Multimedia environmental analysis of PCBs fate and transport mechanism through a case study of transformer oil leakage

Transformer oil leakage having large quantity of PCBs is one of the most deplorable incidents resulting in huge negative impacts on the environment. In this paper, two different models, i.e. CHEMCAN and the hydrocarbon spill screening models, were applied to the case study adapted from a real case of PCBs in transformer oil spill in Montreal. The oil migration was examined in three dimensions including site-specific data, soil characteristics and hydrogeological properties. This study aims to investigate the fate, transport and transformation rates of PCB in the soil, the unsaturated and the saturated zones. The proposed modelling concept helps to define the processes to be used in characterization of soil and subsurface environment as a receptor of transformer oil spill. This study includes the simulation techniques for assessing the effect of PCBs on groundwater and soil. Results from multimedia environmental model and HSSM model verify with each other, and both show that 92.7 % of PCBs were found in soil as compared to groundwater. Considering decay and sorption processes at spill location, concentration of PCBs in soil was >50 mg/kg. This study can serve as a basis for further analysis and assist in selection of remediation technique.     

Containment of groundwater pollution (methyl tertiary butyl ether and benzene) to protect a drinking-water production site in Belgium

The subsurface migration of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and benzene towards a drinking-water production site in Belgium was monitored for 9 years. A large gasoline spill at a nearby fuel station had caused a 500-m long and 50-m-wide pollution plume of MTBE (10?30 mg/L) and benzene (2?10 mg/L). In order to prevent any intrusion of pollutants into the drinking-water supply, a conceptual model was used to design a pump-and-treat system that intercepted the gasoline-contaminated groundwater emanating from the spill. The contaminated soil in the spill zone was excavated. A numerical mass transport model was developed to evaluate the ongoing plume containment. The model describes the subsurface MTBE migration and was regularly updated, based on groundwater monitoring data and the measured mass of MTBE extracted with the pump-and-treat system. With continued interception pumping, the MTBE plume can be remediated in 14 years. Without it, MTBE and benzene concentrations up to 600 μg/L could have reached the drinking-water production site and the plume would persist for 9 years longer. Source zone treatment combined with plume interception pumping is a suitable risk-based remediation strategy for the containment of MTBE and benzene groundwater pollution.     

Electrokinetic remediation of perchloroethylene-contaminated soil

One large group of persistent and toxic contaminants is the hydrophobic organic contaminants. Among them, perchloroethylene (PCE) has been recognized as a representative group of these pollutants with low solubility. This study reports on the effects of electrokinetic remediation with non-ionic surfactant on PCE-contaminated soil. The performance of electrokinetic process was investigated in the treatment of clay soil that artificially contaminated with two levels: 10,000 and 30,000 mg/kg PCE and 0.33 g/kg Triton X-100. A DC power supply with electric voltage (1 V/cm) was used for 8–16 days. A negatively charged soil surface resulted in a more negative zeta potential and greater electroosmotic flow toward the cathode. The PCE was measured after extraction using n-hexane and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy instrument. The water content of soil was kept 25 % (w/w). Results were shown that PCE removal efficiency achieved was 74 and 89 % for 10,000 and 30,000 mg/kg PCE, respectively, for 16 days. Therefore, in this study, the integration of electrokinetic with non-ionic surfactant as a hybrid method was most effective for the remediation of PCE-contaminated soils.     

Groundwater quality as a geoindicator of organochlorine pesticide contamination after pesticide tomb reclamation: a case study of Franciszkowo, northwestern Poland

The need of surface soil removal during reclamation of the former underground landfills makes environmental monitoring difficult to perform. Environmental quality assessment after reclamation is very important because it provides information about: (1) the efficiency of remediation, (2) the rate of biodegradation of contaminants which were not removed during reclamation works and (3) the possible migration of contaminants from soil and permeable host rocks to surface waters and groundwaters. The concept of geoindicators, which was introduced to facilitate the assessment of environmental changes, can help assess environmental quality at sites previously subjected to reclamation. The groundwater quality is usually used as a geoindicator of inorganic contaminants. This concept was applied to find changes in organochlorine pesticide concentrations in groundwaters after toxic pesticide burial ground reclamation. The aim of this study was to monitor the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and their metabolites in groundwaters at the former pesticide landfill site after its remediation. The study showed that very high concentrations of organochlorine pesticides and their metabolites in a contaminated soil had a small influence on pesticide concentrations in groundwaters and that this influence decreased in time. It has been 2 years since reclamation of the landfill took place, and the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in groundwaters dropped to acceptable levels within the current environmental quality standards.     

