Approaches to the identification of the origin of heavy metals in bottom sediments and standardization problems: Case study of two SDPP reservoirs in ural region

Concentrations of seven metals in bottom sediments of water-cooling reservoirs of Yuzhnoural’skaya and Troitskaya SDPPs, as well as of less polluted Verkhneural’skoe Reservoir (Chelyabinsk province) are studied. Small samples taken during one season were used as an example to consider three variants of data analysis: comparison with regional control, search for pair correlations between metals, and multidimensional approach. The usefulness of factor analysis for revealing the sources of metals supply to water bodies is demonstrated. The origin of three identified groups of metals is considered from the viewpoint of SDPP operation (for Fe and Pb), correlation with organic matter (for Cu, Zn, Mn), and washing out from nickel-bearing components of soil (for Ni and Co). The problem of choice of monitoring indicators corresponding to the objective of the study is discussed.     

Environmental-geochemical state of the Yuzhnoural’skaya SDPP reservoir

The presented results were obtained in a long-term multidisciplinary study of the water-cooling reservoir of the Yuzhnoural’skaya SDPP, burning high-ash brown coals from the Chelyabinsk Basin. Up-to-date analytical methods (X-ray fluorescence analysis on synchrotron beams, atomic absorption spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis) were used to study the microelement composition of coal, ash, and slag of the Yuzhnoural’skaya SDPP, soils from ash dumps and territories adjacent to the SDPP, as well as reservoir bottom sediments. The hydrochemical characteristics of the reservoir and water chemistry in the SDPP engineering system were determined. The levels of accumulation of microelements and heavy metals by aquatic organisms in the reservoir were evaluated. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the sources of arsenic in the reservoir.     

Applications of Natural Radiation-Induced Paramagnetic Defects in Quartz to Exploration in Sedimentary Basins

INTRODUCTION Point defects in quartz have attracted intensiveand continuing research since the 1950s ( Weil ,2000 ,1984 ; Marfunin, 1979 ; Weeks , 1956 ; McClellandand Donoghue ,1953) because they are key factors inenhancing ( or reducing) device performance andquality of this i mportant piezoelectric and optical ma-terial (Beall ,1994) .Point defects in quartz are usu-ally dilute in concentration and,therefore ,are ame-nable to study by only a fewstructural techniques ,ofwhich electron…