Geochemical characterization of surface waters and groundwater resources in the Managua area (Nicaragua,Central America)

This paper reports new geochemical data on dissolved major and minor constituents in surface waters and ground waters collected in the Managua region (Nicaragua), and provides a preliminary characterization of the hydrogeochemical processes governing the natural water evolution in this area. The peculiar geological features of the study site, an active tectonic region (Nicaragua Depression) characterized by active volcanism and thermalism, combined with significant anthropogenic pressure, contribute to a complex evolution of water chemistry, which results from the simultaneous action of several geochemical processes such as evaporation, rock leaching, mixing with saline brines of natural or anthropogenic origin. The effect of active thermalism on both surface waters (e.g., saline volcanic lakes) and groundwaters, as a result of mixing with variable proportions of hyper-saline geothermal Na–Cl brines (e.g., Momotombo geothermal plant), accounts for the high salinities and high concentrations of many environmentally-relevant trace elements (As, B, Fe and Mn) in the waters. At the same time the active extensional tectonics of the Managua area favour the interaction with acidic, reduced thermal fluids, followed by extensive leaching of the host rock and the groundwater release of toxic metals (e.g., Ni, Cu). The significant pollution in the area, deriving principally from urban and industrial waste-water, probably also contributes to the aquatic cycling of many trace elements, which attain concentrations above the WHO recommended limits for the elements Ni (∼40 μg/l) and Cu (∼10 μg/l) limiting the potential utilisation of Lake Xolotlan for nearby Managua.     

New approaches to studying heavy metals in soils by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES)) and extractive fractionation

A comprehensive approach to studying the nature of interaction between heavy-metal ions and the organic–mineral matrix of soils involves application of modern physical analytical techniques and chemical methods of extractive fractionation. XANES was used to obtain the first data on the near-edge fine structure of X-ray spectra for a number of heavy-metal species in ordinary chernozem. Data on the structure of soil samples saturated with Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ obtained by XANES (X-ray absorption near-edge structure) make it possible to elucidate the interaction mechanisms of the metals and the types of chemical bonds formed thereby. As contamination doze of with Cu and Zn is increased (from 2000 to 10 000 mg/kg soil), particularly if the metals are introduced in the form of readily solubility salts, bonding between the metals and soil components weakens. Data of extractive fractionation of metal compounds from samples saturated with Cu and Zn compounds testify that the Cu²⁺ ion is preferably retained in the organic matter of the soil, whereas the Zn²⁺ ion is bound mostly to silicates, carbonates, and Fe and Mn (hydro)oxides.     

Hydrogeological and hydrochemical features of an area polluted by heavy metals in central Nicaragua

Geophysical and hydrochemical surveys were used to investigate the hydrogeological conditions in one of the Río Sucio microbasins, in central Nicaragua. Zones of vertical structures (i.e. fractures and quartz veins) and weathering were mapped using Continuous Vertical Electrical Soundings (CVES), as such zones are of major importance for groundwater transport. Water from the springs was analysed to determine concentrations of major ions and heavy metals. Low ion concentrations and ¹⁸O analyses indicate that the springs occur close to their recharge areas and there is a relatively rapid groundwater circulation. Mercury (Hg) content in the springs was low, while comparatively high amounts of lead (Pb) were found. The results presented here demonstrate the important function of weathering and tectonics in the occurrence of groundwater systems in the basin. Hg and Pb found in the springs’ water reveal the existence of an increase in pollution sources disseminating in the area. More than 100 years of using mercury in the gold-mining industry and releasing wastes into rivers has affected water quality and ecosystems. Further investigations are needed in this area to determine the groundwater vulnerability to this pollution as this resource may be needed in the future.     

