Levels and distribution of total nitrogen and total phosphorous in urban soils of Beijing, China

Urban soil nitrogen and phosphorus have significant implications for the soil and water quality in urban areas. The concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) of soil samples collected from six types of land use, which included residential area (RA), business area (BA), classical garden (CG), culture and education area (CEA), public green space (PGS) and roadside area (RSA) of Beijing urban area, were investigated. Results showed that the geometric mean of TP (857 mg/kg) in urban soils was slightly higher than that (745 mg/kg) in rural soils of Beijing. The concentration of soil TP was higher in the center of the city, and showed an increasing trend with the age of the urban area. The TP concentrations in the six types of land use followed the sequence of CG > BA > RSA > RA > CEA > PGS, which were affected by the use and disposal of phosphorus-containing materials in each type of land use. However, the geometric mean of TN (753.8 mg/kg) in urban soils was much lower than that (1,933.3 mg/kg) in rural soils. TN level in urban soils of Beijing had no correlation with the city’s urbanization history, and was influenced by the coverage of natural vegetation and human activities in each type of land use. This study suggested that the city’s urbanization history and land use were the main factors affecting the distribution of nitrogen and phosphorus in urban soils.     

Estimation of soil organic carbon storage and its fractions in a small karst watershed

With few available soil organic carbon (SOC) profiles and the heterogeneity of those that do exist, the estimation of SOC pools in karst areas is highly uncertain. Based on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC content of 23,536 samples in a karst watershed, a modified estimation method was determined for SOC storage that exclusively applies to karst areas. The method is a “soil-type method” based on revised calculation indexes for SOC storage. In the present study, the organic carbon contents of different soil types varied greatly, but generally decreased with increasing soil depth. The organic carbon content decreased nearly linearly to a depth of 0–50 cm and then varied at depths of 50–100 cm. Because of the large spatial variability in the karst area, we were able to determine that influences of the different indexes on the estimation of SOC storage decreased as follows: soil thickness > boulder content > rock fragment content > SOC content > bulk density. Using the modified formula, the SOC content in the Houzhai watershed in Puding was estimated to range from 3.53 to 5.44 kg m^?2, with an average value of 1.24 kg m^?2 to a depth of 20 cm, and from 4.44 to 14.50 kg m^?2, with an average value of 12.12 kg m^?2 to a depth of 100 cm. The total SOC content was estimated at 5.39 × 10⁵ t.     

Spatial variability of soil available phosphorus in a typical watershed in the source area of the middle Dan River,China

Phosphorus is an essential and common limiting element for plants. Phosphorus losses from agricultural production systems are known to contribute to accelerated eutrophication of natural waters. In this study, soil available phosphorus (SAP) content and SAP density were estimated based on a soil survey of a small watershed in the Dan River, China, and the spatial heterogeneity of SAP distribution and the impacts of land-use types, elevation, slope and aspect on SAP were assessed. Field sampling was carried out based on a 100 m × 100 m grid system overlaid on the topographic map of the study area, and samples were collected in three soil layers to a depth of 40 cm. A total of 190 sites were sampled, and 539 soil samples were collected. The results showed that classical kriging could successfully interpolate SAP content in the watershed. SAP content showed a downward trend with the increase in soil depth and the extent of SAP variability in the three soil layer is moderate. There were significant differences among the three soil layers (P < 0.01). The land use had a great impact on the SAP content. ANOVA indicated that the spatial variation of SAP contents under different land-use types was significant (P < 0.01). The SAP density of different land-use types followed the order of cropland > forestland > grassland. The mean SAP density of cropland, forestland and grassland at a depth of 0–40 cm was 4.28, 3.74 and 2.81 g/m², respectively. SAP and topographic factors showed that SAP content increased with decreasing altitude and slope gradient. The soil bulk density played a very important role in the assessment of SAP density. In conclusion, the soils in the source area of the middle Dan River would reduce SAP with conversions from cropland to forest or grassland.     

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.     

