Bioleaching of cadmium and nickel from synthetic sediments by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The microbial leaching process was evaluated for the treatment of synthetic sediments contaminated with cadmium and nickel sulfides. A series of batch leaching experiments was conducted to compare metal solubilization in sediment inoculated with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans -inoculated sediments to that in sterile control sediment. The rate and extent of metal solubilization were significantly higher in A. ferrooxidans -inoculated reactors than in acidified sterile reactors. The efficiency of cadmium (Cd) solubilization (80) in the bioleaching process was higher than that of nickel (Ni) solubilization (60). The performance of leaching reactors containing only culture supernatants was comparable to that of A. ferrooxidans -inoculated reactors, indicating that indirect non-contact leaching by the products of microbial metabolism is the predominant mechanism for metal solubilization rather than direct microbial sulfide oxidation. Moreover, the similar (60–75%) extents of Cd²⁺ leaching with A. ferrooxidans , cell-free filtrate, and Fe³⁺ suggest that abiotic oxidation of CdS by Fe³⁺ controls the overall leaching rate, and the role of A.␣ferrooxidans is most likely not to oxidize CdS mineral directly but to regenerate Fe³⁺ as an oxidant.     

The role of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in arsenic bioleaching from soil

Bioleaching of As from the soil in an abandoned Ag–Au mine was carried out using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. A. ferrooxidans is an iron oxidizer and A. thiooxidans is a sulfur oxidizer. These two microbes are acidophilic and chemoautotrophic microbes. Soil samples were collected from the Myoungbong and Songcheon mines. The main contaminant of the soil was As, with an average concentration of 4,624 mg/kg at Myoungbong and 5,590 mg/kg at Songcheon. A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans generated lower pH conditions during their metabolism process. The bioleaching of As from soil has a higher removal efficiency than chemical leaching. A. ferrooxidans could remove 70 % of the As from the Myoungbong and Songcheon soils; however, A. thiooxidans extracted only 40 % of the As from the Myoungbong soil. This study shows that bioleaching is an effective process for As removal from soil.     

The effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans</Emphasis> on the leaching of cobalt and strontium adsorbed onto soil particles

Bioleaching from soil artificially contaminated with analogues of radionuclides, Co and Sr, was carried out using a Fe-oxidizing bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Due to bacterial metabolism, the pH and dissolved Fe³⁺ concentration in a biotic slurry decreased and increased respectively, over time, but the concentrations of Co and Sr extracted from the soil showed no significant enhancement compared with those under abiotic control. In both cases, Co and Sr were leached from the soil during the initial period of the experiment, due to the initially low solution pH of 2.0, and the dissolved concentrations remained almost constant for the duration of the experiment (300 h). Since oxidation of Fe²⁺ by A. ferrooxidans led to the production of Fe precipitates and colloidal suspensions, the Co and Sr extracted into solution were most likely re-adsorbed onto the Fe solids. Also, A. ferrooxidans, without an external supply of Fe²⁺, extracted almost equal or greater amounts of Co and Sr from the soil than when Fe²⁺ was supplied. Under the same leaching conditions, the extent of Sr removal was much lower than that of Co. On the contrary to the high efficiency of microbial metal leaching in biohydrometallurgy for low-graded sulfide ores, which has been widely documented, conventional bioleaching techniques with A. ferrooxidans supplied with enough Fe²⁺ showed low efficiency for the removal of radionuclides loosely bound onto soil particle surfaces.     

