Ion activity and distribution of heavy metals in acid mine drainage polluted subtropical soils

The oxidative dissolution of mine wastes gives rise to acidic, metal-enriched mine drainage (AMD) and has typically posed an additional risk to the environment. The poly-metallic mine Dabaoshan in South China is an excellent test site to understand the processes affecting the surrounding polluted agricultural fields. Our objectives were firstly to investigate metal ion activity in soil solution, distribution in solid constituents, and spatial distribution in samples, secondly to determine dominant environment factors controlling metal activity in the long-term AMD-polluted subtropical soils. Soil Column Donnan Membrane Technology (SC-DMT) combined with sequential extraction shows that unusually large proportion of the metal ions are present as free ion in the soil solutions. The narrow range of low pH values prevents any pH effects during the binding onto oxides or organic matter. The differences in speciation of the soil solutions may explain the different soil degradation observed between paddy and non-paddy soils.     

Study on the kinetics of cerium(III) adsorption-desorption on different soils of China

The kinetics of Ce(III) adsorption-desorption on four typical soils in China has been studied by using the batch method with the radioactive nuclide 141Ce. Results indicated that Ce(III) adsorption was rapid and nearly finished in less than 0.5 min. Desorption procedure was about completed in 1-30 min in the tested soils. Ce(III) desorption equilibrium times vary with different soils. The amounts of Ce(III) desorption on different soils in the same time were different. The Elovich equation proved to be the best models for fitting the data of Ce(III) desorption reactions in fluvo-aquic soil and black soil; and the parabolic-diffusion equation was the best model in red earth and loess soil.     

土壤有机质对铊在土壤中吸附-解吸行为的影响

研究了土壤有机质对Tl＋在红壤和黄土2种土壤中的吸附-解吸行为的影响。结果表明,去除土壤有机质后红壤和黄土对Tl＋的吸附量均明显下降,下降幅度最高分别达到24.7%和28.2%,黄土的下降幅度大于红壤;黄土对Tl＋吸附率最高下降幅度约为20%,也高于红壤的15%。土壤有机质对Tl＋吸附的贡献率平均值分别是黄土39.2%、红壤32.8%。2种土壤对Tl＋的解吸量在去除有机质之后都明显增大,在初始Tl＋浓度较高的情况下,增大幅度明显;并且Tl＋的初始浓度越高,土壤在去有机质前后的解吸率相差就越大,在Tl＋最大处理浓度为20 mg/L时,红壤和黄土的解吸率增加分别达到60.8%和65.5%。     

Speciation of zinc in contaminated soils

The chemical speciation of zinc in soil solutions is critical to the understanding of its bioavailability and potential toxic effects. We studied the speciation of Zn in soil solution extracts from 66 contaminated soils representative of a wide range of field conditions in both North America and Europe. Within this dataset, we evaluated the links among the dissolved concentrations of zinc and the speciation of Zn(2+), soil solution pH, total soil Zn, dissolved organic matter (DOM), soil organic matter (SOM) and the concentrations of different inorganic anions. The solid-liquid partitioning coefficient (K(d)) for Zn ranged from 17 to 13,100Lkg(-1) soil. The fraction of dissolved Zn bound to DOM varied from 60% to 98% and the soil solution free Zn(2+) varied from 40% to 60% of the labile Zn. Multiple regression equations to predict free Zn(2+), dissolved Zn and the solid-liquid partitioning of Zn are given for potential use in environmental fate modeling and risk assessment. The multiple regressions also highlight some of the most important soil properties controlling the solubility and chemical speciation of zinc in contaminated soils.     

Heavy metal sequential extraction methods--a modification for tropical soils

Sequential extractions of metals can be useful to study metal distributions in various soil fractions. Although several sequential extraction procedures have been suggested in the literature, most were developed for temperate soils and may not be suitable for tropical soils with high contents of Mn and Fe oxides. The objective of this study was to develop a sequential fractionation procedure for Cu and Zn in tropical soils. Extractions were performed on surface (0–20 cm) samples of ten representative soils of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Chemically reactive Mn forms were satisfactorily assessed by the new modified procedure. Amorphous and crystalline Fe oxides were more selectively extracted in a new two-step extraction. Soil-born Zn and Cu were primarily associated with recalcitrant soil fractions. The proposed procedure provided more detailed information on metal distribution in tropical soils and better characterization of the various components of the soil matrix. The new procedure is expected to be an important tool for predicting the potential effects of environmental changes and land application of metals on the redistribution of chemical forms of metals in tropical soils.     

