A combined process coupling phytoremediation and in situ flushing for removal of arsenic in contaminated soil

Phytoremediation and soil washing are both potentially useful for remediating arsenic(As)-contaminated soils.We evaluated the effectiveness of a combined process coupling phytoremediation and in situ soil flushing for removal of As in contaminated soil through a pilot study.The results showed that growing Pteris vittata L.(P.v.) accompanied by soil flushing of phosphate(P.v./Flushing treatment) could significantly decrease the total As concentration of soil over a 37 day flushing period compared with the single flushing(Flushing treatment).The P.v./Flushing treatment removed 54.04% of soil As from contaminated soil compared to 47.16% in Flushing treatment,suggesting that the growth of P.vittata was beneficial for promoting the removal efficiency.We analyzed the As fractionation in soil and As concentration in soil solution to reveal the mechanism behind this combined process.Results showed that comparing with the control treatment,the percent of labile arsenate fraction significantly increased by 17% under P.v./Flushing treatment.As concentration in soil solution remained a high lever during the middle and later periods(51.26–56.22 mg/L),which was significantly higher than the Flushing treatment.Although soil flushing of phosphate for more than a month,P.vittata still had good accumulation and transfer capacity of As of the soil.The results of the research revealed that combination of phytoremediation and in situ soil flushing is available to remediate As-contaminated soils.     

Uptake and transformation of arsenic during the reproductive life stage of Agaricus bisporus and Agaricus campestris

Fruiting bodies from the Agaricus genus have been found to contain non-toxic arsenobetaine (AB) as a major compound. It is unknown whether AB is formed during the vegetative or reproductive life stages of the fungus, or by the surrounding microbial community, but AB''s structural similarity to glycine betaine has led to the hypothesis that AB may be adventitiously accumulated as an osmolyte. To investigate the potential formation of AB during the reproductive life stage of Agaricus species, growth substrate and fungi were collected during the commercial growth of Agaricus bisporus and analyzed for arsenic speciation using HPLC-ICP-MS. AB was found to be the major arsenic compound in the fungus at the earliest growth stage of fruiting (the primordium). The growth substrate mainly contained arsenate (As(V)). The distribution of arsenic in an A. bisporus primordium grown on As(V) treated substrate, and in a mature Agaricus campestris fruiting body collected from arsenic contaminated mine tailings, was mapped using two dimensional XAS imaging. The primordium and stalk of the mature fruiting body were both found to be growing around pockets of substrate material containing higher As concentrations, and AB was found exclusively in the fungal tissues. In the mature A. campestris the highest proportion of AB was found in the cap, supporting the AB as an osmolyte hypothesis. The results have allowed us to pinpoint the fungus life stage at which AB formation takes place, namely reproduction, which provides a direction for further research.     

Co-occurrence of genes for antibiotic resistance and arsenic biotransformation in paddy soils

Paddy soils are potential hotspots of combined contamination with arsenic (As) and antibiotics, which may induce co-selection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and As biotransformation genes (ABGs), resulting in dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and modification in As biogeochemical cycling. So far, little information is available for these co-selection processes and specific patterns between ABGs and ARGs in paddy soils. Here, the 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and high-throughput quantitative PCR and network analysis were employed to investigate the dynamic response of ABGs and ARGs to As stress and manure application. The results showed that As stress increased the abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), resulting in dissemination risk of antimicrobial resistance. Manure amendment increased the abundance of ABGs, enhanced As mobilization and methylation in paddy soil, posing risk to food safety. The frequency of the co-occurrence between ABGs and ARGs, the host bacteria carrying both ARGs and ABGs were increased by As or manure treatment, and remarkably boosted in soils amended with both As and manure. Multidrug resistance genes were found to have the preference to be co-selected with ABGs, which was one of the dominant co-occurring ARGs in all treatments, and manure amendment increased the frequency of Macrolide-Lincosamide-Streptogramin B resistance (MLSB) to co-occur with ABGs. Bacillus and Clostridium of Firmicutes are the dominant host bacteria carrying both ABGs and ARGs in paddy soils. This study would extend our understanding on the co-selection between genes for antibiotics and metals, also unveil the hidden environmental effects of combined pollution.     

