Direct and Indirect Effects of Soil Pollution by Lignite Mining

Lignite mining and processing has caused a pronounced impact both directly and indirectly on soils and ecosystems across large areas of the former GDR. We studied soils of pine forest ecosystems at sites affected by severe alkaline dust and sulphur deposition, stemming from lignite fired power plant emission, and at dumped sites from lignite mining. In this paper we summarize our main results and evaluate the long-term impact of lignite mining and combustion on the environment. The pine ecosystems on naturally developed soils show a clear effect of deposition history along a former deposition gradient with distinct changes in chemical properties of organic surface layers and mineral soil as well as in element turnover and cycling rates. Afforested sites on mining dumps are directly affected by the composition of the dumped substrates. Over a large area (800 km²) these substrates are dominated by Tertiary sediments with varying amounts of lignitic particles and pyrite that result in phytotoxic site conditions (pH < 3, high salt and metal contents). High amelioration doses of liming material (up to 200 t ha⁻¹) were applied for restoration purposes. We studied the development of these sites over a period of 60 years using a false-time series approach. Beside the extreme soil conditions, element budgets of these sites are characterized by very high element release rates over decades caused by pyrite oxidation and primary mineral weathering.     

Effects of ignitors and turbulence on dust explosions

The aim of this work is in an attempt to increase the understanding of the acting behaviour of pyrotechnic ignitors and their effects on confined dust explosions. Flame visualization has shown that pyrotechnic ignitors can initiate an explosion by instantaneous jet-like volumetric and/or multipoint ignition. Hence, the rate of pressure rise and also the apparent burning velocity will be increased to some extent, depending on the ignitor energy and the reactivity of the mixtures. The ignitor effect is more important for the early stages of flame propagation and would be more significant in small explosion chambers. Thus, for dust explosion tests with various purposes, use of pyrotechnic ignitors should be made carefully, and the ignitor effect must be accounted for in the data interpretation. Turbulence induced by dust dispersion is a dominant factor in affecting dust explosions. At different ignition delays, however, the turbulence influence will be coupled with that of ignitors. This complicates further the interpretation of explosion data measured under turbulent conditions.     

Die Erprobung ausgew?hlter Bausteine von REACH in der textilen Kette

Ziel und Hintergrund  

Seit Oktober 2003 liegt der Verordnungsentwurf zur Neuordnung der europ?ischen Chemikalienpolitik vor. Aus ihm ergeben sich zahlreiche, zum Teil neuartige Aufgaben für Hersteller und Importeure von Chemikalien, Zubereitungen und Erzeugnissen, für nachgeschaltete Anwender und für den Handel. Die Landesregierung Nordrhein-Westfalen hat in einem Pilotprojekt Schlüsselelemente des REACH-Systems in der Praxis erprobt. In dieser Ver?ffentlichung werden Erfahrungen aus dem Projekt aufgezeigt, die speziell für die Textilveredlung wichtig sind.     

Sources of organic aerosol: Positive matrix factorization of molecular marker data and comparison of results from different source apportionment models

This paper presents results from positive matrix factorization (PMF) of organic molecular marker data to investigate the sources of organic carbon (OC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. PMF analysis of 21 different combinations of input species found essentially the same seven factors with distinctive source-class-specific groupings of molecular markers. To link factors with source classes we directly compare PMF factor profiles with actual source profiles. Six of the PMF factors appear related to primary emissions from sources such as motor vehicles, biomass combustion, and food cooking. Each primary factor contributed between 5% and 10% of the annual-average OC with the exception of the cooking related factor which contributed 20% of the OC. However, the contribution of the cooking factor was sensitive to the specific combinations of input species. PMF could not differentiate between gasoline and diesel emissions, but the aggregate contribution of primary emissions from these two source classes is estimated to be less than 10% of the annual-average OC. One factor appears related to secondary organic aerosol based on its substantial contribution to biogenic oxidation products. This secondary factor contributed more than 50% of the summertime average OC. Reasonable agreement was observed between the PMF results and those of a previously published chemical mass balance (CMB) analysis of the same molecular marker dataset. Individual PMF factors are correlated with specific CMB sources, but systematic biases exist between the two estimates. These biases were generally within the uncertainty of the two estimates, but there is also evidence that PMF is not cleanly differentiating between source classes.     

Occurrence of perfluorinated organic acids in the North and Baltic Seas. Part 2: distribution in sediments

Purpose  

The distribution of polar perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in sea water of the North and Baltic Seas has been described in part 1 of this study. In part 2, their occurrence in sediments is described in order to further investigate their distribution routes and possible sinks.     

