Evaluation of Trace Element Pollution from Vehicle Emissions in Petunia Plants

Effects of environmental pollution from road traffic on traceelement accumulation and deposition were examined in washed andunwashed petunia leaves. The plants were grown in an urban and ina suburban area. Substantial amounts of elements were removedsimply by washing with demineralised water, which removed atleast 45% of Al, Fe and Pb and 15% of Mn, Cu and Zn in urbanareas, where the aerial deposition took place. Throughout thegrowing season, the concentrations of Fe, Cu, Al, Ni and Pbincreased in the washed leaves of the petunia plants grown inurban areas. However, the plant very specifically controlled thecontents of Mn and Zn. Concentrations of elements were significantly higher in washed leaves from the urban area thanthose from the surburban area, indicating that this ornamentalplant is able to absorb Fe, Al, Ni and Pb through its root andleaves. Periodic assessment of the accumulation of traceelements in urban areas with intense traffic is important inorder to evaluate the rate of environmental pollution.     

Characterization of Cement Plant Emissions in Turkey

In cement plants in Turkey CO, NO₂, SO₂ and particulate emissions were measured using standard measurement techniques and equipment. Emission factors are calculated by dividing the emission rates by capacity of production at the time of measurements for each plant. The results of this study show that the dominant emissions from cement production in Turkey is CO followed by NO₂, dust and SO₂ in decreasing order. National averages for the emission factors are calculated and compared to international emission factors. On average the Turkish dust emission factor is higher than the German factor, however NO₂ and SO₂ emission factors are lower in Turkey.     

Odour Emissions from Composting Plants

In recognition of the reaction that some odours generate, it is understandable that limits for emissions be established for composting plants, especially when there are residential areas nearby. This paper discusses results of an investigation into the environmental effects of odours from a composting facility. Emissions which are generated during delivery, treatment and composting can be avoided by using closed facilities and exhaust air collection systems, as well as by purification of exhaust air through methods such as biofilters. By using a qualified composting system, emissions can be reduced to an acceptable level.     

Emission Factors of Cement Industry in Turkey

The levels of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, S,Se and Zn in the terrestrial mosses Scleropodium purumand Hypnum cupressiforme, collected from 75 samplingsites in Galicia (NW Spain), were determined. Using thesedata, four statistical methods of estimating backgroundlevels were then compared: one based on the use ofmultifactorial analysis, another that uses modal analysis, athird based on analysis of cumulative frequency curves, andthe last, which involves identifying groups of data with acovariance close to 60%. The first method was discountedbecause of difficulties in interpretation of the resultingdata. Very different estimates of background levels ofelements were obtained depending on which of the remainingmethods was used, and modal analysis was finally chosen asthe most suitable. Background levels varied depending on themoss species used and the levels of Al, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni,Pb and Se in the two species were significantly different(p < 0.001). It was found that the dominant lithology in thesampling area had no influence on the estimated background levels.     

Technogenic Magnetic Particles in Alkaline Dusts from Power and Cement Plants

During this study, we investigated the mineralogical characterization of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs) contained in alkaline industrial dust and fly ash emitted by coal burning power plants and cement plants. The reaction of tested dust samples varied between values of pH 8 and pH 12. Their magnetic properties were characterized by measurement of magnetic susceptibility (χ), frequency dependence of magnetic susceptibility (χ_fd), and temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses included scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, microprobe analysis and X-ray diffraction. The TMPs in fly ash from hard coal combustion have the form of typical magnetic spherules with a smooth or corrugated surface as well as a skeletal morphology, composed of iron oxides (magnetite, maghemite, and magnesioferrite) that occurred in the form of incrustation on the surface of mullite, amorphous silica, or aluminosilicate particles. The TMPs observed in fly ash from lignite combustion have a similar morphological form but a different mineralogical composition. Instead of magnetite and magnesioferrite, maghemite and hematite with lower χ values were the prevailing magnetic minerals, which explains the much lower magnetic susceptibility of this kind of ash in comparison with the ash from hard coal combustion, and probably results from the lower temperature of lignite combustion. Morphology and mineralogical composition of TMPs in cement dust is more diverse. The magnetic fraction of cement dust occurs mostly in the form of angular and octahedral grains of a significantly finer granulation (<20 μm); however, spherules are also present. A very characteristic magnetic form for cement dust is calcium ferrite (CaFe₃O₅). The greatest impact on the magnetic susceptibility of cement dust results from iron-bearing additives (often waste materials from other branches of industry), which should be considered the most dangerous to the environment. Stoichiometric analysis of micro-particles confirmed the presence of heavy metals such as Pb, Mn, Cd, and Zn connected with TMPs, which are carriers of magnetic signals in atmospheric dust. Therefore, in some cases, their presence in topsoil when detected by magnetic measurement can be treated as an indicator of inorganic soil contamination.     

