Antimony content of macrofungi from clean and polluted areas

Species of macrofungi (mushrooms) were collected from clean areas and analyzed for their antimony content. These were compared to species collected from extremely polluted areas in the vicinity of a lead smelter and on mine and slag dumps. Antimony content was determined using long-term instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Ectomycorrhizal and terrestrial saprobic macrofungi were examined. Antimony content of macrofungi from the clean areas was mostly less than 100 μg kg⁻¹ (dry mass). The highest concentrations (units of mg kg⁻¹) were found in various species of the ectomycorrhizal genera Chalciporus and Suillus. Antimony contents of macrofungi growing in the polluted areas were considerably higher. The highest content was found in a single collection of Chalciporus piperatus (1423 mg kg⁻¹).     

Antimony distribution and mobility in topsoils and plants (Cytisus striatus, Cistus ladanifer and Dittrichia viscosa) from polluted Sb-mining areas in Extremadura (Spain)

A study about topsoil antimony distribution and mobility from the soils to the biomass has been afforded in three abandoned Sb mining areas located at Extremadura. Physico-chemical characteristics of the soils and total antimony levels were measured in soils and autochthonous plant species (Cytisus striatus, Cistus ladanifer and Dittrichia viscosa). Comparison with corresponding values in reference areas isolated from the mining activities is discussed. Antimony mobility in the soils was estimated by measuring the water extractable fraction; low results were obtained for the three soil areas, with no statistical differences. Plant ability to accumulate antimony was estimated by use of plant accumulation coefficients (PAC). Seasonal (spring vs. autumn) effects on the antimony content in the plant species. Cytisus striatus from Mari Rosa mine presented antimony excluder characteristics, whereas Dittrichia viscosa specimens growing in San Antonio mine showed a significant antimony bioaccumulation.     

Mobility of antimony in soil and its availability to plants

In a historical mining area residual material has been filled on land and these locations are used today as agricultural soils or house gardens. The antimony concentrations in these soils are up to 500 mg/kg. Antimony transfer into 19 vegetable and crop species was investigated. In grain and other storage organs up to 0.09 mg Sb/kg were found, whereas maximum antimony concentrations in shoots and leaves were determined to be 0.34 mg Sb/kg and 2.2 mg Sb/kg, respectively. Despite the high antimony contamination of the soils, concentrations in the investigated plants in general corresponded to concentrations only reported for uncontaminated soils. NH4NO3 extraction of some of the soils indicated that the mobile fraction of antimony present was only 0.06-0.59%. In contrast, in leaves of spinach grown under controlled conditions in soils with a high mobile antimony content an accumulation of the element could be observed: a maximum value of 399 mg Sb/kg was detected, and a correlation between the mobile fraction in the soils and antimony in leaves was found.     

Fate of antimony in municipal solid waste incineration

The average antimony concentration in municipal solid waste is estimated to be about 10-60 ppm. Thermodynamical models predict a volatile behavior for antimony compounds, yet literature mass balances show that about 50% of the antimony input remains in the grate ashes. This fact can be explained by the formation of thermally stable antimonates in the fuel bed due to interactions with alkali or earth-alkali metals. Thermogravimetric experiments revealed an increased thermal stability for antimony oxide in presence of oxygen and calcium oxide. Spiking experiments on the test incinerator TAMARA showed that chlorination processes have a strong effect on antimony volatilization whereas high fuel-bed temperatures and addition of antimony oxide only have a moderate effect. In the grate ashes, antimony shows a pH-depending leaching property, which is typical for anionic species. This fact supports the thesis that antimony is present in the grate ashes in an anionic speciation.     

铁改性海泡石除锑的影响因素研究

选择廉价海泡石, 用氯化铁对其改性。研究铁改性海泡石对锑的吸附特性。结果表明，氯化铁浓度、吸附时间、初始锑浓度以及温度等因素对锑的吸附影响较大，溶液初始pH影响不明显。在初始锑浓度50 mg/L，pH 6.8，5%氯化铁改性海泡石投加量为2 g/L，吸附90 min, 温度35℃下，吸附量可达21.6 mg/g。海泡石对吸附锑具有缓冲特性，溶液的初始pH值在3.1～10.1范围时，吸附后溶液的最终pH值为8～8.5。IMS吸附锑是放热过程。改性后海泡石比表面积增大，表面羟基数量增加，导致其吸附能力增强。通过XRD谱图并未发现铁晶体的存在。     

Assessment of cobalt in wheat grains as affected by diverse fertilizers: implications for public health

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Present study was conducted to check the heavy metal content in wheat treated with municipal solid waste, Although municipal solid waste was enriched...     

