Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: bees, honey and pollen as sentinels for environmental chemical contaminants

Three beehive matrices, sampled in six different apiaries from West France, were analyzed for the presence of four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4: benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene and chrysene). Samples were collected during four different periods in both 2008 and 2009. Honey samples showed the lowest levels of PAH4 contamination (min = 0.03 μg kg⁻¹; max = 5.80 μg kg⁻¹; mean = 0.82 μg kg⁻¹; Sd = 1.17). Bee samples exhibited higher levels of PAH4 contamination (min = 0.32 μg kg⁻¹; max = 73.83 μg kg⁻¹; mean = 7.03 μg kg⁻¹; Sd = 17.83) with a great dispersion of the concentrations due to four main events of high concentrations. Pollen samples showed only one major episode with the highest PAH4 concentration found (min = 0.33 μg kg⁻¹; max = 129.41 μg kg⁻¹; mean = 7.10 μg kg⁻¹; Sd = 22.28). The PAH4 concentrations found were significantly influenced by the landscape context for all beehive samples.     

Factors influencing on the bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in size-specific dust from air conditioner filters

Size-specific concentrations and bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust from air conditioner filters were measured, and the factors influencing the PBDE bioaccessibility were determined. Generally, the PBDE concentrations increased with decreasing dust particle size, and BDE209 (deca-BDE) was generally the predominant congener. The bioaccessibility ranged from 20.3% to 50.8% for tri- to hepta-BDEs, and from 5.1% to 13.9% for BDE209 in dust fractions of varied particle size. The bioaccessibility of most PBDE congeners decreased with increasing dust particle size. The way of being of PBDE (adsorbed to dust surface or incorporated into polymers) in dust significantly influenced the bioaccessibility. There was a significant negative correlation between the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and organic matter (OM) contents in dust. Furthermore, tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility increased with increasing polarity of OMs, while with decreasing aromaticity of OMs. The tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility significantly positively correlated with the surface areas and pore volumes of dust. Using multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that the OM contents and pore volumes of dust were the most important factors to influence the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and they could be used to estimate the bioaccessibility of tri- to hepta-BDEs according to the following equation: bioaccessibility (%) = 45.05 − 0.49 × OM% + 1.79 × pore volume. However, BDE209 bioaccessibility did not correlate to any of these factors.     

Binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by humic acids formed during composting

Binding of two model polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenanthrene and pyrene, by humic acids (HAs) isolated from an organic substrate at different stages of composting and a soil was investigated using a batch fluorescence quenching method and the modified Freundlich model. With respect to soil HA, the organic substrate HA fractions were characterized by larger binding affinities for both phenanthrene and pyrene. Further, isotherm deviation from linearity was larger for soil HA than for organic substrate HAs, indicating a larger heterogeneity of binding sites in the former. The composting process decreased the binding affinity and increased the heterogeneity of binding sites of HAs. The changes undergone by the HA fraction during composting may be expected to contribute to facilitate microbial accessibility to PAHs. The results obtained also suggest that bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils with matured compost, rather than with fresh organic amendments, may result in faster and more effective cleanup.     

Reducing plant uptake of PAHs by cationic surfactant-enhanced soil retention

Reducing the transfer of contaminants from soils to plants is a promising approach to produce safe agricultural products grown on contaminated soils. In this study, 0-400 mg/kg cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) and dodecylpyridinium bromide (DDPB) were separately utilized to enhance the sorption of PAHs onto soils, thereby reducing the transfer of PAHs from soil to soil solution and subsequently to plants. Concentrations of phenanthrene and pyrene in vegetables grown in contaminated soils treated with the cationic surfactants were lower than those grown in the surfactant-free control. The maximum reductions of phenanthrene and pyrene were 66% and 51% for chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum coronarium L.), 62% and 71% for cabbage (Brassica campestris L.), and 34% and 53% for lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), respectively. Considering the impacts of cationic surfactants on plant growth and soil microbial activity, CTMAB was more appropriate to employ, and the most effective dose was 100-200 mg/kg.     

乙醇对含水层中燃油芳香烃内在生物修复的潜在风险

内在生物修复,是在没有工程措施促进的情况下利用土著微生物降解含水层内灾害性物质的一种修复技术,在燃油烃污染管理方面具有显著的成本效益。该技术需要确定自然衰减过程,并能够继续提供有效的风险保护。针对燃油污染含水层,北美与欧洲认为内在生物修复是值得优先考虑的应用技术。然而,随着乙醇燃油的推广使用,我国在应用这样的经验时需要考虑乙醇的潜在影响。现有的文献研究表明乙醇存在能够阻止燃油主要污染物芳香烃(BTEX)的生物降解,降低水环境的pH值,并可能增强BTEX在水中的溶解性,或存在对生物的毒性,或因为乙醇降解降低介质的渗透性能。因此,需要更好地认识乙醇的潜在风险,为发展乙醇燃油污染含水层修复策略提供科学依据。     

Contaminants in Muscle of Plaice and Halibut Collected From the St. Lawrence Estuary and Northwest Atlantic

Levels of aromatic hydrocarbons in muscle or plaice and halibut were determined by fluorescence, using the chrysene standard, as recommended by the International Oceanographic Commision, for the analysis of PAH in environmental extracts. Concentrations were highest in muscle of halibut collected at the most contaminated, nearshore site, in the Saguenay Fjord of the St. Lawrence Estuary, compared to other locations further from shore. Although concentrations of fluorescing compounds were not statistically different in plaice, the saturated hydrocarbons displayed unquestionably more biodegradation, with a decrease of n-alkanes and increase of branched aliphatics, at the less contaminated site. Synchronous fluorescence indicated the presence of benzenoid and biphenyl hydrocarbons in the extracted mixtures, while GC-MS-TIC analysis tentatively identified the presence of a series of benzenoid (alkyl benzenes), chlorinated (PCB and DDE), N (trialkylamines) and O (phenols) hydrocarbons. These anthropogenic compounds could derive from petroleum products, surfactants and common products used in industry and households. This study emphasizes the importance of a multispectroscopic approach when investigating complex environmental mixtures.     

