CONTENTS
Editor's comment
Ya. Topalova
3-4
I. MAN AND BIOSPHERE
Research model of
monitoring the recovery of an ecosystem after fire
based on satellite and GPS data
N. Stankova, R. Nedkov 5-11
Effect of chronic
exposure to Cobalt(II) compounds on organs’ weight
indices
Y.
Gluhcheva, M.
Madzharova, Ju. Ivanova
12-17
II. ECOMONITORING
I. Ivanova
18-25
Solution of environmental
problems in mining industry as a part of its
development strategy
N. Melnikov, S. Mesyats, V. Skorokhodov, R. Nikitin
26-34
D. Mawlood, A. Hussein
35-43
III. MICROORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENT
I.
Karpenko, G. Midyana, O. Karpenko, V. Novikov
44-51
IV. RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Functional
control of the technologies for biogas production
N. Dinova, M.
Belouhova, I. Schneider,
Ya. Topalova
52-64
S.A.
Al Rawi, V.
Nenov, A. Aiden
65-72
RESEARCH MODEL OF
MONITORING THE RECOVERY OF AN ECOSYSTEM AFTER FIRE
BASED ON SATELLITE AND GPS DATA
Nataliya Stankova, Roumen Nedkov
(PDF
1080k)
Abstract: The aim of
this study is to monitor the post-fire recovery of
an ecosystem. The test area is located in
Southeastern Bulgaria, Haskovo region, where a
significant fire took place in the summer of 2007.
To achieve this goal, satellite images from Landsat
5 (TM), Landsat 7 (ETM+), and Landsat 8 (OLI) have
been used. The model that has been developed is
built on three main components – Disturbance Index
(DI), Vector of Instantaneous Condition (VIC), and
Direction Angle (DA). Tasseled Cap transformation
(TCT) has been used and Tasseled Cap components have
been generated as input data for the model.
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has
also been generated and the correlation coefficient
between DI and NDVI has been calculated. The model
has also been validated by means of aerial images
with high resolution on the territory of the fire.
Keywords: remote sensing, post-fire recovery, TCT, DI, VIC
EFFECT OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO COBALT(II) COMPOUNDS ON ORGANS’ WEIGHT INDICES
Yordanka Gluhcheva, Maria Madzharova, Juliana Ivanova
(PDF
1384k)
Abstract. Cobalt’s (Co) wide use in
the industry, in medical devices, as food perservative, in
consmetics requires detailed study on its biological
effects. The aim of the study was to elucidate the effect of
chronic treatment with cobalt(II) compounds – cobalt
chloride (CoCl2) and cobalt-EDTA (Co-EDTA) on organ weight indices in
immature and mature mice. Pregnant ICR mice were treated
daily with 75 mg/kg b.w.
or 125 mg/kg
b.w. of CoCl2 or Co-EDTA until day 90 of
the newborn mice. The compounds were dissolved in regular
tap water. The control mice obtained
regular tap water. All experimental animals obtained food ad libitum. On day 25 pn the newborn
mice were placed in individual cages and the treatment
continued until day 90. Each week mice were weighed to
adjust the dose. At different periods – day 18, 25, 30, 45, 60 and 90 mice were sacrificied.
Spleens, liver and kidneys were excised, weighed and organ
weight indices - spleen index (SI), liver index (LI) and
kidney index (KI) calculated. Chronic exposure to Co(II)
compounds resulted in alterations in organ indices – SI, LI,
KI. CoCl2 increased SI in immature
mice, while Co-EDTA affected the spleen mainly of mature
mice. Co exposure led to an increase in LI in
Co-EDTA-treated mice. The index decreased when CoCl2 was administered. Kidney
index (KI) on the other hand was significantly increased in
day 30 mice after treatment with CoCl2. The
compound had little or no effect on KI of mature animals.
The effect of Co-EDTA was diverse and no clear tendency was
observed. The results indicate that the biological effects
of Co(II) depend on the type of compound, the duration of
exposure and as well as on the age of the experimental
animals.
Key words: mice, in vivo model, cobalt chloride, cobalt-EDTA, organ weight indices
STUDY OF THE DYNAMICS OF
FLOATING REED ISLANDS IN SREBARNA LAKE FOR THE PERIOD
1992-2014, BASED ON SATELLITE, GROUND AND GPS DATA
Iva Ivanova
Abstract. This study is about the
dynamics of floating reed islands in Srebarna Lake during
the period 1992 - 2014. Srebarna Lake is part of Natura
2000, European ecological network. Srebarna Lake is declared
as Srebarna Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and categorized as
a supported reserve.
Floating reed
islands are important for the breeding of different water
bird species, some of which are endangered species. They are
unique for Europe as water bird habitats and they are
presented only in Srebarna Lake and the Danube Delta.
Focused research on the area and spatial variability of the
floating reed islands have not been performed yet due to
their difficult accessibility and the lack of data about
their dynamics. Study of the floating reed islands dynamics
(absolute and relative motion) could be done only by
high-tech methods, based on remote sensing from space, using
appropriate sensors to register parameters of this unique
kind of unsystematic landscape units. The results from this
research have been grouped in specialized geodatabase. A
methodology for studying the dynamics of area, size, and
location changes of the floating reed islands has been
proposed. Based on this methodology the quantitative results
for habitat’s ecodynamics in Srebarna Lake have been
received. A coefficient of relative area (KM), showing the
attitude of the habitats to the area of central water body
have been introduced which is used as quantitative
assessment of this habitat’s dynamics. The results of the
study have been used in monitoring management plans of
Srebarna Biosphere Reserve. Tracking the floating reed
islands attitude is essential for investigating the dynamics
of these specific habitats for endangered bird species
nesting.