Estimating the contribution of industrial facilities to annual PM10 concentrations at industrially influenced sites

If measures to reduce the industrial discharge of PM10 shall be planned with high accuracy, a first step must be to estimate the contribution of single industrial facilities to the overall PM10 burden as accurately as possible. In northern Duisburg as an example, an area where iron and steel producing industry is concentrated, PM10 was measured at 4 sampling sites very close to an industrial complex of blast furnaces, a sinter plant, oxygen steel works and a coke oven plant for 9 months in 2006. At two sites metals in PM10 were determined. The results, together with analytical data of urban background sites in the region and data of wind direction and wind speed were used for an estimation of the contribution of single plants to the PM10 burden. A careful analysis of the data showed, that the data of PM10, calcium, iron and zinc measured at two sites close to the industrial area and information about the urban background aerosol were sufficient to calculate the PM10 contribution of the main single plants. The data could be compared with those of modelling.     

Toxizität von Aluminium

The concentration of solubilized aluminium in soils and waters increases due to environmental influences. To obtain information on the types of Al species occuring under these conditions, aluminium chloride solutions were prepared in a wide range of concentrations (10^?1–10^?5 mol·l^?1 Al) and basicity (OH/Al=0,5–2,5), respectively, and then structurally characterized using the ferron method. For the freshly prepared solutions, a decrease in the portion of monomeric Al species is observed, with an increasing OH/Al-ratio; the formation of polymeric cations decreases to lower OH/Al-ratios with diminishing concentration. The portion of tridecameric cations (Al₁₃) decreases with diminishing concentration, but so called transition polymers occur in these solutions. The transition polymers are instable under ageing; by inreasing the ageing time, a disproportion of these cations into monomeric and polymeric species can be observed. At extremly low Al concentrations (10^?5 mol·l^?1 Al), a condensation of the transition polymers into polymeric species occurs, after only a short ageing. The influence of admixtures of Mg²⁺-and Ca²⁺-ions, respectively, on the specification of the Al cations are only observed after longer ageing times; in this case, the formation of polymeric Al species is forced. The polymeric Al species therefore, seem to be especially preferred alongside the monomeric ones under biologically relevant concentrations.     

Combined sclerochronologic and oxygen isotope analysis of gastropod shells (Gibbula cineraria, North Sea): life-history traits and utility as a high-resolution environmental archive for kelp forests

The grey top-shell, Gibbula cineraria is a common member of temperate to cold water kelp forest communities, but its longevity and the age structure of its populations remains unresolved. Combined measurements of shell growth rates (sclerochronology) and oxygen isotope composition allow analysis of rate and timing of shell growth. Eight specimens were analyzed from the southern North Sea (near Helgoland, German Bight). Three age groups were identified but external measurements (width, height, ornamentation patterns and number of whorls) and shell weight are not adequate for ontogenetic age discrimination. Stable oxygen isotope data is consistent with shell growth during the interval from April to December in isotopic equilibrium with seawater, and growth increments exhibit strong tidal controls with fortnightly bundles well preserved. Reliable environmental proxy data (water temperature) can be extracted from the shell aragonite using conventional stable oxygen isotope analyses, with a temporal resolution of days attainable during intervals of maximum growth, but annual extremes are not always recorded in the shell. While demonstrating the utility of G. cineraria as a environmental and potential paleoenvironmental proxy for kelp forest habitats, its longevity has been significantly overestimated.     

Scenarios of global bioenergy production: The trade-offs between agricultural expansion, intensification and trade

Increased future demands for food, fibre and fuels from biomass can only be met if the available land and water resources on a global scale are used and managed as efficiently as possible. The main routes for making the global agricultural system more productive are through intensification and technological change on currently used agricultural land, land expansion into currently non-agricultural areas, and international trade in agricultural commodities and processed goods. In order to analyse the trade-offs and synergies between these options, we present a global bio-economic modelling approach with a special focus on spatially explicit land and water constraints as well as technological change in agricultural production. For a global bioenergy demand scenario reaching 100 ExaJoule (EJ) until 2055 we derive a required rate of productivity increase on agricultural land between 1.2 and 1.4 percent per year under different land allocation options. A very high pressure for yield increase occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, even without additional bioenergy demand. Moreover, we analyse the implicit values (shadow prices) of limited water resources. The shadow prices for bioenergy are provided as a metric for assessing the trade-offs between different land allocation options and as a link between the agricultural and energy sector.