Pesticides in the groundwater of a spring draining a sandy aquifer: temporal variability of concentrations and fluxes

A 250 ha agricultural catchment has been characterized with respect to its hydrogeology and groundwater contamination by pesticides from October 1999 to August 2004. Five years after the ending of atrazine (At) application, used since the sixties, At and deethylatrazine (DEA) are still systematically quantified at the outlet of the watershed with concentrations from 0.07 to 0.43 microg l(-1) for At, and between 0.14 and 1.16 microg l(-1) for DEA. Isoproturon and chlortoluron are detected in only one (0.3 microg l(-1)) and two (0.7 and 2.0 microg l(-1)) of the 124 semi-monthly samples, respectively. DEA concentrations can be very different between two samples with a 15-day time step. The annual mean exported fluxes of cumulated At and DEA are stable, which indicates a long time transfer in the unsaturated or saturated zone with a progressive leaching of the stock of At and DEA probably accumulated in the soil and the vadose zone. These fluxes, between 0.90% and 2.82% of the annual mean dose of At applied before 1999, similar to those calculated in several studies at the bottom of the root zone, could be explained by low adsorption and degradation properties of At and DEA in the unsaturated and saturated zone.     

Exposure to benzene,toluene, xylenes and total hydrocarbons among snowmobile drivers in Sweden

The exposure to benzene, toluene, xylenes and total hydrocarbons among 25 individuals exposed to exhaust from a snowmobile equipped with a two-stroke engine has been evaluated. Sampling was performed by pumped and diffusive sampling in parallel. There was a relatively bad agreement between the two air-sampling methods. The bad agreement can in part be explained by back diffusion of the substances from the samplers, a high face velocity, and deposition of droplets of unburned gasoline onto or in the vicinity of the samplers.

The levels of benzene ranged from not detectable (0.01 mg m⁻³) to 2.5 mg m⁻³. For toluene, xylenes and total hydrocarbons the exposure was 0.10–12.0, 0.05–13.0 and 0.90–273 mg m⁻³ respectively. The result from two measurements on individuals travelling on an open sleigh at the rear of the vehicle indicated higher levels of benzene, 0.7–0.8 mg m⁻³. Children are often riding as a passenger on a sledge and may thus have a higher exposure than their parents. This study indicates that spare time driving a snowmobile may cause a considerable exposure to benzene. Using a four-stroke engine equipped with a catalyst could reduce the exposure. To reduce the exposure for the passenger on a sleigh an extension of the exhaust pipe may be effective.     

自然水体中主要有毒有机物的研究进展

介绍了主要有毒有机物多环芳烃(PAHs)、多氯联苯(PCBs)、有机氯农药(OCPs)在环境中的危害及其来源,着重评述了近年来中国自然水体中和沉积物中该类污染物的研究进展,指出新的检测技术的开发、有毒有机物的生殖毒性和生态环境风险影响方法学的研究及污染区域污染控制、消减及修复是今后该领域的工作重点.     

Successful Treatment of Low PAH-Contaminated Sewage Sludge in Aerobic Bioreactors (7 pp) *

