Mercury volatilisation and phytoextraction from base-metal mine tailings

Experiments were carried out in plant growth chambers and in the field to investigate plant-mercury accumulation and volatilisation in the presence of thiosulphate (S2O3)-containing solutions. Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) plants grown in Hg-contaminated Tui mine tailings (New Zealand) were enclosed in gastight volatilisation chambers to investigate the effect of ammonium thiosulphate ([NH4]2 S2O3) on the plant-Hg volatilisation process. Application of (NH4)2 S2O3 to substrates increased up to 6 times the Hg concentration in shoots and roots of B. juncea relative to controls. Volatilisation rates were significantly higher in plants irrigated only with water (control) when compared to plants treated with (NH4)2 S2O3. Volatilisation from barren pots (without plants) indicated that Hg in tailings is subject to biological and photochemical reactions. Addition of sodium thiosulphate (Na2S2O3) at 5 g/kg of substrate to B. juncea plants grown at the Tui mine site confirmed the plant growth chambers studies showing the effectiveness of thio-solutions at enhancing shoot Hg concentrations. Mercury extraction from the field plots yielded a maximum value of 25 g/ha. Mass balance studies revealed that volatilisation is a dominant pathway for Hg removal from the Tui mine site. A preliminary assessment of the risks of volatilisation indicated that enhanced Hg emissions by plants would not harm the local population and the regional environment.     

Modeling the long-term transport and accumulation of radionuclides in the landscape for derivation of dose conversion factors

To evaluate the radiological impact of potential releases to the biosphere from a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel, it is necessary to assess the long-term dynamics of the distribution of radionuclides in the environment. In this paper, we propose an approach for making prognoses of the distribution and fluxes of radionuclides released from the geosphere, in discharges of contaminated groundwater, to an evolving landscape. The biosphere changes during the temperate part (spanning approximately 20,000 years) of an interglacial period are handled by building biosphere models for the projected succession of situations. Radionuclide transport in the landscape is modeled dynamically with a series of interconnected radioecological models of those ecosystem types (sea, lake, running water, mire, agricultural land and forest) that occur at present, and are projected to occur in the future, in a candidate area for a geological repository in Sweden. The transformation between ecosystems is modeled as discrete events occurring every thousand years by substituting one model by another. Examples of predictions of the radionuclide distribution in the landscape are presented for several scenarios with discharge locations varying in time and space. The article also outlines an approach for estimating the exposure of man resulting from all possible reasonable uses of a potentially contaminated landscape, which was used for derivation of Landscape Dose Factors.     

Geochemical variations in aeolian mineral particles from the Sahara-Sahel Dust Corridor

The Sahara-Sahel Dust Corridor runs from Chad to Mauritania and expels huge amounts of mineral aerosols into the Atlantic Ocean. Data on samples collected from Algeria, Chad, Niger, and Western Sahara illustrate how corridor dust mineralogy and chemistry relate to geological source and weathering/transport history. Dusts sourced directly from igneous and metamorphic massifs are geochemically immature, retaining soluble cations (e.g., K, Na, Rb, Sr) and accessory minerals containing HFSE (e.g., Zr, Hf, U, Th) and REE. In contrast, silicate dust chemistry in desert basins (e.g., Bodélé Depression) is influenced by a longer history of transport, physical winnowing (e.g., loss of Zr, Hf, Th), chemical leaching (e.g., loss of Na, K, Rb), and mixing with intrabasinal materials such as diatoms and evaporitic salts. Mineral aerosols blown along the corridor by the winter Harmattan winds mix these basinal and basement materials. Dusts blown into the corridor from sub-Saharan Africa during the summer monsoon source from deeply chemically weathered terrains and are therefore likely to be more kaolinitic and stripped of mobile elements (e.g., Na, K, Mg, Ca, LILE), but retain immobile and resistant elements (e.g., Zr, Hf, REE). Finally, dusts blown southwestwards into the corridor from along the Atlantic Coastal Basin will be enriched in carbonate from Mesozoic-Cenozoic marine limestones, depleted in Th, Nb, and Ta, and locally contaminated by uranium-bearing phosphate deposits.     

