Organic Contamination of Soil and Goundwater in the Piedimont Plain of the Taihang Mountains

The risk of groundwater contamination following the infiltration of waste surface water, is of great interest, particularly in areas experiencing water shortage. In this study, the distribution characteristics of contaminants along the Cihe River, in the piedimont plain of the Taihang Mountains, China, was investigated by measuring the soil and water samples. The main organic contaminants detected in different media include hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides. The main contaminants found in different media are mostly derived from the river water, which can be seen from the results of waste water from the river and groundwater, from the soil samples from different depth and distance of the profiles along the river. The distribution characteristics showed that there has been a natural attenuation of the contaminants from the river during their transportation through the soils and groundwater. The sorption of organic compounds to soil organic matter is thought to be a main mechanism of natural attenuation.     

Effect of irrigation with olive mill wastewater on soil hydraulic and solute transport properties

To evaluate the effect of olive mill wastewater (OMW) application on soil hydraulic and transport properties, two treatment sites, which had been irrigated with OMW for 5 and 15 years, and one control site being irrigated with freshwater were compared. The transport and leaching experiment results showed that a portion of the total soil water was available for transport processes while the remaining of the soil water was considered immobile and not readily accessible for solutes. The separation in water fractions of different mobilities was surprisingly consistent among OMW treatments. The bromide recovery rate decreased with the application of OMW showing that tracer molecules became trapped within immobile water phases. The application of OMW increased significantly the soil water-holding capacity, whereas the soil hydraulic conductivity in the near saturation range decreased significantly with long-term OMW application. The soil irrigated with OMW had significantly higher organic matter content, lower bulk density and relatively higher total porosity, but lower macroporosity than that of control sites. We concluded that the soil was increasingly coated with complex organic molecules originating from OMW, as a result, solute exchange between inter- and intrasoil aggregate water was hindered. Although OMW could cause soil and water pollution, its use in agriculture is promoted because of high nutrients and organic matter contents.     

Calculation of resident groundwater concentration by post-processing particle-tracking results

A post-processing technique that allows relatively simple random walk particle-tracking results to be extrapolated to transport scenarios of considerably more complexity has traditionally been used to calculate flux at specified monitoring locations. Previous extensions of the post-processing approach to calculate resident groundwater concentrations could not disentangle concentrations of mobile and immobile mass in dual-porosity systems, which limited their utility. A variant of the post-processing method that allows for the calculation of resident concentrations of mobile and immobile mass is introduced and tested. The resulting combination of methods—random walk particle tracking without retention processes followed by post-processing to add the effects of retention—is a powerful and practical strategy for assessing the transport of radionuclides or other contaminants in field-scale applications.     

临沧超大型锗矿床的沉积环境、成岩过程和热液作用与锗的富集

临沧超大型锗矿庆的形成与其沉积、成岩和热液作用有密切联系。详细研究了矿床煤岩产出特征、煤岩组成、无机矿物、微量元素、腐殖体反射率,认为该矿床中的锗主要源于盆地西缘的白云母花岗岩的风化作用。在沉积作用阶段,锗被湖水中的低等生物和腐殖酸富集,为形成矿化煤打下基础。临沧褐煤经历了泥炭化阶段、早期成岩阶段和热液改造阶段。泥炭化阶段,沉积物中锗被凝胶体吸附和配合。早期成岩阶段,与腐残酸结合的锗,在碱性还原条     

Lincang superlarge germanium deposit in Yunnan Province,China: Sedimentation,diagenesis,hydrothermal process and mineralization

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沉积物-水界面的生物地球化学作用

沉积物－水界面是天然水体在物理、化学和生物特征等方面差异性最显著和负责水体和沉积物之间物质输送和交换的重要边界环境。对沉积物－水界面生物地球化学的定义、研究方法和它在水体微量物质循环中所起的作用、物质迁移方式、典型氧化还原敏感性元素转化反应（Ｃ、Ｏ、Ｎ）、界面扩散通量和表面扩散亚层的意义和估算等进行了讨论。      