Phosphorus fractions and bioavailability in relation to particle size characteristics in sediments from Lake Hongfeng, Southwest China

Information on the chemical composition of phosphorus (P) fractions in sediments is fundamental to understanding P bioavailability and eutrophication in lake ecosystems. Phosphorus fractions and its bioavailability in sediments cores of Lake Hongfeng, southwest China, were investigated using a chemical sequential extraction scheme. Relationships between P fractions, P bioavailability and particle sizes were discussed. P fractions concentrations were ranked in the order: Residual-P > NaOH–rP > NaOH–NRP > HCl–P > BD–P > NH₄Cl–P, and all of them decreased with increasing sediment depth. Statistical analysis showed that concentrations of bioavailable P (BAP) which includes the NH₄Cl–P, BD–P, NaOH–rP and NaOH–NRP fractions ranged from 404.68 to 1,591.99 mg/kg and accounted for 26.8–71.8 % of the concentrations of total phosphorus (TP) in the top 5 cm sediments, whereas in the whole sediment cores, their concentrations ranged from 239.70 to 1,591.99 mg/kg and accounted for 26.8–76.0 % of TP. The results suggested that the sediments were a large potential source of P for algae blooms in Lake Hongfeng. Phosphorus fractions and their potential bioavailability were influenced by the sediment particle sizes, especially the bioavailability of the NH₄Cl–P fraction, which was strongly affected by the presence of fine particle sizes in the sediments.     

Spatial distribution and bioavailability of Hg in vegetable-growing soils collected from the estuary areas of Jiulong River,China

The distribution and bioavailability of Hg in vegetable-growing soils collected from the estuary areas of Jiulong River, China, were studied. Concentrations of Hg in top-soils, soil profiles and plant samples were measured with the method of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry after microwave digestion. Mercury species in soils were determined with the sequential extraction procedures based on Kingston method. Results showed that Hg concentrations in top-soils ranged from 49.8 to 1,685 ng g^?1, with an average of 510 ng g^?1 which was more than twice higher than the mercury limit (250 ng g^?1 at pH < 6.5) of soil quality set for edible agricultural products in China (HJ 332-2006). High levels of Hg were found to mainly distribute in the top-soils from the northern, western and southern part of the estuary areas. Hg concentrations decreased with the increases of profile depths, except for one sample (S15) in which Hg level in the depth of 0–20 cm was found lower than that in the 20–40 cm. Hg in most of soil samples in non-mobile forms accounted for 46–82 % of total Hg in soils, while Hg in the mobile forms only 0.6–8.7 %. No significant correlation of Hg concentrations between the vegetables and the soils was observed in the studied areas, which indicates that the transfer factors could only reflect the abilities of Hg uptake and accumulation in a specific plant, but they are unsuitable to be used as the general indexes for the mobility and bioavailability of Hg in soils.     

Assessment of the selected trace metals in relation to long-term agricultural practices and landscape properties

Understanding of the landscape response to agricultural practices mainly in relation to soil trace metals requires particular attention. Consistent with this, the trend and possible pollution of total and DTPA fraction of Mn, Zn, Cu, and Cd in the agricultural soils developed on different landscape positions involving piedmont alluvial plain (PAP), river alluvial plain (RAP), plateau (PL), and lowland (LL) were investigated. The content of the metal in different soil profiles, grouped by landscape positions, varied in the following orders: total and DTPA-Mn as LL > PAP > RAP > PL, total Zn and Cu as PAP > RAP > LL > PL, total Cd as RAP > PAP > PL > LL, DTPA-Zn as RAP > PAP > PL > LL, and DTPA-Cu as RAP > LL > PL > PAP. A wide variation in the total fraction of Mn (89–985 mg kg^?1), Zn (24–152 mg kg^?1), Cu (8–27 mg kg^?1), and Cd (0.6–1.7 mg kg^?1) and in the DTPA fraction of Mn (1.2–11 mg kg^?1), Zn (0.3–4.4 mg kg^?1), Cu (0.3–3 mg kg^?1), Cd (0.03–0.09 mg kg^?1) observed as a result of the effects of agricultural practices and landscape properties. The values of both total and DTPA-extractable Mn, Zn, and Cu were enriched in the AP horizon probably due to anthropogenic activities particularly successive use of agrochemical compounds and manure during numerous years. Using soil pollution indices [single pollution (PI) and comprehensive pollution (PIN)], the study soils were categorized mainly as low to moderate pollution and Zn was identified as the major element affecting on the yield of these indices.     

