Dual mechanochemical immobilization of heavy metals and decomposition of halogenated compounds in automobile shredder residue using a nano-sized metallic calcium reagent

Simultaneous immobilization of heavy metals and decomposition of halogenated organic compounds in different fractions of automobile shredder residue (ASR) were achieved with a nano-sized metallic calcium through a 60-min ball milling treatment. Heavy metal (HM) immobilization and chlorinated/brominated compound (CBC) decomposition efficiencies both reached 90–100 %, after ball milling with nanometallic calcium/calcium oxide (Ca/CaO) dispersion, regardless of ASR particle size (1.0, 0.45–1.0, and 0.250 mm). Concentrations of leachable HMs substantially decreased to a level lower than the regulatory standard limits (Co and Cd 0.3 mg L⁻¹; Cr 1.5 mg L⁻¹; Fe, Pb, and Zn 3.0 mg L⁻¹; Mn and Ni 1 mg L⁻¹) proposed by the Korean hazardous waste elution standard regulatory threshold. Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) element maps/spectra showed that while the amounts of HMs and CBCs detectable in ASR significantly decreased, the calcium mass percentage increased. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns indicate that the main fraction of enclosed/bound materials on ASR includes Ca-associated crystalline complexes that remarkably inhibit HM desorption and simultaneously transform dangerous CBCs into harmless compounds. The use of a nanometallic Ca/CaO mixture in a mechanochemical process to treat hazardous ASR (dry conditions) is an innovative approach to remediate cross-contaminated residues with heavy metals and halogenated compounds.

     

Healing the wounds in the landscape—reclaiming gravel roads in conservation areas

Reclaiming abandoned and unmaintained roads, built originally for forestry and mineral extraction, is an important part of ecological restoration, because the roads running through natural habitats cause fragmentation. The roads can be reclaimed in a passive way by blocking access to the road, but successful seedling recruitment may require additional management due to the physical constraints present at the road. We established a full factorial study to compare the effects of three road reclaiming measures, namely ripping, creation of safe sites by adding mulch and pine seed addition, on soil processes, recovery of understorey vegetation and seedling recruitment in three conservation areas in eastern Finland. We surveyed soil organic matter, frequency and cover of plant functional types, litter and mineral soil, and number of tree seedlings. The soil organic matter was, on average, 1.3-fold in the 50-cm-deep ripping treatment relative to unripped and 20-cm-deep ripping treatments. The germination and survival of deciduous seedlings and grass establishment were promoted by adding mulch. The addition of pine seeds counteracted the seed limitation and enhanced the regeneration of trees. The treatment combination consisting of ripping, adding mulch and pine seed addition enhanced the vegetation succession and tree-seedling recruitment most: the cover of grasses, herbs and ericaceous dwarf shrubs was 1.3–7.6-fold and the number of coniferous tree seedlings was 3.4–7.1-fold relative to the other treatment combinations. Differences between short-term (1–3 years) and longer-term (6 years) results indicate the need for a sufficient observation period in road reclamation studies.     

Estuarine circulation in the Taranto Seas

The Taranto basin is a shallow water marine system in the South of Italy characterized by the presence of a lagoon environment together with a semi-enclosed bay connected to the Ionian Sea. This marine system experienced over the last few decades strong biochemical pollution and environmental degradation, and it is considered a hotspot study site for economic, ecological and scientific reasons. The aim of this study was to examine, on an annual temporal scale and with high spatial resolution, the main hydrodynamical processes and transport scales of the system by means of a 3D finite element numerical model application, adopting the most realistic forcing available. The model allowed us to assess the role played by baroclinic terms in the basin circulation, describing its estuarine nature. In particular, the main features of water circulation, salinity and temperature distribution, water renewal time and bottom stress were investigated. Our results allowed us to equate this system dynamic to that of a weakly stratified estuary, identifying the main driving sources of this mechanism. The vertical stratification over the whole year was proved to be stable, leading to a dual circulation flowing out on the surface, mainly through Porta Napoli channel, and inflowing on the bottom mainly through Navigabile channel. This process was responsible also for the renewal time faster on the bottom of the Mar Piccolo basin than the surface. Due to the great importance of the Taranto basin for what concerns sediment pollution, also the effect of currents in terms of bottom stress was investigated, leading to the conclusion that only in the inlets area the values of bottom stress can be high enough to cause erosion.     

