Metal content in street dust as a reflection of atmospheric dust emissions from coal power plants, metal smelters, and traffic

Resuspended street dust is a source of inhalable particles in urban environments. Despite contaminated street dust being a possible health risk factor for local population, little is known about the contribution of atmospheric dust emissions and other factors to the content of toxic metals in street dust. The impact of smelting, traffic, and power plants on metal contaminates in street dust is the focus of street dust sampling at 46 locations in the Witbank area (Republic of South Africa). This area is characterized by numerous open-pit coal mines in the Karoo coal basin, which provides a cheap source of energy to numerous metallurgical smelters and ironworks and supplies coal to the coal-fired power plants located nearby. Street dust was collected on asphalt or concrete surfaces with hard plastic brushes, avoiding collecting of possible sand, soil, or plant particles. Chemical analysis was done on the <0.125 mm fraction using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry subsequent to total digestion. Exceptionally high concentrations of metals were detected with concentrations of Fe reaching 17.7 %, Cr 4.3 %, Mn 2 %, Ni 366 mg/kg, and V 4,410 mg/kg. Factor analysis indicates three sources for the pollution. Road traffic which contributes to the high concentrations of Cu, Pb, Sb, and Sn, with the highest impacts detected in the town of Witbank. The second source is associated with the metal smelting industry, contributing to Fe, Co, Mn, and V emissions. The highest factor scores were observed around four metallurgical smelter operations, located in the Ferrobank, Highveld, and Clewer industrial areas. Impact of vanadium smelter to street dust composition could still be detected some 20 km away from the sources. Exceptionally high concentrations of Cr were observed in four samples collected next to the Ferrobank industrial area, despite Cr not being loaded in factor 2. The last source of the pollution is most probably fly ash associated with the coal-fired power plants and fly ash dumps. Elements which are associated with this source are Al, Sr, and Li. This factor is abundant in the coal mining part of the study area.     

The controlling of landfill leachate evapotranspiration from soil-plant systems with willow: Salix amygdalina L.

The use of willows (Salix amygdalina L) to manage landfill leachate disposal is an effective and cost-effective method due to the high transpiration ability of the willow plants. A 2-year lysimetric experiment was performed to determine an optimum leachate hydraulic loading rate to achieve high evapotranspiration but exert no harmful influence on the plants. The evapotranspiration rate of a soil-plant system planted with the willow was 1.28-5.12-fold higher than the rate measured on a soil surface lacking vegetation, suggesting that soil-willow systems with high volatilization rates are a viable landfill leachate treatment method. Of the soil-willow systems, the one with willow growing on sand amended with sewage sludge soil at an hydraulic loading rate of 1 mm day(-1) performed best, with evapotranspiration ranging from 2.25 to 3.02 mm day(-1) and a biomass yield of 8.0-9.85 Mg dry matter ha(-1). The organic fraction of the soil increased as much as 2.5% of dry matter, due to the sewage sludge input, which exerted a positive effect on the biomass yield as well as on transpiration and evaporation. It was observed that the plants in the sand-and-sewage sludge soil systems displayed higher resistance to toxic effects from the applied landfill leachate relative to plants in the sand-soil systems.     

Comparison of extraction methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon determination in sediments

Different sample preparation methods for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lake and river sediments were compared and evaluated. Freeze‐dried sediment materials were extracted using Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic agitation and digestion with various solvents and solvent mixtures. Similarly, clean‐up methods using various types of sorbents for separation of PAHs tested.

The following method gives the best results for the determination of PAHs: freeze‐dried sediment samples were extracted using Soxhlet extractor with dichloromethane (6 hr, dark), extracts were cleanup using Silica gel and a mixture of n‐hexa‐ne‐dichloromethane was used for the elution of PAHs.

This method was used for the determination of 7 selected PAHs in sediment samples from Finnish lakes and Czech streams.     

Currarino triad: concurrent US and MRI diagnosis in the fetus and the mother

We report an unusual case of the complete Currarino triad diagnosed in a fetus at 21 weeks' gestation by means of prenatal ultrasonography (US). The highly suspicious findings in the fetus were accompanied by analogous US findings in the mother who suffered from mild symptoms of up to that time unrecognized Currarino triad. Consecutively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the findings simultaneously in the fetus and in her mother. This is the first report describing the prenatal diagnosis of Currarino triad without the background of positive family history. To our knowledge, the prenatal MRI findings of Currarino triad have not yet been published. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Long-term influence of tillage and fertilization on net carbon dioxide exchange rate on two soils with different textures

The importance of agricultural practices to greenhouse gas mitigation is examined worldwide. However, there is no consensus on soil organic carbon (SOC) content and CO emissions as affected by soil management practices and their relationships with soil texture. No-till (NT) agriculture often results in soil C gain, though, not always. Soil net CO exchange rate (NCER) and environmental factors (SOC, soil temperature [T], and water content [W]), as affected by soil type (loam and sandy loam), tillage (conventional, reduced, and NT), and fertilization, were quantified in long-term field experiments in Lithuania. Soil tillage and fertilization affected total CO flux (heterotrophic and autotrophic) through effect on soil SOC sequestration, water, and temperature regime. After 11 yr of different tillage and fertilization management, SOC content was 23% more in loam than in sandy loam. Long-term NT contributed to 7 to 27% more SOC sequestration on loam and to 29 to 33% more on sandy loam compared with reduced tillage (RT) or conventional tillage (CT). Soil water content in loam was 7% more than in sandy loam. Soil gravimetric water content, averaged across measurement dates and fertilization treatments, was significantly less in NT than CT and RT in both soils. Soil organic carbon content and water storage capacity of the loam and sandy loam soils exerted different influences on NCER. The NCER from the sandy loam soil was 13% greater than that from the loam. In addition, NCER was 4 to 9% less with NT than with CT and RT systems on both loam and sandy loam soils. Application of mineral NPK fertilizers promoted significantly greater NCER from loam but suppressed NCER by 15% from sandy loam.     

Mobility of metals and metalloids from SHOS coal ash and slag deposit: mineralogical and geochemical constraints

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Deposits remained after coal combustion are a well-known occurrence in the world; unfortunately, only a small percentage of such deposits are...     

Impact of air pollution on outdoor cultural heritage objects and decoding the role of particulate matter: a critical review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Atmospheric gases and particulate matter (PM) in contact with the material’s surface lead to chemical and physical changes, which in most cases...