Review on utilization of biochar for metal-contaminated soil and sediment remediation

Biochar is a carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative material produced through thermal decomposition of plant- and animal-based biomass under oxygen-limited conditions. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the application of biochar as an adsorbent, soil ameliorant and climate mitigation approach in many types of applications. Metal-contaminated soil remediation using biochar has been intensively investigated in small-scale and pilot-scale trials with obtained beneficial results and multifaceted effects. But so far, the study and application of biochar in contaminated sediment management has been very limited, and this is also a worldwide problem. Nonetheless, there is reason to believe that the same multiple benefits can also be realized with these sediments due to similar mechanisms for stabilizing contaminants. This paper provides a review on current biochar properties and its use as a sorbent/amendment for metal-contaminated soil/sediment remediation and its effect on plant growth, fauna habits as well as microorganism communities. In addition, the use of biochar as a potential strategy for contaminated sediment management is also discussed, especially as regards in-situ planning. Finally, we highlight the possibility of biochar application as an effective amendment and propose further research directions to ensure the safe and sustainable use of biochar as an amendment for remediation of contaminated soil and sediment.     

Mercury in soil, vegetable and human hair in a typical mining area in China: Implication for human exposure

Concentrations of total mercury(T-Hg) and methylmercury(MeHg) in soil, vegetables, and human hair were measured in a mercury mining area in central China. T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in soil ranged from 1.53 to 1054.97 mg/kg and 0.88 to 46.52 μg/kg, respectively.T-Hg concentrations was correlated with total organic carbon(TOC) content(R~2= 0.50, p0.01)and pH values(R~2= 0.21, p0.05). A significant linear relationship was observed between MeHg concentrations and the abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria(SRB)(R~2= 0.39, p0.05) in soil.Soil incubation experiments amended with specific microbial stimulants and inhibitors showed that Hg methylation was derived from SRB activity. T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in vegetables were 24.79 – 781.02 μg/kg and 0.01 – 0.18 μg/kg, respectively; levels in the edible parts were significantly higher than in the roots(T-Hg: p0.05; MeHg: p0.01). Hg species concentrations in rhizosphere soil were positively correlated to those in vegetables(p0.01), indicating that soil was an important source of Hg in vegetables. Risk assessment indicated that the consumption of vegetables could result in higher probable daily intake(PDI) of T-Hg than the provisional tolerable daily intake(PTDI) for both adults and children. In contrast, the PDI of MeHg was lower than the reference dose. T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in hair samples ranged from 1.57 to 12.61 mg/kg and 0.04 to 0.94 mg/kg, respectively, and MeHg concentration in hair positively related to PDI of MeHg via vegetable consumption(R~2= 0.39, p0.05), suggesting that vegetable may pose health risk to local residents.     

Water level fluctuations influence microbial communities and mercury methylation in soils in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Reservoirs tend to have enhanced methylmercury(MeHg) concentrations compared to natural lakes and rivers, and water level fluctuations can promote MeHg production. Until now, little research has been conducted on the effects of microorganisms in soils for the formation of MeHg during different drying and flooding alternating conditions in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR). This study aimed to understand how water level fluctuations affect soil microbial composition and mercury concentrations, and if such microbial variations are related to Hg methylation. The results showed that MeHg concentrations and the ratios of MeHg to THg(MeHg%) in soils were higher in the seasonally drying and flooding alternating areas(DFAs, 175–155 m) than those in the non-inundated(NIAs, 175 m) and inundated areas(IAs, 145 m). However, MeHg% in all samples was less than 1%, indicating that the Hg methylation activity in the soils of the TGR was under a low level. 454 highthroughput sequencing of 16 S rRNA gene amplicons showed that soil bacterial abundance and diversity were relatively higher in DFA compared to those in NIA and IA, and microbial community composition varied in these three areas. At the family level, those groups in Deltaproteobacteria and Methanomicrobia that might have many Hg methylators were also showed a higher relative abundance in DFA, which might be the reason for the higher MeHg production in these areas. Overall, our results suggested that seasonally water level fluctuations can enhance the microbial abundance and diversity, as well as MeHg production in the TGR.     

Microbial methylation of mercury in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

正Methylmercury(MeHg)is an organic form of the global pollutant mercury(Hg)which readily accumulates in fish tissue.A majority of Hg methylation is a result of microbial activity and the abundance of inorganic Hg within the water reservoirs(Eckley et al.,2017).Compared to natural lakes and rivers,reservoirs have elevated Hg levels from the decomposition of recently flooded organic material which promote Hg     

水资源管理“三条红线”约束下的城镇化水平阈值分析——以张掖市为例

水资源与城镇化的关系问题是水科学研究的热点,二者之间存在着复杂的交织关系。论文选取典型干旱区城市张掖市为研究对象,以最严格水资源管理制度为约束条件,基于水资源约束下的城镇化水平阈值计算思路,引入节水量和灰水足迹测算方法改进了传统水量水质双要素水资源承载力计算模型,并在此基础上统筹可供水量、可节水量及水功能区纳污能力构建了水资源管理“三条红线”约束下的城镇化水平阈值计算模型;通过分析张掖市城镇化水平与水资源开发利用的历史数据并进行情景模拟,对2020年和2030年张掖市城镇化水平阈值做出了预测。结果表明：1）在水资源开发利用红线约束下,到2030年张掖市可利用水资源量为23.02×10⁸ m³,与现状基本一致,且以当前的水资源开发利用水平,水量承载能力难以支撑政府未来规划中的城镇化进程与经济增长的用水需求;2）严格遵照用水效率控制红线中所规定的用水定额标准时,张掖市将有望改善水量承载能力不足问题,且到2030年时,水量承载城镇人口能力可达331.91×10⁴人,其中水量承载能力提升主要得益于农业部门节水;3）在水功能区限制纳污红线的约束下,2030年张掖市水质可承载能力上限为62.47×10⁴人,仅为规划城镇人口数量的78%,水质可承载能力对城镇化进程形成了强烈的约束作用,约束力主要来自于城镇区域氨氮排放;4）在水资源管理“三条红线”约束下,到2030年时张掖市城镇化水平阈值上限为48.05%。     

