Degree Of Chlorination Research Articles

Simultaneous suppression of PCDD/F and NOx during municipal solid waste incineration

Thiourea was tested as a dioxins inhibitor in a full-scale municipal solid waste incinerator with high capacity (34th−1). The suppressant, featuring a high S- and N-content, was converted into liquor and then injected (35kgh−1) into the furnace (850°C) through the inlets already used for Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) of flue gas NOx. The first results show that thiourea reduces the dioxins in flue gas by 55.8wt.%, those in fly ash by 90.3wt.% and the total dioxins emission factor by 91.0wt.%. The concentration of PCDD/Fs was 0.08ngTEQNm−3, below the national standard of 0.1ngTEQNm−3. The weight average chlorination degree of dioxins decreases slightly after adding the inhibitor, indicating that it suppresses both the formation and the chlorination of dioxins. Analysis of fly ash by scanning electron microscope (SEM) suggests that the particle size becomes larger after adding the inhibitor. Further analysis using an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) reveals that the sulphur content in fly ash rises, but the chlorine content declines when adding thiourea. These results suggest that poisoning the metal catalyst and blocking the chlorination are probably responsible for suppression. NOx reduction attains 42.6wt.%. These tests are paving the way for further industrial application and assist in controlling the future emissions of dioxins and NOx from MSWI.

Ilmenite Chlorination: Usage of Gaseous Carbon Tetrachloride at Relatively Lower Temperatures

Malaysian ilmenite from “amang” or tin mining waste is well known for its physical and chemical complexity, making it difficult to be treated conventionally. With knowledge of ilmenite is rich in titania and iron, extractive efforts were made in order to segregate and recover the components of ilmenite, with major interest being the removal and retrieval of titanium. In this study, the extent of chlorination execution is observed by means of weight loss studies under various parameters, with an aim of successful chlorination at lower temperatures. At 723 K, chlorination trials were done using gaseous hydrogen chloride (gHCl), carbon monoxide-chlorine gas mixtures (gCO-Cl) and gaseous carbon tetrachloride (gCT). It was clearly seen that at such a relatively low temperature, only gCT was able to obtain a good chlorination degree, with up to 90% chlorination of –45+37 μm ilmenite particles were observed after 1 hour of reaction. With similar size fraction and time, hydrogen chloride was only able to give approximately 6% of chlorination while the mixture of carbon monoxide and chlorine was seen incapable of giving anything higher than a 6% reaction. Initial observation suggests that the chlorination of ilmenite by carbon tetrachloride physically resembles the core shrinking model, although proper kinetic studies needs to be done to confirm this. Changes in various parameter values are seen to be quite sensitive to the overall ilmenite chlorination (via gCT) process. This study have shown that gCT presents an interesting route for the chlorination of complex ores such as ilmenite.

Fish contamination by polychlorobiphenyls: The mass spectrometric ortho effect in a new and easy gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the analysis of the seven indicators. The case of Bluefin Tuna

A simple instrumental procedure was developed to carry out the not simple analysis of PCBs in fish samples. PCBs with the same degree of chlorination (the isomers) are expected to be totally indistinguishable among them by all existing detectors and by all existing mass spectrometers, and there is no apparent solution in those frequent cases where two isomers chromatographically coelute. Generally such coelutions are solved by means of multidimensional GC, but it is a complex technique impractical for most laboratories. The present research focuses on the seven important “indicator PCBs” by using the mass spectrometer in an innovative way. The “mass spectrometric ortho effect” was usefully exploited in addressing coelutions between isomers. Other new important observations on mass spectra were decisive in solving the apparent problem arising from coelutions between higher chlorinated PCBs with the lower chlorinated ones when low-resolution MS is used. With the proposed procedure, the seven indicators are analyzed in a simple way and with a degree of accuracy never observed with the conventional gas chromatography. The method was applied to some Bluefin Tuna fish samples of big size suspected to have not negligible levels of PCBs due to the high position of this species in the food chain. The supposition was partly confirmed. On the basis of the results here obtained, the recently introduced EU Regulation on six of the seven indicators shows one critical point: in the present paper, an amendment to the Regulation is proposed. A number of important validation measures are reported.

