Trace element removal from coal ash leachate by the 10-year-old construction wetland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ye, Z.H.; Whiting, S.N.; Qian, J.H.; Lytle, C.M.; Lin, Z.-Q.; Terry, N. [University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (USA). Dept. of Plant and Microbial Biology

2001-10-01

The study investigated the ability of a 10-year old constructed wetland to treat metal-contaminated leachate emanating from a coal ash pile at the Widows Creek electric utility, Alabama (USA). The two vegetated cells, which were dominated by cattail (Typha latifolia L.) and soft rush (Juncus effusus L.), were very effective at removing Fe and Cd from the wastewater, but less efficient for Zn, S, B, and Mn. The concentrations were decreased by up to 99% for Fe, 91% for Cd, 63% for Zn, 61% for S, 58% for Mn, and 50% for B. Higher pH levels ({gt} 6) in standing water substantially improved the removing efficiency of the wetland for Mn only. The belowground tissues of both cattail and soft rush had high concentrations of all elements; only for Mn, however, did the concentration in the shoots exceed those in the belowground tissues. The concentrations of trace elements in fallen litter were higher than in the living shoots, but lower than in the belowground tissues. The trace element accumulation in the plants accounts for less than 2.5% of the annual loading of each trace element into the wetland. The sediments were the primary sinks for the elements removed from the wastewater. Except for Mn, the concentrations of trace elements in the upper layer (0-5 cm) of the sediment profile tended to be higher than the lower layers (5-10 and 10-15 cm). The conclusion was that constructed wetlands are still able to efficiently remove metals in the long term (i.e. {gt} 10 years after construction). 34 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Use and abuse of trace metal concentrations in plant tissue for biomonitoring and phytoextraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mertens, Jan; Luyssaert, Sebastiaan; Verheyen, Kris

2005-01-01

Some plant species accumulate trace metals from the soil in their aboveground biomass. Therefore, some scientists have concluded that these species are suitable for biomonitoring trace metal concentrations in the soil or for removing excessive trace metals from the soil by means of phytoextraction. A significant correlation between the chemical composition of foliage and soil is not a sufficient condition for using the chemical composition of foliage as a biomonitor for the quality of the soil. The chemical composition of foliage can, however, provide additional information to the traditional soil samples. The phytoextraction potential of a plant species cannot solely be evaluated on the basis of the trace metal concentrations in the plant and soil tissue. Data on the depth of the rooting zone, the density of the soil and the harvestable biomass should also be taken into account. Although plant tissue analysis is a useful tool in a wide range of studies and applications, trace metal concentrations in plant tissue cannot be viewed in isolation. Instead it should be analysed and interpreted in relation to other information such as soil concentrations, rooted zone, biomass production, etc. - Plants that accumulate soil metals in their aboveground biomass are often incorrectly considered to be suitable for monitoring soil pollution or for phytoextraction purposes

Bioavailability of metals-trace in sediments: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Rafaela E. de A.V.; Souza, Vivianne Lucia Bormann; Lima, Vanessa Lemos de; Hazin, Clovis Abrahao

2014-01-01

The chemical association of metals in sediments provides an indication of its release by physical, chemical and biological processes, with toxic effects under certain environmental conditions. Knowing about their chemical bonds in sediments, can recognize specific sources of pollution, and speciation of trace metals is important for bioavailability and toxicity to animals and plants. The accumulation of these particles in the sediment occur by the following mechanisms: a) adsorption to the finest particles; b) precipitating of the element in the form of compounds; c) co-precipitating of the element with iron and manganese oxides; d) complexation with organic matter; e) incorporation into the crystal lattice of minerals. Currently, five phases are considered when studying the bioavailability of trace elements in sediments: a) the exchangeable phase, MgCl 2 (causes saltiness change); b) leachable phase, (acetic acid causes pH change); c) reducible phase (hydroxylamine hydrochloride causes release of the bound metals linked to Fe and Mn oxides); d) oxidized phase, the peroxide hydrogen (cause the degradation of organic matter); e) the residual pseudo-phase, the aqua regia (cause release of metals associated to minerals). The first three phases are considered the most bioavailable. In the last two fractions, the metals are linked to sediment constituents and not bioavailable. The organic phase is relatively stable and the metal present therein are removed under oxidative conditions. Metals present in the pseudo-phase residual measure the degree of environmental pollution, since great amount of metals at this stage indicates a lower degree of pollution

Heavy metals and related trace elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leland, H.V.; Luoma, S.N.; Wilkes, D.J.

1977-01-01

A review is given of heavy metals and related trace elements in the aquatic environment. Other reviews and bibliographies are cited, dealing with the metabolism and transport of metal ions and with the toxic effects of stable and radioactive trace metals on aquatic organisms. The sources of trace elements in natural waters are discussed. It is suggested that atmospheric inputs of several trace metals comprise sizable fractions of total inputs to the Great Lakes and continental shelf waters. Information on stack emissions of trace elements from a coal-fired steam plant was used to estimate the likely range of air concentrations and inputs to a forested watershed in Tennessee. Some basic concepts of cycling of elements through aquatic communities were examined, such as the Pb, Mn and Zn concentrations in sediment and estuarine plants and animals colonizing dredge-spoil disposal areas. The use of plants as biological indicators of trace element contamination was outlined, as well as bioaccumulation in aquatic fauna. The effects of environmental factors on the kinetics of element exchange were noted, for example the influx rates of Cs 137 in tubificid worms, and Co 60 and Zn 65 in shrimp were shown to be temperature dependent. The toxicity of heavy metals on aquatic fauna was discussed, such as the histopathological lesions in the kidney and liver of fishes caused by heavy metals, and the effects of Hg and Cu on the olfactory response of rainbow trout

Natural uranium-series radionuclide inventories in coastal and oceanic waters of the south-western Pacific - insights into trace metal flux and removal pathway analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szymczak, R.; Jeffree, R.A.; Peck, G.A.

2003-01-01

Participate scavenging of trace metals plays a major role in determining their ecosystem flux and incident dissolved concentrations. Differences in the half-lives and biogeochemical behaviour of natural uranium series radioisotope pairs (eg. 238 U/ 234 Th, 210 Pb/ 210 Po) allow their application as oceanic process tracers. Coincidental measurements of dissolved and particulate trace element concentrations and inventories of radionuclides in the Noumea coral lagoon and adjacent offshore waters were used to quantify water column flux rates and provide insights on removal pathway analysis. Understanding prevailing pathways and respective flux rates of pollutants in specific coastal and oceanic systems will assist to establish the fate and consequence of pollutants and allow sustainable management strategies to be developed. Both natural and pollutant chemical species introduced to the marine environment may either remain benign in solution or undergo physiological uptake by biota, but most often associate with colloids and fine particles, which subsequent undergo aggregation, sedimentation and removal to the sea floor

Removal of trace organic chemical contaminants by a membrane bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Trinh, T; van den Akker, B; Stuetz, R M; Coleman, H M; Le-Clech, P; Khan, S J

2012-01-01

Emerging wastewater treatment processes such as membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have attracted a significant amount of interest internationally due to their ability to produce high quality effluent suitable for water recycling. It is therefore important that their efficiency in removing hazardous trace organic contaminants be assessed. Accordingly, this study investigated the removal of trace organic chemical contaminants through a full-scale, package MBR in New South Wales, Australia. This study was unique in the context of MBR research because it characterised the removal of 48 trace organic chemical contaminants, which included steroidal hormones, xenoestrogens, pesticides, caffeine, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Results showed that the removal of most trace organic chemical contaminants through the MBR was high (above 90%). However, amitriptyline, carbamazepine, diazepam, diclofenac, fluoxetine, gemfibrozil, omeprazole, sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim were only partially removed through the MBR with the removal efficiencies of 24-68%. These are potential indicators for assessing MBR performance as these chemicals are usually sensitive to changes in the treatment systems. The trace organic chemical contaminants detected in the MBR permeate were 1 to 6 orders of magnitude lower than guideline values reported in the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling. The outcomes of this study enhanced our understanding of the levels and removal of trace organic contaminants by MBRs.

Role of estuarine natural processes in removal of trace metals under emergency situations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.R. Karbassi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Estuaries are well known for their potential in removing metal from fresh water to provide micro-nutrients to aquatic life. In the present investigation, we have tried to bring out the metal removal potential of estuaries during accidental spills. For this purpose artificial river water containing high concentration of Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb were mixed with sea water at different salinity regimes. Water samples were taken from a station on the main branch of Tajan River that flows in to the Caspian Sea. For this purpose, solutions with a concentration of 5 mg/L of each studied metal (Mn,Cu, Zn, Pb were prepared in Tajan River water. The salinity regimes include 3, 6, 8, 10 and 11 ppt. It was noted that metal concentration decreased by increasing salinity. Metals were flocculated at different rates: Cu (88% > Ni (86% > Pb (84% > Mn (74%.Thus, as average about 80% of total elemental content flocculates. Hence, it was concluded that a large amount of micro nutrients is carried by the river and flocculated in the estuary where the river water mixes with the sea water which may play a vital role in supplying nutrients to the aquatic animals. Cluster analyses have shown that Mn and Ni are governed by EC, pH and salinity.

Urban environmental geochemistry of trace metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, Coby S.C.; Li Xiangdong; Thornton, Iain

2006-01-01

As the world's urban population continues to grow, it becomes increasingly imperative to understand the dynamic interactions between human activities and the urban environment. The development of urban environmental geochemistry has yielded a significant volume of scientific information about geochemical phenomena found uniquely in the urban environment, such as the distribution, dispersion, and geochemical characteristics of some toxic and potentially toxic trace metals. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of urban environmental geochemistry as a field of scientific study and highlight major transitions during the course of its development from its establishment to the major scientific interests in the field today. An extensive literature review is also conducted of trace metal contamination of the urban terrestrial environment, in particular of urban soils, in which the uniqueness of the urban environment and its influences on trace metal contamination are elaborated. Potential areas of future development in urban environmental geochemistry are identified and discussed. - Urban environmental geochemistry as a scientific discipline provides valuable information on trace metal contamination of the urban environment and its associated health effects

studies on trace metal concentration pseudotolithus elongatus from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DJFLEX

KEY WORDS: Trace metals, Lead Pollution, Pseudotolithus elongatus, Mbo coastal waters, ..... Analysis of soil heavy metal pollution and ... Pekey, H., Karakas, D., and Bakog'lu, M., 2004. Source apportionment of trace metals in the surface.

Trace Metals Bioaccumulation Potentials of Three Indigenous ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

grasses as bioaccumulators of trace metals from polluted soils. Seeds of ... transfer factor (TF) showed that Zn was the most bioaccumulated trace metals by all the grasses followed by. Pb, Mn ... was used to de-contaminate copper (Cu) and.

Immunoglobulin classes, metal binding proteins, and trace metals in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

, IgA and IgM), metal binding proteins (Transferrin, Caeruloplasmin, Alpha-2- Macroglobulin and Haptoglobin) and nutritionally essential trace metals/heavy metals (Zn, Fe, Se, Cu, Mg, Cd and Pb) in Nigerian cassava processors using single ...

Disulfide polymer grafted porous carbon composites for heavy metal removal from stormwater runoff

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ko, Dongah; Mines, Paul D.; Jakobsen, Mogens Havsteen

2018-01-01

The emerging concern of heavy metal pollution derived from stormwater runoff has triggered a demand for effective heavy metal sorbents. To be an effective sorbent, high affinity along with rapid sorption kinetics for environmental relevant concentrations of heavy metals is important. Herein, we...... have introduced a new composite suitable for trace metal concentration removal, which consists of cheap and common granular activated carbon covered with polymers containing soft bases, thiols, through acyl chlorination (DiS-AC). Material characterization demonstrated that the polymer was successfully...

Trace metal speciation: Finally, correctly addressing trace metal issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donard, O.F.X.

2001-01-01

The history of the development of trace metal speciation was discussed and the reasons behind the relatively slow widespread acceptance of its importance were presented. Partially, this was due to the lack of availability of commercial instrumentation and partly to the drive towards improving sensitivity in analytical chemistry which had focused attention on total concentration determinations. The sophistication and control of analytical instrumentation is now such that the spotlight must be turned onto the chemical species of an element present in a sample since this is what governs its behaviour in the biosphere. Indeed, several companies are currently considering the introduction of instrumentation specifically designed for metal species determination

Trace Metals Concentration Assessment in Urban Particulate Matter ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

Principal component analysis revealed that major sources of trace metals in ambient air ... contributed by earth crust and windblown soil .... Source Apportionment: To probe the origin of trace .... atmospheric accumulation of heavy metals and.