Cellular arsenic transport pathways in mammals

Natural contamination of drinking water with arsenic results in the exposure of millions of people world-wide to unacceptable levels of this metalloid. This is a serious global health problem because arsenic is a Group 1 (proven) human carcinogen and chronic exposure is known to cause skin, lung, and bladder tumors. Furthermore, arsenic exposure can result in a myriad of other adverse health effects including diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, reproductive, and endocrine systems. In addition to chronic environmental exposure to arsenic, arsenic trioxide is approved for the clinical treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia, and is in clinical trials for other hematological malignancies as well as solid tumors. Considerable inter-individual variability in susceptibility to arsenic-induced disease and toxicity exists, and the reasons for such differences are incompletely understood. Transport pathways that influence the cellular uptake and export of arsenic contribute to regulating its cellular, tissue, and ultimately body levels. In the current review, membrane proteins (including phosphate transporters, aquaglyceroporin channels, solute carrier proteins, and ATP-binding cassette transporters) shown experimentally to contribute to the passage of inorganic, methylated, and/or glutathionylated arsenic species across cellular membranes are discussed. Furthermore, what is known about arsenic transporters in organs involved in absorption, istribution, and metabolism and how transport pathways contribute to arsenic elimination are described.     

Inorganic arsenic: A non-genotoxic carcinogen

Inorganic arsenic induces a variety of toxicities including cancer. The mode of action for cancer and non-cancer effects involves the metabolic generation of trivalent arsenicals and their reaction with sulfhydryl groups within critical proteins in various cell types which leads to the biological response. In epithelial cells, the response is cell death with consequent regenerative proliferation. If this continues for a long period of time, it can result in an increased risk of cancer. Arsenicals do not react with DNA. There is evidence for indirect genotoxicity in various in vitro and in vivo systems, but these involve exposures at cytotoxic concentrations and are not the basis for cancer development. The resulting markers of genotoxicity could readily be due to the cytotoxicity rather than an effect on the DNA itself. Evidence for genotoxicity in humans has involved detection of chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes and micronucleus formation in lymphocytes, buccal mucosal cells, and exfoliated urothelial cells in the urine. Numerous difficulties have been identified in the interpretation of such results, including inadequate assessment of exposure to arsenic, measurement of micronuclei, and potential confounding factors such as tobacco exposure, folate deficiency, and others. Overall, the data strongly supports a non-linear dose response for the effects of inorganic arsenic. In various in vitro and in vivo models and in human epidemiology studies there appears to be a threshold for biological responses, including cancer.     

Role of complex organic arsenicals in food in aggregate exposure to arsenic

For much of the world''s population, food is the major source of exposure to arsenic. Exposure to this non-essential metalloid at relatively low levels may be linked to a wide range of adverse health effects. Thus, evaluating foods as sources of exposure to arsenic is important in assessing risk and developing strategies that protect public health. Although most emphasis has been placed on inorganic arsenic as human carcinogen and toxicant, an array of arsenic-containing species are found in plants and animals used as foods. Here, we 2evaluate the contribution of complex organic arsenicals (arsenosugars, arsenolipids, and trimethylarsonium compounds) that are found in foods and consider their origins, metabolism, and potential toxicity. Commonalities in the metabolism of arsenosugars and arsenolipids lead to the production of di-methylated arsenicals which are known to exert many toxic effects. Evaluating foods as sources of exposure to these complex organic arsenicals and understanding the formation of reactive metabolites may be critical in assessing their contribution to aggregate exposure to arsenic.     