Application of the Haug model for process design of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil bioremediation by composting process

The main scope of this work is applying an aerobic composting model for remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil. For this purpose, the reaction kinetics was integrated with the mass and energy balances over the composting system. Literature pilot scale data for bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil was used for model validation. Comparisons of simulation results with experimental data for diesel concentration and oxygen concentration showed good agreement during the remediation process. With validated model for bioremediation of diesel oil-contaminated soil, the influence of amendment type, bulking agent, amendment/soil ratio, bulking agent/soil ratio, moisture content and airflow rate were investigated on diesel biodegradation. The simulation results showed that maximum degradation of diesel occurred in the presence of yard waste as amendment. Furthermore, addition of bulking agent (wood chips) increased the diesel degradation about 6 %. In presence of yard waste as amendment and wood chips as bulking agent, the optimal values for maximum remediation were amendment/soil ratio (2.5 kg kg^?1), bulking agent/soil ratio (2.25 kg kg^?1), initial moisture content (62.5 %) and airflow (0.520 m³ day^?1 kgBVS^?1).     

Assessment of trace element contamination in soils around Chinnaeru River Basin, Nalgonda District, India

Concentrations of trace elements such as As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Y, Zn and Zr were studied in soils to understand metal contamination due to agriculture and geogenic activities in Chinnaeru River Basin, Nalgonda District, India. This area is affected by the geogenic fluoride contamination. The contamination of the soils was assessed on the basis of geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor and degree of contamination. Forty-four soil samples were collected from the agricultural field from the study area from top 10–50 cm layer of soil. Soil samples were analyzed for trace elements using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. Data revealed that soils in the study area are significantly contaminated, showing high level of toxic elements than normal distribution. The ranges of concentration of Ba (370–1,710 mg/kg), Cr (8.7–543 mg/kg), Cu (7.7–96.6 mg/kg), Ni (5.4–168 mg/kg), Rb (29.6–223 mg/kg), Sr (134–438 mg/kg), Zr (141.2–8,232 mg/kg) and Zn (29–478 mg/kg). The concentration of other elements was similar to the levels in the earth’s crust or pointed to metal depletion in the soil (EF < 1). The high EFs for some trace elements obtained in soil samples show that there is a considerable heavy metal pollution, which could be due to excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides used for agricultural or may be due to natural geogenic processes in the area. Comparative study has been made with other soil-polluted heavy metal areas and its mobility in soil and groundwater has been discussed. A contamination site poses 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.     

Application research of enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation of petroleum contaminated soil

Experimental study of enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation of petroleum contaminated loess soil was carried out in Zhongyuan oil production areas, and the enhanced in-situ micro-ecological remediation technique includes optimistic in-situ microbial communities, physical chemistry methods, alfalfa planting and regulation of soil environmental elements. Experiments showed that the oil content in the contaminated soil with oil content about 2 898.25 mg/kg can be reduced about 98.61% after in-situ micro-ecological remediation for 99 days, which demonstrated the effectiveness of in-situ micro-ecological remediation methods for petroleum contaminated soil in central plains of China, and explored the practical and feasible application of these methods.     

Reducing leachable petroleum hydrocarbon concentration in weathered fuel oil contaminated soil by chemical oxidation with hydrogen peroxide

Number 6 fuel oil is one of the most used energy sources for electricity generation. However, leaks can contaminate soil and also groundwater due to leaching. At old sites, the oil may have low toxicity but still contaminate groundwater with foul-tasting compounds even at low concentrations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of applying H₂O₂ to reduce the leaching potential of a fuel oil contaminated soil. A silt-loam soil was collected from a contaminated thermal-electric plant with a hydrocarbon concentration of 3.2% in soil producing 4.3 mg/l in leachate. Hydrogen peroxide was applied (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.6, 1.2% dry weight basis), and petroleum hydrocarbons were measured in soil and leachate pre- and post-treatment (72 h). At first, the soil and leachate concentrations diminished linearly (24.4 and 27.3% in soil and leachate, respectively). This was followed by a phase in which the concentration in leachate diminished greatly (75.8%) although the concentration in soil was reduced only moderately (15.1%). Overall, hydrocarbons in leachates were reduced 82.4% even though concentrations in soil were only reduced 35.8%. Correlation analysis showed that at only 1.0% w/w H₂O₂ a concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in leachate safe for human consumption (≤ 1 mg/l) could be obtained even with a final hydrocarbon concentration in soil > 2%. Thus, this study presents an alternative strategy for remediation of fuel oil contaminated soils in urban environments that protects water sources by focusing on contamination in leachates, without spending extra financial resources to reduce the hydrocarbon concentration in low-toxicity soil.     

