Testing the ability of bentonite-amended natural zeolite (clinoptinolite) to remove heavy metals from liquid waste

 The design of environmentally sound liquid waste containment structures has become a crucial task in engineering applications due to ever increasing groundwater contamination from such sites. Construction of such structures usually requires a bottom liner of low hydraulic conductivity as part of the design. In order to reduce the hazards associated with liquid wastes including landfill leachate, bentonite-amended natural zeolite is proposed as an alternative to conventional earthen liners. Among many contaminants associated with liquid wastes, heavy metals are the most dangerous ones. This paper deals with determining the ability of natural zeolite to remove heavy metals from aqueous waste. For this purpose, crushed natural zeolite (clinoptinolite) is amended with commercial powdered bentonite to yield a soil mixture low in permeability and high in ion-exchange capacity. Leachate from a conventional landfill is used as the percolation fluid. Concentrations of certain heavy metals in the effluent fluid percolated through the bentonite-zeolite mixture are compared with that of initial leachate. The conclusion is reached that certain metals are efficiently removed from the influent solution by the soil matrix whereas some ions do not show significant reduction in concentration. This is attributed to high hydraulic conductivity of the bentonite-zeolite mixture.     

Environmental response to ore deposits and mining of the Diaojiang River basin, Guangxi （South China）

Mining activities in the upper reaches of the Diaojiang River basin have caused severe soil environment changes, especially in soils along the Diaojiang River. The flooding has resulted in the deposition of mine wastes on the arable land, and caused severe heavy metal contamination of soils along the Diaojiang River. There are obvious mine wastes in soils of the upper reaches, so it is relatively easy to identify the polluted area, but in the lower reaches, mine wastes are not so obvious, although the concentrations of pollutants in soils are still high. The plough sole of rice land can obstruct the transport of heavy metals downwards. The concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in rice and corn exceed the national food standards, and may have serious detriment to public health. The plants on the mine sites contain high levels of heavy metals which may lead to more serious detriment to the local ecosystem.     

Potential of natural bed soil in adsorption of heavy metals in industrial waste landfill

Development of higher welfare could not be realized unless by energy consumption and other natural resources. Growth of industrial complexes has shown an unprecedented trend during recent years. Many of these towns have no treatment systems for the industrial wastes leachates. Besides, the chemical composition of wastes in such complexes varies considerably due to the different kinds of industries. It is endeavored in the present work to study the natural potential of soil to treat leachate of such industrial wastes. For this purpose, the Aliabad industrial complex in Tehran — Garmsar road was selected as the study area. The potential of adsorption of elements such as nickel, copper, cadmium, zinc, chromium, lead and manganese was investigated. The results indicated that the soil potential to adsorb heavy metals (except for manganese) was very high (95 %) in the adsorption of heavy metals (except for manganese). Further, chemical partitioning studies revealed that heavy metals are associated with various soil phases such as loosely bonded ions, sulfide and organics to various extents. Among the mentioned soil phases, one can deduce that major portion of metal contaminants is absorbed as loosely bonded ions. Organic bond and sulfide bond are in the 2^nd and 3^rd positions of metal contaminants adsorption, respectively. The results of the present study apparently showed that soil column had ample capacity to adsorb metal contaminants. Thus, determination of soil potential in adsorption of heavy metals during site selection is as important criteria.     

硫铁矿冶炼区不同土地利用方式及土壤类型对重金属迁移的影响

为探讨硫铁矿冶炼区不同土地利用方式和土壤类型对重金属元素迁移的影响,采集了毕节市林口废弃硫铁矿冶炼厂内耕地砂壤土及附近林地石灰土表层和深层样共40组。室内测试土壤理化指标Pb、Zn、Cd全量和有效态含量,并对重金属元素含量的水平和垂直分布特征及重金属元素含量的相关性进行了讨论。结果表明:土壤中Pb和Zn的含量均符合土壤环境质量二级标准值,耕地表层土壤Cd含量是贵州省农业土壤背景值的7倍。土壤Cd有效态含量占全量的比值最大,而Pb和Zn有效态含量占全量的比值差别较小。耕地砂壤土Zn和Cd的全量随剖面深度的增加表现为先增大后减小,Pb呈减少的趋势;Pb和Zn的有效态含量随剖面深度的增加而减少,Cd有效态含量呈波动变化。林地石灰土中Pb、Zn、Cd的全量和有效态含量均随剖面深度的增加而减少,且Pb、Zn、Cd全量之间及全量与有效态含量之间都具有显著的正相关关系,而在耕地中各元素的相关性不明显。土壤频繁的扰动和偏酸性的环境有利于重金属垂向迁移。      

