Impact of mining activities on soils in a semi-arid environment: Sierra Almagrera district, SE Spain

Field and laboratory-column studies were undertaken in order to investigate soil contamination derived from past mining activity in the Sierra Almagrera (SA) district in southeast Spain. The tailings, soil and sediment samples that were collected showed high concentrations of Ag, As, Ba, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn when analyzed. The mean concentrations of these elements in the tailings were 29.8, 285.4, 54000, 57.7, 2687.5, 179.0 and 2269.0 ppm, respectively. In the soil samples these decreased to 14.3, 96.9, 24700, 37.5, 1859.1, 168.5 and 815.7 ppm, respectively. Geochemical analyses demonstrated high levels of As, Pb and Zn which were above the intervention values set forth in the Andalusian Regulations for Contaminated Soils for As (>50 ppm), Pb (>500 ppm) and Zn (>2000 ppm). Column experiments and mineralogical studies suggest that the dissolution of sulfates and other secondary phases, accumulated in soils and waste-sites during the dry season, acts to control the mobility of metals. The elution curves obtained from column experiments showed a mobilization of Ba, Cu, Pb and Zn, while a low mobility was seen for Ag, As and Sb.     

Differential leaching of nutrients from soluble vs. controlled-release fertilizers

Extremely sandy soils and poorly distributed high annual rainfall in the state of Florida contribute to significant leaching losses of nutrients from routine fertilization practices. A leaching column experiment was conducted to evaluate the leaching losses of nutrients when using currently available N, P, K blend fertilizers for young citrus tree fertilization. Fertilizer blends included NH₄NO₃, Ca(NO₃)₂, IBDU, IBDU plus Escote, Nutralene, Osmocote, and Meister. Following leaching of 1000 ml of water through soil columns, which simulates leaching conditions with 26 cm of rainfall, the amount of NO₃ and NH₄ recovered in the leachate from soil columns amended with an NH₄NO₃ blend accounted for 37% and 88% of the respective nutrients contained in the quantity of blend per column. The corresponding values for soil columns amended with a Ca(NO₃)₂ blend were 48% and 100%. Leraching losses of both NO₃ (<3%) and NH₄ (<4%) were drastically decreased when using controlled-release fertilizers. The recoveries of P and K in 1000 ml of leachate were 1.3% and 8%, respectively, of the nutrients added as Osmocote, which contained coated P and K sources. In the case of the rest of fertilizer blends, the recoveries of P and K in 1000 ml of leachate were as high as 52%–100% and 28%–100%, respectively. Therefore, controlled-release technology offers an important capability for minimizing leaching losses of nutrients.     

Anthropogenic nitrogen sources and exports in a village-scale catchment in Southeast China

An experimental village-scale catchment was selected for investigation of nitrogen (N) sources and exports. The mean N application rate over the catchment was 350.2 kg N ha⁻¹, but this rate varied spatially and temporally. The N leaching loss rate varied from 8.1 to 52.7 kg N ha⁻¹ under different land use regimes. The average N leaching loss rate was 13.4 kg N ha⁻¹ over the whole catchment, representing about 3.8% of the total N inputs. The N export rate through stormflows was 28.8 kg N ha⁻¹, about 8.2% of the total N inputs. Seasonal patterns showed that 95% of N exports through stormflows occurred during July to September in 2002. Overall, the maximum riverine N exports were 12.1% of total N inputs and 15.5% of the inorganic fertilizer N applied. Understanding N sources and exports in a village-scale catchment can provide a knowledge base for amelioration of diffuse agricultural pollution.     