The Biomec process for mechanochemically assisted biodegradation of PCBs in marine sediments

The Biomec process, a two-stage treatment based on a short mechanochemical (MC) pretreatment and then followed by an aerobic biological degradation, was developed and tested for detoxifying marine sediments that were largely contaminated by polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs). Clean marine sediment spiked with PCBs (Aroclor 1260) and, alternatively, with decachlorobiphenyl in slurry conditions was ultramilled for 1 min in a nutational high energy ball mill, then was treated aerobically in a bioreactor with a purposely selected commercial bacterium (Burkholderia xenovorans). With ∼66 % overall PCB biodegradation achieved in less than 3 months, laboratory experiments confirmed the remarkable effectiveness of Biomec process when compared to direct bioremediation. The investigation showed in particular that the MC pretreatment decreased the chlorination degree of high-chlorinated PCB congeners, and consequently their biorecalcitrance, through the substitution of some chlorine atoms with hydroxyl groups. This reaction eases the aerobic degradation of the hydroxyl-substituted PCBs by B. xenovorans, allowing bacteria to skip the cell stressing step of aromatic ring bi-hydroxylation along the biodegradation pathway. After short MC treatment of the sediments, a common biological aerobic treatment can degrade PCB congeners, the highly chlorinated ones were included, in a fast, effective and cheap manner.

Chlorination of two isomers of C86 fullerene: molecular structures of C86 (16)Cl16 , C86 (17)Cl18 , C86 (17)Cl20 , and C86 (17)Cl22.

Chlorination of a mixture of C86 isomers no. 16 (Cs ) and no. 17 (C2 ) with VCl4 or a (TiCl4 +Br2 ) mixture afforded crystalline chlorides with 16 to 22 Cl atoms per fullerene cage. Single crystal X-ray diffraction with the use of synchrotron radiation enabled us to determine the chlorination patterns of C86 (16)Cl16 , C86 (17)Cl18 , C86 (17)Cl20 , and C86 (17)Cl22 . At these degrees of chlorination, addition patterns of C86 (16) and C86 (17) chlorides have some features in common, owing to the close similarity in the cage structures of both isomers. The average energy of CCl bonds decreases with increasing number of attached Cl atoms.

Anti-MRSA-acting carbamidocyclophanes H-L from the Vietnamese cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. CAVN2.

The methanol extract of the Vietnamese freshwater cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. CAVN2 exhibited cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 and 5637 cancer cell lines as well as against nontumorigenic FL and HaCaT cells and was active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus pneumoniae. High-resolution mass spectrometric analysis indicated the presence of over 60 putative cyclophane-like compounds in an antimicrobially active methanol extract fraction. A paracyclophanes-focusing extraction and separation methodology led to the isolation of 5 new carbamidocyclophanes (1-5) and 11 known paracyclophanes (6-16). The structures and their stereochemical configurations were elucidated by a combination of spectrometric and spectroscopic methods including HRMS, 1D and 2D NMR analyses and detailed comparative CD analysis. The newly described monocarbamoylated [7.7]paracyclophanes (1, 2, 4 and 5) differ by a varying degree of chlorination in the side chains. Carbamidocyclophane J (3) is the very first reported carbamidocyclophane bearing a single halogenation in both butyl residues. Based on previous studies a detailed phylogenetic examination of cyclophane-producing cyanobacteria was carried out. The biological evaluation of 1-16 against various clinical pathogens highlighted a remarkable antimicrobial activity against MRSA with MICs of 0.1-1.0 μM, and indicated that the level of antibacterial activity is related to the presence of carbamoyl moieties.

