巯基硅烷改性多壁碳纳米管的合成及其对Cd2+的吸附性能研究

利用3-巯丙基三甲氧基硅烷(MPTMS)作硅烷偶联剂对多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)进行改性,制备巯基硅烷改性多壁碳纳米管(SHMWCNTs),并进行了SH-MWCNTs对Cd~(2+)的批量吸附实验.同时,利用扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线光子能量仪(EDS)、红外光谱(FT-IR)对SHMWCNTs进行表征,探究了溶液初始pH、吸附剂投加量、吸附时间、溶液初始Cd~(2+)浓度等因素对吸附效果的影响,分析了吸附动力学特征及吸附等温线特征,初步探讨了吸附机理.SEM、EDS与FT-IR图谱显示,MPTMS已成功接枝到MWCNTs表面,表明SH-MWCNTs制备成功.吸附时间为90 min,pH为4时的吸附效果最佳,吸附量随SH-MWCNTs投加量、Cd~(2+)浓度的增加而增大.吸附动力学和吸附等温线研究表明,SHMWCNTs对Cd~(2+)的吸附动力学符合准二级线性方程,吸附等温线符合Freundlich、Langmuir 2种模型,吸附以单分子层吸附为主,也存在层间扩散的多层吸附.     

不同铁营养状况下根系特征及蒸腾对黄瓜幼苗吸收镉的影响

采用营养液培养方法,研究了不同铁营养状况下的根系形态变化及蒸腾作用对不同品种黄瓜幼苗吸收镉的影响.结果表明,不加铁处理对地上部生物量的影响大于对根系的影响,并且不同品种间生物量差异显著.不加铁处理和低水平铁处理时,黄瓜根长变长、根表面积变大.与不加铁处理相比,加铁处理显著抑制了黄瓜根系对镉的吸收,中农5号(缺铁敏感黄瓜品种)和津春4号(缺铁不敏感黄瓜品种)每克根对镉的吸收量分别降低了25.5%~45.5%和28.8%~55.0%;但却增加了镉向地上部的转运,镉在叶中的分配系数分别增加了2.2~3.6倍(中农5号)和2.6~3.7倍(津春4号).缺铁敏感的中农5号吸镉总量与根长、根表面积都呈显著正相关性,而缺铁不敏感的津春4号吸镉总量与根长、根表面积之间的关系不显著.不管是中农5号还是津春4号,其蒸腾速率与每克根吸收镉的量均呈显著的正相关关系.不同铁营养状况影响了黄瓜幼苗的根系形态和蒸腾速率,从而影响了根系对镉的吸收,高铁水平显著抑制了黄瓜根系对镉的吸收.     

速生树种竹柳对复合污染土壤中镉和锌的吸收、积累与生理响应特性

为探讨竹柳在重金属复合污染(镉、锌)土壤中生长的生理变化及重金属在植株内的转移情况,以竹柳(Salix sp.)三号及竹柳五号为试验材料,以重金属复合污染的水稻土为供试土壤,通过盆栽试验研究了重金属对竹柳生理指标、重金属吸收与积累量、富集系数(BCF)和转运系数(TF)的影响.结果表明:竹柳各器官重金属含量和转移情况不同,其中,叶片中Cd、Zn含量最高,分别达61.4和1940 mg·kg~(-1);竹柳三号对Zn的转运能力大于竹柳五号,而竹柳五号的净光合速率更高;生长100 d后,重金属在竹柳叶片中的积累量和转移系数均高于其他部位,竹柳吸收的重金属主要分布在叶片中,可通过集中处理叶片达到去除土壤中重金属污染的目的.     

