Measurement of the leaching behaviour of granular solid wastes

Leaching of granular solids can be described in terms of specific mass transfer functions of a simple mathematical form.

The parameters can be determined by column leaching experiments under well known flow conditions.

Initially available concentrations are obtained from batch experiments at high dilution. Total concentrations in the solids are determined independently to calculate the available fractions.

The determination of the flow pattern is done by radiotracer measurements. Leachates are analyzed by various analytical methods including AAS and INAA. Total concentrations in the solids are determined by INAA preferably.     

Factors affecting the distribution of trace elements in harbour sediments

A large number of data (n=488) were acquired from 2003 to 2006 for five Italian harbours and three control areas to determine trace element (Al, As, Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Hg, Cr, and Ni) levels in sediments. Results were utilised to evaluate, on a multivariate statistical basis, pollution levels, significant relationships between observed levels and specific factors, and enrichment factors. Of the factors tested, main human use of harbour, was best able to determine segregations in the observed trace element fingerprints. Compared with the concentration limit approach, the evaluation of enrichment factors, even if affected by mathematical approximations, represented a useful tool for environmental studies, allowing evaluation of the presence of sediments enriched by human activities and reducing the occurrence of both false positives and false negatives due to natural differences in aluminosilicate levels.     

Roe and red deer as bioindicators of heavy metals contamination in north-western Poland

The present paper examines the degree of environmental contamination in areas covered by the Natura 2000 programme, located in north-western Poland, with selected heavy metals based on their concentration in target organs of roe and red deer. Lead, cadmium, copper, iron, and zinc concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry. Residues of lead and cadmium were found in most of the analysed samples of roe and red deer organs The concentration of cadmium in the organs of the animals studied was much higher than that of lead. The median for Pb in liver and kidneys was 0.055 and 0.092 μg/g dry weight (d.w.) in roe deer, and 0.067 and 0.081 μg/g d.w. in red deer, respectively. The median for liver and kidney cadmium was 0.770 and 6.139 μg/g d.w. in roe deer, and 0.422 and 6.365 μg/g d.w. in red deer, respectively. Our study has demonstrated that this area is laden with lead and cadmium. This is evidenced by the fact that maximum permissible levels of these elements in the organs of red and roe deer, which were used as bioindicators of environmental contamination, were exceeded.     

Rare earth elements distribution in seawater and suspended particulate of the Central Mediterranean Sea

Rare earth element (REE) content in suspended and dissolved phases from the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) has been measured. Vertical profiles of several dissolved REEs along the water column reflect the 3-D oceanographic features of the studied area and identifies the different water masses present there. Shale-normalized REE distribution patterns and derived parameters calculated for the suspended particulate show different atmospheric dust-surface inputs and their interactions with seawater. Finally, combined information from [La/Yb]_N, ratios, REE/La ratios and Eu anomalies measured in the suspended particulate suggest an important contribution of volcanic materials from the Etna volcano and Saharan dust to the lithogenic fraction of the suspended particulate.     

Trace Element Contaminants in Sediments From the Noaa National Status and Trends Programme Compared to Data From Throughout the World

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Status and Trends (NS&T) Programme has analyzed samples of surface sediment collected at almost 300 coastal and estuarine sites throughout the United States since 1984. the overall distributions for concentrations of each element are approximately lognormal allowing a definition of geometric means and of “high” concentrations as those exceeding the mean plus one standard deviation of the lognormal distribution. Those mean and “high” concentrations should be useful for comparing the NS&T data set and with other reports on sediment contamination. A world-wide data set, constructed from data in the literature, was summarized in an identical manner. It was found, after excluding locally extreme values, that the NS&T and world-wide data sets yielded very similar mean and “high” concentrations for Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. Chromium was the sole element showing higher summary statistics in the NS&T data set, a result attributed to NS&T sampling in areas of naturally (not contaminated) elevated Cr content. It remains undetermined, however, why the world-wide data set, even with exclusion of “hot spots”, yielded higher means and “highs” for Cd, Hg, As, and Ag.     

Toxic elements leaching in different soils affected by the spill from the aznalcollar pyrite mine (Sevilla,Spain)

A study has been made of the leaching of Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Tl and As in three representative soils of the zone affected by the spill from a pyrite mine in Aznalcollar (Sevilla, Spain) employing packed soil columns. According to the breakthrough and cumulative leaching curves, the relative mobilities of the different toxic elements in the columns are as follows: Tl > Cd > Zn > As > Cu > Pb. The results also show that the soils themselves have a good capacity for immobilizing the soluble fraction of the elements from the spilled mud, this capacity varying as follows: clayey soil with a high carbonate content > clayey soil with a moderate carbonate content > sandy‐clay loam soil with a low carbonate content. The results obtained in the work are a valuable contribution to the necessary assessment of the impact of the toxic spill on underground waters.     

