Assessment of heavy metal concentrations and associated resistant bacterial communities in bulk and rhizosphere soil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Avicennia marina</Emphasis> of Pichavaram mangrove,India

Heavy metals are known to pose a potential threat to terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna. Due to increasing human influence, heavy metal concentrations are rising in many mangrove ecosystems. Therefore, an assessment of heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Fe, Mn, and Zn) concentrations was conducted within the bulk soil and rhizosphere soil of Avicennia marina at the Pichavaram Mangrove Forest in India. The rhizosphere soil showed higher concentrations of metals than the bulk soil. Compared to the bulk soil, the metals Cd, Fe, Mn, and Zn were 6.0–16.7% higher, whereas Cr, Cu, Ni, and Pb were 1.7–2.8% higher concentration. Among the three selected sampling sites (dense mangrove forest, estuarine region, and sea region), the sea region had the highest concentration of all heavy metals except Zn. The trend of the mean metal concentration was Fe > Mn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb > Zn > Cd. Heavy metals concentrations elevated by the 2004 tsunami were persistent even after 4 years, due to sedimentary soil processes, the rhizosphere effect of mangroves, and anthropogenic deposition. Analysis of the heavy metal-resistant bacteria showed highest bacterial count for Cr-resistant bacteria and rhizosphere soil. The maximum level of heavy metal-resistant bacteria was observed at the site with the highest heavy metal contamination. The heavy metal-resistant bacteria can be used as indicator of heavy metal pollution and furthermore in bioremediation.     

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.     

Heavy metal relationships in a Pennsylvania soil

Soils of loamy sand on weathered, sandy dolomite were cored from six holes up to 70 ft beneath a municipal waste landfill in central Pennsylvania. Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Ag were determined in exchangeable and non-exchangeable forms in total and < 15 μm soil samples. Most of these metals were bound in Mn oxides, non-exchangeable with 0.5 M CaCl₂. The Mn oxides (often X-ray amorphous) identified when crystalline as todorokite occurred chiefly as coatings on quartz grains.Somewhat higher amounts of acid leachable trace metals were found in the < 15 μm size fraction than in the total soil samples; however, trace metal/Mn ratios were similar in both. In general, the initial mild soil leaching, which dissolved chiefly Mn oxides, gave MnFeX>Co>Ni>Pb>Zn> Cu>Cd>Ag. The final leaching, which dissolved chiefly ferric oxides, gave Fe>Mn>Ni>Zn>Co> Cu>Pb>Cd>Ag. Samples taken from an unpolluted site and from the same soils affected for seven years by leachate from the refuse had similar metal contents.Soil extractable Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn could be predicted from the Mn extracted. Based in part on factor analysis of the data, Mn-rich oxides had at least tenfold higher heavy metal percentages than Fe-rich oxides (crystalline component goethite), reflecting their greater coprecipitation potential. Because of this potential and because of the generally higher solubility of Mn than Fe oxides, more heavy metals may be released from Mn-rich than from Fe-rich soils by disposal of organic-bearing wastes. However, leaching of the moisture-unsaturated soils in situ is rarely severe enough to completely dissolve both Mn and Fe oxides. Based on the Mn content, Cd, Cu, and Pb were depleted in soil moisture beneath the landfill relative to their amounts in the soil. This depletion may reflect factors including heterogeneity in metal content of the soil oxides; preferential resorption of these metals; and removal of the Cd, Cu, and Pb as organic precipitates or as inorganic precipitates such as carbonates.     

Hydrogeophysical approach for contamination assessment in NamSon landfill,Hanoi, Vietnam