Hydrogeological and hydrochemical features of an area polluted by heavy metals in central Nicaragua

Geophysical and hydrochemical surveys were used to investigate the hydrogeological conditions in one of the Río Sucio microbasins, in central Nicaragua. Zones of vertical structures (i.e. fractures and quartz veins) and weathering were mapped using Continuous Vertical Electrical Soundings (CVES), as such zones are of major importance for groundwater transport. Water from the springs was analysed to determine concentrations of major ions and heavy metals. Low ion concentrations and ¹⁸O analyses indicate that the springs occur close to their recharge areas and there is a relatively rapid groundwater circulation. Mercury (Hg) content in the springs was low, while comparatively high amounts of lead (Pb) were found. The results presented here demonstrate the important function of weathering and tectonics in the occurrence of groundwater systems in the basin. Hg and Pb found in the springs’ water reveal the existence of an increase in pollution sources disseminating in the area. More than 100 years of using mercury in the gold-mining industry and releasing wastes into rivers has affected water quality and ecosystems. Further investigations are needed in this area to determine the groundwater vulnerability to this pollution as this resource may be needed in the future.The online version of the original article can be found at     

Experimental evidence for mobility of Zr and other trace elements in soils

A Soxhlet extraction was carried out over a period of 27 d on a column comprising 3 cm of quartz overlain by 4 cm of soil from the B horizon and then 1 cm of soil from the A horizon of a granitic podzol. Major and trace elements were leached from the column and accumulated in a reservoir at the base of the column. Total loss of elements from the soil over the course of the experiment ranged from 0.002 to 1 wt% with major elements and the light and heavy rare earth elements (REE) showing the largest percentage losses. Zirconium (0.002%) and then Al (0.008%) showed the lowest percentage loss. The light REE were leached out of the soil preferentially to the mid REE. All elements showed accumulation, by a factor of 2 to 11, in the quartz layers at the base of the column, particularly in the upper first 1 cm of the quartz. Major elements were leached from the column at a rate of 0.02 to 0.59 μmol h⁻¹ whereas Zr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Rb, and Sr were leached at the rate of 0.5 to 30 × 10⁻⁶ μmol h⁻¹. Concentrations of other REE in the reservoir increased over the duration of the experiment, but they were poorly correlated with time, so leaching rates were not calculated. Normalization of the major element leaching rates to take into account the constant flushing of water through the column, the average annual rainfall in the Allt a’Mharcaidh catchment in Scotland from where the soil was sampled, and the cross-sectional area of the soil in the column, together with the temperature of the soil in the column (70°C) compared with the average annual temperature of the Allt a’Mharcaidh catchment (5.7°C), gave major element release rates from the soil of 0.002 to 0.97 mEq m⁻² yr⁻¹ (depending on the choice of E_a, the dissolution activation energy), which are generally less than those measured in the field of 0.1 to 40.9 mEq m⁻² yr⁻¹.Calculations showed that despite the redistribution and loss of Zr from the column, assumptions of Zr mobility would have had a negligible effect on calculated element release rates of Na, Ca, Fe, and Mg. However, significant underestimates of the release of K (5%), Ti (57%), Al (5%), and Si (10%) as well as some trace elements (e.g., Nd, 23%; Rb, 54%; Sr, 24%) would have occurred. Concentrations of Ca and Sr leached from the column correlated well (RSQ = 0.93, p < 0.01), supporting the idea of the use of Sr release as a proxy for Ca release in weathering rate calculations. The release rates and percentage loss of REE from the soil varied between elements indicating that REE distribution patterns of rocks and soils may not be preserved in drainage waters.     

