Microbial and non-biological decomposition of chlorophenols and phenol in soil

The aerobic and anaerobic degradation of phenol and selected chlorophenols was examined in a clay loam soil containing no added nutrients. A simple, efficient procedure based on the high solubility of these compounds in 95% ethanol was developed for extracting phenol and chlorophenol residues from soil. Analysis of soil extracts with UV spectrophotometry showed that phenol,o-chlorophenol,p-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol were rapidly degraded, whilem-chlorophenol, 3,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol were degraded very slowly by microorganisms in aerobically-incubated soil at 23°C. Both 3,4,5-trichlorophenol and 2,3,4,5-tetra chlorophenol appeared to be more resistant to degradation by aerobic soil microorganisms at 23°C. None of the compounds examined were degraded by microorganisms in anaerobically-incubated soil at 23°C. Direct microscopic observation revealed that phenol and selected chlorophenols stimulated aerobic and to a lesser extent, anaerobic microbial growth in soil, and aerobic soil bacteria were responsible for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in aerobically-incubated soil at 23°C. Phenol,o-chlorophenol,m-chlorophenol,p-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol underwent rapid non-biological degradation in sterile silica sand. Non-biological decomposition contributed, perhaps substantially, to the removal of some chlorophenols from sterile aerobically-incubated soil and both sterile and non-sterile anaerobically-incubated soil.     

Microorganisms in sewage sludge added to an extreme alkaline saline soil affect carbon and nitrogen dynamics

There are plans to vegetate soil of the former lake Texcoco and use wastewater sludge to provide nutrients. However, the Texcoco soil is N depleted, so the amount of N available to the vegetation might be limited and the dynamics of C and N affected. We investigated how emissions of CO₂, N₂O and N₂, and dynamics of mineral N were affected when different types of N fertilizer, i.e. NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, or unsterilized or sterilized wastewater sludge, were added to the Texcoco soil. An agricultural soil served as control. Sewage sludge added to an alkaline saline soil (Texcoco soil) induced a decrease in concentrations of NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻. Addition of sewage sludge increased the CO₂ emission rate > two times compared to soil amended with sterilized sludge. The NH₄⁺ concentration was lower when sludge was added to an agricultural soil for the first 28 days and in the Texcoco soil for 56 days compared to soil amended with sterilized sludge. Production of N₂O in the agricultural soil was mainly due to nitrification, even when sludge was added, but denitrification was the main source of N₂O in the Texcoco soil. Microorganisms in the sludge reduced N₂O to N₂, but not the soil microorganisms. It was found that microorganisms added with the sludge accelerated organic material decomposition, increased NH₄⁺ immobilization, and induced immobilization of NO₃⁻ (in Texcoco soil). These results suggest that wastewater sludge improves soil fertility at Otumba (an agricultural soil) and would favour the vegetation of the Texcoco soil (alkaline saline).     

Occurrence of PPCPs at a Wastewater Treatment Plant and in Soil and Groundwater at a Land Application Site

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) can reach soil and aquatic environments through land application of wastewater effluent and agricultural runoff. The objective of this research was to assess the fate of PPCPs at field scale. PPCPs were measured systematically in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), and in soil and groundwater receiving treated effluent from the WWTP. A land application site in West Texas was used as the study site; it has received treated wastewater effluent from the WWTP for more than 70 years in order to remove additional nutrients and irrigate non-edible crops. Target compounds (estrone, 17??-estradiol, estriol, 17??-ethynylestradiol, triclosan, caffeine, ibuprofen, and ciprofloxacin) in wastewater, sewage sludge, soil, and groundwater were determined using HPLC/UV with qualitative confirmatory analyses using GC/MS. Samples were collected quarterly over 12 months for wastewater and sludge samples and over 9 months for soil and groundwater samples. Results indicated that concentrations of PPCPs in wastewater influent, effluent, sludge solid phase, and sludge liquid phase were in the range of non-detected (ND)-183 ??g/L, ND-83 ??g/L, ND-19 ??g/g, and ND-50 ??g/L, respectively. Concentrations in soil and groundwater samples were in the range of ND-319 ng/g and ND-1,745 ??g/L, respectively. GC/MS confirmation data were consistent with the results of HPLC/UV analyses. Overall, data indicate that PPCPs in the wastewater effluent from the WWTP transport both vertically and horizontally in the soil, and eventually reach groundwater following land application of the effluent.     