Background, Aims and Scope Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their adverse and cumulative effects at low concentration. In particular, the PAHs accumulate in sewage sludge during wastewater treatment, and may thereafter contaminate agricultural soils by spreading sludge on land. Therefore, sludge treatment processes constitute the unique opportunity of PAH removal before their release in the environment. In this study, the ability of aerobic microorganisms to degrade light and heavy PAHs was investigated in continuous bioreactors treating trace-level PAH-contaminated sludge. Methods Several aerobic reactors were operated under continuous and perfectly mixed conditions to simulate actual aerobic sludge digesters. Three sterile control reactors were performed at 35°C, 45°C or 55°C to assess PAH abiotic losses under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Three biological reactors were also operated at 35°C, 45°C or 55°C. Furthermore, 250 mM methanol were added in an additional mesophilic reactor (35°C). All reactors were fed with long-term PAH-contaminated sewage sludge, and PAH removal was assessed by inlet/outlet mass balance. In this study, PAH compounds ranged from 2 to 5-unsubstituted aromatic rings, i.e. respectively from Fluorene to Indeno(123cd)pyrene. Results and Discussion Significant abiotic losses were observed for the lightest PAHs (fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene), while biodegradation occurred for all PAHs. More than 80% of the lightest PAHs were removed. Biodegradation rates inversely correlated with the increasing molecular weight, and seemed limited by the low bioavailability of the heaviest PAHs (only 50% of removal). The enhancement of PAH bioavailability by increasing the process temperature or adding methanol was tested. A temperature increase from 35°C to 45°C and then to 55°C significantly enhanced the biodegradation of the heaviest PAHs from 50% to 80%. However, high abiotic losses were observed for all PAHs at 55°C, which was attributed to volatilization. Optimal conditions were found at 45°C considering the low abiotic losses and the high PAH biodegradation rates. Similar performances were achieved by addition of methanol in the sludge. It was concluded that increasing temperatures or addition of methanol favored PAH diffusion from solids to an aqueous compartment, and enhanced their bioavailability to PAH-degrading microorganisms. Conclusion In this study, the use of long-term acclimated aerobic ecosystems showed the high potential of aerobic microorganisms to degrade a wide range of PAHs at trace levels. However, PAH biodegradation was likely controlled by their low bioavailability. Two aerobic processes have been finally proposed to achieve efficient decontamination of sewage sludge, at 45°C or in the presence of methanol. The PAH concentrations in reactor outlet were lower than the French requirements, and allow the treated sludge to be spread on agricultural land. Recommendations and Outlook The two proposed aerobic processes used physical or chemical diffusing agents. The global ecological impact of using the latter agents for treating trace level contamination must be considered. Since methanol was completely removed during the process, no additional harm is expected after treatment. However, an increase of temperature to 45°C could drastically increase the energy demand in full-scale plants, and therefore the ecological impact of the process. Moreover, since bioavailability controls PAH biodegradation, efficiency of the processes could also be influenced by the hydraulic parameters, such as mixing and aeration rates. Further experimentations in a pilot scale are therefore recommended, as well as a final assessment of the global environmental benefit of using such aerobic processes in the bioremediation of trace level compounds. - Abbreviations (PAHs): Ant – anthracene; B(a)A – benzo(a)anthracene ; B(b)F – benzo(b)fluoranthene; B(k)F – benzo(k)fluoranthene; B(ghi)P – benzo(g,h,i)perylene; B(a)P – benzo(a)pyrene; Chrys – chrysene; DB – dibenzo(a,h)anthracene; Fluor – fluoranthene; Fluo - fluorene; Ind – indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene; Phe - phenanthrene; Pyr – pyrene - * The basis of this peer-reviewed paper is a presentation at the 9th FECS Conference on 'Chemistry and Environment', 29 August to 1 September 2004, Bordeaux, France.     

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.     

基于HERA土壤分层风险评估的SVE修复方案优化

以新疆某石油炼化污染场地为研究对象,将场地土壤划分为4层,选取石油烃(C₅~C₇)为目标污染物,基于HERA (health and environmental risk assessment)软件开展土壤分层风险评估。结果表明：各土壤层的危害风险均超过可接受水平,修复目标值分别为161.20、182.58、316.75、450.24 mg·kg⁻¹。根据风险评估结果,提出场地土壤气相抽提(soil vapor extraction,SVE)修复方案,抽提井数量为20口,抽提流量为0.36 m³·min⁻¹,苯的去除量为56.71 kg·d⁻¹,需要147 d将场地土壤中污染物的浓度降低到修复目标值以下。依据土壤层风险评估结果和土壤污染羽分布不同,优化了SVE抽提井井深和井筛深度设置,相对于寻常SVE修复设计,可降低修复成本,提高修复效率,预防过度修复,形成了一套基于HERA风险评估的SVE修复方案设计体系。     