Evidence of recycling of lead battery waste into highly leaded jewelry

Inexpensive highly leaded jewelry, much of it imported from China, remains widely available in the United States. The source materials for these items are unknown. Due to the low cost of much of this trinket jewelry, it seems likely that scrap materials may be used in their manufacture. Thirty-nine jewelry items previously determined to contain 90% or more lead by weight were analyzed for antimony content. The average antimony content of these thirty-nine items was 3.0%. The range of antimony content in the samples was from 0.3% to 6.2% antimony by weight, with twenty-seven of the samples in the range of 2-4% antimony by weight. By comparison, battery lead standard reference material obtained from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology contains 2.95% antimony by weight. While the evidence is circumstantial, the similarity in composition of these samples to battery lead is striking and supports the hypothesis that some battery lead is being recycled into highly leaded jewelry items. These results suggest that the recycling of this waste in China needs to be investigated, as the use of lead battery waste as a source material for children's jewelry poses a clear threat to children's health.     

Distribution of antimony in contaminated grassland: 1--Vegetation and soils

Antimony concentrations in surface soils were found to decrease with increasing distance from an antimony smelter. This pattern was also found in moss bags exposed in the same area. At three sites close to the smelter, antimony concentrations in soil and vegetation were much higher than at a rural control site and published background levels. Maximum soil and plant concentrations on a dry weight basis of 1489 mg kg(-1) and 336 mg kg(-1), respectively, were found, compared to background levels of <1 mg kg(-1). Field exposure of grass in pots of uncontaminated soil and a laboratory experiment using soils from near the smelter suggested that the antimony in vegetation was largely due to continued aerial deposition and not to uptake from soil.     

Short-term responses of Oryzias latipes (Pisces: Adrianichthyidae) and Macrobrachium nipponense (Crustacea: Palaemonidae) to municipal and pharmaceutical waste water in Beijing, China: survival, behaviour, biochemical biomarkers

Whole effluent toxicity was assessed for the fish Oryzias latipes and the prawn Macrobrachium nipponense for 18 h in a dilution series (0-66%) of the inflow and effluent of a municipal waste water treatment plant as well as waste water from a teramycin producing pharmaceutical industry, before, during and after a pilot laboratory purification process. The waste waters caused acute toxicity as measured by inhibition of light emission in the luminiscent bacterium Vibrio qingaiensis sp. nov. (Q67). EROD and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity in in vitro carp liver-cells showed a dose-dependent toxic response to the municipal waste water. Behavioural responses and time-to-death of fish and prawn, recorded online with the "Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor" proved to be concentration- and time-dependent sensitive toxicity indicators in both types of waste water. Behaviour changed stepwise from normal activity to (increased or decreased) activity to more time spent on ventilation and finally to increased morbidity at higher concentration and time of exposure. The municipal waste water treatment plant managed to reduce toxicity to bacteria (Q67), prawn and fish. The pharmaceutical waste water treatment process still has to be improved, in order to reduce toxicity for fish and prawn.     

Immobilization of antimony waste slag by applying geopolymerization and stabilization/solidification technologies

During the processing of antimony ore by pyrometallurgical methods, a considerable amount of slag is formed. This antimony waste slag is listed by the European Union as absolutely hazardous waste with a European Waste Catalogue code of 10 08 08. Since the levels of antimony and arsenic in the leachate of the antimony waste slag are generally higher than the landfilling limits, it is necessary to treat the slag before landfilling. In this study, stabilization/solidification and geopolymerization technologies were both applied in order to limit the leaching potential of antimony and arsenic. Different combinations of pastes by using Portland cement, fly ash, clay, gypsum, and blast furnace slag were prepared as stabilization/solidification or geopolymer matrixes. Sodium silicate–sodium hydroxide solution and sodium hydroxide solution at 8 M were used as activators for geopolymer samples. Efficiencies of the combinations were evaluated in terms of leaching and unconfined compressive strength. None of the geopolymer samples prepared with the activators yielded arsenic and antimony leaching below the regulatory limit at the same time, although they yielded high unconfined compressive strength levels. On the other hand, the stabilization/solidification samples prepared by using water showed low leaching results meeting the landfilling criteria. Use of gypsum as an additive was found to be successful in immobilizing the arsenic and antimony.