Limitation of productivity by trace metals in the sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, F.M.M.; Price, N.M.; Hudson, R.J.M.

1991-01-01

Some trace metals such as Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn are essential for the growth of phytoplankton. The concentrations of these essential trace elements in seawater are so low as to limit their availability to aquatic microbiota. Trace element uptake is ultimately limited by kinetics of reaction with transport ligands or by diffusion to the cell. From what the authors know of the characteristics of the uptake systems of phytoplankton and their trace metal requirements they can estimate that Fe and Zn may at some times in some place limit phytoplankton productivity, which is in accord with available field data on trace metal enrichments

Quantification and localization of trace metals in natural plankton using a synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Twining, B. S.; Baines, S. B.; Fisher, N. S.; Jacobsen, C.; Maser, J.; State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook

2003-01-01

The accumulation of trace metals by planktonic protists influences the growth of primary producers, metal biogeochemical cycling, and metal bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. Despite their importance, unequivocal measurements of trace element concentrations in individual plankton cells have not been possible to date. We have used the 2-ID-E side-branch hard x-ray microprobe at the Advanced Photon Source to measure trace elements in individual marine plankton cells. This microprobe employs zoneplate optics to produce the sub-micron spatial resolution and low background fluorescence required to produce trace element maps of planktonic protist cells ranging in size from 3 to >50 (micro)m. We have developed preservation, rinsing, and mounting protocols that remove most of the salt from our marine samples, thus simplifying the identification of unknown cells and reducing high Cl-related background fluorescence. We have also developed spectral modeling techniques that account for the frequent overlap of adjacent fluorescence peaks and non-uniform detector response. Finally, we have used parallel soft x-ray transmission and epifluorescence microscopy images to estimate C normalized trace element concentrations, identify functional cell types (e.g., photosynthetic vs. non-photosynthetic), and correlate cell structures with spatial patterns in trace element fluorescence

Quantification and localization of trace metals in natural plancton using a synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microprobe.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Twining, B. S.; Baines, S. B.; Fisher, N. S.; Jacobsen, C.; Maser, J.; State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook

2003-03-01

The accumulation of trace metals by planktonic protists influences the growth of primary producers, metal biogeochemical cycling, and metal bioaccumulation in aquatic food chains. Despite their importance, unequivocal measurements of trace element concentrations in individual plankton cells have not been possible to date. We have used the 2-ID-E side-branch hard x-ray microprobe at the Advanced Photon Source to measure trace elements in individual marine plankton cells. This microprobe employs zoneplate optics to produce the sub-micron spatial resolution and low background fluorescence required to produce trace element maps of planktonic protist cells ranging in size from 3 to >50 {micro}m. We have developed preservation, rinsing, and mounting protocols that remove most of the salt from our marine samples, thus simplifying the identification of unknown cells and reducing high Cl-related background fluorescence. We have also developed spectral modeling techniques that account for the frequent overlap of adjacent fluorescence peaks and non-uniform detector response. Finally, we have used parallel soft x-ray transmission and epifluorescence microscopy images to estimate C normalized trace element concentrations, identify functional cell types (e.g., photosynthetic vs. non-photosynthetic), and correlate cell structures with spatial patterns in trace element fluorescence.

Trace metal concentrations in tropical mangrove sediments, NE Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Miola, Brígida; Morais, Jáder Onofre de; Pinheiro, Lidriana de Souza

2016-01-15

Sediment cores were taken from the mangroves of the Coreaú River estuary off the northeast coast of Brazil. They were analyzed for grain size, CaCO3, organic matter, and trace metal (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Al, and Fe) contents. Mud texture was the predominant texture. Levels of trace metals in surface sediments indicated strong influence of anthropogenic processes, and diagenetic processes controlled the trace metal enrichment of core sediments of this estuary. The positive relationships between trace metals and Al and Fe indicate that Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd concentrations are associated mainly with Al and Fe oxy-hydroxides and have natural sources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trace Metal Requirements and Interactions in Symbiodinium kawagutii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene B. Rodriguez

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Photosynthetic organisms need trace metals for various biological processes and different groups of microalgae have distinctive obligate necessities due to their respective biochemical requirements and ecological niches. We have previously shown that the dinoflagellate Symbiodinium kawagutii requires high concentrations of bioavailable Fe to achieve optimum growth. Here, we further explored the trace metal requirements of S. kawagutii with intensive focus on the effect of individual metal and its interaction with other divalent metals. We found that low Zn availability significantly decreases growth rates and results in elevated intracellular Mn, Co, Ni, and Fe quotas in the dinoflagellate. The results highlight the complex interaction among trace metals in S. kawagutii and suggest either metal replacement strategy to counter low Zn availability or enhanced uptake of other metals by non-specific divalent metal transporters. In this work, we also examined the Fe requirement of S. kawagutii using continuous cultures. We validated that 500 pM of Fe′ was sufficient to support maximum cell density during steady state growth period either at 26 or 28°C. This study shows that growth of S. kawagutii was limited by metal availability in the following order, Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Co. The fundamental information obtained for the free-living Symbiodinium shall provide insights into how trace metal availability, either from ambient seawater or hosts, affects growth and proliferation of symbiotic dinoflagellates and the interaction between symbiont and their hosts.

Plasma trace metals during total parenteral alimentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomons, N W; Layden, T J; Rosenberg, I H; Vo-Khactu, K; Sandstead, H H

1976-06-01

The plasma concentrations of the trace metals zinc and copper were studied prospectively in 13 patients with gastrointestinal diseases treated with parenteral alimentation (TPA) for periods of from 8 days to 7 1/2 weeks. Plasma copper levels fell rapidly and consistently in all patients, with an overall rate of - 11 mug per 100 ml per week. Zinc concentrations declined in 10 of 13 patients at a more gradual rate. Analysis of the standard parenteral alimentation fluids revealed zinc content equivalent to 50% of the daily requirement and a negligible content of copper. From combined analysis of plasma zinc, hair zinc, and taste acuity, there is evidence that increased utilization or redistribution within the body may effect plasma concentrations in some patients. Neither an increase in urinary excretion nor a primary decrease in plasma binding proteins appeared to be a major factor in lowering plasma trace metal concentrations. These findings indicate that a marked decrease in plasma copper is regular and a decline in plasma zinc is common during TPA using fluids unsupplemented with trace metals. Supplementation of parenteral alimentation fluids with the trace metals zinc and copper is recommended.

Rapid, Selective Heavy Metal Removal from Water by a Metal-Organic Framework/Polydopamine Composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Daniel T; Peng, Li; Reeder, Washington S; Moosavi, Seyed Mohamad; Tiana, Davide; Britt, David K; Oveisi, Emad; Queen, Wendy L

2018-03-28

Drinking water contamination with heavy metals, particularly lead, is a persistent problem worldwide with grave public health consequences. Existing purification methods often cannot address this problem quickly and economically. Here we report a cheap, water stable metal-organic framework/polymer composite, Fe-BTC/PDA, that exhibits rapid, selective removal of large quantities of heavy metals, such as Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ , from real world water samples. In this work, Fe-BTC is treated with dopamine, which undergoes a spontaneous polymerization to polydopamine (PDA) within its pores via the Fe 3+ open metal sites. The PDA, pinned on the internal MOF surface, gains extrinsic porosity, resulting in a composite that binds up to 1634 mg of Hg 2+ and 394 mg of Pb 2+ per gram of composite and removes more than 99.8% of these ions from a 1 ppm solution, yielding drinkable levels in seconds. Further, the composite properties are well-maintained in river and seawater samples spiked with only trace amounts of lead, illustrating unprecedented selectivity. Remarkably, no significant uptake of competing metal ions is observed even when interferents, such as Na + , are present at concentrations up to 14 000 times that of Pb 2+ . The material is further shown to be resistant to fouling when tested in high concentrations of common organic interferents, like humic acid, and is fully regenerable over many cycles.

Interactive influences of bioactive trace metals on biological production in oceanic waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruland, K.W.; Donat, J.R.; Hutchins, D.A.

1991-01-01

The authors present an overview of the oceanic chemistries of the bioactive trace metals, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn; the authors combine field data with results from laboratory phytoplankton culture-trace metal studies and speculate on the potential influences of these trace metals on oceanic plankton production and species composition. Most field studies have focused on the effects of single metals. However, they propose that synergistic and antagonistic interactions between multiple trace metals could be very important in the oceans. Trace metal antagonisms that may prove particularly important are those between Cu and the potential biolimiting metals Fe, Mn, and Zn. These antagonistic interactions could have the greatest influence on biological productivity in areas of the open ocean isolated from terrestrial inputs, such as the remote high nutrient regions of the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans. The emerging picture of trace metal-biota interactions in these oceanic areas is one in which biology strongly influences distribution and chemical speciation of all these bioactive trace metals. It also seems likely that many of these bioactive trace metals and their speciation may influence levels of primary productivity, species composition, and trophic structure. Future investigations should give more complete consideration to the interactive effects of biologically important trace metals

Urban farming as a possible source of trace metals in human diets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joshua O. Olowoyo

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have greatly increased the concentrations of trace metals as pollutants in the urban environment. These pollutants (trace metals are more likely to have an adverse effect on peri-urban agriculture which is now becoming a permanent feature of the landscape of many urban cities in the world. This review reports on the concentrations of trace metals in crops, including leafy vegetables harvested from different urban areas, thus highlighting the presence of trace metals in leafy vegetables. Various pathways of uptake of trace metals by leafy vegetables, such as the foliar and roots, and possible health risks associated with urban faming are discussed and various morphological and physiological impacts of trace metals in leafy vegetables are described. Defensive mechanisms and positive aspects of trace metals in plants are also highlighted.

Trace metal physiology in normal and pathological tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamer, C.J.A. van den; Nooijen, J.L.

1979-01-01

Many of the ionic tumour seeking radiopharmaceuticals consist of a metal ion combined with an anion. The choice of metal depends on the existence of radionuclides with suitable radiological properties, and on their availability. Because several of the metal complexes used in nuclear medicine are of rather recent interest, information about their metabolism is scarce. Although nuclear medicine is limited to those metals which radiochemists can produce, we can manipulate the chemical form in which the metals are introduced into the organism to some extent. The relation between chemical form and biological pathway, e.g., the extent of accumulation in certain tissues, is subject of study related to trace metal physiology. It is the purpose of this paper to try and bridge the gap between nuclear medicine and trace metal physiology by showing the progress made by the latter in the study of the metabolism of copper and zinc. Few trace metals have been studied as thoroughly as these, although iron could have been chosen just as well. This presentation is limited to a study of the fate of a metal derivative after its intravenous injection. Where possible the results obtained are related to the behaviour of metals presently of interest to nuclear medicine. (Auth.)

Photometric determination of traces of metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, H.

1986-01-01

The first three editions of this widely used classic were published under the title Colorimetric Determination of Traces of Metals, with E.B. Sandell as author. Part I (General Aspects) of the fourth edition was co-authored by E.B. Sandell and H. Onishi and published in 1978. After Sandell's death in 1984, Onishi assumed the monumental task of revising Part II. This book (Part IIA) consists of 21 chapters in which the photometric determinations of the individual metals, aluminium to lithium (including the lanthanoids), are described. Each chapter is divided into three sections: Separations, Methods of Determination, and Applications. The sections on Separations are of general interest and include methods based on precipitation, ion-exchange, chromatography, and liquid-liquid extraction. Molecular absorption and fluorescence techniques are described in the sections on determinations, and the emphasis is on the use of well-established reagents. Several reagents that have been recently introduced for the determination of trace levels of metals are also critically reviewed at the end of each section on methods of determination. Important applications of these methods to the determination of trace metals in complex organic and inorganic materials are described in detail at the end of each chapter

The removal of heavy metals in urban runoff by sorption on mulch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Am; Seo, Youngwoo; Bishop, Paul L.