新疆奎屯地区高砷地下水DOM三维荧光特征

新疆奎屯地区是中国大陆第一个地方性砷（As）中毒病区,为了解析该地区高As地下水中溶解性有机物（DOM）的组分和来源,探索其在As迁移转化过程中的作用,利用三维荧光光谱结合平行因子分析法对奎屯地区水样进行研究.结果表明：该地区地下水As含量范围在1.30~400.68μg/L,平均值为61.18μg/L,有68.99%的地下水为高As地下水.地下水中DOM含有3种组分：类腐殖质C1（260（325） nm/425nm）,占2.78%;类色氨酸C2（275nm/350nm）,占18.74%;微生物源的还原性醌类C3（260（375） nm/475nm）,占54.12%.研究区水体DOM的荧光指数在1.2~1.52之间,均值为1.36,水中DOM以陆源为主.该地区地下水整体呈现还原-弱碱性环境,地下水中As的释放过程主要有铁氧化物矿物还原和脱硫酸作用,水中的DOM参与了铁、硫酸盐的还原反应过程,类色氨酸C2主要在微生物呼吸过程中充当电子供体角色,还原性醌类C3担任了电子飞行过程中的电子穿梭体,增强了As从含水层沉积物中释放到地下水的迁移性能.     

新疆奎屯地区高砷地下水DOM三维荧光特征

新疆奎屯地区是中国大陆第一个地方性砷（As）中毒病区,为了解析该地区高As地下水中溶解性有机物（DOM）的组分和来源,探索其在As迁移转化过程中的作用,利用三维荧光光谱结合平行因子分析法对奎屯地区水样进行研究.结果表明：该地区地下水As含量范围在1.30~400.68μg/L,平均值为61.18μg/L,有68.99%的地下水为高As地下水.地下水中DOM含有3种组分：类腐殖质C1（260（325） nm/425nm）,占2.78%;类色氨酸C2（275nm/350nm）,占18.74%;微生物源的还原性醌类C3（260（375） nm/475nm）,占54.12%.研究区水体DOM的荧光指数在1.2~1.52之间,均值为1.36,水中DOM以陆源为主.该地区地下水整体呈现还原-弱碱性环境,地下水中As的释放过程主要有铁氧化物矿物还原和脱硫酸作用,水中的DOM参与了铁、硫酸盐的还原反应过程,类色氨酸C2主要在微生物呼吸过程中充当电子供体角色,还原性醌类C3担任了电子飞行过程中的电子穿梭体,增强了As从含水层沉积物中释放到地下水的迁移性能.     

SERS detection of arsenic in water: A review

Arsenic (As) is one of the most toxic contaminants found in the environment. Development of novel detection methods for As species in water with the potential for field use has been an urgent need in recent years. In past decades, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has gained a reputation as one of the most sensitive spectroscopic methods for chemical and biomolecular sensing. The SERS technique has emerged as an extremely promising solution for in-situ detection of arsenic species in the field, particularly when coupled with portable/handheld Raman spectrometers. In this article, the recent advances in SERS analysis of arsenic species in water media are reviewed, and the potential of this technique for fast screening and field testing of arsenic-contaminated environmental water samples is discussed. The problems that remain in the field are also discussed and an outlook for the future is featured at the end of the article.     

Mobilization of arsenic from contaminated sediment by anionic and nonionic surfactants

The increasing manufacture of surfactants and their wide application in industry,agriculture and household detergents have resulted in large amounts of surfactant residuals being discharged into water and distributed into sediment. Surfactants have the potential to enhance arsenic mobility, leading to risks to the environment and even human beings. In this study, batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate arsenic mobilization from contaminated sediment by the commercial anionic surfactants sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate(SDBS), sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS), sodium laureth sulfate(AES)and nonionic surfactants phenyl-polyethylene glycol(Triton X-100) and polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate(Tween-80). The ability of surfactants to mobilize arsenic followed the order AES SDBS SDS ≈ Triton X-100 Tween 80. Arsenic mobilization by AES and Triton X-100 increased greatly with the increase of surfactant concentration and p H, while arsenic release by SDBS, SDS and Tween-80 slightly increased. The divalent ion Ca~(2+) caused greater reduction of arsenic mobilization than Na~+. Sequential extraction experiments showed that the main fraction of arsenic mobilized was the specifically adsorbed fraction. Solid phase extraction showed that arsenate(As(V)) was the main species mobilized by surfactants,accounting for 65.05%–77.68% of the total mobilized arsenic. The mobilization of arsenic was positively correlated with the mobilization of iron species. The main fraction of mobilized arsenic was the dissolved fraction, accounting for 70% of total mobilized arsenic.     

pH-dependent release characteristics of antimony and arsenic from typical antimony-bearing ores