北京平原区两年内土壤中五种重金属元素化学形态变化及生物有效性

为了监测北京市平原区2015年和2016年土壤中5种重金属As、Cd、Hg、Pb、Zn化学形态的变化趋势,运用Tessier连续提取法对土壤重金属进行了形态分析,并对影响重金属元素生物有效性的因素进行研究。结果表明,2年内研究区表层土壤重金属元素的形态变化微弱,有效态含量以Cd元素最高,达到45.67%,故潜在生态危害性最大;其次为Zn元素,达12.16%,其中碳酸盐结合态占比虽大,但由于研究区土壤呈偏碱性,Zn元素的迁移能力较弱,潜在危害性较小;As、Hg、Pb均以难迁移态存在,故潜在危害性也较小。土壤重金属元素的生物活性系数及迁移系数分别为:CdZnPbAsHg和CdAsZnPb=Hg,其中Cd元素2年的生物活性系数和迁移系数最高,展现出较强的生物活性和迁移能力,其余重金属元素的活性系数和迁移系数较低,潜在危害性较弱。影响重金属元素生物有效性的因素较复杂,以重金属元素全量为主,p H、有机质、CEC等理化性质次之。     

沈阳细河沿岸土壤中重金属垂直分布特征与形态分析

研究了沈阳细河沿岸翟家、彰驿和黄腊坨地区13个土壤剖面样品中重金属的垂直分布特征,对土壤环境危害较大的3种重金属元素Cd、Hg、As进行了重点分析。采用改进的Tessier连续萃取法研究了5个表层土壤中7种重金属元素的形态分布。研究表明土壤重金属元素形态分布具有以下特点:As、Cu、Cr、Zn和Pb主要以残渣态存在;Cd主要以离子交换态存在,残渣态所占的比例较低,表明表层土壤中Cd的活动性较强,容易迁移进入生态食物链。大部分样品中Hg以残渣态为主。除Cd外,土壤中其余6种重金属的可交换态含量都比较低。7种重金属的潜在迁移能力顺序为:CdHgPbZnCrCuAs。     

Changes in physical and chemical properties of three soil types in India as a result of amendment with fly ash and sewage sludge

The use of coal fly ash and domestic sewage sludge in agriculture is being considered as one of the methods for recycling of these wastes in an environmental beneficial manner. Mixtures with soil were prepared at different proportions of fly ash and sludge, either alone or in combination at a maximum application rate of 52 t ha^-1. The changes in the selected properties and heavy metal contents of three soil types in India were studied after incubating the respective mixtures for 90 days at near field capacity moisture level. Sewage sludge, due to its acidic and saline nature, high organic matter and heavy metals content, had more impact on soil properties than the fly ash. Sludge application produced several changes including an increase in available nitrogen, organic carbon, salinity and water-holding capacity of the soils. The concentrations of major cations and heavy metals also increased because of the sludge application and the pH was decreased. However, the levels of individual metal concentrations in all the mixture types were below the allowable limits prescribed by several environmental agencies. Using fly ash either alone or in equal quantity with sewage sludge had little influence on soil properties and heavy metal content. The relative availability (RA) of heavy metals in three soils amended with 52 t ha^-1 of sewage sludge was observed to be highest in oxisol, followed by alfisol and vertisol.     

雄安新区西南部土壤重金属污染特征及生态风险评价

土壤重金属污染具有巨大的生态环境风险和危害。本文以雄安新区西南部(老河头镇、同口镇和芦庄乡)的表层土壤和大宗农作物小麦、玉米为研究对象,在对8种重金属As、Ni、Cu、Cr、Pb、Hg、Cd和Zn含量测试分析的基础上,开展了土壤重金属污染和生态风险评价。结果表明:研究区表层土壤局部存在重金属超标情况,重金属的污染程度依次为:Cd>As>Cu>Zn>Pb>Hg,Cr和Ni土壤环境清洁;研究区表层土壤重金属污染是人为源输入,老河头镇及周边大量有色金属冶炼活动是可能的主要污染源;8种重金属的潜在生态危害程度由强至弱依次为:Cd>Hg>As>Cu>Pb>Zn>Cr>Ni;多金属潜在生态风险指数RI的平均值为252,土壤整体的重金属潜在危害程度为中等风险,其中Cd对潜在生态风险指数RI的贡献最大,且Cd的活性最强,迁移能力强,易被植物吸收。研究成果可为雄安新区的土地利用规划提供重要依据。     

