Effect of system variables and particle size on physical characteristics of air sparging plumes

Air was injected through a well in a thin transparent tank filled with saturated glass beads to study how the size and air saturation of air sparging plumes are affected by particle size and gradation; operational parameters such as injection pressure, well depth, injection pressure pulsing; and well outlet configuration. V-shaped air plumes with an apex between 40° and 60° were obtained for all tests. The air pressure required to initiate sparging agreed closely with the sum of the air entry pressure and the hydrostatic pressure, with higher initiation pressures required in the fine and well-graded beads. Higher air flow rates and air saturations were obtained in coarser beads at a given pressure, and the variation in flow rate was consistent with estimated air permeabilities. Peak average air saturations were 28–56% for the coarse-medium beads, 10% for the well-graded beads, and 8% for the fine beads. Air saturation and the radius of influence increased modestly (<40%) as the normalized injection pressure exceeded 0.1. Radius of influence increased by approximately a factor of two as the well depth increased, but leveled off once the ratio of radius of influence to well depth reached 0.60–1.05. Pulsing of injection pressure had no effect on the initiation pressure, air flow rate, or air saturation, but increased the size of the air plume and the radius of influence slightly (<15%). Well outlet configuration had only a slight affect the radius of influence (<10%), air saturation (<10%), or air flow rate (<12%). Dye testing showed that water surrounding the air plume circulated during continuous and pulsed sparging. However, pulsed sparging resulted in greater and more defined circulation of water within and adjacent to the air plume, which should reduce mass transfer limitations during sparging.     

Coastal processes and environmental hazards: the Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Venetian (Italy) littorals

The Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Venice (Italy) coastlands have experienced significant saltwater contamination of the phreatic aquifer, coastal erosion, hydrodynamic changes and relative sea level rise processes due to natural and man-induced factors. These factors expose coastal areas to morpho-hydro-geological hazards, such as soil desertification, frequency and degree of flooding, littoral erosion, and the silting of river mouths and channels. Man-made interventions and actions, such as beach mining, construction of coastal structures and exploitation of aquifers without an adequate knowledge of the hydrology setting and an adequate management program, worsen these natural hazards. Uncontrolled human activity induces environmental damage to the overall coastal plains. The coastal plains play an important role in the social/economic development of the two regions based on land use, such as agriculture, horticulture, breeding, and tourism, as well as industry. Results of investigations on saltwater contamination, sea level rise and morphological changes recently performed in these two coastal areas are presented here.     

Potential hyperaccumulation of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in endurant plants distributed in an old smeltery, northeast China

The absorption and accumulation of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in some endurant weed plant species that survived in an old smeltery in Liaoning, China, were systematically investigated. Potential hyperaccumulative characteristics of these species were also discussed. The results showed that metal accumulation in plants differed with species, tissues and metals. Endurant weed plants growing in this contaminated site exhibited high metal adaptability. Both the metal exclusion and detoxification tolerance strategies were involved in the species studied. Seven species for Pb and four species for Cd were satisfied for the concentration time level standard for hyperaccumulator. Considering translocation factor (TF) values, one species for Pb, seven species for Zn, two species for Cu and five species for Cd possessed the characteristic of hyperaccumulator. Particularly, Abutilon theophrasti Medic, exhibited strong accumulative ability to four heavy metals. Although enrichment coefficients of all samples were lesser than 1 and the absolute concentrations didn’t reach the standard, species mentioned above were primarily believed to be potential hyperaccumulators.     

Changes of oceanographic characteristics and the state of pollution in the Izmit bay following the earthquake of 1999