Identification of potential soil adsorbent for the removal of hazardous metals from aqueous phase

The present study attempted to identify the efficient hazardous metal-removing sorbent from specific types of soil, upper and middle layer shirasu, shell fossil, tuff, akadama and kanuma soils of Japan by physico-chemical and metal (arsenic, cadmium and lead) removal characterizations. The physico-chemical characteristics of soil were evaluated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques, whereas metal removal properties of soil were characterized by analyzing removal capacity and sorption kinetics of potential metal-removing soils. The chemical characteristics revealed that all soils are prevalently constituted of silicon dioxide (21.83–78.58 %), aluminum oxide (4.13–38 %) and ferrous oxide (0.835–7.7 %), whereas calcium oxide showed the highest percentage (65.36 %) followed by silicon dioxide (21.83 %) in tuff soil. The results demonstrated that arsenic removal efficiency was higher in elevated aluminum oxide-containing akadama (0.00452 mg/L/g/h) and kanuma (0.00225 mg/L/g/h) soils, whereas cadmium (0.00634 mg/L/g/h) and lead (0.00693 mg/L/g/h) removal efficiencies were maximum in elevated calcium oxide-containing tuff soil. Physico-chemical sorption and ion exchange processes are the metal removal mechanisms. The critical appraisal of three metal removal data also clearly revealed cadmium > lead > arsenic order of removal efficiency in different soils, except in tuff and akadama soils followed by lead > cadmium > arsenic. It clearly signified that each type of soil had a specific metal adsorption affinity which was regulated by the specific chemical composition. It may be concluded that akadama would be potential arsenic-removing and tuff would be efficient cadmium and lead-removing soil sorbents.     

Lead enrichment, adsorption and speciation in urban garden soils under long-term wastewater irrigation in northern Nigeria

Unsafe lead (Pb) concentrations in leafy vegetables raised in urban and peri-urban agricultural production systems have been reported across cities in Northern Nigeria, even though Pb concentrations in soils are within regulatory safe levels. This study examined the soil enrichment, adsorption and chemical species of Pb in urban garden fields irrigated with untreated wastewater at three industrial locations in Kano, northern Nigeria. Total Pb in the soil profiles ranged from 9 to 91 mg kg^?1 and decreased rapidly from the surface to the subsurface layer, but attaining nearly constant concentration at depth ≥1.2 m in the profiles. The potentially labile Pb maintained fairly constant concentration with depth up to 0.9 m, but decreased fairly rapidly with depth thereafter. There was a significant Pb enrichment of the soils, extending up to 30–60 cm depth in the soil profiles. The adsorption of Pb by the soils increased drastically with pH, and attained maximum adsorption at pH ≥ 7.0 in the surface layer, and at pH ≥ 6 in the subsurface layer. The surface soils adsorbed between 85 and 97 % of added Pb at pH ≤ 5. Free Pb²⁺ activities in soil solution accounted for between 46 and 87 % at pH 5–7 of total dissolved Pb (Pb_T). The quantifiable chemical species of Pb in solution consisted mainly of PbOH⁺, PbSO ₄ ^· , PbCl⁺ and PbOH ₂ ^· which accounted for between 0.9 and 26 % of Pb_T in soil solution at pH ≥ 5.0, but declining to between 0.1 and 2.1 % at pH ≥ 7.5. There was no apparent equilibrium between Pb²⁺ activities and known Pb-compounds in the soils. It was concluded from the data that reports of excess Pb concentrations in leafy vegetables raised in these soils are consistent with high free Pb²⁺ activities maintained in soil solution by these predominantly sandy-textured soils.     

