Concentrations of PCDD/PCDF in soil close to a secondary aluminum smelter

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs) were analyzed in samples of the emissions from a secondary aluminum smelter (ALS) and soil samples around the plant. The purpose was to estimate the impact of the emissions on the surrounding environment.PCDD/F soil concentrations were higher in the proximity of the plant, exceeding the limit adopted in Italy in soils for green areas and residential uses and the upper limit of several reference concentrations. The most contaminated sites were less than 500 m from the plant and the dioxin concentration with the distance from the ALS.Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that emissions from the ALS were the source of PCDD/F contamination in the soils closest to the plant. Multivariate data analyses such as PCA are therefore useful to identify sources of emission causing contamination.     

PCDD/Fs and PCBs in ambient air in a highly industrialized city in Northern Italy

Ambient air samples were collected in five locations around a polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) production plant in a highly industrialized city in the north of Italy, for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and PCBs.PCDD/F atmospheric concentrations were lower than those generally detected in urban areas, while PCB concentrations were higher than in urban and industrialized areas in other countries, especially in the locations closest to the plant. To identify source emissions responsible for air pollution we used principal component analysis (PCA) to compare the “fingerprint” of the air in Brescia with some source-related experimental and published data. This analysis showed that the PCDD/F fingerprints were more similar to steel plant emission data, while none of the PCB air patterns were comparable to emission profiles, indicating that different sources are responsible for the concentration of these two pollutants. The highest PCB concentrations detected in the areas closest to the chemical plant are indicative of its impact on the surrounding environment.     

The use of sewage sludge as remediation for imidacloprid toxicity in soils

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study investigated the influence of the sewage sludge (SS) soil amendment on the chronic toxicity of imidacloprid (through the seed dressing...     

PCDD/Fs in ambient air in north-east Italy: The role of a MSWI inside an industrial area

The stack gases of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI), and ambient air were sampled in four locations around the plant for the analysis of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs). The sampling area was close to an industrial area near Trieste, in north-east Italy. The purpose of the study was to estimate the impact of the MSWI emissions and to distinguish the contribution of these emissions from other potential emission sources in the industrial area.PCDD/F atmospheric concentrations were similar to those generally detected in urban–rural areas with one location about 2–3 times more contaminated than the others. Since the most contaminated location was inside the industrial area but upwind of the MSWI, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to establish whether other sources were the cause. This analysis clearly showed that a local steel plant’s emission was the main source of PCDDs/Fs in ambient air. This study highlights the usefulness of multivariate data analysis such as PCA to identify, among different potential emission sources, the one really responsible for the contamination.     

Bioleaching of zinc and aluminium from industrial waste sludges by means of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Biological solubilisation of heavy metals contained in two different kinds of industrial wastes was performed in batches employing a strain of Thiobacillus ferroxidans. The wastes tested were: a dust coming from the iron-manganese alloy production in an electric furnace (sludge 1) and a sludge coming from a process treatment plant of aluminium anodic oxidation (sludge 2). The experimental results pointed out the ability of the used strain to maintain the environment, that initially has a pH about 8, at strongly acid conditions (pH 2.5-3.5), producing sulphuric acid that is the chemical agent responsible for the metals solubilisation. At wastes initial concentration of 1%, the percentage of solubilised metals was 76 and 78% for the wastes 1 and 2, respectively, but the lag phase was considerably longer for sludge 2 than for sludge 1, indicating a different affinity of microorganisms for the solid phase. Increasing the initial slurry concentration, the percentage of removed metal reached 72-73% for the sludge 1, while in case of sludge 2, the total amount of solubilized metal progressively decreased. Two kinetic models are proposed to describe the trends of metals solubilization curves.     

Treatment of effluent containing micropollutants by means of activated carbon

Different amounts of granular activated carbon (GAC) have been tested for the removal of aliphatic and aromatic micropollutants contained in a liquid stream coming from an industrial plant. Tests have been carried out in a JAR-Test apparatus, using plugged flasks, in order to eliminate the oxygen influence on the adsorption process and to obtain information for studying the process in a pilot plant. The removal of aliphatic compounds resulted better than aromatic ones, probably because these substances are enveloped by water molecules which make adsorption on the GAC surface easier; in contrast, aromatic compounds show a lower affinity for the GAC, owing to their steric conformation. The good results obtained confirm that the proposed system is applicable to the examined effluent, even when the concentration of the pollutant load varies. In the latest part of this work, a plan for the construction of a full-scale plant to treat the examined wastewater has been developed.