Metals in particle-size fractions of the soils of five European cities

Soils from Aveiro, Glasgow, Ljubljana, Sevilla and Torino have been investigated in view of their potential for translocation of potentially toxic elements (PTE) to the atmosphere. Soils were partitioned into five size fractions and Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured in the fractions and the whole soil. All PTE concentrated in the <10 microm fraction. Cr and Ni concentrated also in the coarse fraction, indicating a lithogenic contribution. An accumulation factor (AF) was calculated for the <2 and <10 microm fraction. The AF values indicate that the accumulation in the finer fractions is higher where the overall contamination is lower. AF for Cr and Ni are particularly low in Glasgow and Torino. An inverse relationship was found between the AF of some metals and the percentage of <10 microm particles that could be of use in risk assessment or remediation practices.     

Sequential sorption of lead and cadmium in three tropical soils

It is important to examine mechanisms of Pb and Cd sorption in soils to understand their bioavailability. The ability of three tropical soils to retain Pb, Cd, and Ca was evaluated. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the extent to which soil sorption sites are metal specific, (2) investigate the nature of reactions between metals and soil surfaces, and (3) identify how metals compete for sorption sites when they are introduced to soils sequentially or concurrently. Lead was shown to be much less exchangeable than Cd and inhibited Cd sorption. Cadmium had little effect on Pb sorption, though both Ca and Cd inhibited the adsorption of Pb at exchange sites. Lead appears to more readily undergo inner-sphere surface complexation with soil surface functional groups than either Cd or Ca. Thus, regardless of when Pb is introduced to a soil, it should be less labile than Cd.     

Monitoring heavy metal concentrations in leachates from a forest soil subjected to repeated applications of sewage sludge

The aim of the study was to establish whether the repeated application of sewage sludge to an acid forest soil (Dystric Cambisol) would lead to short-term groundwater contamination. Sludge was applied at four loading rates (0, 2.4, 17 and 60 Mg ha⁻¹) in two consecutive years and leachates were analysed. Heavy metal inputs to soils at the lowest dose were below EC regulations but, at higher doses, limits for Zn, Cd, Cr and Ni were exceeded. Repeated application of sludge at 60 Mg ha⁻¹ resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cr and Ni in the leachates than with other treatments. The drinking water standards for Cd and Ni were surpassed in all treatments. Control plots were contaminated by groundwater flow despite the existence of buffer zones between plots. This complicated interpretation of the results, highlighting the importance of careful design of this type of experiment.     

快速轨道交通运行引起的场地振动反应分析

在运输业高度发达的当今社会,轨道交通运行引起的环境振动已经引起了越来越多的关注和研究。本文以ABAQUS软件为计算平台,基于轨道几何不平顺理论荷载模型,采用基于Davidenkov骨架曲线的非线性动粘弹塑性模型描述土的动力特性,以南京典型场地条件为研究对象,对快速轨道交通运行引起的场地地表振动特性进行了分析,得到了不同列车车速下地表振动的强度、频谱特性及其衰减规律,并分析了场地振动强度的影响因素,为进一步研究和控制快速轨道交通运行引起的地面振动提供了基础性资料。     

Occurrence and congeners specific of polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soils from Southern Jiangsu, China

A total of 198 agricultural soil samples were collected from Zhangjiagang and Changshu in Southern Jiangsu for analysis of 13 polychlorinated biphenyls （PCBs） in order to assess the levels of pollution, sources, area distribution, and potential risk for the environment. All methods were rigorously tested and an adequate quality control was ensured. Only one site had no PCBs residues, and the highest total PCBs concentration in the surface soils was 32.83 ng/g. The average concentration in all the soil samples was 4.13 ng/g, signaling low-level pollution. Tetra-, penta-, and hexa-chlorinated biphenyls were dominant species in soil samples, accounting for more than 75% of ∑PCBs in the soil samples. PCB118 was the most abundant congener in all the samples. The PCB118 was about 20% of ∑PCBs. The soil organic matter content showed only a weak correlation with the levels of all PCB congeners, in which a better correlation was noted for the more volatile lighter PCB congeners than for the heavier homologues. To a certain extent, the sources and land use seemed to influence the levels of PCBs.     

Electrokinetic movement of multiple chlorobenzenes in contaminated soils in the presence of β-cyclodextrin

This study investigated the electrokinetic (EK) behavior of multiple chlorobenzenes, including 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (TeCB), 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (i-TeCB), and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (TCB) in contaminated clayed soils. The effect of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the EK removal of the chlorobenzenes was studied. The largest removal was obtained when Na2CO3/NaHCO3 buffer was used as anodic purging solution without β-CD. The removal efficiencies were related to the aqueous solubilities of chlorobenzenes. With the same cumulative electroosmotic flow, greater solubility led to higher removal efficiency. The addition of β-CD inhibited the EK removal efficiency of all chlorobenzenes. The inhibition increased with the increase of β-CD concentration. With the same β-CD concentration, the inhibition increased with the rise of electric potential. It was found that the inclusion compounds between β-CD and chlorobenzenzes were less soluble than chlorobenzenes. The formation of the less soluble inclusion compounds reduced the aqueous solubility of chlorobenzenes and led to the partial immobilization of the chlorobenzenes that desorbed from soil. It was feasible to use the EK technology to remove chlorobenzenes in contaminated soils using water as the anodic flushing solution. The addition of β-CD was not recommended for the EK removal of chlorobenzenes.     

Effect of sorbed and desorbed Zn(Ⅱ) on the growth of a green alga (Chlorella pyrenoidosa)

Toxic effect of Zn(Ⅱ) on a green alga (Chlorella pyrenoidasa) in the presence of sepiolite and kaolinite was investigated.The Zn-free clays were found to have a negative impact on the growth of C.pyrenoidosa in comparison with control samples (without adding any clay or Zn(Ⅱ)).When Zn(Ⅱ) was added,the algae in the presence of clays could be better survived than the control samples,which was actually caused by a decrease in Zn(Ⅱ) concentration in the solution owing to the adsorption of Zn(Ⅱ) on the clays.When the solution system was diluted,the growth of algae could be further inhibited as compared to that in a system which had the same initial Zn(Ⅱ) concentration as in the diluted system.This in fact resulted from desorption of Zn(Ⅱ) from the zinc-contaminated clays,although the effect varied according to the different desorption capabilities of sepiolite and kaolinite.Therefore the adsorption and desorption processes of Zn(Ⅱ) played an important part in its toxicity,and adsorption and desorption of pollutants on soils/sediments should be well considered in natural eco-environmental systems before their risk of toxicity to aquatic organisms was assessed objectively.