2005-01-01

A series of adsorption experiments was conducted in order to assess the ability of three mulches to remove several of the heavy metal ions typically encountered in urban runoff. Three types of mulch, cypress bark (C), hardwood bark (H), and pine bark nugget (P), were selected as potential sorbents to capture heavy metals in urban runoff. The hardwood bark (H) mulch had the best physicochemical properties for adsorption of heavy metal ions. In addition, because of its fast removal rate and acceptably high capacity for all the heavy metal ions, it was concluded that the H mulch is the best of the three adsorbents for treatment of urban runoff containing trace amounts of heavy metals. In order to investigate the sorption isotherm, two equilibrium models, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, were analyzed. The sorption of these metals on H mulch conformed to the linear form of the Langmuir adsorption equation. At pH 5 and 6, the Langmuir constants (S m ) for each metal were found to be 0.324 and 0.359 mmol/g (Cu); 0.306 and 0.350 mmol/g (Pb); and 0.185 and 0.187 mmol/g (Zn) at 25 deg. C. - Capsule: Hardwood bark had the best physicochemical properties for adsorption of metal ions

a Baseline Study of Physico-Chemical Parameters and Trace Metals in Waters of Manakudy, South-West Coast of India

Science.gov (United States)

Subramanian, M.; Muthumanikkam, J.

2013-05-01

The transport of trace metals from the land to ocean has a number of different routes and efficiencies. The sources of toxic elements into the rivers to be debouched into the sea through estuaries are either weathered naturally from the soils and rocks or introduced anthropogenically from point or non-point sources, in labile form or in particulate form. However, recent studies indicate that the transport of trace elements to the aquatic environment is much more complex than what has been thought. The chemistry and ecology of an estuarine system are entirely different from the fluvial as well as the marine system. Estuarine environment is characterized by a constantly changing mixture of salt and freshwater. In the present study area Manakudy estuary is situated about 8 kilometres north west of Kanyakumari (Latitude N 08 05 21.8 and Longitude E 077 29 03.7). To gain a better understanding of the geochemical behavior of physico-chemical parameters and trace elements in the estuary and to examine variations in associated chemical changes, 20 water samples were collected throughout the Manakudy estuary, a minor river in south-western India. These samples, collected in typical dry season during 2012, were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters, dissolved major and trace elements. Our results show that dissolved Na, Mg, Ca and Cl behave conservatively along the salinity gradient. The concentration of nutrients is normal and they are due to the higher organic activity in soils as well as faster rates of chemical weathering reaction in the source region. The concentration of major ions is due to tidal influence and it increases with salinity and the nutrients do behave non-conservatively due to biogenic removal. The conservative behaviour of the trace metals with salinity has been strongly affected by the introduction of these metals by external sources. Even though the trace metals in the contaminated water have been removed and incorporated in sediments due to

Application of Sargassum biomass to remove heavy metal ions from synthetic multi-metal solutions and urban storm water runoff.

Science.gov (United States)

Vijayaraghavan, K; Teo, Ting Ting; Balasubramanian, R; Joshi, Umid Man

2009-05-30

The ability of Sargassum sp. to biosorb four metal ions, namely lead, copper, zinc, and manganese from a synthetic multi-solute system and real storm water runoff has been investigated for the first time. Experiments on synthetic multi-solute systems revealed that Sargassum performed well in the biosorption of all four metal ions, with preference towards Pb, followed by Cu, Zn, and Mn. The solution pH strongly affected the metal biosorption, with pH 6 being identified as the optimal condition for achieving maximum biosorption. Experiments at different biosorbent dosages revealed that good biosorption capacity as well as high metal removal efficiency was observed at 3g/L. The biosorption kinetics was found to be fast with equilibrium being attained within 50 min. According to the Langmuir isotherm model, Sargassum exhibited maximum uptakes of 214, 67.5, 24.2 and 20.2mg/g for lead, copper, zinc, and manganese, respectively in single-solute systems. In multi-metal systems, strong competition between four metal ions in terms of occupancy binding sites was observed, and Sargassum showed preference in the order of Pb>Cu>Zn>Mn. The application of Sargassum to remove four heavy metal ions in real storm water runoff revealed that the biomass was capable of removing the heavy metal ions. However, the biosorption performance was slightly lower compared to that of synthetic metal solutions. Several factors were responsible for this difference, and the most important factor is the presence of other contaminants such as anions, organics, and other trace metals in the runoff.

Removal of trace element by isolates of Aspergillus brasiliensis ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Coffee beans processing generates a large volume of wastewater composed of trace elements which can be detrimental to human health. The present study aimed at evaluating the capacity of strains of Aspergillus brasiliensis and Penicillium citrinum in tolerating and removing trace elements namely: Cu, Mn and Zn from ...

Reactive solute transport in streams: A surface complexation approach for trace metal sorption

Science.gov (United States)

Runkel, Robert L.; Kimball, Briant A.; McKnight, Diane M.; Bencala, Kenneth E.

1999-01-01

A model for trace metals that considers in-stream transport, metal oxide precipitation-dissolution, and pH-dependent sorption is presented. Linkage between a surface complexation submodel and the stream transport equations provides a framework for modeling sorption onto static and/or dynamic surfaces. A static surface (e.g., an iron- oxide-coated streambed) is defined as a surface with a temporally constant solid concentration. Limited contact between solutes in the water column and the static surface is considered using a pseudokinetic approach. A dynamic surface (e.g., freshly precipitated metal oxides) has a temporally variable solid concentration and is in equilibrium with the water column. Transport and deposition of solute mass sorbed to the dynamic surface is represented in the stream transport equations that include precipitate settling. The model is applied to a pH-modification experiment in an acid mine drainage stream. Dissolved copper concentrations were depressed for a 3 hour period in response to the experimentally elevated pH. After passage of the pH front, copper was desorbed, and dissolved concentrations returned to ambient levels. Copper sorption is modeled by considering sorption to aged hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) on the streambed (static surface) and freshly precipitated HFO in the water column (dynamic surface). Comparison of parameter estimates with reported values suggests that naturally formed iron oxides may be more effective in removing trace metals than synthetic oxides used in laboratory studies. The model's ability to simulate pH, metal oxide precipitation-dissolution, and pH-dependent sorption provides a means of evaluating the complex interactions between trace metal chemistry and hydrologic transport at the field scale.

Energy efficient trace removal by extractive distillation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jongmans, M.T.G.

2012-01-01

Separation processes contribute for about 40–70 % to the total energy requirements of the chemical process industry. Especially when trace removal is required to manufacture high purity products, traditional separation technologies become extremely expensive and are not providing satisfying

Use of biomimetic forward osmosis membrane for trace organics removal

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henrik T.; Bajraktari, Niada; Helix Nielsen, Claus

2015-01-01

The use of forward osmosis for the removal of trace organics from water has recently attracted considerable attention as an alternative to traditional pressure driven membrane filtration. However, the existing forward osmosis membranes have been found to be ineffective at rejecting small neutral...... organic pollutants, which limits the applicability of the forward osmosis process. In this study a newly developed biomimetic membrane was tested for the removal of three selected trace organics that can be considered as a bench marking test for a membrane[U+05F3]s ability to reject small neutral organic....... This difference is caused by differences in the transport mechanisms. For the cellulose acetate membrane rejection is controlled by steric hindrance, which results in a size dependent rejection of the trace organics, whereas rejection by the aquaporin membrane is controlled by diffusion of the trace organics...

Analysis of trace metals in various brands of cigarettes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, M.

1996-01-01

The present work deals with the analysis of trace metals in various brands of cigarettes belonging to four different countries. In the present research seven trace elements have been determined spectrophotometrically by the use of suitable analytical reagent of the respective metal ions. The metals which has been analysed quantitatively in forty one brand of cigarettes are aluminium, copper, chromium, nickel, iron titanium and zinc. The concentration per cigarette of these metals are in tolerable range. The concentration of above mentioned metal ions is highest in Pakistani cigarettes tobacco while the concentration of nickel is highest in American cigarettes. (author) 221 refs

Removal of heavy metals and radionuclides by seeded magnetic filtration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bibler, J.P.; Norrell, G.; Hemmings, R.L.; Bradbury, D.; Dunn, M.J.; Kalinauskas, G.L.

1991-01-01

Removal of traces of heavy metal or radionuclide contamination from solution at high flow rate presents a considerable technical challenge. Low flow methods of treatment such as particle gravity settling require expensive large volume equipment, whereas traditional methods of filtration can cause significant energy costs. Magnetic filtration can be used to provide a low cost method of solid-liquid separation at high flow rate, provided contaminants can be selectively bound to a magnetic solid particle. This paper describes the use of such selective magnetic particles made up of inorganic particles coupled with organic polymers

Trace metal emissions from the Estonian oil shale fired power

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aunela-Tapola, Leena A.; Frandsen, Flemming; Häsänen, Erkki K.

1998-01-01

Emission levels of selected trace metals from the Estonian oil shale fired power plant were studied. The plant is the largest single power plant in Estonia with an electricity production capacity of 1170 MWe (1995). Trace metals were sampled from the flue gases by a manual method incorporating...... in the flue gases of the studied oil shale plant contribute, however, to clearly higher total trace metal emission levels compared to modern coal fired power plants. Although the old electrostatic precipitators in the plant have been partly replaced by state-of-the-art electrostatic precipitators...... a two-fraction particle sampling and subsequent absorption of the gaseous fraction. The analyses were principally performed with ICP-MS techniques. The trace metal contents of Estonian oil shale were found to be in the same order of magnitude as of coal on average. The high total particle concentrations...

Significantly improving trace thallium removal from surface waters during coagulation enhanced by nanosized manganese dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Huangfu, Xiaoliu; Ma, Chengxue; Ma, Jun; He, Qiang; Yang, Chun; Jiang, Jin; Wang, Yaan; Wu, Zhengsong

2017-02-01

Thallium (Tl) is an element of high toxicity and significant accumulation in human body. There is an urgent need for the development of appropriate strategies for trace Tl removal in drinking water treatment plants. In this study, the efficiency and mechanism of trace Tl (0.5 μg/L) removal by conventional coagulation enhanced by nanosized manganese dioxide (nMnO 2 ) were explored in simulated water and two representative surface waters (a river water and a reservoir water obtained from Northeast China). Experimental results showed that nMnO 2 significantly improve Tl(I) removal from selected waters. The removal efficiency was dramatically higher in the simulated water, demonstrating by less than 0.1 μg/L Tl residual. The enhancement of trace Tl removal in the surface waters decreased to a certain extent. Both adjusting water pH to alkaline condition and preoxidation of Tl(I) to Tl(III) benefit trace Tl removal from surface waters. Data also indicated that competitive cation of Ca 2+ decreased the efficiency of trace Tl removal, resulting from the reduction of Tl adsorption on nMnO 2 . Humic acid could largely low Tl removal efficiency during nMnO 2 enhanced coagulation processes. Trace elemental Tl firstly adsorbed on nMnO 2 and then removed accompanying with nMnO 2 settling. The information obtained in the present study may provide a potential strategy for drinking water treatment plants threatened by trace Tl. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do constructed wetlands remove metals or increase metal bioavailability?

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Xiaoyu; Mills, Gary L

2018-07-15

The H-02 wetland was constructed to treat building process water and storm runoff water from the Tritium Processing Facility on the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (Aiken, SC). Monthly monitoring of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) concentrations and water quality parameters in surface waters continued from 2014 to 2016. Metal speciation was modeled at each sampling occasion. Total Cu and Zn concentrations released to the effluent stream were below the NPDES limit, and the average removal efficiency was 65.9% for Cu and 71.1% for Zn. The metal-removal processes were found out to be seasonally regulated by sulfur cycling indicated by laboratory and model results. High temperature, adequate labile organic matter, and anaerobic conditions during the warm months (February to August) favored sulfate reduction that produced sulfide minerals to significantly remove metals. However, the dominant reaction in sulfur cycling shifted to sulfide oxidation during the cool months (September to next March). High concentrations of metal-organic complexes were observed, especially colloidal complexes of metal and fulvic acid (FA), demonstrating adsorption to organic matter became the primary process for metal removal. Meanwhile, the accumulation of metal-FA complexes in the wetland system will cause negative effects to the surrounding environment as they are biologically reactive, highly bioavailable, and can be easily taken up and transferred to ecosystems by trophic exchange. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kabir, Ehsanul [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki-Hyun, E-mail: khkim@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, 98 Goon Ja Dong, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, H.O. [Korea Basic Science Institute, Seoul Center, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-30

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 {mu}g kg{sup -1} (As) to 118 mg kg{sup -1} (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Trace metal contents in barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabir, Ehsanul; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Yoon, H.O.

