Distribution of heavy metals in the core sediments of a tropical wetland system

Five sediment cores from the fresh water region of the Vembanad wetland system were studied for the trace element contents The average concentration of iron, manganese, nickel, copper, zinc, cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium were determined. The core samples were collected using gravity type corer, digested with a mixture of nitric acid and perchloric acid and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Heavy metals such as iron, copper, nickel and zinc reported enrichment towards the surface of the core sediment sample collected from the centre of the lake. Lead, cadmium and mercury showed uniform distribution through out the core. Quality of the sediments were evaluated based on sediment quality guidelines, pollution load index, sum of toxic units and with effect range low/effect range median and threshold effect level/probable effect level values of Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The degree of contamination for each station was determined. The concentration of different heavy metals has been compared with the world average concentration of shale values. Results of the analysis showed that Vembanad lake is facing serious metal pollution with increased rate of deposition.     

Heavy metal accumulation in river sediments: A response to environmental pollutionSchwermetall-anreicherung in fluviatilen sedimenten als ausdruck der verschmutzung unserer umwelt

As evidenced by catastrophic cadmium and mercury poisonings in japan, heavy metals belong to the most toxic environmental pollutants. Through the investigation of sediments, the extent, distribution and provenance of heavy metal contamination in rivers and lakes can be determined and traced. Eight heavy metals from the clay fraction of sediments from major rivers within the Federal Republic of Germany were determined by means of atomic adsorption spectrometry. Heavy metals especially known for their high toxicity are enriched most: mercury, lead and zinc by a factor of 10; cadmium by a factor of 50, as compared with the natural background of these elements. A mobilisation of heavy metals from the suspended load and from the sediments, as to be observed in rivers approaching the marine enviromment, could endanger marine organisms, thus negatively influencing the acquatic food chain. With a further increase of heavy metal pollution, a threat to the drinking water supplied by rivers and lakes cannot be excluded.     

Biogeochemistry of landfill leachate plumes

The literature has been critically reviewed in order to assess the attenuation processes governing contaminants in leachate affected aquifers. Attenuation here refers to dilution, sorption, ion exchange, precipitation, redox reactions and degradation processes. With respect to contaminants, focus is on dissolved organic matter, xenobiotic organic compounds, inorganic macrocomponents as anions and cations, and heavy metals. Laboratory as well as field investigations are included. This review is an up-date of an earlier comprehensive review. The review shows that most leachate contamination plumes are relatively narrow and do not in terms of width exceed the width of the landfill. The concept of redox zones being present in the plume has been confirmed by the reported composition of the leachate contaminated groundwater at several landfills and constitutes an important framework for understanding the behavior of the contaminants in the plume as the leachate migrates away from the landfill. Diverse microbial communities have been identified in leachate plumes and are believed to be responsible for the redox processes. Dissolved organic C in the leachate, although it appears to be only slowly degradable when the volatile organic acids are gone, apparently acts as substrate for the microbial redox processes. Several xenobiotic organic compounds have been found to be degradable in leachate contaminated groundwater, but degradation rates under anaerobic redox conditions have only been determined in a few cases. Apparently, observations in actual plumes indicate more extensive degradation than has been documented in the laboratory. The behavior of cations in leachate plumes is strongly influenced by exchange with the sediment, although the sediment often is very coarse and sandy. Ammonium seems to be subject to anaerobic oxidation, but the mechanisms are not yet understood. Heavy metals do not seem to constitute a significant pollution problem at landfills, partly because the heavy metal concentrations in the leachate often are low, and partly because of strong attenuation by sorption and precipitation. Although complexation of heavy metals with dissolved organic matter is significant, the heavy metals are in most cases still strongly attenuated in leachate-polluted aquifers. The information available on attenuation processes has increased dramatically during the last 15 a, but the number of well-documented full scale leachate plumes are still few and primarily from sandy aquifers. Thus, the diversity of attenuation processes in leachate plumes is probably not yet fully understood. Apparently, the attenuation processes in leachate plumes may for many contaminants provide significant natural remediation, limiting the effects of the leachate on the groundwater to an area usually not exceeding 1000 m from the landfill.     