Self potential (SP) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) methods are used together with the results of groundwater samples hydrogeochemical analysis to assess the impact of the water leak from the landfill garbage site at NamSon located in Northern Hanoi on causing pollution to the surrounding environment and affecting geological structure. Selected survey area covers an area of 180 × 300 m lying in the low land of the NamSon site with a slope ranging about 8 m in direction NW–SE. There are three geophysical measurements lines denoted as T1, T2 and T3. Processing 180 SP data points has allowed to draw maps of equipotential epoch in the two periods in 2015 and 2016. The maps show four zones of SP positive anomalies with maximum amplitudes of about +20 mV where the groundwater flow direction is downward and five zones of SP negative anomalies with minimum values in a range from ?180 to ?260 mV where the groundwater flow direction is upward. Resistivity values of the subsurface layers of soils and rocks have been aquired from 2D inverse model for measuring ERT in March 2015 and March 2016. The results of the ERT allowed to define the low resistivity in the range 15–20 Ωm related to leachate plume from NamSon landfill site. Results of the physico-chemical analysis of groundwater samples from the existing six boreholes show increases in concentration of the measured pollutant parameters indicating contamination of the groundwater as a result of solid waste leachate accumulation. This result is affirmative evidence for the survey results by geophysical technique. The rapid decrease in quality of groundwater over the last year is probably due to the influence of the leachate from the NamSon landfill site.     

Investigation on potential groundwater impacts and influence of local hydrogeology on natural attenuation of leachate at a municipal landfill

The influence of local hydrogeology on natural attenuation of contaminants from landfill leachates in shallow aquifer underlying the active Olusosun landfill base in Lagos was investigated. In addition, the level of groundwater contamination in the vicinity of the landfill and of leachate migration pattern in groundwater down gradient of the landfill base was equally assessed. Landfill leachate and groundwater samples were collected and analyzed and characterized. Physico-chemical analyses of sampled water followed standard analytical methods. Analytical results showed a measurable impact of leachate outflows on groundwater quality. Elevated levels of anions: nitrate, chloride and sulphate in the groundwater body and heavy metals: Cr₃. Cd and Cu, were detected at measurable levels in groundwater down gradient of the landfill location without any particular attenuation pattern. The migration pattern and dispersion of leachates down gradient, 750 m away from the landfill location are irregular and difficult to predict as depicted by levels of contaminants present in groundwater. The study highlighted the importance of soil stratigraphy beneath the landfill base as an important factor in the natural attenuation of leachate constituents in the groundwater body.     

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.     

Heavy metal migration at a landfill site,Sarnia, Ontario,Canada—I. Thermodynamic assessment and chemical interpretations

The transition metals Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb have diffused only 10–20 cm into the clay barrier at the Confederation Road landfill compared to 130 cm for porewater chloride. Other major dissolved species, including the alkali and alkaline earth metals, have also diffused out of waste landfill and into clay subsoils more rapidly than the metals. Redox potentials, E_h, indicate strongly reducing conditions (E_h= − 130 mV) in the clayey soil at the subsoil/waste interface and increase to +50 mV at a depth of 45 cm below the interface. pH values are close to 8 within the subsoil but the slightly lower values (7.8–8) near the interface may result from production of organic acids during degradation of the wastes. Thermodynamic analysis of subsoil pore waters indicates that Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb exist primarily as metal-hydroxy complexes of the forms [MeOH]⁺ and [Me(OH)₂]⁰, although a complex of [PbCl]⁺ may be significant, but not predominant. The analysis also demonstrates that the dissolved transition metal concentrations of the subsoil pore waters are controlled at carbonate mineral saturation levels, whereas Fe concentrations in leachate solutions associated with the wastes are controlled at FeS₂ saturation levels.Thermodynamic calculations and E_h-pH diagrams suggest that Fe(OH)₂, Zn(OH)₂ and Pb(OH)₂ are not stable phases in the solids of the subsoil. This means that observed “hydroxide” phases reported in the selective dissolution analysis by Yanful and Quigley (1986) have to be re-evaluated.     

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soils around a paper mill using metal fractionation and multivariate analysis

Effects of paper mill wastes on the status of soil copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) in and around 16 sites near a paper mill in Assam, North East India (26°07.485′ to 26°07.915′ N latitude and 92°12.706′ to 92°15.065′ E longitude), have been investigated in the present study. The six-step sequential extraction techniques revealed that the water-soluble fraction had the least contribution (below detectable limit to 3.24 mg kg^?1 of Cu, 13.87 mg kg^?1 of Mn and 1.25 mg kg^?1 of Zn) towards soil contamination, irrespective of the metals evaluated. Chemical fractionation of Cu, Mn and Zn in majority of the sampling locations showed non-homogenous orders of contamination. Comparison of the magnitude of local and individual heavy metal contamination factors against global values showed that the places near the paper mill waste disposal site displayed higher potential risk from metal contamination. Furthermore, the mobility factor related to ecotoxicity of soil environment was found to be metal specific and depended not only on total metal concentration but also on the nature of metal in the order Mn > Cu > Zn.     

