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Environmental Technology Research Network
in the Asia-Pacific Region

DB for Research Project
Category(1) : Water
Category(2) : Fate


  1. Project Name
  2. Duration
  3. Research Catagory 1
  4. Research Catagory 2
  5. Research Field
  6. Researchers
  7. Affiliation 1
  8. Affiliation 2
  9. Address
  10. Country
  11. Phone
  12. Fax
  13. Project Summary
  14. Publications
  15. International Joint Study with

National Institute for Resources and Environment(NIRE), Japan

  1. The Origin and Accumulation of Hazardous Substances in East-Asia Seas
  2. 1995-1997
  3. Wide Marine Pollution, Organotin, Organohalogen Compounds, Mussel, ocean
  4. analysis, measurement, fate, monitoring, reaction mechanism
  5. chemistry, oceanography, toxicology
  6. Mamoru TOMINAGA, Takashi IMAGAWA
  7. Water Analysis Lab, Hydrospheric Environmental Protection Dept.
  8. NIRE, AIST, MITI
  9. 16-3 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305
  10. Japan
  11. 81-298-61-8338
  12. 81-298-61-8308
  13. The goal of the research project is to clarify the occurrence and behavior of hazardous substances in East-Asia seas by measuring organotin and organohalogen compounds in seawater, sediments and mussels. The main purpose of this year is to develop analytical and sampling methods for these compounds.
  14. C.RQuetel, H.Tao, M.Tominaga, A.Miyazaki, Anal. Chem.,(submitted)
  1. Degradation of Synthetic Chemicals in Sediment
  2. 1992-1994
  3. water, hazardous substances
  4. reaction mechanisms, fate
  5. chemistry, biology, ecology
  6. Yoshitaka YONEZAWA, Shigeki MASUNAGA, Manabu FUKUI, Yoshikuni URUSHIGAWA
  7. Ecological Chemistry and Microbilogy Div. Hydroshperic Environmental Protection Dept.
  8. NIRE, AIST, MITI
  9. 16-3 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305
  10. JAPAN
  11. 81-298-61-8311
  12. 81-298-61-8309
  13. Transformation reactions of chemicals in the sediment is important for estimating of their fate in the environment, because sediment layer accumulate a great deal of man-made chemicals discharged from industrial activities. We studied transformation pathwayes of tri-n-butyltin and trichloro-benzene in Ise bay sediment. The results showed that the transformation pathwayes and activities were affected by sulfate reducing activity in the sediment. The contribution of abiotic reaction in sediment were studied by benzonitril transformation.The results showed that the abiotic reaction mediated by the extracted sediment protein fraction was responsible for at least part of the reaction occurring in raw sediment.
  14. 1) S. Masunaga, et al. T ransformation of para-Substituted Benzonitriles in Sediment and in Sediment Extract Water Sci. Technol. 28:123-132 1993.
    2) Dechlorination of 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene in the Sediment of Ise Bay. 1994. Yonezawa, Y., M. Fukui, S. Masunaga, and Y. Urushigawa. Chemosphere 28:2179-2184
    3) Degradation of Tri-n-butyltin in Ise bay Sediment. Yonezawa, Y., M. Fukui, T. Yoshida, A. Ochi, T. Tanaka, Y.i Noguti, T. Kowata, Y.i Sato, S. Masunaga, and Y. Urushigawa. 1994. Chemosphere. 29:1349-1356
  1. Microbial Remediation of Polluted Environment
  2. 1995-1999
  3. water, hazardous substances
  4. reaction mechanisms, fate
  5. chemistry, biology, ecology
  6. Yoshitaka YONEZAWA, Hideki MASUNAGA, Yuichi SUWA, Yasutoshi MATSUI, Fumio YAMAGUTI, Manabu FUKUI, and Rie TAKEUCHI., Yoshikuni URUSHIGAWA
  7. Ecological Chemistry and Microbilogy Div. Hydroshperic EnvironmentalProtection Dept.
  8. NIRE, AIST, MITI
  9. 16-3 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305
  10. JAPAN
  11. 81-298-61-8311
  12. 81-298-61-8309
