Use of variograms for field magnetometry analysis in Upper Silesia Industrial Region

Measurements of topsoil magnetic susceptibility are often used for quick assessment of soil contamination of anthropogenic origin, with heavy metals or other pollutants. However, because of complicated correlations between low-field magnetic susceptibility (shortened to magnetic susceptibility) of topsoil and soil pollution, the outcome of a field magnetometry survey can not be related directly to soil pollution. For each case study, the results should be interpreted on their own taking into account not only the type of pollution but also pedogenic, biogenic and environmental factors. In practice, it is very difficult to measure and consider all these factors. Here we illustrate the merit of geostatistical methods, which are focused on the spatial variability of a phenomenon, in the interpretation of soil magnetometry results. This article presents the analysis of spatial variability of top soil layers magnetic susceptibility-within the Upper Silesia Industrial Region (USIR)-using semivariance analysis. It also explains how to adjust the sampling density of field magnetometry measurements to spatial variability of the soil pollution as well as to the spatial scale of the investigated area. For this purpose, the values of magnetic susceptibility have been measured by using various sampling densities at areas of different size located within USIR. This enabled to determine the main scales of magnetic susceptibility spatial variability of soils within USIR using semivariance. A few distinct scales of variability were found from the site scale to a more regional scale. Variability ranges of 30 km, 12 km, and 5 km refer to the large regional scale, whereas smaller ranges of few hundreds down to a few tens of meters, can be attributed to the local (site) scale. In addition, the precision of the measuring campaigns, performed within USIR with different sampling densities, was compared through the analysis of the spatial variability of the soil magnetic susceptibility signal by using ordinary kriging. jarek97@yahoo.com, piotr.fabijanczyk@is.pw.edu.pl     

210Pb and 137Cs dating methods in lakes: A retrospective study

²¹⁰Pb has been used for more than two decades to provide the geochronology of annually deposited sediments and to construct pollution histories. Evidence from some lakes suggests that this radionuclide may be adequately mobile to compromise dating reliability. This study provides one test of that possibility by comparing recent measurements of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals to ones carried out more than 20 yrs in the past. ¹³⁷Cs dating is used to confirm sediment accumulation rates in the recent cores. In the three Connecticut, USA, lakes studied, sediment accumulation rates changed abruptly to higher values between 40-50 yrs ago (increasing by factors of 2.2, 2.9, and 3.0). In all three lakes, rates calculated from ²¹⁰Pb distributions both above and below this horizon agreed, within measurement uncertainty, in recent and older cores. Furthermore, when the older data were corrected for 20 yrs of burial, the changes in slope in ²¹⁰Pb distributions occurred at the same depth in each pair of cores. The depth of sharp peaks in concentrations of trace metals also matched. In general, this evidence supports the idea that sediments in these lakes have simply been buried, without significant diagenetic remobilization of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals . Nevertheless, some important differences were also observed. For two of the three lakes, there was a significant difference in average sediment accumulation rate during the past 33 yrs as calculated from ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb in the recent cores. Most potential causes for this difference can be ruled out, and it appears that one of the two nuclides is remobilized compared to the other. There were also significant differences in the total inventories of both ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals (both up to 2 ×) between recent and older cores in some cases. This may be due to dissimilar sediment focusing, since it is not known for certain whether the new cores were collected at exactly the same sites as in the past.     

