An Assessment of U(VI) removal from groundwater using biochar produced from hydrothermal carbonization

The ever-increasing growth of biorefineries is expected to produce huge amounts of lignocellulosic biochar as a byproduct. The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process to produce biochar from lignocellulosic biomass is getting more attention due to its inherent advantage of using wet biomass. In the present study, biochar was produced from switchgrass at 300 °C in subcritical water and characterized using X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron micrcoscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The physiochemical properties indicated that biochar could serve as an excellent adsorbent to remove uranium from groundwater. A batch adsorption experiment at the natural pH (~3.9) of biochar indicated an H-type isotherm. The adsorption data was fitted using a Langmuir isotherm model and the sorption capacity was estimated to be ca. 2.12 mg of U g(-1) of biochar. The adsorption process was highly dependent on the pH of the system. An increase towards circumneutral pH resulted in the maximum adsorption of ca. 4 mg U g(-1) of biochar. The adsorption mechanism of U(VI) onto biochar was strongly related to its pH-dependent aqueous speciation. The results of the column study indicate that biochar could be used as an effective adsorbent for U(VI), as a reactive barrier medium. Overall, the biochar produced via HTC is environmentally benign, carbon neutral, and efficient in removing U(VI) from groundwater.     

Immobilization of mercury by pyrite (FeS2)

Elemental mercury (Hg⁰) is a metal with a number of atypical properties, which has resulted in its use in myriad anthropogenic processes. However, these same properties have also led to severe local subsurface contamination at many places where it has been used. As such, we studied the influence of various parameters on Hg(II) sorption onto pyrite (pH, time, Hg(II) concentration), a potential subsurface reactive barrier. Batch sorption studies revealed that total Hg(II) removal increases with both pH and time. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis showed that a transformation in the coordination environment at low pH occurred during aging over 2 weeks, to form an ordered monolayer of monodentate Hg-Cl complexes on pyrite. In column studies packed with pure quartz sand, the transport of Hg(II) was significantly retarded by the presence of a thin pyrite-sand reactive barrier, although dissolved oxygen inhibited Hg(II) sorption onto pyrite in the column.     

制订我国污染场地土壤风险筛选值的几点建议

近年来,我国大中城市陆续开展污染企业搬迁,环境管理上要求对搬迁场地进行商业开发前必须开展场地环境调查、风险评估和修复,客观上要求有一套场地环境评价标准和污染土壤修复标准.针对目前国内污染场地标准缺失及盲目引用国外相关筛选值出现的误区,分析了美国、荷兰和英国土壤筛选值差异的主要原因,为合理借鉴国外土壤筛选值及其制定方法学...     

土壤石油烃类污染治理方法述评

本文介绍了土壤中石油烃类的危害，在土壤中的主要存在形态及迁移转化情况；概述了近年来国内外治理土壤石油烃类污染和各种方法，并从场外治理和现场治理两个角度分别对各种物理、化学和生物治理方法的优缺点、可行性进行了述评；同时对联合运用多种技术，实行综合治理进行了讨论．     

The legacy of surface mining: Remediation,restoration, reclamation and rehabilitation

Surface mining is a global phenomenon. When dealing with the land disturbances caused by surface mining operations, the terms remediation, reclamation, restoration and rehabilitation (R4) are commonly used interchangeably or otherwise vaguely defined. Expectations associated with these terms may differ significantly from one stakeholder to another, however. Regulators, industry, environmental practitioners, local communities and the general public therefore stand to benefit from a precise terminology based on agreed-upon end-goals. The latter range from the avoidance of exposure to pollutants (remediation) to the full recovery of the original ecosystem (restoration). Although frequently claimed as the end-goal, restoration may often not be unachievable, because of altered hydrology, habitat fragmentation, contamination, climate change, prohibitive costs and other environmental and socio-economic boundary conditions. Mostly, the definitions of reclamation and rehabilitation may overlap in their definitions and approaches. Here we attempt the creation of a road-map that can clearly translate end-goals for each of the R4 terms. According to the definitions encountered and exposed here, reclamation, which aims to recover key ecosystem services and biogeochemical functions within a replacement ecosystem or rehabilitation, which implies a repurposing of the landscape, may be the best approaches to deal with surface mining legacies.     