元素-铅同位素示踪在云浮硫铁矿区 土壤铊污染研究中的应用

不同源区铅同位素的组成不同,因此可以利用铅同位素的这种"指纹"特征来示踪铅的不同源区。近年来铅同位素示踪在研究土壤中相关重金属来源及其运移途径起到独特的作用。由于铊和铅具有相似的地球化学性质,并且在云浮硫铁矿区污染土壤中其分布与铅有很好的相关性,笔者利用铅同位素作为示踪工具探讨了土壤中铊的污染特征,初步研究表明铊污染物主要累积在土壤深度0~16.5cm范围内,深度为16.5cm以下土壤受到废渣中铊污染的影响较小,但废渣周围土壤深度约44cm范围已经受到来自废渣中铊的影响。     

Assessment of heavy metal contamination in soils around Manali industrial area, Chennai, Southern India

The concentrations of heavy metals (As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mo, Pb, Sr, V and Zn) were studied in soils to understand metal contamination due to industrialization and urbanization around Manali industrial area in Chennai, Southern India. This area is affected by the industrial activity and saturated by industries like petrochemicals, refineries, and fertilizers generating hazardous wastes. The contamination of the soils was assessed on the basis of geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor and degree of contamination. Soil samples were collected from the industrial area of Manali from the top 10-cm-layer of the soil. Soil samples were analyzed for heavy metals by using Philips MagiX PRO-2440 Wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The data revealed elevated concentrations of Chromium (149.8–418.0 mg/kg), Copper (22.4–372.0 mg/kg), Nickel (11.8–78.8 mg/kg), Zinc (63.5–213.6 mg/kg) and Molybdenum (2.3–15.3 mg/kg). The concentrations of other elements were similar to the levels in the earth’s crust or pointed to metal depletion in the soil (EF < 1). The high-EFs for some heavy metals obtained in the soil samples show that there is a considerable heavy metal pollution, which could be correlated with the industries in the area. Contamination sites pose significant environmental hazards for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They are important sources of pollution and may result in ecotoxicological effects on terrestrial, groundwater and aquatic ecosystems. In this perspective there is need for a safe dumping of waste disposal in order to minimize environmental pollution.     

山东省烟台地区土壤重金属的生态效应——以砷为例

烟台市是山东半岛蓝色经济区核心城市之一,通过对山东省烟台市生态地球化学资料的系统整理,研究土壤重金属污染现状与分布迁移规律,发现土壤主要污染因子是As、Cd、Hg、Cu、Pb、Zn等重金属元素污染,工矿三废排放是土壤重金属污染的主要原因;主要致污因子砷是环境中毒性最大的有害元素之一。土壤-苹果树体系中As迁移及形态转化规律为:植物根系吸收土壤中的砷,并在根部发生了AsⅤ→AsⅢ的还原作用,由植物的根部向上迁移过程中,AsⅢ的比例逐渐降低。砷在根系土-植物体系中的分布为:根系土>根>叶子>茎>苹果。     

Efficient management of e-wastes

Electricals and electronic equipments that have reached its utilization period are disposed by the consumer are considered as e-waste. The categories of e-waste range from household appliances to machines used in offices and consumer goods. The rise in problem is due to scarcity of proper place for disposing the e-wastes. Hence, the wastes are disposed in open landfills by the consumers which lead to direct reaction of the e-waste with the environment. The release of harmful toxins and chemicals by the e-wastes causes hazardous effects on living beings. Several processes are introduced in recycling and recovering the harmful metals present in the electronic equipments. The most important reasons for e-waste recycling are waste removal as well as recovery of valuable materials present in the waste. Developed countries such as USA and UK follow some strict rules and regulations about managing the increasing amount of e-wastes, whereas India still needs to have a rigid law for the e-waste management. Prior recycling and recovering the important metals from electronic wastes, it is crucial to ascertain the amount of the metal present in the e-waste. Plastics followed by metals are the main components found in electronic wastes. Hazardous metals such as copper, lead and cadmium are predominant in almost all kinds of e-wastes. Determination of the components present in the electronic wastes guides for the proper path to be followed for recovering the components from the wastes. The review deals with status of e-waste across the world and methods of recovery and management.     

