Phytoremediation of Sb,As, Cu,and Zn from Contaminated Water by the Aquatic Macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis

Sb, As, Cu, and Zn toxicity and contamination have become a growing concern in recent years. Phytoremediation, a plant based and cost effective technology, may be an effective approach in the cleanup of water contaminated by these metals. In this study, the aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis was used in laboratory and field experiments to assess its capability to accumulate Sb, As, Cu, and Zn, and thereby investigate its potential application in phytoremediation. The results showed that E. acicularis adapted well to water contaminated by these metals. The removal rates of Sb, As, Cu, and Zn in the laboratory experiment were 3.04, 2.75, 0.417, and 1.49 μg/L/day, respectively. The highest concentrations of these metals accumulated in E. acicularis after 10 days of the laboratory experiment were 6.29, 6.44, 20.5, and 73.5 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Only 8% of As, 12% of Sb, 87% of Cu and 93% of Zn removed from the water were used by E. acicularis. The highest concentrations of Sb, As, Cu, and Zn accumulated in E. acicularis after 10 wk of the field experiment were 76.0, 22.4, 33.9, and 266 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The results indicate that E. acicularis has the ability to accumulate Sb, As, Cu, and Zn from contaminated water.     

Type II solar radio events observed in the interplanetary medium

Fifteen type II solar radio events have been identified in the 2 MHz to 30 kHz frequency range by the radio astronomy experiment on the ISEE-3 satellite over the period from September 1978 to December 1979. These data provide the most comprehensive sample of type II radio bursts hitherto observed at kilometer wavelengths. Dynamic spectra of a number of events are presented. Where possible, the 15 events have been associated with an initiating flare, ground-based radio data, the passage of a shock at the spacecraft and the sudden commencement of a geomagnetic storm. The general characteristics of kilometric type II bursts are discussed.Research Associate, University of Maryland, U.S.A.     

Determination of groundwater solute transport parameters in finite element modelling using tracer injection and withdrawal testing data

The groundwater tracer injection and withdrawal tests are often carried out for the determination of aquifer solute transport parameters. However, the parameter analyses encounter a great difficulty due to the radial flow nature and the variability of the temporal boundary conditions. An adaptive methodology for the determination of groundwater solute transport parameters using tracer injection and withdrawal test data had been developed and illustrated through an actual case. The methodology includes the treatment of the tracer boundary condition at the tracer injection well, the normalization of tracer concentration, the groundwater solute transport finite element modelling and the method of least squares to optimize the parameters. An application of this methodology was carried out in a field test in the South of Hanoi city. The tested aquifer is Pleistocene aquifer, which is a main aquifer and has been providing domestic water supply to the city since the French time. Effective porosity of 0.31, longitudinal dispersivity of 2.2 m, and hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients from D = 220 m²/d right outside the pumping well screen to D =15.8 m²/d right outside the tracer injection well screen have been obtained for the aquifer at the test site. The minimal sum of squares of the differences between the observed and model normalized tracer concentration is 0.00119, which is corresponding to the average absolute difference between observed and model normalized concentrations of 0.035 5 (while 1 is the worst and 0 is the best fit).     

Origin and extent of fresh groundwater, salty paleowaters and recent saltwater intrusions in Red River flood plain aquifers, Vietnam

A model has been established on the origin and extent of fresh groundwater, salty paleowaters and saltwater from recent seawater intrusions in the Red River flood plain in Vietnam. This was done with geological observations, geophysical borehole logging and transient electromagnetic methods. Salt paleowater is present up to 50–75?km from the coastline, with occurrence controlled by the Holocene transgression. A density-driven leaching of salty porewater has occurred from high-permeability Holocene sediments into underlying Pleistocene deposits, whereas diffusion has dominated in low-permeability layers. In the Pleistocene aquifer, the highest content of dissolved solids is found below two intrinsic valleys with Holocene marine sediments and along the coastline. Recent intrusion of saltwater from the South China Sea is observed in shallow groundwater 35?km inland, probably a result of transport of salty water inland in rivers or leaching of paleowaters from very young near-coast marine sediments. The observed inverted salinity profile, with high saline water overlying fresher groundwater, has been formed due to the global eustatic sea-level changes during the last 8,000–9,000?years. The proposed model may therefore be applicable to other coastal aquifers, with a proper incorporation of the local geological environments.     

K-Ar Dating of Fault Gouges from the Red River Fault Zone of Vietnam

Constraining the timing of fault zone formation is fundamentally important in terms of geotectonics to understand structural evolution and brittle fault processes.This paper presents the first authigenic illite K-Ar age data from fault gouge samples collected from the Red River Shear Zone at Lao Cai province,Vietnam.The fault gouge samples were separated into three grain-size fractions(0.1 μm,0.1-0.4 μm and 0.4-1.0 μm).The results show that the K-Ar age values decrease from coarser to finer grain fractions(24.1 to 19.2 Ma),suggesting enrichment in finer fraction of morerecently grown authigenic illites.The timing of the fault movement are the lower intercept ages at 0%detrital illite(19.2 ± 0.92 Ma and 19.4 ± 0.49 Ma).In combination with previous geochronological data,this result indicates that the metamorphism of the Day Nui Con Voi(DNCV) metamorphic complex took place before ca.26.8 Ma.At about 26.8 Ma-25 Ma,the fault strongly acted to cause the rapid exhumation of the rocks along the Red River-Ailoa Shan Fault Zone(RR-ASFZ).During brittle deformation,the DNCV slowly uplifted,implying weak movement of the fault.This brittle deformation might have lasted for ca.5 Ma.