沉积物－水界面的生物地球化学作用

沉积物－水界面是天然水体在物理、化学和生物特征等方面差异性最显著和负责水体和沉积物之间物质输送和交换的重要边界环境。对沉积物－水界面生物地球化学的定义、研究方法和它在水体微量物质循环中所起的作用、物质迁移方式、典型氧化还原敏感性元素转化反应（Ｃ、Ｏ、Ｎ）、界面扩散通量和表面扩散亚层的意义和估算等进行了讨论。     

Influence of surface/groundwater interaction on pollution by pesticides in farmlands of the Fucino Plain,central Italy

This paper analyses flow and transport of pesticides from the unsaturated zone to groundwater so as to predict concentration of those contaminants in the Fucino Plain’s groundwater, by site investigations and numerical simulations. Pesticides were detected in surface water (peaks of 13 μg L⁻¹) and groundwater (peaks of 0.37 μg L⁻¹). Modelling tools made it possible to identify that pattern of precipitation, organic matter content, and root thickness are the key factors involved in vertical seepage of pesticides. Numerical simulations indicated that a significant fraction of contaminants is leached from the most surficial soil layers through runoff, while only a secondary fraction is mobilised towards groundwater. Likelihood of contaminating deep groundwater is fairly low, whereas surface waters show higher susceptibility. Results of the proposed conceptual hydrogeological model show that pesticides are more likely to be entrained by mixing of stream water with shallow groundwater in periods of high water exploitation from shallow wells.     

Results of a study of co-migration of trace elements and organic matter in a river flow in a boreal zone

This work describes the evolution of migration forms of true dissolved compounds and colloidal entities using an integrated approach with molecular mass distribution and differences in the association of trace elements with organic matter and Fe-oxide colloids in the soil water-bog-river-lake system. One major problem is obtaining reliable information on the processes of redistribution deposited forms and trace element complexes during the phase transformation of organic humic compounds in a series of high-molecular-weight organic matter of bog soils to colloidal and truly dissolved forms, as well as to the river and lake fine sediment (suspension) as a transit zone and deposit region.     

The seabed characteristics of the bottom floor of Damietta Branch,Egypt, using acoustic signals

The study area lies between 31.32°N, 31.70°E and 31.41°N, 31.78°E along Damietta branch, Nile River. It is about 24-km long. Acoustic classification (Quester Tangent Corporation—QTC) is used as a powerful tool to study seabed characteristics which is confirmed by the sediment analyses. Sediment characteristics of the study are presented by three acoustic classes: sand, mud and organic matter intercalated by clay. The depth varies from about ?12 m at Faraskour Bridge (southern part of the study area) to about ?2.5 m at Faraskour Dam (northern part of the study area). The average current velocity is detected as 4 cm/s and it has a very low effect on the transport of both sediment and waste debris. The sediment in the northern part characterized by organic matter reaches about 70 cm thickness under and around fish cages. This huge amount of organic matter deposit leads to the reduction of the dissolved oxygen and increase pH values. This study shows that the water quality in the northern part of the study area is at risk (drinking water for Damietta city) due to the presence of the huge amount of waste debris intercalated by organic matter. The rises of temperature in summer enhance oxygen consumption and the decomposition of the organic matter. This is rapidly increasing the growth of bacteria and phytoplankton, causing turbidity and algal blooms. Those affect the water quality and raise the water toxicity (drinking water).     