Volatile Organic Contaminant Emissions from Wastewater Treatment Plants During Secondary Treatment

Volatile organic contaminant (VOC) emissions from wastewater treatment plants may occur through a variety of mechanisms which mainly include volatilization, evaporation, biodegradation, and photodecomposition. A mathematical model incorporating the significant factors affecting VOC emissions from a secondary treatment facilities has been developed and verified with the operational data from wastewater treatment plant in south Florida. The model includes mass transfer considerations for volatilization from clarifier surfaces and weirs, in addition to volatilization from aeration basins. A simple model such as this one can be a useful tool to estimate VOC emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants and to evaluate the present and future state of compliance with applicable air quality standards.     

Emissions from Hot Mix Asphalt Plants and their Impact on Ambient Air Quality

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - The European Union (EU)’s legislation on urban wastewater requires all agglomerations with a population equivalent (PE) above 2000 people to undergo a...     

Availability to Lettuce of Arsenic and Lead from Trace Element Fertilizers in Soil

Some waste-derived trace element fertilizers may contain elevated amounts of arsenic (As) and/or lead (Pb), and the impact of their use on As and Pb accumulation in soil and uptake by plants should be investigated. This greenhouse study examined how increasing rates of an iron (IR) fertilizer, containing 4806 mg kg^?1 of As, and a zinc fertilizer (G-Zn), containing 18080 mg kg^?1 of Pb, and liming affected As and Pb availability and uptake by lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in a silt loam soil. Additions of As as As₂O₃ and Pb as PbCl₂ to the soil were included for comparison. Soil total and NaHCO₃-extractable As increased with increasing inputs of As regardless of As source. This was true also for soil total and DTPA-extractable Pb. Sufficient oxidation of arsenopyrite (FeAsS) in the IR could have occurred, resulting in 36.4% of total As in IR being extractable by NaHCO₃. Only extremely small fractions of the added As from IR (5×10^?3%) and of the added Pb from G-Zn (7×10^?3%) were accumulated in the plant. Source had an effect on As, but not Pb, accumulation by lettuce. The lower accumulation of As by the plant from IR than from As₂O₃ could be attributed to a high molar ratio of Fe to As (419) in the readily labile As fraction to render As in IR less available than As in As₂O₃. The molar ratio of Fe to Pb in the readily labile fraction of Pb in G-Zn was zero, which limited the influence of Fe on the accumulation of Pb from G-Zn despite its extremely high total Fe (18.3%) content. The transfer coefficients of the added As (0.013) and Pb (0.014) over all sources and lime rates were very low. Since nearly all of As and Pb added from the fertilizers remained in the soil, effects of long-term use of the products on As and Pb accumulation in the soil and uptake by the plant remain to be studied.     

Trace elements in some Northern Nigerian soils

Abstract

The concentrations of the more‐or‐less strongly retained trace elements present in the root zone of some northern Nigerian soils were determined. The soils were chosen to represent some of the more extensively distributed soil orders under cultivation in the Nigerian savanna zone. Extraction by concentrated HNO₃ was used to determine the so‐called “total”; amount of retained Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd, and B in the soils. Aqueous solutions of the chelating agents, EDTA and DTPA, were used to extract the more weakly retained Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd; whereas, hot water was used to extract the weakly retained B. The “total”; and the more‐weakly‐retained contents of these trace elements were significantly correlated with the amount of clay, silt, and the oxalate‐extractable oxyhydroxides present in the soils; whereas, only the weakly retained elements were significantly correlated with the content of organic matter in the soil. Both the “total”; concentrations and weakly‐retained Cu, Zn, and B were so low that deficiency problems may develop in these sandy soils if cultivated more intensively on a commercial scale without due precautions. The concentrations of the weakly‐retained toxic elements, Pb, Ni, and Cd, were low indicating that industrial pollution has not yet occurred.     

Trace Element Concentrations of Iowa Surface Soils

Trace elements in the environment have received considerable attention in recent years. This study was carried out to assess the concentrations of 15 trace elements in 171 representative Iowa surface soils obtained from 30 counties, representing 41 major soil series in Iowa, which constitute 63.5% of the Iowa landscape. This was coupled with analysis of eight major elements. The trace metals were determined either by atomic absorption spectrophotometry or an argon plasma emission spectrometer in soil digests. The ranges, means, median, standard deviations, and frequency distribution of the elements studied are reported. Results showed that, in general, concentrations of the trace elements were significantly correlated (P < 0.01) with those of the major elements studied. With a few exceptions, the concentrations of trace elements were intercorrelated (P < 0.01), suggesting their presence in soils predominantly as mineral constituents.     

