Exploitation of gold in an historic sewage sludge stockpile, Werribee, Australia: resource evaluation, chemical extraction and subsequent utilisation sludge

Sewage sludges are potential targets for economic extraction of Au because of the documented Au content of sewage sludges worldwide, which are of the order of some ore deposits currently mined for Au. The sewage of Melbourne, Australia, was stockpiled in large, closed, lagoonal tanks from 1898 until 1980. Reeves, Plimer and Foster, 1999, have conducted, and published, an extensive and exhaustive study of the Werribee sewage reserves utilising RNAA, INAA, GFAAS, ICPMS, and FLAAS to determine 31 elements, including Au, Ag, Sb, As, Cd, Hg, Zn, Cu, and Pb. The study was initiated to determine Au, Ag and other metal variations in both space and time and to investigate the economics of chemical extraction of the precious metals. A total of 149 samples from over 50 hand-auger drillholes to a depth up to 4m were analysed from the stockpiles, with Au assays yielding remarkably consistent results. Average grades of 0.77 g/t Au and 18.8 g/t Ag have been documented for a measured resource of 770,000 m³. Laboratory-based extractive metallurgy of the Werribee sludges has demonstrated that Au, Ag, and Zn can be removed with relative ease by heap-leaching using modified conventional technology, albeit with prohibitive reagent consumption. The extraction of the precious metals also results in the variable removal of contaminant metals such as Cd, As, Sb, Hg and Cr which may render the sludges fit for sale as agricultural fertiliser, provided organic pollutants and pathogenic organisms are below governmental environmental protection limits.     

Significance of Dar-Zarrouk parameters in the exploration of quality affected coastal aquifer systems

The interpreted Earth subsurface resistivity layer parameters of 55 vertical geoelectrical soundings are analyzed over a fan shaped area of 1,700 km² from Pipli-Astrang-Bhramgiri, Orissa, India. In this study, Dar-Zarrouk (D-Z) parameters, namely the longitudinal conductance (S), transverse resistance (T) and longitudinal resistivity (R _s ) are analyzed and we encountered the resistivity regime of the clay layers, saline and fresh water bearing formations. The significance of these parameters in establishing an easily decipherable vision about the occurrence and distribution of fresh and saline water aquifers, while dealing with complicated situations of intermixing of the resistivity ranges of saline and fresh water aquifers has been illustrated. The results show that the Dar-Zarrouk (D-Z) parameters provide a useful and confident solution in delineating the saline and fresh water aquifers. The behavior of the D-Z parameters S, T and R _s , and its patterns in space over large areas with respect to the occurrence of saline water and fresh water aquifer systems in the deltaic coastal aquifer system has been demonstrated.     

Micromycetes from the Saline Arubotaim Cave: Mount Sedom, The Dead Sea Southwestern Shore, Israel

We examined the soil microfungal community of the saline Arubotaim Cave, Israel. A total of 68 species from 28 genera were isolated. The most prominent features of the cave mycobiota were: the prevailing number of melanin-containing micromycetes; the abundant presence of the Aspergillus species; a comparatively large share of sexual ascomycetes; and the spatial and temporal variation of the mycobiota composition. Nine species were considered as a characteristic micromycete core for the cave. Many of the micromycetes isolated are distributed worldwide. This confirms the conclusion of many mycologists working in areas with saline and arid soils that there is no specific halophilous mycobiota characteristic for these soils.     

Dynamic process analyses of saline intrusion with over-exploitation by coupled flow and dispersive modelling

Understanding of saline intrusion into coastal aquifer is an important issue in management and protection of groundwater resource, which can be well achieved by groundwater modelling. To explain some phenomena of correlation between groundwater level and salinity in observation wells in coastal area, the authors compare the migration velocity of saline particles and transmission velocity of water pressure and derive analytical equations of these two velocities for plane and radial flows. The driving force and resistance of saline intrusion were analysed based on the analytical modelling. The destruction and reconstruction of the equilibrium between fresh water seepage towards sea and saline dispersion to inland were considered as an essence of whole intrusion process. The dynamic process of seepage and dispersion at different stages of saline intrusion were analysed under groundwater over-exploitation. The basic equations of saline intrusion were derived and the mechanism of transitional zone movement was discussed. These constitute coupled seepage–dispersion theory of saline intrusion, which becomes an important supplement to existing theory of saline intrusion. As a case study on saline intrusion in Guangrao County in Eastern China, this theory was applied to predict the development of saline intrusion in the study area.     