Integrated geoelectrical resistivity and hydrogeochemical methods for delineating and mapping heavy metal zone in aquifer system

A novel study on using geoelectrical resistivity, soil property, and hydrogeochemical analysis methods for delineating and mapping of heavy metal in aquifer system is presented in this paper. A total of 47 surveys of geoelectrical resistivity with Wenner configuration were conducted to determine the subsurface and the groundwater characteristics. The groundwater sample from 53 existing wells and 2 new wells has been analyzed to derive their water chemical content. The chemical analysis was done on the soil sample obtained from new two wells and from selected locations. The water and soil chemical analysis results from the new two wells were used as calibration in resistivity interpretation. The occurrence of heavy metal in aquifer system was expected to detect using the geoelectrical resistivity survey for the whole study area. The result of groundwater analysis shows that the groundwater sample contains a relatively low concentration of Fe (<?0.3 mg/L) elongating from the south up to the middle region. While in the middle and the northwestern, Fe concentration is relatively high (around 12 mg/L). Chemical analysis of soil sample shows that in the lower resistivity zone (<?18 Ωm), Al and Fe concentrations are comparatively high with an average of 68,000 and 40,000 mg/kg, respectively. Starting from the middle to the northwestern zone, the resistivity value appears to be low. It is definitely caused by higher Al and Fe concentration within the soil, and it is supported also by lower total anion content in the groundwater. While the resistivity value of more than 40 Ωm in aquifers is obtained in the zone which Fe concentration is relatively lower in the soil but not present in the groundwater. Correlation Fe concentration in the soil and Fe concentration in the groundwater sample shows the trend of positively linear; however, the Al concentration in soil has no correlation with Al content in groundwater. Finally, the probability of high heavy metal zone in the aquifer system is easily delineated by the distribution of geoelectrical resistivity presented in depth slice shapes which extend from the Boundary Range Composite Batholith in the north to the northwest.     

Apparent Formation Factor for Leachate-Saturated Waste and Sediments: Examples from the USA and China

The formation factor relates bulk resistivity to pore fluid resistivity in porous materials. Understanding the formation factor is essential in using electrical and electromagnetic methods to monitor leachate accumulations and movements both within and around landfills. Specifically, the formation factor allows leachate resistivity, the degree of saturation, and, possibly, even the hydraulic conductivity of the waste to be estimated from non-invasive surface measurements. In this study, apparent formation factors are computed for three landfills with different types of waste as well as sediments contaminated by landfill leachate. Resistivity soundings at the closed Mallard North landfill in suburban Chicago (Illinois, USA) mapped leachate surfaces that were confirmed by monitoring wells. The resistivity of leachate-saturated waste from resistivity sounding inversions was then divided by the leachate resistivity values measured in-situ to compute apparent formation factors (Fa) ranging from 1.6 to 4.9. A global Fa of 3.0±1.9 was computed for the entire monitored portion of this landfill At a nearby mixed laboratory waste landfill, a 2D inverted resistivity section was used to compute an Fa of 2.9. Finally, a distinctly different Fa value of 10.6±2.8 was computed for leachate-saturated retorted oil and organic compounds. The Fa for aquifers containing contaminated groundwater fall in the same range as aquifers with normal groundwater, 1.7-3.9. However, models from inverted sounding curves over these contaminated areas exhibit unusually low resistivity layers, which may be diagnostic of contamination.     

Electrical geophysical and hydrogeological investigations of groundwater aquifers in Ruseifa municipal landfill, Jordan

The effect of the Ruseifa municipal landfill on the shallow groundwater aquifers in the area was investigated in two separate sites. The first one was not used since 1994, whereas the other is still being used for dumping. Fourteen electrical resistivity soundings were performed to detect the leachate and its effect on the quality of the groundwater. Results indicated that the solid waste thickness of the landfill was ranged from 3 to 20 m with resistivity value less than 10 Ω m. Based on the resistivity decreases of values less than 5 Ω m, the leachate was detected in the landfill sites at depths ranged from 10 to 50 m. However, the flow direction of the leachate at depth ranging 10–20 m in the terminated site was toward north, whereas the flow direction of the leachate in the site still used for dumping was toward east–northeast which causes the major source of groundwater pollution.     

