Influence of aluminium on the restoration potential of a terrestrial vascular plant,Portulaca Oleracea L. as a biomonitoring tool of fresh water aquatic environments

In the present study, the influence of aluminium on the regeneration potential of leaf and stem-cuttings of Portulaca oleracea was studied in order to identify a terrestrial plant species as an alternate biomonitoring toolof fresh water environment. The leaves and stem cuttings of theterrestrial plant, P. oleracea grew well in the distilled water producing adventitious and lateral roots. The aluminium treated leaves and stem cuttings showed a reduction in the growthof the adventitious and lateral roots and increase in the decay of leaves and stem cuttings with increasing aluminium concentration. The tolerance index calculated for the leaves and the stem cuttings showed that the leaves were more sensitivethan stems to aluminium. Since all the parameters studied showedconcentration dependent changes, the terrestrial plant, P. oleracea can be considered a suitable biomonitoring tool of fresh water environment besides its usage in the Al toxicity testing.     

Response of the Ascorbate-Peroxidase of Selenastrum capricornutum to Copper and Lead in Stormwaters

The green alga Selenastrum capricornutum expresses a uniqueascorbate peroxidase, that responds to copper and lead. Attemptswere made to test if this peroxidase could be used to monitor thelevels of copper and lead in natural waters. When S.capricornutum was exposed to a stormwater sample, the specificactivity of the peroxidase in the cell extract was commensuratewith the combined copper and lead contents in the sample. Theperoxidase responses were also correlated with the 96 hr biomasstoxicity assay of S. capricornutum. However, unlike thebiomass toxicity assay, the peroxidase activity was not affectedby the anions in the samples. The use of this peroxidase can beused as a marker for testing heavy metal toxicity in the water.     

Monitoring atmospheric metal pollution: a review of the use of mosses as indicators

This article reviews the literatureon the use of mosses for monitoring atmospheric metalpollution. It discusses the nature of mosses, themechanisms for moss uptake of metals from the air andwet precipitation, the various forms in which mossesare used for this purpose, and cases in which mosseshave been used for monitoring local hot spots ofpollution, and regional patterns of metal pollution.Also highlighted are the questions of uptake of metalsfrom the substrates, interspecies differences, and acomparison of the effectiveness of mosses with otherindicator materials, among other issues.     

The Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Zn Deposition Around a Metal Smelter in Latvia

Heavy metal concentrations in Hylocomium splendens collected around a metal smelter in Latvia showed very high concentrations of Zn (>200 g/g), and elevated concentrations of Pb (38.3 g/g) and Cu (18.3 g/g). In an attempt to better evaluate the potential toxicity of the high Zn concentrations, a serial elution method was used to determine the concentrations of zinc in intercellular, extracellular exchangeable cell wall, intracellular, and particle fractions. The intercellular Zn concentrations represent the water soluble component of the total concentrations, and were low with no clear trends. Zn concentrations in the extra- and intracellular and particle fractions decreased exponentially from the pollutant source. Intracellular Zn concentrations in moss close to the emission source are within the range considered to be potentially toxic, from other single element exposure studies. The proportion of Zn in the relatively insoluble particle fraction, which is least associated with environmental risk, was greater closer to the pollution source, reaching > 30% in the oldest Hylocomium splendens segments.     

Modeling rhizofiltration: heavy-metal uptake by plant roots

The discovery of phytoaccumulation potential of plant species has led to its application for remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soil and wastewater, which is termed as phytoextraction/rhizofiltration. For prediction, analysis, planning and cost-effective design of such systems, mathematical models not only are used as a screening tool but also provide optimal parameters like harvesting time, irrigation schedule, etc. Several laboratory and field scale studies have been carried out in the past, and mathematical expressions have been developed by various researchers for different phenomena like metal adsorption in soil, plant root growth with time, moisture and metal uptake by plant root, moisture movement in unsaturated zone, soil moisture relationship, etc. The complete design of any such phytoremediation program would require the knowledge of behavior of heavy-metal movement in soil, water and plant root system. In this paper, a model for simulating heavy-metal dynamics in soil, water and plant root system is developed and discussed. The governing non-linear partial differential equation is solved numerically by implicit finite difference method using Picard's iterative technique, and the formulation has been illustrated using a characteristic example. The source code is written in MATLAB.     

苏南地区农村河塘底泥中重金属污染调查与评价

对苏南地区农村河塘底泥中重金属的污染物状况及分布特征进行了调查,分别在镇江、宜兴和常州采集了农村居民生活区、农田附近和养殖厂周围13个底泥样品,对底泥中的5种重金属Zn、Cu、Cd、Pb、Cr质量比进行了分析研究,并利用Hakason生态风险指数法评价了底泥中5种重金属对其所在水域的污染程度,对水域和周围环境造成的潜在风险影响.结果表明,苏南地区部分农村河塘底泥已受到轻度的重金属污染,部分采样点Cd、Cu和Zn已达到中度污染;不同类型底泥的重金属的污染程度趋势为:居民生活区＞养殖厂周围＞农田附近.     

钻井废泥浆中重金属化学形态及潜在生态效应评价

利用化学萃取法对江苏9个油田的不同类型钻井废泥浆的重金属化学形态分布特征进行调查分析,同时选用Hakanson的潜在生态危害指数法对钻井废泥浆中的重金属总量进行生态效应评价。结果表明,钻井废泥浆中Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd、Cr主要以残渣态和有机结合态为主,活性形态含量较低;采用Hakanson的潜在生态危害指数进行评价,发现Cu、Pb、Zn、Cd都属于轻微生态危害水平,而Cr多属于中等水平,产生潜在生态危害的重金属主要为Cr。     

Heavy metals in water bodies purified by suspended substrate of rivers

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膨润土吸附－絮凝法处理污水中的重金属离子

研究了天然膨润土对Ｐｂ￣（２＋）、Ｃｄ￣（２＋）、Ｃｒ￣（３＋）的吸附和膨润土的絮凝沉降条件，将吸附与絮凝过程结合起来形成处理污水的新工艺，加入０．０４％膨润土和０．００６％的ＰＡＣ可使低浓度污水中Ｐｂ￣（２＋）脱除９３．１％。     

城市生活垃圾理化性质的动态特性分析

对太原市城市生活垃圾的组成、化学元素及重金属等进行了1年(每月2次)共24次的分析。结果表明,太原市生活垃圾的组成在焚烧过程中,能产生低位热值(Q低)的有机物占(44.28±2.24)％,不产生低位热值的无机物占(13.94±2.01)％,混合物(破碎的动植物碎片及粘附在其上面的灰、土、砂)占(43.36±8.67)％。垃圾中可燃物比例较高,水分含量较低,有利于焚烧和热解,低位热值(Q低)平均值为(5590.8±1252.3)kJ/kg,但低位热值随季节变化较大。垃圾中化学元素硫(S)、氯(Cl)、氮(N)、氢(H)、碳(C)、氧(O)的年平均值分别为(0.20±0.13)％、(0.48±0.11)％、(0.87±0.18)％、(2.56±0.76)％、(30.78±4.06)％、(16.42±5.17)％,与其他城市相比,S、N、Cl的含量较高。垃圾中的重金属铅(Pb)、镉(Cd)的年平均值分别为41.94mg/Kg和1.806mg/kg;汞(Hg)含量变化较大。焚烧后的灰渣中,Pb部分挥发,Cd得到富集,但几乎无Hg检出。