Characterization of Burkholderia sp. XTB‐5 for Phenol Degradation and Plant Growth Promotion and Its Application in Bioremediation of Contaminated Soil

A key issue when researching land degradation is the pollution of soils. For bioremediation of contaminated soil, Burkholderia sp. XTB‐5 cells were obtained from soil and grown on mineral salt medium with initial phenol concentrations of 650 mg L⁻¹ and 850 mg L⁻¹, which were found to degrade more than 98% of phenol content in less than 4 days. About 90% of phenol content (with initial concentration of 250 mg kg⁻¹ soil) was removed from soil inoculated with XTB‐5 cells in 6 days. More than 90% of phenol content was removed within 20 days after co‐introduction of XTB‐5 cells and plants to sterilized soil in a greenhouse or to natural soil in field trials. But under the same conditions, individual introduction of plants to sterilized soil in the greenhouse reduced phenol content by about 50% and introduction to natural soil in field trials reduced phenol content by about 38%, suggesting that phytoremediation of phenol is often inefficient and microorganisms can efficiently degrade this pollutant. In addition, strain XTB‐5 was found to solubilize phosphate and produce 1‐Aminocyclopropane‐1‐Carboxylate (ACC) deaminase and siderophore. Strain XTB‐5 promoted plant growth in both phenol‐absent and phenol‐spiked soil under greenhouse and field conditions. Considering that ACC deaminase is beneficial to plant growth under adverse environmental conditions, plant growth promotion by XTB‐5 in phenol‐contaminated soil is not only due to XTB‐5 cell‐degradation of phenol and reduced phytotoxicity but also to production of ACC deaminase. Hence, Burkholderia sp. XTB‐5 presents an attractive microorganism for phytoremediation of contaminated soil and agronomic application. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

生物炭：一种新型改良剂能修复矿物、工业以及污水废弃物污染的土壤

Mine tailings, waste rock piles, acid mine drainage, industrial wastewater, and sewage sludge have contaminated a vast area of cultivable and fallow lands, with a consequence of deterioration of soil and water quality and watercourses due to the erosion of contaminated soils for absence of vegetative cover.High concentrations of toxic elements, organic contaminants, acidic soils, and harsh climatic conditions have made it difficult to re-establish vegetation and produce crops there. Recently, a significant body of work has focussed on the suitability and potentiality of biochar as a soil remediation tool that increases seed emergence, soil and crop productivity, above ground biomass, and vegetation cover on mine tailings, waste rock piles, and industrial and sewage waste-contaminated soils by increasing soil nutrients and water-holding capacity, amelioration of soil acidity, and stimulation of microbial diversity and functions. This review addresses: i) the functional properties of biochar, and microbial cycling of nutrients in soil; ii) bioremediation, especially phytoremediation of mine tailings, industrial waste, sewage sludge, and contaminated soil using biochar; iii) impact of biochar on reduction of acid production, acid mine drainage treatment, and geochemical dynamics in mine tailings; and iv) treatment of metal and organic contaminants in soils using biochar, and restoration of degraded land.     

Microbiological and chemical changes in two arable soils after long-term sludge amendments

 Sludge amendments increase the input of carbon and nutrients to the soil. However, the soil concentrations of heavy metals and xenobiotica can also increase due to sludge amendments, with possible effects on soil microorganisms and soil fertility. Therefore, we studied the effects on soil microorganisms and soil chemistry in two arable soils after 12 and 16 years of sewage sludge amendment (0, 1 and 3 dry matter ha^–1 year^–1). The sludge amendments were combined with nitrogen addition at three rates according to crop requirements, and all combinations were replicated 4 times, giving a total number of 36 parcels at each experimental site in a non-randomised block design. Univariate data evaluation as well as principal component analysis and discriminant function analysis (DFA) were used to identify differences between treatments in microbial and chemical parameters. The DFA showed that acid and alkaline phosphatase, potential ammonium oxidation and total nitrogen were the most important parameters to discriminate between a priori defined groups of sludge treatments. Among the heavy metals, copper showed the highest increase in soil concentration with sludge amendments, but this increase was still not high enough to have a significant influence on the measured parameters. None of the xenobiotica investigated was found in high soil concentrations. In conclusion, the present study showed that the sewage sludge affected several of the biological and chemical parameters investigated. However, no severe negative effects on soil microorganisms were detected at these moderate levels of sludge amendment. Received: 3 December 1998     

Contamination of soils and groundwater with new organic micropollutants: A review