  13. Many physical and chemical means for eliminating hazardous organic chemicals have been developed and examined. Authentic techniques which have been developed for waste water treatment could be effective for the highly polluted and space-limited sites, but they may not be for the less polluted and spacious sites. Bioremediation is a new technology which is considered the most effective mean for the latter cases. Our studies are focusing on the following topics.
    1) Determination of biodegradation activities and pathways of hazardous organic chemicals in polluted sites.
    2) Enrichment and activity control of microorganisms responsible for hazardous organic chemicals degradation at a low concentration.
    3) Physiological and genetical charcterization of microorganisms responsible for degradation of hazardous organic chemicals at a low concentration.
    We have heavily industrialized coastal areas, of which sediment sometimes receives large amounts of hazerdous chemicals, in Japan,. In such polluted coastal environment, chlorinated organic compounds are major concern because of their wide use, toxicity and recalcitrance in environment. In general, highly chlorinated compounds are more toxic and persistence against biological degradation than less chlorinated in anaerobic environment. Dechlorinated compounds could be subjected to totally degraded to carbon dioxide by microbes in aerobic environment. Therefore, anaerobic dechlorination has been thought to be the most important step for elimination of chrolinated compounds from the environments, and thus biological dechlorination processes in anaerobic estuarine sediment has become of the greatest interest in environmental sciences.
  14. 1) Microbial degradation technology of hazardous chemicals (How can we evaluate the in situ microbial activety,Reaction kinetics)Yonezawa, Y. Sigen-to-kankyou 5,(1),51-58 (in Japanese).
    2) Pathway and rate ofchlorophenol transformation in anaerobic esturine sediment. Masunaga, S., Susarla, S., Gundersen, J. L., Yonezawa, Y. Environ. Sci., Technol. 30(4):1253-1260
    3) Transformation of chloronitrobenzenes in anaerobic sediment Susarla, S., Masunaga, S., Yonezawa, Y. Chemosphere 32:967-972 1996/4/1
  1. Behaviors of Synthetic Organic Compounds in Coastal Environment
  2. 1987-1991
  3. water, hazardous substances, others
  4. fate, modeling
  5. chemistry, biology, physics
  6. Kisaburo NAKATA, Fumio HORIGU,Shigeki MASUNAGA, Manabu FUKUI, Yoshitaka YONEZAWA,
  7. Marin Environment Div. of Environmental Assessment Dept. and Ecological Chemistry and MicrobilogyDiv. Hydroshperic Environmental Protection Dept.
  8. NIRE, AIST, MITI
  9. 16-3 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305
  10. JAPAN
  11. 81-298-61-8311
  12. 81-298-61-8309
  13. In order to develop a mnumerical model estimating the behavior of discharged pollutants to coastal environment, we survayed distributions and behaviors of chlrobenzens and butyltins in Ise Bay. Their distribution patterns in the surface sediment were explained by the following effects: the distance from the source, the horizontal transport caused by the river inflows, and the sedimentation caused by downward water flow. The transportation of the pollutants from surface water to bottom sediment was explained by the process of their absorption to suspended matter and their settling on suspended matter.
  14. 1) The distribution of chlorobenzenes in the bottom sediment of Ise Bay. 1991. Masunaga, S., Y. Yonezawa, and Y.Urushigawa. Water Res. 25:275-288.
    2) The Behavior of chlorobenzenes in Ise Bay, estimeted from their concentration in various environmental media. 1991. Masunaga, S., Y. Yonezawa and Y. Urushigawa. Water Res. 25:289-297
    3) Distribution of Butyltins in the surface sediment of Ise Bay, Japan. Yonezawa, Y., K. Nakata, Y. Miyakozawa, A. Ochi, T. Kowata, H. Fukawa, Y. Sato, S. Masunaga and Y. Urushigawa. 1993. Environ. Toxicol. and Chem. 12:1175-1184
    4) Partitioning of chlorobenzenes between suspended particulate and water in coastal waters. Masunaga, S., Yonezawa, Y., Fukui, M., Urushigawa, Y. J. Environ. Sci. & Health 1996. A31(4):887-903