不同生物质炭对酸雨及氧化性沉降下花生生长及累积砷镉的影响

通过温室盆栽试验,研究了普通生物质炭和铁基生物质炭对酸雨及氧化性沉降下不同生育期花生生长及累积砷、镉(As、Cd)的影响.结果表明,酸雨及50μmol·L-1H2O2沉降处理对处于花期及成熟期中花生的生物量、根瘤数和瘤干重的影响不显著(p0.05),但却显著增加了花生籽粒中Cd的含量和花生壳中As的含量(p0.05).其中,铁基生物质炭可显著降低酸雨及氧化性沉降下花生地上部、根部、籽粒、壳中累积As、Cd含量(p0.05),且作用效果明显强于普通生物质炭.由此可知,酸雨及氧化性沉降增加了花生对土壤重金属As、Cd的富集,而施加铁基生物质炭可有效降低作物的As、Cd累积,为有效防控酸雨及氧化性沉降区域的花生砷、镉重金属污染具有重要现实意义.     

Removal of heavy metals from a contaminated soil using tartaric acid

This study reports the feasibility of remediation of a heavy metal （HM） contaminated soil using tartaric acid, an environmentally-friendly extractant. Batch experiments were performed to test the factors influencing remediation of the HM contaminated soil. An empirical model was employed to describe the kinetics of riM dissolution/desorption and to predict equilibrium concentrations of HMs in soil leachate. The changes of HMs in different fractions before and after tartaric acid treatment were also investigated. Tartaric acid solution containing HMs was regenerated by chestnut shells. Results show that utilization of tartaric acid was effective for removal of riMs from the contaminated soil, attaining 50%-60% of Cd, 40%-50% of Pb, 40%-50% of Cu and 20%-30% of Zn in the pH range of 3.5-4.0 within 24 h. Mass transfer coefficients for cadmium （Cd） and lead （Pb） were much higher than those for copper （Cu） and zinc （Zn）. Sequential fractionations of treated and untreated soil samples showed that tartaric acid was effective in removing the exchangeable, carbonate fractions of Cd, Zn and Cu from the contaminated soil. The contents of Pb and Cu in Fe-Mn oxide fraciton were also significantly decreased by tartaric acid treatment. One hundred milliliters of tartaric acid solution containing HMs could be regenerated by 10 g chestnut shells in a batch reactor. Such a remediation procedure indicated that tartaric acid is a promising agent for remediation of HM contaminated soils. However, further research is needed before the method can be practically used for in situ remediation of contaminated sites.     

Monitoring of a Coastal Mediterranean Area: Culturable Bacteria, Phytoplankton, Environmental Factors and their Relationships in the Southern Adriatic Sea

Culturable heterotrophic bacterial and phytoplanktonic densities were investigated at four sites in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Brindisi, S. Cataldo, Otranto and S. M. di Leuca) over an annual cycle. The main phytoplankton groups, the bacterial biodiversity, as well as the faecal contamination indicators were determined. Culturable bacterial numbers averaged 4.8 ± 0.2 log CFU ml⁻¹ whereas phytoplankton numbers averaged 2.1 ± 0.4 log cells ml⁻¹. Relationships between culturable bacteria, phytoplankton and the environmental factors were established. Bacterial and phytoplankton densities usually depended significantly on temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrite only in the S. Cataldo transect. In all the examined transects phytoplankton showed a bloom during the January–February period followed by a bacterial peak during the February–March period. Thus we can suppose that the phytoplankton winter bloom is responsible for the availabily of organic matter for bacterial populations in the following months in this oligotrophic ecosystem.     

Cancer and Non-Cancer Health Risk from Eating Cassava Grown in Some Mining Communities in Ghana

Food crops such as cassava, cocoyam and other tuber crops grown in mining communities uptake toxic or hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, and cadmium, from the soil. Cassava is a stable food for Ghanaians. This study evaluated human health risk from eating cassava grown in some mining communities in Ghana such as Bogoso, Prestea, Tarkwa and Tamso, which are important mining towns in the Western Region of Ghana. The study evaluated cancer and non-cancer health effects from eating cassava grown in the study areas in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Assessment guidelines. The results of the study revealed the following: cancer health risk for Tamso, 0.098 (RME – Reasonable Maximum Exposure) and 0.082 (CTE – Central Tendency Exposure). This means that approximately 10 and 8 out of 100 resident adults are likely to suffer from cancer related cases by RME and CTE parameters respectively. For Prestea, we have 0.010 and 0.12, which also means that approximately 1 out of 100 and 10 resident adults out of 100 are also likely to suffer from cancer related diseases by RME and CTE parameters. The results of the study obtained were found to be above the acceptable cancer risk range of 1× 10⁻⁶ to 1× 10⁻⁴, i.e., 1 case of cancer out of 1 million or 100,000 people respectively.     

