Simulation of arsenic partitioning in tributaries to drinking water resevoirs

Arsenic released by bottom sediments was determined by experiments in which the sediments were artificially re-suspended using a particle entrainment simulator (PES) to simulate river conditions. Sediment cores were collected from various tributaries to drinking water reservoirs in Connecticut spiked with arsenic, and run in the PES at simulated bed-flow shear stresses from 0.0 to 0.6 N/m². Under equilibrium conditions, the dissolved fraction of arsenic was found to range from 8.3 to 22.1 μg/l, which in most cases exceeded EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 μg/l. Experimental results from these simulations have shown that bed-flow shear stress causes an increased concentration of dissolved arsenic, most notably at shear stresses of 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6 N/m². For the solid phase under equilibrium, the concentrations of arsenic ranged between 71 and 275 mg/kg. The average concentration of arsenic on the solid phase as well as partitioning coefficient values (K _p) were highest at initial shear stress. This was attributed to the higher fraction of colloidal material and finer organic particles in the suspended solid mixture. Particles of such nature proved to have higher affinity to arsenic. K _p values were determined from PES data and were found to range from 4,687 to 24,090 l/kg. However, on a mass load basis, the amount of arsenic found in suspended sediment increased with the increase of shear stress. Similarly, the amount of arsenic in the solid phase increased significantly for sites with high Volatile Organic Carbon (VOC) content. Because of the influence of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and VOC concentrations on K _p, the use of the PES is more appropriate in obtaining K _p values that would be found under real stream conditions when compared to the traditional way of measuring K _p using a jar study technique.     

Sampling and Analysis of Organic Compounds in Diesel Particulate Matter

The fraction of atmospheric semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) is partitioned between the gaseous and particulate phases. Certain of these compounds eg. polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and their derivatives have been shown to exhibit mutagenic or carcinogenic properties. Emissions from diesel engines are an important source of these contaminants. In a dilution chamber, we studied a diesel engine emissions. It is shown firstly, that the gaseous fraction is predominant (by up to 20 times) with respect to the particulate phase. Secondly, the polar compounds, neglected in the majority of previous studies, are the predominant species. A test campaign was carried out in Paris-Porte d'Auteuil which yielded similar results to the laboratory experiments.     

Selenium assimilation and loss by an insect predator and its relationship to Se subcellular partitioning in two prey types

Subcellular selenium (Se) distributions in the oligochaete Tubifex tubifex and in the insect Chironomus riparius did not vary with Se exposure duration, which was consistent with the observations that the duration of prey Se exposure had little influence on either Se assimilation or loss by a predatory insect (the alderfly Sialis velata). However, these two prey types differed in how Se was distributed in their cells. Overall, the predator assimilated a mean of 66% of the Se present in its prey, which was similar to the mean percentage of Se in prey cells (62%) that was theoretically available for uptake (that is, Se in the protein and organelle fractions). Likewise, data for cadmium, nickel and thallium suggest that predictions of trace element transfer between prey and predator are facilitated by considering the subcellular partitioning of these contaminants in prey cells.     

Atmospheric partitioning and the air–water exchange of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a large shallow Chinese lake (Lake Chaohu)

The residual levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the atmosphere and in dissolved phase from Lake Chaohu were measured by (GC–MS). The composition and seasonal variation were investigated. The diffusive air–water exchange flux was estimated by a two-film model, and the uncertainty in the flux calculations and the sensitivity of the parameters were evaluated. The following results were obtained: (1) the average residual levels of all PAHs (PAH16) in the atmosphere from Lake Chaohu were 60.85 ± 46.17 ng m⁻³ in the gaseous phase and 14.32 ± 23.82 ng m⁻³ in the particulate phase. The dissolved PAH16 level was 173.46 ± 132.89 ng L⁻¹. (2) The seasonal variation of average PAH16 contents ranged from 43.09 ± 33.20 ng m⁻³ (summer) to 137.47 ± 41.69 ng m⁻³ (winter) in gaseous phase, from 6.62 ± 2.72 ng m⁻³ (summer) to 56.13 ± 22.99 ng m⁻³ (winter) in particulate phase, and 142.68 ± 74.68 ng L⁻¹ (winter) to 360.00 ± 176.60 ng L⁻¹ (summer) in water samples. Obvious seasonal trends of PAH16 concentrations were found in the atmosphere and water. The values of PAH16 for both the atmosphere and the water were significantly correlated with temperature. (3) The monthly diffusive air–water exchange flux of total PAH16 ranged from −1.77 × 10⁴ ng m⁻² d⁻¹ to 1.11 × 10⁵ ng m⁻² d⁻¹, with an average value of 3.45 × 10⁴ ng m⁻² d⁻¹. (4) The results of a Monte Carlo simulation showed that the monthly average PAH fluxes ranged from −3.4 × 10³ ng m⁻² d⁻¹ to 1.6 × 10⁴ ng m⁻² d⁻¹ throughout the year, and the uncertainties for individual PAHs were compared. (5) According to the sensitivity analysis, the concentrations of dissolved and gaseous phase PAHs were the two most important factors affecting the results of the flux calculations.     