Arsenic in soil and vegetation of a contaminated area

Plant and soil samples were collected from one uncontaminated and four contaminated sites (in the Dashkasan mining area western Iran). Total and water-soluble arsenic in the soil ranged from 7 to 795 and from 0.007 to 2.32 mg/kg, respectively. The highest arsenic concentration in soil was found at the ore dressing area (up to 1,180 mg/kg) and lowest at an uncontaminated area (up to 11 mg/kg). A total of 49 plant species belonging to 15 families were collected from four sampling sites. A significant positive correlation was detected between the concentrations of arsenic in plant dry matter and those in soils. The highest arsenic concentrations were found in Hyoscyamus kurdicus Bornm. (up to 205 mg/kg) and Helichrysum oligocephalum DC. (up to 162 mg/kg). These two accumulator species could have potential for soil clean-up by phytoextraction. The data have been compared with those for the Zarshuran mining area (north-western Iran) obtained in a former study.     

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.     

The effects of petroleum-contaminated soil on photosynthesis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amorpha fruticosa</Emphasis> seedlings

A pot experiment was conducted to monitor the dynamic response of photosynthesis of Amorpha fruticosa seedlings to different concentrations of petroleum-contaminated soils from April to September. The results showed that the photosynthetic rates, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of seedlings significantly decreased in 5–20 g kg^?1 petroleum-contaminated soil during the three given sampling period of July 31 (early), August 30 (mid-term) and September 29 (late). However, the intercellular CO₂ concentration significantly increased in 10 g kg^?1 contaminated soil, while declined in 20 g kg^?1 contaminated soil during the early sampling period as well as in 20 g kg^?1 contaminated soil during the late sampling period. The leaf relative water content of seedlings significantly increased in 20 g kg^?1 contaminated soil during the early sampling period, while it dropped dramatically in 15–20 g kg^?1 contaminated soil during the late sampling period. The contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and the total chlorophyll of seedlings showed a sharp decline during the three sampling periods in contaminated soil. Comprehensively, considering the negative effects of petroleum on the photosynthesis, growth performance and remediation effect on petroleum of A. fruticosa seedlings, this plant was tolerant of petroleum-contaminated soil and was potentially useful for the phytoremediation of petroleum-contaminated sites in northern Shaanxi, China.     

石油污染场地浅层地下水MNA原位修复潜能及微生物降解效益评估

监测式自然衰减（MNA）能够高效低耗地原位修复石油污染地下水的场地,微生物对污染物的降解对MNA过程起到了重要作用。在分析东北石油污染场地地下水中总石油烃（TPH）、电子受体的质量浓度分布和变化规律基础上,划分了微生物功能区。采用溶质通量计算法,对MNA原位修复的潜能及其微生物降解效果进行了评估。结果显示,场地微生物降解正在发生,利用的电子受体不同,划分为Mn、Fe和SO^2-₄还原区。污染通量模型计算显示：上游地区微生物降解强度不断增强,下游地区微生物降解强度不断降低。监测期内石油烃总量降低了394 kg,微生物降解为自然衰减过程中的主要作用,其贡献率为64%~93%,每个通量断面内微生物降解率为0.18~0.73 kg/d。由此可以证明,MNA可以有效地修复地下水中的石油污染。     