Heavy metals pollution in the soils of suburban areas in big cities: a case study

Soil pollution in agricultural areas surrounding big cities is a major environmental problem. Tabriz is the largest city in the northwest of Iran and the fourth largest city in the country. Soil samples were taken from 46 sites in the suburbs of the Tabriz city, and separate samples were taken from control site and analyzed. The results indicated that the mean pH value of the soil samples was 9.29, while the mean EC value was 354.33 μs/cm and the amount of TOC and TOM was 0.99 and 1.7 %, respectively. The mean concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zn in the soil were determined to be 1.61, 10.56, 101.25, 87.40, 38.73, and 98.27 mg/kg, respectively (dry weight). The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, and Zn), with the exception of Ni, were higher than the concentrations of the same heavy metals at the control site. Despite these elevated concentrations, the concentrations of heavy metals were lower than the toxicity threshold limit of agricultural soils. The values of the pollution index revealed that the metal pollution level was Pb > Cr > Cu > Zn > Cd > Ni, and the mean value of the integrated pollution index was determined to be 1.81, indicating moderate pollution. Nevertheless, there were some sites that were severely polluted by Cr (maximum values of 1,364 mg/kg). It was concluded that city probably has affected the surrounding agricultural area. Application of wastewater (municipal and industrial) as irrigation water, using of sludge as soil fertilizer, and atmospheric perceptions have been considered as main reasons of increased heavy metals concentrations found in the studied area.     

A study on soil physico-chemical, microbial and metal content in Sukinda chromite mine of Odisha, India

Soil samples from chromite mining site and its adjacent overburden dumps and fallow land of Sukinda, Odisha, were analysed for their physico-chemical, microbial and metal contents. Chromite mine soils were heterogenous mixture of clay, mud, minerals and rocks. The pH of the soils ranges between 5.87 and 7.36. The nutrient contents of the mine soils (N, P, K and organic C) were found to be extremely low. Analysis of chromite mine soils revealed accumulation of a number of metals in high concentrations (Fe > Cr > Mn > Ni > Zn > Pb > Sr) which exceeded ecotoxicological limits in soil. Correlation and cluster analysis of metals revealed a strong relation between Cr, Ni, Fe, Mn among the different attributes studied. Assessment of different microbial groups such as fungi, actinomycetes and bacteria (heterotrophic, spore forming, free-living nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilising and cellulose degrading) from mine soils were found to be either extremely low or absent in some soil samples. Further chromium tolerant bacteria (CTB) were isolated using 100 mg/L Cr(VI) enriched nutrient agar medium and were screened for their tolerance towards increasing concentrations of hexavalent chromium and other toxic metals. Out of 23 CTB isolates, three bacteria tolerated up to 900 mg/L, 6 up to 500 mg/L, 20 up to 200 mg/L of Cr(VI). These bacteria were also found to be sensitive towards Cu > Co > Cd and very few CTB strains could show multiple metal tolerance. These strains have great scope for their application in bioremediation of toxic chromium ions in presence of other metals ions, which needs to be explored for their biotechnological applications.     

Influence of inactivation agents on phosphorus release from sediment

The effects of inactivation agents, including common polymeric aluminium (Al) chloride (CPAC) and Ecological Type PAC (UNIC), on phosphorus (P) released from sediment are unclear. To determine these effects, we performed seven experiments using various inactivation agent additions. The experimental schemes used were as follows: (1) CPAC, 15 mg Al L^?1; (2) CPAC (15 mg Al L^?1) + polyacrylamide (PAM) (0.5 mg L^?1); (3) UNIC, 5 mg Al L^?1; (4) UNIC, 15 mg Al L^?1; (5) UNIC, 60 mg Al L^?1; (6) control set without any inactivation agent addition; and (7) alkali shock load (the pH value of overlying water in the scheme 7 was adjusted to 11 by addition of sodium hydroxide to simulate alkali shock load at 13 days after CPAC addition). The experiments were conducted in glass columns, each containing 0.3 L sediment from Lake Dianchi and 3 L of overlying water. The results showed that P release rate decreased as the amount of inactivation agent added increased. P release rate was calculated according to each inactivation agent and the amount of inactivation agent added. Release rate found was in the decreasing order: (6) > (3) > (4) > (1) > (5) > (2). The corresponding rate was calculated to be 7.11, 6.16, 4.55, 1.76, 1.46 and 1.00 mg P m^?2 day^?1, respectively. Dissolved total P (DTP) was the main form of total P (TP) in the overlying water. After the addition of PAM, the DTP:TP ratio decreased while the dissolved inorganic P (DIP):DTP ratio increased. With increasing the amount of inactivation agents added, both DTP:TP and DIP:TP ratios decreased. Experimental group 3 had similar DTP:TP and DIP:TP ratios to experimental group 6. These results are significant in terms of the large-scale application of inactivation agents for reducing levels of bioreactive P. Alkali shock load (experimental group 7) caused failure in the inactivation of P by CPAC.     