The input of organic micro- and nanopollutants to the environment has grown in recent years. This vast class of substances is referred to as emerging micropollutants, and includes organic chemicals of industrial, agricultural, and municipal provenance. There are three main sources of emerging pollutants coming to the environment, i.e., (1) upon soil fertilization with sewage and sewage sludge; (2) soil irrigation with reclaimed wastewater and (3) due to filtration from municipal landfills of solid wastes. These pollutants contaminate soil, affect its inhabitants; they are also consumed by plants and penetrate to the groundwater. The pharmaceuticals most strongly affect the biota (microorganisms, earthworms, etc.). The response of microorganisms in the contaminated soil is controlled not only by the composition and the number of emerging pollutants but also by the geochemical environment.     

Operational Optimisation of Pilot Scale Biological Nutrient Removal at the Ciudad Real (Spain) Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plant

The aim of this work is optimising operating conditions for a possibleimplementation of a Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) process in the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Ciudad Real (Spain). Several factors (hydraulic retention times, anaerobic nitrate concentration, sludge age and wastewater biodegradability) were tested using a pilot scale VIP (Virginia Initiative Plant) activated sludge process and domestic wastewater from the full scale plant. Hydraulic retention times used did not cause changes in N and P removal. P removal was adversely affected by anaerobic NO₃ ^- and improved with higher BOD₅/COD ratios in wastewater. Influence of sludge age was very low in P removal, but N removal was mainly affected by this factor. Final operating conditions were selected taking into account their effects over one of both nutrients. COD and SS removal were always successful. N removal was also easily reached and the main difficulty was P removal. P sludge content was very low (2.5–4%) approximately and was also affected by the same factors tested. The main factor to improve P removal was supposed to be the organic wastewater composition. Wastewater characteristics were modified by using different sources from the WWTP. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) addition to the wastewater by using supernatant of the anaerobic sludge digesters seemed to be the best practical solution for a future BNR implementation in the WWTP.     

Changes in the microbial activity of an arid soil amended with urban organic wastes

Changes produced in the biological characteristics of an arid soil by the addition of various urban wastes (municipal solid waste, sewage sludge and compost) at different doses, were evaluated during a 360-day incubation experiment. The addition of organic materials to the soil increased the values of biomass carbon, basal respiration, biomass C/total organic C ratio and metabolic quotient (qCO₂), indicating the activation of soil microorganisms. These biological parameters showed a decreasing tendency with time. Nevertheless, their values in amended soils were higher than in control soil, which clearly indicates the improvement of soil biological quality brought about by the organic amendment. This favorable effect on soil biological activity was more noticeable with the addition of fresh wastes (municipal solid waste or sewage sludge) than with compost. In turn, this effect was more permanent when the soil was amended with municipal solid waste than when it was amended with sewage sludge. Received: 28 May 1996     

Leaching of heavy metals and nutrients from calcareous sandy‐loam soil receiving municipal solid sewage sludge

Leaching column experiments were conducted to determine the degree of mobility of heavy metals (HMs) and nutrients after the addition of municipal solid sewage sludge (MSS) in a sandy‐loam soil. Treatments were (1) soil application of low metal content MSS, (2) soil application of metal‐enriched municipal solid sewage sludge (EMSS), and (3) control. The MSS application represented a dose of 200 Mg dry weight (dw) ha^–1. Soil columns were incubated at room temperature for 15 d and were irrigated daily with distilled water to make a total of 557 mm. Leachates were collected and analyzed for HMs and nutrients. The Ni and Pb added to soil via MSS and EMSS were found to be leached through the 20 cm columns of calcareous sandy soil although Ni and Pb concentrations in the percolate were small relative to the total amounts of metals applied. Losses of K⁺ from the EMSS, MSS, and control were 92.5, 82.0, and 52.5 kg ha^–1, respectively. Losses of Mg²⁺ were in the range from 104.4 (control treatment) to 295.2 kg ha^–1 (EMSS), while the loss of Ca²⁺ was in the range from 265.0 (control treatment) to 568.2 kg ha^–1 (EMSS). The results showed that the amounts of P leached from EMSS (3.02 kg ha^–1) and MSS (2.97 kg^–1 ha^–1) were significantly larger than those from the control treatment (1.54 kg ha^–1). The geochemical code Visual MINTEQ was used to calculate saturation indices. Leaching of P in different treatments was controlled by rate‐limited dissolution of hydroxyapatite, β‐tri‐Ca phosphate, and octa‐Ca phosphate. The results indicate that application of MSS to a sandy soil, at the loading rate used in this study, may pose a risk in terms of groundwater contamination with Ni, Pb, and the studied nutrients.     