Potential for the formation and migration of colloidal material from a near-surface waste disposal site

Organic material typically constitutes a substantial volume (∼ 90%) of the low-level radioactive wastes (LLRW) intended for near-surface disposal at Chalk River Laboratories (CRL), Ontario, Canada. These wastes can contain a large variety of organic materials, including paper, cardboard, plastic bags, used clothing, and mop heads. After emplacement in a disposal facility, leaching of the LLRW by water can mobilize inorganic and organic substances, ranging from small molecules such as acetic acid to unidentifiable material of colloidal size range. This study determined the potential for colloid formation produced by LLRW degradation, because colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants could affect the safety performance of a disposal facility.The decomposition of compacted LLRW was simulated by recirculating water in a closed system over several compacted bales of waste to determine the potential composition and colloid content of leachates. Size fractionation of organic matter was performed on leachate samples that had been aged for 18 months to simulate the microbial degradation of organic matter within leachates during migration out of the LLRW disposal facility. The aged leachates contained high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, ranging between 74 and 5074 mg/l as C. In most of the leachates, volatile fatty acids accounted for a significant fraction (up to 81%) of the dissolved organic carbon. Although 5–110 mg/l of organic colloids were observed in leachates, in most cases, the organic colloids made up a very small fraction of the total leached organic carbon. Therefore, since the complexation properties of dissolved and colloidal organics are probably similar, contaminants complexed to organics are most likely to be dissolved and not affected by colloid transport. The leachates also contained significant quantities of Fe and Al, which could potentially precipitate Fe and Al as colloids after oxidation. Although a significant portion of the dissolved Fe may have been produced by the corrosion of the ☐es used to contain the bales, the high Fe concentrations could be representative of leachates from LLRW that contain metallic Fe components. If Fe and Al colloids are stable, stable concentrations in LLRW leachates could be high enough to affect contaminant transport. Therefore, the Fe and Al content of LLRW should be minimized. The concentrations of natural colloids in sandy aquifers, such as those found at CRL are too low to affect contaminant migration significantly.     

A new quantitative interpretation of the long-tail and plateau-like breakthrough curves from tracer tests in the artesian karst aquifer of Stuttgart, Germany

In 1998 and 1999, two multi-tracer experiments were conducted in the artesian karst aquifer of the mineral springs of Stuttgart, Germany. The breakthrough curves (BTCs) monitored at the springs showed very long tails or developed plateau-like concentration levels for more than 200 days. Initially, this observation was qualitatively explained by exchange between cavities with stagnant water and the active conduits. Since then, a new analytical solution for tracer transport in karst aquifers has become available, the “two-region non-equilibrium model” (2RNE), which assumes the presence of mobile and immobile fluid regions, and mass transfer between these two regions. The experiments were thus revisited, and it was possible to provide a more quantitative explanation of the observed behaviour. The new model simulated all BTCs very well, thus confirming the earlier qualitative explanation. The prolonged BTCs can be attributed to intermediate storage in cavities containing quasi-immobile groundwater, and slow release into active fractures and conduits. The results also demonstrate that karst aquifers are not always fast-flushing systems, but contaminants can sometimes remain in immobile fluid regions for long periods.     

An overview of dissolved organic carbon in groundwater and implications for drinking water safety

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is composed of a diverse array of compounds, predominantly humic substances, and is a near ubiquitous component of natural groundwater, notwithstanding climatic extremes such as arid and hyper-arid settings. Despite being a frequently measured parameter of groundwater quality, the complexity of DOC composition and reaction behaviour means that links between concentration and human health risk are difficult to quantify and few examples are reported in the literature. Measured concentrations from natural/unpolluted groundwater are typically below 4 mg C/l, whilst concentrations above these levels generally indicate anthropogenic influences and/or contamination issues and can potentially compromise water safety. Treatment processes are effective at reducing DOC concentrations, but refractory humic substance reaction with chlorine during the disinfection process produces suspected carcinogenic disinfectant by-products (DBPs). However, despite engineered artificial recharge systems being commonly used to remove DOC from recycled treated wastewaters, little research has been conducted on the presence of DBPs in potable groundwater systems. In recent years, the capacity to measure the influence of organic matter on colloidal contaminants and its influence on the mobility of pathogenic microorganisms has aided understanding of transport processes in aquifers. Additionally, advances in polymerase chain reaction techniques used for the detection, identification, and quantification of waterborne pathogens, provide a method to confidently investigate the behaviour of DOC and its effect on contaminant transfer in aquifers. This paper provides a summary of DOC occurrence in groundwater bodies and associated issues capable of indirectly affecting human health.     

