Refining the pre-industrial atmospheric Pb isotope evolution curve in Europe using an 8000 year old peat core from NW Spain

Pb pollution has existed for several millennia and remains relevant today. By using peat cores as environmental archives it is possible to reconstruct this long history on a regional scale. This is a significant contribution to the findings from ice core records, the only other archive recording purely atmospheric additions. Without information that allows linking and comparison between sites regionally, within Europe and elsewhere, our ability to make coherent global models of the natural Pb cycle, and anthropogenic forcing of this cycle, is limited. In this respect, the characteristics of the Pb pre-pollution aerosol (PPA) are important to define globally. We characterize for the first time a PPA in Southern Europe with [Pb] = 0.78 ± 0.86 μg g^− 1, net Pb accumulation rates of 0.032 ± 0.030 mg m^− 2 y^− 1 and a ²⁰⁶Pb / ²⁰⁷Pb signature of 1.25470 ± 0.02575. This PPA Pb isotope signature is more radiogenic than that found thus far in Western and Northern Europe. Spain is a historically important mining site. Using three-isotope plots and a pool of potential Pb isotope signatures, a detailed source appointment of both natural and anthropogenic Pb sources was made. We found evidence of Saharan aridification and its termination ∼4400 BP and/or agricultural signals and strong local control (from rock and soil) of the Pb PPA. Human impact is first recorded at 3210 BP but does not exceed 50% of deposited Pb until 3005 BP. Mines in SE Spain dominate early Pb pollution history at this site. During the rise of Roman rule, contributions come from mines in N, NW and SW Spain with no strong indication of other European mining activities. In Medieval and Industrial times local contributions to the peat bog are reduced.     

The lacustrine sedimentary records of coal-burning atmospheric pollution

With the acceleration of industrialization, coal- burning atmospheric pollution is getting more and more serious in many regions in China. However, there are only about ten odd years literature records about pollution in some large and mid-sized cities, where the atmosphere has perhaps been polluted for several decades, and therefore it is difficult to know the process and characteristic of pollution, and diffi-cult to evaluate its damage to environment. Lacustrine sediment, a natural record w…     

Sorption of Eu~(3+) onto nano-size silica-water interfaces

A large amount of nuclear wastes has been pro-duced due to nuclear weapon development and nuclear electricity generation. One possible resolution for the disposal of the nuclear wastes is to seal them in an underground repository, which requires detailed knowledge on the mobility, chemical behavior and immobilization of radionuclides in underground water. In addition, toxic heavy metals are extensively present in ground and underground water, how to immobilize and remedy these toxic heavy meta…     

Chemical forms of heavy metal contaminants in sediments of Miyun reservoir

The chemical forms, spatial distribution and sources of As, Hg, Cd, Pb and Zn in sediments of the Miyun reservoir were studied. The results of sequential extraction demonstrate that most of As, Pb and Zn were bound to the residual fraction, Hg was associated with the sulfide fraction while Cd was associated with the carbonate fraction and the residual fraction. On the vertical profiles the concentrations of the heavy metals in total and each fractions mostly decreased with increasing depths in sediments, suggesting that the heavy metals input from the upstream watershed increases yearly. Summation of the residual fraction, the sulfide fraction and the carbonate fraction accounts for 60.03%―85.60% of the total heavy metal contents in the sediments, which represent the geochemical background values of the elements and relate closely to soil erosion. Results of the main factor analysis show that most sediments of the reservoir come from the upstream soil erosion, the point source pollution and domestic waste. Moreover, the microbial activities taking place on the sediment-water interface are also one of the major factors to cause the increasing content of the organic matter fraction and the iron-manganese oxide fraction. Environmental change of the reservoir water could make the removability of the heavy metals increase, leading to the increase of their concentrations in pore water in sediments, and imperiling water quality of the reservoir.     

Assessment of regional air pollution distribution by point cumulative semivariogram method at Erzurum urban center, TURKEY

In the assessment of air quality, regional distribution and dispersion with distance are important, together with the variations of pollutants in time. On this occasion, the point cumulative semi-variogram (PCSV) method is used in order to find simply regional distribution of pollutants of Erzurum urban centre. This method is based simply on the summation of square differences in air pollutant concentrations between different sites. Monthly regional variation maps of Erzurum are constructed by finding radius of influence (for SO₂, from 1000 m to 3500 m and, for TSP, 1000–2000 m) and PCSV scattering diagram data at different levels by using monthly average sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and total suspended particulate (TSP) matter concentrations in 2001–2002 winter season. Consequently, the air pollution distribution of Erzurum is assessed.     