镍钴采选行业废石和尾矿中重金属淋溶释放规律研究

镍钴采选废石和尾矿中重金属的溶出释放规律对矿区的重金属污染防治具有重要意义。但目前,国内还没有对镍钴行业采选产生的尾矿和废石中重金属的溶出规律开展研究。本文以镍钴采选企业的尾矿和废石作为样本,开展了毒性浸出实验。研究了不同pH值、离子强度、温度等实验条件对重金属溶出的影响,探讨了镍钴采选过程中所产生的尾矿和废石中重金属的溶出特性和释放规律。实验结果表明,尾矿样品中Ni的浸出浓度为42.28 mg·L^-1,是最大允许排放浓度的8.86倍,为具有浸出毒性特征的危险废物;废石样品中重金属Ni和Cu的溶出浓度分别为4.72 mg·L^-1和26.2 mg·L^-1,超过最大允许排放浓度,属于第Ⅱ类一般工业固体废物。pH对样品中Ni、Cr、Pb、Co和As的溶出量影响较大,其中尾矿中Ni和Cu在pH较低的条件下,可达到44.28 mg·L^-1和53 mg·L^-1,远高于最大允许排放浓度,而Hg、Cd和Cu的溶出量随pH值的变化不大。除As以外,样品中大多数重金属的溶出质量浓度在酸性条件下比在中性条件下高,这表明在酸性环境条件下,这些重金属对周围生态环境的潜在风险更大。离子强度的变化对Cd和Co的溶出量的变化并不明显,而当离子强度变化时,Ni、Cr、Pb、Hg、Cu和As的溶出量可能达到最大,使周围环境的潜在生态风险增大。当温度达到35~40℃时,部分重金属如Co、Pb、Cd 等,溶出量将达到最大;当温度低于25℃时,除 Ni 以外,大部分重金属溶出量很低。而温度变化对重金属Cu、As、Cr和Hg的溶出量的影响不明显,波动范围较小,对周围生态环境产生的潜在生态风险较小。     

红枫湖水源地附近粉煤灰堆积场重金属存在形态及静态淋溶规律

酸雨对露天粉煤灰堆积场的淋滤作用导致周围环境产生重金属污染是一种广泛现象.为研究酸雨对贵阳市水源地红枫湖周边一大型粉煤灰堆积场的重金属迁移影响,本文以这一粉煤灰堆积场为研究对象,通过静态淋溶实验探讨了粉煤灰中Cr、Ni、CU、Zn、AS、Cd、Pb等7种重金属元素的含量、存在形态、淋溶时间、堆积时间、粒度对重金属溶出规律的影响.结果表明,粉煤灰中Ni、Cu、Zn、Pb、As和Cd等6种重金属的含量随堆积时间增加而增大,Cr含量变化与上述反之;在淋溶实验中,堆积时间的增加使Cr、Ni、Cu和Zn重金属元素的可溶态减小;在淋溶第28—48天期间,Cr、Ni和Cu元素溶出浓度降低的粒度顺序为细粒度>中粒度和粗粒度、Cd元素溶出浓度降低的粒度顺序为中粒度>粗粒度>细粒度.本研究对红枫湖水源地和周边地下水的重金属防控提供一定的参考依据.     

Prediction of sulphur removal with Acidithiobacillus sp. using artificial neural networks

Artificial neural network (ANN) model was used to predict the extent of sulphur removal from three types of coal using native cultures of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The type of coal, initial pH, pulp density, particle size, residence time, media composition and initial sulphur content of coal were fed as input to the network. The output of the model was sulphur removal. The resulting ANN showed satisfactory prediction of sulphur removal percentages with mean absolute deviations varying from 0.003 to 0.5. A three layer feed forward neural network model consisting of an input layer, one hidden layer and an output layer was found to give satisfactory results. Although the number of data sets were limited, the parity plot shows that the model estimations for the test set was good.     

Eco-friendly approach for leaching out heavy metals from sewage sludge

Sewage sludge contains rich organic matter and nutrients essential for the growth of plants but the presence of toxic heavy metals restricts its land application. To overcome this, the study aims an eco-friendly approach for leaching out heavy metals. Sewage sludge from sewage treatment plant, Chennai, India was characterised. The analysis of total heavy metal concentration was done by digesting in nitric acid and different forms were extracted by community bureau of reference sequential method. Heavy metals: As, Cd, Cr, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry Perkin Elmer Optima 5300 DV. The experimental set-up for heavy metal leaching was held for five consecutive days at different concentrations of humic acid (0.1%, 0.5% and 1%) at varied pH (5–9). Results revealed that at the end of fifth day at pH 8, 1% humic acid is capable of leaching out 75.5% cadmium, 66.0% nickel, 52.0% lead, 51.2% zinc, 31.2% copper and 8.5% cadmium from sewage sludge. Statistically positive correlation (0.7088) existed between the percentage of heavy metals leached out and the sum of soluble and reducible fractions. Thus, from ecological point of view, humic acid can be used to leach out heavy metals from sewage sludge serving the need in restoration of soil fertility upon land application.     

