A simplified approach to modelling underground migration of radionuclides from contaminated river sediments

Accidental releases of waste water from the first Czechoslovak nuclear power plant, A1, caused contamination of sediments of the Dudváh river, flowing into the Vah river, in Slovakia. Rather high concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr (2150Bq dm⁻³ and 215Bq dm⁻³, respectively) were found in bottom sediments of a former channel of the re-engineered river body at a distance of about 250 m from a village, Siladice, with water-supply wells. In order to assess the possibility of contamination of the wells, underground migration of both radionuclides from the contaminated area was simulated using an original layered convection-diffusion model. K_d values determined in laboratory experiments were used. The analysis of the hydrological situation in the area reveals that the critical condition is a dominant horizontal groundwater flow near the water table in the direction from the Váh bank to Siladice, in the periods when the contaminated body lies under the water table. The simulation calculated under conservative conditions showed that the contamination of water-supply wells would not exceed permissible concentration limits.     

Biodegradation of crosslinked acrylic polymers by a white-rot fungus

Two synthetic superabsorbent crosslinked acrylic polymers were mineralized by the white-rot fungusPhanerochaete chrysosporium. The amount of polymer converted to CO₂ increased as the amount of polymer added to the cultures increased. In the presence of sufficiently large amounts of the superabsorbents, such that all of the culture fluid was absorbed and a gelatinous matrix was formed, the fungus still grew and mineralization was observed. Neither the polymers, nor their degradation products were toxic to the fungus. While the rates of mineralization were low, all of the polymers incubated in the liquid fungal cultures were completely depolymerized to water soluble products within 15–18 days. The depolymerization of the polymers was observed only in nitrogen limited cultures of the fungus which secrete the lignin degradation system, however, the water soluble products of depolymerization were mineralized in both nutrient limited and sufficient cultures of the fungus. The rate of mineralization of the depolymerized metabolites was more than two times greater in nutrient sufficient cultures. Following longer incubation periods, most (> 80 %) of the radioactivity was recovered in the fungal mycelial mat suggesting that carbon of the polymer had been converted to fungal metabolites.     

Germination and seedling development of switchgrass and smooth bromegrass exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

It is estimated that explosives contaminate approximately 0.82 million cubic metres of soil at former military installations throughout the US; major contaminants often include 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and its degradation products. At some sites, phytoremediation may be a viable option to incineration or other costly remediation treatments. Grasses may be particularly suited for remediation because of their growth habit and adaptability to a wide range of soil and climate conditions. We characterized the effects of TNT on germination and early seedling development of switchgrass and smooth bromegrass to evaluate their potential use on contaminated sites. Switchgrass and smooth bromegrass seeds were germinated in nutrient-free agar containing 0 to 60 mg TNT litre(-1). Smooth bromegrass germination decreased as TNT concentration increased, while switchgrass germination was unaffected by TNT. Concentrations up to 15 mg TNT litre(-1) did not affect switchgrass root growth rate, but bromegrass root growth was reduced at TNT concentrations above 7.5 mg litre(-1). At 7.5 mg TNT litre(-1), however, shoot growth rate was reduced in both species. Examination at 20-fold magnification revealed switchgrass radicles were unaffected by TNT, while smooth bromegrass radicles appeared slightly swollen. Results indicate switchgrass is more tolerant of TNT than smooth bromegrass, but the establishment of both species may be limited to soil containing less than 50 mg kg(-1) of extractable TNT.     

Predicting change in fish mercury concentrations following reservoir impoundment

Fish mercury concentrations frequently increase after impoundment of a reservoir. Soil flooding releases organic matter and nutrients, providing food to bacterial communities that methylate inorganic mercury. Methylation and bioaccumulation are the primary pathways for mercury accumulation in fish. We investigated if changes in fish mercury concentrations could be predicted from the change in reservoir size. Data for three fish species, northern pike (Esox lucius), walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from reservoirs in northern Manitoba and northern Quebec were used to evaluate four simple models of change in mercury with change in flooded area. For three additional fish species, all primary carnivores, the preferred model consisted of a single exponential enrichment term. This model successfully predicted two cases not used in model development-one with a large change in area and one with a small change in area. Models with good predictive skill can be developed when the underlying dynamics are known.     

Miscible fluid displacement stability in unconfined porous media:: Two-dimensional flow experiments and simulations

In situ flushing groundwater remediation technologies, such as cosolvent flushing, rely on the stability of the interface between the resident and displacing fluids for efficient removal of contaminants. Contrasts in density and viscosity between the resident and displacing fluids can adversely affect the stability of the displacement front. Petroleum engineers have developed techniques to describe these types of processes; however, their findings do not necessarily translate directly to aquifer remediation. The purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate how density and viscosity contrasts affected cosolvent displacements in unconfined porous media characterized by the presence of a capillary fringe. Two-dimensional flow laboratory experiments, which were partially scaled to a cosolvent flushing field experiment, were conducted to determine potential implications of flow instabilities in homogeneous sand packs. Numerical simulations were also conducted to investigate the differential impact of fluid property contrasts in unconfined and confined systems. The results from these experiments and simulations indicated that the presence of a capillary fringe was an important factor in the displacement efficiency. Buoyant forces can act to carry a lighter-than-water cosolvent preferentially into the capillary fringe during displacement of the resident groundwater. During subsequent water flooding, buoyancy forces can act to effectively trap the cosolvent in the capillary fringe, contributing to the inefficient removal of cosolvent from the aquifer.     

