RESUMO Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) has a variety of organic and inorganic compounds that can interact with the environment and promote deleterious effects on human health. This study investigated the potential toxicity of RAP through metal determination, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) analysis and acute toxicity tests with Daphnia magna. Leached and solubilized extracts of RAP samples and a freshly produced asphalt sample were compared. Regarding metals, Mn was above the Brazilian acceptance criteria in the solubilized extract. The samples showed concentrations of Cd, Cr, and Pb, which are on the list of substances that render waste hazardous. For PAH, two samples of leachate had BaP concentration above the maximum value allowed and the other samples had BaP values close to the established limit. In addition, the samples still presented concentrations of BaA, BbF, IcdP, and Chr. For the acute toxicity tests, two solubilized samples indicated acute toxicity to Daphnia magna. The results indicated that the method of preparing the leached and the solubilized extract influenced the values of metals and acute toxicity. Two samples of RAP could be classified as hazardous waste, pointing out that these materials have the potential to leach hazardous substances to the environment. Therefore, the disposal of this type of waste should be carefully evaluated, as its composition contains substances that may degrade the environment and cause toxicological effects on living organisms.

ABSTRACT Pavimentos asfálticos fresados (PAF) apresentam uma variedade de compostos orgânicos e inorgânicos que podem interagir com o meio ambiente e promover efeitos deletérios à saúde humana. Este estudo investigou o potencial de toxicidade dos PAF por meio da determinação de metais, hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA) e testes de toxicidade aguda com Daphnia magna. Foram comparados extratos lixiviados e solubilizados de amostras de PAF e de resíduo asfáltico fresco. As análises de Mn apresentaram concentrações acima do critério de aceitação normativo brasileiro para os extratos solubilizados. As amostras resultaram em concentrações de Cd, Cr e Pb, que estão na lista de substâncias que conferem periculosidade aos resíduos. Em relação aos HPA, duas amostras de lixiviado apresentaram concentração de BaP acima do valor máximo permitido e as demais amostras apresentaram valores de BaP próximos ao limite estabelecido. Ademais, foram identificadas nas amostras concentrações de BaA, BbF, IcdP e Chr. Para os ensaios de toxicidade aguda, duas amostras solubilizadas indicaram toxicidade aguda para Daphnia magna. Os resultados indicaram que o método de preparo dos lixiviados e do extrato solubilizado influenciaram os valores de metais e a toxicidade aguda. Duas amostras de PAF foram classificadas como resíduos perigosos, sinalizando que tais materiais apresentam potencial para lixiviar substâncias perigosas ao ambiente. Portanto, a disposição em solo desse tipo de resíduo deve ser criteriosa, uma vez que sua composição contém substâncias que podem impactar o meio ambiente e causar efeitos toxicológicos em organismos vivos.

Resumo Objetivo: Descrever variações limnológicas em um gradiente longitudinal do rio Paraná, rio com grande numero de barragens, ao longo do trecho entre Porto Primavera e Itaipu, região com inúmeros tributários não barrados. Métodos Foram analisados 12 transectos ao longo do eixo longitudinal do rio Paraná, distribuídos desde a jusante do reservatório de Porto Primavera até a montante do reservatório de Itaipu. As variáveis limnológicas analisadas foram: transparência da água, condutividade elétrica, pH, fósforo e nitrogênio totais. Resultados Nas regiões mais próximas a Porto Primavera observou-se altos valores de transparência da água e baixas concentrações de nitrogênio e fósforo. Em geral, foi observado incremento nas concentrações de nitrogênio e fósforo ao longo do gradiente longitudinal do rio Paraná, com redução na transparência da água à medida que os tributários se conectavam com a calha do rio Paraná. Nos pontos mais distantes da barragem de Porto Primavera, observaram-se valores de nutrientes próximos aqueles reportados antes da construção dessa barragem. Conclusões O aumento de nutrientes observados e, consequentes, alterações na integridade ecológica, provavelmente devem-se à presença de tributários não barrados que, por originarem-se de bacias hidrográficas diferentes, contribuem de maneira distinta na composição limnológica do rio Paraná. Os resultados obtidos nesse estudo apontam que tributários não barrados possuem importância fundamental na preservação das condições ecológicas necessárias para manutenção da biota no rio Paraná e podem mitigar impactos gerados pela barragem de Porto Primavera, ressaltando a importância desses tributários na conservação da produtividade do rio.

Abstract Aim: Describe the limnological pattern in a longitudinal gradient in the Paraná River, a highly dammed river, in a stretch localized between two dams, but rich in undammed tributaries. Methods Twelve transects in the longitudinal gradient of the Paraná River were sampled, with the first transect being placed right after Porto Primavera dam, and the last one in the lotic region of the Itaipu dam. In each of these transects, water transparency, electrical conductivity, pH, total nitrogen and total phosphorous were analyzed. Results In those regions nearer Porto Primavera dam it was observed high values of water transparency and low values of nitrogen and phosphorous. The values of water transparency decreased and the values of nitrogen and phosphorous increased as the distance from Porto Primavera dam increased. Because the new tributaries connect to the Paraná River, with the sites farer from Porto Primavera dam presenting values similar to those prior its construction. Conclusions Increase in the nutrients concentration and changes in ecological integrity are probably due to the presence of the undammed tributaries. They are originate in different river basins and therefore contribute to the Paraná River in distinct manners. Results presented here are an indicative of the fundamental importance of undammed tributaries in mitigating damming negative impacts in extremely dammed rivers and highlight the importance of keeping such tributaries free of dams.

