The adsorption capacities for two polycatenar compounds, a benzoic acid and its silver salt were determined. Both compounds showed relatively good adsorption in the removal of Congo Red dye from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of the silver salt was found to be slightly lower than its acid precursor.

The FT-IR ATR spectra of the alkaline and enzymatically treated hemp fibres (1%, 2%, 3% o.w.f. enzyme, 15, 35, 55 minute enzyme action time) were recorded aiming to evaluate the pectin elimination. The relative absorbance values of the 1732 cm-1 band which might be attributed to the presence of the carboxylic groups (C=O) in pectin were evaluated. The results showed a diminishing of the pectin amount with increasing concentration (% o.w.f.) and action time (minutes) of the enzyme mixture. So that, the absorbance recorded at 1732 cm-1 with FT-IR ATR spectroscopy can quantify removed pectin from the material, thus enabling characterization of proposed biotechnology and monitoring the process.

The automated elucidation by GC-MS of isomeric structures by using mass spectral libraries and retention indexes databases often offers contradictory results in the case of the high similarity of the structures and the spectra. Under these circumstances, a certification of the unknown structures by using additional orthogonal filtering of candidate structures would increase the confidence in the analysis. For such additional filtering we propose here a correlation algorithm between the profile of some primary ionic currents and that of corresponding fragmentation energies obtained through quantum chemical calculation (QCC). In our paper we present the application of this algorithm in the case of terpinen-4-ol, a biologically active compound from essential oils. The fragmentation energy profile of the terpinen-4-ol has been identified with the maximum correlation (94.2%) among the fifteen components revealed in GCMS analysis of lavender oil. An additional validation was done by applying the algorithm for another fourteen candidate structures, isomeric with terpinen-4-ol. The result is consistent with the library-based assignments and chromatographic alignment. One of the advantages of this approach is that the use of these three analytical variants can provide high accuracy of analysis without the direct use of chemical standards.

Particulate matter (PM) is one of the most known air pollutant and is formed as a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets. From them, PM10 are the inhalable particles with diameters smaller than 10 micrometers. Such particles could create seriously health problems for the population as increases the risk of lung cancer and heart diseases. Due to those effects on the human health, the concentrations of PM10 are monitored as a daily routine by National Environmental Agency. The present study compare the concentration of PM10 (as has been reported by National Environmental Agency) during the last three years in the West part of Romania (Timisoara, Arad, Satu Mare and Bihor County). For all county the medium concentrations are under their legal limits (40 µg/m3) with very few exceptions. The highest concentrations have been found in winter due to heating and higher transport fluxes. The maximum concentrations are higher than the daily legal limits (50 µg/m3) mainly in Arad probably due to the high traffic. Anyway, compare with the European trend, the daily concentration limit have been overtaken very few times (less than ten).

Chemical polymorphism is common in the Lamiaceae family, where one or more compounds differ quantitatively within the phenological phases, thus modifying the chemotype according to the major component determined in the essential oil. Thymol and carvacrol are the most common chemotypes present in thyme plants, they have the same molecular weight (M = 150 g.mol-1), but with a different position of the OH group on the phenolic ring (meta and ortho). Usually, thymol and carvacrol are accompanied by two precursors: p-cymene and ?-terpinene. Depending on the end purpose of the essential oil and the desired chemical composition, there is a need for specific analysis of the chemical variations according to the phenological stages. For this purpose, essential oils were obtained and analyzed by GC-MS, in two phenological phases, before and after flowering over two years, and their chemical composition was compared. The main chemical compounds of the four essential oils analyzed were: ?-terpinene, carvacrol, p-cymene, ? - terpinolene, ß-pinene, etc.. The chemical composition and chemotype of the essential oils, can vary and depends on many factors like variety, cultivation area and the phenological phase when harvesting is taking place.

The present paper has in attention the alleviation of the environmental issues when a proper management of the solid waste is considered by the authorities. Moreover, the most used waste management activities are screened in order to evaluate which one is providing sustainable social and economic benefits.