Biosorption of Rare-Earth Elements and Yttrium by Heterotrophic Bacteria in an Aqueous Environment

This paper reports the results of the experimental determination of the coefficient of sorption of rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) under conditions of acidic pH using several strains of heterotrophic bacteria (Microbacterium sp., Curtobacterium sp., Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas putida, and Bacillus pumilis) that are widespread in natural and technogenic waters of the Far East (Russia). Insignificant fractionation between heavy and light rare-earth elements, negative cerium and dysprosium anomalies, and a positive europium anomaly were revealed. The selectivity of REY biosorption by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as inertia of the biosorption process under more acidic conditions of the medium, were shown.     

Mud Volcanic Fluids of the Kerch–Taman Region: Geochemical Reconstructions and Regional Trends. Communication 1: Geochemical Features and Genesis of Mud-Volcanic Waters

Lithology and Mineral Resources - The chemical and isotopic characteristics (δ18O and δ2H) of water from 42 mud volcanoes of the Kerch–Taman region (Crimean–Caucasus district)...     

Upwelling of Deep-seated Fluid in the Sikhote-Alin Region,Far East of the Eurasian Plate

Aquatic Geochemistry - Spring waters with high-pCO2 content are widely distributed in the Sikhote-Alin region in Russia. Mukhen spa is one such spring located in the northern Sikhote-Alin region....     

Geochemical features of major and rare-earth element behavior in the Paratunka and Bol’shebannyi hydrothermal systems of Kamchatka

This paper presents original data on the content and distribution of major and rare-earth elements in the modern hydrothermal systems of the Paratunka and Bol’shebannyi thermal water deposits. In spite of the similar geochemical type of the waters, the individual sites of the hydrothermal systems differ in the major component composition, which is caused by the time of water–rock interaction, temperature control, and the possible influence of seawater intrusions. The REE concentrations in the studied thermal waters are extremely low (a few tenths of ppb). A distinctive feature of these thermal waters is the presence of a positive Eu anomaly. The possible reasons for its appearance are discussed. Calculation of REE speciation shows that the main parameters controlling the formation of the REE complexes in the Paratunka and Bol’shebannyi hydrothermal systems are their individual chemical properties, as well as pH, Eh, and temperature of the aqueous solution.     

Mud Volcanic Fluids of the Kerch–Taman Region: Geochemical Reconstructions and Regional Trends: Communication 2. Genesis of Mud Volcanic Gases and Regional Geochemical Trends

Lithology and Mineral Resources - The chemical and isotopic signatures of mud volcanic fluids were determined for 42 mud volcanoes of the Kerch–Taman region (Crimea–Caucasus district)....     

Hydrochemical characteristics of Lastochka Spa (Primorye, Far East of Russia)

This study presents new data on major, trace and REE element concentration of groundwaters in Lastochka spa located in the northern part of Primorye, Far East of Russia. The studied area is characterized by two types of groundwaters issued from a spring and wells: fresh waters with low mineralization (Total Dissolved Solids is up to 400 mg/l) and high pCO₂ waters with high mineralization (TDS is up to 4700 mg/l). New data and previous δ¹³C_(TIC), oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and hydrogen (δ²H) isotope data indicate that these waters result from meteoric water infiltration in the Sikhote–Alin mountain, circulating at shallow depths in sedimentary rocks. CO₂ in groundwater is of mantle origin.     

The Chemical Composition of the Nitrogen Thermal Waters of the Khoja-Obi-Garm (Tajikistan) Balneoclimatic Resort

This paper presents new data on the contents of macro- and microcomponents from low-mineral nitrogen thermal water located within the Khoja-Obi-Garm resort (Tajikistan). It was found that these thermal groundwaters contain high contents of F, Si, Li, Al, Rb, Sr, and Cs. Detailed study of the geological and hydrogeological settings of the resort, along with thermodynamic simulations allows us reveal the sources of chemical elements in these waters. A comparison of thermal groundwater from Khoja-Obi-Garm spa with the thermal waters of other regions of Eurasia was carried out; new data on the rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) concentrations in the studied thermal water are presented as well.     

Unique СО2–saturated mineral waters of the Mukhen deposit (Khabarovsk Krai): Composition and genesis

Doklady Earth Sciences - The results of studies of the ion-salt, gas, and isotopic compositions of unique СО2–saturated cold mineral waters from the Mukhen deposit, as well as the...     

Genesis and evolution of high-pCO2 groundwaters of the Mukhen spa (Russian Far East)

We present the chemical and isotope compositions of the water and gas phases of the unique Mukhen cold high-pCO₂ spa. Estimated 5¹⁸O, 5D, and 5¹³C_tic values and data on geology and hydrogeology of the studied area indicate that the source of the groundwaters is meteoric waters, whereas carbon dioxide is of deep genesis and numerous regional faults are gas-feeding channels. Calculations of equilibrium reactions in the water-rock system show that the upper-aquifer waters (HCO₃-Ca-Mg) with low TDS are undersaturated with carbonate minerals, montmorillonites, and aluminosilicates but are oversaturated with kaolinite, whereas the lower-aquifer waters (HCO3-Na) with high TDS are oversaturated with calcite, dolomite, and clay minerals but are undersaturated with main aluminosilicates. We propose a new concept of the formation of these groundwaters, demonstrating that long interaction between rocks and groundwaters in the presence of CO₂ and considerable precipitation of secondary minerals are responsible for the high TDS of the lower-aquifer waters (up to 14 g/L) and their geochemical type (HCO₃-Na) and unusual isotope composition (5¹⁸O = -25.2%c, 5D = -69.0%c).