Barium and Other Trace Metals as Indicators of Vehicle Emissions

In the Siena urban environment, unwashed Q. ilex leaves had a significantly higher Al, Ba, Cr, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Ti, and V content than samples from a neighbouring Mediterranean maquis. Significant relationships between element pairs indicated both the presence of metals emitted by motor vehicles and lithophilic elements, presumably from soil particles, resuspended by wind or turbulence generated by traffic. In order to minimize the effects of soil dust contamination and to seek clues to the metal sources, the estimated substrate contribution was subtracted from the raw concentrations of elements in Q. ilex leaves. Normalization for local soil composition confirmed that automotive emissions are the principal source of pollution in Siena. On the basis of a very significant relationship between normalized concentrations of Pb and Ba and the presence of the latter element in diesel and unleaded gasoline, Ba was recognized as a valuable tracer for vehicle emissions, in the place of Pb.     

Cadmium Uptake by Lettuce from Soil Amended with Phosphorus and Trace Element Fertilizers

Some phosphorus and trace element fertilizers may contain elevatedamounts of toxic metals such as cadmium (Cd) and repeated uses of the fertilizers at high rates over time may increase Cd uptake by plants. This greenhouse study investigated the availability to leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) (Royal Green) of Cd in a western phosphate rock (PR), and a zinc (G-Zn) and an iron (IR) fertilizers that are by products of industrial wastes. The water-soluble CdCl₂ was included in the study for comparison. Applications of Cd from the fertilizers orCdCl₂ up to 16 times the Canadian Standards for maximum annual Cd loading limit increased soil total Cd. This was true also for the labileCd extractable by DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) or 0.05 M CaCl₂ for all Cd sources except IR. Lime and Cd source and rate allaffected Cd availability in the soil and accumulation by the plant. Theadded Cd from CdCl₂ was more labile and readily available to the plant than the added Cd from the PR or G-Zn. Lettuce-Cd was best describedby CaCl₂-Cd (r² = 0.782), followed by DTPA-Cd (r² = 0.686), with soil total Cd being least effective in predicting lettuce-Cd (r² = 0.186). If soil total Cd has to be used in describing Cd accumulation bythe plant, it should be included with pH in a stepwise multiple regression. The Cd transfer coefficient for the fertilizers should be measured based on labile Cd extractable by CaCl₂ or DPTA, instead of soil total Cd. The labile-based Cd transfer coefficient could improve the assessment ofthe risk of human exposure to the metal in the fertilizers through consumption of the food crop.     

Trace Element Geochemistry from the Birrimian Metasediments of the Northern Region of Ghana

Trace element distributions in rock, soil and groundwater from the Birrimian metasediments and granites located in the Northern Region of Ghana are described. High positive correlations are observed between selected major elements and trace metals (e.g. K₂O and Rb, Al₂O₃ and V, Fe₂O₃ and V, and K₂O and Y) in rocks and soils, and attributed to the presence of major source minerals. Ca and Sr were strongly correlated in groundwater, suggesting greater water-rock interaction. Low association of V with Fe is explained by (i) relatively higher mobility of V as against Fe; (ii) low Fe content in the parent rocks and (iii) variable sources of Fe and V.     

Trace Element Concentrations in Saltmarsh Soils Strongly Affected by Wastes from Metal Sulphide Mining Areas

Soil and water samples were analysed for trace metals and As in two watercourses and 14 sampling plots in a salt marsh polluted by mine wastes in SE Spain. Groundwater levels, soil pH and Eh were measured ‘in situ’ for a 12-month period in each sampling plot, and total calcium carbonate was also determined. Low concentrations of soluble metals (maximum Mn 1.089 mg L^?1 and maximum Zn 0.553 mg L^?1) were found in the watercourses. However, total metal contents were extremely high in the soils of a zone of the salt marsh (maximum 1,933 mg kg^?1 of Mn, 62,280 mg kg^?1 of Zn, 16,845 mg kg^?1 of Pb, 77 mg kg^?1 of Cd, 418 mg kg^?1 of Cu and 725 mg kg^?1 of As), and soluble metals in the pore water reached 38.7 mg L^?1 for Zn, 3.15 mg L^?1 for Pb, 48.0 mg L^?1 for Mn, 0.61 mg L^?1 for Cd and 0.29 mg L^?1 for As. Variable concentrations with depth indicate a possible re-mobilisation of the metals, which could be related to spatial and temporal variations of water table level, pH and Eh and to the presence of calcium carbonate. A tendency for the Eh to decrease in the warmest months and to increase in the coldest ones was found, especially, in plots that received water with a high content of dissolved organic carbon. Hence, the existence of nutrient effluent-enriched water may modify the physical–chemical conditions of the soil–water system and influence metal mobility.     

