Retention of estrogenic steroid hormones by selected New Zealand soils

We performed batch sorption experiments for 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2) on selected soils collected from dairy farming regions of New Zealand. Isotherms were constructed by measuring the liquid phase concentration and extracting the solid phase with dichloromethane, followed by an exchange step, and analysis by HPLC and UV detection. The corresponding metabolite estrone, (E1) formed during equilibration of E2 with soil was taken into account to estimate the total percentage recoveries for the compounds, which ranged from 47-105% (E2 and E1) and 83-102% (EE2). Measured isotherms were linear, although some deviation from linearity was observed in a few soils, which was attributed to the finer textured particles and/or the allophanic nature of the soils having high surface area. There was a marked difference in K(d)(eff) (effective distribution coefficient) values for E2 and EE2 among the soils, consistent with the soils organic carbon content and ranged from 14-170 L kg(-1) (E2), and 12-40 L kg(-1) (EE2) in the soils common for both compounds. The sorption affinity of hormones in the soils followed an order: EE2相似文献   

Chemical speciation and phytoavailability of Zn, Cu, Ni and Cd in soil amended with fly ash-stabilized sewage sludge

A sequential extraction method was used to determine chemical forms of Cu, Zn, Ni and Cd in fly ash-stabilized sludge. A loamy acid soil amended with fly ash-stabilized sludge was used to grow corn under greenhouse conditions. Sewage sludge amended with coal fly ash can reduce the availability of Cu, Zn, Ni and Cd in the sludge. Increasing fly ash amendment rate significantly reduced DTPA-extractable Cu, Zn, Ni and Cd concentrations. Percentages of Cu, Zn and Ni in residual fraction increased with an increase in fly ash amendment rates. Majority of Cu was associated with organic form, but Zn and Ni were associated with Fe-Mn oxide and residual forms. Addition of ash-amended sludge to soil significantly increased dry mass of corn. With coal fly ash amendment rate increasing, concentrations of Zn and Cu in shoot tissues of corn decreased significantly, but concentrations of Cd and Ni did not change significantly. Significant correlations were found between concentrations of Cu and Zn in corn shoot and oxide and total Cu fractions, and all chemical fractions of Zn in fly ash-stabilized sludge, respectively. Hence, ash amendment significantly reduced the availability of heavy metals by chemical modification of their chemical speciation into less available forms.     

Biogeochemical C and N cycles in urban soils

The percentage of urban population is projected to increase drastically. In 2030, 50.7 to 86.7% of the total population in Africa and Northern America may live in urban areas, respectively. The effects of the attendant increases in urban land uses on biogeochemical C and N cycles are, however, largely unknown. Biogeochemical cycles in urban ecosystems are altered directly and indirectly by human activities. Direct effects include changes in the biological, chemical and physical soil properties and processes in urban soils. Indirect effects of urban environments on biogeochemical cycles may be attributed to the introductions of exotic plant and animal species and atmospheric deposition of pollutants. Urbanization may also affect the regional and global atmospheric climate by the urban heat island and pollution island effect. On the other hand, urban soils have the potential to store large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) and, thus, contribute to mitigating increases in atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. However, the amount of SOC stored in urban soils is highly variable in space and time, and depends among others on soil parent material and land use. The SOC pool in 0.3-m depth may range between 16 and 232 Mg ha(-1), and between 15 and 285 Mg ha(-1) in 1-m depth. Thus, depending on the soil replaced or disturbed, urban soils may have higher or lower SOC pools, but very little is known. This review provides an overview of the biogeochemical cycling of C and N in urban soils, with a focus on the effects of urban land use and management on soil organic matter (SOM). In view of the increase in atmospheric CO(2) and reactive N concentrations as a result of urbanization, urban land use planning must also include strategies to sequester C in soil, and also enhance the N sink in urban soils and vegetation. This will strengthen soil ecological functions such as retention of nutrients, hazardous compounds and water, and also improve urban ecosystem services by promoting soil fertility.     

Investigating soils retention ratios and modelling geochemical factors affecting heavy metals retention in soils in a tropical urban watershed

This study aimed at investigating the retention of Pb and Cd in soils and the geochemical factors influencing the adsorption of these pollutants. Soil samples were air-dried and ground to pass through a 2-mm sieve, and different soil extracts were prepared for chemical analysis (organic matter, cation exchange capacity and pH). Total Pb and Cd were extracted with diacid using digestion method and determined by atomic adsorption spectrophotometer (AAS) after filtration. Results revealed that the heavy metals retention ratio (RR) of the Rhodic ferralsol, Xanthic ferralsol and Mollic gleysol (2) were very high for Cd (>80 %) and was relatively low (generally < 60 %) for Pb. In contrast, RRs for the Plinthic gleysol and the Mollic gleysol (1) were relatively low (<60 %), regardless of the heavy metal concerned. Multiple regression equations indicated for Pb and Cd concentrations different linear relationships over simple linear regression, when pH, organic matter, clay percentage and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were used as independent variables. Results indicate that organic matter exerts major influences on the retention of Pb and Cd in soils, while CEC, clay content and pH have a minor influence in this process in the Ntem watershed. From these observations, the application of soil organic matter could be a solution in protecting shallow aquifers from heavy metal pollution and thus insuring that they are not a hazard to public health.     