凹凸棒石-双交联水凝胶微球钝化修复镉污染土壤研究

为研究凹凸棒石-双交联水凝胶微球(SA/PVA/ATP)对镉污染土壤钝化修复的效果,将SA/PVA/ATP添加到镉浓度为3.72 mg/kg的土壤中进行淹水培育,采用模拟酸雨、二乙烯三胺五乙酸(DTPA)和三乙醇胺(TEA)混合提取剂(DTPA提取剂)提取土壤有效态镉;采用欧共体标准局顺序提取方法(BCR)提取土壤中不同形态镉;讨论了SA/PVA/ATP添加量、土壤有效态镉和各形态镉的相关性;计算了钝化容量、修复效率和重金属风险评价指数,探究了SA/PVA/ATP对土壤镉的钝化机理。结果显示,随着SA/PVA/ATP的增加,DTPA提取剂和酸雨提取的有效态镉含量分别从1.72 mg/kg和0.024 mg/kg下降到0.66 mg/kg和0.004 4 mg/kg;土壤中的弱酸可提取态镉和可还原态镉含量分别从1.40 mg/kg和0.81 mg/kg下降到1.01 mg/kg和0.41 mg/kg,而可氧化态镉和残渣态镉含量分别从0.86 mg/kg和0.63 mg/kg增加到0.95 mg/kg和1.27 mg/kg。材料添加量与土壤中有效态镉、弱酸提取态镉和可还原态镉含量呈极显著负...     

Removal of anthropogenic lead pollutions by a potent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> species AS2 isolated from geogenic contaminated site

A total of 422 bacterial isolates were obtained from the lead (Pb) ore in north-eastern Iran. The Pb tolerances of these strains were studied using microbroth serial dilution approach and 35 strains could grow up to 3250 ppm Pb concentration. Of these strains, 10 of them represented qualitatively high levels of Pb adsorption and were selected for quantitative studies. Strain AS2 which is phylogenetically related to genus Bacillus showed the highest level of Pb remediation. The effects of different factors, including pH, initial Pb concentration, temperature and inoculum size, were studied on the remediation process. Pb remediation capacity was reached at 74.5 mg/g (99.5 % of initial Pb) at pH 4.5, temperature 30 °C, inoculum size 1.0 % (v/v) and an initial Pb concentration of 500 ppm after 24 h. Pb desorption capacity of strain was 66 %. The novel isolate could remove 98 % of Pb from the contaminated industrial wastes after 24 h. Pb uptaking to the cell surface was proven using scanning electron microscopic micrograph and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. Most Pb removal efficiency was observed in the active cell culture as compared to the inactive cell and extracellular polymeric substances. The novel strain represents a good candidate for removal of environmental anthropogenic Pb pollutions.     

Soil contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at natural recreational areas in Delaware,USA

As a US east coast state with a major income from outdoor recreation and tourism, Delaware highly values its environmental quality and natural resources. However, no results on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination in soil at natural recreational areas (NRAs) in the state have been reported. In this study soil samples from seven state parks, two city parks, two state forests, and two national wildlife refuges in Delaware were analyzed for the concentrations of 12 selected PAHs. Results indicated that the median concentration of total PAHs in urban, suburban, and rural NRAs was 1,159, 138, and 130 μg/kg, respectively. Based on the classification proposed by Maliszewska-Kordybach, soil PAH contamination level at almost all sampling sites in urban NRAs was classified as contaminated or heavily contaminated, while that at sampling sites in suburban and rural NRAs was classified as not or weakly contaminated. Principal component analysis showed that all these areas share the same independent variable, which may be composed of one or more contribution sources. Pyrogenic processes were inferred to be the major source of soil PAH contamination in Delaware NRAs. Individual PAH concentration at all sampling sites were observed below the limit of Canadian Quality Guidelines except for site F3, where the concentration of benzo[b]flouranthene, benzo[k]flouranthene, and benzo[a]pyrene was found to exceed the limit by 88.3, 125, and 281 %, respectively. Further investigation on PAH contamination and possible remediation in area F are recommended.     

Deterioration of groundwater quality in the vicinity of an active open-tipping site in West Malaysia

There is an urgent need for characterization of leachate arising from waste disposal to ensure a corresponding effective leachate management policy. Field and laboratory studies have been carried out to investigate the impact of municipal landfill leachate on the underlying groundwater at a site in West Malaysia. The solid waste was disposed of directly onto an unprotected natural soil formation. This situation was made worse by the shallow water table. The hydrochemical composition of groundwater in the vicinity of the site (background) is a dilute mixed cation, bicarbonate water. The high ionic balance error of ~13.5% reveals that the groundwater body underneath the site was a highly contaminated leachate rather than contaminated groundwater. Elevated concentration of chloride (355.48 mg/L), nitrate (10.40 mg/L as NO₃), nitrite (14.59 mg/L), ammoniacal-N (11.61 mg/L), sodium (227.56 mg/L), iron (0.97 mg/L), and lead (0.32 mg/L) measured downgradient indicate that the contamination plume has migrated further away from the site. In most cases, the concentration of these contamination indicators, together with the ranges of sodium percentage (66.3–89.9%) and sodium adsorption ratio (10.1–19.7%), were found to be considerably higher than the limit values of safe water for both domestic and irrigation purposes, respectively.     

