Impact of Pyrolysis Treatment on Heavy Metals in Sediment

This paper describes a laboratory study that examined the effect of pyrolysis treatment on the behavior of Hg, Cr, Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd in a stream sediment. The influences of pyrolysis on the evaporation, sequential extraction and leaching behavior of these metals were investigated. Cr, Zn, Pb and Cu were retained quantitively in the solid residue at temperatures up to 800°C while mercury and cadmium were completely or partially evaporated. The metal form distribution in the sludge samples was determined by the sequential extraction procedure. The procedure revealed that as a consequence of pyrolysis, the metals were more strongly fixed in the treated sediment, as could be seen by the decrease with temperature of the first two sequential-extracted fractions and increase of the residue fraction. The leaching results showed that the quantities of the studied metals leached in the two pyrolysis samples were lower than those in the untreated sediment. The amounts of metals leached from the pyrolysis residues correlated significantly with the first extracted fraction (exchangeable fraction).     

The Effects of Bacterial Leaching on Metal Partitioning in Sewage Sludge

The partitioning of Mn, Al, Zn, Cu and Ti ions in municipal sewage sludge was investigated before and after bioleaching processes effectuated by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. Oxidation–reduction potential increase and pH decrease were obtained as a result of bacterial activity. A less pronounced and constant decrease was obtained with A. ferrooxidans, whereas A. thiooxidans presented a lag phase before a steep pH decrease. Metal solubilization was accomplished in experimental systems supplemented with energy source, Fe²⁺ for A. ferrooxidans and S⁰ for A. thiooxidans. Solubilization efficiency differed for each metal except for Al, and was relatively similar for either organism. Metal partitioning was conducted using a five-step sequential extraction procedure before and after the bioleaching. The results indicated that Zn and Mn ions were mostly associated with the organic fraction, whereas Cu, Al and Ti ions with the sulphide/residue fraction. The bioleaching process caused prompt solubilization of metals mostly associated with the more labile fractions (exchangeable, adsorbed and organically bound metals), whereas those associated to the less labile ones (EDTA and sulphide/residue fractions) were exchanged towards more labile fractions.     

Variation of Cu and Zn Fractionation and Mobility in Mine Tailing Soil Due to Experimental Leaching

The aims of this paper were to assess the variation of heavy metal (Cu and Zn) fractions and mobility in abandoned metal mine soil due to batch experimental leaching. Four solutions with different pH levels were used in the experiments. The total and fractional concentrations of heavy metals in untreated and leached soils were determined. The Kruskal–Wallis test was applied to verify the differences in the Cu and Zn distribution in soils before and after leaching. In order to assess the mobility of heavy metals, mobility factors (MFs) were calculated. The research results showed that the original/untreated soil was mainly of a sandy texture and acidic in character. After batch leaching for 7 days, the distribution of heavy metals was dominant in the residual fraction (F5). Heavy metal fractions in F1, F2, F3, and F5 showed a decreasing trend, but an increasing trend in F4 was observed. Among the solutions applied having different pH values, HCl (pH 3) illustrated the strongest effect on decreasing heavy metals in short-term mobile fractions (F1 and F2). The MF of Zn decreased more than that of Cu after 7-day batch leaching.     

On the Potential Contribution of Microfungi to the Decomposition of Reed Leaf Detritus in a Coastal Lagoon: A Laboratory and Field Experiment

The potential contribution of microfungi to reed decomposition in a coastal habitat (Le Cesine Lagoon, Italy) was investigated under laboratory and field conditions. Leaf pack mass and surface loss, ergosterol content and O₂ uptake were used to construct carbon budgets and an empirical ergosterol‐to‐O₂ uptake relationship based on literature data was used to estimate the contribution of microfungi. Under laboratory conditions, reed carbon loss was entirely due to leaching and microbial respiration. In contrast, C losses observed in the field were accounted for by microbial respiration and macroinvertebrate shredding almost equally. Microfungi were estimated to account for 98% and 69% of microbially‐respired carbon under laboratory and field conditions, respectively. Our results provide a preliminary, quantitative assessment of microfungal contribution to reed decomposition in brackish habitats. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nitrogen retention efficiency and nitrogen losses of a managed and phytodiverse temperate grassland