Phosphorus speciation and changes with depth in the sediment of Lake Illawarra,New South Wales,Australia

In order to better understand phosphorus (P) cycling and origins in the sediment of the Lake Illawarra, two sediment cores were extracted in November, 2010 and a modified sequential extraction scheme (SEDEX) was used to profile the exchangeable P (P_ex), reactive Fe/Al-bound P (P_reac), reductive Fe/Al-bound P (P_redu), authigenic apatite P (P_auth), detrital P (P_det), organic P (P_org) and residual P (P_resi). The total sedimentary P (TP) ranged from 93 to 437 μg g^?1, and was dominated by inorganic P. The average percentage of each fraction of P in the sediment followed the sequence: P_reac (28.6 %) > P_resi (23.5 %) > P_auth (19.1 %) > P_redu (17.0 %) > P_org (4.9 %) > P_ex (4.7 %) > P_det (2.2 %). The profiles of TP and P_org showed two peak values with depth, which were matched to land use history in the Lake Illawarra catchment. The sediment depth profiles indicated that Fe oxyhydroxides play a predominant role in the P cycle in the sediments of the lagoon. This is supported by significant positive correlation between P_reac and reactive Fe and a negative correlation between P_auth and Fe. P_auth and P_reac concentrations were also well negatively correlated, possibly a result of competitive equilibrium between Fe and Ca for P. The estimated P burial efficiency was up to 82 % for this lagoon, which is likely related to the high sediment accumulation rate and the high value of R _Fe-P. In addition, the bioavailable P, which consists of P_ex, P_reac, and P_org, represented a significant proportion of the sedimentary P pool, accounting, on average, for 38 % of the TP. This result indicates that the sediment is a potential internal source of P for this lake ecosystem.     

Environmental impact of ancient small-scale mercury ore processing at Pšenk on soil (Idrija area, Slovenia)

The Idrija mine was the second largest Hg mine in the world surpassed only by the Almaden mine in Spain. It has been estimated that almost 145,000 tons of Hg was produced during operation (1490-1995) of the mine. In the first decade of Hg mining in Idrija the ore was roasted in piles; after that it was roasted for 150 years, until 1652, in earthen vessels at various sites in the woods around Idrija. Pšenk is one out of 21 localities of ancient roasting sites established on the hills surrounding Idrija and one of the largest localities of roasting vessel fragments. The unique way of roasting very rich Hg ore at this site has resulted in soil contamination and considerable amounts of waste material that potentially leach Hg into the surrounding environment. The main aim of this study was to determine the distribution and the forms of Hg in contaminated soils in order to evaluate potential environmental risk. Detailed soil sampling was performed on 37,800 m² area to establish the extent of Hg pollution and to investigate Hg transformations and transport characteristics through the 400 a-long period. A total of 156 soil (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm) and SOM (soil organic matter) samples were collected from 73 sampling points. Three soil profiles were sampled to determine vertical distribution of Hg. The main Hg phases were determined by the Hg-thermo-desorption technique. The measured Hg contents in soil samples in the study area vary from 5.5 to almost 9000 mg/kg with a median of 200 mg/kg. In SOM, Hg contents range from 1.4 to 4200 mg/kg with a median of 20 mg/kg. Extremely high Hg contents were found in soil profiles where the metal reaches 37,020 mg/kg. In general, Hg concentrations in all three profiles show a gradual decrease with depth with the minimum values between 140 mg/kg and 1080 mg/kg. The Hg-thermo-desorption curves indicate the presence of Hg in the form of cinnabar and that of Hg bound to organic or mineral soil matter. The distribution of Hg species in soil and SOM samples show almost equal distribution of cinnabar and non-cinnabar Hg compounds. The non-cinnabar fraction shows a little increase with depth, but cinnabar represents a high portion of total Hg (about 40%). Large amounts of potentially mobile and transformable non-cinnabar Hg compounds exist at the roasting site, which are potentially bioavailable.     