Effects of dissolution kinetics on bioaccessible arsenic from tailings and soils

Dissolution kinetics of arsenic from soils and tailings were studied under simulated gastrointestinal conditions to determine the effects of residence time, pH and soil composition on the bioaccessibility of arsenic. The samples were sieved to four particle size fractions from bulk to <45 μm, and included arsenic minerals, soils and tailings with total arsenic concentrations ranging from 19 to 420 00 mg kg⁻¹. The bioaccessible arsenic concentrations varied from 2.8 to 10 000 mg kg⁻¹, and the highest concentrations were associated with the smallest particle size fractions. Kinetic parameters were determined for each sample extracted under gastric conditions (pH = 1.8) followed by intestinal conditions (pH = 7.0). Under gastric pH conditions, dissolution appeared to be diffusion-controlled and followed an exponential curve, whereas a logarithmic or linear model was used to describe the mixed dissolution mechanisms observed under intestinal conditions. Nine of the 13 samples tested reached a steady state bioaccessible arsenic concentration within the 5-h physiologically-based extraction test (PBET). However the bioaccessible arsenic concentrations in four tailings samples increased significantly (p = 0.034) between the 5-h and the extended 24-h extraction under intestinal conditions. Since arsenic absorption may occur along the entire digestive tract, assessments based on the standard 5-h PBET extraction may not adequately estimate the risks associated with arsenic absorption in such cases. The slow dissolution kinetics associated with secondary arsenic minerals in some tailings samples may require extending the PBET extractions to longer periods, or extrapolating using the proposed kinetic models, to reach steady state concentrations in simulated gastrointestinal fluids.     

The effect of turbation on zinc relocation in a vertical floodplain soil profile

Turbation is hypothesized to affect the redistribution of heavy metals in polluted floodplain soils by effects on mobility. This hypothesis was tested in microcosms by turbation of zinc-spiked sediment top layers. Manual turbation caused a fast decrease of the zinc content in the upper 15 cm of the soil, even though turbation was only applied to the upper two centimetres. It was especially zinc attached to colloid and organic matter particles that was redistributed from the top layer. Percolation processes resulted in the attached zinc being drained to depths of more than 15 cm. The decrease in zinc content of the topsoil was even stronger in combination with inundation. No indications were found for the redistribution of zinc as a result of an increase of the extractability with 0.01 M CaCl2 or changes in pH. The findings suggest that mechanical turbation and bioturbation may redistribute heavy metals from topsoils in polluted floodplains just after inundation as observed in these turbation experiments.     

Influence of humified organic matter on copper behavior in acid polluted soils

The main purpose of this work was to identify the role of soil humic acids (HAs) in controlling the behavior of Cu(II) in vineyard soils by exploring the relationship between the chemical and binding properties of HA fractions and those of soil as a whole. The study was conducted on soils with a sandy loam texture, pH 4.3-5.0, a carbon content of 12.4-41.0 g kg⁻¹ and Cu concentrations from 11 to 666 mg kg⁻¹. The metal complexing capacity of HA extracts obtained from the soils ranged from 0.69 to 1.02 mol kg⁻¹, and the stability constants for the metal ion-HA complexes formed, log K, from 5.07 to 5.36. Organic matter-quality related characteristics had little influence on Cu adsorption in acid soils, especially if compared with pH, the degree of Cu saturation and the amount of soil organic matter.     

除草剂在土壤中的吸附行为研究

除草剂在土壤上的吸附和解吸行为是支配该除草剂在环境中的生物有效性和持久性的重要因素之一 ,同时对于预测除草剂在土壤和潜层水中的运动也是有重要作用。本文从吸附机理、实验技术、动力学、影响因素、常数的计算方法等方面阐述了除草剂在土壤中的吸附行为及其环境学意义。     

阿特拉津在土壤中的环境行为研究进展

概述了阿特拉津在土壤中的迁移、降解及其对植物的影响等环境行为,阐述了土壤组成、土壤pH值以及温度、湿度等因素对各种环境行为过程的影响,并结合目前国内外的研究现状,提出了阿特拉津环境行为新的研究方向。     

Degradation kinetics of forchlorfenuron in typical grapevine soils of India and its influence on specific soil enzyme activities

The rate of degradation of forchlorfenuron, a cytokinin-based plant growth regulator (PGR) was explored in typical grapevine soils of India with simultaneous evaluation of its effect on biochemical attributes of the test soils in terms of the activities of specific soil microbial enzymes. In all the test soils, namely clay, sandy-loam and silty-clay, the dissipation rate was faster at the beginning, which slowed down with time, indicating a non-linear pattern of degradation. Degradation in soils could best be explained by two-compartment 1st + 1st order kinetics with half-life ranging between 4–10 days. The results suggest that organic matter might be playing a major role in influencing the rate of degradation of forchlorfenuron in soil. The rate of degradation in sandy-loam soil was fastest followed by clay and silty-clay soils, respectively. Comparison of the rate of degradation in natural against sterilized soils suggests that microbial degradation might be the major pathway of residue dissipation. Changes in soil enzyme activities as a consequence of forchlorfenuron treatment were studied for extra-cellular enzymes namely acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and β -glucosidase and intracellular enzyme-dehydrogenase. Although small changes in enzyme activities were observed, forchlorfenuron did not have any significant deleterious effect on the enzymatic activity of the test soils. Simple correlation studies between degradation percentage and individual enzyme activities did not establish any significant relationships. The pattern and change of enzyme activity was primarily the effect of the incubation period rather than the effect of forchlorfenuron itself.     

