Influence factors for scenario analysis for new environmental technologies – the case for biopolymer technology

New environmental technologies pose significant uncertainties because a clear prediction of their future development and application possibilities cannot be made. In order to include different future prospects in ‘firms’ and ‘policy-makers’ planning processes, scenario analysis constitutes a very suitable method. The characterization of important influence factors is central for informative results of an analysis as they define the nature and intensity of impacts of a technology's environment. This paper aims at specifying a classification of influence factors for new technology scenario analysis by including major insights from diffusion theory. Subsequently, an exemplary application for biopolymer technology is given.     

Biomonitoring of air quality in the Cologne Conurbation using pine needles as a passive sampler – Part III: Major and trace elements

We here report complementary trace element (Fe, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni and sulfur) concentrations and ratios in pine needles collected in the urban area of Cologne, Germany. Potential element sources are discussed in conjunction with enviromagnetic and PAH data to evaluate air quality. Foliar trace element concentrations of Zn, Cr, Cu, Ni and sulfur are close to essential nutrient levels. Median concentrations of foliar Fe, Pb and Cd in Cologne are 132, 1.1, and 0.06 μg g^?1, respectively. Thus these elements are enhanced over biogenic background levels and show significant accumulation with needle exposure time. Foliar sulfur concentrations vary between 868 and 2076 μg g^?1 with a median value of 1409 μg g^?1, except for two locations where 2370 and 2379 μg g^?1 were observed. Cadmium serves as an indicator for local industrial emissions with short transport distances of only a few kilometres in Cologne City. Elevated Fe, Pb and Zn concentrations mark areas with higher traffic loads and agree with enhanced PAH burdens and magnetic susceptibility intensities of pine needles. Isopleths mapping and source differentiation of atmospheric pollutants using foliar trace elements is feasible. For temporal or spatial high-resolution studies more cost-effective environmental magnetics is recommended, which may guide in design of detailed studies aiming at identification and allocation of emission sources. Hereby, a combination of organic tracers (PAH), magnetic properties, and trace metals is considered most reliable.     

In vitro assessment of arsenic mobility in historical mine waste dust using simulated lung fluid

Exposure studies have linked arsenic (As) ingestion with disease in mining-affected populations; however, inhalation of mine waste dust as a pathway for pulmonary toxicity and systemic absorption has received limited attention. A biologically relevant extractant was used to assess the 24-h lung bioaccessibility of As in dust isolated from four distinct types of historical gold mine wastes common to regional Victoria, Australia. Mine waste particles less than 20 µm in size (PM₂₀) were incubated in a simulated lung fluid containing a major surface-active component found in mammalian lungs, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. The supernatants were extracted, and their As contents measured after 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h. The resultant As solubility profiles show rapid dissolution followed by a more modest increasing trend, with between 75 and 82% of the total 24-h bioaccessible As released within the first 8 h. These profiles are consistent with the solubility profile of scorodite, a secondary As-bearing phase detected by X-ray diffraction in one of the investigated waste materials. Compared with similar studies, the cumulative As concentrations released at the 24-h time point were extremely low (range 297 ± 6–3983 ± 396 µg L^?1), representing between 0.020 ± 0.002 and 0.036 ± 0.003% of the total As in the PM₂₀.     

Trace metal content in inhalable particulate matter (PM<Subscript>2.5–10</Subscript> and PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript>) collected from historical mine waste deposits using a laboratory-based approach

Mine wastes and tailings are considered hazardous to human health because of their potential to generate large quantities of highly toxic emissions of particulate matter (PM). Human exposure to As and other trace metals in PM may occur via inhalation of airborne particulates or through ingestion of contaminated dust. This study describes a laboratory-based method for extracting PM_2.5–10 (coarse) and PM_2.5 (fine) particles from As-rich mine waste samples collected from an historical gold mining region in regional, Victoria, Australia. We also report on the trace metal and metalloid content of the coarse and fine fraction, with an emphasis on As as an element of potential concern. Laser diffraction analysis showed that the proportions of coarse and fine particles in the bulk samples ranged between 3.4–26.6 and 0.6–7.6 %, respectively. Arsenic concentrations were greater in the fine fraction (1680–26,100 mg kg^?1) compared with the coarse fraction (1210–22,000 mg kg^?1), and Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, Sb and Zn were found to be present in the fine fraction at levels around twice those occurring in the coarse. These results are of particular concern given that fine particles can accumulate in the human respiratory system. Our study demonstrates that mine wastes may be an important source of metal-enriched PM for mining communities.     

Size-dependent characterisation of historical gold mine wastes to examine human pathways of exposure to arsenic and other potentially toxic elements

Abandoned historical gold mining wastes often exist as geographically extensive, unremediated, and poorly contained deposits that contain elevated levels of As and other potentially toxic elements (PTEs). One of the key variables governing human exposure to PTEs in mine waste is particle size. By applying a size-resolved approach to mine waste characterisation, this study reports on the proportions of mine waste relevant to human exposure and mobility, as well as their corresponding PTE concentrations, in four distinct historical mine wastes from the gold province in Central Victoria, Australia. To the best of our knowledge, such a detailed investigation and comparison of historical mining wastes has not been conducted in this mining-affected region. Mass distribution analysis revealed notable proportions of waste material in the readily ingestible size fraction (≤250 µm; 36.1–75.6 %) and the dust size fraction (≤100 µm; 5.9–45.6 %), suggesting a high potential for human exposure and dust mobilisation. Common to all mine waste types were statistically significant inverse trends between particle size and levels of As and Zn. Enrichment of As in the finest investigated size fraction (≤53 µm) is of particular concern as these particles are highly susceptible to long-distance atmospheric transport. Human populations that reside in the prevailing wind direction from a mine waste deposit may be at risk of As exposure via inhalation and/or ingestion pathways. Enrichment of PTEs in the finer size fractions indicates that human health risk assessments based on bulk contaminant concentrations may underestimate potential exposure intensities.