Microbial indicators of heavy metal contamination in urban and rural soils

Urban soils and especially their microbiology have been a neglected area of study. In this paper, we report on microbial properties of urban soils compared to rural soils of similar lithogenic origin in the vicinity of Aberdeen city. Significant differences in basal respiration rates, microbial biomass and ecophysiological parameters were found in urban soils compared to rural soils. Analysis of community level physiological profiles (CLPP) of micro-organisms showed they consumed C sources faster in urban soils to maintain the same level activity as those in rural soils. Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni were the principal elements that had accumulated in urban soils compared with their rural counterparts with Pb being the most significant metal to distinguish urban soils from rural soils. Sequential extraction showed the final residue after extraction was normally the highest proportion except for Pb, for which the hydroxylamine-hydrochloride extractable Pb was the largest part. Acetic acid extractable fraction of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were higher in urban soils and aqua regia extractable fraction were lower suggesting an elevated availability of heavy metals in urban soils. Correlation analyses between different microbial indicators (basal respiration, biomass-C, and sole C source tests) and heavy metal fractions indicated that basal respiration was negatively correlated with soil Cd, Cu, Ni and Zn inputs while soil microbial biomass was only significantly correlated with Pb. However, both exchangeable and iron- and manganese-bound Ni fractions were mostly responsible for shift of the soil microbial community level physiological profiles (sole C source tests). These data suggest soil microbial indicators can be useful indicators of pollutant heavy metal stress on the health of urban soils.     

节水型建筑评价指标体系初探——以深圳居住建筑为例

面对水资源管理和利用危机,本文提出节水型建筑理论内涵和评价指标体系,以及指标权重的确定方法。它对于推动节水型建筑的应用和推广,大力推进节水型城市建设,推进循环经济建设有着积极的理论意义和现实意义。     

黄河上游地区(陕甘宁青)“三生空间”功能的演变特征及耦合协调分析

生产-生活-生态功能协调发展是可持续发展研究的热点问题。通过构建“生产-生活-生态”评价指标体系,运用三角模型、耦合协调度模型分析黄河上游地区三生功能状态、趋势以及耦合协调性的演变规律。结果表明：在1998—2017年黄河上游地区三生功能均显著上升,其中生产、生活功能的增长速率略高于生态功能;其相互作用随着时间从极低水平缓慢发展,先后经历了低水平和中等水平,最终发展到高等水平;耦合协调水平由低水平向中等水平波浪式发展,其中陕西省耦合协调水平相对较高,但距离高度协调还存在一定差距。在黄河上游地区可持续发展问题中,应根据三生功能耦合特征及影响因素,制定差异化策略,从而解决生产、生态功能之间的矛盾。     

Field demonstration of in situ immobilization of soil Pb using P amendments

A long-term field-scale demonstration project on the feasibility of using P to immobilize Pb in a Pb-contaminated urban soil was conducted. Phosphate was applied at an average rate of 3040 mg P/kg soil based on a P/Pb molar ration of 4.0, with four treatments: T₀, no P application; T₁, H₃PO₄ only; T₂, 1/2 H₃PO₄+1/2 CaH₂PO₄; and T₃, 1/2 H₃PO₄+1/2 phosphate rock. Soil samples were collected and analyzed 220 days after the P applications. For all P treatments, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) extractable Pb levels in surface soils (0-10 cm) were reduced to below 5.0 mg Pb/l, with T₂ also effective in reducing the TCLP Pb level in subsurface soils (10-30 cm, <4.63 mg/l). Sequential extraction analysis indicates that P was effective in transforming soil Pb from non-residual fractions to a residual fraction. Such a transformation was mainly through dissolution of Pb associated with carbonate fraction and precipitation of pyromorphite-like minerals, which were confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Among these three treatments, T₃ was the most effective in reducing Pb mobility and minimizing P and Pb leaching in the soil. Our research clearly demonstrates that P amendments were effective in immobilizing Pb in contaminated soil.     

北京地区河流中大型底栖无脊椎动物与水质关系的研究

利用1983—1985年调查资料,对北京地区河流中大型底栖无脊椎动物群落结构用生态学方法进行评价。指示生物、Trent生物指数和Shannon种类多样性指数评价结果是一致的。     

环境指标研究进展与分析

对于在可持续发展框架下的环境指标的研究 ,特别是对于PSR概念模型、联结宏观经济与环境的指标、有关自然资源消耗的指标、与空间特征相关的环境指标以及环境指标的整合 5个方面 ,进行了综述与分析 ,同时提出了笔者的观点。      

