Vorstellung der Ergebnisse bei der Entwicklung einer neuen OECD Prüfrichtlinie zur Bestimmung der Partikelgröße und Anzahlgrößenverteilung von Nanomaterialien. (Projektteil Fasern.)
Ergebnisse:
Abweichungen zwischen SEM and TEM insbesondere bei langen Fasern
Die Anwendung von TEM auf kurze Fasern < 5 µm beschränkt
Für SEM wurde keine signifikante Abhängigkeit der Bestimmung der Faserdurchmesser von der Pixelgröße der Aufnahmen festgestellt
Für TEM wurde eine Abhängigkeit der Bestimmung der Faserdurchmesser von der Pixelgröße festgestellt
Der Einfluss der Bildauswertenden auf die Varianz der Ergebnisse ist klein im Vergleich zu der gesamten Varianz.
Nanofasern können mit TEM und SEM bestimmt werden!
Vorstellung der Ergebnisse bei der Entwicklung einer neuen OECD Prüfrichtlinie zur Bestimmung der Partikelgröße und Anzahlgrößenverteilung von Nanomaterialien.
Ergebnisse:
Ideal sphärische Partikel sind gut und verlässlich mit vielen Methoden charakterisierbar.
Reale (Nicht ideale) Materialien sind gut charakterisierbar, wenn eine gewisse Homogenität und Stabilität vorliegt.
Stark inhomogene und stark agglomerierende Partikel liefern deutlich unterschiedliche Ergebnisse für verschiedene Methoden.
Partikel mit geringen Größenunterschieden lassen sich mit allen Methoden gut charakterisieren.
Partikel mit sehr deutlichen Größenunterschieden führen häufig zu einer Unterbewertung der kleineren Partikel.
Vollautomatische Partikeldetektion bei elektronenmikroskopischen Aufnahmen ist z.Zt. noch stark fehleranfällig und kann daher nicht empfohlen werden.
Es hat sich gezeigt, dass alle Methoden zur Bestimmung der Partikelgrößenverteilung Vor- und Nachteile haben. Es ist dringend zu empfehlen Größenverteilungen immer mit mindestens zwei unterschiedlichen Methoden zu bestimmen: Bildgebend und mit gute Anzahlstatistik.
Verschiedene Durchmesser wurden in der TG-PSD mit einem Indexsystem versehen, welches zukünftig Verwechslungen zwischen unterschiedlichen Durchmessern vermeiden soll.
Wird ein bestimmter Durchmesser benötigt (z.B. hydrodynamisch, aerodynamisch), muss die Methode passend gewählt werden. Eine Umrechnung von einem Durchmesser in einen anderen ist in der Regel fehlerbehaftet.
Es wurde ein einheitliches Reporting-System in der TG-PSD eingeführt.
In 1981 the OECD published the Test Guideline on Particle size and size distribution. This TG is still a valid document for the measurement of particles all over the world.
When nanomaterials gained importance, ISO set up a technical commitee for Nanotechnologies in 2005 and the OECD followed this step in 2006 with the Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials.
In the following years ISO and OECD published several documents about nanomaterials and the systematisation developed.
In 2017 it was finally clear that nanomaterials need to be adressed in another way than chemicals and in 2020 ECHA revised the REACH-Annexes accordingly and included nanomaterials.
Unfortunately there is a little problem with this: Only a few applicable test guidelines exit for the measurement of the nanomaterials. Several test guidelines date from 1981 and do not address nanomaterials.
The logical next step for the OECD would be to publish a series of test guidelines which are indeed currently prepared and will be shown in this talk.
Finally there is an additional need for the future of NM standardisation: Digitalisation.
Phosphorus (P) fertilizers from secondary resources became increasingly important in the last years. However, these novel P-fertilizers can also contain toxic pollutants. Chromium in its hexavalent state (Cr(VI)) is regulated with low limit values for agricultural products due to its high toxicity, but the determination of Cr(VI) in these novel fertilizer matrices can be hampered by redox processes that lead to false results. Thus, we applied the passive sampler technique Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) for the determination of Cr(VI) in fertilizers and compared the results with the standard wet chemical extraction method (German norm DIN EN 15192) and Cr K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. We determined an overall good correlation between the wet chemical extraction and the DGT method. DGT was very sensitive and in most cases selective for the analysis of Cr(VI) in P-fertilizers. However, hardly soluble Cr(VI) compounds cannot be detected with the DGT method since only mobile Cr(VI) is analyzed. Furthermore, Cr K-edge XANES spectroscopy showed that the DGT binding layer also adsorbs small amounts of mobile Cr(III) compounds which leads to overestimated Cr(VI) values. The results of certain types of P-fertilizers containing mobile Cr(III) or partly immobile Cr(VI), showed that optimization of the DGT method is required to avoid over- or underestimation of Cr(VI).
The aim of this study was to investigate the passive sampler method Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) for ammonium and nitrate in amended soils. Therefore, we used soils from a pot experiment with maize where nitrogen (N) was supplied as ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN), without and with a nitrification inhibitor (NI). The additional use of a NI can delay the nitrification in the soil and making the ammonium available for a longer period in the soil solution after its application. Homogenized soil samples were collected directly from each pot after one week of incubation before sowing and after harvesting the maize. Nitrate and ammonium in these soil samples were extracted using DGT devices equipped with a Putolite A520E (for nitrate) and Microlite PrCH (for ammonium) binding layer. Ammonium DGT which determined the mobile and labile ammonium forms based on diffusion and the resupplies from the solid soil phase, only showed a significantly higher amount of extractable ammonium with NI compared to that without NI for some samples. However, significantly lower values were found for nitrate of treatments with NI compared to without NI after harvest. Thus, the lower nitrate amounts for treatments with NI compared to the treatments without NI after harvest indicated the delay of the nitrification process by the NI. Furthermore, we compared also the ammonium and nitrate
DGT results to chemical extraction with KCl solutions. The results demonstrated that the trends of DGT results and chemical extraction were complimentary through all the treatments.
Gypsum is widely used in the construction sector, and its worldwide consumption has been increasing now for several decades. Currently, the gypsum demand is met up to 60% by FGD gypsum (a by-product from coal-fired power plants) in Germany. The natural gypsum deposits cover the remaining gypsum demand. Due to national climate protection goals and the related shutdown of coal-fired power plants, the FGD gypsum supply will decrease significantly in the coming years and, therefore, other gypsum sources must be found.
Depending on the lifetime of the used gypsum products in the construction sector, an increase of gypsum in construction and demolition waste is to be expected. With regard to an upcoming shortage of gypsum, several approaches are being tested to recover gypsum from construction and demolition waste. Gypsum plasterboard recycling is already implemented on an industrial scale. Furthermore, new processes to recycle different types of gypsum products from construction and demolition waste are being examined. Of particular interest are different types of gypsum boards because they are well suited for selective dismantling. Therefore, they can be recovered comparatively free of impurities which is most important for the gypsum recycling.
In the research project “GipsRec 2.0”, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, recycling methods for gypsum fiberboards are being investigated. Additionally, the suitability of different types of synthetic gypsum as substitutes for FGD gypsum is being considered. Currently, the quantities of recycled gypsum are not sufficient with regard to the reduction of FGD gypsum. An increase of gypsum recycling should be achieved to narrow the future gypsum gap that will occur in the near future.