UV Spectroscopic Monitoring of Vaporized Monoaromatic Hydrocarbons from Petroleum-Contaminated Soils

Fast and simple systems using ultraviolet (UV) absorbance were examined for on-line monitoring of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum-contaminated soils in this research. Since soil particles hinder the UV light transmittance, the absorbance measurement of vaporized monoaromatic hydrocarbons in soil gas extracted from petroleum-contaminated soils was proposed. In the fixed system that exhibited higher sensitivity than the portable one, the absorbance intensity of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene increased in proportion to the concentration of the contaminants. The portable system, however, was suitable for screening purpose, while it exhibited faster response. There was no interference from water, which helps the applicability of the proposed systems to the actual fields.     

Little Egrets (Egretta Garzetta) and Trace-Metal Contamination in Wetlands of China

The rapidly developing Asian countries may face threatening environmental contamination, that however remains largely unassessed. We studied persistent trace elements in three wetlands, Poyang Lake, relatively unpolluted, and Tai Lake, and Pearl River Delta, selected as hotspots of pollution in Central China. We adopted as indicator the Little Egret, a widespread colonial waterbird, and during 1999 and 2000 we collected and analysed the same samples as for a parallel study we conducted in Pakistan, e.g. eggs, body feathers of chicks, prey spontaneously regurgitated by the chicks, and sediments at the areas most used by foraging egrets. The levels of trace-metals at our three study areas were similar, or within the range, of those found in the few other studies for East Asia, with few exceptions. The concentrations of the various elements were below the threshold that may affect the survival or reproduction of the birds, and even the highest concentrations relative to background, i.e. Se in eggs, and Hg in feathers at Pearl Delta, do not pose toxic hazards. In sediments, the levels of trace elements were lower than the critical levels assumed for contaminated soil, except for alarming high levels of As at Poyang. These results do not confirm our expectation, that Poyang was relatively uncontaminated, while Tai and Pearl were polluted. Although trace metal concentration differed significantly among the three study areas, these differences were minor and were not consistent among elements and samples. The bioaccumulation ratios from sediments through prey, feather and egg, were consistent with our previous findings for Pakistan. Only Hg exhibited high bioaccumulation, while Se and Zn had low accumulation, and the other elements no accumulation. This reasserts that feathers of predators such as egrets, may be more sensitive indicators of environmental contamination for the elements subject to bioaccumulation, whereas the sediments or the organisms low in the food chain are better indicators for the other elements.     

Biomonitoring in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana, USA: Metal Concentrations in Biofilm and Macroinvertebrates, and Relations with Macroinvertebrate Assemblage

Portions of the Boulder River watershed contain elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in water, sediment, and biota. We measured concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and assessed macroinvertebrate assemblage and aquatic habitat with the objective of monitoring planned remediation efforts. Concentrations of metals were generally higher in downstream sites compared with upstream or reference sites, and two sites contained metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates greater than values reported to reduce health and survival of resident trout. Macroinvertebrate assemblage was correlated with metal concentrations in biofilm and macroinvertebrates. However, macroinvertebrate metrics were significantly correlated with a greater number of biofilm metals (8) than metals in invertebrates (4). Lead concentrations in biofilm appeared to have the most significant impact on macroinvertebrate assemblage. Metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates were directly proportional to concentrations in biofilm, indicating biofilm as a potential surrogate for monitoring metal impacts in aquatic systems.