不同填料对人工湿地模拟柱中指示菌的去除

为研究不同填料对指示菌的去除效果,选取沸石、无烟煤、页岩、蛭石、陶瓷滤料、砾石、钢渣、生物陶粒8种填料,进行垂直流人工湿地模拟柱净化污水试验。结果表明,8种填料中对3种指示菌(异养细菌、大肠菌群和粪链球菌)去除率较高的为钢渣(99.9%)和无烟煤(95.9%),推测主要是因为其出水分别呈碱性和酸性造成。除钢渣和无烟煤外,去除率较高的为沸石和蛭石,去除率较低的为陶瓷滤料和生物陶粒。相关分析结果表明6种填料(不包括钢渣和无烟煤)对指示菌去除率与填料的渗透系数间存在负相关关系,推测它们主要是通过过滤吸附的机制去除指示菌。     

乐果对土壤微生物种群的影响

农药对土壤微生物的影响已成为评价农药对土壤生态安全的一个重要指标。采用室内培养法研究了乐果在3种不同质量分数下对土壤微生物种群数量以及土壤中占优势的细菌、真菌和放线菌生长速率的影响。结果表明,以真菌种群受抑制最大,放线菌次之,细菌最小。在供试质量分数下,该杀虫剂对土壤细菌种群数量的影响较复杂,没有明显规律;对土壤真菌和放线菌种群数量的影响均表现为明显的抑制作用,且随药剂质量分数的提高和加药时间的延长抑制趋势越明显。因此,可以选择真菌和放线菌作为土壤受乐果污染的敏感指示菌。结果同时表明,50～500mg·kg-1的乐果不影响细菌的生长速率,而5000mg·kg-1的乐果在加药后2～5d明显抑制其生长速率,加药后6～7d,又恢复到正常水平;3种不同质量分数的乐果在加药后2～7d对真菌和放线菌的生长速率均表现明显的抑制作用,且随药剂质量分数的提高而逐渐增强,但随加药时间的延长又逐渐恢复。     

Heavy metal sequential extraction methods--a modification for tropical soils

Sequential extractions of metals can be useful to study metal distributions in various soil fractions. Although several sequential extraction procedures have been suggested in the literature, most were developed for temperate soils and may not be suitable for tropical soils with high contents of Mn and Fe oxides. The objective of this study was to develop a sequential fractionation procedure for Cu and Zn in tropical soils. Extractions were performed on surface (0–20 cm) samples of ten representative soils of Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Chemically reactive Mn forms were satisfactorily assessed by the new modified procedure. Amorphous and crystalline Fe oxides were more selectively extracted in a new two-step extraction. Soil-born Zn and Cu were primarily associated with recalcitrant soil fractions. The proposed procedure provided more detailed information on metal distribution in tropical soils and better characterization of the various components of the soil matrix. The new procedure is expected to be an important tool for predicting the potential effects of environmental changes and land application of metals on the redistribution of chemical forms of metals in tropical soils.     

Remediation of toxic metal contaminated soil by washing with biodegradable aminopolycarboxylate chelants

Ex situ soil washing with synthetic extractants such as, aminopolycarboxylate chelants (APCs) is a viable treatment alternative for metal-contaminated site remediation. EDTA and its homologs are widely used among the APCs in the ex situ soil washing processes. These APCs are merely biodegradable and highly persistent in the aquatic environments leading to the post-use toxic effects. Therefore, an increasing interest is focused on the development and use of the eco-friendly APCs having better biodegradability and less environmental toxicity. The paper deals with the results from the lab-scale washing treatments of a real sample of metal-contaminated soil for the removal of the ecotoxic metal ions (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) using five biodegradable APCs, namely [S,S]-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid, imminodisuccinic acid, methylglycinediacetic acid, DL-2-(2-carboxymethyl) nitrilotriacetic acid (GLDA), and 3-hydroxy-2,2′-iminodisuccinic acid. The performance of those biodegradable APCs was evaluated for their interaction with the soil mineral constituents in terms of the solution pH and metal-chelant stability constants, and compared with that of EDTA. Speciation calculations were performed to identify the optimal conditions for the washing process in terms of the metal-chelant interactions as well as to understand the selectivity in the separation ability of the biodegradable chelants towards the metal ions. A linear relationship between the metal extraction capacity of the individual chelants towards each of the metal ions from the soil matrix and metal-chelant conditional stability constants for a solution pH greater than 6 was observed. Additional considerations were derived from the behavior of the major potentially interfering cations (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Mn), and it was hypothesized that use of an excess of chelant may minimize the possible competition effects during the single-step washing treatments. Sequential extraction procedure was used to determine the metal distribution in the soil before and after the extractive decontamination using biodegradable APCs, and the capability of the APCs in removing the metal ions even from the theoretically immobilized fraction of the contaminated soil was observed. GLDA appeared to possess the greatest potential to decontaminate the soil through ex situ washing treatment compared to the other biodegradable chelants used in the study.