2011-01-01

In this study, the concentrations of trace elements contained in solid barbeque (BBQ) charcoal products have been investigated. Eleven brands of charcoal products were analyzed, consisting of both Korean (3 types) and imported products (eight types from three countries) commonly available in the Korean market places. The concentrations of trace metals in solid charcoal varied widely across metal types and between samples with the overall range of 5 μg kg -1 (As) to 118 mg kg -1 (Zn). The patterns of metal distribution between different products appeared to be affected by the properties of raw materials and/or the processes involved in their production. Although concentrations of certain trace metals were significantly high in certain charcoal samples, their emission concentrations were below legislative guidelines (e.g., the permissible exposure limit (PEL) set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). In light of the potential harm of grilling activities, proper regulation should be considered to control the use of BBQ charcoal from a toxicological viewpoint to help reduce the potential health risks associated with its use.

Speciation and Distribution of Trace Metals and Organic Matter in Marine Lake as In Situ Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Mlakar, M.; Fiket, Ž.; Cuculić, V.; Cukrov, N.; Geček, S.

2016-02-01

Marine lakes are unique, isolated marine systems, also recognized as in situ "laboratories" in which geochemical processes on a different scale compared to the open sea, can be observed. Impact of organic matter cycling on distribution of trace metals in the marine lake Mir, located on Dugi Otok Island, in the central part of the eastern Adriatic Sea, was investigated. Intense spatial and seasonal variations of physico-chemical parameters and organic matter concentrations in the water column of the Lake are governed predominantly by natural processes. Enhanced oxygen consumption in the Lake during summer season, high organic carbon concentrations and low redox potential result in occasional occurrence of anoxic conditions in the bottom layers. Speciation modelling showed that dissolved trace metals Cu, Pb and Zn, are mostly bound to organic matter, while Cd, Co and Ni are present predominantly as free ions and inorganic complexes. Trace metals removal from the water column and their retention in the sediment was found to depend on the nature of the relationship between specific metal and high proportion of organic matter (up to 9%) and inorganic phases, Fe-oxyhydroxydes or biogenic calcite. Surrounding karstic background, with occasional occurrences of red soil characterize deposited sediments as coarse grained and carbonate rich, whose elemental composition is affected by bathymetry of the basin and overall biological production.

Biological removal of metal ions from aqueous process streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shumate, S.E. II; Strandberg, G.W.; Parrott, J.R. Jr.

1978-01-01

Aqueous waste streams from nuclear fuel processing operations may contain trace quantities of heavy metals such as uranium. Conventional chemical and physical treatment may be ineffective or very expensive when uranium concentrations in the range of 10 to 100 g/m 3 must be reduced to 1 g/m 3 or less. The ability of some microorganisms to adsorb or complex dissolved heavy metals offers an alternative treatment method. Uranium uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae NRRL Y-2574 and a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was examined to identify factors which might affect a process for the removal of uranium from wastewater streams. At uranium concentrations in the range of 10 to 500 g/m 3 , where the binding capacity of the biomass was not exceeded, temperature, pH, and initial uranium concentration were found to influence the rate of uranium uptake, but not the soluble uranium concentration at equilibrium. 6 figs

Partitioning and mobility of trace metals in the Blesbokspruit: Impact assessment of dewatering of mine waters in the East Rand, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roychoudhury, Alakendra N.; Starke, Michael F.

2006-01-01

A suite of trace metals was analyzed in water and sediment samples from the Blesbokspruit, a Ramsar certified riparian wetland, to assess the impact of mining on the sediment quality and the fate of trace metals in the environment. Limited mobility of trace metals was observed primarily because of their high partition coefficient in alkaline waters. Nickel was most mobile with a mean K d of 10 3.28 L kg -1 whereas Zr was least mobile with a mean K d of 10 5.47 L kg -1 . The overall trace metal mobility sequence, derived for the Blesbokspruit, in increasing order, is: Zr < Cr < Pb < Ba < V < Cu < Zn < Sr < Mn < U < Mo < Co < Ni. Once removed from the solution, most trace metals were preferentially associated with the carbonate and Fe-Mn oxide fraction followed by the exchangeable fraction of the sediments. Organic C played a limited role in trace metal uptake. Only Cu was primarily associated with the organic fraction whereas Ti and Zr were mostly found in the residual fraction. Compared to their regional background, Au and Ag were most enriched, at times by a factor of 20-400, in the sediments. Significant enrichment of U, Hg, V, Cr, Co, Cu and Zn was also observed in the sediments. The calculated geoaccumulation indices suggest that the sediments are very lightly to lightly polluted with respect to most trace metals and highly polluted with respect to Au and Ag. The metal pollution index (MPI) for the 20 sampled sites varied between 2.9 and 45.7. The highest MPI values were found at sites that were close to tailings dams. Sediment eco-toxicity was quantified by calculating the sediment quality guideline index (SQG-I). The calculated SQG-I values (0.09-0.69) suggest that the sediments at the study area have low to moderate potential for eco-toxicity

Mobilization of Trace Metals in an Experimental Carbon Sequestration Scenario

Science.gov (United States)

Marcon, V.; Kaszuba, J. P.

2012-12-01

similar manner, increasing in concentration with injection but continually decreasing after about 830 hours until termination of the experiment. SEM images and geochemical models indicate initial dissolution of all rocks and minerals, re-precipitation of Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates and Fe-sulfides, and precipitation of anhydrite in both systems. Calcite dissolves more readily than dolomite in these experiments, but re-precipitates in veins on dolomite. If brines leak from a storage reservoir and mix with a potable aquifer, the experimental results suggest that Ba, Cu, and Zn will not be contaminants of concern. Pb, Fe and As (still under consideration) initially exceed the EPA threshold and may require careful attention in a sequestration scenario. However, experimentally observed trends of decreasing trace metal concentration suggest that these metals could become less of a concern during the life of a carbon repository. Finally, the caprock plays an active role in trace metal mobilization in the system. The caprock provides a source of metals, although subsequent precipitation may remove metals from solution.

Levels and occupational health risk assessment of trace metals in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The levels of trace metals (Pb, Cu, Ni and Cd) were determined in soils from a major automobile repair workshop located in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This was carried out to evaluate the potential occupational risk to operators working in and around the site. The mean of trace metal levels were: lead (14.52 mg/kg); ...

Biomolecules for Removal of Heavy Metal.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Namita Ashish

2017-01-01

Patents reveal that heavy metals are natural constituents of the earth's crust, but some heavy metals like cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic etc. are injurious to living organisms at higher concentration. Nowadays, anthropogenic activities have altered geochemical cycles and biochemical balance of heavy metals. Biomolecules are used nowadays for removal of heavy metals compared to other synthetic biosorbents due to their environmental friendly nature and cost effectiveness. The goal of this work is to identify the role of biomolecules like polysaccharides, polypeptides, natural compounds containing aromatic acid etc. for heavy metal removal by bio sorption. It has been observed that efficiency of biomolecules can be increased by functionalization e.g. cellulose functionalization with EDTA, chitosan with sulphur groups, alginate with carboxyl/ hydroxyl group etc. It was found that the porous structure of aerogel beads improves both sorption and kinetic properties of the material. Out of polypeptides metallothionein has been widely used for removal of heavy metal up to 88% from seawater after a single centrifugation. These cost effective functionalized biomolecules are significantly used for remediation of heavy metals by immobilizing these biomolecules onto materials. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

SOLID PHASE EXTRACTION OF TRACE AMOUNTS OF ZINC AND ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The presence of trace heavy metals lower than the detection limits of ... utilized for the preconcentration and separation of trace metal ions from different matrices [17- .... At high pHs, the OH−on the sorbent can adsorbed cations, ... but, in the low pHs, the surface charge is neutralized and OH−is removed from the surface,.

Trace metal levels in sediments of Pearl Harbor (Hawaii)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashwood, T.L.; Olsen, C.R.; Larsen, I.L.; Tamura, T.

1986-09-01

This study was conducted to measure the distribution of lead and other trace metals in the sediments of Pearl Harbon (Hawaii) to determine whether paint chips from vessels of the US Navy's Inactive Fleet have affected the environmental quality of Middle Loch. Sediment cores (ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 m long) were collected from Middle Loch near the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility and in an area of West Loch that is relatively isolated and unaffected by naval operations. Concentrations of copper, lead, and zinc averaged 180 μg/g, 49 μg/g, and 272 μg/g, respectively, in recent Middle Loch sediments. These concentrations are significantly higher than those in either historical Middle Loch sediments or recent West Loch sediments. However, except for lead, the concentrations in recent Middle Loch sediments are similar to those of older Middle Loch sediments, which indicates that the increase in trace metal contamination began before the onset of Inactive Fleet operations (about 1946). Increased trace metal levels in recent Middle Loch sediments might be expected to result from two potential sources: (1) sewage discharges and (2) paint from inactive vessels. Since paint contains elevated levels of lead and zinc but little copper, the elevated copper levels in Middle Loch sediments tend to implicate sewage as the source of trace metal contamination. Moreover, the lead:zinc ratio of recent Middle Loch sediments (0.18:1) is a factor of 10 lower than that measured in paint (2.1:1), and the Middle Loch lead:zinc ratio is not significantly greater than that measured in recent West Loch sediments (0.21:1). Hence, we suggest that sewage rather than paint is the major source of trace metal contamination of Middle Loch. This is consistent with the findings of a previous study by US navy personnel

Trace Element Removal in Distributed Drinking Water Treatment Systems by Cathodic H2O2 Production and UV Photolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Barazesh, James M; Prasse, Carsten; Wenk, Jannis; Berg, Stephanie; Remucal, Christina K; Sedlak, David L

2018-01-02

As water scarcity intensifies, point-of-use and point-of-entry treatment may provide a means of exploiting locally available water resources that are currently considered to be unsafe for human consumption. Among the different classes of drinking water contaminants, toxic trace elements (e.g., arsenic and lead) pose substantial operational challenges for distributed drinking water treatment systems. Removal of toxic trace elements via adsorption onto iron oxides is an inexpensive and robust treatment method; however, the presence of metal-complexing ligands associated with natural organic matter (NOM) often prevents the formation of iron precipitates at the relatively low concentrations of dissolved iron typically present in natural water sources, thereby requiring the addition of iron which complicates the treatment process and results in a need to dispose of relatively large amounts of accumulated solids. A point-of-use treatment device consisting of a cathodic cell that produced hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) followed by an ultraviolet (UV) irradiation chamber was used to decrease colloid stabilization and metal-complexing capacity of NOM present in groundwater. Exposure to UV light altered NOM, converting ∼6 μM of iron oxides into settable forms that removed between 0.5 and 1 μM of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) from solution via adsorption. After treatment, changes in NOM consistent with the loss of iron-complexing carboxylate ligands were observed, including decreases in UV absorbance and shifts in the molecular composition of NOM to higher H/C and lower O/C ratios. Chronoamperometric experiments conducted in synthetic groundwater revealed that the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ inhibited intramolecular charge-transfer within photoexcited NOM, leading to substantially increased removal of iron and trace elements.

Adsorption of trace metals to plastic resin pellets in the marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmes, Luke A.; Turner, Andrew; Thompson, Richard C.

2012-01-01

Plastic production pellets collected from beaches of south west England contain variable concentrations of trace metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) that, in some cases, exceed concentrations reported for local estuarine sediments. The rates and mechanisms by which metals associate with virgin and beached polyethylene pellets were studied by adding a cocktail of 5 μg L −1 of trace metals to 10 g L −1 pellet suspensions in filtered seawater. Kinetic profiles were modelled using a pseudo-first-order equation and yielded response times of less than about 100 h and equilibrium partition coefficients of up to about 225 ml g −1 that were consistently higher for beached pellets than virgin pellets. Adsorption isotherms conformed to both the Langmuir and Freundlich equations and adsorption capacities were greater for beached pellets than for virgin pellets. Results suggest that plastics may represent an important vehicle for the transport of metals in the marine environment. - Highlights: ► Beached plastic production pellets contain considerable concentrations of trace metals. ► In laboratory experiments trace metals are shown to adsorb to both virgin and beached pellets. ► Metal adsorption is greater on aged pellets. ► Pellets may represent an important vehicle for metal transport in the marine environment. - Trace metals accumulate on plastic resin pellets in the marine environment through adsorption to the polymer and to chemical and biological attritions thereon.

Extraction process for removing metallic impurities from alkalide metals

Science.gov (United States)

Royer, Lamar T.