氨基膨润土对铜镍镉污染土壤的钝化修复研究

采集土壤,加入铜、镍和镉制成重金属污染土壤。以四乙烯五胺改性膨润土和膨润土原土作为修复剂,通过模拟酸雨和混合提取剂提取有效态重金属,评价膨润土和氨基膨润土对土壤中铜、镍、镉的钝化效果。结果表明:p H=3. 5的模拟酸雨对各污染土壤中重金属离子的提取率均在0. 1%以下。混合提取剂对污染土壤中有效态金属的提取能力比模拟酸雨强很多。添加膨润土原土和氨基膨润土均能钝化土壤中的铜、镍和镉,氨基膨润土上嫁接的氨基对金属有络合作用,因而比膨润土原土对铜、镍和镉具有更强的钝化能力。综合评价表明氨基膨润土是一种对铜、镍和镉污染土壤具有应用前景的钝化修复材料。     

Metal accumulations in acidic waters from gold mines in South Africa

Heavy metal contents have been investigated in sediment and water samples from gold and platinum mining areas of South Africa. Waste waters from Witwatersrand and Orange Free State gold mines exhibit characteristically low pH-values due to the formation of sulphuric acid by oxidation of sulphide ore minerals. Acid leaching of iron, manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc effects a 1,000–10,000-fold increase of metal concentrations as compared to the respective values in unpolluted river water. Lack of carbonate buffering prevents rapid immobilization and may lead to widespread distribution of toxic metals in the aquatic systems. These findings illustrate that modern ore refining techniques have little effect on the water quality as long as unchecked hydrometallurgical processes take place outside the production plant.     

Capability of vis-NIR spectroscopy and Landsat 8 spectral data to predict soil heavy metals in polluted agricultural land (Iran)

Heavy metals are toxic elements that have hazardous effect on the environment. They cause soil pollution as a result of their toxicity, potential reactivity, and mobility in soils. There are so many methods for the measurement of heavy metal concentrations in soils and aquatic systems. The traditional methods used for detecting heavy metal distribution in soil involve laboratory analysis and raster sampling. Both of them are expensive and time-consuming for large areas. Remote sensing techniques are used for obtaining the earth’s surface information, and these techniques have been used in the investigations of heavy metal distributions in preliminary analysis of soils as a rapid method. Today, near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of soil characteristics has been of interest as a significant object. The present investigation is focused on the detection of heavy metals in contaminated soils by the application of reflectance spectroscopy in the spectral range of 350 to 2500 nm. This study also discusses the circumstances of the applied current methods for the detection and estimation of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) in contaminated agricultural soils. In the first part of laboratory spectroscopy, estimations were done using heavy metal reflectance spectroscopy and partial least square regression (PLSR) approaches, while in the second part, the heavy metal estimations were done using soil organic carbon reflectance spectroscopy through the PLSR approaches. Similar to the tasks above, estimations of As, Cd, Ni, and Pb by using Landsat 8 images were done in the forms of direct and indirect methods and the distribution of heavy metals in the study area was determined. Finally, the results obtained using direct and indirect methods were compared with the wet chemical measurements of heavy metals and organic carbon. It was found that although the direct detection of heavy metals using the images of Landsat 8 produced more accurate results than the indirect detections, the results obtained from laboratory spectroscopy corresponded more with the results from atomic adsorption spectroscopy. On the other hand, based on the fact that the soil has a complex content, the use of nonlinear methods, such as artificial neural networks in predicting soil heavy metal contents, could be regarded as a trusted method.     

