Dioxins, PCBs, and HCB in soil and peat profiles from a pristine boreal catchment

The aim of this study was to explore how atmospherically derived soil pollution is affected by environmental processes at two typical boreal catchment landscape type settings: wetlands and forested areas. Measurements of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) in forest soil and peat from an oligotrophic mire at various depths were performed at a remote boreal catchment in northern Sweden. HOCs in peat were evenly distributed throughout the body of the mire while levels of HOCs in the forest soil increased with increased amount of organic matter. Evaluation of HOC composition by principal component analysis (PCA) showed distinct differences between surface soils and deeper soil and peat samples. This was attributed to vertical transport, degradation and/or shifting sources over time. The calculated net vertical transport differed between surface layers (0.3%) and deeper soils (8.0%), suggesting that vertical transport conditions and processes differ in the deeper layers compared to the surface layers.     

Monod kinetics rather than a first-order degradation model explains atrazine fate in soil mini-columns: Implications for pesticide fate modelling

Pesticide transport models commonly assume first-order pesticide degradation kinetics for describing reactive transport in soil. This assumption was assessed in mini-column studies with associated batch degradation tests. Soil mini-columns were irrigated with atrazine in two intermittent steps of about 30 days separated by 161 days application of artificial rain water. Atrazine concentration in the effluent peaked to that of the influent concentration after initial break-through but sharply decreased while influx was sustained, suggesting a degradation lag phase. The same pattern was displayed in the second step but peak height and percentage of atrazine recovered in the effluent were lower. A Monod model with biomass decay was successfully calibrated to this data. The model was successfully evaluated against batch degradation data and mini-column experiments at lower flow rate. The study suggested that first-order degradation models may underestimate risk of pesticide leaching if the pesticide degradation potential needs amplification during degradation.     

活性污泥缺氧转化1-2-7-三氨基-8-羟基-3-6-萘二磺酸

1—2-7-三氨基-8-羟基-3—6-萘二磺酸（TAHNDS）作为偶氮染料的脱色产物很难被常规的厌氧-好氧染料废水处理工艺所去除。研究了未经驯化的活性污泥对TAHNDS的缺氧转化效果。结果表明,只有在特定的缺氧条件下（ORP在-50～-150mV之间）,TAHNDS才能被活性污泥所降解转化。当浓度在10—80mg／L范围内,TAHNDS可在72h内转化93％以上。加入100mg／L的硝酸盐和0．64mmol／L的氧化还原介体蒽醌-2-磺酸钠（AQS）可将40mg／L的TAHNDS的转化时间从84h缩短到36h。光谱及HPLC—MS分析表明,TAHNDS在缺氧条件下主要是通过脱氨基和脱磺酸作用生成已知可好氧生物降解的3,5-二氨基4-羟基萘-2-磺酸。因此,缺氧处理有望作为预处理工艺促进废水中TAHNDS的完全降解。     

Salting-out phenomenon and 1-octanol/water partition coefficient of metalaxyl pesticide

In this paper, we present the effect of inorganic cations such as Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ on the salting-out phenomenon of metalaxyl from pure water to aqueous salt solutions. Moreover the 1-octanol/water partition coefficient in pure water is presented. To accomplish this, aqueous solubility of metalaxyl was determined in pure water, in different salt solution (NaCl, KCl, CaCl₂ and MgCl₂), and at different concentration level ranging from 0.01 to 1.5 M. The 1-octanol/water partition coefficient was determined using the static shake-flask method. Solubility was determined using dynamic saturation method for pure water in the range of 298.15-325.15 K and at 298.15 K for different salt solutions. The solubility value in pure water for studied interval was found constant (m = 3.118 × 10⁻² mol kg⁻¹).Solubility values were used to calculate the standard molar Gibbs free energy of dissolution (Δ_solG°) and transfer (Δ_trG°) at 298.15 K. The values of Δ_trG° from pure to all studied aqueous salt solutions did not exceed 2 kJ mol⁻¹, the value of Δ_solG° of dissolution is 18.5 ±0.72 kJ mol⁻¹. The 1-octanol/water partition coefficient in pure water log K_o/w is equal to 1.69. The obtained results confirm the classification of the neutral metalaxyl as a slightly hydrophobic molecule.     

Role of black carbon in the distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans in aged field-contaminated soils

Floodplain soils containing elevated levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were collected from several locations along the Tittabawassee River (Michigan, USA). The PCDD/F profiles of these soils exhibited distinct congener patterns consistent with byproducts from either chloralkali manufacturing or chlorophenols productions. Black carbon (BC) particles were isolated for the first time from floodplain soil impacted by PCDD/Fs. Petrographic analysis showed that BC particles, including coal, oxidized coal, metallurgical coke, depositional carbon, coal tar/pitch, cenosphere, and charcoal, comprised approximately 30% by volume of the organic fraction with size range of 250 μm-2000 μm from a typical floodplain soil. The BC particles with anthropogenic origin such as pitch and coke associated with the chloralkali production process served as both the source and subsequent transporter for the highly hydrophobic PCDD/Fs. These anthropogenic BC particles were enriched with high levels of PCDFs, containing approximately 1000-fold the concentration found in the bulk soil. The strong association of PCDD/Fs with anthropogenic BC directly impacts the physicochemical and biological availability thus the risk associated with these hydrophobic organochlorines in soils and sediments.     