Maintaining nitrogen retention efficiency (NRE) is crucial in minimizing N losses when intensifying management of temperate grasslands. Our aim was to evaluate how grassland management practices and sward compositions affect NRE (1 − N losses/soil available N), defined as the efficiency with which soil available N is retained in an ecosystem. A three-factorial grassland management experiment was established with two fertilization treatments (without and combined N, phosphorus and potassium fertilization), two mowing frequencies (cut once and thrice per year) and three sward compositions (control, monocot- and dicot-enhanced swards). We measured N losses as leaching and nitrous oxide emissions, and soil available N as gross N mineralization rates. Fertilization increased N losses due to increased nitrification and decreased microbial N immobilization, and consequently decreased NRE. Intensive mowing partly dampened high N losses following fertilization. Sward compositions influenced NRE but not N losses: control swards that developed for decades under extensive management had the highest NRE, whereas monocot-enhanced sward had the lowest NRE. NRE was highly correlated with microbial NH₄⁺ immobilization and microbial biomass and only marginally correlated with plant N uptake, underlining the importance of microbial N retention in the soil-plant system. Microbial N retention is reflected in NRE but not in indices commonly used to reflect plant response. NRE was able to capture the effects of sward composition and fertilization whereas N losses were only sensitive to fertilization; thus, NRE is a better index when evaluating environmental sustainability of sward compositions and management practices of grasslands.     

Stability of Prussian Blue in Soils of a Former Manufactured Gas Plant Site

Soil contamination with iron-cyanide complexes is a common problem at former manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites. Dissolution of the cyanide, from Prussian Blue (ferric ferrocyanide), creates an environmental hazard, whereas the risk of groundwater contamination depends on the stability of dissolved iron–cyanide complexes. Lack of a standard leaching method to determine the water-soluble (plant-available) cyanide fraction generates potential limitations for implementing remediation strategies like phytoremediation. Applicability of neutral solution extraction to determine the water-soluble cyanide fraction and the stability of Prussian Blue in surface and near-surface soils of an MGP site in Cottbus, undersaturated and unsaturated water conditions, was studied in column leaching and batch extraction experiments. MGP soils used in the long-term tests varied according to the pH (5.0–7.7) and the total cyanide content (40–1718 mg kg^?1). Column leaching, after four months of percolation, still yielded effluent concentrations exceeding the German drinking water limit (> 50 μg L^?1) and the solubility of Prussian Blue reported in the literature (< 1 mg L^?1) from both alkaline and acidic soils. Long-term (1344 h) extraction of MGP soils with distilled water was sufficient to dissolve 97% of the total cyanide from the slightly alkaline soils and up to 78% from the acidic soils. Both experiments revealed that dissolution of ferric ferrocyanide under circum-neutral pH and oxic water conditions is a function of time, where the released amount is dependent on the soil pH and total cyanide content. Unexpectedly high and continuous solubility of Prussian Blue, both in acidic and slightly alkaline MGP soils, implies the need to introduce an additional cyanide fraction (“readily soluble fraction”) to improve and specify cyanide leaching methods. Long-term extraction of cyanide-contaminated soil in neutral solution seems to be a promising approach to evaluate the potential hazard of groundwater pollution at the MGP sites.     

Integrated Field Lysimetry and Porewater Sampling for Evaluation of Chemical Mobility in Soils and Established Vegetation

Potentially toxic chemicals are routinely applied to land to meet growing demands on waste management and food production, but the fate of these chemicals is often not well understood. Here we demonstrate an integrated field lysimetry and porewater sampling method for evaluating the mobility of chemicals applied to soils and established vegetation. Lysimeters, open columns made of metal or plastic, are driven into bareground or vegetated soils. Porewater samplers, which are commercially available and use vacuum to collect percolating soil water, are installed at predetermined depths within the lysimeters. At prearranged times following chemical application to experimental plots, porewater is collected, and lysimeters, containing soil and vegetation, are exhumed. By analyzing chemical concentrations in the lysimeter soil, vegetation, and porewater, downward leaching rates, soil retention capacities, and plant uptake for the chemical of interest may be quantified. Because field lysimetry and porewater sampling are conducted under natural environmental conditions and with minimal soil disturbance, derived results project real-case scenarios and provide valuable information for chemical management. As chemicals are increasingly applied to land worldwide, the described techniques may be utilized to determine whether applied chemicals pose adverse effects to human health or the environment.     