Volcaniclastic stratigraphy of the Tiscapa maar crater walls (Managua, Nicaragua): implications for volcanic and seismic hazards and Holocene climate changes

The Tiscapa maar in the center of Managua city formed by a phreatomagmatic eruption <3 ka ago. The eruption excavated a crater deep into the basement exposing a coherent Pleistocene to Holocene volcaniclastic succession that we have divided into four formations. The lowermost, >60 ka old basaltic–andesitic formation F1 comprises mafic ignimbrites and phreatomagmatic tephras derived from the Las Sierras volcanic complex south of Managua. Formation F2 contains the ~60 ka basaltic–andesitic Fontana tephra erupted from the Las Nubes Caldera of the Las Sierras complex 15 km to the S, the 25 ka Upper Apoyo tephra from the Apoyo Caldera 35 km to the SE, and the Lower (~17 ka) and Upper (12.4 ka) Apoyeque tephras from the Chiltepe volcanic complex 15 km to the NW. These tephras are separated by weathering horizons and paleosols indicating dry climatic conditions. Fluvial deposits of a SSW-NNE running paleo-river system build formation F3. The fluvial sediments contain, from bottom to top, scoriae from the ~6 ka basaltic San Antonio tephra, pumice lapilli from the Apoyo and Apoyeque tephras and the 6.1 ka Xiloà tephra, and scoriae derived from the Fontana tephra. The fluvial sediment succession thus reflects progressively deeper carving erosion in the southern highlands (where a large-amplitude regional erosional unconformity exists at the appropriate stratigraphic level) that began after ~6 ka. This suggests that the mid-Holocene tropical high-precipitation climatic phase affected western Nicaragua about a thousand years later than other circum-Caribbean regions. The end of the wet climate phase ~3 ka ago is recorded by a deep weathering zone and paleosol atop formation F3 prior to the Tiscapa eruption. Formation F4 is the Tiscapa tuffring composed of pyroclastic surge and fallout deposits that cover a minimum area of 1.2 km². The 4 × 10⁹ kg of erupted basaltic magma is compositionally and genetically related to the low-Ti basalts of the N–S striking Nejapa-Miraflores volcanic–tectonic alignment 5 km to the West of Tiscapa. Ascent and eruption mode of the Tiscapa magma were controlled by the Tiscapa fault that has a very active seismic history as it achieved 12 m displacement in about 3000 years. Managua city is thus exposed to continued seismic and volcanic risks.     

Assessment of mercury mobility and bioavailability by fractionation method in sediments from coastal zone inundated by the 26 December 2004 tsunami in Thailand

The 26 December 2004 tsunami covered significant portion of a coastal zone with a blanket of potentially contaminated sediments. In this report are presented results on mercury concentrations in sediments deposited by the tsunami in a coastal zone of Thailand. Since the total mercury concentrations are insufficient to assess mercury mobility and bioavailability in sediment, its fractionation was applied. Sediments were sampled within 50 days after the event and analyzed by sequential extraction method. The procedure of sequential extraction involved five subsequent stages performed with solutions of chloroform, deionized water, 0.5 M HCl, 0.2 M NaOH, and aqua regia. The mean concentration of total mercury in sediments was 119 ± 50 ng g⁻¹ dry mass (range 66–230). The fractionation revealed that mercury is mainly bound to the least bioavailable sulphides 75 ± 6% (range 62–86), organomercury compounds 14 ± 7% (range 4–26), and humic matter 9 ± 7% (range 1–27). The lowest contributions bring fractions of water-soluble mercury 0.8 ± 1.0% (range 0.1–3.6) and acid soluble mercury 0.9 ± 0.5% (range 0.2–2.1). Although, the total mercury content is similar in a reference sample and in the tsunami sediments, the highly toxic organomercury fraction contribution is higher in the latter. The results were compared with chemical and sedimentological properties of the sediments but no significant correlations were obtained between them.     

New insights on mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in soils of the Padanian alluvial plain (Ferrara Province,northern Italy)