Assessment of spatial distribution and possible sources of heavy metals in the soils of Sariseki-Dörtyol District in Hatay Province (Turkey)

In this study, total heavy metal content of soil and their spatial distribution in Sar?seki-Dörtyol district were analyzed and mapped. Variable distance grids (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 km) were established, with a total of 102 soil samples collected from two different soil depths (0–5 and 5–20 cm) at intersections of the grids (51 sampling point). Soil samples were analyzed for heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Ni). The most proper variogram models for the contents of all heavy metal were spherical and exponential ones. The ranges of semivariograms were between 1.9 and 31.1 km. According to the calculated geoaccumulation (I _geo) values, samples from both soil depths were classified as partly to highly polluted with Cd and Ni and partly polluted with Cr and as partly polluted-to-not polluted with Pb and not polluted with Cu, Fe and Mn. Similar results were also obtained when evaluated by the enrichment factor. The contamination levels of the heavy metals were Ni > Cd > Cr > Pb > Zn > Cu > Co > Fe > Mn in decreasing order. The soils in the study area are contaminated predominantly by Cd and Ni, which may give rise to various health hazards or diseases. Cadmium pollution results primarily from industrial activities and, to a lesser extent, from vehicular traffic, whereas Ni contents in the study area result from parent material, phosphorus fertilizer, industries, and vehicles.     

Potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in sediment and water body around Dhaka export processing zone,Bangladesh

Sediments and surface water contamination by the industrial effluents containing heavy metals is the most detrimental environmental impact. Therefore, the present work attempts to determine the status of eight heavy metal distribution in sediments and water samples, and their ecological risks’ assessment in the studied area. The distribution pattern of heavy metals in the water and sediment follows the sequences: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Mn > Ni > As > Cd and Mn > Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu > Ni > As > Cd, respectively. Gross water pollution is observed at different sampling points of Dhalai Beel and Bangshi River. The comparison of sedimentary mean metal concentrations with several environmental contamination monitoring parameters, viz, threshold effect level (TEL), probable effect level (PEL), and severe effect lever (SEL) indicates that the metal levels are less than PEL except Cr. Moreover, the level of contamination degree (C _d) and modified degree of contamination (mC _d) indicates ‘low’ and ‘nil to low’ degree of contamination, respectively. Pollution load indices (PLI) of the studied area are lower than unity, indicates no pollution. Furthermore, a toxic-response factor is applied to assess the potential ecological risk of these heavy metals into the water body. The results of this study exhibit a low potential ecological risk of heavy metals. The Pearson’s correlation and cluster analysis are also performed to assess the heavy metal interactions in water and sediment samples.     

垃圾填埋场对周边地质环境影响与防治对策

垃圾填埋场对周边地质环境的污染越来越受到研究人员的重视,其影响因素复杂,不仅与MSW的性质有关,还与垃圾填埋场的类型及其所处地质环境有密切关系。为分析垃圾填埋场中的渗滤液、重金属以及其他有害物质对周边地质环境(地下水环境、土壤环境)的影响规律,对大量相关文献和实验资料进行研究分析。研究结果表明:渗滤液是垃圾填埋场影响周围地质环境最为重要的因素,对渗滤液污染地表水及地下水情况和防治方法进行了探讨;同样渗滤液也是重金属污染土壤的载体,重金属在土壤剖面中的滞留量一般随深度的增加而逐渐减少;重金属对土壤的污染具有积累性和滞后性特点,随着填埋时间的延长污染加重。最后,根据其污染途径和污染规律,提出了相应具体防治对策。     

Environmental impact and geochemical behavior of soil contaminants from an industrial waste landfill in Southern Brazil

