Mercury emission and dispersion models from soils contaminated by cinnabar mining and metallurgy

The laboratory flux measurement system (LFMS) and dispersion models were used to investigate the kinetics of mercury emission flux (MEF) from contaminated soils. Representative soil samples with respect to total Hg concentration (26-9770 μg g(-1)) surrounding a decommissioned mercury-mining area (Las Cuevas Mine), and a former mercury smelter (Cerco Metalúrgico de Almadenejos), in the Almadén mercury mining district (South Central Spain), were collected. Altogether, 14 samples were analyzed to determine the variation in mercury emission flux (MEF) versus distance from the sources, regulating two major environmental parameters comprising soil temperature and solar radiation. In addition, the fraction of the water-soluble mercury in these samples was determined in order to assess how MEF from soil is related to the mercury in the aqueous soil phase. Measured MEFs ranged from less than 140 to over 10,000 ng m(-2) h(-1), with the highest emissions from contaminated soils adjacent to point sources. A significant decrease of MEF was then observed with increasing distance from these sites. Strong positive effects of both temperature and solar radiation on MEF was observed. Moreover, MEF was found to occur more easily in soils with higher proportions of soluble mercury compared to soils where cinnabar prevails. Based on the calculated Hg emission rates and with the support of geographical information system (GIS) tools and ISC AERMOD software, dispersion models for atmospheric mercury were implemented. In this way, the gaseous mercury plume generated by the soil-originated emissions at different seasons was modeled. Modeling efforts revealed that much higher emissions and larger mercury plumes are generated in dry and warm periods (summer), while the plume is smaller and associated with lower concentrations of atmospheric mercury during colder periods with higher wind activity (fall). Based on the calculated emissions and the model implementation, yearly emissions from the "Cerco Metalúrgico de Almadenejos" decommissioned metallurgical precinct were estimated at 16.4 kg Hg y(-1), with significant differences between seasons.     

Seasonal trends and potential sources of ambient air OCPs in urban and suburban areas in Dalian, China

A seasonal field campaign by passive sampling was conducted from February 2008 to February 2009, aiming to measure air concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the urban and suburban areas in Dalian. At the urban site, similar annual average concentrations of α-endosulfan and α-HCH were found, both being approximately 4 times as high as those of p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE, while at the suburban site, the annual average concentration of α-endosulfan was 2.9 times as high as the average concentrations of α-HCH, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE; concentrations of α-endosulfan, α-HCH and p,p'-DDE achieved annual peaks in summer. Back trajectory analysis revealed that the air concentration of α-endosulfan increased with the input of air masses from the land whereas decreasing air concentration of α-endosulfan at the urban site was associated with air masses from the sea. Pesticides used in local agriculture were identified to be major sources of α-endosulfan at both the urban and suburban sites, though long-range atmospheric transport from other sources might also contribute to atmospheric levels of this chemical over this coastal city. α-endosulfan, α-HCH, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE in the air in Dalian might result from the atmospheric transport of the air masses from northeast area, Shandong peninsula and Korean peninsula. Emission due to "aged" DDT and HCH in contaminated local soils as well as atmospheric long-range transport were likely to be major sources of α-HCH, p,p'-DDT and p,p'-DDE at the suburban site. In addition, a fresh input of α-HCH and p,p'-DDT in the atmosphere could not be excluded in the urban area.     

Endocrine disruption effects of 2,2',4,4',6-pentabromodiphenylether (BDE100) in reporter gene assays

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) constitute an important group of flame retardants. 2,2',4,4',6-Pentabromodiphenylether (BDE100) is a prominent PBDE congener in some human populations. The potential of BDE100 to modulate responses mediated by the estrogen (ER), thyroid hormone (ThR) or androgen receptors (AR) were investigated by use of transactivation reporter gene assays. The African green monkey kidney CV-1 cell transiently transfected with the constructed reporter gene plasmid ERE-TATA-Luc and pUAS-tk-Luc with luciferase (Luc) under control of the estrogen response (ERE), or thyroid hormone response (ThRE) elements were used to evaluate (anti)estrogen and thyroid effects of BDE100. The (anti)androgenic potency of BDE100 was also evaluated by use of MDA-kb2 cells, which were stably transfected with MMTV-luciferase. The assays displayed appropriate responses to known natural estrogen 17β-estradiol (E2), ThR ligand triiodothyronine (T3), and the AR agonist 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). 10 or 50 μM BDE100 significantly up-regulated expression of Luc under control of the ER. Antiestrogenic potency was observed for BDE100 (IC50 = 6.21 μM). Co-exposure to 50 μM BDE100 significantly enhanced expression of Luc caused by 5 nM T3. BDE100 was antiandrogenic at 10 and 50 μM with an IC50 of 28.60 μM BDE100. These results suggest that BDE100 can modulate the endocrine system in multiple ways by interfering with several hormonal signaling pathways simultaneously.     

Formation and modeling of disinfection by-products in drinking water of six cities in China

Water quality parameters including TOC, UV(254), pH, chlorine dosage, bromide concentration and disinfection by-products were measured in water samples from 41 water treatment plants of six selected cities in China. Chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, dichloroacetic acid and trichloroacetic acid were the major disinfection by-products in the drinking water of China. Bromoform and dibromoacetic acid were also detected in many water samples. Higher concentrations of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were measured in summer compared to winter. The geographical variations in DBPs showed that TTHM levels were higher in Zhengzhou and Tianjin than other selected cities. And the HAA5 levels were highest in Changsha and Tianjin. The modeling procedure that predicts disinfection by-products formation was studied and developed using artificial neural networks. The performance of the artificial neural networks model was excellent (r > 0.84).     