Heavy metals having both natural and anthropogenic origin are common contaminants in soils and sediments, and can be transferred and bioaccumulated at all levels of the food chain, posing serious environmental concern to the local population. In this paper, agricultural soils from the Province of Ferrara (easternmost part of the Padanian Plain, northern Italy) were investigated to assess the levels of potentially toxic metals in relation to their phytoavailability. Agricultural soils have been sampled in order to identify the origin, mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals, collecting superficial and deeper (depths of 20–30 and 100–120 cm, respectively) horizons. The “total” XRF analyses properly elaborated with a statistical approach reveal that soils evolved from two distinct types of alluvial sediments, in turn related to the Po and Reno rivers; the former type is distinctively enriched in heavy metals (particularly Cr and Ni), reflecting the presence of femic and ultrafemic rocks in the hydrological basin of River Po. The absence of Top Enrichment Factors for Ni, Co, Cr, V, and Pb suggests that the content of these elements is natural and unaffected by contamination, whereas superficial enrichments of Cu (and Zn) is ascribed to anthropogenic inputs related to agricultural activities. Multiple extraction tests using variously aggressive reactants (aqua regia, DTPA, EDTA, NH₄NO₃, and H₂O) analyzed by ICP gave insights on the specific mobility of the distinct elements, which decreases in the following order: Pb > Cu > Cd > Co > >Ni > Cr. Taking into consideration the elements that are inducing the main concerns, Cr appears scarcely mobile, whereas Ni could be more phytoavailable and has to be monitored in the local agricultural products. Cd although scarcely abundant has to be monitored for its mobility and toxicity, whereas Cu although abundant and extremely mobile doesn’t induce concerns as it is not hazardous for the living receptors.     

The effect of organic materials on the mobility and toxicity of metals in contaminated soils

Organic materials such as compost are often proposed as suitable materials for the remediation of contaminated brownfield sites intended for soft end-use. In addition to vitalising the soil, they are also believed to immobilise metals thereby breaking contaminant-receptor pathways and reducing the ecotoxicity of the contaminants. However, some research has demonstrated contradictory effects between composts on metal immobilisation. In the present study, four different composts and a liming product containing organic matter (LimeX70) were tested to examine both their metal retention and toxicity reduction capabilities on three different metal contaminated soils. Leaching tests, a plant growth test with Greek cress (Lepidium sativum), an earthworm (Eisenia fetida) survival and condition test and a bacterial toxicity test using Vibrio fischeri were carried out. The leaching test results showed that spent mushroom compost caused an increase in metal concentration in the leachates, while LimeX70 caused a decrease. The variation in behaviour between different amendments for each soil was high, so a generic conclusion could not be drawn. Toxicity tests showed significant reduction of metal bioavailability and toxicity for Greek cress, earthworms and bacteria. The results also suggest that more research should be undertaken to understand the mechanisms involved in metal complexation using different types of organic matter, in order to optimise the use of organic materials like compost for soil remediation.     

Spatial variation of biological and pedological properties in an area affected by a metallurgical mercury plant: Almadenejos (Spain)

Almadén, Spain, has the most important known cinnabar deposits, which have provided a third of the entire world production of Hg, and has been the scene for numerous studies on Hg. This mining district includes several mines where cinnabar has been extracted in the past two millennia as well as facilities related to the production of primary Hg. The aim of the work is to evaluate the spatial distribution of Hg in the soil-plant system within an area where intense activity occurred over a long period. An abandoned metallurgical plant from the 17th-18th centuries was chosen as the study area, situated in Almadenejos a distance of 12 km from Almadén. Nowadays, this plot is covered with cinnabar mine tailings and it is used by village inhabitants for livestock grazing. The area has elevated Hg concentrations of natural origin and from human activities. Soil parameters are similar within the study area; however, data reveal high variability in total and available Hg concentrations in soils, making it difficult to establish a trend. Marrubium vulgare L. has been studied due to its abundance in the plot, and there is no evidence of phenological toxicity. In spite of elevated Hg concentrations, high biological activity is found in the sampled soils. All these characteristics, spatial variation, high Hg concentration, good biological activity, make this a particularly good area for studies involving Hg.     

