Metal Contamination in the Republic of Armenia

/ Air, soil, and water samples were collected throughout the Republic of Armenia both before and after its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Reported analyses of those samples indicated that levels of several trace metal concentrations (Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn) exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations established by the former Soviet Union (FSU) and subsequently adopted by Armenia. Although industrial production has declined by more than 80% since the 1980s, the economy is improving and there is potential for a significant increase in the generation of industrial metal emissions. These include automobile emissions, which are now considered to be the primary source of atmospheric lead. Historically, the Soviet Union did not strictly enforce environmental standards, and Armenia is now faced with the resulting environmental problems and the associated risks to public health. Since some trace metal concentrations may be at or near potentially toxic levels, there is a need to accurately assess the extent of metal contamination in order to devise cleanup plans and develop long-term environmental protection and public health strategies in Armenia.     

淮南矿区不同塌陷年龄积水区环境效应分析

采煤塌陷水域是淮南矿区一种特殊的地表水体。文章选择矿区不同塌陷年龄的塌陷水域,监测分析其水质理化指标和重金属元素。结果表明:塌陷水域环境状况因塌陷年龄和周边环境差异而不同,具有季节性变化。水域受到了不同程度的污染,部分理化指标随时间增长有累计效应。与国家地表水质量标准比较,水域重金属元素除了Hg严重超标外,其它As、Se、Cd、Cr、Cu、Pb、Zn等均不超标,未对塌陷水域构成重金属污染。通过对不同塌陷水域环境效应进行分析与评价,可为其综合利用提供一定的理论依据。     

西安大气环境要素变化特征分析

利用1951年至2007年西安气象观测资料及2002年至2007年环境监测资料,对西安市大气环境要素进行分析。结果表明,（1）随着西安城市化进程的加快,和NOx年平均浓度变化具有明显增加的趋势。（2）从1951到2007,西安市气温增长了约2℃,仅21世纪以来,就增长了近1℃。热夜天数自上世纪90年代中期以来明显上升。2008年7月上旬西安市区与周边郊区地表温度温差约为8—10℃。（3）年平均风速,极大风速明显减小。分析认为,随着西安城市规模的扩大、人口的增加,高楼林立,城市下垫面发生巨大变化,使城市热容量增加,耗能增大,有效蒸发减少,增温明显,从而导致城市风速减小、大气污染物浓度增加、温度升高、热岛效应越来越显著。提出建立人工环境与自然环境协调一致的城市规划环境气候图,有效缓解因城市化进程引起的城市大气环境问题。     

Releases of phosphate fertilizer industry in the surrounding environment: Investigation on heavy metals and polomum-210 in soil

Distribution of Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr,Ni,Mn concentrations and the activity of polonium-210 in the surrounding area of a phosphate fertilizer industry located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea has been determined.Nineteen sampling sites were distributed around the industrial zone on a surface area of about 100,000 m2.Atomic absorption spectroscopy and Alpha spectroscopy were used to quantify the heavy elements and polonium-210,respectively.Investigation on a particle scale was conducted by TEM and SEM coupled to EDX and X-ray cartography to determine the nature of heavy elements carders and their distribution.Heavy elements were mainly concentrated inside the particle size fraction ＜ 50μm.Their levels decreased with distance increasing from the industry.According to the reference soil,enrichment factors were about 10,15,32 and 100 times for Zn,Pb,Cu,and Cr,respectively inside the particle size fraction ＜ 50 μm on the closest sites to the industry.The main contaminant sources were transport and storage of row materials and the free release of phosphogypsum waste.Heavy elements were entrapped inside agglomerates of sulfates,phosphates and iron oxihydroxides in a diffused shape.Polonium-210 with an enrichment factor of about 56,showed the same behavior of the spatial distribution of the trace elements.     

Assessment of the nitrogen and carbon budget of two managed temperate grassland fields

Greenhouse gas budgets as well as the productivity of grassland systems are closely related to the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles. Within the framework of the CarboEurope and NitroEurope projects we have measured C and N exchange on the field scale at the grassland site Oensingen previously converted from arable rotation. The site is located on the Swiss Central Plateau and consists of two parallel fields of equal size. One field was subjected to intensive management with average nitrogen input of 230 kg-N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and 4–5 cuts per year, and the other to an extensive management with no fertilisation and less frequent cutting. The total C budget of the fields was assessed by measuring the CO₂ exchange by eddy covariance and analysing the carbon import by manure application and export by harvest. The N budget of the managed grassland is more complex. Besides the management related import and export, it includes gaseous exchange in many different forms (NO, NO₂, HNO₃, N₂O, NH₃, N₂) needing different analytical techniques, as well as input by rain and leaching of N-compounds with the soil water. The main (“level-3”) field sites in the NitroEurope project are supposed to measure 95% of the N fluxes at the field scale. For several of the N fluxes specific measurements have been performed for 1 year or longer at the site. Some of the remaining N budget components (dry and wet deposition) could be estimated from results of a national deposition network, while other components (NH₃ and N₂ emission) were estimated based on literature parameterisations. However, we found indications that the (systematic) uncertainties of these estimated N-fluxes are large and that it is important to make site-specific measurement for all relevant budget components. The suitability of corresponding experimental methods is discussed.Analysis of the C budget over a 6-year period (2002–2007) showed a significant mean difference between the two newly established grassland fields with a likely net carbon loss for the extensive management and a net sequestration for the intensive management. Since the C/N ratio of the soil organic matter of the grassland is constrained in a rather narrow range around 9.3, the change in the soil carbon pool is supposed to be accompanied by a corresponding change in the N storage. This approach provided an alternative method to check the N budget of the two grassland fields derived from the individual N fluxes.     