Industrial waste landfills produce great impacts on soil and groundwater. There are many industrial waste landfills in Vale dos Sinos, Southern Brazil, which were inadequately planned and maintained since the industry started in the first half of the twentieth century. The largest industrial landfill in the Valley, which causes the most severe impacts on soil and groundwater, is the subject of this paper, which studies the environmental impacts and behavior of contaminants in soil. The landfill was carefully mapped on a scale of 1:1,000; 88 samples were collected from soil probes; the leachate of three samples was comprehensively analyzed; and soils mineralogy and chemistry were studied. Few studies have been made on this landfill. This study shows widespread contamination of soil in the surrounding areas of the landfill. Chromium, chloride and ammonium have the highest contamination levels, reflecting their high contents in landfill leachate. Contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons, cyanide and mercury is registered in more than 65% of soil samples with low concentrations. Lead, copper and barium show low contamination restricted to a few soil samples. Soil contamination occurs mainly in the unsaturated zone of the aquifer at the convergence points of stormwater, showing that the preferential transport of contaminants occurs on surface flow followed by soil infiltration. The results of leaching tests indicate high metal sorption capacity of soil. The remediation of contaminated soil must contain at least the following actions: sealing the top of the landfill, installation of geochemical barriers, removal of the liquid waste basins without sealing the base and collection and treatment of the rainwater drainage.     

Heavy metal contamination in sediments of Balanagar industrial area,Hyderabad, Andra Pradesh,India

Environmental geochemical studies were carried out to find out the extent of contamination in sediments due to heavy metals in Balanagar industrial area, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The industrial area consisting of 350 small and large industries manufacturing battery, steel planting, pharmaceutical chemicals, metal plating, etc. The present study was undertaken on sediment contamination in Balanagar industrial area, to determine extent and distribution of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, As) and to delineate the source. There is no treatment plant in the industrial area, and many industries release the effluents into nearby nalas and lakes. Solid waste from the industries is also being dumped along the roads and near the open grounds due to which heavy metals migrate from solid waste to the groundwater. The sediments samples were collected from the study area in clean polythene covers and were analyzed for their heavy metals by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. The concentration ranges of different heavy metals were Cr, 96.2–439.6 mg/kg; Cu, 95.7–810 mg/kg; Ni, 32.3–13,068.2 mg/kg; Pb, 59.2–512 mg/kg; Zn, 157.1–4,630.5 mg/kg; Co, 1.8–48.3 mg/kg; and V, 35.2–308.5 mg/kg. High concentration of heavy metals in sediments can be attributed to some pharmaceutical and metal industries in the study area. Based on the results obtained, suitable remedial measures can be adopted such as phytoremediation and bio-remediation for reduction of heavy metals in sediments.     

Lithological and geochemical record of mining-induced changes in sediments from Macquarie Harbour,southwest Tasmania,Australia

Macquarie Harbour in southwest Tasmania, Australia, has been affected severely by the establishment of mines in nearby Queenstown in the 1890s. As well as heavy metal-laden acid rock drainage from the Mount Lyell mine area, over 100 Mt of mine tailings and slag were discharged into the Queen and Ring Rivers, with an estimated 10 Mt of mine tailings building a delta of ca. 2.5 km² and ca. 10 Mt of fine tailings in the harbour beyond the delta. Coring of sediments throughout Macquarie Harbour indicated that mine tailings accreted most rapidly close to the King River delta source with a significant reduction in thickness of tailings and heavy metal contamination with increasing distance from the King River source. Close to the King River delta the mine tailings are readily discriminated from the background estuarine sediments on the basis of visual logging of the core (laminations, colour), sediment grain size, sediment magnetic susceptibility and elemental geochemistry, especially concentrations of the heavy metals Cu, Zn and Pb. The high heavy metal concentrations are demonstrated by the very high contamination factors (CF > 6) for Cu and Zn, with CF values mostly >50 for Cu for the mine-impacted sediments. Although the addition of mine waste into the King River catchment has ceased, the catchment continues to be a source of these heavy metals due to acid rock drainage and remobilisation of mine waste in storage in the river banks, river bed and delta. The addition of heavy metals to the harbour sourced from the Mount Lyell mines preceded the advent of direct tailings disposal into the Queen River in 1915 with the metals probably provided by acid rock drainage from the Mount Lyell mining area.     