Accumulation and elimination of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in mule ducks

In Taiwan, a food safety crisis involving a presence of high concentrations of dioxin residues in duck eggs occurred in 2004. The dioxin content in duck meat sampled from supermarkets was also reported to be substantially higher than in products from other farm animals. Despite increased awareness of the potential for contamination and exposure to dioxins, the accumulation and elimination of dioxins in ducks have not been well characterized. In the present study, mule ducks were fed capsules containing polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) for 14days and the trial was continued for another 28days without PCDD/Fs supplementation. Ducks were sacrificed on the 14th, 28th, and 42nd days from the beginning of administration and samples of abdominal fat, breast, and liver tissue were obtained.The concentrations of PCDD/Fs were analyzed in the samples to investigate their distribution and elimination in various duck tissues. The bioaccumulation of PCDD/Fs in ducks was found to be tissue-dependent. In the abdominal fat, the bioconcentration factor was negatively correlated with the degree of chlorination. Conversely, more chlorinated PCDD/Fs (hexa- or hepta-congeners) were associated with higher bioconcentration in the liver and breast tissue. In terms of the efficiency of PCDD/Fs elimination, the liver was found to be the fastest, followed by the breast and the abdominal fat. The clearance rate positively correlated with the degree of chlorination, as determined by comparing the apparent elimination rate constant (k) of PCDD/Fs in various tissues. Overall, lower k values observed in this study imply that mule ducks have a reduced clearance of PCDD/Fs in comparison with layer and broiler chickens.

Tagging Live Cells that Express Specific Peptidase Activity with Solid‐State Fluorescence

A three-component probe harnesses the extraordinary properties of a solid-state fluorophore for the detection of living cells exhibiting a particular peptidase activity. The off-on mode by which the probe operates, the bright fluorescence of the resulting precipitate, and the rapid response allow an exceptional signal-to-background ratio during microscopic imaging. A tertiary carbamate link between the spacer and phenolic fluorophore is at the heart of the probe's long-term stability. The degree of chlorination of the probe determines its response time and thus its suitability for live-cell analysis. Our probe also allows highly resolved localization of peptidase activity during gel analysis or on agar. In comparison, probes releasing soluble fluorophores demonstrate complete diffusion of the fluorescent signal. These results demonstrate the probe's potential for diverse biomedical applications, including high-fidelity flow cytometry and sensitive colony assays.

Theoretical investigations on direct photolysis mechanisms of polychlorinated diphenyl ethers

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) are a focus of current environmental concern as a group of ubiquitous potential persistent organic pollutants. There are still significant gaps in our knowledge concerning the photolysis mechanisms of PCDEs. In this study, the direct photolysis mechanisms of PCDEs were investigated by density functional theory. The direct photolysis of PCDEs has three potential reaction pathways including photodechlorination, C−O bond photodissociation, and PCDFs formation. Taking a representative PCDE (i.e., CDE8) for example, we found that C−Cl bond dissociation is the rate-determining step for the photodechlorination. Chlorobenzene is predicted to be photoproduct of CDE8 through the photodissociation of the C−O bond. Furthermore, the calculated mean bond dissociation energies of both C−Cl and C−O bonds of 20 PCDEs decrease with the increased degree of chlorination. It is also found that the photoactivity of PCDEs increases with an increase of chlorination degree by evaluating the average charge of Cl atoms and mean bond dissociation energies of C−Cl and C−O bonds from reaction thermodynamics. Our findings provided a new insight into the mechanisms of direct photolysis of PCDEs, which may be useful in the future in utilizing quantum chemistry calculation in investigating the behavior and fate of organic pollutants in the environment.

Perceptional and Socio-Demographic Factors Associated with Household Drinking Water Management Strategies in Rural Puerto Rico

Identifying which factors influence household water management can help policy makers target interventions to improve drinking water quality for communities that may not receive adequate water quality at the tap. We assessed which perceptional and socio-demographic factors are associated with household drinking water management strategies in rural Puerto Rico. Specifically, we examined which factors were associated with household decisions to boil or filter tap water before drinking, or to obtain drinking water from multiple sources. We find that households differ in their management strategies depending on the institution that distributes water (i.e. government PRASA vs community-managed non-PRASA), perceptions of institutional efficacy, and perceptions of water quality. Specifically, households in PRASA communities are more likely to boil and filter their tap water due to perceptions of low water quality. Households in non-PRASA communities are more likely to procure water from multiple sources due to perceptions of institutional inefficacy. Based on informal discussions with community members, we suggest that water quality may be improved if PRASA systems improve the taste and odor of tap water, possibly by allowing for dechlorination prior to distribution, and if non-PRASA systems reduce the turbidity of water at the tap, possibly by increasing the degree of chlorination and filtering prior to distribution. Future studies should examine objective water quality standards to identify whether current management strategies are effective at improving water quality prior to consumption.

