Interaction of bisphenol A with dissolved organic matter in extractive and adsorptive removal processes

The fate of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in natural and engineered systems is complicated due to their interactions with various water constituents. This study investigated the interaction of bisphenol A (BPA) with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and colloids present in surface water and secondary effluent as well as its adsorptive removal by powdered activated carbons. The solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) method followed by thermal desorption and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized for determining the distribution of BPA molecules in water. The BPA removal by SPME decreased with the increased DOM content, where the formation of BPA-DOM complexes in an aqueous matrix was responsible for the reduced extraction of BPA. Colloidal particles in water samples sorbed BPA leading to the marked reduction of liquid phase BPA. BPA-DOM complexes had a negative impact on the adsorptive removal of BPA by powered activated carbons. The complex formation was characterized based on Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, along with the calculation of molecular interactions between BPA and functional groups in DOM. It was found that the hydrogen bonding between DOM and BPA would be preferred over aromatic interactions. A pseudo-equilibrium molecular coordination model for the complexation between a BPA molecule and a hydroxyl group of the DOM was developed, which enabled estimation of the maximum sorption site and complex formation constant as well as prediction of organic complexes at various DOM levels.     

Partitioning of arsenic in soil-crop systems irrigated using groundwater: a case study of rice paddy soils in southwestern Taiwan

The accumulation of As in rice due to groundwater irrigation in paddy fields represents a serious health hazard in South and Southeast Asia. In Taiwan, the fate of As in long-term irrigated paddy fields is poorly understood. Groundwater, surface soil, and rice samples were collected from a paddy field that was irrigated with As-containing groundwater in southwestern Taiwan. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the source and sink of As in the paddy field by comparing the As fractions in the soils that were obtained by a sequential extraction procedure (SEP) with the As uptake of rice. The risks associated with eating rice from the field can thus be better understood. The concentration of As in groundwater varied with time throughout the growing seasons of rice, but always exceeded the permitted maximum (10 μg L⁻¹) for drinking water by the WHO. The As concentration increased with the concentration of Fe in the groundwater, supporting the claim that a large amount of As was concentrated in the Fe flocs collected from the internal wall of the groundwater pump. The results of the SEP revealed that As bound with amorphous and crystalline hydrous oxides exhibited high availability in the soils. The root of rice accumulated the largest amount of As, followed by the straw, husk, and grain. Although the As concentration in the rice grain was less than 1.0 mg kg⁻¹, the estimated intake level was close to the maximum tolerable daily intake of As, as specified by the WHO.     

超声萃取法处理含油污泥

应用超声强化技术,对以汽油为萃取剂的超声萃取法处理含油污泥的工艺进行了研究,筛选了调整剂、絮凝剂、破乳剂,探讨了萃取温度、萃取时间、超声频率、超声功率等对处理效果的影响。结果表明:在调整剂为采油废水、物料配比为v(萃取剂)∶v(调整剂)∶v(油污泥)=4∶4∶1的条件下,萃取工艺为萃取温度40℃、萃取时间15 min、超声频率40kHz、超声功率150 W时,可回收含油污泥中83.7%的油品。     

不同粒径垃圾焚烧飞灰金属形态分布比较研究

研究了华南地区某垃圾焚烧厂的除尘器飞灰的化学组成和粒径分布,并采用分级提取法对不同粒径飞灰中的重金属化学形态进行了研究。同时比较了华南、华东、西南地区以及台湾地区垃圾焚烧飞灰的筛下累积分布和不同粒径飞灰中各重金属组成。结果表明,飞灰的组要成分为：CaO、SiO2和SO3等;各地区75%的飞灰粒径都主要集中在38.5～75μm。华南地区各粒径飞灰中挥发性金属（Zn和Pb）含量明显高于其他金属。除Ni和Cr外,Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd含量随粒径减小呈先减少后增大的趋势。华南地区Cu、Zn、Ni、Cr、Pb和Cd的含量均高于其他地区（台湾地区除外）。Cu、Zn和Cd的弱酸提取态和可还原态含量较高。高于40%的水溶态Pb表明其对环境有较大潜在危害;40%Ni和Cr主要以残渣态存在,对环境的潜在影响较小。     