Tracing subsurface migration of contaminants from an abandoned municipal landfill

This paper aims at determining of inorganic leachate contamination for a capped unsanitary landfill in the absence of hydrogeological data. The 2D geoelectrical resistivity imaging, soil physicochemical characterization, and surface water analysis were used to determine contamination load and extent of selective heavy metal contamination underneath the landfill. The positions of the contaminated subsoil and groundwater were successfully delineated in terms of low resistivity leachate plumes of <10 Ωm. Leachate migration towards the reach of Kelang River could be clearly identified from the resistivity results and elevated concentrations of Fe in the river downslope toe of the site. Concentration of Fe, Mn, Ca, Na, K, Mg, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, and Pb was measured for the subsoil samples collected at the downslope (BKD), upslope (BKU), and the soil-waste interface (BKI), of the landfill. The concentration levels obtained for most of the analyzed heavy metals significantly exceed the normal range in typical municipal solid waste landfill sites. The measured heavy metal contamination load in the subsoil is in the following order Fe ? Mn > Zn > Pb > Cr > Cu. Taking into consideration poor physical and chemical characteristics of the local soil, these metals first seem to be attenuated naturally at near surface then remobilize unavoidably due to the soil acidic environment (pH 4.2-6.18) which in turn, may allow an easy washing of these metals in contact with the shallow groundwater table during the periodic fluctuation of the Kelang River. These heavy metals are believed to have originated from hazardous industrial waste that might have been illegally dumped at the site.     

Comparative assessment of baseline concentration of the heavy metals in the soils of Tehran (Iran) with the comprisable reference data

Industrial soil systems have become complex due to human activities, as they disturb the natural development of soil and add hazardous elements. Hence, there is a growing public concern over the accumulation of heavy metals in soil due to the rapid industrial development during the last decade in Iran. The objectives of the present study are to carry out comparative assessment of the heavy metals in soils of the Chitgar Industrial Area Tehran (Iran) with average world guidelines and to evaluate enrichment and normalized scatter coefficient. In this work the concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cr, Co, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) from the surface soils of the industrial area were quantified, based on 210 samples collected from 70 sampling stations in three consecutive seasons May 2007, November 2007 and May 2008 using 0.5 × l Km square mesh. Common comparison methods were employed to assess the quality of soils and guideline values were used to represent a desired level of elements. Comparison variables and enrichment factor showed that Pb has high-level value while normalized scatter coefficient demonstrates that Cd increases in soils more rapidly as compared to other elements. This study revealed that normalized scatter coefficient can be effectively used to evaluate soil pollution and is independent of the past.     

重金属污染的菊芋茎秆沼气化性能及蓄积重金属的归趋

利用菊芋(Helianthus tuberosus)进行重金属污染土壤修复会产生大量秸秆废弃物,通过厌氧消化将其转化为沼气,是其资源化利用途径之一。为了评估该处置技术的环境风险,实验以重金属污染土壤种植的菊芋茎秆为对象开展厌氧消化研究,对其产气性能、重金属形态变化、可迁移能力及生物有效性进行评估。结果表明,菊芋秸秆中茎主要重金属(Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr,Cd)含量为5.69×10^-6,19.19×10^-6,0.23×10^-6,0.33×10^-6,0.50×10^-6,叶中的含量分别为9.11×10^-6,23.83×10^-6,0.57×10^-6,0.43×10^-6,0.48×10^-6相对与根与块茎较较高;菊芋秸秆厌氧发酵总产气量为206.58 ml·g^-1 TS,显示产气潜力良好;厌氧消化后,Cu,Pb和Cr的重金属可迁徙因子值低,相对比较稳定,迁移能力较弱。Cr和Cd的生物可利用度减小,其中Cr大幅度减小了41.54%,Cd减小了12.30%,说明厌氧消化能有效降低Cr和Cd的生物可利用度,减小对环境的危害。但Pb的生物有效性大幅度上升,应在沼渣管控环节关注。     