Antimony and arsenic mobility in a creek draining an antimony mine abandoned 85 years ago (upper Orb basin,France)

Mining residues from the Sb mine of Bournac in the upper Orb River valley (Southern France), constitute an important source of As and Sb pollution. Arsenic concentrations are as high as 78 μg/L and Sb reaches 32 μg/L in the small creek draining the tailings impoundment. Although both metalloids occur mainly in oxidized form in the creek water, their behaviour differs significantly. Iron oxides are the main carrier phases for both elements in the suspended particulate matter. In oxic conditions the two elements are mainly present in water in oxidised form As(V) and Sb(V) and both field studies and laboratory experiments indicate a higher affinity of As(V) than Sb(V) for the solid phase. In the pool, which receives the water from Bournac Creek, the reductive dissolution of Fe-oxides is linked to the oxidation of small pyrite grains transported from the tailings dump. In oxic conditions Sb is released to solution more efficiently than As. Conversely, in anoxic conditions, mobilisation of As is greater than that of Sb. This is attributed to the reduction of As, which favours its mobility. Whatever the conditions, the activity of bacteria naturally present in the sediments enhances the remobilization of Sb in oxidizing conditions and that of As in reducing conditions.     

Distribution and sequential extraction of some heavy metals in urban soils of Guiyang City,China

Sixty-two soil samples collected from different functional zones of Guiyang were analyzed for total concentrations and sequential extraction of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd by ICP spectrometry. The average total concentrations ofCr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in the soils of Guiyang were 92.9, 51.6, 44.1,139.3 and 0.28 mg/kg, respectively. The soils have been polluted by Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd to some extent in comparison with the background values of Guiyang. Significant differences were recognized in the concentrations of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in different functional zones. As for the sequential extraction, Cr, Cu and Zn were present mainly in the residual fraction, and Pb was present mainly in the oxidizable fraction. The reducible fraction of Cd accounts for 47.5%, and the residual fraction is lowest. The mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals follow the order of Cd〉Pb〉Cu〉Cr〉Zn.     

Enrichment and mobility of cadmium and other heavy metals in the area of the Three-Gorges Reservoir

This study focused on the geochemical distribution patterns and ecological effects of Cd and other heavy metals such as As, Hg, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in rock, soil, water, sediment and crops in the area of the Three-Gorges Reservoir within Chongqing, and aimed at the protection of ecological environment and rational application of the local lands. This study found that the metals of Cd, Hg and Pb presented pollution in the surface environment along the Yangtze River, that is Cd〉Hg〉Pb （Cu）〉Zn〉As〉Ni〉Cr. The pollution of Cd in sediment was mainly attributable to the regional black shales, and partly to the urban sewage and garbage. The geochemical modes of metals in the sediment varied. Cr, Hg, Ni, and Pb mainly existed as residues, and Cd as carbonate. Cd exited as a high proportion in the modes of ion-exchange, carbonate, and iron-manganese oxidation, up to 63 percent. The contents of heavy metals in soiland sediment were correlated to the host clay minerals, such as illite, montmorillonite, kaolinite and chlorite. It is shown that Cd was transported with clay minerals in the Yangtze River over long distance and formed the regional anomaly. In the abnormal area of Jianping in Wushan County, higher Cd contents are reported in the local crops and local villagers＇ hairs than from the background areas.     

The mobility,bioavailability, and human bioaccessibility of trace metals in urban soils of Hong Kong

Trace metals in soils may pose risks to both ecosystem and human health, especially in an urban environment. However, only a fraction of the metal content in soil is mobile and/or available for biota uptake and human ingestion. Various environmental availabilities of trace metals (Cu, Pb and Zn) in topsoil from highly urbanized areas of Hong Kong to plants, organisms, and humans, as well as the leaching potential to groundwater were evaluated in the present study. Forty selected soil samples were extracted with 0.11 M acid acetic, 0.01 M calcium chloride, 0.005 M diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and simplified physiologically based extraction tests (PBET) for the operationally defined mobilizable, effectively bioavailable, potentially bioavailable, and human bioaccessible metal fractions, respectively. The metals were generally in the order of Zn > Cu ∼ Pb for both mobility (24%, 7.6%, 6.7%) and effective bioavailability (2.8%, 0.9%, 0.6%), Pb (18%) > Cu (13%) > Zn (7.4%) for potential bioavailability, and Pb (59%) ∼ Cu (58%) > Zn (38%) for human bioaccessibility. Although the variations in the different available concentrations of metals could mostly be explained by total metal concentrations in soil, the regression model predictions were further improved by the incorporation of soil physicochemical properties (pH, OM, EC). The effectively bioavailable Zn and Pb were mostly related to soil pH. Anthropogenic Pb in urban soils tended to be environmentally available as indicated by Pb isotopic composition analysis. Combining various site-specific environmental availabilities might produce a more realistic estimation for the integrated ecological and human health risks of metal contamination in urban soils.     

