Das Projekt "Environmental cycling of selected persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the baltic region" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Dornier SystemConsult GmbH durchgeführt. Objective: Objectives: The goal of the 'POPCYCLING-BALTIC' project is to develop and use a multicompartmental, non steady-state model to study the fate and behaviour of POPs in the Baltic environment. Other objectives of the project are to: - review information on present and historical emissions and fluxes of POPs to air, soil and water in the Baltic region and assess the emission input from surrounding regions, - complete and update existing data base of POP levels in the countries around the Baltic Sea and use these data for verification of model results, and - prepare a set of recommendations with respect to the exposure and risk assessment for POPs in the Baltic Sea region. General Information: During the last decade several studies have been carried out aiming at the improvement of our knowledge on the behaviour of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the environment. Evidence has been found that many of these compounds create serious problems due to their toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation in various environmental compartments. The Baltic Sea region is of particular interest due to the high degree of environmental and human risk related to the POP exposure. Thus, it is envisaged to: - examine physical, chemical, and biological processes resulting in the migration of POPs through the individual environmental compartments, - describe meteorological, chemical, physical, and biological parameters affecting the mobility of POPs in the environment, - assess the relative importance and absolute magnitude of various chemical inputs to the Baltic Sea, - describe and possibly explain observed spatial patterns and temporal trends in the fluxes, concentrations, and relative compositions of various POPs within the Baltic Sea environment, - evaluate the relative importance of degradation, sediment burial, export in the atmosphere and outflow to the North Sea as loss mechanisms of POPs from the baltic Sea. The following POPs have been selected: hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (DDE), benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), and selected dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans. The project will be carried out within three working groups concentrating on: emissions, compartmental modelling, and environmental data base. Four major aspects related to the POPs fate will be studied: seasonal cycling, environmental gradients, sea-air interactions, and long-term changes of POPs. GIS will be used to tie together the results of the work on emissions: releases of POPs, multimedia model, and environmental data base. This combined information will be used to elaborate a set of recommendations on the exposure and risk assessment of POPs in the Baltic Sea area. Through GIS the collected information will be displayed in an intuitive and easily comprehensible manner. ... Prime Contractor: Norwegian Institute for air Research; Kjeller; Norway.
Das Projekt "Optimierung biologischer Festbettreaktoren. Teilprojekt: Photooxidative Behandlung organischer Problemstoffe" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Technische Universität Dresden, Institut für Wasserchemie durchgeführt. Die Zielstellung besteht darin, refraktaere, toxische und biologisch schwer oder nicht abbaubare organische Modellsubstanzen durch UV-H2O2-O3-Behandlung strukturell so zu veraendern, dass ein biologischer Abbau in konventionellen Klaeranlagen moeglich wird (Erhoehung der Bioverfuegbarkeit). Dazu werden die Abbauwege der Modellsubstanzen untersucht. Als Modellsubstanzen kommen ua zum Einsatz: 3-Chlorphenol/3,4 Dichlorphenol/3-Nitranilin/Lindan, Hexachlorbenzen. Weiterhin besteht die Zielstellung darin, die Adsorption an Adsorberpolymere in den Verfahrensverbund einzubeziehen, um eine Ergaenzung der bzw Alternative zu den biologischen Festbettreaktoren bei der Behandlung organischer Problemstoffe zu erreichen.