Waste water management and water quality of river Yamuna in the megacity of Delhi

The present study aims at assessing water quality of river Yamuna in one of the world’s most polluted and populated megacities, Delhi. Conductivity, salinity and sodium content were within the permissible categories. Chloride concentration exceeded acceptable levels of drinking water guidelines. Water quality was poor at all locations with respect to heavy metal contamination, especially along the lower section of the Delhi stretch. Heavy metal concentrations were manifold higher than the acceptable limits of drinking water according to the BIS guidelines and reached ~29, 4.9, 10, 31, 27, 83, 7.3 and 27 times higher, respectively, for metals aluminum, copper, chromium, cadmium, iron, lead, manganese and nickel. The Najafgarh and the Shahdara drains are major point sources. Low oxidation–reduction potential reflected high organic loads and traces of eutrophication together with significant levels of nitrate and total phosphate. Discharges from agriculture, sewage and power plants could be important sources of high metal concentration. This calls for urgent measures to be taken for prevention of metal contamination in the river, through both, technology as well as implementation of regulations in order to sustain huge populations in megacities like Delhi. Waste water treatment from point sources needs tremendous improvement on the city. Treatment of the entire waste generated up to the tertiary level is required for minimizing dissolved solids, especially toxic metals, and rendering reuse in agriculture suitable. Treatment plants need proper operation, maintenance, uninterrupted power supply and regular monitoring. Various measure and programmes need to be undertaken to ensure safe reuse of wastewater.     

Mathematical models to predict soil heavy metal toxicity in the 2012 Olympic site

Heavy metal concentrations in samples collected from the London 2012 Olympic Village were determined using a three-step sequential extraction and a rapid extraction method. Metal toxicity was measured by employing the Microtox^? solid phase analysis. Both extraction methods produced comparable results (p?=?0.996), but the rapid method produced higher readings. A number of heavy metals were detected using the two extraction methods, including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc; beryllium, molybdenum, niobium and titanium were also found in low concentration ranging between 0.16 and 27.10?mg/kg in the total acid digestion. The total metal levels in all the soil samples were within the UK Soil Guideline Value (SGV) except for lead which ranged between 62.9 and 776.2?mg/kg. The 30?min EC₅₀ of different soil fractions was 2?C5.8?g/L. In the absence of any of heavy metals in the SGV, the Dutch Guideline values were referred. Mathematical models for a number of metals were generated based on the changes in EC₅₀ values between each (F1, F2 and F3) soil fractions and the initial toxicity in the non-fractionated samples. The resulting models produced good R² values (>96%) for predicting the change in toxicity of lead, cadmium, zinc and copper by measuring their changes in concentrations. These models could substantially reduce the time requires to determine the toxicity in the samples; they would be a useful tool in the clean up process where monitoring of metal toxicity is required.     

超富集植物与重金属相互作用机制及应用研究进展

社会发展过程中对矿产资源的勘查和开采利用所带来的重金属污染已对生态系统和人类健康造成严重威胁。超富集植物对重金属具有超富集、超耐受能力,是降低环境重金属污染、保障人类健康、实现绿色矿产勘查的有效途径,在植物修复、植物采矿和植物找矿中已获得了广泛应用。深入探索超富集植物的富集和耐受机制,揭示重金属-植物相互作用规律,提高植物对重金属的富集能力,是当前国际上研究热点。本文在简要介绍重金属对植物作用的基础上,阐述了重金属诱导氧化应激机制,重点关注重金属超富集植物富集机理研究,对其在解毒和耐受机制等领域的研究进展进行了评述。当前研究认为:(1)对超富集植物而言,根系分泌物与根际微生物的共同作用促进了重金属溶解,经共质体、质外体途径吸收后,重金属通过木质部向上转运,并隔离在液泡中,实现对重金属的超富集;(2)重金属通过与小分子有机酸、细胞壁、植物螯合肽结合,以及液泡隔离,可降低细胞质中游离金属离子浓度,增强植物耐受性;(3)重金属胁迫下,植物将激活多种特异性抗氧化酶,抵御氧化应激反应,实现对重金属的超耐受。(4)本文分析认为,植物中砷诱导的氧化应激反应机制可能是由砷的还原与甲基化过程及Haber-Weiss反应三部分构成。对重金属超富集植物的富集与耐受过程所涉及的生理与生化作用进行深入研究,揭示关键性影响因素与相关规律,寻找提升其特异性富集与指示能力的有效途径,将有助于超富集植物研究与应用向纵深发展。     