Sorption and desorption kinetics of diuron,fluometuron, prometryn and pyrithiobac sodium in soils

Abstract

The sorption and desorption characteristics of four herbicides (diuron, fluometuron, prometryn and pyrithiobac‐sodium) in three different cotton growing soils of Australia was investigated. Kinetics and equilibrium sorption and desorption isotherms were determined using the batch equilibrium technique. Sorption was rapid (> 80% in 2 h) and sorption equilibrium was achieved within a short period of time (ca 4 h) for all herbicides. Sorption isotherms of the four herbicides were described by Freundlich equation with an r² value > 0.98. The herbicide sorption as measured by the distribution coefficient (K_d) values ranged from 3.24 to 5.71 L/kg for diuron, 0.44 to 1.13 L/kg for fluometuron, 1.78 to 6.04 L/kg for prometryn and 0.22 to 0.59 L/kg for pyrithiobac‐sodium. Sorption of herbicides was higher in the Moree soil than in Narrabri and Wee Waa soils. When the K_d values were normalised to organic carbon content of the soils (K_oC), it suggested that the affinity of the herbicides to the organic carbon increased in the order: pyrithiobac‐sodium < fluometuron < prometryn < diuron. The desorption isotherms were also adequately described by the Freundlich equation. For desorption, all herbicides exhibited hysteresis and the hysteresis was stronger for highly sorbed herbicides (diuron and prometryn) than the weakly sorbed herbicides (fluometuron and pyrithiobac‐sodium). Hysteresis was also quantified as the percentage of sorbed herbicides which is not released during the desorption step ω = [n_ad / n_de ‐1] x 100). Soil type and initial concentration had significant effect on ω. The effect of sorption and desorption properties of these four herbicides on the off‐site transport to contaminate surface and groundwater are also discussed in this paper.     

表层土壤中有机污染物的光化学行为

本文首先简要介绍了光化学反应的基本原理。然后 ,重点介绍了研究表层土壤中有机污染物光化学行为的实验方法 ,影响光化学行为的因素及影响机理 ,光化学反应与吸附、迁移等的互相作用。最后阐述了这方面存在的问题 ,并且提出了一些建议     

Distribution of heavy metal contents of urban soils in parks of Seville

Several metals in urban soils of Seville were extracted by two methods, which respectively give estimates of the available and ‘quasi total’ contents. Although the soils did not show strong heterogeneity in their general properties, high dispersion of the contents in those metals with greater relative availability, Cu, Pb and Zn, as compared to others suggested that pollution with these three metals could occur in some sampling sites. It was shown that the contents in these metals tend to increase as the historic quarters of the city are approached. Using reference values given by the Québec Ministry of Environment it was shown that those green areas closer to the historic centre present contents in Pb, Zn and particularly Cu that often exceed the acceptable limits for residential, recreational and institutional sites. From background contents for Seville soils estimated from a park located on the outskirts, a pollution load index (PLI) for each sampling site was calculated for the set of these three metals. It was shown that the PLI tends to increase as traffic density increases and as distance from main traffic decreases, but poor regressions were obtained, suggesting that other variables different from traffic should be considered.     

Phosphorus flows and use efficiencies in production and consumption of wheat, rice, and maize in China

Increasing fertilizer phosphorus (P) application in agriculture has greatly contributed to the increase of crop yields during the last decades in China but it has also increased P flows in food production and consumption. The relationship between P use efficiency and P flow is not well quantified at national level. In present paper we report on P flows and P use efficiencies in rice, wheat, and maize production in China using the NUFER model. Conservation strategies for P utilization and the impact of these strategies on P use efficiency have been evaluated. Total amounts of P input to wheat, rice, and maize fields were 1095, 1240, and 1128 Gg, respectively, in China, approximately 80% of which was in chemical fertilizers. The accumulation of P annually in the fields of wheat, rice, and maize was 29.4, 13.6, and 21.3 kg ha⁻¹, respectively. Phosphorus recovered in the food products of wheat, rice, and maize accounted for only 12.5%, 13.5%, and 3.8% of the total P input, or 3.2%, 2.6%, and 0.9% of the applied fertilizer P, respectively. The present study shows that optimizing phosphorus flows and decreasing phosphorus losses in crop production and utilization through improved nutrient management must be considered as an important issue in the development of agriculture in China.     