Heavy metal accumulation by panicled goldenrain tree （Koelreuteria paniculata） and common elaeocarpus （Elaeocarpus decipens） in abandoned mine soils in southern China

Phytoremediation can be used as a sustainable technology for mine spoil remediation to remove heavy metals. This study investigated the concentration of 7 heavy metal contamination in soil and plant samples at an abandoned mine site. We found that, after vegetation remediation at the abandoned mine site, the reduction rates for 7 heavy metals were in the range of 4.2%–86%, where reduction rates over 50% were achieved for four heavy metals (Zn, Mn, Cd, Ni). Transfer coe cients of the panicled goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm) and the common elaeocarpus (Elaeocarpus decipens) for Zn, Mn, Ni, and Co were more than 1. Enrichment coe cients of both trees for Mn were higher than 1. Our results suggest that the panicled goldenrain tree and the common elaeocarpus tree may act as accumulators in remediation. Moreover, the woody vegetation remediation in abandoned mining areas play an important role in improving scenery besides removing heavy metal from contaminated soil.     

西江上游河水悬浮物中稀土元素的地球化学特征

采用改进的BCR逐级提取法和ICP-MS测试技术,对西江上游河流悬浮物中稀土元素进行了研究。结果表明:河流悬浮物稀土元素总量的含量变化范围在188～402mg/kg之间,并主要来源于流域内岩石的风化,反映了源区的物质特征。西江上游河水悬浮物中三种非稳定态(即酸可提取态、铁锰氧化物结合态和有机物硫化物结合态)稀土元素页岩(PAAS)标准化配分模式均显示出中稀土富集的特征。这种配分模式可能是由于流域内广布的海相沉积岩中磷酸盐矿物的风化所造成的。稳定态(即残渣态)的配分曲线较为平直,没有体现出明显的稀土分异。悬浮态稀土各赋存形态含量的顺序为:残渣态有机物硫化物结合态、铁锰氧化物结合态酸可提取态。中稀土元素Sm、Eu、Gd相对于轻、重稀土元素的稳定态所占比例偏低,而相对于三种非稳定态所占比例偏高,反映了其潜在的地球化学活性。     

再生水灌溉对草坪草植株金属元素的影响

为了再生水应用的安全性,通过柱状模拟试验采用再生水灌溉草坪与清水灌溉比较,研究了不同处理级别再生水灌溉对草坪植株叶片、根系金属元素累积。结果表明:与清水灌溉相比,草坪受损期再生水灌溉促进对Ca、Cu、Na的吸收,降低对K的吸收,未造成草坪叶片中金属元素的累积;5种金属元素在根部积累情况表现为:Ca>K>Mg>Na>Cu,其中Ca、Na、Cu表现为明显的根部积累,根系>叶片。     

Predicting As, Cd and Pb uptake by rice and vegetables using field data from China

Plant uptake factor (PUF), single-variable regression of natural log-transformed concentrations in rice grain/vegetables versus natural log-transformed concentrations in soil and multiple-variable regression with soil concentrations and pH, was derived, validated and compared based on the paired crop and soil data collected from studies regarding As, Cd and Pb contaminated croplands in China. Results showed that the median value of PUF did not present deterministic prediction. But after natural logarithm transformation, the PUF followed Gaussian distribution which could be useful in risk assessment. The single-variable regression models were significant for As, Cd and Pb uptake both by rice and vegetables; however, the standard errors of all the regressions were comparatively large. Soil pH as a variable was generally significant but it only contributed positively to model fit for Cd uptake. After model comparison and selection, the upper 95% prediction limits of the multiple regression model for Cd uptake by rice was recommended to calculate screening value of Cd for paddy soil based on the limit for Cd concentration in rice grain.     

上海市PM2.5中重金属元素对COVID-19控制的高频响应

为研究城市大气重金属元素在新冠控制前、中（与春节重叠）、后的演化和来源,利用多金属在线分析仪于2020年1月1日至2月26日测定了上海市PM_2.5中重金属元素的小时浓度.利用PMF模型确定了8个来源.结果表明,大部分元素的浓度呈现"V"字型的变化趋势,主要受烟花爆竹（特征性元素有K、Cu、Ba）、Se工业、道路扬尘（Ca、Fe、Ba）和机动车（Mn、Zn、Fe、Cu）等排放源影响.但在新冠控制期间,K、Ba和Cu浓度仍较高.以Cu元素为例的特殊事件分析表明,其浓度高值在控制期前显著受到外来传输的影响,在控制期内主要来自于本地烟花爆竹排放的影响.