1988-01-01

A development is described for removing metallic impurities from alkali metals by employing an extraction process wherein the metallic impurities are extracted from a molten alkali metal into molten lithium metal due to the immiscibility of the alkali metals in lithium and the miscibility of the metallic contaminants or impurities in the lithium. The purified alkali metal may be readily separated from the contaminant-containing lithium metal by simple decanting due to the differences in densities and melting temperatures of the alkali metals as compared to lithium.

Effect of fouling on removal of trace organic compounds by nanofiltration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Hajibabania

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The fate of chemical of concern is not yet fully understood during treatment of impaired waters. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of different organic-based fouling layers on the removal of a large range of trace organics. Both model and real water samples (mixed with trace organic contaminants at environmental concentration of 2 μg l⁻¹ were used to simulate fouling in nanofiltration under controlled environment. The new and fouled membranes were systematically characterised for surface charge, hydrophobicity and roughness. It was observed that fouling generally reduced the membrane surface charge; however, the alterations of the membrane hydrophobicity and surface roughness were dependent on the foulants composition. The rejection of charged trace organics was observed to be improved due to the increased electrostatic repulsion by fouled membranes and the adsorption of the trace organic chemicals onto organic matters. On the other hand, the removal of nonionic compounds decreased when fouling occurred, due to the presence of cake enhanced concentration polarization. The fouling layer structure was found to play an important role in the rejection of the trace organic compounds.

Sandhopper solar orientation as a behavioural biomarker of trace metals contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ungherese, Giuseppe; Ugolini, Alberto

2009-01-01

Although many studies have focused on trace metals accumulation, investigations of talitrid amphipods as biomarkers are rare. This study explores the possibility of using the solar orientation capacity of Talitrus saltator as a behavioural marker of exposure to two essential (Cu and Zn) and two non-essential (Cd and Hg) metals. LC 50 analyses performed before the solar orientation tests showed that the 72 h LC 50 for Hg was 0.02 ppm while the 96 h LC 50 values for Cu, Cd and Zn were 13.28 ppm, 27.66 ppm, and 62.74 ppm, respectively. The presence of metals in seawater affects the solar orientation capacity of T. saltator in a concentration-dependent manner and according to the toxicity ranking of the metals (Hg > Cu > Cd > Zn). Therefore, the solar orientation capacity of T. saltator seems to be a promising behavioural marker for exposure to trace metals. - Solar orientation capacity is a promising behavioural marker for exposure to trace metals in sandhoppers

Trace metal contamination of Beaufort's Dyke, North Channel, Irish Sea: A legacy of ordnance disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Callaway, Alexander; Quinn, Rory; Brown, Craig J.; Service, Matthew; Benetti, Sara

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Our samples are the first trace metal concentrations taken from the valley of Beaufort's Dyke. → There is no clear trend between concentrations of trace metals in Dyke and NMMP sediments. → Particle transport simulations show dispersal of trace metals from Beaufort's Dyke is possible. → Disposed ordnance may also contribute to contamination of surrounding areas. → These methods could help predict areas at risk of future trace metal contamination as a result of ordnance disposal. - Abstract: Beaufort's Dyke is a disused ordnance disposal ground within the North Channel of the Irish Sea. Over 1 million tonnes of ordnance were disposed of in the dyke over a 40 year period representing a substantial volume of trace metal pollutants introduced to the seabed. Utilising particle transport modelling software we simulated the potential transport of metal particles from Beaufort's Dyke over a 3 month period. This demonstrated that Beaufort's Dyke has the potential to act as a source for trace metal contamination to areas beyond the submarine valley. Trace metal analysis of sediments from the Dyke and surrounding National Marine Monitoring Programme areas demonstrate that the Dyke is not the most contaminated site in the region. Particle transport modelling enables the transport pathways of trace metal contaminants to be predicted. Implementation of the technique in other munitions disposal grounds will provide valuable information for the selection of monitoring stations.

Marine lake as in situ laboratory for studies of organic matter influence on speciation and distribution of trace metals

Science.gov (United States)

Mlakar, Marina; Fiket, Željka; Geček, Sunčana; Cukrov, Neven; Cuculić, Vlado

2015-07-01

Karst marine lakes are unique marine systems, also recognized as in situ "laboratories" in which geochemical processes on a different scale compared to the open sea, can be observed. In this study, organic matter cycle and its impact on distribution of trace metals in the marine lake Mir, located on Dugi Otok Island, in the central part of the eastern Adriatic Sea, was investigated for the first time. Studied marine lake is small, isolated, shallow basin, with limited communication with the open sea. Intense spatial and seasonal variations of organic matter, dissolved and particulate (DOC, POC), and dissolved trace metals concentrations in the water column of the Lake are governed predominantly by natural processes. Enhanced oxygen consumption in the Lake during summer season, high DOC and POC concentrations and low redox potential result in occasional occurrence of anoxic conditions in the bottom layers with appearance of sulfur species. Speciation modeling showed that dissolved trace metals Cu, Pb and Zn, are mostly bound to organic matter, while Cd, Co and Ni are present predominantly as free ions and inorganic complexes. Trace metals removal from the water column and their retention in the sediment was found to depend on the nature of the relationship between specific metal and organic or inorganic phases, sulfides, Fe-oxyhydroxydes or biogenic calcite. The above is reflected in the composition of the sediments, which are, in addition to influence of karstic background and bathymetry of the basin, significantly affected by accumulation of detritus at the bottom of the Lake.

Fate of alkali and trace metals in biomass gasification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salo, K.; Mojtahedi, W.

1998-01-01

The fate of alkali metals (Na, K) and eleven toxic trace elements (Hg, Cd, Be, Se, Sb, As, Pb, Zn, Cr, Co, Ni) in biomass gasification have been extensively investigated in Finland in the past ten years. The former due to the gas turbine requirements and the latter to comply with environmental regulations. In this paper the results of several experimental studies to measure Na and K in the vapor phase after the gas cooler of a simplified (air-blown) Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (IGCC) system are reported. Also, trace element emissions from an IGCC plant using alfalfa as the feedstock are discussed and the concentration of a few toxic trace metals in the vapor phase in the gasifier product gas are reported. (author)

Metallic artifact in MRI after removal of orthopedic implants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagheri, Mohammad Hadi; Hosseini, Mehrdad Mohammad; Emami, Mohammad Jafar; Foroughi, Amin Aiboulhassani

2012-01-01

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the metallic artifacts in MRI of the orthopedic patients after removal of metallic implants. Subjects and methods: From March to August 2009, 40 orthopedic patients operated for removal of orthopedic metallic implants were studied by post-operative MRI from the site of removal of implants. A grading scale of 0–3 was assigned for artifact in MR images whereby 0 was considered no artifact; and I–III were considered mild, moderate, and severe metallic artifacts, respectively. These grading records were correlated with other variables including the type, size, number, and composition of metallic devices; and the site and duration of orthopedic devices stay in the body. Results: Metallic susceptibly artifacts were detected in MRI of 18 of 40 cases (45%). Screws and pins in removed hardware were the most important factors for causing artifacts in MRI. The artifacts were found more frequently in the patients who had more screws and pins in the removed implants. Gender, age, site of implantation of the device, length of the hardware, composition of the metallic implants (stainless steel versus titanium), and duration of implantation of the hardware exerted no effect in producing metallic artifacts after removal of implants. Short TE sequences of MRI (such as T1 weighted) showed fewer artifacts. Conclusion: Susceptibility of metallic artifacts is a frequent phenomenon in MRI of patients upon removal of metallic orthopedic implants.

Metallic artifact in MRI after removal of orthopedic implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri, Mohammad Hadi; Hosseini, Mehrdad Mohammad; Emami, Mohammad Jafar; Foroughi, Amin Aiboulhassani

2012-03-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the metallic artifacts in MRI of the orthopedic patients after removal of metallic implants. From March to August 2009, 40 orthopedic patients operated for removal of orthopedic metallic implants were studied by post-operative MRI from the site of removal of implants. A grading scale of 0-3 was assigned for artifact in MR images whereby 0 was considered no artifact; and I-III were considered mild, moderate, and severe metallic artifacts, respectively. These grading records were correlated with other variables including the type, size, number, and composition of metallic devices; and the site and duration of orthopedic devices stay in the body. Metallic susceptibly artifacts were detected in MRI of 18 of 40 cases (45%). Screws and pins in removed hardware were the most important factors for causing artifacts in MRI. The artifacts were found more frequently in the patients who had more screws and pins in the removed implants. Gender, age, site of implantation of the device, length of the hardware, composition of the metallic implants (stainless steel versus titanium), and duration of implantation of the hardware exerted no effect in producing metallic artifacts after removal of implants. Short TE sequences of MRI (such as T1 weighted) showed fewer artifacts. Susceptibility of metallic artifacts is a frequent phenomenon in MRI of patients upon removal of metallic orthopedic implants. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sorbent control of trace metals in sewage sludge combustion and incineration

Science.gov (United States)

Naruse, I.; Yao, H.; Mkilaha, I. S. N.

2003-05-01

Coal and wastes combustion have become an important issue not only in terms of energy generation but also environmental conservation. The need for alternative fuels and wastes management has made the two energy sources of importance. However, the utilization of the two is faced with problems of impurity trace metals in the fuel. These metals usually speciate during combustion or incineration leading to generation of fumes and subsequently particles. This paper reports on the study aimed at understanding the speciation of trace metals and their emission from combustion systems as particulates. Experiments carried out using a down-flow furnace and theoretical study carried out using lead, chromium and cadmium as basic metals had shown that their speciation and subsequent emission is controlled by both chemical composition and physical properties of the fuel. The physical and chemical and physical properties of the fuel and their respective compounds and the operating conditions of the incineration and combustion system control the enrichment of the particles with trace metals.

The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) as an indicator of coastal trace metal pollution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finger, Annett; Lavers, Jennifer L.; Dann, Peter; Nugegoda, Dayanthi; Orbell, John D.; Robertson, Bruce; Scarpaci, Carol

2015-01-01

Monitoring trace metal and metalloid concentrations in marine animals is important for their conservation and could also reliably reflect pollution levels in their marine ecosystems. Concentrations vary across tissue types, with implications for reliable monitoring. We sampled blood and moulted feathers of the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) from three distinct colonies, which are subject to varying levels of anthropogenic impact. Non-essential trace metal and metalloid concentrations in Little Penguins were clearly linked to the level of industrialisation adjacent to the respective foraging zones. This trend was more distinct in blood than in moulted feathers, although we found a clear correlation between blood and feathers for mercury, lead and iron. This study represents the first reported examination of trace metals and metalloids in the blood of any penguin species and demonstrates that this high trophic feeder is an effective bioindicator of coastal pollution. - Highlights: • Trace metals measured in blood and feathers. • Arsenic, Mercury and Lead significantly higher at urban colony. • Correlations found between trace metals in feathers and blood. • Little Penguins are suitable bioindicators for coastal metal pollution. - This study confirms the suitability of the Little Penguin as a bioindicator of coastal metal pollution in coastal areas using non-destructive sampling methods

Reconstructing Early Industrial Contributions to Legacy Trace Metal Contamination in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, R.; Bain, D.; Hillman, A. L.; Pompeani, D. P.; Abbott, M. B.

2015-12-01

The remobilization of legacy contamination stored in floodplain sediments remains a threat to ecosystem and human health, particularly with potential changes in global precipitation patterns and flooding regimes. Vehicular and industrial emissions are often the dominant, recognized source of anthropogenic trace metal loadings to ecosystems today. However, loadings from early industrial activities are poorly characterized and potential sources of trace metal inputs. While potential trace metal contamination from these activities is recognized (e.g., the historical use of lead arsenate as a pesticide), the magnitude and distribution of legacy contamination is often unknown. This presentation reconstructs a lake sediment record of trace metal inputs from an oxbow lake in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Sediment cores were analyzed for major and trace metal chemistry, carbon to nitrogen ratios, bulk density, and magnetic susceptibility. Sediment trace metal chemistry in this approximately 250 year record (180 cm) record changes in land use and industry both in the 19th century and the 20th century. Of particular interest is early 19th century loadings of arsenic and calcium to the lake, likely attributable to pesticides and lime used in tanning processes near the lake. After this period of tanning dominated inputs, sediment barium concentrations rise, likely reflecting the onset of coal mining operations and resulting discharge of acid mine drainage to surface waters. In the 20th century portion of our record (70 -20 cm), patterns in sediment zinc, cadmium, and lead concentrations are dominated by the opening and closing of the nearby Donora Zinc Works and the American Steel & Wire Works, infamous facilities in the history of air quality regulation. The most recent sediment chemistry records periods include the enactment of air pollution legislation (~ 35 cm), and the phase out of tetraethyl leaded gasoline (~30 cm). Our study documents the impact of early industry in the

Removal of heavy metals and pollutants by membrane adsorption techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Khulbe, K. C.; Matsuura, T.