Sorption of imidacloprid and its metabolites on tropical soils

Abstract

The sorption of imidacloprid (l‐[(6‐chloro‐3‐pyridinyl)‐methyl]‐N‐nitro‐2‐imidazolid‐inimine) (IMI) and its metabolites imidacloprid‐urea (l‐[(6‐chloro‐3‐pyridinyl)‐methyl]‐2‐imidazol‐idinone) (IU), imidacloprid‐guanidine (l‐[(6‐chloro‐3‐pyridinyl)‐methyl]‐4,5‐dihydro‐lH‐imidazol‐2‐amine) (IG), and imida‐cloprid‐guanidine‐olefin ( 1 ‐[(6‐chloro‐3‐pyridinyl)methyl]‐lH‐imidazol‐2‐amine) (IGO) was determined on six typical Brazilian soils. Sorption of the chemicals on the soil was characterized using the batch equilibration method. The range and order of sorption (Kd) on the six soils was IG (4.75–134) > IGO (2.87–72.3) > IMI (0.55 ‐16.9) > IU (0.31–9.50). For IMI and IU, Kd was correlated with soil organic carbon (OC) content and CEC, the latter due to the high correlation between OC and cation exchange capacity (CEC) (R²=0.98). For IG and IGO, there was no correlation of sorption to clay, pH, OC or CEC due to the high sorption on all soils. Average Koc values were IU = 170, IMI = 362, IGO = 2433, and IG = 3500. Although Kd and Koc values found were consistently lower than those found in soils developed in non‐tropical climates, imidacloprid and its metabolites were still considered to be slightly mobile to immobile in Brazilian soils.     

The Impact of First-Generation Biofuels on the Depletion of the Global Phosphorus Reserve

The large majority of biofuels to date is "first-generation" biofuel made from agricultural commodities. All first-generation biofuel production systems require phosphorus (P) fertilization. P is an essential plant nutrient, yet global reserves are finite. We argue that committing scarce P to biofuel production involves a trade-off between climate change mitigation and future food production. We examine biofuel production from seven types of feedstock, and find that biofuels at present consume around 2% of the global inorganic P fertilizer production. For all examined biofuels, with the possible exception of sugarcane, the contribution to P depletion exceeds the contribution to mitigating climate change. The relative benefits of biofuels can be increased through enhanced recycling of P, but high increases in P efficiency are required to balance climate change mitigation and P depletion impacts. We conclude that, with the current production systems, the production of first-generation biofuels compromises food production in the future.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of phosphate treatment for the remediation of mine waste soils contaminated with Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn

The effectiveness of phosphate treatment for Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn immobilization in mine waste soils was examined using batch conditions. Application of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) and natural phosphate rock (FAP) effectively reduced the heavy metal water solubility generally by about 84-99%. The results showed that HA was slightly superior to FAP for immobilizing heavy metals. The possible mechanisms for heavy metal immobilization in the soil involve both surface complexation of the metal ions on the phosphate grains and partial dissolution of the phosphate amendments and precipitation of heavy metal-containing phosphates. HA and FAP could significantly reduce Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn availability in terms of water solubility in contaminated soils while minimizing soil acidification and potential risk of eutrophication associated with the application of highly soluble phosphate sources.     

Prediction of phosphorus mobilisation in inundated floodplain soils

After flooding, iron reduction in riverine wetlands may cause the release of large quantities of phosphorus. As phosphorus is an important nutrient causing eutrophication in aquatic systems, it is important to have a tool to predict this potential release. In this study we examined the P release to the soil pore water in soil cores from floodplains in the Netherlands and from less anthropogenically influenced floodplains from Poland. During the inundation experiment, concentrations of P in the pore water rose to 2-90 times the initial concentrations. P release was not directly related to the geographic origin of the soils. An important predictor variable of P release was found in the ratio between the concentration of iron-bound P and amorphous iron. This ratio may provide a practical tool for the selection of new areas for wetland creation, and for impact assessment of plans for riverine wetland restoration and floodwater storage.     

施加电压对铬污染土壤电动修复的影响

试验研究了不同电压条件下电动修复去除效率和单位能耗随施加电压的变化关系,探讨了电动修复经济有效的电压范围.试验选用重铬酸钾作为污染物,配制高岭土中Cr(Ⅵ)初始质量分数为100 mg/kg和500 mg/kg,含水量为50%,试验运行48 h,用乙酸控制阴极pH在4～7之间,施加一系列不同直流电压.试验结果表明,随着施加电压升高,去除效率增大,电压升高到1 V/cm时,去除效率显著升高,2种试验土壤去除效率分别为76.7%和89.8%;同时随着施加电压增加,电能消耗显著增加,与电压呈现线性递增和幂指数递增关系;综合去除效率和单位能耗2种因素,对于试验所研究的土壤,1～1.5 V/cm的电压是较为经济有效的.