The Izmit Bay is an elongated semi-enclosed bay in the Marmara Sea. It is being increasingly polluted by both domestic and industrial waste discharge since 1970’s. A monitoring program was conducted between 1999-2000 to document the state of pollution in the bay. This includes the effect of Marmara (Izmit) earthquake (magnitude 7.4) that occurred in August 1999. A stable two-layer ecosystem exists in the bay throughout the year due to continuous inflows of the saltier Mediterranean and brackish Black Sea waters to the Marmara basin. Therefore, the principal biochemical characteristics of the bay are governed by the two-layer flow system over the basin. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is generally at a saturated levels in the surface layer which is 10 to 15 m thick, but it is depleted to 60–70 μM in the lower layer, exhibiting a steep gradient in the sharp halocline. When the earthquake occurred, great loads of industrial wastes were released into the bay surface waters, which enhanced primary production in the upper layer and thus large export of particulate organic matter to lower layer and eventually to the bottom. Accordingly, DO was consumed and anoxic condition was established even in the upper layer/halocline interface, the halocline and bottom waters of the eastern and central bay. In this period, concurrent increases were observed in phosphate and ammonia contents at the halocline and in deep waters whilst the nitrate was almost consumed via denitrification processes in the anoxic water. Recently, the industrial C, N and P loads increased by as much as 8 fold within five years (1995–2000) whilst domestic inputs increased by 50%. Total organic matter discharged to the bay increased more than double within the last 15 years. Besides, most factories in the region release toxic wastes into the bay after only partial treatment.     

水溶性污染物在土壤中转化的原位实验方法

建立了一种研究水溶性污染物在土壤中运转化的原位实验方法，该方法已成功地应用于研究黄土中氨氮的运移转化规律，克服了土柱实验存在的破坏土壤结构及氧化还原电位发生变化等所引起的实验误差。     

Generation of Deccan Trap magmas

Deccan Trap magmas may have erupted through multiple centers, the most prominent of which may have been a shield volcano-like structure in the Western Ghats area. The lavas are predominantly tholeiitic; alkalic mafic lavas and carbonatites are rare. Radioisotope dating, magnetic chronology, and age constraints from paleontology indicate that although the eruption started some 68 Ma, the bulk of lavas erupted at around 65–66 Ma. Paleomagnetic constraints indicate an uncertainty of ± 500,000 years for peak volcanic activity at 65 m.y. in the type section of the Western Ghats. Maximum magma residence times were calculated in this study based on growth rates of “giant plagioclase” crystals in lavas that marked the end phase of volcanic activity of different magma chambers. These calculations suggest that the > 1.7 km thick Western Ghats section might have erupted within a much shorter time interval of ∼ 55,000 years, implying phenomenal eruption rates that are orders of magnitude larger than any present-day eruption rate from any tectonic environment. Other significant observations/conclusions are as follows: (1) Deccan lavas can be grouped into stratigraphic subdivisions based on their geochemistry; (2) While some formations are relatively uncontaminated others are strongly contaminated by the continental crust; (3) Deccan magmas were produced by 15–30% melting of a Fe-rich lherzolitic source at ∼ 3–2 GPa; (4) Parent magmas of the relatively uncontaminated Ambenali formation had a primitive composition with 16%MgO, 47%SiO₂; (5) Deccan magmas were generated much deeper and by significantly more melting than other continental flood basalt provinces; (6) The erupted Deccan tholeiitic lavas underwent fractionation and magma mixing at ∼ 0.2 GPa. The composition and origin of the crust and crust/mantle boundary beneath the Deccan are discussed with respect to the influence of Deccan magmatic episode.     

Pollution vulnerability of the Quaternary aquifer near Cairo, Egypt, as indicated by isotopes and hydrochemistry

The present study was conducted to delineate the pollution vulnerability of the Quaternary aquifer in two areas, Imbaba and Shobra El-Khima, near Cairo, Egypt. Environmental isotopes combined with hydrochemistry were used for this purpose. The groundwater in the Imbaba area (average total dissolved solids about 900 mg/L; sodium/chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate water types) is more mineralized than groundwater in the Shobra El-Khima area (average total dissolved solids 500 mg/L; calcium and sodium/bicarbonate water type). A high nitrate content and significant mineralization in the groundwater are probably due to contamination of recharge to the aquifer by irrigation drainage, deteriorated sewage networks, and septic tanks. The deuterium and oxygen-18 compositions of the groundwater are depleted compared to Nile River water, which is the main source of aquifer recharge. This less isotopically enriched water probably represents older Nile water recharge that flooded the region before construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1963, or it is a mixture of a young water and originally deposited paleowater that was in deeper horizons at a time of cooler and more humid climate. Intensive pumping has moved the paleowater higher in the aquifer. Groundwater in the Shobra El-Khima area has higher residence time, based on the tritium concentration, than groundwater in the Imbaba area. The percentage of the isotopically depleted water equals 75% in the Shobra El-Khima and 35% in Imbaba, and the thickness of the clay cap above the aquifer is 38 m in Shobra El-Khima and 20 m in Imbaba. These factors are indicative of the rate of recharge to the aquifer and were used to evaluate the pollution vulnerability in the two areas. Electronic Publication     