Spatial variations and distributions of phosphorus and nitrogen in bottom sediments from a typical north-temperate lake,China

Concentrations and vertical distributions of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and their different forms in sediments obtained from nine locations of Lake Dalinouer in September 2008 were analyzed. The results demonstrated that TP in surface sediments ranged from 0.493 to 0.904 g/kg, and inorganic phosphorus was the main fraction of total phosphorus, ranging from 335 to 738 mg/kg. Simultaneously, the autogenetic calcium phosphorus (ACa-P) was the main fraction of inorganic phosphorus, ranging from 145.4 to 543.2 mg/kg. Vertical distribution of different phosphorus forms in different sediment cores was distinguishing, and most of them tended to increase toward the surface sediment, indicated that the phosphorus concentration was related to the humanity with a certain extent. The relationships between TP and occluded phosphorus and ACa-P were significant. Nitrogen in the sediment was composed mainly of organic nitrogen, accounting for grater than 80 % of TN. NO₃ ^?-N was the dominate fraction of inorganic nitrogen in the surface sediment, ranging between 51 and 346 mg/kg (151.1 ± 104.4 mg/kg), and accounting for between 2.2 and 17.7 % of total sediment nitrogen (6.2 ± 5.6 %). The ratio of organic carbon and TN in sediment was in range of 6.0–25.8 and presented a tendency of lake centre >lake sides, indicating that nitrogen accumulated in the sediments from lake sides came mainly from terrestrial source and nitrogen was mainly autogenetic in lake centre. Ratio of N:P in all sampling sites was below 14, indicated that N was the limiting nutrient for algal growth in this lake.     

Assessment of Sulfate Concentrations in Water Used During Chemical Stabilization and Its Potential Impact on Sulfate Induced Heave

The occurrence of sulfate-induced heave of roadways that were chemically stabilized with either lime or cement can require expensive road repairs. Previous research attributed the heave to the formation of an expansive mineral named ettringite. However, not all chemically stabilized soils will exhibit heave. The overall goal of this research was to determine if the sulfate concentration in water can contribute to, or even cause, sulfate induced heave. Two soils, one with a soluble sulfate level below 3000 mg/kg and one with >8000 mg/kg sulfate, were stabilized with either lime or cement and subjected to a capillary soak with distilled water or saturated sulfate water. The low sulfate soils did not swell above the accepted limit of 1.5 %. The high sulfate soils swelled significantly (p < 0.05) above accepted level regardless of the stabilizer used. Overall, stabilized soils subjected to a capillary soak with saturated sulfate water swelled more than soils soaked with distilled water. The results found in this study demonstrated that cement will increase the axial load capacity of the soil, but the soil will still have the potential to heave excessively if sulfate and aluminum are present above the stoichiometric requirements to from ettringite.     

Release kinetics and distribution of boron in different fractions in some calcareous soils

The aim of this study was to evaluate the release kinetics, speciation, and fractionation of boron (B) in some calcareous soils of western Iran. Ten surface soil samples were incubated with 100 mg B kg^?1 for a week at field capacity moisture. After air drying of samples, the trend of B release was experimented using sequential extraction with 10 mM CaCl₂. B speciation in soil solution was calculated for the first and the last steps of extraction by the visual MINTEQ program. The distribution of B among five fractions including exchangeable (F1), specially adsorbed (F2), bound by Fe–Mn oxides (F3), organically bound (F4) and residual (F5), was determined in control and spiked soils. The results indicated that the release rates were initially rapid followed by a slower reaction and the main proportion of the added B was extracted by CaCl₂. The release kinetics of B was described well with Elovich, parabolic diffusion, power function, and first-order equations. The speciation results revealed that the uncharged boric acid (H₃BO ₃ ⁰ ) was the dominant species in soil solutions. In control soils, B concentration in different fractions decreased in the following order: F5 > F1 > F2 > F3 > F4. In spiked soils, however, the largest and the smallest fractions were exchangeable and residual, respectively. This implies that B transformation from soluble to less mobile and non-labile forms is not a rapid process and requires more than a week. The significant relationship observed between kinetic parameters of power and parabolic equations and organically bound B fraction and OM content indicated that organic matter played an important role in B adsorption and release in calcareous soils.     