堤防工程综合安全模型和风险评价体系研究及应用

为获得荆南长江干堤的安全特性,在层次分析法及模糊一致理论的基础上,考虑堤防工程水、土两相系材料的特点,建立了模糊综合评判系统结构模型。通过正态型模糊隶属函数,结合两种权值理论实现了对堤防工程的安全综合评判。在模糊综合评判结论的基础上,结合模式识别的间接方法,提出了广义多维加权模糊识别模型,实现了对典型堤身段的安全模式识别,并对模型指标体系作了敏感性分析。所得成果比较全面地反映了干堤在复杂运行条件下的综合安全特性,对指导工程现场管理与监测有现实意义。对于复杂堤防系统,模糊综合评判是实现全面风险分析的有效手段,而广义多维加权模糊识别模型可以为工程安全决策提供有力依据。     

The toxicity of composted sediments from Mediterranean ports evaluated by several bioassays

This work investigates the ecotoxicological evaluation of contaminated dredged sediments from French Mediterranean navy harbour (A), commercial port (B) and two composite specimens (C) and (D) coming from the mixture of A and B with other port sediments. The toxicity of elutriates from these sediments is estimated using embryo-toxicity test, Microtox® solid phase test, LuminoTox, phytotoxicity tests and genotoxicity test. Bioassay responses are not clearly correlated with chemical contamination in the whole sediment and vary as a function of tested organisms. The highest contaminated samples (A and C) are almost always more toxic than the less contaminated samples (B and D). Among composite sediments, the mixture effect with other sediments is not efficient to decrease toxicity in sample C, suggesting that other parameters influence toxicity level such as particle size or organic matter content. These parameters should be taken into consideration in order to improve the efficiency of the mixture process and produce composite sediments with low toxicity.     

Validation and use of in vivo solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) for the detection of emerging contaminants in fish

A variety of emerging chemicals of concern are released continuously to surface water through the municipal wastewater effluent discharges. The ability to rapidly determine bioaccumulation of these contaminants in exposed fish without sacrificing the animal (i.e. in vivo) would be of significant advantage to facilitate research, assessment and monitoring of their risk to the environment. In this study, an in vivo solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) approach was developed and applied to the measurement of a variety of emerging contaminants (carbamazepine, naproxen, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, bisphenol A, fluoxetine, ibuprofen and atrazine) in fish. Our results indicated in vivo SPME was a potential alternative extraction technique for quantitative determination of contaminants in lab exposures and as well after exposure to two municipal wastewater effluents (MWWE), with a major advantage over conventional techniques due to its ability to non-lethally sample tissues of living organisms.     

Fractionation and speciation of arsenic in three tea gardens soil profiles and distribution of As in different parts of tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.)

The distribution pattern and fractionation of arsenic (As) in three soil profiles from tea (Camellia sinensis L.) gardens located in Karbi-Anglong (KA), Cachar (CA) and Karimganj (KG) districts in the state of Assam, India, were investigated depth-wise (0-10, 10-30, 30-60 and 60-100 cm). DTPA-extractable As was primarily restricted to surface horizons. Arsenic speciation study showed the presence of higher As(V) concentrations in the upper horizon and its gradual decrease with the increase in soil depths, following a decrease of Eh. As fractionation by sequential extraction in all the soil profiles showed that arsenic concentrations in the three most labile fractions (i.e., water-soluble, exchangeable and carbonate-bound fractions) were generally low. Most arsenic in soils was nominally associated with the organic and Fe-Mn oxide fractions, being extractable in oxidizing or reducing conditions. DTPA-extractable As (assumed to represent plant-available As) was found to be strongly correlated to the labile pool of As (i.e. the sum of the first three fractions). The statistical comparison of means (two-sample t-test) showed the presence of significant differences between the concentrations of As(III) and As(V) for different soil locations, depths and fractions. The risk assessment code (RAC) was found to be below the pollution level for all soils. The measurement of arsenic uptake by different parts of tea plants corroborated the hypothesis that roots act as a buffer and hold back contamination from the aerial parts.     

Lumbricus terrestris L. activity increases the availability of metals and their accumulation in maize and barley

The effect of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L. on metal availability in two mining soils was assessed by means of chemical extraction methods and a pot experiment using crop plants. Results from single and sequential extractions showed that L. terrestris had a slight effect on metal fractionation in the studied soils: only metals bound to the soil organic matter were significantly increased in some cases. However, we found that L. terrestris significantly increased root, shoot and total Pb and Zn concentrations in maize and barley for the soil with the highest concentrations of total and available metals. Specifically, shoot Pb concentration was increased by a factor of 7.5 and 3.9 for maize and barley, respectively, while shoot Zn concentration was increased by a factor of 3.7 and 1.7 for maize and barley, respectively. Our results demonstrated that earthworm activity increases the bioavailability of metals in soils.