Retrospective Assessment of the Parameters of Needle Retention in Scotch Pine

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Concentration and characterization of plutonium in soils of Hubei in central China

To study the Pu concentration and isotope ratio distributions present in China, the ^239+240Pu total activities and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in core soil samples from Hubei Province in central China were investigated using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The activities ranged from 0.019 to 0.502 mBq g⁻¹ and the ^239+240Pu inventories of 45 and ∼55 Bq m⁻² agree well with that expected from global fallout. The ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in the soil ranged from 0.172 to 0.220. The ratios are similar to typical global fallout values. Hence, any close-in fallout contribution from the Chinese nuclear weapons tests, mainly conducted in the 1970s, must have either been negligible or had a similar ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu ratio to that of global fallout. The top 10 cm layer of the soil contributes ∼90% of the total inventory and the maximum concentrations appeared in the 2-4 cm or 4-6 cm layers. It is suggested that climatic conditions and organic content are the two main factors that affect the vertical migration of plutonium in soil.     

Formation of radioactivity enriched soils in mountain areas

A field study was carried out in the Mercantour Mountains at 2200 m altitude to investigate the processes of soil enrichment in atmospheric Chernobyl (137)Cs. Soils with high (137)Cs activities have been collected in the pasture areas with frequently measured (137)Cs activity values of the order of 7000 Bq m(-2). At some single spots (about 6% of the studied area), activity in soils reached 300000 Bq m(-2), which represents 44% of the (137)Cs of the total area. Data further showed that spatial distribution of Cs depends widely on its origin: Chernobyl Cs is mainly concentrated in "enriched" soils, whereas older Cs and (241)Am fallout from nuclear weapons tests (NWTs) and natural atmospheric (210)Pb in soils is less heterogeneously distributed.In order to elucidate the processes which have led to the enrichment in Chernobyl (137)Cs in the Alps in May of 1986, we have studied the repartition of atmospheric (7)Be isotope (half-life=53.3 d) in the pasture compartments (soil, litter, grass, and snow). Snow (7)Be data give evidence that fallout enrichment is related to snow accumulation (snow drift). The transfer of beryllium occurs rapidly to the grass and litter, where the strongest pollutant accumulations were measured. However, (7)Be transport to the soil required more than 8 months.     

Chemical associations of artificial radionuclides in Cumbrian soils

The distributions of radionuclides in the surface layer of four soils of contrasting types from west Cumbria, UK, have been studied in detail. All the soils contain enhanced levels of artificial radionuclides derived from low-level discharges both to sea and to atmosphere from the British Nuclear Fuels reprocessing plant at Sellafield. The bulk of the activity is held in the top 15 cm of soil profiles, suggesting that radionuclide mobility is limited. Sequential extraction experiments have identified major associations of plutonium with organic matter and of caesium with silicates but there is no preferential association of ruthenium with any single soil component.     

Determination of bioavailable rhenium fraction in agricultural soils

Rhenium (Re) mobility in agricultural soils was studied in order to obtain information relevant to (99)Tc mobility in soil-to-plant systems. Since water soluble Tc and Re are highly bioavailable, extraction of Re with water was carried out in addition to a total Re determination in the soils. The geometric means of total Re for paddy field, upland field and other soils were 0.34, 0.23, and 0.28 ng g(-1), respectively, while those of water soluble Re (<0.45 microm membrane filterable) were 0.053, 0.015 and 0.008 ng g(-1), respectively. There were no differences for total Re among soil uses; however, the water soluble Re/total Re ratio was significantly higher in paddy field soils (16%) than in other soil uses (6% for upland fields and 3% for other uses). Rhenium mobility and plant availability were higher in paddy fields than in other agricultural fields, and similar phenomena would be expected for (99)Tc.     

Vertical migration of radionuclides in undisturbed grassland soils

Literature data on numerical values obtained for the parameters of the two most popular models for simulating the migration of radionuclides in undisturbed soils have been compiled and evaluated statistically. Due to restrictions on the applicability of compartmental models, the convection–dispersion equation and its parameter values should be preferred. For radiocaesium, recommended values are derived for its effective convection velocity and dispersion coefficient. Data deficiencies still exist for radionuclides other than caesium and for soils of non-temperate environments.     