不同改良剂对珊瑚砂理化性质和氮素固持的影响

高碱环境和土壤养分的匮乏严重限制了我国热带珊瑚岛土壤环境下植物的生长适应能力,因此,珊瑚砂改良对促进珊瑚岛植被恢复,维持珊瑚岛生态环境可持续健康发展具有重要意义。该研究通过室内土柱模拟试验,对比了同一梯度下4种常用土壤改良材料(蛭石、珍珠岩、生物炭和钙基膨润土)对珊瑚砂理化性质、氮素淋溶以及总氮含量的影响。结果表明,与对照(CK)相比,施用生物炭使珊瑚砂pH显著降低1.4%,钙基膨润土、生物炭和蛭石能够显著提高珊瑚砂的阳离子交换量至CK的24.21、10.43和9.43倍。同时,施用生物炭、钙基膨润土和蛭石并不能降低以硝态氮形式为主的氮素淋失,但是能显著减少其他途径的氮素损失,从而达到促进珊瑚砂氮素固持的效果,3种改良剂施用下的珊瑚砂总氮损失相较于CK分别降低了40.92%、27.32%和25.09%。因此,施用生物炭、钙基膨润土和蛭石均能有效提高珊瑚砂土壤质量,对改良珊瑚砂和热带珊瑚岛植被恢复具有重要意义,其中生物炭的改良效果最为显著,是改良珊瑚砂的理想材料。     

A Method for Assessing Leaching Potential for Petroleum Hydrocarbons Release Sites: Multiphase and Multisubstance Equilibrium Partitioning

This article presents the rationale for the mathematical fate and transport model, which has been provided in the accompanying spreadsheet (GWProt). This spreadsheet model may be used as a simple and scientifically defensible regulatory tool for determining the risk-based soil clean up level of petroleum release sites to protect groundwater quality. The model incorporates either a three- or four-phase partitioning equilibrium mechanism, depending on the detection of Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid phase presence mathematically, as well as Raoult's Law convention and default dilution and attenuation factors. A database of contaminant-specific parameters, including solubility and organic-carbon partition-coefficient, molecular weight, and Henry's Law constant, is assembled for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and 12 other TPH equivalent carbon fractions. In addition to distributing organic chemicals among aqueous, sorbed solid, air, and NAPL phases, according to traditional partitioning equations, the algorithm incorporates equations for the conservation of mass and volume. A unique solution is obtained by solving a series of mass balance equations simultaneously using the iterative spreadsheet routine built in MICROSOFT EXCEL^TM Solver — with the restrictions that the volume is conserved and the sum of the mole fractions is equal to one. Sample calculations are presented for a range of parameter values to illustrate the use of the model and the relative leach-ability of a wide range of representative fuels. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to quantify the effects of uncertainty in the estimates of the key model parameters on model results. Model predictions were compared with the results from a water-fuel experiment. The noncar-cinogenic Hazard Index (HI) for groundwater through direct ingestion was calculated using predetermined oral reference dose (R_fd) values. Applications and limitations of the model are also discussed.     

农田土壤磷素淋溶及其预测

农田土壤磷的淋溶损失,不仅造成肥料利用率降低、农业生产成本上升,还能引起地下和地表水体富营养化。在综合大量中外文献的基础上,阐述了农田土壤磷素淋溶问题的提出、淋溶对水体富营养化的贡献、淋溶液中磷素的形态及其比例、影响土壤磷素淋溶的因子、淋溶机理、预测方法,并对农田土壤磷素淋溶及其预测作了展望。