Application of the Red List Index for conservation assessment of Spanish vascular plants

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI) is used to measure trends in extinction risk of species over time. The development of 2 red lists for Spanish vascular flora during the past decade allowed us to apply the IUCN RLI to vascular plants in an area belonging to a global biodiversity hotspot. We used the Spanish Red Lists from 2000 and 2010 to assess changes in level of threat at a national scale and at the subnational scales of Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, and peninsular Spain. We assigned retrospective IUCN categories of threat to 98 species included in the Spanish Red List of 2010 but absent in the Spanish Red List of 2000. In addition, we tested the effect of different random and taxonomic and spatial Spanish samples on the overall RLI value. From 2000 to 2010, the IUCN categories of 768 species changed (10% of Spanish flora), mainly due to improved knowledge (63%), modifications in IUCN criteria (14%), and changes in threat status (12%). All measured national and subnational RLI values decreased during this period, indicating a general decline in the conservation status of the Spanish vascular flora. The Canarian RLI value (0.84) was the lowest, although the fastest deterioration in conservation status occurred on peninsular Spain (from 0.93 in 2000 to 0.92 in 2010). The RLI values based on subsamples of the Spanish Red List were not representative of RLI values for the entire country, which would discourage the use of small areas or small taxonomic samples to assess general trends in the endangerment of national biotas. The role of the RLI in monitoring of changes in biodiversity at the global and regional scales needs further reassessment because additional areas and taxa are necessary to determine whether the index is sufficiently sensitive for use in assessing temporal changes in species’ risk of extinction.     

Fluid flow and solute transport in a network of channels

A new model to describe flow and transort in fractured rocks is proposed. It is based on the concept of a network of channels. The individual channel members are given stochastically selected conductances and volumes. Flow-rate calculations have been performed. For large standard deviations in conductances, channeling becomes pronounced with most of the water flowing in a few paths. The effluent patterns and flow-rate distributions obtained in the simulations have been compared to three field measurements in drifts and tunnels of flow-rate distributions. Standard deviations of channel conductances were between 1.6 and 2.4 in some cases. A particle-following technique was used to simulate solute transport in the network. Non-sorbing as well as sorbing solute transport can be simulated. By using a special technique, solutes that diffuse into the rock matrix can also be simulated.     

Biodegradation and Ecotoxicity of Polyethylene Films Containing Pro-Oxidant Additive

The worldwide accumulation of non-degradable plastic materials, such as plastic bags, is one of the most important environmental concerns nowadays. The use of degradable materials is an option to mitigate the environmental impact generated by the consumption of plastics. One of the technologies used for the manufacture and use of degradable plastics is the use of pro-degradant additives that are incorporated in conventional plastics to promote their degradation under certain conditions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the process of oxidation, biodegradation and potential ecotoxicity of polyethylene films containing an oxo-degradable additive, according to the standard ASTM D-6954. This method establishes a procedure in which the samples are subjected to consecutive steps of accelerated oxidation, biodegradation by composting and ecotoxicity assessment. Furthermore, the effect of the presence of printing ink in the polyethylene samples with oxo-degradable additive was evaluated, and the results were compared with those obtained for samples of conventional polyethylene and polylactic acid. After 180 days of laboratory controlled composting, the samples reached the following percentages of biodegradation: polylactic acid, 41 %; printed oxo-degradable polyethylene, 32.24 %; oxo-degradable polyethylene, 25.84 %; printed polyethylene, 18.23 % and polyethylene, 13.48 %. The cellulose sample used as a control was mineralized in 58.45 %. Ecotoxicity assessment showed that the products of biodegradation of the samples tested, did not generate a negative effect on germination or development of the vegetal species studied. Under proper waste management conditions, these plastics can be used as an option to decrease the environmental impact of plastic films.     