Activity concentration of caesium-137 in agricultural soils

In this study, we measured 137Cs activity concentrations in the soil samples taken from agricultural lands in the Buyuk Menderes Basin in Turkey in 1997 and 1998. The soil samples were collected from 42 sites in this Basin. The activity concentration of 137Cs was found to range between 2.81+/-0.17 Bq.kg(-1) and 20.75+/-0.29 Bq.kg(-1). The effect of organic matter, clay, silt and sand contents and pH of the soil on the relative adsorption of the 137Cs on the soil surface were also studied.     

Natural attenuation of contaminated soils

Natural attenuation is increasing in use as a low cost means of remediating contaminated soil and groundwater. Modelling of contaminant migration plays a key role in evaluating natural attenuation as a remediation option and in ensuring that there will be no adverse impact on humans and the environment. During natural attenuation, the contamination must be characterized thoroughly and monitored through the process. In this paper, attenuation mechanisms for both organic and inorganic contaminants, use of models and protocols, role of monitoring and field case studies will be reviewed.     

Radiocaesium fallout behaviour in volcanic soils in Iceland

The retention of 137Cs in various types of Andosols in Iceland was investigated. Soils were sampled at 29 sites with varying precipitation and environmental conditions. Samples were obtained from 0 to 5, 5 to 10, and 10 to 15 cm depths. The amount of radiocaesium present was quite variable, ranging between 300 and 4800 Bq m(-2) and correlated closely to total annual precipitation (r2=0.71). The majority of 137Cs, 82.7% on average, was retained in the uppermost 5 cm of the soil. The greatest penetration of 137Cs was observed for organic Histosols (76.3% in top 5 cm). The Icelandic Vitrisols (barren, poorly developed Andosols) are coarse grained with only 2-5% clay content and contain little organic matter (<1%). Yet these soils retained 74% of 137Cs in the top 5 cm. The results indicate that radiocaesium fallout is strongly retained by colloidal materials characteristic of Andosols, such as allophane and ferrihydrite. Most soils in Iceland are subject to severe and prolonged freezing and waterlogging; despite this, 137Cs is retained in the upper soil horizons and vertical migration is negligible in Icelandic Andosols. However, erosion and aeolian activity can markedly influence the amount and vertical distribution of radiocaesium in Icelandic soils.     

武汉市典型绿地植被类型对表层土壤入渗和持水性能的影响

合理的绿地植被建设和管理是提高城市蓄水能力和减少城市内涝的重要途径。该文以武汉市城区8种代表性绿地植被的表层土壤为研究对象,通过测定土壤理化性质和水力学特征参数,量化了不同类型绿地植被对表层土壤水分入渗和保持性能的影响,并揭示了土壤理化性质对其影响的机制。结果表明：不同植被类型表层土壤水分入渗性能和持水能力差异显著,天然香樟林、玉兰园、桂花园和牡丹园具有较好的入渗性能,表现为较高的饱和导水率（179.70~441.69 cm/d）,其次是人工草坪（31.53~126.60 cm/d）,而樱花园、梅花园和桃李园的入渗性能最差（22.40~57.99 cm/d）。天然香樟林土壤持水能力最强,表现为最高的田间持水量（0.315~0.336 cm³/cm³）和最大有效含水量（0.170~0.177 cm³/cm³）,其次是玉兰园、桂花园、牡丹园、梅花园和桃李园,持水量、有效含水量分别为:0.241~0.289 cm³/cm³,0.144~0.182 cm³/cm³,而樱花园和草坪的持水能力最弱（0.209~0.254 cm³/cm³,0.139~0.165cm³/cm³）。土壤饱和导水率与总孔隙度、非毛管孔隙度呈显著正相关关系,与容重呈显著负相关关系。而容重、总孔隙度、砂粒和粘粒含量是影响土壤水分特征的主要因素。可以通过乔灌木林下种植草本植物、减少人为践踏,以及适时翻耕等方式提高绿地土壤的入渗与保水能力,进而提高其降雨存蓄功能,减少城市内涝。     

Behavior of 137Cs in soils of transitional bogs

Specific features of ¹³⁷Cs accumulation, transformation, and migration in humus-peaty and peaty-gley soils of transitional bogs are discussed with reference to the southwestern part of the Russian Federation, which was most heavily contaminated after the Chernobyl accident. The influence of physicochemical soil properties and concentrations of typomorphic elements on these processes is characterized. It is concluded that bog soils accumulate ¹³⁷Cs in the form of hardly movable compounds and, as a consequence, transitional bogs are transformed into critical ecosystems.     