土壤修复过程中重金属形态的研究综述

重金属污染土壤的修复是现阶段污染土壤治理中的难点之一,在土壤修复过程中对重金属的形态研究已在多个领域中开展,并且在重金属形态及其与生物有效性和毒性等研究领域取得了一定的成果。本文综述了现阶段在污染土壤修复过程中对重金属形态研究的主要领域,分析研究重金属形态的必要性,总结出土壤修复过程中重金属形态方面应当从重金属在土壤与植物中的存在形态入手,研究重金属元素在不同界面间的迁移转化规律,通过阻断重金属元素在污染源、土壤、生物之间的传递链条,以阻止重金属对生物体造成危害,从而为土壤重金属污染的治理修复提供理论基础。     

Heavy metal distribution in soil and plant in municipal solid waste compost amended plots

A field study was carried out to evaluate long-term heavy metal accumulation in the top 20 cm of a Tunisian clayey loam soil amended for four consecutive years with municipal solid waste compost at three levels (0, 40 and 80 t/ha/y). Heavy metals uptake and translocation within wheat plants grown on these soils were also investigated. Compared to untreated soils, compost-amended soils showed significant increases in the content of all measured metals: cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in the last three years, especially for plots amended with municipal solid waste compost at 80 t/ha/y. Wheat plants grown on compost-amended soils showed a general increase in metal uptake and translocation, especially for chromium and nickel. This heavy metal uptake was about three folds greater in plots amended at 80 t/ha/y as compared to plots amended at 40 t/ha/y. At the end of the experimental period, the diluting effect resulting from enhanced growth rates of wheat plants due to successive compost applications resulted in lower concentrations in the plants (grain part) grown on treated plots. On the other hand, chromium and nickel were less mobile in the aerial part of wheat plants and were accumulated essentially in root tissues. Plant/soil transfer coefficients for compost-amended treatments were higher than threshold range reported in the literature, indicating that there was an important load/transfer of metal ions from soils to wheat plants.     

Carcinogenic risk evaluation for human health risk assessment from soils contaminated with heavy metals

Human activities have progressively increased in recent years. Consequently, significant environment deterioration resulted. Soils have a particularly varied vulnerability to heavy metal pollution, especially in the vicinity of industrial areas. Heavy metal contamination of soil may induce risks and hazards to humans and the ecosystem, while toxic metals in soil can severely inhibit the biodegradation of organic contaminants. This paper is focused on human health risk assessment from extremely contaminated soil with heavy metals, mainly with carcinogenic elements. The study refers to an agricultural area in the vicinity of an old metallurgical processing industrial facility. The contaminants evaluated in the present paper are beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb). Contamination level is pointed out through laboratory analysis results of soil samples taken from 0–0.2 m, 0.2–0.4 m soil layers and up to 2.1 m soil depth. Some heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cr and Pb) exceed the intervention thresholds for sensitive areas, as they are stipulated in the national regulation in Romania. The identified average concentration levels of Cd, Cr^VI and Pb in the first layer of the investigated land are 23.83, 7.71 and 704.22 mg/kg_d.w, respectively. The results show that the potential risk of human health is relevant (higher than the acceptable one after World Health Organization) and a possible solution for the remediation should become a major concern for the investigated area.     

Heavy metal geochemistry and dispersion pattern in coastal sediments,soil, and water of Kedron Brook floodplain area,Brisbane, Australia