Synthesis of 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene-functionalized Amberlite XAD-4 resin: Applications for the separation and preconcentration of trace metal ions prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry

A simple, sensitive column solid-phase extraction procedure for separation and preconcentration of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Cd(II) in spiked and natural water samples using 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene-functionalized Amberlite XAD-4 (XAD-4-DHN) chelating resin prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was discussed. The optimum experimental parameters such as pH, volume of sample and eluent, flow-rates of uptake and stripping, and sorption capacity of the chelating resin, were evaluated. The effect of the electrolytes and the cations on the preconcentration of metal ions was also investigated. The chelating resin could be reused for more than 20 cycles of sorption–desorption without any significant change (<1.0%). Recoveries obtained from this method range from 96 to 102% with R.S.D of 2.50 (n = 4). The detection limits for Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Cd(II) were found to be 1.9, 0.9, 1.2 µg, and 1.4 µg L^?1, respectively. The proposed method was applied for the determination of Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Cd(II) in spiked, tap water, and river water samples.     

pH对黄棕壤重金属解吸特征的影响

对黄棕壤在pH 4~7不同吸附量下6种典型重金属(Cu2+、Zn2+、Cd2+、Pb2+、Co2+、Ni2+)的解吸进行了测定。结果表明,6种重金属的解吸量随吸附量增加而线性增大,解吸量随pH升高而增加,但解吸量占吸附量的比例随pH升高而降低。在试验条件下,黄棕壤吸附Cu2+、Zn2+、Cd2+、Pb2+、Co2+、Ni2+的平均解吸率分别为8.6%、14.3%、74.1%、9.2%、42.1%和36.9%,表明黄棕壤对6种重金属的专性吸附选择性和亲和力顺序为Cu2+、Pb2+ > Zn2+ > Co2+ > Ni2+ > Cd2+。     

Modified dehydrogenase enzyme assay for evaluation of the influence of Hg,Cd, and Zn on the bacterial community structure of a wastewater treatment plant

In this study, a traditional assay was modified to evaluate the effect of Hg, Cd, and Zn on the bacterial community of a sequencing batch reactor and activated sludge plants and heavy metal-resistant bacterial species were determined. After the isolation of metal-resistant bacteria, their 16S rRNA gene fragments were sequenced. The BLAST program was used to compare the resulting 16S rRNA sequences with those in GenBank database to identify the isolated bacterial species. Hg was found to be the most toxic metal for both bacterial communities investigated. Sequence batch reactor bacteria were comparatively more resistant to Hg, Cd, and Zn than those from activated sludge. The resistant strains were close to the members of genus Pseudomonas, Kocuria, Stenotrophomonas, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus. The modified dehydrogenase enzyme assay seems to be simple, robust, and competent for evaluation of the impact of metals on bacterial activity. Sequencing batch reactor systems should be preferred over activated sludge when wastewaters containing hazardous metals are to be treated.     

Scalp hair metal analysis in the assessment of the occupational exposure of arc welders

Eleven metals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb) were estimated in hair samples of metal arc welders and a control group with the same socioeconomic background. Nitric acid–perchloric acid wet digestion procedure was adopted for the estimation of endogenous metal contents by ICP-AE technique. The study exhibited the following increasing order of the metal concentrations: Cd??1, dry weight, respectively. On average, the levels of Mn, Ni, Pb and Fe were found to be 1.5–2.4 times higher in the hair of welders compared with controls. Besides age and exposure which were strongly correlated, Cu–Mg, Mn–Mg, Ca–Co and Cd–Zn also showed significantly positive correlations. The identification of metal sources, done by cluster and principal component analyses, revealed four factors: age and exposure; Cu, Mg, Mn and Fe; Ca and Co; Cd, Zn, Ni and Pb. High levels of Fe were found to have a depleting impact on Co levels. The arc welders were feared to accumulate heavy metals in their bodies due to long-term endogenous exposure.     