Aquifer vulnerability assessment using the DRASTIC model at Russeifa landfill,northeast Jordan

Groundwater is inherently susceptible to contamination from anthropogenic activities and remediation is very difficult and expensive. Prevention of contamination is hence critical in effective groundwater management. In this paper an attempt has been made to assess aquifer vulnerability at the Russeifa solid waste landfill. This disposal site is placed at the most important aquifer in Jordan, which is known as Amman-Wadi Sir (B2/A7). The daily-generated leachate within the landfill is about 160 m³/day and there is no system for collecting and treating this leachate. Therefore, the leachate infiltrates to groundwater and degrades the quality of the groundwater. The area is strongly vulnerable to pollution due to the presence of intensive agricultural activity, the solid waste disposal site and industries. Increasing groundwater demand makes the protection of the aquifer from pollution crucial. Physical and hydrogeological characteristics make the aquifer susceptible to pollution. The vulnerability of groundwater to contamination in the study area was quantified using the DRASTIC model. The DRASTIC model uses the following seven parameters: depth to water, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact on vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity. The water level data were measured in the observation wells within the disposal site. The recharge is derived based on precipitation, land use and soil characteristics. The aquifer media was obtained from a geological map of the area. The topography is obtained from the Natural Resources Authority of Jordan, 1:50,000 scale topographic map. The impact on the vadose zone is defined by the soil permeability and depth to water. The hydraulic conductivity was obtained from the field pumping tests. The calculated DRASTIC index number indicates a moderate pollution potential for the study area.     

Daily and seasonal stem radial activity of Populus euphratica and its association with hydroclimatic factors in the lower reaches of China’s Heihe River basin

The Vado Carranza dump, located in the Mexicali Valley, Baja California, northwest Mexico, was operated for more than 15 years receiving about 30 tons/day of solid wastes. The disposed wastes were periodically burned in open air. The presence of a shallow aquifer in the area makes the groundwater vulnerable to contamination processes. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of heavy metals content (Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn) in soil and groundwater in the vicinity of this dump. The results indicate high content of metals in soil, mainly at a superficial level, with the highest concentrations in the areas where burning of wastes occurred. Elevated concentrations of cadmium and copper were detected in groundwater with the highest concentrations occurring in monitoring wells located in the north side of the dump, downward of groundwater flow. Although the high content of metals in soil can be attributed to the burning of waste, other sources of pollution could be the agricultural irrigation in the vicinity of the dump. The program PHREEQC was used to model the geochemical evolution of groundwater. Results suggest that evaporation of the contaminated waters circulating below the landfill is one of the key processes that explain the increased concentration of contaminants in groundwater and its seasonal variations. As groundwater flows away from the dump, evaporation can concentrate the chemicals making the water more toxic. These results are important because they illustrate processes that are likely to occur in landfills located in other desert areas of the world.     

Simultaneous adsorption of divalent and trivalent metal cations by iron oxide-coated gravel

Reducing heavy metal concentrations to allowable levels in landfill leachate before discharge is an extremely important process to prevent environmental pollution. Iron oxide-coated gravel was used in order to remove Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), Fe(III) and Al(III) simultaneously in high-strength synthetic leachate samples. Batch and column studies were performed to determine the kinetics and mechanism of adsorption process. The experimental data obtained from batch study satisfactorily fitted to the Freundlich model indicating surface heterogeneity and multilayer adsorption process. The data obtained from kinetic studies followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics indicating adsorption governed by chemisorption. The metal adsorption order observed in the batch study was Pb(II)(99.72%) ≈ Cu(II)(99.61%) ≈ Cd(II)(99.51%) ≈ Fe(III)(99.3%) > Al(III)(93.3%) at pH 7. Average metal removals in the fixed-bed column were found to be 96.5% for Cu(II), 94.8% for Pb(II), 90% for Cd(II), 84% for Fe(III) and 67% for Al(III). Iron oxide-coated gravel column adsorption capacity ranged from 0.56 to 66.82 mg/g. Recovery efficiency of adsorbed metals via desorption was between 5–97.75% in first cycle and 2–80.3% in second cycle.