Relationships between organically bound Cu and Mn in settling particulate matter and biological processes in a subarctic estuary

Plankton studies in Kachemak Bay, Alaska were combined with short-term sediment trap deployments in order to show the relationships of fluxes of Cu and Mn in organic particulate matter with biological processes occurring in the overlying water column. A large spring bloom decrease throughout the summer, due to decreasing nutrient levels and increasing grazing pressure by zooplankton. The concentration of organically bound Cu and Mn in the sediment trap particulate material increased throughout the summer reaching a maximum in August while fecal pellet production exhibited a similar increase. The fluxes of total particulate matter and organic carbon reached a maximum in June and represented a 30% increase over the corresponding fluxes in May. In contrast, the fluxes of organically bound Cu and Mn and fecal pellets in August represented 200%, 360% and 760% increases, respectively, over their respective fluxes in May. These results suggest that the enrichment of Cu and Mn in the organic particulate matter during August was a result of bioaccumulation of these metals into fecal material. The increase in the flux of the organically bound metals indicates a strong coupling between biological processes in the water column and their vertical transport. Thus, the production and subsequent sinking of fecal pellets may govern the transport of trace metals to the underlying water column and may also govern the transfer of a primary source of food and its associated trace metals to benthic communities.     

Waters and organic-rich waste near dumping grounds in the New York Bight

The New York Bight is a sector of the Middle Atlantic continental shelf. The Bight consists of a part of the Atlantic Ocean offshore of the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area. This area includes the most populated coastal setting in North America. The Atlantic shelf and its estuaries are used for waste disposal, dredging, commercial fishing, and recreation; activities that contribute to the contamination of associated bottom sediments. Existing data for toxicants are still inadequate. Improvements in sediment and water quality will require a more detailed knowledge and understanding of sediments and water in the Bight. Eleven coring stations were established in New York Bight. Decreases in pH and Eh both above and below the water/sediment interface are attributed to the activity of anaerobic bacteria. Sulfate reduction is one of the important processes in lowering pH. Low Eh values of up to −443 can be related to sulfate-reducing bacteria. The highest negative Eh generally occurs with the highest organic carbon concentration. Core samples yielded up to 4.00% organic carbon compared to 0.8 to 1.2% in sediments of the natural nearshore environment. Twenty-seven different aliphatic hydrocarbons, fourteen PAHs, five cyclic hydrocarbons, and eight dicarboxylic acids were identified in the Bight pore waters. Sediment located deeper in the Hudson Shelf Valley has a greater abundance of aliphatic hydrocarbons as adsorbed pollution on clay and silt. The presence of dicarboxylic acids leached from plastic came from anthropogenic activities (mostly sewage). PAHs have two sources: coal ash (observed in sediments) and petroleum (part of the sewage, run-offs, and oil spills). The rest of the hydrocarbons have a petroleum or biogenic origin. The high amount of organic carbon may be the result of sewage sludge or originated from natural sources. The main sources of contaminants are dumpsites, emergency releases after heavy rainstorms from sewage-treatment plants, tanker washing, storage transfer spills, run-off, and air-borne pollution. The relatively high accumulation of organic matter causes oxygen depletion, which creates anaerobic conditions. The presence of hydrogen sulfide makes the environment toxic for most of the biota. Detected hydrocarbons, especially PAHs easily enter the food chain and may cause cancer and mutagenic reactions of biota and humans. Organic petrology of six organic-rich sediments from New York Harbor illustrates a diverse population of anthropogenic and natural organic components. Three core samples (V-2, AC-4, and HV-3) contain coarse-textured organic matter. A slim majority of those components are anthropogenic. They are derived mainly from coal combustion by-products. The other two core samples (AC-6 and T-1) contain mainly very fine-grained organic matter. A majority of them are amorphous organic matter (AOM) that is derived from bacterial degradation of modern organic matter. Radionuclide dating (¹³⁷Cs, K-40, Pb-210) shows post-1950 components for the shallowest intervals in the cores (<30 cm). The post-1950 sediment, distributed in the tops of core, is recycled material from the dumpsites. The underlying sediment has isotopic signatures that suggest dates before active dumping.     

