Biomonitoring in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana, USA: Metal Concentrations in Biofilm and Macroinvertebrates, and Relations with Macroinvertebrate Assemblage

Portions of the Boulder River watershed contain elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in water, sediment, and biota. We measured concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and assessed macroinvertebrate assemblage and aquatic habitat with the objective of monitoring planned remediation efforts. Concentrations of metals were generally higher in downstream sites compared with upstream or reference sites, and two sites contained metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates greater than values reported to reduce health and survival of resident trout. Macroinvertebrate assemblage was correlated with metal concentrations in biofilm and macroinvertebrates. However, macroinvertebrate metrics were significantly correlated with a greater number of biofilm metals (8) than metals in invertebrates (4). Lead concentrations in biofilm appeared to have the most significant impact on macroinvertebrate assemblage. Metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates were directly proportional to concentrations in biofilm, indicating biofilm as a potential surrogate for monitoring metal impacts in aquatic systems.     

福建省兴化湾大气重金属的干湿沉降

在兴化湾周围采集1年的大气颗粒物及降雨样品,测定分析了Cd,Pb,Zn和Cu 4种重金属的含量及其大气干湿沉降通量随季节的变化规律,并利用Pb同位素对大气颗粒物的来源进行了解析.结果表明:大气重金属的干沉降通量随季节变化不大,而湿沉降通量随季节变化明显.大气干沉降通量中,Cd,Cu随季节变化很小,而Pb,Zn有一定的季节变化,主要是因为降雨对大气颗粒物的去除作用.大气湿沉降通量中,所有重金属元素受降雨量影响显著,另外还与季节和风速有关.除Pb外,Cd,Zn和Cu的湿沉降通量均大于干沉降通量,说明湿沉降在大气对兴化湾重金属的输入过程中起主导作用.而Pb的输入则以颗粒态为主.根据Pb稳定同位素分析,兴化湾大气颗粒物中的重金属主要来源于工业活动.      

钢渣吸附Pb2+的动力学研究

采用批式振荡吸附法研究了钢渣吸附Pb^2＋的动力学。研究结果表明,钢渣吸附Pb^2＋的动力学控制步骤（简称动力学控制步骤）随实验条件的变化而变化：钢渣粒径大于120μm、振荡器转速小于150r/min或Pb^2＋初始质量浓度小于150mg/L时,孔扩散是动力学控制步骤;钢渣粒径小于120μm、振荡器转速大于150r/min或Pb^2＋初始质量浓度大于150mg/L时,表面扩散是动力学控制步骤;钢渣对Pb^2＋的吸附反应是二级反应,其吸附速率为13.26g/（mg.min）。     

电感耦合等离子体质谱法直接测定酱油中的铅

采用电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法直接测定酱油样品中的痕量铅,样品无需前处理与稀释,直接进行测定.外标法绘制工作曲线、在线内标法校准基体效应,方法简便、快速.根据所建立的方法,对实验室间比对实验的酱油考察样品进行了分析,测定值与参考值吻合,相对标准偏差为2.5%.用加标回收实验评价了该方法的准确性,回收率为94.2%-102%,结果令人满意.     

Sludge concentration dynamic distribution and its impact on the performance of UNITANK

UNITANK is a biological wastewater treatment process that combines the advantages of traditional activated sludge process and sequencing batch reactor, which is divided into Tank A, B and C. In this study, the sludge distribution and its impact on performance of UNITANK were carried out in Liede Wastewater Plant （WWTP） of Guangzhou, China. Results showed that there was a strong affiliation between Tank A and B of the system in sludge concentration distribution. The initial sludge concentration in Tank A could present the sludge distribution of the whole system. The sludge distribution was mainly influenced by hydraulic condition. Unsteady sludge distribution had an impact on variations of substrates in reactors, especially in decisive reactor, and this could lead to failure of system. Settler could partially remove substrates such as COD and NO3-N, but there was adventure of sludge deterioration. The rational initial sludge concentration in Tank A should be 4000-6000 mg/L MLSS.     

Impacts of converting from leaded to unleaded gasoline on ambient lead concentrations in Jakarta metropolitan area

Total suspended particulate mater （TSP） concentrations were monitored for one year from July 2000 and for one year from April 2003 in Jakarta City. Thirteen elemental TSP components, aluminum （Al）, sodium （Na）, iron （Fe）, lead （Pb）, potassium （K）, zinc （Zn）, titanium （Ti）, manganese （Mn）, bromine （Br）, copper （Cu）, chromium （Cr）, nickel （Ni）, and vanadium （V） were analyzed by a sequential X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Al, Na, Fe, K, and Pb were major components at most of the sampling locations in 2000. However, only Pb in 2003 dramatically decreased to one tenth. The phase-out of leaded gasoline began on July 1, 2001 in Jakarta City and lead content in gasoline decreased to one tenth, too. The decrease in Pb concentration was a result of the phase-out of leaded gasoline, as lead emissions mainly are exhaust gas from vehicles.     

利用含铬废水和含铅废水制备铬黄

利用净化后的含铬废水和含铅废水制备铬黄.采用沉淀法对废水进行净化预处理,最佳工艺条件:100mL含铬废水中加入20 g Na_2CO_3,及10 mL H_2O_2,用NaOH调节含铬废水pH为10.00;用NaOH调节含铅废水pH为2.65.将净化后的10 mL含铬废水和25 mL含铅废水混合,在55-60℃条件下反应10 min,合成的铬黄达到GB/T 3184-2008<铬酸铅颜料和钼铬酸铅颜料>的质量标准.经重金属吸附剂处理Pb~(2+)后铬黄合成滤液中的Cr~(6+)和Pb~(2+)质量浓度均达到GB8978-1996<污水综合排放标准>的指标.     