珠江三角洲西部典型乡镇稻米与根系土重金属元素含量关系研究

农田土壤环境质量与稻米食用安全性关系非常密切,已有研究表明在采矿、交通、电子工业等影响下,珠三角地区积累了大量环境问题,镉汞砷等污染越来越严重。重金属在土壤-稻米系统中的迁移转化,受其总含量、土壤理化性质、有机质以及微量或大量元素的交互作用影响。为查明广东省佛山市高明区典型乡镇重金属在土壤-稻米系统中的迁移影响因素,为稻米食用安全性预测提供依据,本文在高明区明城镇、更合镇主要农田区,采集了151组稻谷及对应根系土样品,采用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱法(ICP-OES)、原子荧光光谱法(AFS)等技术测定了土壤重金属、养分元素含量、土壤理化指标以及稻米重金属含量,分析了重金属含量特征及其迁移的影响因子,建立并验证了稻米中重金属含量定量预测模型。结果表明:(1)土壤重金属含量均低于第一次全国土壤污染调查获得的广东省土壤重金属含量均值,并且均低于《土壤环境质量农用地土壤污染风险管控标准》(GB 15618—2018)中的土壤风险管制值,土壤污染风险低;(2)稻米中除Cd、Pb存在轻微超标外,其余重金属含量均低于食品卫生标准限值;(3)土壤重金属总量、土壤理化性质(土壤pH,土壤质地,土壤有机质含量,土壤N、P、K等)是重金属在土壤-稻米系统中迁移的关键控制因素。如土壤Cd、Cu总量与其在稻米中含量呈显著正相关;除Pb外,土壤有机质土壤全氮与各稻米中各重金属含量呈显著负相关;除Cd外,土壤全磷与稻米重金属含量呈显著负相关;土壤质地(SiO_2/Al_2O_3)与稻米各重金属含量均呈显著正相关;(4)根据随机抽取的130组数据,以土壤重金属总量及土壤理化指标为自变量,建立了稻米As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Hg、Ni、Pb含量多元回归方程,均达到显著相关,经剩余21组数据的验证,预测方程的平均误差的中位数与平均数最大为31%,最小为7.8%,总体来说预测效果较好,模型可以用来预测高明区及其相似地区的稻米重金属含量。本研究通过探讨土壤理化性质的影响,引入土壤大量营养元素作为影响因素进行探究,可为研究大量营养元素对土壤重金属迁移至稻米的影响以及科学施肥指导提供参考;同时获得的土壤-稻米系统元素迁移影响因素,可对开展重金属生物有效性研究以及水田土壤污染修复、相似地区生态风险评价提供参考;简单探讨了降低研究区重金属生物有效性的方法以及抑制重金属的迁移、降低重金属生物危害的措施,为探究重金属迁移规律特征与地方病、流行病之间的关系提供了思路。     

pH influence on sorption characteristics of heavy metal in the vadose zone

Sorption is an important process in the modelling and prediction of the movement of heavy metals in unsaturated clay barriers. This experimental study investigates the effect of pH changes in the acidic range on the sorption characteristics of heavy metals such as: lead, copper and zinc in an unsaturated soil. A series of one-dimensional coupled solute and moisture leaching column tests, using different heavy metal solutions, were conducted on an unsaturated illitic soil at varying pH values. Variations of volumetric water content (VWC) with distance were measured for different time durations, and concentrations of heavy metals in the liquid and solid phases were analysed. Partitioning coefficient profiles of contaminants along the soil column were determined for each individual layer in the soil.

Results from column leaching tests showed that the sorption characteristics of heavy metals are controlled by many factors which should be taken into consideration, i.e. the VWC, time of wetting, soil pH, and the influent heavy metal concentrations. Simplification of K_d as a constant and of the VWC as a linear function cannot be considered a good assumption and may lead to an improper evaluation of the sorption phenomena and also to serious errors in predicting contaminant transport through unsaturated soils.     

煤矸石淋滤液中污染物在GCL中的扩散性能

为验证土工合成黏土衬垫（Geosynthetic Clay Liners,GCL）作为煤矸石处置场衬垫层建设材料的可行性,采用垂直式双筒扩散装置进行室内扩散试验,研究了煤矸石淋滤液中典型污染物Zn2+、Mn2+和SO₄2-在人工钠化膨润土GCL中的扩散性能,使用有限层法模拟软件POLLUTE V7对污染物随时间变化的曲线进行拟合,确定3种污染物在人工钠化膨润土GCL中的扩散系数。研究结果表明,污染物在GCL中的扩散系数低于它们在传统压实黏土衬垫层中的扩散系数,从而能更有效地控制煤矸石淋滤液中污染物在GCL中的扩散迁移行为。      

Lead sorption onto thermally treated soil samples from Irbid

Open burning of waste at dumpsites sites may alter many physical and chemical properties of underlining soil layers including its ability to retard the migration of potential contaminants, such as lead, through the vadose zone. In this study, lead sorption onto soil samples from Irbid that were subjected to high temperatures has been investigated. These samples were collected from ground surface and heated to temperatures of 25, 70, 100, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300, 400, and 550°C. Based on these temperatures the soil was divided into ten different groups. Each group was first characterized by conducting a set of experiments to estimate the Atterberg limits (liquid limit, plastic limit, and plasticity index), the organic carbon content, and a set of batch experiments to study lead adsorption. Results indicate that the LL, PL, total organic carbon are slightly affected by high temperatures less than 200°C, show an abrupt change between temperature from 200 and 300°C, and then slight change above 300°C. Sorption of lead onto heated samples, however, was not significantly changed. This may be explained by the fact that adsorption of heavy metals mainly occurs onto the soil mineral parts which are slightly affected by the temperature range used in this study.