UV photo-chlorination and -bromination of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

PCDD/F and PCBz Emissions during Start-up and Normal Operation of a Hazardous Waste Incinerator in China

The PCDD/F emissions from incinerator start-up are a major contributor to the total amount of such emissions, as has been reported in studies of numerous municipal solid waste incinerators. However, very few studies have examined the start-up process at hazardous waste incinerators (HWIs). In this work we studied the emissions of PCDD/Fs and other pollutants, such as PCBz, at the stack during start-up and normal operations in a HWI. We found that the PCDD/F emissions during start-up were greater than during normal operations, and were comparable to the annual emissions during the normal combustion regime. The emissions of PCDD/Fs were highest during start-up when the temperature was around 500°C, reaching 59.5 ng/Nm3 (5.49 ng I-TEQ/Nm3) when no APCDs were applied. The emission values of PCDD/Fs during start-up with the application of APCDs and during normal operations were very low, which indicates the importance of APCDs when starting up a HWI, as well as before feeding waste. The chlorination degree, the ratio of PCDFs/PCDDs and the congener profiles were also discussed during start-up and normal operations, with the results suggesting different formation mechanisms of PCDD/Fs. PCBz emissions are two or three orders of magnitude higher than those of PCDD/Fs, and 1,2,4,5-TeCBz was the best correlated PCBz used as a PCDD/F indicator in real HWI flue gas.

Chronic toxicity of parabens and their chlorinated by‐products in Ceriodaphnia dubia

The chronic toxicity of 12 compounds of parabens and their chlorinated by-products was investigated using 7-day Ceriodaphnia dubia test under static renewal condition in order to generate information on how to disinfect by-products of preservatives that are discharged in aquatic systems. The mortality and inhibition of reproduction tended to increase with increasing hydrophobicity and decreased with the degree of chlorination of parabens. The EC50 values for mortality, offspring number, and first brood production ranged between 0.30-3.1, 0.047-12, and 1.3-6.3 mg L(-1) , respectively. For the number of neonates, the most sensitive endpoint, the no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC) and lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) values ranged from 0.63 to 10 mg L(-1) and from 1.2 to 19 mg L(-1) , respectively. Methylparaben (MP), benzylparaben (BnP), and dichlorinated BnP (Cl2 BnP) elicited a significant decrease in offspring numbers even at their lowest concentration tested; the NOEC for these compounds was determined to be less than the lowest test concentration (1.3, 0.04, and 0.63 mg L(-1) for MP, BnP, and Cl2 BnP, respectively). Propylparaben (PP), chlorinated PP, isopropylparaben (iPP), and chlorinated iPP exhibited nonmonotonic concentration-dependent response; their NOEC and LOEC values could not be determined. The multivariate approach involving principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four groups that corresponded to the toxicological profiles of parabens. Our results suggested that disinfection of parabens by chlorination could reduce aquatic toxicity of original compounds. The findings obtained in our study together with the data available on paraben concentrations in aquatic systems can be used to perform preliminary risk assessment by comparing the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) with the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios ranged from 0.0012 to 0.2, with the highest value observed in MP. This suggested that there are negligible environmental risks for aquatic organisms at current use levels.

Congener-specific distribution and bioaccumulation of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in sediments and bivalves of the Bohai Sea, China

Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are a new type of persistent organic pollutants that are of great environmental concern because of their wide distribution. In this study, surface sediments and bivalve samples were collected from the coastal area of the Bohai Sea in China. Total SCCP (ΣSCCP) concentrations in surface sediments and bivalves ranged from 97.4ngg−1 dry weight (dw) to 1756.7ngg−1 dw and 476.4–3269.5ngg−1 dw, respectively. C10-CPs and C11-CPs were the predominant homologue groups in all sediments and bivalves. Specific congener composition analysis and correspondence analysis indicated that the local SCCP source mainly came from CP-42 and CP-52 products, and riverine input had an important function. The biota–sediment accumulation factors of ΣSCCPs for bivalves ranged from 1.08 to 1.61, and a significant correlation indicated that the SCCP congener with higher chlorination degree was more likely to be accumulated in bivalves.