Key words: floating reed islands, dynamics, satellite data, monitoring.
SOLUTION OF
ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN MINING INDUSTRY AS A PART OF
ITS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Nikolai Melnikov, Svetlana Mesyats, Vladimir Skorokhodov, Roman Nikitin
Abstract:
Global character of ecological issues induced by natural
resources consumption volumes determines a strategy of
mining industry development consisting of reducing
mining-induced impact on environment at increasing
minerals production and processing efficiency. The
methodology has been developed of integrated solution of
tasks on solid mineral deposits exploitation based on
informational technologies of objects modeling,
mining-benefication industrial processes and
geotechnologies. The methodology ensures increase in
efficiency, industrial and ecological safety of production
and processing of mineral raw material. Concerning the
Kola mining industrial complex were developed innovative
production and processing technologies for ore and
mining-induced mineral raw material, water-preparation and
waste water purification as well as rehabilitation of rock
dumps.
Key words: mining industry, environmental strategy of development, modeling, innovative technologies.
WATER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND ITS RELATED ENVIRONMENT IN MALA
OMER CATCHMENT AREA IN ERBIL GOVERNORATE/ KURDISTAN
REGION OF IRAQ
Dana Mawlood, Awaz Hussein
(PDF 936k)
Abstract: In the future, societies will face hard
challenges to meet global water needs and sustain the
environment. The present study was conducted to evaluate
water management system and its related environments in
Mala Omer. Data were collected and information abstracted
using site visits and interviews .The average annual
rainfall is 518.5mm, and only 18.7% recharged into the
ground. Seventy-five
wells were observed to abstract water for different
purposes. Groundwater suffered huge depletion in water
level between years 2000 and 2014. Water resources are
largely gone unmanaged and inadequate capacity of
management’s impacts was clearly evidenced on the
longevity of water supply services.
Keywords: Mala Omer, water management and environmental aspects, hydrology, Water Balance.
INFLUENCE OF
FOOD INDUSTRY WASTES AS SUBSTRATES ON THE YIELD OF
BIOSURFACTANTS OF THE STRAIN PSEUDOMONAS SP.
PS-17
Ilona Karpenko, Galyna Midyana, Oleksandr Karpenko, Volodymyr Novikov
Abstract.The
effectiveness of the application of economically-sound
substrates (glycerol, used frying oil and phosphatide
concentrate) for the synthesis of rhamnolipid surfactants
by the strain Pseudomonas
sp. PS-17 was established. It was also shown that the use
of combined (mixed) substrates contributed to the
increased concentrations of rhamnolipids if compared to
the media with monosubstrates. When using a mixture of
glycerol and used frying oil or phosphatide concentrate as
carbon sources the concentration of rhamnolipids can be
increased to 16 g/l. The possibility of application of the
obtained biosurfactants in agriculture as plant growth
regulators was established. The developed approaches to
the synthesis of microbial surfactants will help to
balance the overall cost of biosurfactant production.
Keywords: rhamnolipid biosurfactants, Pseudomonas, phosphatide concentrate, food industry waste, mixed substrates.
Nora Dinova, Mihaela Belouhova, Irina Schneider, Yana Topalova
(PDF 1019k)
Abstract. The
technologies for biogas production, based on anaerobic
digestion, become more and more widely applied in the
practice in Bulgaria and worldwide. Most of them have
problems such as ineffective biogas production and/or
production of biogas with low quality. The monitoring of
the processes solely by chemical, physical and
technological parameters is not sufficient and is the
reason for the ineffective performance of the
technologies. There is need to be implemented strategies
for functional control of the biological system carrying
out the process of anaerobic digestion. In this review the
most modern worldwide enzymatic, fluorescent and molecular
methods and parameters for functional control of the
technologies for biogas production are discussed.
Key words: anaerobic digestion, biogas production, functional control, molecular methods, fluorescent methods
INFLUENCE OF ELECTRICAL CHARGE
OF REVERSE OSMOSIS MEMBRANES ON THE EXTENT OF
FOULING THROUGH THE TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER FROM
CERAMIC INDUSTRY
Sami A. Al Rawi, Valentin Nenov, Ahmed Aiden
(PDF 855k)
Abstract: This paper presents the results obtained from
industrial wastewater treatment plant in Ras Al Khaimah
City (United Arab Emirates) using modified methods of
reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with neutral surface
charge instead of conventional membrane.
Various fouling
effects influencing the surface characteristics of
polyamide membranes were investigated by using primary
treated water from ceramics manufacturing process and
monitoring the fouling layer on the surfaces of the
membranes. The obtained data were analyzed in choosing
suitable membranes surpass hydrophobicity and minimum
fouling deposition. Using of conventional polyamide with
standard RO has faced many problems which let the system
failed in treatment of industrial wastewater with high
turbidity and high concentration of total suspended
solids (TSS).
Low fouling membranes have been used instead
of conventional RO membranes in this study. The obtained
results indicate less fouling of membranes surface and
flux stability. The RO membrane modification solved the
problem of treatment of wastewater from ceramic industry
in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) City, UAE.
Keywords: fouling, membrane, membrane modification, reverse osmosis, wastewater treatment