Mobilization of heavy metals from contaminated paddy soil by EDDS,EDTA, and elemental sulfur

For enhanced phytoextraction, mobilization of heavy metals (HMs) from the soil solid phase to soil pore water is an important process. A pot incubation experiment mimicking field conditions was conducted to investigate the performance of three soil additives in mobilizing HMs from contaminated paddy soil (Gleyi-Stagnic Anthrosol): the [S, S]-isomer of ethylenediamine disuccinate (EDDS) with application rates of 2.3, 4.3, and 11.8 mmol kg⁻¹ of soil, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA; 1.4, 3.8, and 7.5 mmol kg⁻¹), and elemental sulfur (100, 200, and 400 mmol kg⁻¹). Temporal changes in soil pore water HM and dissolved organic carbon concentrations and pH were monitored for a period of 119 days. EDDS was the most effective additive in mobilizing soil Cu. However, EDDS was only effective during the first 24 to 52 days, and was readily biodegraded with a half-life of 4.1 to 8.7 days. The effectiveness of EDDS decreased at the highest application rate, most probably as a result of depletion of the readily desorbable Cu pool in soil. EDTA increased the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in the soil pore water, and remained effective during the whole incubation period due to its persistence. The highest rate of sulfur application led to a decrease in pH to around 4. This increased the pore water HM concentrations, especially those of Zn and Cd. Concentrations of HMs in the soil pore water can be regulated to a large extent by choosing the proper application rate of EDDS, EDTA, or sulfur. Hence, a preliminary work such as our pot experiment in combination with further plant experiments (not included in this study) will provide a good tool to evaluate the applicability of different soil additives for enhanced phytoextraction of a specific soil.     

Lights and shadows: growth patterns in three sympatric and congeneric sponges (Ircinia spp.) with contrasting abundances of photosymbionts

The life-history traits of long-lived benthic littoral invertebrates remain poorly understood. In this study, we analysed patterns of growth in three abundant sublittoral sponges from the western Mediterranean Sea, chosen for their close phylogenetic relatedness, sympatric distribution, and contrasting amounts of photosymbionts: high in Ircinia fasciculata, lower in I. variabilis, and absent in I. oros. Sponge area, perimeter, number of oscula, and epibiont abundance were quantified from in situ digital images taken monthly for 1.5 years and volumetric growth rates were calculated from empirical area–volume relationships. Volumetric growth rates were different among species and coherent with the photosymbiont abundance: high in I. fasciculata (40.03 ± 4.81 % year^?1, mean ± SE), low in I. variabilis (5.65 ± 6.11 % year^?1), and almost nil in I. oros (?0.04 ± 3.02 % year^?1). Furthermore, a marked seasonality was observed in the first two species, with greater growth during the warm season. The high growth rates of I. fasciculata were likely fuelled by symbiont-derived photosynthates and required to compete in the well-lit, algal-dominated habitats this species prefers. In contrast, I. variabilis and I. oros tended to dwell in shaded habitats, where competition from slow-growing invertebrates is intense, and featured lower growth rates. The flattened morphology and lower circularity of I. variabilis indicates a capacity for adaptation to any space that is freed, while I. oros had less oscula and was more massive and circular, suggesting a strategy of passive occupation and minimisation of biological interactions. The results show that even congeneric species living sympatrically can achieve important biomass using different growth and substrate occupation strategies.     

Large scale study on measurement of respiration activity (AT(4)) by Sapromat and OxiTop

In the run-up for amending the Austrian landfill ordinance, parameters were developed to assess the stability/reactivity of mechanically–biologically pretreated residual wastes. The Landfill Ordinance 2008 regulates limit values for Respiration Activity (=“Atmungsaktivität”) RA₄ (AT₄) < 7 mgO₂ * (g dry matter (DM))^?1, Gas Generation Sum GS₂₁ < 20 Nl * kg DM^?1 and alternatively Gas Evolution (=“Gasbildung”) GB₂₁ < 20 Nl * kg DM^?1. Methods for analysing these parameters were established by the Austrian Standards Institute (2004). As laboratory practice shows, these methods also are used for the assessment of other wastes (sewage sludge, commercial waste, material from abandoned sites, biowaste compost). For measurement of respiration activity in Austria mainly two methods are used: the Sapromat®-method and the OxiTop®-method. Whether respectively to what extent these two methods give same results, is discussed in this paper.Since 2009 at ABF-BOKU 169 respiration activity tests of samples taken from different stages of MBT – as well as biowaste composting processes, materials from landfills as well as abandoned sites and residues from anaerobic treatment plants were analysed parallel by Sapromat® and OxiTop®. The results manifest very strong correlation between the Sapromat® and OxiTop® method. The correlation coefficient is 0.993. As a very clear tendency OxiTop® gives lower amounts than Sapromat®. In average the lower values of OxiTop® are around 88%.     

Effects of natural organic matter on the microporous sorption sites of black carbon in a Yangtze River sediment

Black carbon (BC), characterized by high microporosity and high specific surface area (SSA), has been demonstrated to have substantial contributions to the sorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals in soils and sediments. Other naturally occurring organic matters provide soft and penetrable sorption domains while may cling to BC and affect its original surface properties. In this work, we studied the sorption sites of a Yangtze River sediment sample with organic carbon (OC) content of 3.3 % and the preheated sediment (combusted at 375 °C) with reduced OC content (defined as BC) of 0.4 % by gas and pyrene sorption. The SSA and microporosity of the pristine and preheated sediments were characterized by N₂ and CO₂ adsorption. The results suggest that the adsorption of N₂ was hindered by amorphous organic carbon (AOC) in the pristine sediment but CO₂ was not. Instead, the uptake of CO₂ was higher in the presence of AOC, likely due to the partition of CO₂ molecules into the organic matter. The pyrene adsorptions to BC in pristine and preheated sediments show a similar adsorption capacity at high concentration, suggesting that AOC of ca. 2.9 % in the pristine sediment does not reduce the accessibility to the sorption sites on BC for pyrene.