Leaching of atrazine, metolachlor and diuron in the field in relation to their injection depth into a silt loam soil

A field experiment was conducted on a Calcaric Cambisol soil to study the consequences of the penetration depth and properties of pesticides on the risk of subsequent leaching. Three pesticides with different mobility characteristics and bromide were injected at 30 cm (where soil organic matter (OM) was 2%) and 80 cm (soil OM 0.5%) on irrigated plots without a crop. The migration of injected solutes was assessed for two years by sampling the soil solution using six porous cups installed at 50 and 150 cm depth and by relating solute contents to drainage water flux estimated by the STICS model (Simulateur mulTIdisciplinaire pour les Cultures Standard). Pesticides injected at 30 cm were strongly retained so that no metolachlor or diuron was detected at 50 and 150 cm. The ratio of atrazine peak concentration in the soil solution to concentration in the injected solution (C/C₀) was 1 × 10⁻³ and 0.2 × 10⁻³, respectively, at 50 and 150 cm. When injected at 80 cm, (C/C₀) of atrazine, metolachlor and diuron were 10 × 10⁻³, 1 × 10⁻³ and 0.3 × 10⁻³ at 150 cm, respectively; 1/(C/C₀) was correlated with K_oc values reported from databases. The ratio of drainage volume to the amount of water at field capacity in the soil layer between the injection point at 30 cm and the water sampling level (V/V₀) at 50 and 150 cm was 0.6 and 0.9, respectively, for bromide and 1.6 and 1.0 for atrazine. V/V₀ of the injected solutes at 80 cm was for bromide, atrazine, metolachlor and diuron 0.6, 0.9, 1.2 and 1.7, respectively; pesticide V/V₀ was correlated with K_oc. The retardation factor was a good indicator of migration risk, but tended to overestimate retardation of molecules with high K_oc. Atrazine desorption represented an additional leaching risk as a source of prolonged low contamination. The large variability in soil solution of bromide and pesticide concentrations in the horizontal plane was attributed to flow paths and clods in the tilled soil layer. This heterogeneity was assumed to channel water fluxes into restricted areas and thereby increase the risk of groundwater contamination. The methodology used in the field proves to provide consistent results.     

水溶性有机物在土壤剖面中的分馏及对Cu迁移的作用

通过室内土柱试验研究了DOM在土壤剖面中的“分馏”作用,DOM在纵向运移过程中的穿透行为及对污染的红壤和潮土中重金属Cu溶出效果的影响.结果表明,绿肥和猪粪DOM经过土柱后极性都有所降低,在潮土上的降低幅度较大,分别为11.4%和10.72%;DOM能够明显地增加污染土壤中Cu的溶出,且这种作用效果与DOM及土壤的性质有关,绿肥DOM的作用效果比猪粪DOM的强,整个淋洗过程中潮土上Cu的平均溶出量是红壤上的4.37倍(绿肥DOM)和3.03倍(猪粪DOM);由于微生物对DOM的分解作用,降低了DOM对土壤中Cu的溶出效果.     

燃煤型氟中毒区石煤氟的环境地球化学行为研究

通过对比典型剖面上的石煤及其风化发育的土壤的氟含量、流经石煤层的水与不经过石煤层的水的氟含量,研究石煤风化、淋溶时氟对土壤、地表水和农作物的影响。采集居民家中石煤、石煤燃后底灰、室内降尘、玉米、辣椒、水缸水和开水,分析其含氟量,研究石煤燃烧时氟的迁移富集机制。结果表明石煤的风化、淋溶虽导致土壤含氟量大幅升高但对地表水和新鲜粮食的含氟量无显著影响;石煤燃烧后释放出的氟污染室内玉米、辣椒和饮水,导致氟中毒流行。     

南京及邻近地区新近沉积土的动剪切模量和阻尼比的试验研究

通过对南京及其邻近地区漫滩相成因的粘土、粉质粘土、淤泥质粉质粘土、粉质粘土与粉砂互层土、粉土、粉细砂等 6类新近沉积土的自振柱试验 ,详细探讨了围压大小、剪应变水平、土的颗粒组成和结构性对这 6类新近沉积土的剪切模量G及阻尼比λ的影响。通过与Seed和Idriss建议的砂土G/Gmax～γ和λ～γ曲线变化范围的对比 ,结果表明 ,不能将粉质粘土与粉砂互层土简单地当作砂土或粉质粘土对待。通过试验和理论分析 ,给出了南京及其邻近地区 6类新近沉积土动剪切模量和阻尼比随剪应变变化的平均曲线的拟合曲线、包络线及其参数的推荐值 ,对实际工程具有一定的借鉴作用     