A case study of flood control schemes for the Kakehashi river and their socio-cultural consequences

SUMMARY

This paper is concerned with a twenty-five year campaign against the relocation of the Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine as a result of the enlargement of the Kakehashi river. The Komatsu-Tenmangu shrine is an important cultural property of Japan, and was constructed by Toshitsune Maeda, the third dynasty of the Kaga clan in 1657. It is suggested that the primary reason why it took so long to settle this issue is a flaw in our social system for managing public works. It is concluded that preservation of cultural property is not always contrary to land development, and that the proposed procedures or something like them must be put into practice for the real expansion of our culture.     

镉对籽粒苋耐性生理及营养元素吸收积累的影响

初步阐明了镉对籽粒苋耐性生理及营养元素吸收积累的影响,为进一步揭示籽粒苋的镉耐性与镉富集机理奠定了基础。通过对生物量的监测,对叶绿素、蛋白质、游离氨基酸、大量元素及微量元素等的含量的测定,阐明镉胁迫对籽粒苋生长生理、抗胁迫耐性、营养元素吸收分配的影响。研究结果显示,镉胁迫对籽粒苋的生长抑制作用不明显,植株生物量随着镉浓度的提高而轻微降低。随着镉处理浓度的提高,叶绿素含量下降幅度显著;蛋白质和游离氨基酸含量变化幅度不明显;钾含量无大幅变化;镉、磷、钙、镁、锌、铁、锰、铜含量变化幅度较显著。镉、钾、磷、锰的迁移系数随着镉处理浓度的提高无显著变化;钙的迁移系数呈上升趋势;镁、锌、铁、铜的迁移系数均呈下降趋势。这些结果表明：镉胁迫降低籽粒苋叶绿素含量,抑制植株光合作用,继而抑制了植株的生长,但其程度不明显;镉胁迫条件启动活性氧防御机制;引起植株体内部分养分代谢紊乱。结论：低浓度镉处理条件下,籽粒苋受镉离子影响,抗氧化能力下降。在高浓度镉处理条件下,籽粒苋调节了营养元素的吸收和分配,启动了一系列活性氧防御机制,提高了抗胁迫能力。     

甘肃省陇东塬区土壤及农作物中微量元素的分布特征

通过测定甘肃省陇东塬区马岭、西峰和华庆油田区土壤以及小麦、苹果、油菜中Cu、Ni、Cd、Pb、Cr、Zn等6种微量金属元素质量分数,研究塬区土壤中微量元素的空间分布特征及其在植物体内的转移、富集能力.结果表明:塬区土壤中w(Zn)明显高于其他5种元素,其平均值达111.64 mg/kg;w(Cd)最小,在1.64～3.38 mg/kg之间;其余4种元素(Cr、Pb、Ni、Cu)质量分数在20～70 mg/kg之间.当地主要农作物对土壤中微量元素的富集系数均小于1,富集能力一般,其中根部的富集能力相对较大,地上部位均较小.      

2016—2019年夏半年成都市区臭氧污染天气特征分析

为揭示成都市区臭氧污染气象条件特征,通过欧盟COST733天气客观分型软件对成都市区2016-2019年夏半年(5-9月)海平面气压场和500 hPa位势高度场进行大气环流形势分型,并结合同期臭氧监测数据、地面气象观测数据以及总云量实况分析产品,分析成都市区夏半年臭氧超标天气及气象要素特征.结果表明:成都市区2016-2019年夏半年共出现臭氧超标日数为159 d,超标率为26.0%,超标日主要集中于5-8月,小时超标多出现于14:00-17:00.臭氧污染日数最多的海平面气压场为弱低压型,其后依次为低压前部型、低压型、高压后部型.臭氧超标率最高的海平面气压场为低压前部型,其后依次为弱低压型、低压型、高压后部型.500 hPa位势高度场平直西风气流型臭氧超标日数最多,青藏高压型臭氧超标日数最少.青藏高压型是臭氧超标率最高的500 hPa位势高度场型,平直西风气流型臭氧超标率最低.成都市区臭氧超标日多出现在偏西北风下,近地面气象要素特征一般表现为风速1.2~1.6 m/s,气温在25℃以上,相对湿度多集中在70%左右,总云量和降水概率多低于60%,降水量级以小雨为主,太阳辐射和日照时数分别位于20.5~23.2 MJ/m2和6.0~7.8 h区间.小时臭氧超标近地面气象要素特征为气温和总辐射曝辐量相对较高,二者分别在30~36℃和0~3.5 MJ/m2之间,相对湿度在60%以下,总云量低于40%,以偏南风影响为主.研究显示,成都市区海平面气压场为低压型,500 hPa位势高度场为青藏高压型时,易发生臭氧污染.