Effects of solution chemistry on arsenic(Ⅴ) removal by low-cost adsorbents

Natural and anthropogenic arsenic （As） contamination of water sources pose serious health concerns, especially for small communities in rural areas. This study assessed the applicability of three industrial byproducts （coal fly ash, lignite, and green waste compost） as the low-cost adsorbents for As（V） removal under various field-relevant conditions （dissolved oxygen, As（V）/Fe ratio, solution pH, and presence of competing species）. The physico-chemical properties of the adsorbents were characterized by XRD, XRF, FT-IR, and NMR analysis. Batch experiments demonstrated that coal fly ash could provide effective As（V） removal （82.1%-95%） because it contained high content of amorphous iron/aluminium hydroxides for As（V） adsorption and dissolvable calcium minerals for calcium arsenate precipitation. However, the addition of lignite and green waste compost was found unfavourable since they hindered the As（V） removal by 10%-42% possibly due to dissolution of organic matter and ternary arsenate-iron-organic matter complexes. On the other hand, higher concentrations of dissolved iron （comparing As（V）/Fe ratios of 1：1 and 1：10） and dissolved oxygen （comparing 0.2 and 6 mg/L） only marginally enhanced the As（V） removal at pH 6 and 8. Thus, addition of dissolved iron, water aeration, or pH adjustment became unnecessary because coal fly ash was able to provide effective As（V） removal under the natural range of geochemical conditions. Moreover, the presence of low levels of background competing （0.8 or 8 mg/L of humic acid, phosphate, and silicate） imposed little influence on As（V） removal, possibly because the high adsorption capacity of coal fly ash was far from exhaustion. These results suggested that coal fly ash was a potentially promising adsorbent that warranted further investigation.     

一种新的花岗岩侵位机制—活动张性剪切带中的侵入作用

大陆地壳增长的主要方式之一,是由来自地球深部的体积巨大的花岗岩岩浆引起的同化作用。地壳如何容纳这些岩浆便产生一个“空间问题”。传统上强调的两种侵位机制是:“强力”侵位——实际上利用浮力驱动的岩浆将地壳推开,产生花岗岩底辟和花岗岩“气球”,被动侵位——以交代机制(replacive mechanisms)为特点,如火山口塌陷作用(cauldron subsidence)和顶蚀作用(stoping)。虽然新近的研究表明,花岗岩侵位的空间可以形成于大的横推断层带弯曲部位和断错部位,但强力侵位或被动侵位这种简单的观点仍不能说明许多花岗岩的侵住体制。本文报道了一种新发现的火成岩侵位机制。作者在暴露充分的南格陵兰元古宙大陆地壳中观测到,奥长环斑花岗岩是作为大规模的岩席沿着韧性引张剪切带侵入的,这些剪切带在侵位期间都是活动的。在这种作用中,空间问题似乎很容易得到解决。     

喷氨对袋式除尘器阻力的影响

公共健康科学与工业研究组织(CSIRO)与新南威尔士电力委员会(ECNSW)在澳大利亚Eraring电站建了一个一流的研究装置。该装置由一个用全尺寸滤袋组成的中试规模的振动型袋式除尘器和三组小试规模的袋式除尘器构成。小试规模的袋式除尘器是为较短期的试验而设计的,以便筛选可行的滤袋材料或者能带来改善袋式除尘器性     

Assessment of heavy metal cations in sediments of Shing Mun River, Hong Kong

The extent of heavy metal cation contamination in the Shing Mun River has been assessed. Sediment samples were taken at eight strategic locations along the river system. The highest concentrations of copper (Cu, 1.66 mg/g), lead (Pb, 0.354 mg/g), zinc (Zn, 2.2 mg/g) and chromium (Cr, 0.047 mg/g) were found in the Fo Tan Nullah, a major tributary of the Shing Mun River. The highest concentrations of aluminum (114 mg/g) and cadmium (Cd, 0.047 mg/g) were found in the Shing Mun Main River Channel. These contaminated sediments, accumulated over the years on the river bed, could act as secondary sources of pollution to the overlying water column in the river.     

Longevity of organic layers of vertical flow ponds for sulfate reduction in treating mine drainages in South Korea

This study was carried out to evaluate longevity of available organic materials used for sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) activity in vertical flow ponds (VFPs) to treat mine drainage in South Korea. Spent mushroom compost samples (SMC) were tested as substrates in VFPs and analyzed for total organic carbon in VFPs, and were collected to analyze total organic carbon (TOC), T-N, T-P, K, metals and residual cellulose to check the longevity assessment. Chemical analysis revealed that the average contents of Fe, Al and Mn in SMC of VFPs were 19,907, 32,137 and 434 mg/kg, respectively. The contents of Fe and Al in SMC of VFPs were much higher than those of the unused SMC (control), but to the contrary, those of Mn showed a reversed tendency. Average TOC content of the controls was 64.19% but in one of the VFP substrates was as low as 15.92%. This might be resulted from SRB consumed the available organic carbon in SMC as VFPs system aged. Contents of T-N in VFPs tended to decrease as VFPs aged. The residual cellulose ranged from 3.88 to 6.72% (g/g). There existed a negative relationship between residual cellulose contents and ages of VFPs. Assuming that SMC in all VFPs had similar compositions when the VFPs were initially established, trend analysis predicted that the amount of carbon source for SRB might be available for 12-15 years further, depending on VFPs.