Natural phillipsite as a matrix for a slow-release formulation of oxamyl

The performance of phillipsite as a matrix for slow-release formulation of oxamyl [N,N-dimethyl-2-methylcarbamoyl-oxymino-2-(methylthio)acetamide] was tested. The adsorption kinetics followed a first-order law, and the adsorption isotherm fitted well in a two-surface Langmuir model, suggesting a double mechanism of interaction between oxamyl and the sorbent. The sorption mechanism, studied by FTIR, provided two fractions of oxamyl. The first one is sorbed on the mineral surface, linked by H-bonding, and the second one is constituted by a multilayer of oxamyl molecules linked by a water bridge between them. The release kinetics of oxamyl from a substratum zeolite-oxamyl also follows a first-order law, with two stages that correspond to both fractions of oxamyl previously detected.     

Fractionation of fulvic acids: characteristics and complexation with copper

Two fulvic acid samples isolated from Suwannee river (International Humic Substance Society) and Feeitsuey reservoir were subjected to gel filtration chromatography (GFC) for molecular size fractionation. The GFC-eluted samples were separated into three groups corresponding to the molecular weight ranges: < 220, 220-1000, and 1000-4000. Fluorescence quenching techniques were employed for determining the conditional stability coefficient and kinetic parameters of copper complexation with the three fractions of fulvic acids. Experimental conditions were pH 6, 5 x 10(-5)m total copper and 5 mg C litre(-1) of fulvic acids. The conditional stability coefficients of the fulvic acid fractions were in the order of 0.9-3.3 x 10(5)m(-1), and the forward and reverse rate constants were in the order of 6.9-12.4 x 10(3)m(-1) s(-1) and 3.5-8.0 x 10(-2) s(-1). Information could be useful in modelling copper transport in the hydrosphere.     

Management options to limit nitrate leaching from grassland

Nitrate leaching can be reduced by the adoption of less intensive grassland systems which, though requiring a greater land area to achieve the same agricultural output, result in less nitrate leaching per unit of production than do intensively managed grasslands. The economic penalties associated with reductions in output can be partly offset by greater reliance on symbiotic nitrogen fixation and the use of clover-based swards in place of synthetic N fertilisers. Alternatively, specific measures can be adopted to improve the efficiency of nitrogen use in intensively managed systems in order to maintain high outputs but with reduced losses. Controls should take account of other forms of loss and flows of nitrogen between grassland and other components of the whole-farm system and, in most instances, should result in an overall reduction in nitrogen inputs. Removing stock from the fields earlier in the grazing season will reduce the accumulation of high concentrations of potentially leachable nitrate in the soil of grazed pastures but will increase the quantity of manure produced by housed animals and the need to recycle this effectively. Supplementing grass diets with low-nitrogen forages such as maize silage will reduce the quantity of nitrogen excreted by livestock but may increase the potential for nitrate leaching elsewhere on the farm if changes to cropping patterns involve more frequent cultivation of grassland. Improved utilisation by the sward of nitrogen in animal excreta and manures and released by mineralisation of soil organic matter will permit equivalent reductions to be made in fertiliser inputs, provided that adequate information is available about the supply of nitrogen from these non-fertiliser sources.     

Persistent organochlorines in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St Lawrence River estuary--I. Concentrations and patterns of specific PCBs, chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans

Blubber samples from beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the St Lawrence River estuary were analysed for PCB congeners (ortho- and non-ortho-substituted) and other persistent organochlorines as well as chlorinated dibenzo-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs). Major individual components (mean concentrations > 1 microg g(-1)) were 4,4'-DDE, -DDD and -DDT, T12 (a toxaphene-related compound), trans-nonachlor, oxychlordane, mirex, HCB, tris(p-chlorophenyl) methane and dieldrin. Concentrations of SigmaPCBs (8.3-412 microg g(-1)), SigmaDDT (3.36-389 microg g(-1)) and mirex (0.18-6.8 microg g(-1)) were particularly elevated relative to other odontocetes in Canadian waters. SigmaDDT, PCBs (as Aroclor), mirex and T12 concentrations were positively correlated with age of adult females (> 10 years) but only weakly, or not significantly, correlated with age of adult males. PCDD/Fs were present at low ng kg(-1) levels and consisted mainly of penta- and hexachlorofurans, and hepta- and octachlorodioxin. CB126 (3,3',4,4',5-PCB) was the most prominent non-ortho-substituted PCB congener in beluga blubber. Total TCDD toxic equivalents averaged 330 ng kg(-1) in females and 1400 ng kg(-1) in males and were dominated by CB126, and the mono-ortho-substituted congeners CB105 and CB118. Biomagnification factors (BMFs) for mirex and SigmaPCB from fish to beluga ranged from 11 to 16, and were similar to BMFs in Arctic animals, indicating that elevated levels in St Lawrence animals are a consequence of relatively high levels of recalcitrant organochlorines in prey of the beluga in the St Lawrence river system.