Downstream lightening and upward heavying: Experiments with sediments differing in density

Sorting and selective transport of particles by material density is important for understanding a wide range of processes, including the formation of mineral placers, deposition of mine tailings and routing of tracers and contaminants. This article describes an experimental study of the transport of mixtures of particles of differing density in a sediment‐feed flume. During the runs, a downstream prograding wedge‐shaped deposit was formed. Results show two sorting processes: (i) longitudinal sorting characterized by preferential deposition of heavy particles in the upstream part of the deposit – downstream lightening; and (ii) vertical sorting with less dense particles preferentially deposited in the lowermost portion of the migrating front – upward heavying. Downstream lightening is the analogue of the well‐known downstream fining observed in the more studied case of mixtures of heterogeneous size with the same density. In both cases, the lighter particles are carried further downstream than the heavier particles. Upward heavying is unexpected when compared with deposits of heterogeneous size and same‐density particles, where the heaviest (i.e. coarsest) particles are deposited in the lowermost part of the front. The physical mechanism underlying this upward heavying might be related to the physics of gravity‐driven granular flows; the front of the deposit acts like a dense granular flow down an inclined plane. In this case, the denser particles settle away from the free surface and at the top of the heap, while the lighter particles flow to the bottom. As the front of the deposit advances, this progressively gives rise to an upward heavying pattern. The application of classical surface‐based fractional bedload transport models suggests that equal mobility is not approached in the case of mixtures of particles with uniform size and different densities. This study hypothesizes that other mechanics related to the physics of the segregation processes in these systems contribute to these results.     

Sedimentation rates and heavy metals in a macrotidal salt marsh: Bay of Fundy,Canada

Macrotidal salt marshes play an important role in sedimentary processes in estuaries and can act as a sink for fine sediments and contaminants. This study examines sedimentation rates and the history of heavy metal accumulation in the Allen Creek salt marsh in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. Pb-210 and Cs-137 measurements and accelerated mass spectrometer (AMS) dating indicate a sedimentation rate of about 1.1 cm/year, which is consistent with independent observations. Elevated normalized concentrations of As in the upper section of the deposit may reflect an increase in organic matter content while a consistent decrease in Mn toward the surface of the section may be due to a decrease in natural supply. A peak in metal concentrations in the early to mid twentieth century is attributed to inputs from local foundries.     

Geochemical demobilization of metallic pollutants in solid waste—implications for arsenic in waterworks sludges

During stabilization or demobilization of contaminants in solid waste materials, different approaches can be taken, which also can be combined: (1) sufficient long-term buffer capacity can be provided, according to the environmental conditions; (2) permeability for dissolved contaminants can be reduced by secondary mineral precipitations or by soft gels injected into the pore space of the waste body; and (3) new formations of ‘reservoir minerals' can incorporate potential pollutants in their internal structure. Emphasizing the geochemical engineering approach, two examples are presented from the field of water management, both focussing on the demobilization of arsenic species. The first example (after Driehaus, W., 1994. Arsenentfernung mit Mangandioxid und Eisenhydroxid in der Trinkwasseraufbereitung. Vol. 133, Ser. 15, VDI-Reports, Düsseldorf, 117 pp.) relates to the problems during purification of arsenic-rich raw water, suggesting the potential application of iron and manganese oxide minerals as oxidizing agents and mineral lattice structures for the elimination of arsenic. In the second example, contaminated sludges from water treatment plants were investigated for their leaching characteristics and long-term stability. A pH-stat test procedure was used to assess the leaching characteristics of metals at typical pH values. Due to the presence of iron and manganese oxides pentavalent arsenic is protected against conversion into the mobile trivalent form at neutral to low pH. Experimental data suggest that co-disposal with reducing organic matter and alkaline stabilization material or wastes could negatively influence the binding properties and, therefore, should be avoided.     