钢渣与生物质炭配合施用对红壤酸度的改良效果

采用厌氧热解方法制备污泥生物质炭和花生秸秆炭,研究了钢渣和生物质炭单独施用及配合施用对红壤酸度的改良效果,结果表明,钢渣、花生秸秆炭和污泥生物质炭均含有一定量的碱性物质,向红壤中添加钢渣和生物质炭可以中和土壤酸度,提高土壤pH,增加土壤交换性盐基阳离子含量,降低土壤交换性铝含量.90天培养实验结束时,这3种改良剂分别使土壤pH相对对照提高1.10、0.72和0.48.钢渣与花生秸秆炭配合施用对土壤酸度的改良效果最好,使土壤pH相对对照提高2.14,单施污泥生物质炭的改良效果最小.钢渣和生物质炭含一定量的养分元素,添加钢渣和生物质炭可以同时改善土壤肥力.钢渣含丰富的钙,添加钢渣使土壤交换性钙含量增幅最大,相对对照增加4.5倍;添加花生秸秆炭使土壤交换钾增加最显著,相对对照约增加7倍;污泥生物质炭含丰富的磷,添加污泥生物质炭使土壤有效磷增加最显著,相对对照增加5.4倍.添加钢渣和2种生物质炭均显著提高了土壤交换性镁含量,将钢渣与生物质炭配合施用,土壤交换性镁含量的增幅更大.由于钢渣和2种生物质炭的碱含量和养分含量各有特点,因此可以根据土壤酸度状况和养分含量选择将钢渣与不同生物质炭配合施用,以达到既能最大限度中和土壤酸度又能补充土壤所必需养分的目的.     

Enzymatic Treatment of Soils Contaminated with Phenol and Chlorophenols Using Soybean Seed Hulls

This study presents the application of soybean seed hulls for the decontamination and/or detoxification of phenol and chlorophenol polluted soils. The effect of soil was examined on both catalytic activity of soybean seed hull peroxidase (SBP) and enzymatic transformation of phenol, 2-chlorophenol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol through the polymerization reaction. The sorption of the enzyme to soil organic matter was found to account for the loss of partial catalytic activity of soybean seed hulls in a soil slurry environment. The organic matter present in loamy soils, rather than other soluble soil constituents and soil micro-organisms, is a factor in SBP inhibition by soil and the corresponding decline in treatment efficiency of phenol and chlorophenols. Under improved conditions, however, soybean seed hulls demonstrated a satisfactory ability to catalyze the polymerization reaction. Over 96% of total phenols were removed using soybean seed hulls in a soil slurry bioreactor, which demonstrates a great potential in use of soybean seed hulls, a readily available and inexpensive source of SBP, for bioremediation of soils contaminated with phenolic compounds.     

稻草和猪粪发酵残渣配施菌剂对大棚连作土壤的改良作用

采用室内培养试验,研究了稻草和猪粪在大棚内生物发酵进行CO2施肥后产生的发酵残渣接种微生物菌剂（EM和By）对大棚连作土壤的改良作用。结果表明,向供试土壤中添加接种微生物菌剂的发酵残渣后,土壤中细菌和放线菌数量与对照相比显著增加,真菌数量也有一定程度的增加,细菌/真菌比值明显提高; 发酵残渣接种（EM+By）菌剂处理下的土壤脲酶活性和酸性磷酸酶活性分别比对照增加NH+4-N 26.7 mg/（kgd）和酚127.0 mg/（kgh）; （EM+By）处理下的土壤pH值比对照提高了1.14个单位; 至培养结束时,土壤中碱解氮、 速效磷和速效钾含量都有较大程度增加,尤其是土壤速效磷。因此,将发酵残渣接种功能微生物菌剂,可作为一种生物有机肥直接在大棚中使用,将其施用到土壤中有利于改善土壤微生物群落结构,加速土壤养分转化,提高土壤速效养分含量,有效缓解连作土壤酸化问题,对大棚连作土壤起到改良作用。     

Emission of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide and dynamics of mineral N in wastewater sludge,vermicompost or inorganic fertilizer amended soil at different water contents: A laboratory study