Migration and contamination of major and trace elements in groundwater of Madras city,India

Groundwater samples collected from both open and bore wells in an area of about 270 km² from Madras City, India, have been analyzed for major ions (HCO₃, Cl, Si, Na, Ca, and Mg) and trace elements (As, Se, B, V, Cr, Fe, Co, Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Mn, Ni, Mo, and Ba). The study reveals that the quality of potable water has deteriorated to a large extent. Seawater intrusion into the aquifer has been observed in nearly 50 percent of the study area. The toxic elements (As and Se) have already exceeded the maximum permissible limits of drinking water in almost the entire city. A positive correlation of As and Se with other toxic metals such as V, Cr, Fe, B, etc., indicates that all these elements are anthropogenic in origin. Applying multivariate analysis, the source for trace elements in groundwater has been grouped into two major factors: pollution and mobilization factors. The groundwater in the study area is largely contaminated by organic effluents and reflects the intensity of pollution caused by the overlying soil sediment and rapid infiltration of the pollutants.     

A stochastic model of surface contaminant releases to support assessment of site contamination at a former industrial site

An industrial site is usually contaminated by accidental (and occasionally intentional) releases of pollutants to the environment from various operations carried out on that site. Consequently, the pattern of contamination created during the life of the site depends in part, at least, on the pattern of operations. Thus, the assessment of the pattern of contamination over the site should be improved: if it is possible to identify the pattern of operations on the site, the duration of the different activities and the perceived likelihood of releases from the different operations. A stochastic model has been developed that can be used to simulate alternative realizations of contaminant releases (duration, extent and timing). The model employs release zones associated with particular activities or groups of activities on the site and the areas of each of the zones may be independent or overlapping. The period of activity in each zone is obtained from the site records, while the likelihood and extent of contamination in each zone is inferred from an analysis of the contamination data obtained by point sampling. The form of the model, the method of inference of the model parameter values from the site data and the application of the model to the study site are presented. The release model has been developed as part of a suite of stochastic models for site ground contamination analysis. The stochastic soil and transport models and the application of the integrated modelling system are described in separate papers.     

Mineralogy and heavy metal content in sediments from Rio Gato,Carelmapu and Cucao,Southern Chile

In southern Chile, with a mild and rainy climate, high levels of heavy metals have been detected in many gold placer deposits. Many of the contaminants pose risks to human life, and consequently damage the trofic chain in this environment. The study zones selected correspond to the handicraft gold-bearing sands of Rio Gato (Los Muermos), Carelmapu and Cucao. These are all located in the X Region of “Los Lagos” in Chile. The type of methodology used in the characterization of the associated mineralization consists of testing each representative sample with a grain size distribution, statistical parameter analysis and a mineralogical analysis, using a binocular magnifying glass, a petrographic microscope, XRD and SEM/EDX. The chemical composition was defined by means of X ray fluorescence and micro-chemical analysis. The results of the study about sediments in southern Chile are presented. The major concentrations of heavy minerals are generally located in areas of dynamic river energy. In the samples, more than 70% of the heavy minerals were distributed among grain sizes corresponding to thin sand with good grain selection (meshes of 0.25–0.06 mm). The main mineral phases present in the analysed samples were gold, zircon, olivine, ilmenite, hornblende, hypersthene, hematite, garnet, chromite, chlorite, augite, amphibolitic-epidote, etc. The main heavy metals found as a result of the study were mercury, lead, cadmium, chrome, tellurium, indium, zinc, cobalt, copper, platinum, gold, etc., and as well some less common elements like cerium, praseodymium, gadolinium, neodymium, samarium and lanthanum. This research work is only a starting point for carrying out a risk probability mapping of heavy metals and the mineralogy of the Cucao, Carelmapu and Rio Gato gold-bearing sands.