Statistical uncertainty in hazardous terrestrial concentrations estimated with aquatic ecotoxicity data

Since chemicals’ ecotoxic effects depend for most soil species on the dissolved concentration in pore water, the equilibrium partitioning (EP) method is generally used to estimate hazardous concentrations (HC50) in the soil from aquatic toxicity tests. The present study analyzes the statistical uncertainty in terrestrial HC50s derived by the EP-method. For 47 organic chemicals, we compared freshwater HC50s derived from standard aquatic ecotoxicity tests with porewater HC50s derived from terrestrial ecotoxicity tests. Statistical uncertainty in the HC50s due to limited species sample size and in organic carbon–water partitioning coefficients due to predictive error was treated with probability distributions propagated by Monte Carlo simulations. Particularly for specifically acting chemicals, it is very important to base the HC50 on a representative sample of species, composed of both target and non-target species. For most chemical groups, porewater HC50 values were approximately a factor of 3 higher than freshwater HC50 values. The ratio of the porewater HC50/freshwater HC50 was typically 3.0 for narcotic chemicals (2.8 for nonpolar and 3.4 for polar narcotics), 0.8 for reactive chemicals, 2.9 for neurotoxic chemicals (4.3 for AChE agents and 0.1 for the cyclodiene type), and 2.5 for herbicides–fungicides. However, the statistical uncertainty associated with this ratio was large (typically 2.3 orders of magnitude). For 81% of the organic chemicals studied, there was no statistical difference between the hazardous concentration of aquatic and terrestrial species. We conclude that possible systematic deviations between the HC50s of aquatic and terrestrial species appear to be less prominent than the overall statistical uncertainty.     

Enhanced Desorption of Phenanthrene from Soils Using Hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin: Experimental Results and Model Predictions

Objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPCD) on the removal of phenanthrene from solid phase. Batch tests for the phenanthrene distribution between aqueous and solid phase were conducted in the presence of HPCD. Column tests and numerical simulations were conducted to evaluate the roles of HPCD cavities and interaction rates between water, HPCD, and solid phase in the enhanced removal of phenanthrene. Experimental results showed that HPCD was effective in removing sorbed phenanthrene from subsurface environment, primarily due to its negligible sorption to the solid phase and the partitioning of phenanthrene into HPCD cavities. From the numerical simulations, it was found that rate‐limited partitioning of phenanthrene into HPCD cavities was most influential factor in the enhanced elution of phenanthrene. Sorption and desorption rate of phenanthrene between aqueous and solid phase was very fast or near equilibrium state. Interaction rates of contaminant between water, HPCD, and solid phase could be affected by other factors such as soil types and organic matter contents. Results from this study implied that HPCD flushing could be effectively applied for the removal of hydrophobic organic pollutants existing in the soils as sorbed or NAPL state.     