Trace Gas Emissions from a North Wales Fen - Role of Hydrochemistry and Soil Enzyme Activity

Fluxes of methane and nitrous oxide from a wetland were compared to hydrochemistry (NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2-) and soil enzyme activities (β-glucosidase) in an attempt to predict gas fluxes using chemical and enzymatic activities in north Wales, UK. In a one-year survey, the enzyme activities ranged from 0.028 to 0.065 µmol g^-1 min^-1, while NO₃ ^- and SO₄ ^2- concentrations ranged between 0-0.78 and 5-200 mg L^-1, respectively. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions varied between 0.32-240 and 0.28-5.48 mg m^-1 da^-1, respectively. The field survey was followed by laboratory-based manipulation experiments, from which pilot mathematical models were constructed, and related to the field data. The variation of methane emission was attributed to changes in SO₄ ^2- concentration and temperature at the site. In contrast, NO₃ ^- concentration, water table height, and β-glucosidase activity were major controlling factors for nitrous oxide emission. The models explained more than 80 % of the variation observed in the field study.     

Trace metal concentrations in some Kashmir Himalayan Lakes

The concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Mn, Cu, Zn and Cc) were measured in three Kashmir Himalayan Lakes. Cadmium, Ag, and Hg were not detected. In addition physico-chemical parameters of the lakes were analyzed to asses the water quality. The results indicate that Trigam and Tilwan lakes are more enriched than Khanpur lake. Comparisons of trace metal levels with EPA standards show that Mn and Pb concentrations are well above the permissible levels.     

Trace Element Profiles in Ombrogenous Peat Cores from Norway: Evidence of Long Range Atmospheric Transport

Concentrations of Pb, Cd, As, Sb, and Se in peat from 21 ombrotrophic bogs in Norway are discussed with respect to air pollution and compared to other evidence from studies of trace element deposition in Norway. In general the data support conclusions from studies of atmospheric deposition based on moss analysis, and they also confirm specific trends previously observed for the contamination of natural surface soils with these elements. Lead, Cd, As, and Sb all are strongly enriched in the surface peat layers, indicating significant atmospheric input all over the country. In the south the concentrations in the surface peat are about 10 times higher than in the central and northern part of the country, supporting previous evidence of substantial input from source regions in other European countries. For Se there is also a component of anthropogenic input in the south, but this contribution from long range transport is superimposed on a very distinct coast - inland gradient all along the west coast, strongly suggesting atmospheric supply of Se from the marine environment.     

Trace Metals in Soil and Plants Subjected to Strong Chemical Pollution

The total concentrations of ten elements (Ag, As, Co, Cs, Fe, Ir, Ni, Rb, Sb, and Sc) were determined in soil and vegetation samples from the surroundings of a Cu-Ni smelter in Monchegorsk, Northwest Russia, and a background area in Naruska, North Finland. The samples were analysed by epithermal neutron activation analysis (ENAA). Elements emitted from the smelter (Ag, As, Co, Ir, Ni, and Sb) were mostly accumulated in the topsoil. Some elements also appeared to contaminate deeper soil layers. In both soil and vegetation the metal concentrations decreased with increasing distance from the smelter. The most significant contributor to the high concentrations of Fe and Sc near the smelter was probably damaged ground vegetation and subsequent wind erosion. Possibly high geochemical abundance of Fe and Sc may also have been a contributing factor. Concentrations of Cs and Rb in soil and vegetation generally increased with increasing distance from the pollution source. High negative correlations were evident between these elements and the elements emitted from the smelter, suggesting that cation exchange of Cs and Rb by the elements supplied from the smelter was likely occurring in the surface soil.     

混凝土预制件筑坎试验研究

要建设“保水、保土、保肥”的高标准梯地,筑坎技术最为关键。经过多年调查分析,结合实际,在陕西略阳县开展了混凝土预制件筑试验。混凝土预制件采用“板-板”式和“柱-板”式两种结构。用这两种结构预制件筑坎,抗滑抗倾,稳定性好,投资比石坎少1/3,弥补了无石地区土坎固坝的缺陷,比土坎坚固耐用,固坎效果明显,在浅山黄土地带有着较高的推广应用价值。