成都平原蔬菜生产中灌溉水对农药渗漏的影响研究

针对成都平原蔬菜生产中大量施用农药、大量灌水的特点,首次在国内应用欧洲官方成熟的农药评估模型——PEARL模型,研究评估了成都平原当前蔬菜生产中的灌溉方式对两种不同特性农药的渗漏的影响。杀毒矾(土壤吸附力(KOM)为0 L/kg,半衰期(DT50)为80 d)在没有灌溉条件下,其渗出土体时的最大质量浓度是190μg.L-1,而有灌溉条件下其渗出质量浓度则可达523μg.L-1,是没有灌溉条件下的2.75倍。三唑磷(KOM为200 L.kg-1,DT50为60 d)在没有灌溉条件下,其渗出土体时的最大质量浓度是0.025μg.L-1,而有灌溉条件下其渗出质量浓度为0.13μg.L-1,比没有灌溉时提高了4.2倍。不管有没有灌溉三唑磷在该地区对地下水的污染风险都很小,而杀毒矾的风险则很高。因此,农药的化学特性是影响农药渗漏的最重要的因子。在蔬菜生产中应尽量选用被土壤吸附力强、半衰期短的农药,例如:三唑磷;农药在土壤中的移动载体是土壤水,不合理的灌溉会大大地加大农药淋溶,应当多使用微喷、滴灌等节水灌溉措施,减少使用漫灌等耗水多的原始灌溉方式。     

施肥对华北高产区土壤NO-3-N淋失与作物NO-3-N含量及产量的影响

利用4a的平衡施肥定位试验，研究太行山山前平原高产区冬小麦、夏玉米轮作制度下施肥对潮褐土中硝态氮的分布、移动、积累、植株吸收以及作物产量的影响。结果表明，土壤剖面中硝态氮含量与施肥量直接相关，过量施用氮肥使硝态氮在土壤中大量积累并向下层快速移动；氮磷对作物的养分供应存在着既相互促进又相互竞争的关系，施用适量磷肥可以促进小麦、玉米对氮素的吸收，提高作物产量，减少氮素在土壤中积累和淋失，但施磷量太高，由于氮磷之间的竞争作用，作物吸氮量反而下降，从而导致土壤中硝态氮的积累和淋失加剧，施用钾肥抑制了土壤硝态氮积累，促进了两季作物植株对氮素的吸收，从减少土壤硝态氮积累和淋失的角度，提出该区合理的施肥配比为组合N2P2K2，即ρA(N)=200kg hm^-2，ρA(P)=32．5kg hm^-2，ρA(K)=150kg hm^-2。图6参13。     

呋喃丹和阿特拉津在土柱中的淋溶及其影响因素

通过室内柱淋溶试验研究呋喃丹与阿特拉津在河南潮土及2种太湖水稻土中的淋溶作用及其影响因素。结果表明:2种农药在河南潮土中的淋溶作用比在太湖水稻土中弱。在表土中添加2 mg农药、模拟1次降水200mm条件下,呋喃丹最大淋溶量峰值可达25—30 cm深处,阿特拉津最大淋溶量峰值可达15—20 cm。表明呋喃丹、阿特拉津2种农药在供试土柱中均表现出较强淋溶特性。土壤和农药性质对淋溶作用均有很大影响。土壤有机质和粘粒含量越高,对农药的吸附性越强,土壤中农药越不容易随水下移;土壤大孔隙越多,农药在土壤中淋溶作用也越强,且相邻大孔隙对农药淋溶存在协同作用。土柱中插入4根直形多孔玻璃管后,土壤淋出液中农药量比插入2根的高2.7倍,比不插玻璃管对照高10倍。土柱中插入扭曲(60°)形玻璃管与插入直形玻璃管相比,农药在土壤中持留性增强,淋溶作用减弱。同一土柱中农药水溶性越大,淋溶作用也越强。