Recebido em 2/5/06; aceito em 29/9/06; publicado na web em 28/5/07 IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF SLUDGE DISCHARGES FROM WATER TREATMENT PLANTS. The growing concern of environmental surveillance of the quality of hydric resources guides the development of research on management of residues generated in water treatment plants (WTP). Approximately 8.000 WTPs in Brazil operate without a treatment program of the residues, disposing these effluents in the environment. This work evaluated WTP discharges into watercourses by collecting superficial waters, sediments and benthic samples at the town of Registro, São Paulo State, Brazil. Even though superficial waters and benthic samples showed no further contamination, sediment analysis pointed out that aluminum deposits detected near sludge discharges may represent a potential risk to the environment.

The blue crab Callinectes danae is distributed throughout the Atlantic coast and this study aimed to evaluate a environmental forensics approach that could be applied at tropical estuarine systems where this species is distributed, based on the metal concentrations in its tissues. For this purpose, blue crab samples were collected in 9 sites (distributed in 3 areas) along the Santos Estuarine System, state of São Paulo, Brazil. The concentrations of Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in gills, hepatopancreas and muscle tissues. Sediment samples were collected and analyzed in these same sites. A data distribution pattern was identified during both sampling periods (August and December 2011). In order to validate this model, a new sampling campaign was performed in March 2013 at the Santos Estuarine System and also at Ilha Grande (state of Rio de Janeiro). These data were added to the previous database (composed of the August and December 2011 samples) and a discriminant analysis was applied. The results confirmed an environmental fingerprint for the Santos Estuarine System.

This work aims to assess the internal and external quality control of the anion analysis, accomplished at IPEN, using chromatography technique ions and Statistical Methods for data analysis. So it was possible to conclude that the system is over control, generating reliable results

Pectic polysaccharides containing apiose, xylose, and uronic acids are excellent candidates for boron fixation. Duckweeds are the fastest-growing angiosperms that can absorb diverse metals and contaminants from water and have high pectin content in their cell walls. Therefore, these plants can be considered excellent boron (B) accumulators. This work aimed to investigate the relationship between B assimilation capacity with apiose content in the cell wall of Spirodela polyrhiza subjected to different boric acid concentrations. Plants were grown for 7 and 10 days in ½ Schenck-Hildebrandt media supplemented with 0 to 56 mg B.L-1, the non-structural and structural carbohydrates, and related genes were evaluated. The results showed that B altered the morphology and carbohydrate composition of this species during plant development. The optimum B concentration (1.8 mg B.L-1) led to the highest relative growth and biomass accumulation, reduced starch, and high pectin and apiose contents, together with increased expression of UDP-apiose/UDP-xylose synthase (AXS) and 1,4-α-galacturonosyltransferase (GAUT). The toxic state (28 and 56 mg B.L-1) increased the hexose contents in the cell wall with a concomitant reduction of pectins, apiose, and growth. The pectin content of S. polyrhiza was strongly associated with its growth capacity and regulation of B content within the cells, which have AXS as an important regulator. These findings suggest that duckweeds are suitable for B remediation, and their biomass can be used for bioenergy production.

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From beginning of 90's, the Brazilian nuclear policy has been changed radically. This determined the interruption of most R&D fuel cycle activities and the facilities shutdown at Nuclear and Energetic Research Institute (IPEN). The existence of those facilities also implicated in the need of constant surveillance, representing additional obligations, costs and problems. The reasons to promote the dismantling of the IPEN's Nuclear Fuel Cycle Pilot Plants elapsed mainly from the need of physical space for new activities, since the R&D in the nuclear fuel cycle area were interrupted. In the last decade, IPEN has changed its "nuclear profile" to a "comprehensive and multidisciplinary profile". With the end of most nuclear fuel cycle activities, the former facilities were distributed in four different centers. Each center has adopted a different strategy and priority to face the D&D problem. The available resources depend on the specific program in each area's development (resources available from other sources, not only from Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN). One of those new activities is the IPEN's Environmental Program. This paper describes the procedures, problems faced and results related to the reintegration of the former pilot plant areas as new laboratories of the Chemical and Environmental Technology CenterCQMA of the IPEN.