Fighting carbon loss of degraded peatlands by jump-starting ecosystem functioning with ecological restoration.

Degradation of ecosystems is a great concern on the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecological restoration fights degradation aiming at the recovery of ecosystem functions such as carbon (C) sequestration and ecosystem structures like plant communities responsible for the C sequestration function. We selected 38 pristine, drained and restored boreal peatland sites in Finland and asked i) what is the long-term effect of drainage on the peatland surface layer C storage, ii) can restoration recover ecosystem functioning (surface layer growth) and structure (plant community composition) and iii) is the recovery of the original structure needed for the recovery of ecosystem functions? We found that drainage had resulted in a substantial net loss of C from surface layer of drained sites.

Determination of low-molecular-mass aliphatic carboxylic acids and inorganic anions from kraft black liquors by ion chromatography.

An ion chromatographic (IC) method with suppressed conductivity detection (CD) was developed and validated for the quantitative determination of several low-molecular-mass aliphatic mono- and dicarboxylic acids as their carboxylate anions together with some inorganic anions (chloride, sulfate, and thiosulfate) from kraft black liquors. To confirm the identification of some carboxylate anions which lack commercial model substances, a qualitative IC method with suppressed electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was also developed. The separations were performed on an IonPac AS 11-HC anion-exchange column operated at 25 degrees C within 25 min by a gradient elution with aqueous potassium hydroxide (suppressed CD in the AutoRegen mode) or sodium hydroxide (suppressed ESI-MS in the pressurized bottle mode).

Separation of chelating agents as copper complexes by capillary zone electrophoresis using quaternary ammonium bromides as additives in N-methylformamide.

This study presents the use of quaternary ammonium bromides as additives in N-methylformamide (NMF) for the separation and quantification of chelating agents as copper complexes by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The new quaternary ammonium bromides were synthesized in our laboratory and used for the first time for CZE applications performed in NMF media. The methods were developed and optimized for determination of six chelating agents (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine-N,N',N'-triacetic acid (HEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid (TTHA)) as copper complexes.

Determination of alternative and conventional chelating agents as copper(II) complexes by capillary zone electrophoresis--the first use of didecyldimethylammonium bromide as a flow reversal reagent.

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for analyzing 11 chelating agents [beta-alaninediacetic acid (beta-ADA), trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine-N,N',N'-triacetic acid (HEDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid (HEIDA), iminodiacetic acid (IDA), methylglycinediacetic acid (MGDA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), 1,3-diaminopropane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (PDTA) and triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid (TTHA)] as negatively charged copper(II) complexes has been established. Both conventional and alternative chelating agents were included in this study, because they are used side by side in industrial applications. In this study, didecyldimethylammonium bromide (DMDDAB) was successfully used as a flow reversal reagent for the first time in an aqueous CZE method based on phosphate BGE with UV spectrophotometric detection.

Quantitative determination of the main aliphatic carboxylic acids in wood kraft black liquors by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The versatile characterization of organic material and especially of the significant aliphatic hydroxy acids in black liquor is of great importance, for example, in monitoring the progress of the kraft pulping process. This paper describes a simple high-performance liquid chromatographic separation method with atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-APCI-MS) which was developed for the rapid quantitative analysis of these acids, mainly formed as the alkaline degradation products of feedstock carbohydrates. The fraction of carbohydrate degradation products is mainly composed of hydroxy monocarboxylic and volatile acids (formic and acetic acids) along with lesser amounts of various dicarboxylic acids.

Improving sensitivity in simultaneous determination of copper carboxylates by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis.

A new method of nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) with UV spectrophotometric detection was developed and optimized for the simultaneous determination of seven carboxylates (trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (CDTA), diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine-N,N',N'-triacetic acid (HEDTA), nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), 1,3-diaminopropane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (PDTA) and triethylenetetraaminehexaacetic acid (TTHA)) as copper complexes. The method development was carried out by using a fused silica capillary. Background electrolyte (BGE) was optimized and the best separation achieved by using 30mmolL(-1) potassium bromide in N-methylformamide (NMF) at apparent pH (pH(app)) 10.

A new ionic liquid dimethyldinonylammonium bromide as a flow modifier for the simultaneous determination of eight carboxylates by capillary electrophoresis.

Two new methods of capillary zone electrophoresis based on aqueous phosphate running buffers with UV spectrophotometric detection were developed and optimized for the determination of eight carboxylates as copper complexes. Metalcomplexes are negatively charged, so measurements were made as anion analyses with flow reversal in the capillary. Two flow modifiers were used: a common tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and a new ionic liquid dimethyldinonylammonium bromide (DMDNAB).

Simultaneous determination of DTPA, EDTA, and NTA by UV-visible spectrometry and HPLC.

In this study, UV-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used for simultaneous analysis of chelating agents diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), as their metal chelates in dishwashing detergents, natural waters, and pulp mill water. The total amounts of the chelating agents in dishwashing detergents were verified by potentiometric titration with Fe(III) solution. Nickel(II) chelates were determined by UV-Vis and iron(III)chelates by HPLC and titration.

Simultaneous determination of DTPA, EDTA, and NTA by capillary electrophoresis after complexation with copper.

We present a method for simultaneous determination of the aminopolycarboxylic acids DTPA, EDTA and NTA in dishwashing detergents, paper mill waters, and natural waters by capillary electrophoresis (CE). The complexing agents were examined as their copper(II) complexes and separated by conventional CE with reversed polarity of the applied voltage. The optimum separation conditions were established by varying the pH and phosphate and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) concentrations in the run buffer.