Polychlorinated terphenyl patterns and levels in selected marine mammals and a river fish from different continents

Polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants which have been used from the 1920s to the 1980s for similar purposes as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Comparably little data was available on the PCT distribution in the environment mainly due to analytical difficulties in their determination. By means of a calculation algorithm recently developed we now studied the PCT pattern in individual marine mammal samples and one fish sample from different continents. Altogether, 97 PCTs were detected in eight samples and twelve to 66 tetra- to nonachloroterphenyl (tetra- to nonaCT) congeners were detected in individual samples. PCTs were present in all marine mammal samples which originated from four continents, but the PCT pattern was varied. TetraCTs were dominant in the sample from Africa, Australia, Spitsbergen (European Arctic) and in a sample from the Baltic Sea, heptaCTs in samples from the North Sea and octaCTs in a sample from Iceland. The abundance of sumPCTs relative to PCB 153, estimated from the GC/ECNI-MS response corrected for the degree of chlorination, ranged from 0.9 to 8.8%, corresponding with ~0.22–2.2% of the total PCB content. The highest PCT level detected was 980mg/kg lipid in a harbour seal from the North Sea, Germany. The results from this study indicated that samples from certain areas, e.g. the North Sea may still be polluted with PCTs.

Effects of regional differences in waste composition on the thermal formation of polychlorinated aromatics during incineration

Two artificial wastes (A and B) whose contents reflect regional differences in municipal solid waste composition, were used to investigate the thermal formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), and naphthalenes (PCNs) during incineration. Flue gas samples were simultaneously collected at three ports in the post-combustion zone corresponding to flue gas temperatures of 400, 300, and 200°C. The combustion of Waste B, which had a higher chlorine and metal content than Waste A, produced greater levels of highly-chlorinated homologues, as demonstrated by a higher degree of chlorination. The total concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, and PCNs formed in the combustion of both wastes increased as temperature decreased along the convector. There were no significant differences in total concentrations between Waste A and Waste B combustion at specific temperatures, with exception of PCDFs at 400°C. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) modeling, used to evaluate the data for all compound groups, suggest that during flue gas quenching at temperatures of 400°C low-chlorinated homologues are preferentially formed in the presence of copper, which is known to be a very active catalyst for this process. At 300 and 200°C, the formation of highly-chlorinated homologues is favored.

A Cohort study evaluation of maternal PCB exposure related to time to pregnancy in daughters

BackgroundPolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain ubiquitous environmental contaminants. Developmental exposures are suspected to impact reproduction. Analysis of mixtures of PCBs may be problematic as components have a complex correlation structure, and along with limited sample sizes, standard regression strategies are problematic. We compared the results of a novel, empirical method to those based on categorization of PCB compounds by (1) hypothesized biological activity previously proposed and widely applied, and (2) degree of ortho- substitution (mono, di, tri), in a study of the relation of maternal serum PCBs and daughter’s time to pregnancy.MethodsWe measured PCBs in maternal serum samples collected in the early postpartum in 289 daughters in the Child Health and Development Studies birth cohort. We queried time to pregnancy in these daughters 28–31 years later. We applied a novel weighted quantile sum approach to find the bad-actor compounds in the PCB mixture found in maternal serum. The approach includes empirical estimation of the weights through a bootstrap step which accounts for the variation in the estimated weights.ResultsBootstrap analyses indicated the dominant functionality groups associated with longer TTP were the dioxin-like, anti-estrogenic group (average weight, 22%) and PCBs not previously classified by biological activity (54%). In contrast, the unclassified PCBs were not important in the association with shorter TTP, where the anti-estrogenic groups and the PB-inducers group played a more important role (60% and 23%, respectively). The highly chlorinated PCBs (average weight, 89%) were mostly associated with longer TTP; in contrast, the degree of chlorination was less discriminating for shorter TTP. Finally, PCB 56 was associated with the strongest relationship with TTP with a weight of 47%.ConclusionsOur empirical approach found some associations previously identified by two classification schemes, but also identified other bad actors. This empirical method can generate hypotheses about mixture effects and mechanisms and overcomes some of the limitations of standard regression techniques.