Leaching Characteristics of Heavy Metals and As from Two Urban Roadside Soils

The leaching tests, including the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), EDTA extraction and BCR sequential extractions before and after EDTA treatments, were performed on two specific soils to elucidate heavy metal-associated mineral fractions and general leachability. The TCLP illustrated the low leachability of heavy metals in soils from two sites. EDTA is a strong chelator and therefore had higher extraction efficiency compared to that of TCLP. The lower extraction percentages by EDTA for As and Sb were found compared to the other heavy metals derived from anthropogenic sources. Sequential extractions showed that the importance of acid-extractable, organically-bound and Fe–Mn oxide fractions was identified for anthropogenic heavy metals with the exception of As and Ni while the importance of residual fraction was identified for endogenous metals. Changes in sequential fractions of heavy metals after leaching with EDTA are very complex and it is difficult to generalize on which fraction was more mobile than the others. These combined results are helpful in elucidating the association of heavy metals to soil fractions and the mobility characteristics of heavy metals under certain environmental conditions.     

兰州市大气OPAHs污染特征及潜在来源分析

对兰州市冬季（2016-12-01~07）和夏季（2017-08-03~10）大气气相和颗粒相（PM_1.0、PM_2.5和PM₁₀）中含氧多环芳烃（OPAHs）进行观测,结果显示：Σ₈OPAHs （气相+颗粒相）的浓度范围为1.83~19.28ng/m³,平均浓度为（6.45±3.43） ng/m³.冬季是夏季的2.06倍.冬季颗粒相OPAHs在2.5~10和<1.0μm粒径段均具有较大占比,而夏季则主要赋存于PM_1.0中.9-芴酮（9-FLU）、9,10-蒽醌（9,10-ANT）和苯并蒽酮（BZA）为OPAHs中最主要的几种单体物质,其占比为51.8%~94.9%.气粒分配机制研究结果表明：OPAHs在气粒两相间的分配以吸收机制为主导.基于浓度权重轨迹分析法（CWT）对兰州市大气中OPAHs的潜在污染源区进行了分析,发现其潜在污染源区在冬季主要位于当地及其西北方向位于新疆和青海境内的部分地区,而夏季则主要位于该研究区域的东南方向（定西市、天水市等）和东北方向（宁夏回族自治区中卫市）.     

基于硅酮母粒的两相分配气升式生物反应器处理氯苯废气的研究

疏水性污染物的去除是废气生物净化的难点.以硅酮母粒为非水相介质构建两相分配体系处理氯苯废气,结果表明,硅酮母粒对氯苯具有较高的亲和性,无生物毒性和生物降解性,且吸附于硅酮母粒表面的菌体对其相间分配系数没有明显影响.采用气升式生物反应器连续净化氯苯废气,当进气浓度为1000 mg·m~(-3)时,单相体系的去除率为60%;而添加了硅酮母粒的两相体系去除率达到90%,且CO_2矿化率较高,抗冲击负荷能力更好,说明硅酮母粒能有效强化气升式生物反应器净化氯苯废气的效果.该系统的最适硅酮母粒比例和停留时间分别为10%和90 s.以最大传质速率(β~*_s)来衡量氯苯的传质效果,发现硅酮母粒的添加使得β~*_s提升20%以上.     

玉龙雪山牦牛坪高山草甸的干扰格局分析

近几年玉龙雪山生态旅游热升温,对该区域生态环境和植被资源的影响日趋显著,研究该区域高山草甸所受干扰对制定该区域的生态保护、可持续发展对策具有重要意义。为明晰人类活动对玉龙雪山高山草甸的影响,选取该区域典型高山草甸分布区域作为研究区,分析其草甸退化格局,通过干扰强度模型量化研究区的干扰格局,并利用方差分解确定不同干扰对高山草甸退化的贡献率。结果表明：（1）放牧干扰主要集中在牲畜饮水点附近,旅游干扰更多作用于景区观景台和寺庙附近,干扰活动分布与路径体系相吻合,游径布设和游客行为扩散模式决定了旅游干扰的格局;（2）草甸退化程度随干扰程度的增加而升高,干扰强度最大的区域与草甸的重度退化区域重合;（3）总体上旅游较放牧对草甸退化的贡献作用更大,但存在空间差异。在玉龙雪山牦牛坪景区,旅游干扰已逐渐取代放牧干扰成为主要干扰因素,且路径体系与旅游干扰格局具有较高的吻合度,对草甸退化格局的影响在逐渐增加。综上,建议选取使用率高的非正式路径修建为正式路径,保护和恢复分布在使用率低的非正式路径旁的植被和土壤,以降低旅游干扰对高山草甸的影响。