乌鲁木齐市大气可吸入颗粒物中多环芳烃的污染特征及来源解析

在乌鲁木齐市南、北设置2个采样点,从2011年3-12月采集可吸入颗粒物(PM2.5、PM2.5-10)样品,分析了美国环境保护署优控的13种多环芳烃(PAHs)的浓度,采用比值法、主成分分析法和多元线性回归法对乌鲁木齐市大气PM2.5、PM2.5-10中PAHs的来源进行了分析。结果表明,科学院站PM2.5中13种PAHs的总质量浓度平均值为247.2ng/m3,变动范围为1.14~2 113.33ng/m3;新大站PAHs的总质量浓度平均值为240.84ng/m3,变动范围为4.96~1 359.41ng/m3。而科学院站PM2.5-10中13种PAHs的总质量浓度平均值为57.78ng/m3,变动范围为1.18~519.87ng/m3;新大站的总质量浓度平均值为49.18ng/m3,变动范围为1.38~412.52ng/m3。比值法分析结果表明,所采集样品的2/3来自煤和生物质的燃烧排放;主成分分析法和多元线性回归分析法结果表明,采暖期汽油和煤源对PM2.5中总PAHs的贡献率为46%,而非采暖期混合源的贡献率高达85%。采暖期汽油和柴油源对PM2.5-10中总PAHs的贡献率为66%,而非采暖期混合源的贡献率为78%。     

异位类Fenton化学氧化在多环芳烃污染场地修复中的应用

多环芳烃作为土壤的主要污染源之一,其修复技术的研究对土壤可持续利用具有重要的意义;但目前的研究主要基于室内小试实验,对具体修复技术在实际现场中的应用少有报道。基于上海青浦区西虹桥沈海高速东侧17-02污染场地的工程实践,结合室内实验,详细地介绍了原场异位类Fenton化学氧化修复多环芳烃污染土壤施工工艺。处理结果表明：以柠檬酸为催化助剂的类Fenton化学氧化能够有效地处理场地污染土壤中的苯并(a)蒽、苯并(a)芘、苯并(b)荧蒽和茚并(1, 2, 3-cd)芘等超标污染物;修复后场地土壤各项物理指标相比修复前变化较小;同时,类Fenton氧化反应放热,修复过程中土壤微生物能够将有机柠檬酸快速降解,有效降低了化学氧化对土壤pH的影响。     

碱活化过硫酸盐在某氯代烃污染场地地下水修复中的应用

碱活化过硫酸盐适用于降解污染土壤及地下水中的氯代烃。以典型氯代烃类污染场地为研究对象,开展了碱活化过硫酸盐降解地下水中氯代烃的小试实验研究及中试规模工程应用。结果表明：污染物去除率与污染物初始浓度、氧化剂投加比相关;污染物初始浓度越高,去除率越低;氧化剂投加量越大,去除率越高,用于该场地地下水修复的最佳氧化剂投加比为1%~3%。中试药剂原位注入采用高压旋喷注射工艺,按最佳氧化剂投加比将药剂注入至污染含水层,跟踪监测结果表明：经注药修复8个月后,地下水中氯代烃污染物浓度明显下降,大部分区域的污染物浓度已达到修复目标,局部初始浓度偏高区域的污染物浓度接近修复目标。同时,对氧化剂产物残留$ {\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}^{2 - }_4}$浓度进行监测发现：$ {\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}^{2 - }_4}$浓度随修复后时间延长逐渐降低,通过趋势分析预测的残留$ {\rm{S}}{{\rm{O}}^{2 - }_4}$浓度将逐步下降直至恢复正常水平或满足相关标准。     

微生物燃料电池修复石油污染盐碱土壤

生物电化学技术修复石油污染土壤并同步产出电能是一种新兴的污染土壤生态修复技术。对石油污染土壤通过其微生物燃料电池的构造,利用电化学阻抗谱分析了土壤的欧姆内阻,拟合估算了土壤的电导率,并考察了土壤微生物燃料电池的产电性能和修复效果。结果表明：采用丙酮清洗过的阳极并有水封的情况下,土壤微生物燃料电池的欧姆内阻下降了52%,电导率升高了1倍;在启动后的120 h内,最大电压和累计产出电量分别达189 mV和36 C,与对照相比分别增加了20和29倍。输出电压随着阴极与阳极之间距离的增大而减小。经过30 d的生物电化学处理,土壤中的总石油烃去除率是开路对照的3.3倍。该研究是石油污染盐碱土壤生物电化学修复的初步探索,以为污染土壤的生态修复提供新的思路。