Abstract Organic decomposition is a complex interaction between chemical, physical and biological processes, where the variety of aquatic vascular plants is essential for the trophic dynamics of freshwater ecosystems. The goal of this study was to determine the aquatic macrophyte Eichhornia azurea (Sw.) Kunth decomposition rate, the time relation with the limnological parameters, and whether this relationship is a result of decomposition processes. To that end, we collected water and leaves of E. azurea in Surf Leopoldo, PR. The experiment consisted of two treatments: 25 containers with 450 mL of water and 0.8 g of biomass dry weight were used with or without the addition of macrophytes. Samples were collected in triplicate at times 0, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 72 h, 120 h, 168 h and 240 h. When the container was removed, the plant material was dried in an oven. After 48 h, the material was measured to obtain the final dry weight. Analyses of pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus N-ammonia (NH4), soluble reactive phosphorus (PO4) and dissolved organic carbon were performed, and the decomposition rate was calculated. The results showed significant temporal variation of limnological parameters in the study. Additionally, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, dissolved organic carbon and total phosphorus were correlated with the dry weight of the biomass, suggesting that E. azurea decomposition significantly interferes with the dynamics of these variables.

Resumo Microcistina-LR é um tipo de toxina liberada pela cianobactéria Microcystis aeruginosa encontrada em mananciais de água usados para abastecimento humano que pode causar doenças e até mesmo a mortandade do homem se não for totalmente removida no tratamento convencional da água. A retenção desta toxina é muitas vezes realizada através do processo de adsorção em carvão ativado nas estações de tratamento de água. Neste estudo foi avaliada a utilização do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar in natura como bioadsorvente em comparação ao carvão ativado na retenção da microcistina-LR. Primeiramente foi caracterizado o bioadsorvente e o carvão ativado em função de suas características físicas e químicas, e posteriormente foram realizados ensaios de adsorção. O desempenho da adsorção foi avaliado pela eficiência da retenção da toxina e pela capacidade máxima adsortiva. As eficiências médias de retenção da toxina no carvão ativado resultaram em 65,25; 41,74 e 11,75%; e de 24,15; 18,92 e 12,27% no bagaço de cana-de-açúcar para as concentrações de 2,36, 3,33 e 3,83 µg L-1, respectivamente. O bioadsorvente apresentou eficiência de remoção da toxina similar àquela observada no carvão ativado para a concentração de 3,83 µg L-1. A capacidade máxima adsortiva obtida com o melhor ajuste linear para isoterma de Freundlich, foi de 6047,84 µg g-1 (concentração de toxina de 3,83 µg L-1) para o bagaço de cana-de-açúcar e de 338,61 µg g-1 (concentração de toxina de 2,36 µg L-1) para o carvão ativado.

Abstract Microcystin-LR is a type of toxin released by the Microcystis aeruginosa cyanobacteria found in water sources used for human consumption. It can cause illness and even death if not completely removed in conventional water treatment. The retention of this toxin is often accomplished by the adsorption process in activated carbon in water treatment plants. In this study, a comparison was made between the retention of microcystin-LR by activated carbon and by sugarcane bagasse in natura applied as a bio-adsorbent. Adsorption experiments were performed after the physical and chemical properties of the bio adsorbent and the activated carbon were characterized. The adsorption performance was evaluated by the toxin removal efficiency and the maximum adsorption capacity. Average removal efficiencies of the toxin resulted in 65.25; 41.74 and 11.75% for the activated carbon and 24.15; 18.92 and 12.27% for the sugarcane bagasse for concentrations of 2.36, 3.33 and 3.83 µg L-1, respectively. The bio adsorbent presented removal efficiency for the toxin similar to that observed in the activated carbon for the concentration of 3.83 µg L-1. Maximum adsorption capacity obtained with better linear adjustment to the Freundlich isotherm was 6,047.84 µg g-1 (toxin concentration of 3.83 µg L-1) for sugarcane bagasse and 338.61 µg g-1 (toxin concentration of 2.36 µg L-1) for activated carbon.