Lead Solubilization and Accumulation by Two Strains of Pseudomonas Obtained from a Contaminated Alfisol's Effluent in Southwestern Nigeria

Two strains of Pseudomonas species (B₂ and D₅)selected from an array of lead solubilizing and accumulatingbacteria obtained from the effluent contaminated soil samples of abattery manufacturing factory were studied. Increase in pH between 4.0 and 6.0 favoured the growth of isolates: Peaklog₁₀ cfu mL^–1 values of 7.1, 7.5 and 8.5 wereobtained at pH 4, 5 and 6, respectively.Cell bound lead concentrations for B₂ (0.34 mg mL^–1)and D₅ (0.30 mg mL^–1) obtained by direct contact withPbs were greater than lead concentrations of 0.89 and 0.25 mg mL^–1 for B₂ and D₅, respectively,obtained in dialyzed cultures. These cell bound lead concentration in undialyzed cultures were alsogreater than lead concentrations of 0.03 and 0.07 mg mL^–1 for B₂ and D₅ in culture supernatants. Glucose addition did nor improve lead accumulation in the isolates.Exploitation of such isolates for the biotreatment of lead ladeneffluent was conducted.     

石墨炉法测定铅的基体改进剂的选择

通过一系列实验,选择了石墨炉法测定铅的最佳基体改进剂,并确定了使用该基体改进剂的最佳灰化温度和原子化温度。     

Phytoextraction of lead-contaminated soil using vetivergrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vetiveria zizanioides</Emphasis> L.), cogongrass (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Imperata cylindrica</Emphasis> L.) and carabaograss (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Paspalum conjugatum</Emphasis> L.)

Background, Aims and Scope The global problem concerning contamination of the environment as a consequence of human activities is increasing. Most of the environmental contaminants are chemical by-products and heavy metals such as lead (Pb). Lead released into the environment makes its way into the air, soil and water. Lead contributes to a variety of health effects such as decline in mental, cognitive and physical health of the individual. An alternative way of reducing Pb concentration from the soil is through phytoremediation. Phytoremediation is an alternative method that uses plants to clean up a contaminated area. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the survival rate and vegetative characteristics of three grass species such as vetivergrass, cogongrass and carabaograss grown in soils with different Pb levels; and (2) to determine and compare the ability of the three grass species as potential phytoremediators in terms of Pb accumulation by plants. Methods The three test plants: vetivergrass (Vetiveria zizanioides L.); cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica L.); and carabaograss (Paspalum conjugatum L.) were grown in individual plastic bags containing soils with 75 mg kg⁻¹ (37.5 kg ha⁻¹) and 150 mg kg⁻¹ (75 kg ha⁻¹) of Pb, respectively. The Pb contents of the test plants and the soil were analyzed before and after experimental treatments using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. This study was laid out following a 3 × 2 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. Results On the vegetative characteristics of the test plants, vetivergrass registered the highest whole plant dry matter weight (33.85–39.39 Mg ha⁻¹). Carabaograss had the lowest herbage mass production of 4.12 Mg ha⁻¹ and 5.72 Mg ha⁻¹ from soils added with 75 and 150 mg Pb kg⁻¹, respectively. Vetivergrass also had the highest percent plant survival which meant it best tolerated the Pb contamination in soils. Vetivergrass registered the highest rate of Pb absorption (10.16 ± 2.81 mg kg⁻¹). This was followed by cogongrass (2.34 ± 0.52 mg kg⁻¹) and carabaograss with a mean Pb level of 0.49 ± 0.56 mg kg⁻¹. Levels of Pb among the three grasses (shoots + roots) did not vary significantly with the amount of Pb added (75 and 150 mg kg⁻¹) to the soil. Discussion Vetivergrass yielded the highest biomass; it also has the greatest amount of Pb absorbed (roots + shoots). This can be attributed to the highly extensive root system of vetivergrass with the presence of an enormous amount of root hairs. Extensive root system denotes more contact to nutrients in soils, therefore more likelihood of nutrient absorption and Pb uptake. The efficiency of plants as phytoremediators could be correlated with the plants’ total biomass. This implies that the higher the biomass, the greater the Pb uptake. Plants characteristically exhibit remarkable capacity to absorb what they need and exclude what they do not need. Some plants utilize exclusion mechanisms, where there is a reduced uptake by the roots or a restricted transport of the metals from root to shoots. Combination of high metal accumulation and high biomass production results in the most metal removal from the soil. Conclusions The present study indicated that vetivergrass possessed many beneficial characteristics to uptake Pb from contaminated soil. It was the most tolerant and could grow in soil contaminated with high Pb concentration. Cogongrass and carabaograss are also potential phytoremediators since they can absorb small amount of Pb in soils, although cogongrass is more tolerant to Pb-contaminated soil compared with carabaograss. The important implication of our findings is that vetivergrass can be used for phytoextraction on sites contaminated with high levels of heavy metals; particularly Pb. Recommendations and Perspectives High levels of Pb in localized areas are still a concern especially in urban areas with high levels of traffic, near Pb smelters, battery plants, or industrial facilities that burn fuel ending up in water and soils. The grasses used in the study, and particularly vetivergrass, can be used to phytoremediate urban soil with various contaminations by planting these grasses in lawns and public parks. ESS-Submission Editor: Dr. Willie Peijnenburg (wjgm.peijnenburg@rivm.nl)