Mono- to Octa-Chlorinated PCDD/Fs in Stack Gas from Typical Waste Incinerators and Their Implications on Emission

Mono- to octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (mono- to octa-CDD/Fs) were determined in 14 stack gas samples from two municipal solid waste incinerators and two medical waste incinerators. The total PCDD/F concentrations were 5.1-390 ng/Nm(3), and the mono- to trichlorinated homologues contributed 53.2-94.5% of the total concentrations. The homologue profiles were dominated by the MoCDF, ranged from 1.51 to 113.1 ng/Nm(3), and the proportion that each PCDF homologue group contributed to the total concentration decreased with increasing chlorination level. The toxic equivalent concentrations (I-TEQs) were 0.01-2.81 ng I-TEQ/Nm(3), with 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF being the biggest contributor, at 30.6-60.0%. Correlations were found among the PCDD/PCDF ratios (D/F ratios), the degree of chlorination, and the TEQ. Stack gases with low I-TEQs had higher proportions of the less chlorinated homologues and lower D/F ratios, which could be attributed to the removal of the more chlorinated isomers by the air pollution control systems used by the incinerators. 2,8-DiCDF, 2,4,8-TrCDF, DiCDF, and TrCDF can be used as TEQ indicators for monitoring PCDD/Fs. 2,8-DiCDF and 2,4,8-TrCDF correlated well with the TEQ because they strongly correlated with 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, implying possible correlations in their formation mechanisms.

Carbon Tetrachloride Cold Plasma for Extensive Chlorination of Carbon Nanotubes

This article reports a new way to covalently bond chlorine to multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using a carbon tetrachloride cold plasma treatment. Several factors controlling the efficiency of the plasma treatment were considered. In particular, the methodology to produce the plasma and the temperature and time of treatment were taken into account. The largest chlorine surface concentration was obtained when the MWCNTs were treated with helium plasma before the CCl4 plasma to activate the surface. Short periods of plasma treatment (5–10 min) were then sufficient to reach high degrees of chlorination (up to 19.2% by weight) much larger than those previously reported. The functionalization takes place mainly in the borders and defects of the tubes, thus preserving the conjugation existing in the graphene layers. Moreover, the treatments show no influence on the textural characteristics of the nanotubes (i.e., porosity and interlayer spacing). Therefore, the method proposed in this work is an excellent approach to introducing surface chlorine atoms, capable of acting as leaving groups, as a first step for further functionalization with more complex molecules, while preserving the morphology and mechanical properties of the nanotubes still intact.

Effects of previous nitrogen addition on chlorine in forest soil, soil solution and biomass

There is increasing evidence that forests and forest soil contribute to the signature of chlorine composition in water bodies. However, little is known about the potential effects of land management activities on chlorine biogeochemistry. This study examines the effects of previous nitrogen addition on chlorine chemistry in a Pinus sylvestris L. forest located in south-central Sweden (60°00′N, 13°43′E). Repeated addition of nitrogen to study plots over a 20-year period resulted in total additions of 0, 450 and 900 kg N ha−1. Soil samples were collected before harvesting, and soil solution and biomass were sampled following final felling. Contrary to previous findings, we found no clear evidence that previous addition of nitrogen had hampered the formation of organic chlorine in the organic soil layer. We suggest that the effects of nitrogen addition on chlorination processes are not seen in the surface soil, but are instead manifested in the migration of organic matter in the mineral soil. Soil organic matter from the E-horizon had a lower chlorination degree in the nitrogen-amended plots than in the control plots. In addition, we observed lower Cl− levels in the seedling needles following high nitrogen fertilization (900 N) than in 450 N or control. These results add on the importance of studying chlorine dynamics with focus on what chlorinated soil organic matter can be resistant to degradation compared to average soil organic matter and what can be leached as a result of harvesting and available for vegetation.