ImplicationsDespite the wide use of antimony for industrial purposes, disposal options for an antimony waste such as slag from thermal processing of antimony ore were not reported in the existing literature. This study aimed to develop a disposal strategy for the hazardous antimony waste slag. The findings of this study would contribute to understand the immobilization mechanisms of antimony and arsenic and will also be of interest to the owners of the antimony ore processing plants and to researchers investigating the efficiency of stabilization/solidification and geopolymerization technologies.     

香港城市固体废物系统管理

本文以大量翔实的数据介绍了香港对城市固体废物的系统管理,即分类、收集、监测分析、处理和预测评价。香港环保署自８０ 年代开始对城市固体废物进行监测并系统管理。在全港设置了３ 个大型策略性填埋场、５ 个垃圾转运站、１ 个垃圾焚烧厂（１９９７ 年５ 月关闭） 和１个化学废物处理中心。目前,香港政府正筹建一个新的、技术先进的焚烧厂。从１９８６ ～１９９７年,这些废物处理设施处理全港废物量为８９６０ ～２４３００ｔ／ｄ,其中城市固体废物比例每年不等,最低为３０ ．７ ％ ,最高为６５ ．５ ％ 。１９９７ 年,这些废物中可循环再利用物接近５０ ％ ,出口部分达１２０ 多万吨,回收资金２０ 多亿港元。根据历年来城市固体废物量与本地生产总值（ＧＤＰ）和人口数量的密切相关性,预测出２０１１ 年城市固体废物人均产率为２ ．５６ｋｇ／ 人·ｄ, 城市固体废物量为１２８１０ ｔ／ｄ。城市固体废物系统管理紧迫而重要,香港的经验是值得我们借鉴的。     

Control of mercury emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator in Japan

The control of Hg emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is very important, because more than 78% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is incinerated. The Hg content of coal used in utility boilers is relatively low in Japan. In this study, recent trends in the Hg content of MSW in Japan and activated carbon (AC) injection as a control technology of Hg emission from an MSWI are discussed. The effect of AC injection on Hg removal from flue gas in an MSWI was investigated by pilot-scale experiments using a bag filter (BF). The injection of AC increases the Hg reduction ratio by 20-30% compared with cases without AC injection. The Hg reduction ratio increases as the flue gas temperature decreases. The Hg reduction ratio is closely related to the inlet Hg concentration and was expressed with a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm.     

北京市朝阳区城市生活垃圾组分分布特性研究

针对垃圾焚烧的需要，按垃圾组分低位热值重新进行了垃圾分类，检验了各组分的正态分布特性，得出了服从正态分布的垃圾组分的概率分布密度函数。进行了垃圾含水率的线性相关性分析，认为垃圾含水率与厨余的相关性最大，降水量对含水率影响不大。     

Control of Mercury Emissions from a Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator in Japan

Abstract

The control of Hg emissions from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is very important, because more than 78% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is incinerated. The Hg content of coal used in utility boilers is relatively low in Japan. In this study, recent trends in the Hg content of MSW in Japan and activated carbon (AC) injection as a control technology of Hg emission from an MSWI are discussed. The effect of AC injection on Hg removal from flue gas in an MSWI was investigated by pilot-scale experiments using a bag filter (BF). The injection of AC increases the Hg reduction ratio by 20–30% compared with cases without AC injection. The Hg reduction ratio increases as the flue gas temperature decreases. The Hg reduction ratio is closely related to the inlet Hg concentration and was expressed with a Langmuir-type adsorption isotherm.     