Ferruginous and manganiferous haloes around massive sulphide deposits of the Urals

Proximal brecciform ferruginous and manganiferous rocks related to VMS deposits of the Urals are subdivided into jasperites, gossanites, and umbers, in addition to thin-bedded jaspers and cherts. The coherence of host rock composition and Mn–Fe-fertility of the sediments have been established. Fe-poor pink hematitic and gray sulphidic chert are typical of the felsic class of VMS deposits. In contrast the contents of Fe vary from high to moderate in ferruginous rocks enclosed in basaltic units associate with VMS deposits. Fe- and Mn-rich ferruginous rocks and umbers occur in association with limestones and calcareous sedimentary rocks in both types of volcanic sequences. A common feature of jasperites and umbers is the abundance of replacement textures of hyaloclastites and carbonates by hematite and silica. In addition, replacement of clastic sulphides by hematite and magnetite is a characteristic genetic feature of gossanites. All of these sedimentary rocks are accompanied by pseudomorphs of hematite and quartz formed after bacterial filaments. The abundance of replacement textures are supportive of the halmyrolysis model, in addition to hydrothermal sedimentary and sub-seafloor hydrothermal replacement theories. Study of chemical zonation of altered hyaloclasts shows depletion of their rims, not only in mobile Na, K, Mg, but also in immobile Al, Ti, and REE; whereas Si and Fe are concentrated in situ. The halmyrolysis model presented here, involving organic-rich calcareous hyaloclastic sediments, resolves the problem of subtraction of Al, Ti, REE and other elements, which are commonly immobile under hydrothermal conditions. The evolution of the halmyrolysis process from acidic reducing to alkaline oxidized conditions infers a possible range in transformation from Fe^II–Mg smectites to Fe-silicates and Fe-Si oxides as precursors of brecciform jasperite and thin-bedded jasper. The higher acidic, initial stage, of gossanite formation seems to be required for oxidation of organic matter and/or pyrite. The acidic condition facilitates the temporal preservation of “immobile” elements (Al, Ti, REE) in “immature”chlorite–hematite gossanites. Another peculiarity of the gossanite-forming processes is the likely sorption of P, U and V by iron hydroxides displacing sulphides. The general evolution of all ferruginous sediments results in complete Fe²⁺ oxidation and silicification accompanied by subtraction of other elements. The vertical diagenetic differentiation leads to concentration of Mn-carbonates, silicates and oxyhydroxides into the tops of jasperite and gossanite layers. Mn oxyhydroxides scavenge positively charged hydrated cations like Co and Ni. Near-vent bacterial communities may activate the processes of volcanic glass and sulphide degradation. The proposed processes of halmyrolysis followed by silicification, in situ, may resolve the enigma of silica-rich sediment formation in a silica undersaturated ocean. The discrimination between gossanite and jasperite is useful for elaboration of new criteria for local exploration of VMS- and Mn-deposits. Halo dispersion of gossanites covering an area about two to three times that of the massive sulphide deposit is a good vector for ore body discovery. Proximal gossanites can be differentiated from jasperites by presence of relic sulphide clasts or elevated contents of chalcophile elements (Cu, Fe, Zn, Pb, Bi, Te, As, Sb, Ba), noble metals (Au, Ag) and distinct REE patterns with La and Eu positive anomalies. The development of halmyrolysis and biomineralization models merit further elaboration and testing in on-going research, in order to add or revise theories of iron and manganese deposit formation.