Effects of ammonium molybdate on phytoremediation by alfalfa plants and (im)mobilization of toxic metals in soils

Ammonium molybdate has been used to remove the toxic metals in waste water by forming precipitates, such as Pb. However, the ammonium molybdate has not been used to remediate the toxic metals contaminated soils. The objectives of this study were to report: (1) the reaction mechanisms of ammonium molybdate with toxic metals; (2) the effects of ammonium molybdate on (im)mobilization of the toxic metals in soils; (3) and the effects of ammonium molybdate on uptake toxic metals from soils by alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants. In this paper, it was found that: the effects of ammonium molybdate on toxic metals are amphoteric-immobilization/mobilization. Cr and Zn can be precipitated with ammonium molybdate, but Cd, Ni, Cu can be formed more soluble fractions with ammonium molybdate. The ammonium molybdate can be named as half-chemical stabilization agent, half-extracting agent, or amphoteric agent. The contents and BCF values of toxic metals in alfalfa plants were increased after the soils were treated with ammonium molybdate. TF values of alfalfa plants (both controls and treatments) were lower than 1. The addition of ammonium molybdate can increase the acid soluble fractions of Cd, Ni, Cu, and residual fractions of Cr, Zn. In other words, the toxicities of Cd, Ni, and Cu to plants in soils have been increasing. Instead, the toxicities of Cr, Zn have been decreasing. The ammonium molybdate has promoted plants to produce more biomass, but the growths of shoot and root in seedling stages have been decreased by the increasing Cd, Ni, and Cu toxicities which caused by ammonium molybdate.     

Role of nuclear volume in driving equilibrium stable isotope fractionation of mercury, thallium, and other very heavy elements

Equilibrium stable isotope fractionations of mercury and thallium are estimated for molecules, atoms and ions using first-principles vibrational frequency and electronic structure calculations. These calculations suggest that isotopic variation in nuclear volume is the dominant cause of equilibrium fractionation, driving ²⁰⁵Tl/²⁰³Tl and ²⁰²Hg/¹⁹⁸Hg fractionations of up to 3‰ at room temperature. Mass-dependent fractionations are smaller, ca. 0.5-1‰ for the same isotopes. Both fractionation mechanisms tend to enrich the neutron-rich isotopes in oxidized mercury- and thallium-bearing phases (Tl³⁺ and Hg²⁺) relative to reduced phases (Tl⁺ and Hg⁰). Among Hg²⁺-bearing species, inorganic molecules and complexes like HgCl₂, and will have higher ²⁰²Hg/¹⁹⁸Hg than coexisting methylmercury species, suggesting a possible application of Hg-isotope measurements to understanding mercury methylation and increasing methylmercury concentrations at the top of the food chain. Estimated ²⁰⁵Tl/²⁰³Tl fractionation between and is in reasonable agreement with the fractionations previously observed between seawater and Fe-Mn crusts, supporting an equilibrium-like reduction/oxidation fractionation mechanism.More generally, nuclear-volume isotope fractionation will concentrate larger (heavier) nuclei in species where the electron density at the nucleus is small—due to lack of s-electrons (e.g., Hg²⁺—[Xe]4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6s⁰ vs. Hg⁰—[Xe]4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6s²) or enhanced s-electron screening by extra p, d, or f electrons (e.g., Tl⁰—[Xe]4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6s²6p¹ vs. Tl⁺—[Xe]4f¹⁴5d¹⁰6s²6p⁰). Nuclear-volume fractionations become much smaller for lighter elements, declining from ∼1‰/amu for thallium and mercury to ∼0.2‰/amu for ruthenium and ∼0.02‰/amu for sulfur.     

