Influence of wood ash pre-treatment on leaching behaviour, liming and fertilising potential.

In Denmark, increasing amounts of woody biomass are being used for the production of renewable energy, resulting in more wood ashes being generated. While these materials have been mainly landfilled, wood ashes may also be utilised for fertilizing and liming purposes on top of soils. Pre-treatments involving hardening or granulation may be carried out prior to soil application. In this study, two Danish wood ash samples were hardened and/or granulated. Lab-hardening induced rapid changes in the shape of the acid neutralisation capacity curve of the ashes. Up-flow column tests, assuming local equilibrium conditions, were employed to investigate the leaching from pre-treated ashes. Granules and loose ashes demonstrated similar leaching behaviours, indicating that similar geochemical processes were governing their leaching. In comparison with untreated fresh ashes, the hardened ashes demonstrated reduced leaching of Ca, Ba, Pb and Zn with concentration levels generally below or close to the analytical limits of quantification; to the contrary, the leaching of As, P, Sb, Si, V and Mg was enhanced in the hardened ashes. The release of alkalinity was reduced by hardening. In general, all granules were barely breakable by finger-pinching and they could withstand one month of continuous leaching, preserving their overall shape. The solubility of phosphorous in neutral ammonium citrate indicated that about 30-51% of the total P content in the ash samples was released, suggesting that the ashes could be potentially valuable as P-fertiliser if applied onto soil.

New approach to the ecotoxicological risk assessment of artificial outdoor sporting grounds.

Artificial surfaces for outdoor sporting grounds may pose environmental and health hazards that are difficult to assess due to their complex chemical composition. Ecotoxicity tests can indicate general hazardous impacts. We conducted growth inhibition (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and acute toxicity tests (Daphnia magna) with leachates obtained from batch tests of granular infill material and column tests of complete sporting ground assemblies. Ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) leachate showed the highest effect on Daphnia magna (EC(50) < 0.4% leachate) and the leachate of scrap tires made of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) had the highest effect on P. subcapitata (EC(10) = 4.2% leachate; EC(50) = 15.6% leachate). We found no correlations between ecotoxicity potential of leachates and zinc and PAH concentrations. Leachates obtained from column tests revealed lower ecotoxicological potential. Leachates of column tests of complete assemblies may be used for a reliable risk assessment of artificial sporting grounds.

Comparison of batch and column tests for the elution of artificial turf system components.

Synthetic athletic tracks and turf areas for outdoor sporting grounds may release contaminants due to the chemical composition of some components. A primary example is that of zinc from reused scrap tires (main constituent, styrene butadiene rubber, SBR), which might be harmful to the environment. Thus, methods for the risk assessment of those materials are required. Laboratory leaching methods like batch and column tests are widely used to examine the soil-groundwater pathway. We tested several components for artificial sporting grounds with batch tests at a liquid to solid (LS) ratio of 2 L/kg and column tests with an LS up to 26.5 L/kg. We found a higher zinc release in the batch test eluates for all granules, ranging from 15% higher to 687% higher versus data from column tests for SBR granules. Accompanying parameters, especially the very high turbidity of one ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) eluates, reflect the stronger mechanical stress of batch testing. This indicates that batch test procedures might not be suitable for the risk assessment of synthetic sporting ground components. Column tests, on the other hand, represent field conditions more closely and allow for determination of time-dependent contaminants release.

Leaching experiments on the release of heavy metals and PAH from soil and waste materials.

Leaching tests are fundamental tools for the assessment of long-term impact of contaminated waste materials on the soil-groundwater pathway. Experiments were carried out in the framework of standardization and validation of column percolation and batch test procedures, in particular concerning the stipulation of the experimental setup. The colloid release of column and batch experiments was compared and the influence of different column filling heights (12.5-50 cm) on the release of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from soil was studied, as well as the effect of varying contact times (2.5-16 h) on the release of chromium from construction and demolition (C&D) waste and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash. The results indicate that filtration of the eluate, which is required for batch tests, does not always allow the simulation of the actual colloid amount in soil pore water. Medium column heights four times the inner diameter of the column seemed to provide reasonable equilibrium adjustment conditions and avoid major biodegradation. The release of chromium was only marginally affected by the contact time, varied between 0.115 and 0.150 mg/kg for demolition waste eluate at a liquid-to-solid ratio of approximately 5L/kg.

Comparison of stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in complex aqueous matrices.