Hydrochemical monitoring and heavy metal speciation by sequential extraction techniques indicate direct relationships among enrichment of the heavy metals (copper, lead, zinc, iron, manganese, and cadmium), soil acidification, and salinization in Kedron Brook floodplain area of Brisbane, Australia. Assessment of modes of occurrence and distribution pattern of the heavy metals in soil, sediment, and water environments of this coastal plain indicates that the total concentrations and reactive fractions of these metals are elevated in soil and channel bed sediments. Such geochemical signatures reflect the complex influence of sources and a combination of natural and anthropogenic processes on concentration and dispersion within the coastal zone. According to a working model presented, the enrichment of the heavy metals, like cadmium, in the soil and sediment profiles is triggered by capillary pumping during low groundwater standing levels, when the metals are in a stable form associated with dry gels. During higher groundwater levels and occasional flood events, these metals become mobilized when the gel material is transformed into soluble colloidal phase.This study indicates that the potential impacts of heavy metal pollution on the coastal ecosystems can not be assessed and managed in isolation solely by considering the natural cause-effect relationships. The complex nature of sediment-soil-water interactions in the coastal hydrodynamic zones can produce a manifold of effects, including mobilization, concentration, and/or dispersion of heavy metals at both short and longer time scales. In the case of Kedron Brook, chemical erosion due to variation in natural climatic and hydrodynamic conditions contributes significantly to concentration of heavy metals in the coastal environments. Therefore, a sound understanding of the prevailing hydrogeochemical processes is essential for prediction of the fate of heavy metals and establishment of meaningful coastal zone management strategies.     

Comparative analysis of heavy metal concentration in secondary treated wastewater irrigated soils cultivated by different crops

The use of treated urban wastewater for irrigation is a relatively recent innovation in Botswana and knowledge is still limited on its impact on soil heavy metal levels. The aim of this study is to analyze and compare heavy metal concentration in secondary wastewater irrigated soils being cultivated to different crops: olive, maize, spinach and tomato in the Glen Valley near Gaborone City, Botswana. The studied crop plots have been cultivated continuously under treated wastewater irrigation for at least 3 years. Most crop farms have sandy loam, loamy sand soils. Based on food and agriculture organization, heavy metal threshold values for crop production have been studied. Results showed that the wastewater irrigated soils in the Glen Valley have higher cadmium, nickel and copper than desirable levels, while the levels of mercury, lead and zinc are lower than the maximum threshold values recommended for crop production. The control sites show that the soils are naturally high in some of these heavy metals (e.g copper, zinc, nickel) and that crop cultivation under wastewater irrigation has actually lowered the heavy metal content. Comparing between the crops, mercury and cadmium levels are highest in soils under maize and decline linearly from maize to spinach to olive to tomato and control site. By contrast, concentrations of the other metals are at their lowest in maize and then increase from maize to spinach to olive to tomato and to control site.     

Removal of Lead, Copper, Zinc and Cadmium from Water Using Phosphate Rock

Removal of Pb2 ,Cu~(2 ),Zn~(2 )and Cd~(2 )from aqueous solutions by sorption on a natural phosphate rock(FAP)was investigated.The effects of the contact time and initial metal concentration were examined in the batch method.The percentage sorption of heavy metals from solution ranges generally between 50% and 99%.The amount of sorbed metal ions follows the order Cu>Pb>Cd>Zn. Heavy metal immobilization was attributed to both surface complexation of metal ions on the surface of FAP grains and partial dissolution and precipitation of a heavy metal-containing phosphate.The very low desorption ratio of heavy metals further supports the effectiveness of FAP as an alternative and low-cost material to remove toxic Pb~(2 ),Cu~(2 ),Zn~(2 )and Cd~(2 )from polluted waters.     

Dynamic fuzzy neural network for simulating the fixed-bed adsorption of cadmium,nickel, and zinc on bone char

This study introduces the application of a dynamic fuzzy neural network for fitting and simulating the adsorption of nickel, cadmium, and zinc ions in mono- and bi-metallic solutions (nickel–cadmium, nickel–zinc, and cadmium–zinc) using packed-bed columns with bone char. This neural network model has shown a flexible and self-adaptive architecture with a faster learning speed than that of traditional artificial neural approaches. Results showed that this neural network model was reliable for representing the high asymmetry behavior of concentration profiles in both mono- and bi-metallic breakthrough curves where its accuracy was quite reasonable. Breakthrough parameters for mono-component and binary systems of tested heavy metals were calculated and compared. This analysis showed that the removal of these heavy metal ions in binary systems was a strong competitive adsorption process where the presence of co-ions reduced the removal performance of bone char at fixed-bed adsorbers. Results of surface characterization of adsorbent samples with X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopy supported a removal mechanism based on an ion exchange between calcium from hydroxyapatite of bone char and heavy metal ions in the solution forming new metal–phosphate interactions in the adsorbent surface.     