Liming or vermicomposting eliminates pathogens from wastewater sludge, but might affect CO₂ and N₂O emissions when added to soil. Soil incubated at 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of its water holding capacity (WHC) was amended with limed or unlimed wastewater sludge, vermicompost or inorganic fertilizer, while emissions of N₂O and CO₂ and mineral N concentrations were monitored in aerobic incubation experiment for 7 days. Application of unlimed wastewater sludge significantly increased the emission of CO₂ compared to the unamended soil, but not the other treatments except when unlimed wastewater sludge was added to soil incubated at 60% WHC. The emission of CO₂, was generally largest in soil incubated at 60% WHC and lowest in soil incubated at 100% WHC. The emission of N₂O after 1 day was significantly larger in soil amended with unlimed wastewater sludge compared to the other treatments, but not when soil was incubated at 100% WHC. The emission of N₂O increased with increased soil water content. The concentration of NH₄⁺ was largest in soil amended with limed or unlimed wastewater sludge and lowest in the unamended soil and soil water content had no clear effect on it. In soil incubated at 40%, 60% and 80% WHC, the largest amount of NO₃⁻ was found in soil amended with inorganic fertilizer and vermicompost and the lowest in the soil amended with unlimed wastewater sludge. The concentration of NO₃⁻ in soil decreased when the soil water content increased in all treatments, except in the soil amended with unlimed wastewater sludge. It was found that water content affected the emission of CO₂ of N₂O and the concentration of NO₃⁻, but not the amount of NH₄⁺ and NO₂⁻ in soil. Application of unlimed wastewater sludge increased the emissions of CO₂ and N₂O and the concentrations of NH₄⁺, but decreased the amount of NO₃⁻ in soil.     

Bioavailability and toxicity of copper in soils: Integrating chemical approaches with responses of microbial biosensors

Copper (Cu) is a trace element essential for the healthy functioning of soil biological systems. However, at elevated concentrations Cu can be a potential toxicant. Consequently, an understanding of Cu availability and toxicity to soil biota is essential for effective ecological assessment of metal impacts in soil. The present study measured the response of a constitutive and Cu specific luminescence marked Pseudomonas fluorescens to Cu analytically determined in five soils.Conditioned Cu amended and historically contaminated soils were used. The free ion, soil pore water and solid-phase Cu were defined analytically by standard techniques frequently used to assess environmental availability of metals in soils, i.e. exchange resin, single and sequential metal extractions. The response of the constitutively expressed biosensor (i.e. a decrease in bioluminescence in the presence of Cu) assessed directly the toxicity of soil pore water Cu. The expression of bioluminescence by the bioreporter (i.e. an induction of bioluminescence by the presence of Cu) enabled quantification of Cu bioavailability in soil pore waters. Analytically determined Cu²⁺ concentrations strongly linked Cu toxicity to the biosensor responses and thus supported the conventional view of free metal ion toxicity in soil solutions. However, in two soils, other forms of Cu than free ion caused a response of the bioreporter, hence were bioavailable. Relationships between biological responses and analytically defined solid-phase Cu fractions identified pools of labile, potentially bioavailable Cu. As no single chemical method could be used to quantify bioavailable fraction of solid-phase Cu in all soils, the bioreporter provided analytical techniques with inherent biological relevance.This study demonstrates that Cu in soils with aged amendments of inorganic salts is more chemically available than in soils treated with sludge containing Cu. These differences are due to the concentration and form of Cu in the aqueous phase and the corresponding extractability of Cu in the soil solid phase. Bioreporter and biosensor validate the performance of rigorous analytical soil chemistry approaches. Their value in soil pollution should be considered a complementary technique rather than an alternative as their performance in complex environmental matrixes is yet to be validated.     

Heavy metal and volatile organic chemical removal and treatment in on-site wastewater infiltration systems

Solvents, greases, and rinse waters from routine vehicle maintenance contain heavy metals and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). In Wisconsin, these fluids enter catch basins along with rinsing waters and are discharged to soil infiltration systems drainfields after mixing with domestic wastewaters in a septic tank. The purpose of this study was to monitor heavy metal and VOC removal and treatment in catch basins and septic tanks at four publicly-owned motor vehicle service stations (MVSS). Cadmium, chromium, and lead were found in catch basin wastewater, septic tank effluent, and septic tank sludge at concentrations ranging from 0.002–7.7 mg L^?1. Lead was found in the highest concentration. The highest concentrations of metals were in septic tank sludge. Of the >50 VOCs scanned for in catch basin wastewater, septic tank effluent, and septic tank sludge samples, 29 were found in concentrations that exceeded analytical detection limits. Concentrations of detected VOCs ranged from 1.0–15,800 µg L^?1 and the highest concentrations of VOCs were found in catch basin wastewater and septic tank sludge. Acetone, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes were the most commonly found VOCs at all sampling locations. Thus, heavy metals and VOCs were not completely removed in catch basins and were discharged to septic tanks where removal occured possibly as these contaminants settled with solids in the sludge. The level of treatment was, however, inadequate and heavy metals and VOCs were discharged to drainfields.     