Evaluation of leachate production and level in municipal solid waste landfills considering secondary compression

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW) in developing countries generally produces a large amount of leachate due to high moisture content. The...     

上海南京深圳城市垃圾及处置的比较研究

介绍了上海、南京与深圳人口城市化的特点、城市垃圾的来源及产生量.揭示了垃圾成分的动态变化及有机发酵类废弃物增长较快及"白色污染"加剧的趋势,并提出对策.     

广州市生活垃圾高温有氧静态堆肥的生命周期分析

运用生命周期分析(LCA)方法,对广州市生活垃圾高温有氧静态堆肥系统进行分析,计算出全生命周期的资源消耗和环境影响潜值,同时与垃圾焚烧典型工艺的LCA数据进行对比。结果表明,堆肥处理的环境影响负荷为0.023PET90,资源消耗系数为9.238mPET90。环境影响类型中光化学臭氧合成造成的影响最大,占环境总影响的43.8%。与焚烧处理方式相比,高温有氧静态堆肥的环境总影响较小,环境影响负荷相比于焚烧减少20.3%,在降低酸化的影响方面有较为显著的作用。     

Basic Research on the Emission of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons caused by Waste Incineration

The emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) caused by municipal waste incineration varies according to waste composition and operating parameters such as furnace temperature and excess air. However, to obtain a sample sufficient to measure the emission of PAH at trace levels, it is necessary to operate the incinerator for many hours. Since during these lengthy periods it has not always been possible to maintain stable conditions, it is very difficult to determine the relationship between the emission and waste composition.

In our basic research, therefore, we used municipal waste with an artificially regulated composition for our combustion experiments, and by using an experimental Incinerator we examined the emission behavior of PAH with respect to changes in waste composition and combustion conditions. The following facts were revealed by the results: ? The PAH found in the flue gas were predominantly the more volatile compounds.

? When municipal waste was incinerated at over 850 °C, the concentration of PAH in the flue gas increased rapidly as the proportion of plastics in the waste increased from 0 to 24 percent.

? The elimination of plastics from municipal waste by separate collection and the improvement of combustion conditions can effectively diminish the emission of PAH.

     

Municipal waste compost as an alternative to cattle manure for supplying potassium to lowland rice

The importance of the use of potassium in agriculture is increasing in South Asia for making most productive use of the nutrient in terms of economic returns. Nutrient supply traditionally by cattle manure is constrained by its insufficient availability. Municipal waste compost may be an alternative source of nutrient supplements. Field experiments were conducted at the Experimental Farm of Calcutta University, West Bengal, India during the wet seasons of 1997, 1998 and 1999 on flooded lowland rice. Potassium fractions in municipal waste compost and cattle manure were determined by sequential extraction and also the potassium uptake by rice to compare the effectiveness of municipal waste compost with traditional manure. Potassium was significantly bound to the organic matter in municipal waste compost. Potassium uptake by rice grain and straw increased significantly with the combined application of organics and fertilizers and it was higher in grain than in straw. Water-soluble and non-exchangeable potassium contents of municipal waste compost and cattle manure were highly correlated with the uptake of potassium by straw and grain. Exchangeable and residual potassium were also significantly correlated with the uptake of potassium by straw and grain of rice. Much higher uptake of K in rice straw and rain resulted from applying the manures in conjunction with fertilizers than when applied singly.     

Codisposal of municipal refuse, sewage sludge and marine dredgings for methane production

As marine disposal of sewage sludge and dredged sediments may impose serious adverse effects to marine ecosystems, landfilling seems to be the most feasible method for the final disposal of these wastes. A batch experiment was conducted to study waste degradation and gas production after sewage sludge and marine dredgings were mixed with municipal refuse at 13 different ratios for 36 days. The addition of sludge and dredgings to municipal refuse enhanced gas production, compared with the degradation of refuse or sludge alone. A proper mixing ratio of wastes can also shorten the time to reach the final phase of anaerobiosis. The highest gas production was obtained from the ratio of 75-20-5 (refuse-sludge-dredgings) (wet weight basis). Its average daily gas production rate was 1.42 l kg(-1) waste mixture; methane content was 68.3%. The results indicated that codisposal of the three wastes would be beneficial for energy recovery from landfill gas.