Mitigation of arsenic contamination in irrigated paddy soils in South and South-east Asia

It has recently become apparent that arsenic-contaminated groundwater used for irrigation in several countries of South and South-east Asia is adding arsenic to soils and rice, thus posing a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production and to the health and livelihoods of affected people in those countries. This paper describes the many environmental, agricultural and social factors that determine practical mitigation strategies and research needs, and describes possible mitigation measures that need to be tested. These measures include providing alternative irrigation sources, various agronomic measures, use of soil amendments, growing hyperaccumulator plants, removing contaminated soil and using alternative cooking methods.     

Microbial ecology of soils surrounding nuclear and thermal power plants in Taiwan

This paper reports a study of the effect of three nuclear and one thermal power plants on the microbial ecology of soils. Populations of bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, cellulolytic microbes, phosphate-solubilizing microbes and nitrogen-fixing microbes in the soil in the vicinity of each plant were studied. Soils were acidic at three sites, and moisture contents of the power plant soils were lower than those of the surrounding areas. Microbial populations of the topsoils (0-20 cm deep) were higher than the subsoils (21-40 cm deep), and only 10-15% of them showed significant difference (P < .05). Thirty-three percent of the samples from the surrounding areas had higher microbial population than those from the power plant areas, but 19% was the reverse. Populations of cellulolytic, phosphate-solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing microbes varied with sampling locations, season and environmental conditions. Ratios of cellulolytic, phosphate-solubilizing and nitrogen-fixing microbes to total viable counts in some samples of the surrounding areas were significantly higher than in the power plant areas. Although the microbial populations of power plant soil and its surrounding area were somewhat different, it cannot be attributed as an effect of power plant operation, as the differences were not consistent.     

Possible role of organic matter in radiocaesium adsorption in soils

The aim of this review is to examine the hypothesis that organic matter decreases the adsorption of radiocaesium on clay minerals. The factors that determine radiocaesium mobility and bioavailability in soil are briefly outlined to show why a relationship between soil organic matter content and enhanced Cs bioavailability is paradoxical. In all the investigations reviewed the ionic compositions of both the solid and the solution phases have been strictly controlled. We show that the addition of organic matter to reference clay minerals causes decreases of up to an order of magnitude in the distribution coefficient of radiocaesium. Similarly, the chemical removal of organic matter from the clay-sized fraction of soil usually leads to an increase in Cs adsorption. We suggest that the nature of the organic matter and its interaction with mineral surfaces are as important as the amount present.     

Selenium geochemistry of paddy soils in Yangtze River Delta

Selenium (Se) content both in total and bioavailable forms were very low (25-35 and 9.5 micrograms/kg, respectively) in waterlogged paddy soils in the central Yangtze River Delta. This was due to changes in geochemistry and the inherent properties of the parent materials of these lowland paddy soils. The very low Se content (23 micrograms/kg) in the parent material resulted in low total Se content in the soil. The main chemical changes under long-term waterlogged conditions are depletion of molecular oxygen, decrease of redox potential, and reduction of Fe (III) to Fe (II) and SeO3(2-) to Se0. This led to low availability of Se in soils, and subsequently low Se content (29 micrograms/kg) in brown rice grain produced in this region. It has been suspected that low Se content in staple food might be one of the major reasons for a high infection rate of the intestine and stomach cancers and the higher death rate caused by these diseases in the region. Foliage spray of Na2SeO3 at early heading stage of rice plant growth improved the Se content of brown rice grain, hull, and straw, and would improve human and animal health.     

The radioactivity measurements in soils and fertilizers using gamma spectrometry technique

Because of their mineral content, soils are naturally radioactive and one of the sources of radioactivity other than those of natural origin is mainly due to the extensive use of fertilizers. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the fluxes of natural radionuclides in local production of phosphate fertilizers to determine the content of radioactivity in several commercial fertilizers produced in Algeria and to estimate their radiological impact in a cultivated soil even for the long-term exposure due to their application.For these purposes, virgin and fertilized soils were collected from outlying Setif region in Algeria and from phosphate fertilizers used in this area.Gamma spectrometry was exploited to determine activity concentration due to naturally occurring ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in five types of samples (two different sorts of fertilizers, virgin and fertilized soils and well water used for irrigation) taken from Setif’s areas.The results show that these radionuclides were present in an average concentration of 134.7 ± 24.1, 131.8 ± 16.7, 11644 ± 550 Bq/kg for the first fertilizer NPK and 190.3 ± 30, 117.2 ± 10.3, 5312 ± 249 Bq/kg for the second fertilizer (NPKs). For the virgin and the fertilized soils, the corresponding values were respectively 47.01 ± 7.3, 33 ± 7, 329.4 ± 19.7 Bq/kg and 53.2 ± 10.6, 50.0 ± 7, 311.4 ± 18.7 Bq/kg. For well water, the values were 1.93 and 0.12 Bq/kg; however the third value was below the Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA).The radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and the representative level index I_γr for all samples were also calculated. The data were discussed and compared with those given in the literature.