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In this study, we present an innovative new bio-treatment approach for 17α-ethynyestradiol (EE2). Our solution for EE2 decontamination was accomplished by using the SBP (Small Bioreactor Platform) macro-encapsulation method for the encapsulation of two bacterial cultures, Rhodococcus zopfii (R. zopfii ) and Pseudomonas putida F1 (P. putida). Our results show that the encapsulated R. zopffi presented better biodegradation capabilities than P. putida F1. After 24 h of incubation on minimal medium supplemented with EE2 as a sole carbon source, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was 73.8% and 86.5% in the presence of encapsulated P. putida and R. zopfii, respectively. In the presence of additional carbon sources, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was 75% and 56.1% by R. zopfii and P. putida, respectively, indicating that the presence of other viable carbon sources might slightly reduce the EE2 biodegradation efficiency. Nevertheless, in domestic secondary effluents, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was similar to the minimal medium, indicating good adaptation of the encapsulated cultures to sanitary effluents and lack of a significant effect of the presence of other viable carbon sources on the EE2 biodegradation by the two encapsulated cultures. Our findings demonstrate that SBP-encapsulated R. zopfii and P. putida might present a practical treatment for steroidal hormones removal in wastewater treatment processes.

A sample of eighty Israeli in-service teachers filled out a questionnaire assessing their beliefs about the existence and the anthropogenic origin of climate change, their knowledge about the causes and consequences of climate change and the actions which can be taken to remediate it, as well as their level of concern about it and their readiness to act and teach in a climate-friendly way. The results show gaps in knowledge especially regarding the consequences of climate change, and misconceptions about the causes of climate change. The anthropogenic nature of climate change is well admitted. The percentage of teachers ready to take action to slow down climate change is smaller than the percentage of teachers understanding climate change. There is a significant correlation between knowledge about the consequences of climate change and concern about it and readiness to act. These results lay out the path for possible improvement of climate change instruction in teachers’ preparation programs.

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