A matter of approach: the retort's potential to reduce mercury consumption within small-scale gold mining settlements in Tanzania

The mercury-based gold extraction processes prevalent within small-scale mining are both efficient and harmful. While ensuring relatively high levels of gold recovery, they cause environmental and health problems for people living within mining settlements. This mercury consumption can be minimized by using a simple mercury recycling device known as a retort. While mining legislation in Tanzania dictates the use of retorts for gold recovery, virtually no miners use them, indicating the inadequacy of previous introduction attempts. During action research, retorts were introduced in two mining settlements through a thorough and participatory approach. Twenty miners were given retorts and their attitudes and receptiveness to them were studied. Of the recipients, 18 used the retorts over a period of five months, recycling 10 kilos of mercury. Less mercury was spilled into the environment and miners saved money normally spent on purchasing mercury. The findings have implications for the strategies of development interventions targeting mercury-instigated problems within small-scale gold mining.     

Mechanisms of lead, copper, and zinc retention by phosphate rock

The solid-liquid interface reaction between phosphate rock (PR) and metals (Pb, Cu, and Zn) was studied. Phosphate rock has the highest affinity for Pb, followed by Cu and Zn, with sorption capacities of 138, 114, and 83.2 mmol/kg PR, respectively. In the Pb-Cu-Zn ternary system, competitive metal sorption occurred with sorption capacity reduction of 15.2%, 48.3%, and 75.6% for Pb, Cu, and Zn, respectively compared to the mono-metal systems. A fractional factorial design showed the interfering effect in the order of Pb>Cu>Zn. Desorption of Cu and Zn was sensitive to pH change, increasing with pH decline, whereas Pb desorption was decreased with a strongly acidic TCLP extracting solution (pH = 2.93). The greatest stability of Pb retention by PR can be attributed to the formation of insoluble fluoropyromorphite [Pb(10)(PO(4))(6)F(2)], which was primarily responsible for Pb immobilization (up to 78.3%), with less contribution from the surface adsorption or complexation (21.7%), compared to 74.5% for Cu and 95.7% for Zn. Solution pH reduction during metal retention and flow calorimetry analysis both supported the hypothesis of retention of Pb, Cu, and Zn by surface adsorption or complexation. Flow calorimetry indicated that Pb and Cu adsorption onto PR was exothermic, while Zn sorption was endothermic. Our research demonstrated that PR can effectively remove Pb from solutions, even in the presence of other heavy metals (e.g. Cu, Zn).     

Change of magnetic properties due to fluctuations of hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater in unconsolidated sediments

Sediments affected by fluctuations of hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater were studied at a former military site. Due to remediation, groundwater table fluctuation (GWTF) extends over approximately one meter. Three cores were collected, penetrating through the GWTF zone. Magnetic parameters, sediment properties and hydrocarbon content were measured. We discovered that magnetic concentration parameters increased towards the top of the GWTF zone. Magnetite is responsible for this enhancement; rock magnetic parameters indicate that the newly formed magnetite is in a single domain rather than a superparamagnetic state. The presence of hydrocarbons is apparently essential for magnetite to form, as there is clearly less magnetic enhancement in the core, which is outside of the strongly contaminated area. From our results we conclude that the top of the fluctuation zone has the most intensive geomicrobiological activity probably responsible for magnetite formation. This finding could be relevant for developing methods for simply and quickly detecting oil spills.     

A New and More Sensitive Procedure For Analysis of Peroxybenzoyl Nitrate

The existence of the powerful lacrimator peroxybenzoyl nitrate (PBzN) as a laboratory-generated photochemical smog product was first established in 1968. However, the analysis of this compound at the requisite parts-per-billion level is difficult. For example, although earlier research suggested that all mono-alkyl benzenes having at least two benzylic hydrogens form PBzN, PBzN formation fromtoluene-NOz mixtures could not be established in smog chambers due to analytical interferences with the Gas Liquid Chromatography-Electron Capture (GLC-EC) method. The present paper proposes a new procedure for PBzN which is highly sensitive and less subject to interferences. The procedure involves quantitative conversion of PBzN to methyl benzoate (MeOBz) by trapping this compound in basic methanol solution followed by Gas Liquid Chroma-tography-Flame lonization Detection (GLC-FID) determination of the MeOBz. By employing this method, the formation of PBzN from laboratory irradiation of toluene-NO_x in air was demonstrated and quantitatively determined. Furthermore, the absence of PBzN formation from o-xylene and i-propylbenzene was confirmed. The technique has, in principle, unlimited sensitivity. Preliminary atmospheric sampling trials in the San Francisco Bay Area demonstrated that, if PBzN were present, its concentration was ≤0.07 ppb.     

Trends in atmospheric reactive nitrogen for the Eastern United States

Reactive nitrogen can travel far from emission sources and impact sensitive ecosystems. From 2002 to 2006, policy actions have led to decreases in NO(x) emissions from power plants and motor vehicles. In this study, atmospheric chemical transport modeling demonstrates that these emissions reductions have led to a downward trend in ambient measurements of transported reactive nitrogen, especially atmospheric concentrations and wet deposition of nitrate. The trend in reduced nitrogen, namely ammonium, is ambiguous. As reduced nitrogen becomes a larger fraction of the reactive nitrogen budget, wide-spread NH(3) measurements and improved NH(3) emissions assessments are a critical need.