Characteristics of trace elements in contaminated rivers and their environmental significance

Several rivers researched around Taihu Lake in Chinese eastern plain are distributed to the west of the lake. Pollutants of different types from tributaries and inlets flow directly into the main rivers and finally into the lake. They change trace elements of rivers fi＇om which we can analyze. Researches about trace elements are helpful for understanding the pollutant characteristics, industrial structure and agricultural cultivation in the area of network rivers in the plain of China. Samples of water column, suspended matter and sediment were collected fi＇om the west rivers of Taihu Lake, which represent three typical rivers. Observation in the field and the primary composition analysis showed the Caoqiao River was mainly contaminated by industrial wastewater, the Liangxi River was discharged by domestic sewage and the Dapu River was principally input by farmland runoff. REE concentrations and their normalized curves showed obvious characters for rivers discharged by different sewages. The contents of total REE in water column followed the order of the Caoqiao River, the Dapu River and the Liangxi River fi＇om high to low. TREEs in suspended matter and sediments follow the order of the Dapu River 〉 the Caoqiao River 〉 the Liangxi River. REE normalized curves （for Australia shale） suggested that significant diversities were presented in water column, suspended matter and sediments, i.e., heavy REE enrichment in water, middle REE enrichment in suspended matter, and smooth curves for sediments. But the heavy pollution resulted in several anomalous curves in the same rivers. Some element ratios were selected as indices for polluted rivers based on their geochemical properties and diversities between rivers. The results displayed the discriminative indices for water column, suspended matter and sediment. The effective indices were Pb/Fe, Cr/Fe, Ni/Fe, Pb/Ni, Zn/Ni for water column, Cu/Al, Cu/Fe, Zn/Fe, K/Ca, K/Na, Pb/Co, Zn/Co for suspend matter and Pb/Fe, K/Ca, Ca/Mg, Zn/Ni for sediment, respectively. In general, rivers mainly discharged by industrial sewage have high ratios of Pb/Ni, K/Ca, are enriched in the middle REE and have positive Gd anomaly. The domestic sewage flowing into rivers reveals high ratios of Zn/Ni, Pb/Fe, and is enriched in the heavy REE, and has the positive Eu anomaly. If runoff of farmland enters into the rivers, it will have high ratios of Ca/Mg, K/Na, high lanthanum, and show the smooth normalized curves of REE.     

据高灵敏度航空伽玛能谱资料探讨内蒙巴彦浩特盆地（腾格里沙漠）第四系成钾远景

巴彦浩特盆地自中生代至今一直是一自流水的构造盆地，其具有成钾的构造、气候、水文以及古盐释放等有利条件。该区存在着高灵敏度航空伽玛能谱测量发现的现代高钾异常区，由区内已知盐类矿床（点）的存在及铀、钍元素的地球化学的分布特点知，高钾异常与含钾的盐类物质密切相关。高钾异常的分布及其形态特征表明了本区可能存在较深层卤水，并高钾异常的形成是由于沙丘带与盐湖带问的风积作用、两者间的内循环作用以及两者对较深层卤水存在的蒸发作用的共同结果。根据统计及估算，本区可称之为一具一定远景储量的钾盐远景区。它反映了钾盐富集的一种不同形式，实则体现了构造、气候、水文、盐湖、沙漠五者的密切相关和极好的统一，是沙丘（山）型钾盐成矿模式的代表。     

GIS环境下污水管网设计流量的快速计算

针对ＧＩＳ环境下污水管网设计问题，提出了一种快速计算管段设计流量的方法——递归方法。分析了递归的原理、链式表的建立以及递归算法的具体实现等，并以实例阐述了递归计算的各个步骤     

污水泵浓盐水示踪测流研究

针对污水泵流量监测中常规测流方法的缺点,结合工程实践,研究浓盐水示踪法在污水泵流量监测中的可行性,提出该方法适于在低背景盐浓度下污水的测流;观察激励信号、温度等对测流结果的影响,给出修正方法;利用计算机采集技术,提高方法的准确性、实时性。     

δ15N在污水生物脱氮机理研究中的应用

近年来,硝酸盐氮的污染愈来愈严重.无论是地表水还是地下水都受到不同程度的氮污染.控制氮污染及处理氮污染问题已经提到我国水污染控制的议事日程.本文探索微生物处理含氮污水的过程中反硝化作用的脱氮机理,使用δ15N标识技术研究水体中三氮运移转化过程中的质量不守恒,证明δ15N标识技术研究确定不同形态氮的数量各系是可行的.研究水体中三氮质量不守恒现象,将解决含氮污水生物净化中污泥上浮问题、氮污染含水层生物修复中气阻问题.     

作物的耐盐性及盐水灌溉管理

盐从水分关系、离子毒害、营养和能量平衡等方面影响植物的生长。不同的植物具有不同的耐盐性,同一植物在不同生长期的耐盐性也有差异。有效的灌溉管理是盐水灌溉农业的基础,高频率灌溉有利于缓解由于盐引起的水分亏缺,和对根系带洗盐,同时必须保持植物根系带土壤良好的通透条件。沙地更适合于盐水灌溉,滴灌是最为有效的灌溉方式。灌溉水盐分的增加将导致大多数作物的产量下降,但某些作物品质的改善可在一定程度上补偿产量下降的损失。