改性污泥对矿区铜、镉污染土壤的修复

城市污泥的重金属含量超标是限制其资源化利用的主要瓶颈,论文采用石灰＋硫粉＋生物淋滤的方法去除重金属,制备改性污泥,探讨其对矿区Cu、Cd污染农田土壤的修复效果,以期实现以废治污的目标。供试水稻土采自江西某矿区附近农田,土壤Cu和Cd的TCLP（Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure）浸出量分别为40.34 mg·kg-1和660.1μg·kg-1,其中Cu的质量分数超过国际标准值15 mg·kg-1。通过室内土培的方法,将改性污泥分别按土重的0%、1%、3%、5%和10%施入供试土壤培养30 d后,分析土壤Cu和Cd的活性、形态变化以及土壤蛋白酶和脲酶活性等指标评价改性污泥对污染土壤的修复效果及作用机理。结果表明,改性污泥对土壤Cu产生显著的钝化作用,且各施用量对Cu的有效态含量表现出显著差异。当改性污泥的用量为土重的5%时,Cu的有效态含量降至12.03 mg·kg-1,低于国际标准。改性污泥对土壤Cd的钝化效果相对较弱。当改性污泥的用量为1%时,土壤Cd的活性反而有所增加。当改性污泥的用量为5%时,Cd的活性显著降低,土壤Cd的浸出量降至539.6μg·kg-1。土壤重金属形态分析的结果表明,土壤Cu主要以碳酸盐结合态、有机结合态和残渣态存在。改性污泥用量增加,可交换态Cu含量下降,当改良剂用量为土重的5%时,可交换态Cu由8.10%降至4.10%。相反,有机结合态Cu含量由26.45%增加至32.34%。土壤的可交换态Cd含量由36.80%降至30.69%。说明施用改性污泥,土壤可交换态Cu、Cd向有机结合态发生转化。土壤蛋白酶和脲酶的活性变化能较好地指示修复效果,且土壤脲酶的指示效果优于蛋白酶。     

Trace metal concentrations in cigarette brands commonly available in Turkey: relation with human health

In this study, the concentrations of Co, Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cr, and Cd were determined in 15 cigarette brands from Turkey by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). A wet digestion method was employed to cigarette samples. The mean values obtained for Co, Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cr, and Cd were 1.2, 4.1, 134, 14, 66, 3.7, 5.0, and 1.1?µg?g^?1, respectively, i.e., in the order of Fe?>?Mn?>?Cu?>?Cr?>?Ni?>?Pb?>?Co?>?Cd. The results were compared with the literature values for other international cigarette brands.     

Levels and distribution of trace metals in surface sediments from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic

Trace metal contents (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) have been measured in 27 surface sediment samples collected from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic. The analyses yielded concentration values (in mg kg^?1) of 0.13–0.63 for Cd, 11.89–21.90 for Co, 48.65–81.84 for Cr, 21.26–36.60 for Cu, 299.59–683.48 for Mn, 22.43–35.39 for Ni, 10.68–36.59 for Pb, 50.28–199.07 for Zn and 8.09–65.34 for Hg (in ng g^?1), respectively. Relative cumulative frequency method has been used to define the baseline values of these metals, which (in mg kg^?1) were 0.14 for Cd, 13.56 for Co, 57.86 for Cr, 25.14 for Cu, 364.08 for Mn, 26.22 for Ni, 17.46 for Pb, 70.49 for Zn and 9.76 for Hg (in ng g^?1), respectively. The enrichment factor analysis indicated that Hg showed some extent of anthropogenic pollution, while Pb, Zn and Cd showed limited anthropogenic contamination in the study areas.     

Heavy metals in soils and crops in Southeast Asia

In a reconnaissance soil geochemical and plant survey undertaken to study the heavy metal uptake by major food crops in Malaysia, 241 soils were analysed for cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon (C), pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and available phosphorus (P) using appropriate procedures. These soils were also analysed for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) using aqua regia digestion, together with 180 plant samples using nitric acid digestion. Regression analysis between the edible plant part and aqua regia soluble soil As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations sampled throughout Peninsular Malaysia, indicated a positive relationship for Pb in all the plants sampled in the survey (R ² = 0.195, p < 0.001), for Ni in corn (R ² = 0.649, p < 0.005), for Cu in chilli (R ² = 0.344, p < 0.010) and for Zn in chilli (R ² = 0.501, p < 0.001). Principal component analysis of the soil data suggested that concentrations of Co, Ni, Pb and Zn were strongly correlated with concentrations of Al and Fe, which is suggestive of evidence of background variations due to changes in soil mineralogy. Thus the evidence for widespread contamination of soils by these elements through agricultural activities is not strong. Chromium was correlated with soil pH and EC, Na, S, and Ca while Hg was not correlated with any of these components, suggesting diffuse pollution by aerial deposition. However As, Cd, Cu were strongly associated with organic matter and available and aqua regia soluble soil P, which we attribute to inputs in agricultural fertilisers and soil organic amendments (e.g. manures, composts).     