去除废水中重金属的低成本吸附剂:生物质和地质材料的环境利用

经济、有效、易获得的生物质和地质材料 (及二者的废弃物 )可用来取代传统的活性炭或离子交换树脂用于去除废水中的重金属。已经公开发表的低成本吸附剂主要可分为两类 :(1)生物质 (包括林业和农业的废弃物 ) :树皮 /富含丹宁酸的物质 ,木质素 ,几丁质 /甲壳质 ,死的生物体 ,苔藓 ,海草 /海藻 /褐藻酸 ,废弃的茶叶 ,稻壳 ,羊毛 ,棉花等 ;(2 )地质材料 (包括矿物利用后的工业废弃物 ) :沸石 ,粘土 ,泥炭 ,有铁氧化物包壳的砂 ,粉煤灰等。其中 ,对于重金属具有强吸附能力的吸附剂有甲壳质、沸石和木质素 ,例如 ,它们对一些重金属的最大吸附能力分别为 :甲壳质对Cd ,Hg ,Pb分别为 5 5 8,112 3 ,796mg/g ,沸石对Pb为 15 5 4mg/g ,木质素对Pb为 15 87mg/g。地质材料的环境利用值得引起地学界和环境工程界更广泛的重视。基于地质材料和水岩相互作用机理的环境污染控制技术有望成为 2 1世纪重要的环保替代技术。由于缺少连续的可比性强的成本信息 ,要比较不同的生物质和地质材料的成本和吸附性能仍较困难。尽管已对低成本吸附剂领域进行了很多研究 ,但要更好地了解低成本吸附剂的作用机理及其实用性 ,仍需要做大量的室内和现场工作。     

The Contribution of Ecdysis to the Fate of Copper, Zinc and Cadmium in Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio Holthius

Depuration through ecdysis by grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was examined by exposure to a sublethal mixture of copper, zinc and cadmium for 72 h, followed by placement in uncontaminated water to molt. Percent eliminated with the exuviae varied for each metal; of the total intermolt body burden, 11% Cu, 18% Zn and 26% Cd was associated with the exuviae. Cu concentrations of intermolt exoskeletons were significantly higher than of the exuviae of post-ecdysis shrimp suggesting that Cu contained in the exoskeleton was reabsorbed before molting. Exuvial Cd concentration was not significantly different than the concentration of the intermolt exoskeleton, suggesting that most Cd in the exoskeleton was depurated with the exuviae. Although Zn whole-body burdens were lower after a molt, Zn losses were most likely due to excretion because exuvial concentrations were significantly lower than in the intermolt exoskeleton. Cu, Cd and Zn concentrations in exuviae shed in metal-enriched water were significantly higher due to adsorption than exuviae produced in uncontaminated water.     

Trace metals in acid sediments and waters, Pimpama catchment, southeast Queensland, Australia

The Pimpama River floodplain has developed over the last several thousand years as a result of sea-level fluctuations that shaped the lower catchment and enabled the formation of sedimentary pyrite. The subsequent production of sulfuric acid due to the oxidation of this pyrite enhances the breakdown of metal-bearing sediments and can lead to leaching of major and trace metals into the waters of the region. The seasonal pattern of rainfall and current land-use activities are important aspects that intensify the natural production of acid and influence the release and distribution of metals. To identify the source and migration of metals in the Pimpama catchment and to understand the impact of pyrite oxidation on the distribution of metals in sediments and waters, several components of the drainage system were analyzed: bedrock, sediments from river bed and bank, and water. The elements analyzed in this study (V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) are all present in the bedrock material which explains their occurrence in the unconsolidated sediments of the floodplain. These metals concentrate in the upper section of the sedimentary sequence and their presence is related to clay minerals such as smectite, organic matter and iron phases. However, Zn, Mo and Co occur in higher amounts than the local background and within standard shale. This comparison suggests that the diagenetic processes alone cannot explain the higher concentrations and it is concluded that these metals also have an anthropogenic source. The formation of sulfuric acid creates conditions for higher mobility of some metals, such as Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, but does not affect less mobile ones such as Mo and Pb. Over the longterm, the production of acid influences the breakdown of mineral phases and enhances the process of weathering. Over the short term, every rain event leaches acid from sediments and mobilizes metals resulting in a substantial reduction in the quality of river water. Received: 2 October 1998 · Accepted: 16 February 1999     