2018-03-01

Application of polymeric membranes for the adsorption of hazardous pollutants may lead to the development of next-generation reusable and portable water purification appliances. Membranes for membrane adsorption (MA) have the dual function of membrane filtration and adsorption to be very effective to remove trace amounts of pollutants such as cationic heavy metals, anionic phosphates and nitrates. In this review article, recent progresses in the development of MA membranes are surveyed. In addition, recent progresses in the development of advanced adsorbents such as nanoparticles are summarized, since they are potentially useful as fillers in the host membrane to enhance its performance. The future directions of R&D in this field are also shown in the conclusion section.

Efficient removal of trace antimony(III) through adsorption by hematite modified magnetic nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shan, Chao; Ma, Zhiyao; Tong, Meiping

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Sb(III) adsorption capacity of MNP@hematite was twice that of commercial Fe 3 O 4 . • pH, ionic strength, coexisting anions and NOM did not inhibit Sb(III) removal. • MNP@hematite could remove trace Sb(III) and As(III) from water simultaneously. • Efficient removal of Sb(III) from real tap water was achieved. • MNP@hematite could be easily recycled with a magnet and could be used repeatedly. - Abstract: Hematite coated magnetic nanoparticle (MNP@hematite) was fabricated through heterogeneous nucleation technique and used to remove trace Sb(III) from water. Powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and alternating gradient magnetometry were utilized to characterize the prepared adsorbent. TEM image showed that MNP@hematite particles were spherical with size of 10–30 nm. With saturation magnetization of 27.0 emu/g, MNP@hematite particles could be easily separated from water with a simple magnetic process in short time (5 min). At initial concentration of 110 μg/L, Sb(III) was rapidly decreased to below 5 μg/L by MNP@hematite in 10 min. Sb(III) adsorption capacity of MNP@hematite was 36.7 mg/g, which was almost twice that of commercial Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. The removal of trace Sb(III) was not obviously affected by solution pH (over a wide range from 3 to 11), ionic strength (up to 100 mM), coexisting anions (chloride, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, silicate, and phosphate, up to 10 mM) and natural organic matters (humic acid and alginate, up to 8 mg/L as TOC). Moreover, MNP@hematite particles were able to remove Sb(III) and As(III) simultaneously. Trace Sb(III) could also be effectively removed from real tap water by MNP@hematite. The magnetic adsorbent could be recycled and used repeatedly

Efficient removal of trace antimony(III) through adsorption by hematite modified magnetic nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shan, Chao; Ma, Zhiyao; Tong, Meiping, E-mail: tongmeiping@pku.edu.cn

2014-03-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Sb(III) adsorption capacity of MNP@hematite was twice that of commercial Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. • pH, ionic strength, coexisting anions and NOM did not inhibit Sb(III) removal. • MNP@hematite could remove trace Sb(III) and As(III) from water simultaneously. • Efficient removal of Sb(III) from real tap water was achieved. • MNP@hematite could be easily recycled with a magnet and could be used repeatedly. - Abstract: Hematite coated magnetic nanoparticle (MNP@hematite) was fabricated through heterogeneous nucleation technique and used to remove trace Sb(III) from water. Powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and alternating gradient magnetometry were utilized to characterize the prepared adsorbent. TEM image showed that MNP@hematite particles were spherical with size of 10–30 nm. With saturation magnetization of 27.0 emu/g, MNP@hematite particles could be easily separated from water with a simple magnetic process in short time (5 min). At initial concentration of 110 μg/L, Sb(III) was rapidly decreased to below 5 μg/L by MNP@hematite in 10 min. Sb(III) adsorption capacity of MNP@hematite was 36.7 mg/g, which was almost twice that of commercial Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles. The removal of trace Sb(III) was not obviously affected by solution pH (over a wide range from 3 to 11), ionic strength (up to 100 mM), coexisting anions (chloride, nitrate, sulfate, carbonate, silicate, and phosphate, up to 10 mM) and natural organic matters (humic acid and alginate, up to 8 mg/L as TOC). Moreover, MNP@hematite particles were able to remove Sb(III) and As(III) simultaneously. Trace Sb(III) could also be effectively removed from real tap water by MNP@hematite. The magnetic adsorbent could be recycled and used repeatedly.

Bioavailability of metals-trace in sediments: a review; Biodisponibilidade de metais-traco em sedimentos: uma revisao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigues, Rafaela E. de A.V.; Souza, Vivianne Lucia Bormann; Lima, Vanessa Lemos de; Hazin, Clovis Abrahao, E-mail: rafaelarodriguesss@hotmail.com, E-mail: vlsouza@cnen.gov.br, E-mail: lemos.nessa@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: chazin@cnen.gov.br [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Nordeste (CRCN-NE/CNEN-PE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

2014-07-01

The chemical association of metals in sediments provides an indication of its release by physical, chemical and biological processes, with toxic effects under certain environmental conditions. Knowing about their chemical bonds in sediments, can recognize specific sources of pollution, and speciation of trace metals is important for bioavailability and toxicity to animals and plants. The accumulation of these particles in the sediment occur by the following mechanisms: a) adsorption to the finest particles; b) precipitating of the element in the form of compounds; c) co-precipitating of the element with iron and manganese oxides; d) complexation with organic matter; e) incorporation into the crystal lattice of minerals. Currently, five phases are considered when studying the bioavailability of trace elements in sediments: a) the exchangeable phase, MgCl{sub 2} (causes saltiness change); b) leachable phase, (acetic acid causes pH change); c) reducible phase (hydroxylamine hydrochloride causes release of the bound metals linked to Fe and Mn oxides); d) oxidized phase, the peroxide hydrogen (cause the degradation of organic matter); e) the residual pseudo-phase, the aqua regia (cause release of metals associated to minerals). The first three phases are considered the most bioavailable. In the last two fractions, the metals are linked to sediment constituents and not bioavailable. The organic phase is relatively stable and the metal present therein are removed under oxidative conditions. Metals present in the pseudo-phase residual measure the degree of environmental pollution, since great amount of metals at this stage indicates a lower degree of pollution.

Macro and micro plastics sorb and desorb metals and act as a point source of trace metals to coastal ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Munier, B; Bendell, L I

2018-01-01

Nine urban intertidal regions in Burrard Inlet, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, were sampled for plastic debris. Debris included macro and micro plastics and originated from a wide diversity of uses ranging from personal hygiene to solar cells. Debris was characterized for its polymer through standard physiochemical characteristics, then subject to a weak acid extraction to remove the metals, zinc, copper, cadmium and lead from the polymer. Recently manufactured low density polyethylene (LDPE), nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were subject to the same extraction. Data was statistically analyzed by appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests when needed with significance set at P Plastic debris will affect metals within coastal ecosystems by; 1) providing a sorption site (copper and lead), notably for PVC 2) desorption from the plastic i.e., the "inherent" load (cadmium and zinc) and 3) serving as a point source of acute trace metal exposure to coastal ecosystems. All three mechanisms will put coastal ecosystems at risk to the toxic effects of these metals.

Levels of trace metals in water and sediment from Tyume River and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Levels of trace metals (Cd, Pb, Co, Zn Cu and Ni) were determined in water and sediment ... mg/l) and Pb (0.021 ± 0.004 to 0.035 ± 0.001 mg/l) were found in the river water, ... Key words: trace metals, water, sediment, farmland, Tyume River

Interactions of trace metals with hydrogels and filter membranes used in DET and DGT techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Garmo, Oyvind A; Davison, William; Zhang, Hao

2008-08-01

Equilibrium partitioning of trace metals between bulk solution and hydrogels/filter was studied. Under some conditions, trace metal concentrations were higher in the hydrogels or filter membranes compared to bulk solution (enrichment). In synthetic soft water, enrichment of cationic trace metals in polyacrylamide hydrogels decreased with increasing trace metal concentration. Enrichment was little affected by Ca and Mg in the concentration range typically encountered in natural freshwaters, indicating high affinity but low capacity binding of trace metals to solid structure in polyacrylamide gels. The apparent binding strength decreased in the sequence: Cu > Pb > Ni approximately to Cd approximately to Co and a low concentration of cationic Cu eliminated enrichment of weakly binding trace metal cations. The polyacrylamide gels also had an affinity for fulvic acid and/or its trace metal complexes. Enrichment of cationic Cd in agarose gel and hydrophilic polyethersulfone filter was independent of concentration (10 nM to 5 microM) but decreased with increasing Ca/ Mg concentration and ionic strength, suggesting that it is mainly due to electrostatic interactions. However, Cu and Pb were enriched even after equilibration in seawater, indicating that these metals additionally bind to sites within the agarose gel and filter. Compared to the polyacrylamide gels, agarose gel had a lower affinity for metal-fulvic complexes. Potential biases in measurements made with the diffusive equilibration in thin-films (DET) technique, identified by this work, are discussed.

Study of particle size and trace metal distribution in atmospheric aerosols of islamabad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, M.H.; Shaheen, N.

2009-01-01

Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected on glass fibre filters using high volume air samplers Half of each aerosol sample was solubilized in nitric acid/hydrochloric acid based wet digestion method and the concentration of trace metals was determined through flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Among the eight trace metals analyzed, mean concentration recorded for Zn (844 ng/m3), Fe (642 ng/m3) and Pb (253 ng/m3), was found to be higher than mean levels of Mn, Cr and Co. The size distribution of the collected particulate samples was carried out on mastersizer, which revealed PM/sub 100-10/ as the major fraction (55 %) followed by PM/sub 2.5-10/ (28 %). The correlation study evidenced a strong tendency of trace metals to be associated with fine particulate fractions. The atmospheric trace metal levels showed that the mean metal concentrations in the atmosphere of Islamabad are far higher than background and European urban sites mainly due to the anthropogenic emissions. (author)

Study of heavy trace metals in some medicinal-herbal plants of Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khattak, M.I.

2011-01-01

The paper presents heavy trace metals analysis in some widely used medicinal- herbal plants of Pakistan by using Inductively Coupled Plasma. Because these commonly used medicinal- herbal plants from Pakistan are being specifically utilized for the treatment of various diseases, so samples of medicinal-herbal plants were collected from open market and from the fields. Collected samples were digested and analyzed for their nutritional trace metals (Pb, Cd, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cu and Mn) composition and then the results obtained were compared to international and national standards as required by World Health Organizations. The deficiency or excess of the samples for essential trace metals are reported. (author)

Heavy metal removal from water/wastewater by nanosized metal oxides: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hua, Ming; Zhang, Shujuan; Pan, Bingcai; Zhang, Weiming; Lv, Lu; Zhang, Quanxing

2012-01-01

Nanosized metal oxides (NMOs), including nanosized ferric oxides, manganese oxides, aluminum oxides, titanium oxides, magnesium oxides and cerium oxides, provide high surface area and specific affinity for heavy metal adsorption from aqueous systems. To date, it has become a hot topic to develop new technologies to synthesize NMOs, to evaluate their removal of heavy metals under varying experimental conditions, to reveal the underlying mechanism responsible for metal removal based on modern analytical techniques (XAS, ATR-FT-IR, NMR, etc.) or mathematical models, and to develop metal oxide-based materials of better applicability for practical use (such as granular oxides or composite materials). The present review mainly focuses on NMOs’ preparation, their physicochemical properties, adsorption characteristics and mechanism, as well as their application in heavy metal removal. In addition, porous host supported NMOs are particularly concerned because of their great advantages for practical application as compared to the original NMOs. Also, some magnetic NMOs were included due to their unique separation performance.