PCDD/F enviromental impact from municipal solid waste bio-drying plant

The present work indentifies some environmental and health impacts of a municipal solid waste bio-drying plant taking into account the PCDD/F release into the atmosphere, its concentration at ground level and its deposition. Four scenarios are presented for the process air treatment and management: biofilter or regenerative thermal oxidation treatment, at two different heights. A Gaussian dispersion model, AERMOD, was used in order to model the dispersion and deposition of the PCDD/F emissions into the atmosphere. Considerations on health risk, from different exposure pathways are presented using an original approach. The case of biofilter at ground level resulted the most critical, depending on the low dispersion of the pollutants. Suggestions on technical solutions for the optimization of the impact are presented.     

Biotic and abiotic degradation of illicit drugs, their precursor, and by-products in soil

This study presents the first systematic information on the degradation patterns of clandestine drug laboratory chemicals in soil. The persistence of five compounds - parent drugs (methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)), precursor (pseudoephedrine), and synthetic by-products N-formylmethylamphetamine and 1-benzyl-3-methylnaphthalene) - were investigated in laboratory scale for 1 year in three different South Australian soils both under non-sterile and sterile conditions. The results of the degradation study indicated that 1-benzyl-3-methylnaphthalene and methamphetamine persist for a long time in soil compared to MDMA and pseudoephedrine; N-formylmethylamphetamine exhibits intermediate persistence. The role of biotic versus abiotic soil processes on the degradation of target compounds was also varied significantly for different soils as well as with the progress in incubation period. The degradation of methamphetamine and 1-benzyl-3-methylnaphthalene can be considered as predominantly biotic as no measureable changes in concentrations were recorded in the sterile soils within a 1 year period. The results of the present work will help forensic and environmental scientists to precisely determine the environmental impact of chemicals associated with clandestine drug manufacturing laboratories.     

The presence of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein in earthworms Eisenia fetida has no deleterious effects on their growth and reproduction

Earthworms Eisenia fetida, bred in substances with stover of two genetically-engineered Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corns (5422Bt1 (Event Bt11) and 5422CBCL (MON810)) expressing Cry1Ab and their near-isogenic non-Bt corn (5422), were used to investigate the non-target effects of Bt corn on soil-dwelling organisms. Cry1Ab concentrations in substances, casts and guts of E. fetida were also investigated by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). More than 90% individuals of E. fetida survived over a period of 30 d, irrespective of whether they received Bt corn or non-Bt corn. Compared to 5422 treatments, significantly higher relative growth rate and more number of new offspring and cocoons of E. fetida were found in 5422Bt1 and 5422CBCL treatments. These results were unlikely to be directly caused by Cry1Ab released from Bt corns but rather by differences in other factors of plants such as plant components (soluble sugar, total organic carbon, total protein and available phosphorus of Bt corns were more than 5422). ELISA results indicated immunoreactive Cry1Ab was detectable in substances, and the casts, guts of E. fetida from Bt corns treatments, of which the highest levels were detected in substances under the corresponding experimental conditions. With the increase of treated time, a strong decline was observed in Cry1Ab from substances and casts of E. fetida, whereas Cry1Ab in guts of E. fetida from 5422Bt1 treatments gradually increased and that from 5422CBCL treatments increased between 14 and 30 d. Therefore, the presence of Cry1Ab in E. fetida had no deleterious effects on their growth and reproduction.     

羟基乙叉二膦酸镀铜废液的处理及Cu~(2+)的高附加值资源化回收

采用Na BH4还原法将羟基乙叉二膦酸(HEDP)镀铜废液中的Cu~(2+)制备成纳米铜粉,并采用聚丙烯酰胺(PAM)对还原反应后的废液进行絮凝处理。研究了n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)、还原反应温度、还原反应时间及PAM添加量对废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度的影响,并对回收的纳米铜粉进行了XRD和TEM表征。实验结果表明:当n(Cu~(2+))∶n(Na BH4)=4∶6、还原反应温度为50℃、还原反应时间为2 h时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降低至1.1 mg/L,Cu~(2+)还原率达99.99%;可获得粒径为20~45 nm的近球型、高纯度、由多晶组成的纳米铜粉;当PAM添加量为10 mg/L时,废液中剩余Cu~(2+)质量浓度降至0.35 mg/L以下,达到GB 21900—2008《电镀污染物排放标准》(小于0.5 mg/L)的要求。