宝鸡城市街尘、土壤及河流沉积物重金属形态迁移特征

在宝鸡城市街尘、土壤及河流沉积物基本理化性质和重金属元素含量分析的基础上,重点研究了重金属元素在街尘、土壤及河流沉积物中的赋存形态和迁移特征.结果表明:在街尘中Cu主要以可氧化态和残余态形式存在,Pb主要以可还原态和可氧化态形式存在,Zn和Cd主要以乙酸可提取态形式存在,Mn、Fe、Co、Ni和Cr主要以残余态形式存在...     

Effect of chemical amendments on remediation of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) and soil quality improvement in paddy fields

Remediation of potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) in paddy fields is fundamental for crop safety. In situ application of chemical amendments has been widely adapted because of its cost-effectiveness and environmental safety. The main purpose of this research was to (1) evaluate the reduction in dissolved concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) with the application of chemical amendments and (2) monitor microbial activity in the soil to determine the remediation efficiency. Three different chemical amendments, lime stone, steel slag, and acid mine drainage sludge, were applied to paddy fields, and rice (Oryza sativa L. Milyang 23) was cultivated. The application of chemical amendments immobilized both Cd and As in soil. Between the two PTEs, As reduction was significant (p < 0.05) with the addition of chemical amendments, whereas no significant reduction was observed for Cd than that for the control. Among six soil-related variables, PTE concentration showed a negative correlation with soil pH (r = ?0.70 for As and r = ?0.54 for Cd) and soil respiration (SR) (r = ?0.88 for As and r = ?0.45 for Cd). This result indicated that immobilization of PTEs in soil is dependent on soil pH and reduces PTE toxicity. Overall, the application of chemical amendments could be utilized for decreasing PTE (As and Cd) bioavailability and increasing microbial activity in the soil.     

The Impact of the Hyperacid Ijen Crater Lake. Part I: Concentrations of Elements in Crops and Soil

In Asembagus (East Java, Indonesia) irrigation water is contaminated with effluent from the hyperacid Ijen Crater Lake resulting in a low pH and high levels of various elements. As a first step towards a risk assessment, locally produced food items (rice, maize, cassava leaf, cassava root, peanuts) were collected and concentrations of As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, V, Zn were compared to samples from a reference area and with literature values. Further, concentrations in rice were compared to total soil concentrations in paddy fields. Compared to the reference area, food items produced in the contaminated area had increased levels of Cd, Co, Ni and Mn in particular, while levels of Mo were lower. In contrast, total soil concentrations of Cd and Mn in particular have decreased whereas especially Mo was increased. In combination with the observed soil acidification, it is likely that the bioavailable concentration of most elements in the contaminated soil is higher (except for Mo) due to an increased weathering rate and/or input via the contaminated irrigation water. In terms of human health, concentrations in foods were generally within normal literature values. However, it was observed that essential elements (in particular Fe) known for their inhibitory effects on e.g. Cd and Mn toxicity did not accumulate in crops whereas Cd and Mn did.     

Heavy metal speciation,leaching and toxicity status of a tropical rain-fed river Damodar,India

Speciations of metals were assessed in a tropical rain-fed river, flowing through the highly economically important part of the India. The pattern of distribution of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were evaluated in water and sediment along with mineralogical characterization, changes with different water quality parameters and their respective health hazard to the local population along the Damodar River basin during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The outcome of the speciation analysis using MINTEQ indicated that free metal ions, carbonate, chloride and sulfate ions were predominantly in anionic inorganic fractions, while in cationic inorganic fractions metal loads were negligible. Metals loads were higher in sediment phase than in the aqueous phase. The estimated values of I_geo in river sediment during both the seasons showed that most of the metals were found in the I_geo class 0–1 which represents unpolluted to moderately polluted sediment status. The result of partition coefficient indicated the strong retention capability of Cr, Pb, Co and Mn, while Cd, Zn, Cu and Ni have resilient mobility capacity. The mineralogical analysis of sediment samples indicated that in Damodar River, quartz, kaolinite and calcite minerals were dominantly present. The hazard index values of Cd, Co and Cr were >?1 in river water, which suggested potential health risk for the children. A combination of pragmatic, computational and statistical relationship between ionic species and fractions of metals represented a strong persuasion for identifying the alikeness among the different sites of the river.