Evaluation of solubility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ethyl lactate/water versus ethanol/water mixtures for contaminated soil remediation applications

Solubility data of recalcitrant contaminants in cosolvents is essential to determine their potential applications in enhanced soil remediation. The solubilities of phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and benzo[a]pyrene in ethyl lactate/water and ethanol/water mixtures were measured using equilibrium techniques. The cosolvency powers derived from solubility data were then applied to the model developed from the solvophobic approach to predict the capability of ethyl lactate and ethanol in enhancing the desorption of contaminants from soils. Both ethyl lactate and ethanol cosolvents were shown to be able to enhance the solubilisation of the tested four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by > 4 orders of magnitude above the levels obtained with water alone. However, ethyl lactate demonstrated a greater capacity to enhance PAH solubility than ethanol. The cosolvency powers of ethyl lactate/water system obtained from the end-to-end slope (σ) and the end-to-half slope (σ_0.5) of the solubilisation curve were 1.0--1.5 and 2.0--2.9 higher than ethanol/water system respectively. In line with this, ethyl lactate/water was demonstrated to enhance the desorption of contaminants from soil by 20%--37% and 18%--61% higher compared to ethanol/water system in low organic content and high organic content soils respectively, with a 2:1 (V/W) ratio of solution:soil and with cosolvent fraction as low as 0.4. With the exception of benzo[a]pyrene, the experimental desorption results agreed fairly with the predicted values, under an applied solution:soil ratio that was enough to hold the capacity of released contaminants.     

Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas sp. JM2 isolated from active sewage sludge of chemical plant

It is important to screen strains that can decompose polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) completely and rapidly with good adaptability for bioremediation in a local area. A bacterial strain JM2, which uses phenanthrene as its sole carbon source, was isolated from the active sewage sludge from a chemical plant in Jilin, China and identified as Pseudomonas based on 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. Although the optimal growth conditions were determined to be pH 6.0 and 37℃, JM2 showed a broad pH and temperature profile. At pH 4.5 and 9.3, JM2 could degrade more than 40% of fluorene and phenanthrene (50 mg/L each) within 4 days. In addition, when the temperature was as low as 4℃, JM2 could degrade up to 24% fluorene and 12% phenanthrene. This showed the potential for JM2 to be applied in bioremediation over winter or in cold regions. Moreover, a nutrient augmentation study showed that adding formate into media could promote PAH degradation, while the supplement of salicylate had an inhibitive effect. Furthermore, in a metabolic pathway study, salicylate, phthalic acid, and 9-fluorenone were detected during the degradation of fluorene or phenanthrene. In conclusion, Pseudomonas sp. JM2 is a high performance strain in the degradation of fluorene and phenanthrene under extreme pH and temperature conditions. It might be useful in the bioremediation of PAHs.     

闽江福州段沉积物中多环芳烃的分布、来源及其生态风险

对闽江福州段37个沉积物样品中的15种多环芳烃(PAHs)进行了研究.结果表明,15种PAHs的总量在241.5～1310.8ng·g-1之间,均值为630.9ng·g-1,且从上游到下游整体上呈下降的趋势,但在福州市区附近有突增的现象.沉积物中有机质含量(SOM)与PAHs总量呈显著正相关(r=0.58,p<0.01).同时,应用因子分析和多元线性回归方法对PAHs进行了源解析.结果表明,煤燃烧来源占31.7%,汽油燃烧占25.2%,柴油燃烧占28.7%,石油泄漏源占14.5%,石油燃烧是闽江福州段沉积物中PAHs的主要来源.用效应区间中值ERM(the effects range median)和效应区间低值ERL(the effects range low)及其商值平均方法对闽江福州段沉积物中PAHs的生态风险进行了评价.结果表明,有4个样品芴的含量超过ERL指导值(19ng·g-1),具有一定的生态风险,其余PAH单体和PAHs总量都不超标.     

金属离子对长期污染土壤中多环芳烃解吸的影响

研究了离子强度、不同金属离子对土壤中PAHs表观解吸水平的影响.根据Pearson原理计算了菲、荧蒽、芘和苯并[k]荧蒽等几种PAHs的碱性特征参数并据此分析了其酸碱性类型.结果表明:实验条件下,解吸液中离子强度并非影响土壤中PAHs解吸的控制要素;不同硬度酸性金属离子与PAHs之间的酸碱作用是影响土壤中PAHs解吸水平变化的关键.硬酸性金属离子Ba2+、Al3+、Ca2+对土壤中PAHs的解吸具有促进作用,软酸性离子Hg2+、Ag+则具有抑制作用,比较而言交界酸性金属离子Cu2+、Fe2+、Zn2+在提高土壤中PAHs解吸上作用更加明显.