The pH-dependent leaching of antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) from three typical Sb-bearing ores (Banxi, Muli and Tongkeng Antimony Mine) in China was assessed using a pH-static leaching experiment. The pH changes of the leached solutions and pH-dependent leaching of Sb and As occurred in different ways. For the Banxi and Muli Sb ores, alkaline conditions were more favorable for the release of Sb compared to neutral and acidic conditions, but the reverse was true for the pH-dependent release of As. For the Tongkeng Sb ore, unlike the previous two Sb-bearing ores, acidic conditions were more favorable for Sb release than neutral and alkaline conditions. The ores with lower Sb and As contents released higher percentages of their Sb and As after 16 day leaching, suggesting that they are the largest potential sources of pollution. This work may provide key information on the geochemistry of Sb and As in the weathering zone.     

Deficit irrigation: An option to mitigate arsenic load of rice grain in West Bengal, India

Farmers in arsenic (As) contaminated areas of West Bengal, India grow rice during dry months (January to April) and use underground water for irrigation with As concentration above WHO defined critical (0.01 mg l⁻¹) limit. In each season they add 50-150 mg As per m² soil area. Thus growing rice under deficit irrigation in these areas will reduce As load in soil-root-shoot-leaf-grain continuum of rice ecosystem. Suitable deficit irrigation system has to be screened so that As load will decrease with insignificant reduction in grain yield. With this objective, rice grown under four irrigation regimes (i) continuous ponding (CP), (ii) intermittent ponding (IP), (iii) saturation (SAT) and (iv) aerobic (AER) was tested to assess the arsenic load in soil and various parts of rice on 45 and 80 days after transplanting (DAT). Conditions described in treatments ii, iii and iv were imposed during 15-45 DAT. Highest value (18.18 and 18.74 mg kg⁻¹) of soil arsenic was attained under CP followed by IP, SAT and AER. Root arsenic content under AER at 45 and 80 DAT was at the lowest level (6.14 and 20.54 mg kg⁻¹) and this was 31 and 7.0% lower as compared to CP. As content in leaf and grain attained the lowest values under IP. Grain yield insignificantly differed under IP (4.33 Mg ha⁻¹) over CP (4.69 Mg ha⁻¹). Compared to soil As, As added through irrigation showed stronger relationship with As status of various plant parts. Imposition of IP only during vegetative stage was found to be optimum in terms of reduction of As content in straw and grain respectively by 23 and 33% over farmers irrigation practice with insignificant decrease in grain yield.     

Comparison between background concentrations of arsenic in urban and non-urban areas of Florida

Arsenic contamination is of great environmental concern due to its toxic effects as a carcinogen. Knowledge of arsenic background concentrations is important for land application of wastes and for making remediation decisions. The soil clean-up target level for arsenic in Florida (0.8 and 3.7 mg kg⁻¹ for residential and commercial areas, respectively) lies within the range of both background and analytical quantification limits. The objective of this study was to compare arsenic distribution in urban and non-urban areas of Florida. Approximately 440 urban and 448 non-urban Florida soil samples were compared. For urban areas, soil samples were collected from three land-use classes (residential, commercial and public land) in two cities, Gainesville and Miami. For the non-urban areas, samples were collected from relatively undisturbed non-inhabited areas. Arsenic concentrations varied greatly in Gainesville, ranging from 0.21 to approximately 660 mg kg⁻¹ with a geometric mean (GM) of 0.40 mg kg⁻¹, which were lower than Miami samples (ranging from 0.32 to 112 mg kg⁻¹; GM=2.81 mg kg⁻¹). Arsenic background concentrations in urban soils were significantly greater and showed greater variation than those from relatively undisturbed non-urban soils (GM=0.27 mg kg⁻¹) in general.     