Effects of humic acid and Tween-80 on behavior of decabromodiphenyl ether in soil columns

The effects of organic matter, humic acid and Tween-80 on decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) behavior in soil columns were investigated. The BDE-209 transport was simulated in 4-cm-length soil columns whether organic matter was added or not. A high concentration of BDE-209 was washed out of the soil column in the presence of 500 mg L^?1 of Tween-80 for forming and suspending contaminated soil colloids in more than 4-cm-length ones (especially in 10-cm-length ones). While the humic acid was to facilitate BDE-209 adsorption onto soil particles (like soil colloids), Tween-80 was to enhance BDE-209 movement in porous media. The significant concentration averaged from 0.2 to 0.1 μg L^?1 in soil columns of length from 10 to 24 cm with Tween-80 addition by comparing the estimated marginal means (p < 0.05, SPSS). Contrasted with humic acid-binding BDE-209 in soil particles, Tween-80 could carry contaminant soil colloids into deeper layers and even affect the final effluents of 25-cm-length columns. It was visibly presented that the BDE-209 concentration in the effluents was mainly induced by Tween-80. Thus, BDE-209 was carried by soil colloids to transport and pollute longer and wider soil distance with the help of the effective promoters and stabilizers of Tween-80 and humic acid in soil matrix.     

Large-diameter,non-pumped wells filled with reactive media for groundwater remediation

A groundwater flow and contaminant transport model was used to simulate arrays of non-pumped wells with reactive media for remediating contaminated groundwater. Each array featured a minimum number of wells, with identical diameter, capable of removing a contaminant plume within a hypothetical site. Simulated well diameters ranged from 0.25 m (similar to typical remediation wells) to 1.25 m (similar to large-diameter, bucket-augered wells). Both arrays occupied a linear transect located approximately 5 m downgradient of the front of a polluted enclave and oriented 90° to the hydraulic gradient. The minimum smallest diameter array contained 23 wells, whereas the minimum largest diameter array contained only four wells. Results of this study suggest that bucket-augering technology, adapted to install non-pumped wells with reactive media, may be an effective alternative for remediating contaminated groundwater in some environments.     

Combining flux estimation techniques to improve characterization of groundwater–surface-water interaction in the Zenne River,Belgium

The management of urban rivers which drain contaminated groundwater is suffering from high uncertainties regarding reliable quantification of groundwater fluxes. Independent techniques are combined for estimating these fluxes towards the Zenne River, Belgium. Measured hydraulic gradients, temperature gradients in conjunction with a 1D-heat and fluid transport model, direct flux measurement with the finite volume point dilution method (FVPDM), and a numerical groundwater flow model are applied, to estimate vertical and horizontal groundwater fluxes and groundwater–surface-water interaction. Hydraulic gradient analysis, the temperature-based method, and the groundwater flow model yielded average vertical fluxes of –61, –45 and –40 mm/d, respectively. The negative sign indicates upward flow to the river. Changes in exchange fluxes are sensitive to precipitation but the river remained gaining during the examined period. The FVPDM, compared to the groundwater flow model, results in two very high estimates of the horizontal Darcy fluxes (2,600 and 500 mm/d), depending on the depth of application. The obtained results allow an evaluation of the temporal and spatial variability of estimated fluxes, thereby helping to curtail possible consequences of pollution of the Zenne River as final receptor, and contribute to the setup of a suitable remediation plan for the contaminated study site.     

Effect of amendment on phytoextraction of arsenic by Vetiveria Zizanioides from soil

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the growth response of Vetiveria zizanioides amended with organic amendments to arsenic (As) in contaminated soils and its ability to sequester As. The test results indicate that the plants exhibited high tolerance to As in the soils and their normal growth continued even though As concentration reached 500 mg/kg. However, when As concentrations in soils were in the range of 1000～2000 mg/kg the plants could not survive no matter whether the soils were amended. The accumulation of As in roots (185.4 mg/kg) was higher than that in shoots (100.6 mg/kg). The As level in the contaminated soil was reduced from 500 mg/kg to 214 mg/kg after six months of As phytoextraction. Microbial population was not affected in the As contaminated soil amended with dairy sludge, mycorrhizae and Azotobacter.