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) is an equilibrium extraction method used amongst others for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in aqueous samples. We compared SBSE to liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) for aqueous eluates obtained from batch and column tests of PAH contaminated soils to check whether SBSE might be considered as an alternative sample preparation method. We used soils with different particle size distribution, organic matter content, and resulting eluate turbidity to test the sample preparation methods on eluates with matrices of varying complexity. Furthermore, we studied the influence of diluted organic matter (DOM) on the PAH sorption process to the polymer coating of the stir bar during SBSE. In the majority of cases, we found higher PAH concentrations (up to 288%) with SBSE than with LLE. The turbidity correlates with the difference in PAH results, i.e. the greater the turbidity in the eluate, the more PAH we found with SBSE compared to LLE. We observed no similar trend regarding the amount of total organic carbon (TOC). The presence of DOM in the eluate seems to hamper the SBSE slightly, the PAH recovery varied between 82 and 104%.

[Vision disorders in children with acquired severe brain damage]. / Augenstörungen bei Kindern mit erworbenen schweren Hirnschäden.

27 children with severe brain injuries were examined by an ophthalmologist and had several paediatric examinations during an eight or ten weeks' course of rehabilitation. With highly reduced levels of consciousness they had hardly any cortical visual function but frequently had brainstem controlled reactions of eyelids, pupils and eyeballs. The development of these reactions was followed up and correlated to the recovering visual functions. Some of the palpebral reflexes seemed to be of prognostic significance to the reappearance of cortical visual functions.

Clinical diagnosis of partial duplication 7q.

We report on two sibs with partial dup (7q), a retarded 9-month-old boy and an aborted fetus of 17 weeks' gestational age. Besides minor anomalies, the boy had frontal bossing, macrocephaly with hydrocephaly, a high forehead, and a large fontanelle. GTG banded chromosomes showed a 14p+ abnormality. Because his mother carries a balanced, de novo translocation with a breakpoint in band 7q33, the boy has a duplication of the distal portion of band 7q33 and the segment 7q34----qter. Our findings suggest that the phenotype in terminal duplications of 7q may, in some patients, be recognized clinically.

[Early stimulation and parent guidance in genetically-induced developmental disorders--guidelines and recommendations]. / Frühförderung und Elternberatung bei genetisch bedingten Entwicklungsstörungen--Leitlinien und Empfehlungen.

When genetically based impairments cannot be prevented by early-enough genetic counselling, parent guidance and early services are urgently needed. Understanding the parents' psychoemotional situation, tactfulness, and easily understood language are important premises in such counselling. For early provision of services to be effective, close cooperation needs to be ensured between physicians, therapists, educators and social workers. Their common objective is to reduce the extent of disability as much as possible, and to achieve conditions conducive to integration. In progressive conditions, the aim is to put off the onset of complete helplessness and to maintain the child's quality of life at as high a level as possible.

[Aid for physically handicapped children: 5-year experience with a collection facility]. / Hilfsmittel für körperbehinderte Kinder: Fünf Jahre Erfahrung mit einer Sammelstelle.

The experience made over five years of operating a collection scheme for second-hand technical aids are described. Affiliation with a pediatric centre has provided opportunity for the child trying out the aid envisaged, and for evaluation by doctor and therapist prior to aid re-prescription. The main principles to be observed in aid provision are stated. Present organizational and financial problems are described, which, however, are considered secondary to the scheme's usefulness, not least in view of cost savings.

[Strabismus in cerebral paretic and normal children. Comparison of motoric symptoms (author's transl)]. / Strabismus bei zerebralparetischen und ungeschädigten Kindern. Vergleich der motorischen Symptome.

Investigations of 94 children with cerebral palsies have shown 55% strabismus incidence. Motoric symptoms like varying angles, nystagmus (latens), A-V phenomena, dissociated hypertropia and compulsive head postures are presented, frequently more often than in a number of comparison cases of undamaged squinting children. However, these symptoms have not permanently been found even in severly damaged children. With the exception of compulsive head postures, no symptoms are found in strabismus cases of cerebral paretic children that do not occur in congenital strabismus patients as well. A frequent family heredity strain of strabismus has also been noted. There is a striking proportion of divergence cases (27%). The authors do not believe in a simple damaging etiology. Pleoptic-orthoptic exercises are hardly ever practicable. Early operation may improve the initial situation as far as the neuropediatric therapy is concerned.

[Some thoughts on the adaptation of technical aids for children with cerebral palsy (author's transl)]. / Zur Anpassung von Hilfsmitteln bei cerebral-paretischen Kindern

The technical aids used by children undergoing inpatient treatment at a centre for the cerebral palsied were critically assessed over a one-year period. Of the evaluated technical aids 50% were optimal for the child under consideration, the remainder was inappropriate for one or more reasons. The most frequent amongst the non-optimal were either not medically prescribed or adequately adapted and tested. The children in question are hence threatened with unnecessary deformations, an insufficient utilisation of their development potential and a lower degree of independence. Also, the financially responsible agencies have to cope with considerably larger expenditures.