Sources, distribution and storage of heavy metals in the Río Pilcomayo, Bolivia

The Río Pilcomayo rises on the Cerro Rico de Potosí precious metal-polymetallic tin deposits of Bolivia, and flows in a southeasterly direction for ca. 600 km to Bolivia's southern border with Argentina. Mining of the Potosí deposits has occurred continuously since 1545, generating large quantities of waste materials in the headwater of the basin. In addition, a tailings dam breach at the Porco mine in 1996 released an estimated 235 000 m³ of tailings and fluid into the upper reaches of the Río Pilaya, the largest tributary to the Pilcomayo.Concentrations of As, Sb, Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ag, Tl and Zn in contemporary channel sediments upstream of the Pilaya confluence are significantly elevated above background values. Elevated levels appear to be associated with pyrite- and other sulphide mineral-bearing tailings materials transported more than 200 km downstream of the Potosí mines. Significant downstream declines in elemental concentrations occur within 15 km, and again between 150 and 200 km, from the mines. The initial decrease in concentrations is due to the rapid dilution of nearly pure tailings effluent released to the river from milling facilities near Potosí. The latter decrease results from a combination of geomorphic processes including the storage of sediment-borne metals within the channel bed and the influx of ‘clean’ sediment from several large tributaries. Downstream of the Pilaya confluence, concentrations of Cu, Pb, Hg and Zn are only slightly elevated above background values, and Ag, Cd, Sb and Tl cannot be distinguished from background levels. These data suggest that while the Porco tailings spill may have had a significant short-term impact on sediment and water quality along the lower reaches of the Río Pilcomayo, its longer-term impacts were limited. Metals stored and eroded from alluvial deposits of historical age in upstream reaches appear to be an important source of metals to the river today. An additional, and perhaps more significant source, is the release of tailings effluent to the river from modern milling operations. The transport of these contaminants downstream of Icla (203 km from Potosí) appears to be restricted by aggradational processes occurring in the vicinity of Puente Sucre. In addition, downstream of the confluence of the Río Pilaya, inputs of large amounts of ‘clean’ sediment have caused dilution of the metal contaminants. Data from other studies where similar geomorphic processes have occurred suggest that the metals in the upper Pilcomayo may eventually be moved downvalley as the aggradational processes are reversed and channel stabilisation occurs. Thus, the most significant impacts of metal contamination may not be realised in downstream areas for decades.     

Variations in heavy metals concentrations in Antarctic snows from 1940 to 1980

Concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn have been measured using improved ultraclean procedures in a succession of twenty six snow samples integrating a 40 yr time sequence from 1940 to 1980 which were collected from the walls of a 6 m deep pit at stake D 55 in Adelie Land, East Antarctica. Measured concentrations, which are among the lowest ones ever measured in Antarctic snows, are found not to have significantly increased during the investigated time period, with the possible exception of Pb for which there might have been a significant increase after the mid 1960's. For this last metal, measured concentrations in the 1940's are about 6-fold higher than in Antarctic Holocene ice several thousand years old, which indicates that a large fraction of the anthropogenic increase for Pb probably occurred before the 1940's.     

Studies on Separation of Heavy Metals from Acidic Solutions by Foam Fractionation with Respect to an Application on Acidic Soil Extracts

An experimental investigation is presented on the batch foam fractionation of the heavy metal cations Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Sb³⁺ and As⁵⁺ from diluted aqueous solutions with hexamethylenedithiocarbamate (HMDC) as complexing agent and sodiumdodecylsulfate (SDS) as surfactant. Among the considered pH-values of 2,4 and 7 the pH 2 experiments allow a direct application of foam fractionation on acidic extracts from heavy metal contaminated soil. The experiments at pH 2 and pH 4 show better results than those at neutral pH. Although a simple device was used, a maximum enrichment factor of 13.8 and a minimum removal factor of 0.01 have been measured. The flotation with weak organic acids like citric acid (CA) and acetic acid (AA) show about 50–70% smaller enrichment factors than those acidified with hydrochloric acid. The dissolution and mixing of the reacting components as well as the concentration of the detergent and the gaseous volume flow can be regarded as basic parameters of foam fractionation.     

Trace metal composition of and accumulation rates of sediments in the Upper Gulf of Thailand

Sediment cores and grab samples were collected in the Upper Gulf of Thailand to determine sedimentation rates and to determine if metal concentrations reflect anthropogenic inputs.Accumulation rates of sediments in the Upper Gulf measured using the ²¹⁰Pb method, appear to vary from ca. 4 to 11 mm yr^?1. Sediment budgets suggest that little of the sediment delivered to the Upper Gulf by the major rivers is ultimately transported to the Lower Gulf. Metal concentrations in Upper Gulf sediments appear to be dominantly controlled by natural inputs.