京津冀中部夏季大气颗粒物空间分布特征

为研究京津冀地区雾霾成因,以Y-12（运-12）飞机为大气颗粒物观测平台,对2016年夏季京津冀中部大气颗粒物污染特征进行了观测研究.结果表明,天津市颗粒物数浓度垂直分布特征为1 500 m（以下均为标准气压高度）以下呈单峰分布,1 500 m以上呈单调下降,峰值均出现在0.35~0.40 μm之间,峰值的最大值出现在900 m左右;颗粒物体积浓度谱呈三峰分布,分别在0.30~0.40、0.50~0.60和1.00~2.00 μm之间,峰值的最大值出现在450 m左右.天津市、保定市和衡水市600与2 400 m数浓度谱分布特征为单调下降和单峰分布并存;600 m表面积浓度谱呈三峰分布,分别在0.30~0.40、0.50~0.60和0.90~1.00 μm之间;2 400 m表面积浓度谱呈双峰分布,分别在0.30~0.40和0.50~0.60 μm之间;600与2 400 m体积浓度谱均呈三峰分布,分别在0.30~0.40、0.50~0.60和1.00~3.00 μm之间.天津市大气颗粒物数浓度谱峰值的最大值出现在900 m左右,说明逆温层对气溶胶累积的形成有重要影响.城市间数浓度谱峰值高低受地面颗粒物质量浓度大小影响.京津冀中部大气颗粒物表面积浓度谱在600 m呈三峰分布,在2 400 m呈双峰分布,可能是因为2 400 m空中以细粒子为主.京津冀中部大气颗粒物体积浓度谱在600与2 400 m空中均为三峰分布,而国外为双峰分布,发现粗粒子峰值粒径范围差别较大,这是由于国内PM_2.5在PM₁₀中占比较大.研究显示,京津冀中部600和1 200 m大气颗粒物多来源于山东、河南,经近地面输送;2 400 m大气颗粒物多来源于内蒙古地区,经高空和近地面两种途径输送.      

土壤作物系统镉污染及其防治研究

选择我国北方主要粮食作物冬小麦和夏谷进行盆栽试验，研究了土壤镉污染对作物生长发育和产量的影响及泥炭、羊粪两种不同类型的有机肥缓减土壤镉污染危害的作用；分析了镉在两种作物不同器官中的迁移效率和累积规律；认为施加有机肥是缓减土壤镉污染危害的有效措施，且施羊粪的效果比施泥炭好。     

Toxicity attenuation of olive mill wastewater in soil slurries

Olive mill wastewaters are toxic for plants and microbes due to their high polyphenol content. We studied the effect of agricultural soil as a natural catalyst to promote polyphenol oxidation and polymerization, and in turn detoxify olive mill wastewaters. We show that model polyphenols are fully converted in soil slurries. Their products show no toxicity to the growth of a typical soil bacterium, Bacillus cereus, and reduced phytotoxicity in germination tests with English cress seeds. Those findings are promising for the sustainable treatment of olive wastewater in aerated soil slurries.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Reserve Acquisition Programs in Protecting Rare and Threatened Species

Abstract:  Measuring the effectiveness of reserve networks is essential to ensure that conservation objectives such as species persistence are being met. We devised a new approach for measuring the effectiveness of land conservation in protecting rare and threatened species and applied it to an ecosystem of global significance. We compiled detailed global distributional data for 36 rare and threatened plants and animals found in the Lake Wales Ridge ecosystem in central Florida (U.S.A.). For each species, we developed a set of protection indices based in part on criteria used to categorize species for the World Conservation Union's Red List. We calculated protection indexes under three different conservation scenarios: a past scenario, which assumed recent, major land-acquisition efforts never occurred; a current scenario, which assumed no additional areas are saved beyond what is currently protected; and a targeted scenario, which assumed all of the remaining areas targeted for protection are eventually acquired. This approach enabled us to quantify the progress, in terms of reduced risk of extinction, that conservationists have made in protecting target species. It also revealed the limited success these land-acquisition efforts have had in reducing those extinction risks associated with loss of habitat or small geographic ranges. Many species of the Lake Wales Ridge will remain at high risk of extinction even if planned land-acquisition efforts are completely successful. By calculating protection indexes with and without each site for all imperiled species, we also quantified the contribution of each protected area to the conservation of each species, enabling local conservation decisions to be made in the context of a larger (global) perspective. The protection index approach can be adapted readily to other ecosystems with multiple rare and threatened species.     

Sorption of heavy metals on organic and inorganic soil constituents

Sorption of heavy metals to organic matter and mineral soil constituents can hardly be separated experimentally. Here we studied the retention capacity of organic matter and minerals from soils in a long-term field experiment in which the organic carbon content had been altered, but the mineral phase had remained constant over time. The sorption of Cu, Cd and Zn showed a non-additive contribution of soil organic matter and minerals to the sorption capacity of soil. Sorption on organic matter exceeded mineral sorption from 6 to 13 times. This is the first time that sorption to soil organic matter is quantified in bulk soils.