In situ immobilization of cadmium in soil by stabilized biochar-supported iron phosphate nanoparticles

The potential for nanoscale phosphate amendments to remediate heavy metal contamination has been widely investigated, but the strong tendency of nanoparticles to form aggregates limits the application of this technique in soil. This study synthesized a composite of biochar-supported iron phosphate nanoparticle (BC@Fe₃(PO₄)₂) stabilized by a sodium carboxymethyl cellulose to improve the stability and mobility of the amendment in soil. The sedimentation test and column test demonstrated that BC@Fe₃(PO₄)₂ exhibited better stability and mobility than iron phosphate nanoparticles. After 28 days of simulated in situ remediation, the immobilization efficiency of Cd was 60.2 %, and the physiological-based extraction test bioaccessibility was reduced by 53.9 %. The results of sequential extraction procedures indicated that the transformation from exchangeable (EX) Cd to organic matter (OM) and residue (RS) was responsible for the decrease in Cd leachability in soil. Accordingly, the pot test indicated that Cd uptake by cabbage mustard was suppressed by 86.8 %. Compared to tests using iron phosphate nanoparticles, the addition of BC@Fe₃(PO₄)₂ to soil could reduce the Fe uptake of cabbage mustard. Overall, this study revealed that BC@Fe₃(PO₄)₂ could provide effective in situ remediation of Cd in soil.     

The application of regenerable sorbents for mercury capture in gas phase

Mercury is a well-known toxic element, and flue gas streams emitted from coal-fired utilities are one of the largest anthropogenic sources of this element. This study briefly reviews the proposed technologies for reducing mercury emissions from coal combustion, focusing on an emerging process which involves the use of regenerable sorbents and especially those loaded with noble metals. Among the mercury species formed during coal combustion, elemental mercury is the most difficult to remove from the flue gases due to its low reactivity and insolubility in water. The widespread interest in using regenerable sorbents with metals is due to their ability to retain elemental mercury. With this technology, not only can efficiencies of 100 % be reached in the retention of elemental mercury but also a way to avoid the generation of new wastes loaded with mercury. This study considers the main aspects that must be taken into account when developing effective regenerable sorbents for mercury capture, with special attention to sorbents containing noble metals. The characteristics of this process are compared with those of other processes in a more advanced state of development.     

Influence of filtration velocity on DON variation in BAF for micropolluted surface water treatment

Biological aerated filters (BAFs) are widely used for the treatment of micropolluted surface water. However, the biological process produces dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), which, as precursors of nitrogenous disinfection by-products, pose potential threats to drinking water safety. Therefore, to control DON in BAF effluent, it is necessary to study the influence of BAF operation parameters on DON production. In this study, the influence of filtration velocity in a BAF on DON production was investigated. Under different filtration velocity (0.5, 2, and 4 m/h) conditions, profiles of DON concentrations along the media layer were measured. The profile at a filtration velocity of 0.5 m/h showed a decreasing trend, and the ones under filtration velocities of 2 and 4 m/h fluctuated in a small range (from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/L). Moreover, the relatively high filtration velocities of 2 and 4 m/h resulted in a lower level of DON concentration. Additionally, 3D excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize DON. It is found that the patterns of DON at a relatively high filtration velocity condition (4 m/h) were obviously different from the ones under low filtration velocity conditions (0.5 and 2 m/h).     

Optical and thermal characteristics of carbonaceous aerosols measured at an urban site in Gwangju,Korea, in the winter of 2011

Carbonaceous components (organic carbon [OC] and elemental carbon [EC]) and optical properties (light absorption and scattering) of fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm; PM_2.5) were simultaneously measured at an urban site in Gwangju, Korea, during the winter of 2011. OC was further classified into OC1, OC2, OC3, and OC4, based on a temperature protocol using a Sunset OC/EC analyzer. The average OC and EC concentrations were 5.0 ± 2.5 and 1.7 ± 0.9 μg C m^?3, respectively. The average single-scattering albedo (SSA) at a wavelength of 550 nm was 0.58 ± 0.11, suggesting that the aerosols observed in the winter of 2011 had a local warming effect in this area. During the whole sampling period, “stagnant PM” and “long-range transport PM” events were identified. The light absorption coefficient (b_abs) was higher during the stagnant PM event than during the long-range transport PM event due to the existence of abundant light-absorbing OC during the stagnant PM event. In particular, the OC2 and OC3 concentrations were higher during the stagnant PM event than those during the long-range transport event, suggesting that OC2 and OC3 might be more related to the light-absorbing OC. The light scattering coefficient (b_scat) was similar between the events. On average, the mass absorption efficiency attributed to EC (σ_EC) was 9.6 m² g^?1, whereas the efficiency attributed to OC (σ_OC) was 1.8 m² g^?1 at λ = 550 nm. Furthermore, the σ_EC is comparable among the PM event days, but the σ_OC for the stagnant PM event was significantly higher than that for the long-range transport PM event (1.7 vs. 0.5).