Ruthenium-ion-catalyzed oxidation of asphaltenes and oil-source correlation of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tahe oilfields in the Tarim Basin, NW China

The identification of marine source rocks in the Tarim Basin is debated vigorously. The intention of this paper is to investigate the asphahenes in heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields and Well TD2 with ruthenium-ions-catalyzed oxidation technique (RICO), in order to explore its role in oil-oil and oil-source correlations, The RICO products included n-alkanoic acids, α,ω-di-n-alkanoic acids, branched alkanoic acids, tricyclic terpanoic acids, hopanoic acids, gammacerane carboxylic acid , regular sterane carboxylic acids and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids. The n-alkyl chains and biomarkers bounded on the asphaltenes were of unsusceptibility to biodegradation. The distribution and absolute concentrations of n-alkanoic acids in the RICO products of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields are different from those of Well TD2. The biomarkers bounded on the asphahenes, especially steranes, have a distribution trend similar to that of the counterparts in saturates. The sterane carboxylic acids and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids in the RICO products of heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tahe oilfields, dominated by C30 sterane and C31 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids, respectively, are significantly different from those of the heavy oils of Well TD2, whose dominating sterane and 4-methylsterane carboxylic acids are C28 sterane and C29 4-methylsterane acids, respectively. The RICO products of the asphaltenes further indicate that the Middle-Upper Ordovician may be the main source rocks for heavy oils from the Lunnan and Tabe oilfields.     

Microorganisms in Lianxian lateritic gold deposit in Guangdong and their effects on leaching of heavy metals

Microorganisms in the lateritic profiles of the Lianxian gold deposit in Guangdong were cultured, isolated and identified. The microorganisms include bacteria such as Bacillus, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus, Actinetobacter, Aeromona, Listeria, Agrobacteriura, Cotyttebacteriurn, and Moraxella, fungi such as Penicillium, Alter naria, Cladosporium, Saccharcornyces, Mucor, and the chemoautotrophic Thiobacillu.~. It is shown in a leaching experiment that the microorganisms can accelerate the leaching of Cu, Cd, Zn, and that the G- bacteria are most efficient for leaching Cu, Zn and the G^ bacteria are better for leaching Cd.     

Efficient use of resources: urban waste ash and soil fertility on the Jos Plateau, Nigeria

Waste disposal constitutes an acute problem in numerous African cities. One solution could lie in the recycling of the nutrient-rich waste into agriculture taking place in and around cities. Farmers involved in vegetable production around Jos, Nigeria, have developed a sophisticated soil fertility management strategy combining inorganic fertilizers, manure and urban waste ash. This paper: (1) investigates the socio-economic constraints linked to obtaining scarce organic inputs, particularly urban waste ash and the health hazards (particularly heavy metal contamination of soil and crops) caused by using this ash and (2) suggests ways to improve use of this important resource.     

Transformation of arsenic compounds in modern intertidal sediments of Iriomote Island, Japan

The arsenic accumulation process in intertidal sediments of Iriomote Island, Japan, is analyzed as a naturally balanced arsenic-fixation system. Major and minor element chemistry is analyzed by X-ray fluorescence photometry, mineralogy is investigated by X-ray diffractometry, and four arsenic compounds are characterized by hydrogen-generated atomic absorption photometry. It is found that arsenic is accumulated by iron hydroxides/oxides precipitated following the decomposition of humic acids in the shallower sediment, and is subsequently incorporated into iron sulfide minerals at depth. The arsenic is immobile during incorporation into arsenic-bearing phases, suggesting that arsenic is unlikely to be released into the porewater under natural conditions in early diagenesis. The formation and decomposition of arsenic-bearing organic compounds appear to be associated with the formation and decomposition of arsenic in oxyhydroxides/oxides, suggesting that microbial activity may play an important role in controlling the behavior of arsenic and arsenic-bearing phases in the sediment column.     

Correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metals in urban topsoil: a case study from the city of Xuzhou, China

Anthropogenic influence, mainly due to urban and industrial activities and traffic exhaust, may affect urban topsoil via atmospheric contamination and solid waste. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were conducted on 21 urban topsoil samples from the city of Xuzhou, China. High intensities of magnetic susceptibility were detected in the majority of the samples. SEM analysis shows that magnetic minerals are in the form of spherules and mainly due to anthropogenic inputs. The heavy metals Pb, Cu, Zn, Se, Sc, Mo, Fe, and Bi show strong correlations with magnetic susceptibility, and Ag, Ba, Cd, Ni, Cr, Sb, and Sn, on the other hand, show a weak correlation with magnetic susceptibility. Whereas, of these metals studied, only Hg has no significant correlation with the susceptibility. The Tomlinson pollution load index (PLI) also shows significant correlation with the susceptibility (χ). The present study shows that magnetic susceptibility is a fast, inexpensive, and non-destructive method for the detection and mapping of contaminated soils.