Evaluation of the optimal washing conditions for dioxin-contaminated soils from the circumference of an incinerator

 The optimal soil-washing conditions for dioxins were estimated on a soil sample from the circumference of an incinerator in Nose City, Osaka, Japan. The solvents ethanol, methanol, and acetone, together with a surfactant (100% of each) could extract 40% of the dioxins from contaminated soil at room temperature. From among these solvents, ethanol was chosen for a study on how to optimize the extraction conditions because of its low toxicity and its economic advantages. The time-course of the agitation showed that the extraction rate increased for 1 min, and thereafter the rate decreased. Therefore, the agitation time was fixed at 1 min. To estimate the effect of temperature on the extraction rate, the extraction temperature was changed. The amount of dioxins extracted was largest at the boiling point of ethanol (78.3°C), giving about 76% extraction. Furthermore, at this temperature, almost 100% of the dioxins in the contaminated soil were extracted when the ratio of water to ethanol was 20%. Received: March 6, 2002 / Accepted: September 9, 2002     

环境胁迫因子对固定菌修复污染土壤效果的研究

通过对环境胁迫因子参数的不同设定,对固定菌修复污染土壤效果进行了研究.结果显示,当环境胁迫因子温度(高温40 ℃和低温15 ℃)、酸碱度(pH＝4和pH＝9)及重金属(Cd和Pb)存在时,对固定菌降解污染物的影响并不大,而游离菌降解率却有一定的下降趋势.进一步观察了固定化载体内部微观结构,为固定菌用于有机污染土壤的异位修复提供了一定的理论基础.     

Extraction of arsenic in a synthetic arsenic-contaminated soil using phosphate

An environment-friendly and cost-effective extraction method has been studied for the removal of arsenic from contaminated soil. A yellow-brown forest soil was contaminated with arsenic(V) and used as a model soil. Among various potassium and sodium salts, potassium phosphate was most effective in extracting arsenic, attaining more than 40% extraction in the pH range of 6–8 with minimum damage to the soil properties. Exchange mechanism is proposed for the extraction of arsenic from soil by phosphate. Sequential extraction shows that phosphate is effective in extracting arsenic of Al- and Fe-bound forms. Arsenic of residual form was not extracted. Arsenic was efficiently extracted by phosphate solution of pH 6.0 at 300 mM phosphate concentration and at 40°C.     

Life cycle assessment of active and passive groundwater remediation technologies

Groundwater remediation technologies, such as pump-and-treat (PTS) and funnel-and-gate systems (FGS), aim at reducing locally appearing contaminations. Therefore, these methodologies are basically evaluated with respect to their capability to yield local improvements of an environmental situation, commonly neglecting that their application is also associated with secondary impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) represents a widely accepted method of assessing the environmental aspects and potential impacts related to a product, process or service. This study presents the set-up of a LCA framework in order to compare the secondary impacts caused by two conceptually different technologies at the site of a former manufactured gas plant in the city of Karlsruhe, Germany. As a FGS is already operating at this site, a hypothetical PTS of the same functionality is adopted. During the LCA, the remediation systems are evaluated by focusing on the main technical elements and their significance with respect to resource depletion and potential adverse effects on ecological quality, as well as on human health. Seven impact categories are distinguished to address a broad spectrum of possible environmental loads. A main point of discussion is the reliability of technical assumptions and performance predictions for the future. It is obvious that a high uncertainty exists when estimating impact specific indicator values over operation times of decades. An uncertainty analysis is conducted to include the imprecision of the underlying emission and consumption data and a scenario analysis is utilised to contrast various possible technological variants. Though the results of the study are highly site-specific, a generalised relative evaluation of potential impacts and their main sources is the principle objective rather than a discussion of the calculated absolute impacts. A crucial finding that can be applied to any other site is the central role of steel, which particularly derogates the valuation of FGS due to the associated emissions that are harmful to human health. In view of that, environmental credits can be achieved by selecting a mineral-based wall instead of sheet piles for the funnel construction and by minimising the steel consumption for the gate construction. Granular activated carbon (GAC) is exclusively considered as the treatment material, both in-situ and on-site. Here it is identified as an additional main determinant of the relative assessment of the technologies since it is continuously consumed.     

Variation in PAH inputs and microbial community in surface sediments of Hamilton Harbour: implications to remediation and monitoring

Variations in concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and microbial community indicators were investigated in representative highly contaminated and less contaminated surface sediment sites of Hamilton Harbour. Inputs of PAH to the upper 3cm of sediments up to four times the average upper sediment concentrations were observed. Associated PAH fingerprint profiles indicated that the source was consistent with the PAH source to the industrial region of the harbour. Increased PAH loadings were associated with decreased bacterial populations as indicated by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations. However, relatively minor impacts on overall community composition were indicated. Porewater methane concentrations and isotopic data indicated a difference in the occurrence of methane oxidation between the two sites. This study confirms temporally limited transport of contaminants from highly impacted regions as a vector for contaminants within the harbour and the impact on microbial carbon cycling and bed stability.