Removal of trace organic contaminants by a membrane bioreactor-granular activated carbon (MBR-GAC) system.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Luong N; Hai, Faisal I; Kang, Jinguo; Price, William E; Nghiem, Long D

2012-06-01

The removal of trace organics by a membrane bioreactor-granular activated carbon (MBR-GAC) integrated system were investigated. The results confirmed that MBR treatment can be effective for the removal of hydrophobic (log D>3.2) and readily biodegradable trace organics. The data also highlighted the limitation of MBR in removing hydrophilic and persistent compounds (e.g. carbamazepine, diclofenac, and fenoprop) and that GAC could complement MBR very well as a post-treatment process. The MBR-GAC system showed high removal of all selected trace organics including those that are hydrophilic and persistent to biological degradation at up to 406 bed volumes (BV). However, over an extended period, breakthrough of diclofenac was observed after 7320 BV. This suggests that strict monitoring should be applied over the lifetime of the GAC column to detect the breakthrough of hydrophilic and persistent compounds which have low removal by MBR treatment. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fundamental study on metal plating removal using pulsed power technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imasaka, Kiminobu; Gnapowski, Sebastian; Akiyama, Hidenori

2013-01-01

A novel method for the metal removal from metal-plated substrate using pulsed power technology is proposed. A metal-plated substrate with three metal-layers structure (Cu, Ni and Au) is used as the sample substrate. Repetitive pulsed arc discharge plasma is generated between a rod electrode and the surface of substrate. Effect of the type of electrode system on metal plating removal was investigated. The removal region is produced by the moving phenomena of the pulsed arc discharge. A part of Au layer, which is the tompost metal surface of the substrate is vaporized and removed by the repetitive pulsed arc discharges. The proposed method can be used for recycle of metal-plated substrate. (author)

Molecular Speciation of Trace Metal Organic Complexes in the Pacific Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Repeta, D.; Boiteau, R. M.; Bundy, R. M.; Babcock-Adams, L.

2017-12-01

Microbial production across approximately one third of the surface ocean is limited by extraordinarily low (picomolar) concentrations of dissolved iron, essentially all of which is complexed to strong organic ligands of unknown composition. Other biologically important trace metals (cobalt, copper, zinc, nickel) are also complexed to strong organic ligands, which again have not been extensively characterized. Nevertheless, organic ligands exert a strong influence on metal bioavailability and toxicity. For example, amendment experiments using commercially available siderophores, organic compounds synthesized by microbes to facilitate iron uptake, show these ligands can both facilitate or impede iron uptake depending on the siderophore composition and available uptake pathways. Over the past few years we have developed analytical techniques using high pressure liquid chromatography interfaced with inductively coupled plasma and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to identify and quantify trace metal organic complexes in laboratory cultures of marine microbes and in seawater. We found siderophores to be widely distributed in the ocean, particularly in regions characterized by low iron concentrations. We also find chemically distinct complexes of copper, zinc, colbalt and nickel that we have yet to fully characterize. We will discuss some of our recent work on trace metal organic speciation in seawater and laboratory cultures, and outline future efforts to better understand the microbial cycling of trace metal organic complexes in the sea.

Trace metals partitioning among different sedimentary mineral phases and the deposit-feeding polychaete Armandia brevis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Díaz-de-Alba, Margarita [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Biomolecules (INBIO), Faculty of Sciences, CEI-MAR, University of Cadiz, Campus Rio S. Pedro, E-11510, Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Huerta-Diaz, Miguel Angel, E-mail: huertam@uabc.edu.mx [Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Ensenada, Km. 103 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada 22800, Baja California (Mexico); Delgadillo-Hinojosa, Francisco [Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Ensenada, Km. 103 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada 22800, Baja California (Mexico); Hare, Landis [Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490, rue de la Couronne, Québec, Québec G1K 9A9 (Canada); Galindo-Riaño, M. Dolores [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Biomolecules (INBIO), Faculty of Sciences, CEI-MAR, University of Cadiz, Campus Rio S. Pedro, E-11510, Puerto Real, Cadiz (Spain); Siqueiros-Valencia, Arturo [Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Ensenada, Km. 103 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada 22800, Baja California (Mexico)

2016-02-01

Trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) were determined in two operationally defined fractions (HCl and pyrite) in sediments from Ensenada and El Sauzal harbors (Mexico). The HCl fraction had significantly higher metal concentrations relative to the pyrite fraction in both harbors, underlining the weak tendency of most trace metals to associate with pyrite. Exceptionally, Cu was highly pyritized, with degrees of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) > 80% in both harbors. Dissolved Fe flux measurements combined with solid phase Fe sulfide data indicated that 98 mt of Fe are precipitated as iron sulfides every year in Ensenada Harbor. These Fe sulfides (and associated trace metals) will remain preserved in the sediments, unless they are perturbed by dredging or sediment resuspension. Calculations indicate that dredging activities could export to the open ocean 0.20 ± 0.13 to (0.30 ± 0.56) × 10{sup 3} mt of Cd and Cu, respectively, creating a potential threat to marine benthic organisms. Degrees of pyritization (DOP) values in Ensenada and El Sauzal harbors were relatively low (< 25%) while degrees of sulfidization (DOS) were high (~ 50%) because of the contribution of acid volatile sulfide. DOP values correlated with DTMP values (p ≤ 0.001), indicating that metals are gradually incorporated into pyrite as this mineral is formed. Significant correlations were also found between DTMP values and − log(K{sub sp(MeS)}/K{sub sp(pyr)}) for both harbors, indicating that incorporation of trace metals into the pyrite phase is a function of the solubility product of the corresponding metal sulfide. The order in which elements were pyritized in both harbors was Zn ≈ Mn < Fe < Cd ≈ Pb < Ni ≈ Co < < Cu. Lastly, a strong correlation (r{sup 2} = 0.87, p < 0.01) was found between average reactive trace metal concentrations and metal concentrations measured in Armandia brevis (a deposit-feeding Opheliid polychaete), suggesting that these labile sedimentary metals are

Trace metals partitioning among different sedimentary mineral phases and the deposit-feeding polychaete Armandia brevis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Díaz-de-Alba, Margarita; Huerta-Diaz, Miguel Angel; Delgadillo-Hinojosa, Francisco; Hare, Landis; Galindo-Riaño, M. Dolores; Siqueiros-Valencia, Arturo

2016-01-01

Trace metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) were determined in two operationally defined fractions (HCl and pyrite) in sediments from Ensenada and El Sauzal harbors (Mexico). The HCl fraction had significantly higher metal concentrations relative to the pyrite fraction in both harbors, underlining the weak tendency of most trace metals to associate with pyrite. Exceptionally, Cu was highly pyritized, with degrees of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) > 80% in both harbors. Dissolved Fe flux measurements combined with solid phase Fe sulfide data indicated that 98 mt of Fe are precipitated as iron sulfides every year in Ensenada Harbor. These Fe sulfides (and associated trace metals) will remain preserved in the sediments, unless they are perturbed by dredging or sediment resuspension. Calculations indicate that dredging activities could export to the open ocean 0.20 ± 0.13 to (0.30 ± 0.56) × 10"3 mt of Cd and Cu, respectively, creating a potential threat to marine benthic organisms. Degrees of pyritization (DOP) values in Ensenada and El Sauzal harbors were relatively low (< 25%) while degrees of sulfidization (DOS) were high (~ 50%) because of the contribution of acid volatile sulfide. DOP values correlated with DTMP values (p ≤ 0.001), indicating that metals are gradually incorporated into pyrite as this mineral is formed. Significant correlations were also found between DTMP values and − log(K_s_p_(_M_e_S_)/K_s_p_(_p_y_r_)) for both harbors, indicating that incorporation of trace metals into the pyrite phase is a function of the solubility product of the corresponding metal sulfide. The order in which elements were pyritized in both harbors was Zn ≈ Mn < Fe < Cd ≈ Pb < Ni ≈ Co < < Cu. Lastly, a strong correlation (r"2 = 0.87, p < 0.01) was found between average reactive trace metal concentrations and metal concentrations measured in Armandia brevis (a deposit-feeding Opheliid polychaete), suggesting that these labile sedimentary metals are

Trace metal assay of uranium silicide fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulkarni, M.J.; Argekar, A.A.; Thulasidas, S.K.; Dhawale, B.A.; Rajeswari, B.; Adya, V.C.; Purohit, P.J.; Neelam, G.; Bangia, T.R.; Page, A.G.; Sastry, M.D.; Iyer, R.H.

1994-01-01

A comprehensive trace metal assay of uranium silicide, a fuel for nuclear research reactors that employs low-enrichment uranium, is carried out by atomic spectrometry. Of the list of specification elements, 21 metallic elements are determined by a direct current (dc) arc carrier distillation technique; the rare earths yttrium and zirconium are chemically separated from the major matrix followed by a dc arc/inductively coupled argon plasma (ICP) excitation technique in atomic emission spectrometry (AES); silver is determined by electrothermal atomization-atomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS) without prior chemical separation of the major matrix. Gamma radioactive tracers are used to check the recovery of rare earths during the chemical separation procedure. The detection limits for trace metallics vary in the 0.1- to 40-ppm range. The precision of the determinations as evaluated from the analysis of the synthetic sample with intermediate range analyte concentration is better than 25% relative standard deviation (RSD) for most of the elements employing dc arc-AES, while that for silver determination by ETS-AAS is 10% RSD. The precision of the determinations for four crucially important rare earths by ICP-AES is better than 3% RSD

Trace metal enrichments in core sediments in Muthupet mangroves, SE coast of India: Application of acid leachable technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janaki-Raman, D.; Jonathan, M.P.; Srinivasalu, S.; Armstrong-Altrin, J.S.; Mohan, S.P.; Ram-Mohan, V.

2007-01-01

Core sediments from Mullipallam Creek of Muthupet mangroves on the southeast coast of India were analyzed for texture, CaCO 3 , organic carbon, sulfur and acid leachable trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn and Cd). Textural analysis reveals a predominance of mud while CaCO 3 indicates dissolution in the upper half of the core, and reprecipitation of carbonates in reduction zones. Trace metals are diagenetically modified and anthropogenic processes control Pb and, to some extent, Ni, Zn and Fe. A distinct event is identified at 90 cm suggesting a change in deposition. Strong relationship of trace metals with Fe indicates that they are associated with Fe-oxyhydroxides. The role of carbonates in absorbing trace metals is evident from their positive relationship with trace metals. Comparison of acid leachable trace metals indicates increase in concentrations in the study area and the sediments act as a sink for trace metals contributed from multiple sources. - Natural and anthropogenic trace metals afeecting mangrove sediments

Atmospheric trace metal concentrations in Suspended Particulate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The air particulate samples were collected from the kitchens, living rooms and outdoor environment of five households in the community. The quantification of the trace metals was done using Atomic Absorption spectrometry method, employing HNO based wet digestion. High baseline concentration of SPMwere obtained ...

Removal of heavy metals from synthetic solution by electrocoagulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Ilou

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work concerns the optimization of the operating conditions for the removal of heavy metals from synthetic solution by Electrocoagulation (EC. To reach this purpose, we prepared a synthetic wastewater containing certain heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe and Pb to study the influence of various parameters (conductivity, pH, time of electrolysis, current density and the initial concentration of the metal on the rate of removal of these metals. The results show that this rate of removal can reach 99.9 % in the following optimal conditions: pH included between 6 and 8 and a density of the current of 1~1.5A / dm2. This study shows that it is possible to remove metals in aqueous solution by the technique of electrocoagulation. 

Impact of trace metal concentrations on coccolithophore growth and morphology: laboratory simulations of Cretaceous stress

Science.gov (United States)

Faucher, Giulia; Hoffmann, Linn; Bach, Lennart T.; Bottini, Cinzia; Erba, Elisabetta; Riebesell, Ulf

2017-07-01

The Cretaceous ocean witnessed intervals of profound perturbations such as volcanic input of large amounts of CO2, anoxia, eutrophication and introduction of biologically relevant metals. Some of these extreme events were characterized by size reduction and/or morphological changes of a few calcareous nannofossil species. The correspondence between intervals of high trace metal concentrations and coccolith dwarfism suggests a negative effect of these elements on nannoplankton biocalcification processes in past oceans. In order to test this hypothesis, we explored the potential effect of a mixture of trace metals on growth and morphology of four living coccolithophore species, namely Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Pleurochrysis carterae and Coccolithus pelagicus. The phylogenetic history of coccolithophores shows that the selected living species are linked to Mesozoic species showing dwarfism under excess metal concentrations. The trace metals tested were chosen to simulate the environmental stress identified in the geological record and upon known trace metal interactions with living coccolithophore algae.Our laboratory experiments demonstrated that elevated trace metal concentrations, similarly to the fossil record, affect coccolithophore algae size and/or weight. Smaller coccoliths were detected in E. huxleyi and C. pelagicus, while coccoliths of G. oceanica showed a decrease in size only at the highest trace metal concentrations. P. carterae coccolith size was unresponsive to changing trace metal concentrations. These differences among species allow discriminating the most- (P. carterae), intermediate- (E. huxleyi and G. oceanica) and least-tolerant (C. pelagicus) taxa. The fossil record and the experimental results converge on a selective response of coccolithophores to metal availability.These species-specific differences must be considered before morphological features of coccoliths are used to reconstruct paleo-chemical conditions.