Clay-Microbe Interactions and Implication for Remediation of Inorganic Contaminants

Mineral–microbe interactions indirectly affect the geochemical fluxes and biogeochemical cycling of a large number of elements. Among them are toxic heavy metals (e.g. chromium), radionuclides (uranium and technetium), and nitrogen. Heavy metals and radionuclides enter the environment from various sources such as mining activity, nuclear weapons production, metallurgical and chemical industries. Other metals, such as lead, arsenic, antimony, and cadmium, are enriched in certain environments by either natural or anthropogenic processes. Because many of these metals and radionuclides are carcinogens, their release into the environment and their fate cause intense scientific and public concern and are the subject of substantial research. Nitrate enters the environment largely through agricultural activity. Human health risks from nitrate uptake from drinking water supplies run the gamut from increased cancer risk to birth defects.     

Occurrence, physiological responses and toxicity of nickel in plants

The focus of the review is on the specific aspects of nickel’s effects on growth, morphology, photosynthesis, mineral nutrition and enzyme activity of plants. The mobility of nickel in the environment and the consequent contamination in soil and water is of great concern. Also, the detrimental effects of excessive nickel on plant growth have been well known for many years. Toxic effects of nickel on plants include alterations in the germination process as well as in the growth of roots, stems and leaves. Total dry matter production and yield was significantly affected by nickel and also causes deleterious effects on plant physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, water relations and mineral nutrition. Nickel strongly influences metabolic reactions in plants and has the ability to generate reactive oxygen species which may cause oxidative stress. More recent evidence indicates that nickel is required in small amounts for normal plant growth and development. Hence, with the increasing level of nickel pollution in the environment, it is essential to understand the functional roles and toxic effects of nickel in plants.     

Heavy metals status,transport mechanisms,sources, and factors affecting their mobility in Chinese agricultural soils

Heavy metals are the focus of much interest because of their environmental persistence, toxicity, and mobility in soils. Some of the Chinese soils have been contaminated with heavy metals due to expansion of mining industries, pesticides usage, and other anthropological activities, which made the agro-ecosystem to become contaminated. The objective of this review is to illuminate the current pollution status, sources of heavy metals, transport mechanisms, and the factors affecting their mobility in Chinese soils. The additional studies in the future will present on source identification and the heavy metal transport characteristics in soil.     

Integrated physicochemical and hydrogeochemical assessment to groundwater quality in Obosi and Onitsha provinces,South-eastern Nigeria

An integrated physicochemical and hydrogeochemical assessment was carried out at an automobile junk market in Obosi and in residential areas in Anambra State, south-eastern Nigeria to examine the concentration of heavy metals in the groundwater and determine the quality of the water for drinking and other domestic purposes. Forty groundwater samples were collected from boreholes and hand-dug wells (three samples from Obosi and the rest from Onitsha). They were subjected to atomic absorption spectrometry using standard field and laboratory techniques and analysed for physicochemical and hydrogeochemical parameters. Results show that the groundwater in the study area is slightly acidic to neutral, soft to moderately hard when compared with the World Health Organization maximum allowable concentration values and the Nigerian Standards for Drinking Water Quality. The electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand ranged from 58 to 1796 μS/cm, 6.78 to 8.76 and 0.17 to 1.50 mg/L, respectively. Heavy metal concentrations measured (in ppm) in the water included nickel, manganese, copper and zinc and varied from 0 to 1.82, 0 to 0.195, 0 to 0.325 and 0 to 0.09, respectively, while heavy metal concentrations in the soil measured (in ppm) included iron, lead and cadmium and varied from 0 to 3.87, 0 to 1.80 and 0 to 7.38 mg/kg, respectively. Statistical results gave significant correlation (at 0.05) between electrical conductivity and total hardness, biochemical oxygen demand and dissolved oxygen, and several others elements. The study helps in the understanding of the chemistry of groundwater for long-term monitoring and management for the local community.