EFFECTS OF WASTEWATER IRRIGATION IN SOIL PROPERTIES AND HORTICULTURAL CROP (LACTUCA SATIVA L.)

Wastewater reuse can pose risks due to the presence of heavy metals or pathogen microorganisms. The objective of this paper is to assess the possible environmental and human health risks of treated wastewater when applied to horticultural crops. Results show a high influence of treated wastewater in some soil parameters, such as sodium. Results on growth parameters (dry and fresh weight, average height and diameter) show higher values for plants irrigated with treated wastewater than the control. The contribution of nutrients and organic matter from treated wastewater from the Alcázar de San Juan wastewater treatment plant with no additional mineral fertilizer was not sufficient for the normal development of the lettuce plants throughout the three crop seasons. The presence of pathogen microorganisms in two plots was detected in plants and soil.     

废水污泥生物炭对圣女果生长、产量及重金属累积效应的对比评估

To investigate the potential effects of wastewater sludge and sludge biochar on growth, yield and metal bioaccumulation of cherry tomato ({\it Lycopersicon esculentum} L.), a pot experiment was carried out under greenhouse environment with three different treatments, control soil (CP), soil with wastewater sludge (SS) and soil with sludge biochar (SB), to reveal the comparative effect between the amendments of wastewater sludge and sludge biochar.~The soil used for pot experiment was Chromosol.~Wastewater sludge and sludge biochar produced through pyrolysis process at 550 $^\circ$C were applied at 10 t ha$^{-1}$. No significant difference was found in growth and production of cherry tomatoes between wastewater sludge and sludge biochar applications to the soil. The accumulation rates of metals in the fruits were lower in the treatment with sludge biochar than in the treatment with wastewater sludge. The study highlights the benefits of risk mitigation from toxic metal accumulation in fruits using wastewater sludge and sludge biochar as soil conditioners.     

Partitioning of polycyclic musk compounds in soil and aquatic environment—experimental determination of K<Subscript>DOC</Subscript>

Purpose  

Polycyclic musk compounds (PMC) are used as fragrances in cosmetics and detergents and enter rivers via domestic wastewater and sewage treatment plants. Soils can be contaminated by PMC through application of sewage sludge. Accumulation of PMC occurs in sediments and biota due to their persistence and lipophilicity. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is of special relevance for their transport and behavior in the environment as it acts as solubilizer and carrier in aquatic and terrestrial systems. With the distribution coefficient K_DOC, one can predict their affinity to DOM. Different approaches exist to determine K_DOC, resulting in a range of coefficients for a number of organic pollutants. The objective of this study was to determine K_DOC values for PMC using solid-phase microextraction (SPME).     

Assessment of the interactions of metals and nitrilotriacetic acid in soil/sludge mixtures

The solution phase forms of Cu, Mn, Ni, and Zn in digested sewage sludge and a soil/sludge mixture were investigated. Gel filtration chromatographic analysis indicated that Cu and possibly Ni were maintained in solution by association with a soluble, high molecular weight organic fraction; Mn solubility was due to the presence of unbound inorganic species and soluble Zn was distributed equally between the two forms. Speciation of the metals in the solution phase of the soil/sludge mixture generally reflected that of the sludge. However, the total amount of soluble Mn in the soil/sludge mixture was approximately 25 times greater than in the sludge and was attributed to heavy metal induced release of indigenous soil Mn. Increases in the quantities of soluble Ni and Zn in both the sludge and the soil/sludge mixture following equilibration with 40 mg L^?1 NTA were due to conversion of solid phase forms to soluble metal-NTA complexes. The preferential complexation of NTA with Cu already present in soluble organic forms resulted in a change in speciation without a corresponding increase in solubility. The importance of changes in speciation with regard to potential metal mobility and bioavailability within sludge-amended soil is discussed.