Sorption of surfactants and personal care products in Indian soils

Sorption of three surfactants and personal care products in four types of commonly occurring Indian soils was extensively studied. The soils used in the study were red soil, clay soil, compost soil and sandy soil as classified by American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The three surfactants used in the study were representative of cationic, non-ionic and anionic surfactant groups. The sorption of surfactants followed the descending order: sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) > trimethyl amine (TMA) > propylene glycol (PG). The maximum adsorption capacity (Q_max) was obtained in compost soil (28.6 mg/g for SDS; 9.4 mg/g for TMA and 4 mg/g for PG). The rate of adsorption was the maximum in compost soil followed by clay and red soils, and minimum for sandy soils. It is found that the Freundlich model fits the isotherm data better than the Langmuir model. Freundlich coefficient (K _f) increased as the organic content of soils increased. Desorption of target pollutants in tap water was 20–50% whereas acid desorbs 40–90% of target pollutants from soil matrix. It was also found that the adsorption and desorption were significantly affected by the presence of clay and organic matter. The results also indicate that surfactants and personal care products, especially TMA and PG, are highly mobile in sandy soil followed by red soil. Therefore, immobilization of target pollutants is most economical and effective in compost and clayey soils whereas for other type of soils the combination of physiochemical and biological process will be effective option for remediation.     

Impacts of nitrogen and phosphorus on atrazine-contaminated soil remediation and detoxification by Arthrobacter sp. strain HB-5

The relationship of atrazine-degrading bacteria Arthrobacter sp. HB-5 and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer to atrazine degradation and detoxification in soil was investigated in a microcosm pot experiment. Treatments of soil containing atrazine (AW) with atrazine plus strain HB-5 alone (A), together with atrazine and strain HB-5 plus nitrogen alone (AN), phosphate alone (AP), and nitrogen and phosphate together (ANP) were used to investigate atrazine degradation and ecotoxicity. Atrazine residues in the soils were determined by high performance liquid chromatography, while soil ecotoxicity was tested by micronucleus (MN) assay of Vicia faba root tip cells. The results showed that degradation of atrazine in soil could be facilitated by the treatment of strain HB-5 as well as strain HB-5 application with the addition of nitrogenous and/or phosphorus fertilizers. The degradation rates varied as the following: ANP > AP > AN > A > AW in different treatments. At 10 days post treatment, degradation efficiency of over 90 % was achieved in all strain HB-5 treatments except AW, but with no statistically significant differences found between treatments. Soil ecotoxicity was significantly reduced along with the degradation of atrazine by strain HB-5, and the ecotoxicity of soils with applied fertilizer was below that of treatments without fertilizer. On the seventh day and later, the MN frequencies of all treatments were decreased in the control levels except for AW. Thus, adjusting soil nutrient contents not only promoted strain HB-5 to remove atrazine in soil but also mitigated soil ecotoxicity effects caused by atrazine. These results are important keystones for future remediation of atrazine-contaminated soils.     

Spatial variability of reconstructed soil properties and the optimization of sampling number for reclaimed land monitoring in an opencast coal mine

Drastically disturbed soils caused by opencast mining can result in the severe loss of soil structure and increase in soil compactness. To assess the effects of mining activities on reconstructed soils and to track the changes in reclaimed soil properties, the variability of soil properties (soil particle distribution, penetration resistance (PR), pH, and total dissolved salt (TDS)) in the Shanxi Pingshuo Antaibao opencast coal-mine inner dump after dumping and before reclamation was analyzed using a geostatistics method, and the number of soil monitoring points after mined land reclamation was determined. Soil samples were equally collected at 78 sampling sites in the study area with an area of 0.44 km². Soil particle distribution had moderate variability, except for silt content at the depth of 0–20 cm with a low variability and sand content at the depth of 20–40 cm with a high variability. The pH showed a low variability, and TDS had moderate variability at all depths. The variability of PR was high at the depth of 0–20 cm and moderate at the depth of 20–40 cm. There was no clear trend in the variance with increasing depth for the soil properties. Interpolation using kriging displayed a high heterogeneity of the reconstructed soil properties, and the spatial structure of the original landform was partially or completely destroyed. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) can be used to determine the number of sampling points for soil properties, and 40 is the ideal sampling number for the study site based on cross-validation.