A bacterial community has a central role in nutrient cycle in aquatic habitats. Therefore, it is important to analyze how this community is distributed throughout different locations. Thirty-six different sites in the upper Paraná River floodplain were surveyed to determine the influence of environmental variable in bacterial community composition. The sites are classified as rivers, channels, and floodplain lakes connected or unconnected to the main river channel. The bacterial community structure was analyzed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, based on frequency of the main domains Bacteria and Archaea, and subdivisions of the phylum Proteobacteria (Alpha-proteobacteria, Beta-proteobacteria, Gamma-proteobacteria) and the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium cluster. It has been demonstrated that the bacterial community differed in density and frequency of the studied groups. And these differences responded to distinct characteristics of the three main rivers of the floodplain as well as to the classification of the environments found in this floodplain. We conclude that dissimilarities in the bacterial community structure are related to environmental heterogeneity, and the limnological variables that most predicted bacterial communities in the upper Paraná River floodplain was total and ammoniacal nitrogen, orthophosphate and chlorophyll-a.

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar a origem da matéria orgânica dissolvida (MOD) em ambientes da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná e sua variação sazonal e espacial. MÉTODOS: Para tal, foram utilizadas técnicas de espectroscopia ultravioleta-visível e de fluorescência. As amostras foram coletadas no período de novembro de 2007 a setembro de 2008 em seis lagoas da planície de inundação. RESULTADOS: A qualidade da MOD difere entre ambientes e também entre as estações seca e chuvosa. Os ambientes conectados ao rio Paraná apresentaram grande variação na proporção autóctone/alóctone. Macrófitas aquáticas podem representar uma contribuição importante à MOD nas lagoas Garças e Osmar. CONCLUSÕES: Em geral, ambientes conectados ao rio Paraná têm maior influência de COD autóctone, enquanto os demais têm maior influência de COD alóctone.

AIM: Our aim was to identify dissolved organic matter (DOM) main sources in environments of the Upper Paraná River floodplain and their seasonal and spatial variation. METHODS: Ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy were utilized. The samples were obtained from November 2007 to September 2008 in six lakes of the floodplain. RESULTS: DOM quality differs among environments and also between rainy and dry season. The environments connected with Paraná River showed a high variation on the allochthonous/autochthonous proportion. Aquatic macrophytes might represent an important contribution to DOM in Garças and Osmar lakes. CONCLUSIONS: In general, environments connected to Paraná River have a greater influence of autochthonous DOC, while the others are most influenced by allochthonous inputs.

Since the introduction of the Microbial Loop concept, many studies aimed to explain the role of bacterioplankton and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aquatic ecosystems. Paraná River floodplain system is a very complex environment where these subjects were little explored. The aim of this work was to characterize bacterial community in terms of density, biomass and biovolume in some water bodies of this floodplain and to verify its temporal variation and its relation with some limnological variables, including some indicators of DOC quality, obtained through Ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and fluorescence spectroscopic analysis. Bacterial density, biomass and biovolume are similar to those from other freshwater environments and both density and biomass were higher in the period with less rain. The limnological and spectroscopic features that showed any relation with bacterioplankton were the concentrations of N-NH4 and P-PO4, water transparency, and some indicators of DOC quality and origin. The analysis of these relations showed a possible competition between bacterioplankton and phytoplankton for inorganic nutrients and that the DOC used by bacterioplankton is labile and probably from aquatic macrophytes.

Foram analisadas as flutuações temporais de algumas variáveis limnológicas, nas regiões limnética e litorânea de uma lagoa de inundação (lagoa dos Patos) da planície de inundação do alto rio Paraná (22(0) 43'12"S e 53(0) 17'37"W) em relação a fatores climatológicos e hidrológicos. Temperatura da água, profundidade da zona eufótica, material em suspensão, condutividade elétrica, alcalinidade total, pH, oxigênio dissolvido, dióxido de carbono, nitrogênio total, nitrogênio total Kjedahl, fósforo total, fósforo dissolvido, fósforo solúvel reativo e clorofila-a foram medidas, mensalmente, de março de 1993 a fevereiro de 1994. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram a importância do regime hidrológico sobre a dinâmica das variáveis limnológicas. Durante eventos de inundação, observou-se a diluição dos nutrientes da lagoa, especialmente das frações de fosfato, seguida de uma fertilização do ambiente por nutrientes da região marginal inundada. Nos períodos de baixa conectividade, eventos autóctones como ressuspensão do sedimento causada por chuva e ventos regem os eventos limnológicos na lagoa.

Temporal variations of some limnological variables in limnetic and littoral regions of Patos lagoon, a "várzea" lake on the floodplain of the Upper Paraná River (22(0) 43'12"S e 53(0) 17'37"W), were studied in relation to hydrological and climatological factors. Measurements of water temperature, euphotic zone, suspended material, electrical conductivity, total alkalinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, total nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, dissolved phosphorus, reactive soluble phosphorus and chlorophyll a were taken monthly between March 1993 and February 1994. Results lend evidence to the importance of the hydrological regime on the dynamic of limnological variables in floodplain lakes. A dilution of nutrients in the lagoon, especially phosphates, occurred during floods. This was followed by fertilization of the environment by nutrients from the inundated marginal regions. During low connectivity periods, autochthonous, events such as ressuspension of sediment, brought on by wind and rain, governed limnological events in the lagoon.