The long-term stability of calcium arsenates: Implications for phase transformation and arsenic mobilization

It is well known that calcium arsenates may not be a good choice for arsenic removal and immobilization in hydrometallurgical practices. However, they are still produced at some plants in the world due to various reasons. Furthermore, calcium arsenates can also naturally precipitate under some specific environments. However, the transformation process of poorly crystalline calcium arsenates (PCCA) and the stability of these samples under atmospheric CO₂ are not yet well understood. This work investigated the transformation process of PCCA produced by using different neutralization reagents (CaO vs. NaOH) with various Ca/As molar ratios at pH?7–12 in the presence of atmospheric CO₂. After aging at room temperature for a period of time, for samples neutralized with NaOH and precipitated at pH?10 and 12, release of arsenic back into the liquid phase occurred. In contrast, for the samples precipitated at pH?8, the aqueous concentration of arsenic was observed to decrease. XRD, Raman, and SEM results suggested that the formation of various types of crystalline calcium carbonates and/or calcium arsenates controls the arsenic behavior. Moreover, the application of lime may enhance the stability of the generated PCCA. However, no matter what neutralization reagent is used, the stability of the generated PCCA is still of concern.     

Rice: Reducing arsenic content by controlling water irrigation

<正>Arsenic has long been recognized as a poison.Arsenic in water supplies that are used for both drinking and crop irrigation can expose many people chronically to elevated levels of arsenic.The main health concern for chronic exposure to arsenic is the development of cancer.Although the World Health Organization(WHO)recommends that total arsenic in drinking water should be under 10μg/L(or 10 ppb),(WHO,2011),some regions     

Combined pollution of arsenic and Polymyxin B enhanced arsenic toxicity and enriched ARG abundance in soil and earthworm gut microbiotas

Polymyxin B (PMB) is considered as the last line of antibiotic defense available to humans. The environmental effects of the combined pollution with PMB and heavy metals and their interaction mechanisms are unclear. We explored the effects of the combined pollution with PMB and arsenic (As) on the microbial composition of the soil and in the earthworm gut, as well as the spread and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The results showed that, compared with As alone, the combined addition of PMB and As could significantly increase the bioaccumulation factor and toxicity of As in earthworm tissues by 12.1% and 16.0%, respectively. PMB treatment could significantly increase the abundance of Actinobacteria in the earthworm gut (from 35.6% to 45.2%), and As stress could significantly increase the abundance of Proteobacteria (from 19.8% to 56.9%). PMB and As stress both could significantly increase the abundance of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), which were positively correlated, indicating that ARGs might be horizontally transferred. The inactivation of antibiotics was the main resistance mechanism that microbes use to resist PMB and As stress. Network analysis showed that PMB and As might have antagonistic effects through competition with multi-drug resistant ARGs. The combined pollution by PMB and As significantly promoted the relative abundance of microbes carrying multi-drug resistant ARGs and MGEs, thereby increasing the risk of transmission of ARGs. This research advances the understanding of the interaction mechanism between antibiotics and heavy metals and provides new theoretical guidance for the environmental risk assessment and combined pollution management.     

Distribution and chemical speciation of arsenic in different sized atmospheric particulate matters

The distribution and chemical speciation of arsenic (As) in different sized atmospheric particulate matters (PMs), including total suspended particles (TSP), PM₁₀, and PM_2.5, collected from Baoding, China were analyzed. The average total mass concentrations of As in TSP, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 were 31.5, 35.3, and 54.1 µg/g, respectively, with an order of PM_2.5 >PM ₁₀ > TSP, revealing that As is prone to accumulate on fine particles. Due to the divergent toxicities of different As species, speciation analysis of As in PMs is further conducted. Most of previous studies mainly focused on inorganic arsenite (iAs^III), inorganic arsenate (iAs^V), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) in PMs, while the identification and sensitive quantification of trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were rarely reported. In this study, a high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry system was optimized for As speciation including TMAO in PMs. An anion exchange column was used to separate MMA, DMA and iAs^V, while a cation exchange column to separate TMAO and iAs^III. Results showed that iAs^V was the dominate component in all the samples, corresponding to a portion of 79.2% ± 9.3% of the total extractable species, while iAs^III, TMAO and DMA made up the remaining 21%. Our study demonstrated that iAs^III accounted for about 14.4% ± 11.4% of the total extracted species, with an average concentration of 1.7 ± 1.6 ng/m³. It is worth noting that TMAO was widely present in the samples (84 out of 97 samples), which supported the assumption that TMAO was ubiquitous in atmospheric particles.