宝钢厂区植被碳储量及其固碳效益评价

以著名钢铁企业上海宝钢为例,基于厂区植被调查、航片数字化解释、优势种生物量测定及模型建立,对宝钢厂区植被碳储量和固碳能力进行估算,并通过碳税法对其固碳效益进行评价,以期为城市工业区绿地群落配置和绿化树种选择、企业绿化建设的费用效益分析提供更为科学的依据。结果表明:宝钢厂区植被总碳储量为3992.99～4736.17 t,固碳效益为13507.33～16185.85万元;平均碳密度为45.82～53.27 t/hm2,固碳能力为5.91～6.87t/(hm2.a),高于上海城市森林平均值,但小于中国森林平均值,一定程度上受平均胸径、郁闭度及群落密度等因素影响。厂区在进行绿化建设时,应考虑选择防污且固碳能力强的植物,构建防污固碳兼有型群落,发挥植被的多元功能。     

Pollen allergy related to the area of residence in the city of Córdoba,south-west Spain

The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between the distribution of hay-fever patients in the city of Córdoba, south-western Iberian Peninsula, and the specific atmospheric biological content originating from local sources. Four different districts were established in the metropolitan area of the city, according to vegetational and urbanistic characteristics. Air samples were taken in each area using portable Hirst-type samplers (Lanzoni VPPS 1000) and the spectrum of biological content was defined. Patients attending the Allergy Unit at Córdoba Teaching Hospital in 2000 with allergic rhinitis and/or asthma, and displaying a positive reaction to aeroallergen extracts, were distributed within the areas as a function of their district of residence. Aerobiological results revealed differences in pollen content between areas, in terms of both quantity and number of pollen types recorded. These differences were largely due to proximity to rural areas, prevalence of pollen from typically urban species and the possible effect of urban architecture as a barrier to the dispersal/ concentration of particles and other pollutants. Patients were not uniformly distributed within the city. The majority lived in districts in which pollen from rural species was mixed with pollen from ornamentals. Patients living in typically urban districts displayed a higher prevalence of allergy to pollen from ornamentals. It is concluded that a high degree of exposure to the same environment may influence the development of sensitisation to the particular pollen load associated with that area.     

Foraminiferal biotopes and their distribution control in Ria de Aveiro (Portugal): a multiproxy approach

Ria de Aveiro, which is located in the centre of Portugal (40° 38′ N, 8° 45′ W), is a well-mixed and complex coastal lagoon that is separated from the sea by a sandy barrier and connects with the Atlantic through an artificial inlet. Tidal currents are the main factor controlling the lagoon’s hydrodynamics and, to a great extent, the sedimentary dynamic. The inner lagoonal zones receive input from several rivers and experience the pressure caused by the accumulation of organic matter and pollutants (namely, trace metals) from diverse anthropic activities. This paper is the first piece of work aiming to recognize, characterize and explain the main benthic foraminiferal biotopes in Ria de Aveiro. To provide a broad overview of this kind of setting, our results are compared to those of previous published studies conducted in similar transitional environments. The research is based on an investigation of 225 sites spread throughout this ecosystem. Utilizing a statistical approach, this study analyses the details of dead benthic foraminiferal assemblages composed of 260 taxa, the texture and composition (mineralogical and geochemical) of the sediment and physicochemical data. On the basis of the results of R-mode and Q-mode cluster analyses, several different biotopes can be defined as marsh biotope/near-marsh biotope; marginal urban/marginal urban mixing biotope; inner-outer lagoon biotope or enclosed lagoon; outer lagoon biotope, mixed sub-biotope; and outer lagoon, marine sub-biotope. These biotopes are related to foraminifera assemblages and substrate type and are influenced by local currents, water depth, chemical and physicochemical conditions, river or oceanic proximity, and anthropogenic impact, as evidenced by the mapping of the six factor loadings of the principal component analysis conducted herein. Based on a similar methodology of analysis as that applied in previous studies in the Lagoon of Venice, comparable biotypes were identified in Lagoon of Aveiro.