Posts

Meet ECT at the 16th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium

The 16th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium takes place in Forte Village, Santa Margherita di Pula (Sardinia, Italy) from 2 to 6 October 2017. ECT is contributing with the following platform presentation: J. Römbke: Testing of 24 potentially hazardous wastes using ecotoxicological tests For further information on the International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium […]

ECT at the SETAC Latin America 12th Biennial Meeting

The 12th Biennial Meeting of SETAC Latin America (‘Bridging the gap between science and governance’) takes place in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, from 7 to 10 September 2017. ECT is contributing with the following two platform presentations: J. Römbke, J. Bernard: The TRIAD – a new ISO standard for retrospective risk assessment in soil (ISO […]

Review of the ecotoxicity of boric acid in standard laboratory tests with plants and soil organisms

To verify the sensitivity of ecotoxicological tests, reference substances with known toxicity are regularly tested. Ideally, such substances lack specificity in their mode action, are bioavailable and readily attainable, and their chemical characterisation is cost-effective. Boric acid satisfies these criteria, but has – due to reproductive effects in humans – most recently been characterised as […]

Review of the effects of organic pesticides on enchytraeids (Oligochaeta) in agroecosystems – laboratory and higher-tier tests

Enchytraeids (Oligochaeta, Annelida) are regularly found in agroecosystems of the temperate regions of the world. Although less known than their larger relatives, the earthworms, these saprophagous organisms play similar roles in agricultural soils influencing soil structure and organic matter dynamics and having a central place in soil food webs. Due to difficulties in distinguishing the […]

New publication: Survival, reproduction, growth, and parasite resistance of aquatic organisms exposed to wastewater treated by advanced treatment processes

Advanced wastewater treatment processes are known to be an effective tool for reducing micropollutant discharge into the aquatic environment. Nevertheless, some processes such as ozonation result in stable transformation products with often unknown toxicity. In the present study, effluents from different steps of advanced treatment were compared for their aquatic toxicity. Lumbriculus variegatus, Daphnia magna […]

Efficacy of advanced wastewater treatment

New publication: Integrated evaluation concept to assess the efficacy of advanced wastewater treatment processes

In cooperation with several partners, a multidisciplinary concept was developed for assessing the efficacy of advanced wastewater treatment methods for removal of micropollutants. This concept integrates (1) chemical parameters (the removal of selected indicator substances and the formation of transformation products), (2) ecotoxicological parameters (the assessment of ecotoxicity using in vitro tests), and (3) microbiological […]

First complete species list and Red List of earthworms in Germany

Soil is an essential component of terrestrial ecosystems and fulfils many important functions being the natural basis of life, habitat, an integral part of water and nutrient cycling, and having a filter function for the protection of groundwater. Earthworms contribute very effectively to the breakdown of organic matter in soil

New publication: Effects of oxidized Carbo-Iron on the amphipod Hyalella azteca

For in situ remediation of groundwater contaminated by halogenated hydrocarbons Carbo-Iron®, a composite of microscale activated carbon and nano Fe0, was developed. Against the background of the intended release of Carbo-Iron into the environment in concentrations in the g/L-range, potential ecotoxicological consequences were evaluated in the present study