Implications: Optical and thermal properties of carbonaceous aerosol were measured at Gwangju, and carbonaceous aerosol concentration and optical property varied between “stagnant PM” and “long-range transport PM” events. More abundant light absorbing OC was observed during the stagnant PM event.     

The comparison of fossil carbon fraction and greenhouse gas emissions through an analysis of exhaust gases from urban solid waste incineration facilities

In this study, in order to understand accurate calculation of greenhouse gas emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities, which are major waste incineration facilities, and problems likely to occur at this time, emissions were calculated by classifying calculation methods into 3 types. For the comparison of calculation methods, the waste characteristics ratio, dry substance content by waste characteristics, carbon content in dry substance, and ¹²C content were analyzed; and in particular, CO₂ concentration in incineration gases and ¹²C content were analyzed together. In this study, 3 types of calculation methods were made through the assay value, and by using each calculation method, emissions of urban solid waste incineration facilities were calculated then compared. As a result of comparison, with Calculation Method A, which used the default value as presented in the IPCC guidelines, greenhouse gas emissions were calculated for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B at 244.43 ton CO₂/day and 322.09 ton CO₂/day, respectively. Hence, it showed a lot of difference from Calculation Methods B and C, which used the assay value of this study. It is determined that this was because the default value as presented in IPCC, as the world average value, could not reflect the characteristics of urban solid waste incineration facilities. Calculation Method B indicated 163.31 ton CO₂/day and 230.34 ton CO₂/day respectively for the urban solid waste incineration facilities A and B; also, Calculation Method C indicated 151.79 ton CO₂/day and 218.99 ton CO₂/day, respectively.

Implications: This study intends to compare greenhouse gas emissions calculated using ¹²C content default value provided by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) with greenhouse gas emissions calculated using ¹²C content and waste assay value that can reflect the characteristics of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities. Also, the concentration and ¹²C content were calculated by directly collecting incineration gases of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities, and greenhouse gas emissions of the target urban solid waste incineration facilities through this survey were compared with greenhouse gas emissions, which used the previously calculated assay value of solid waste.     

Four decades of glacier mass balance observations in the Indian Himalaya

Understanding the glacier mass balance is necessary to explain the rate of shrinkage and to infer the impact of climate change. The present study provides an overview of the glacier mass balance records by glaciological, geodetic, hydrological and accumulation-area ratio (AAR) and specific mass balance relationship methods in the Indian Himalaya since 1970s. It suggests that the mass balance measurements by glaciological methods have been conducted for ten glaciers in the western Himalaya, four glaciers in the central Himalaya and one in the eastern Himalaya. Hydrological mass balance has been conducted only on Siachen Glacier from 1987 to 1991. Geodetic method has been attempted for the Lahaul–Spiti region for a short time span during 1999–2011 and Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya region from 2003 to 2008. We compared in situ specific balance data series with specific mass balance derived from AAR and specific mass balance relationship. The results derived from existing and newly presented regression model based on AAR and specific mass balance relationship induced unrealistic specific mass balance for several glaciers. We also revised AAR0 and ELA0 based on available in situ AAR and specific mass balance data series of Indian Himalayan glaciers. In general, in situ specific and cumulative specific mass balance observed over different regions of the Indian Himalayan glaciers shows mostly negative mass balance years with a few positive ones during 1974–2012. On a regional level, the geodetic studies suggest that on the whole western, the central and the eastern Himalaya experienced vast thinning during the last decade (2000s). Conversely, Karakoram region showed slight mass gain during almost similar period. However, the glaciological, hydrological and geodetic mass balance data appear to exhibit short time series bias. We therefore recommend creation of benchmark glaciers network for future research to determine the impact of climate change on the Himalayan cryosphere.