Comparative plant growth promoting traits and distribution of rhizobacteria associated with heavy metals in contaminated soils

The heavy metals at high concentration are generally toxic to the plants for their metabolism and growth; therefore, interactions among metals, rhizosphere microbes and plants have attracted attention because of the biotechnological potential of microorganisms for metal removal directly from contaminated soils or the possible transference of them to the plants. The aim of this study was to compare the relationships between the physiological in vitro characteristics of rhizobacteria isolated from plant metal accumulators and their distribution relating with the heavy metals content in contaminated soils. The results of this study showed that the heavy metals present in the rhizosphere of the plant species analyzed, decrease the microbial biomass and content of heavy metals caused a different distribution of rhizobacteria found. Gram negative rhizobacteria (90 %) and gram positive rhizobacteria (10 %) were isolated; all of them are metal-resistant rhizobacteria and 50 % of the isolated rhizobacteria possess both traits: higher indol acetic acid and siderophore producers. The inoculation with these rhizosphere microorganisms that possess metal-tolerating ability and plant growth promoting activities, can be recommended with a practical importance for both metal-contaminated environment and plant growth promotion.     

Background levels and baseline values of available heavy metals in Mediterranean greenhouse soils (Spain)

This study determines extractable levels of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni and Co in western Almería (Spain) greenhouse surface soil horizons using EDTA solution, which is identified as the fraction available for organisms and plants. It also establishes background levels, geochemical baseline concentration and reference values (RV), and investigates the possible relationships between soil properties and elemental concentrations. The results show that the soil concentration of these extractable heavy metals was high as those reported by other authors for Spanish agricultural soils. The available RV concentrations obtained (mg kg⁻¹) were: Cd 0.17, Cu 1.6, Pb 13.8, Zn 5.0 Ni 1.7 and Co 2.9. Using the upper baseline criterion, 95% of greenhouse soils present a relatively higher content of extractable heavy metals given their Cd and Cu concentration. Significant correlations between total and EDTA-extractable metal levels were found for Zn, Pb, Cu, Cd and Ni. Soil properties also related to heavy metals content, suggesting that Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn are of similar origin and relate to anthropic activities, and implies the same interactions and/or relationships among these metals.     

Speciation,fractionation and plant availability of arsenic as induced by sorbents mixed with soil of Zarshuran (Iran)

The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of sorbent (natural and modified zeolite and bentonite, iron filings and ferric sulfate) on the speciation and bioavailability of arsenic in contaminated soil. The soil used in this experiment was collected from Zarshuran area (Western Azerbaijan province, NW Iran). The sorbents were added to the soil in various rates separately. After a month of incubation, sunflower was planted in pots. After harvest, soil and plant samples of each pot were analyzed. Then various species of arsenic were estimated in soil solutions by MINTEQ software program. Water-soluble arsenate, arsenite and exchangeable arsenic from each pot measured. The results showed that the sorbents had no effect on the speciation of arsenic. Mobility of arsenite in the soil solutions has not changed. Soils treated with natural bentonite and zeolite increased soluble arsenate concentration and decreased exchangeable arsenic concentration. Although Fe-zeolite increased soluble arsenate concentration, Fe-bentonite, iron filings and ferric sulfate decreased soluble arsenate concentration and exchangeable arsenic concentration. Finally, iron filings (containing 354 mmol Fe⁺³) vigorously increases in the plants biomass and decreases in the arsenic concentration in plants tissue, is suggested as the best sorbent for arsenic stabilization in the region.