Impact of trace metal concentrations on coccolithophore growth and morphology: laboratory simulations of Cretaceous stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Faucher

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The Cretaceous ocean witnessed intervals of profound perturbations such as volcanic input of large amounts of CO2, anoxia, eutrophication and introduction of biologically relevant metals. Some of these extreme events were characterized by size reduction and/or morphological changes of a few calcareous nannofossil species. The correspondence between intervals of high trace metal concentrations and coccolith dwarfism suggests a negative effect of these elements on nannoplankton biocalcification processes in past oceans. In order to test this hypothesis, we explored the potential effect of a mixture of trace metals on growth and morphology of four living coccolithophore species, namely Emiliania huxleyi, Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Pleurochrysis carterae and Coccolithus pelagicus. The phylogenetic history of coccolithophores shows that the selected living species are linked to Mesozoic species showing dwarfism under excess metal concentrations. The trace metals tested were chosen to simulate the environmental stress identified in the geological record and upon known trace metal interactions with living coccolithophore algae.Our laboratory experiments demonstrated that elevated trace metal concentrations, similarly to the fossil record, affect coccolithophore algae size and/or weight. Smaller coccoliths were detected in E. huxleyi and C. pelagicus, while coccoliths of G. oceanica showed a decrease in size only at the highest trace metal concentrations. P. carterae coccolith size was unresponsive to changing trace metal concentrations. These differences among species allow discriminating the most- (P. carterae, intermediate- (E. huxleyi and G. oceanica and least-tolerant (C. pelagicus taxa. The fossil record and the experimental results converge on a selective response of coccolithophores to metal availability.These species-specific differences must be considered before morphological features of coccoliths are used to reconstruct paleo-chemical conditions.

Effects of trace metal concentrations on the growth of the coral endosymbiont Symbiodinium kawagutii

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irene Barra Rodriguez

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Symbiodinium is an indispensable endosymbiont in corals and the most important primary producer in coral reef ecosystems. During the past decades, coral bleaching attributed to the disruption of the symbiosis has frequently occurred resulting in reduction of coral reef coverage globally. Growth and proliferation of corals require some specific trace metals that are essential components of pertinent biochemical processes, such as in photosynthetic systems and electron transport chains. In addition, trace metals are vital in the survival of corals against oxidative stress because these metals serve as enzymatic cofactors in antioxidative defense mechanisms. The basic knowledge about trace metal requirement of Symbiodinium is lacking. Here we show that the requirement of S. kawagutii for antioxidant-associated trace metals exhibits the following order: Fe >> Cu/Zn/Mn >> Ni. In growth media with Cu, Zn, Mn and varying Fe concentrations, we observed that Cu, Zn and Mn cellular quotas were inversely related to Fe concentrations. In the absence of Cu, Zn and Mn, growth rates increased with increasing inorganic Fe concentrations up to 1250 pM, indicating the relatively high Fe requirement for Symbiodinium growth and potential functional complementarity of these metals. These results demonstrate the relative importance of trace metals to sustain Symbiodinium growth and a potential metal interreplacement strategy in Symbiodinium to ensure survival of coral reefs in an oligotrophic and stressful environment.

Selective extraction of trace mercury and cadmium from drinking water sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xuan; Zhao, Gang; Wang, Jianlong; Yun, Guichun

2005-01-01

In this paper, a new alternative method, i.e., selective extraction by weakly basic anion exchange resin, has been developed for the removal of trace cadmium and mercury ions from drinking water sources. The mechanism of heavy metal removal is based on selective extraction as the results of LEWIS-base-acid interactions. Transfer of trace mercury species from liquid to resin phase coincides well with the performance of film diffusion. The results demonstrated that the presence of chlorine has a negligible influence on the removal of mercury. However, humic acids can strongly bind mercury by the formation of complex compounds and therefore become the obstacle in the diffusion progress. At neutral or base pH, the resin material exhibits the favorable uptake of heavy metals. In filter experiments, the studied resin material offers favorable properties in the selective extraction of trace mercury and cadmium.

Particulate trace metals in Cochin backwaters: Distribution of seasonal indices

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sankaranarayanan, V.N.; Jayalakshmy, K.V.; Joseph, T.

that surface distribution pattern of the trace metal concentration of cobalt, nickel and iron was almost similar at the four stations thereby stressing the fact that seasonal fluctuations contributed a major part in the surface distribution of these metals...

Removal of heavy metals from metal-containing effluent by yeast ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Removal of heavy metals from metal-containing effluent by yeast biomass. ... Research studies have described this phenomenon of fast initial sorption with a ... chrome and tin from the chrome and tin effluents of a local iron and steel industry.

Trace Metals Bioaccumulation Potentials of Three Indigenous ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The rapid increase in the number of industries may have increased the levels of trace metals in the soil. Phytoremediation of these polluted soils using indigenous grasses is now considered an alternative method in remediating these polluted soils. The present study investigated and compared the ability of three ...

Trace Metal Concentrations in Commercially Important Fishes from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

komla

Some trace metals such as zinc and copper are important in small quantities for ...... Cameroon: Institut de recherches meddicales et d'etudes des plantes edicinales, ... Determination of Total Cadmium, Zinc, Lead, Copper in Selected Marine ...

Application of aragonite shells for the removal of aqueous metals in polluted soils and wastewaters.

Science.gov (United States)

Bucca, M.; Köhler, S. J.; Dietzel, M.

2009-04-01

In the present study the use of coupled precipitation/dissolution processes for metal (Me) removal from polluted soils and waters by biogenic carbonate (CaCO3) shell surfaces is proposed, according to the following overall reaction: CaCO3 + Me2+ = MeCO3 + Ca2+ This reaction has been investigated at fixed experimental conditions using synthetic model systems consisting in columns, batch, and reactors (e.g. lead, zinc, and cadmium artificial solutions mixed with aragonite shells) that allowed quantifying the kinetics of the process of metal carbonate formation. The above mentioned process has the potential of being used in three different areas of water treatment: a) use of shells as a cheap and effective geologic barrier for contaminated ground or surface waters, b) use as a material in filter beds or fluidized bed for selective cleaning of waste water with the potential of partial metal recovery and c) use as seed crystals during the elimination of metals through precipitation with soda (Na2CO3). Acidic wastewaters containing several pollutants, including heavy and trace metals, are created during production of pesticides, paper, lubricating oil, batteries, acid/alkali, or in ship repair manufacturing, mines drainage systems, metalworking and metal plating industries. Biogenic shells are a waste product in many coastal countries and may thus be more favorable than other solid phases such as clays or zeolithes from an economic viewpoint. Our metal elimination study aims at setting up a low-cost effective elimination system for various types of metal rich waste waters. A number of experimental techniques such as batch, column and flow through reactors were used to optimize the metal removal efficiency in both synthetic and waste waters from the metal finishing industry. Solid liquid ratio, initial and final pH, metal concentration and combination of metals have been varied. Measurements of pH, metal concentration, conductivity and alkalinity were recorded over the

Trace-level mercury removal from surface water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klasson, K.T.; Bostick, D.T.

1998-01-01

Many sorbents have been developed for the removal of mercury and heavy metals from waters; however, most of the data published thus far do not address the removal of mercury to the target levels represented in this project. The application to which these sorbents are targeted for use is the removal of mercury from microgram-per-liter levels to low nanogram-per-liter levels. Sorbents with thiouronium, thiol, amine, sulfur, and proprietary functional groups were selected for these studies. Mercury was successfully removed from surface water via adsorption onto Ionac SR-4 and Mersorb resins to levels below the target goal of 12 ng/L in batch studies. A thiol-based resin performed the best, indicating that over 200,000 volumes of water could be treated with one volume of resin. The cost of the resin is approximately $0.24 per 1,000 gal of water

The use of some local plants for removal of radioactive and trace elements from aqueous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Masri, M. S.; Amin, Y.; Al-Akel, B; Al-Naama, T.

2008-02-01

The removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions by biosorption plays an important role in water pollution control. In this study, dried leaves of Barbary, Jew's mallow and poplar, branches of poplar trees and creeping club as biomass for removal of toxic elements (Cd, Pb and U) and some radionuclides ( 133 Ba, 137 Cs and 226 Ra) from aqueous solution have been evaluated. The results show that all studied plants can be effectively used for removing U and Ba from aqueous solutions, while Pb was removed using branches of poplar trees. In addition, Cd was removed using Barbary, Jew's mallow and branches of poplar trees. The adsorption of U and Cd by leaves of Barbary reached 3.3 mg g -1 and 3.5 mg g -1 , respectively. Moreover, the leaves of poplar trees were the best plant for biosorping Pb, its maximum capacity reached a value 1.7 mg g -1 . On the other hand, the maximum capacity for studied radionuclide was less than 10-6 mg g -1 . Further more, the effect of many factors such as, plant pretreatment, solution temperature, pH, plant particles size and contact time, on biosorption process were performed and the best conditions of biosorption were recognized. The studied plants were used for removing 226 Ra and some trace elements from real polluted water. The results show that the method is effective.(author)

Influences of thermal decontamination on mercury removal, soil properties, and repartitioning of coexisting heavy metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yu-Tuan; Hseu, Zeng-Yei; Hsi, Hsing-Cheng

2011-08-01

Thermal treatment is a useful tool to remove Hg from contaminated soils. However, thermal treatment may greatly alter the soil properties and cause the coexisting contaminants, especially trace metals, to transform and repartition. The metal repartitioning may increase the difficulty in the subsequent process of a treatment train approach. In this study, three Hg-contaminated soils were thermally treated to evaluate the effects of treating temperature and duration on Hg removal. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed to project the suitable heating parameters for subsequent bench-scale fixed-bed operation. Results showed that thermal decontamination at temperature>400°C successfully lowered the Hg content tosoil particle size was less significant, even when the soils were thermally treated to 550°C. Soil clay minerals such as kaolinite were shown to be decomposed. Aggregates were observed on the surface of soil particles after the treatment. The heavy metals tended to transform into acid-extractable, organic-matter bound, and residual forms from the Fe/Mn oxide bound form. These results suggest that thermal treatment may markedly influence the effectiveness of subsequent decontamination methods, such as acid washing or solvent extraction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trace metals in water and sediments from Ologe Lagoon, southwestern Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusuf, K.A.; Osibanjo, O.

2006-01-01

The concentrations of trace metals in water and sediment samples from Ologe lagoon located in southwestern Nigeria were investigated. The lagoon is a source of water for domestic, transportation and fishing activities. The water quality characteristics for a period of two years (January, 1997 - November, 1998), and the speciation of metals in the lagoon sediments were evaluated. The lagoon water quality characteristics, with respect to heavy metal contamination, were compared with global averages for freshwater and international water quality standards for drinking water. All elements except iron, were well within the safety limits. Sequential extraction techniques were used to establish the association of the total concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Mn in the sediment samples with their contents as exchangeable, carbonates, Fe/Mn oxides, and organic and residual fractions. The concentrations of trace metals in the whole sediments were generally below the world-wide background levels. When compared to a number of sediment quality guidelines, the concentrations of trace metals were found to be below the level considered to have the potential to cause biological effects. Pb and Cd were extracted from the residual fraction at values greater than 50%. The metals that were most easily extractable in the samples analyzed were Mn and Zn, which posed the highest risk to water contamination. The low level of industrialization in the study area has kept the lagoon relatively free from heavy metal contamination. (author)

Octanol-solubility of dissolved and particulate trace metals in contaminated rivers: implications for metal reactivity and availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, Andrew; Mawji, Edward

2005-01-01

The lipid-like, amphiphilic solvent, n-octanol, has been used to determine a hydrophobic fraction of dissolved and particulate trace metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in contaminated rivers. In a sample from the River Clyde, southwest Scotland, octanol-solubility was detected for all dissolved metals except Co, with conditional octanol-water partition coefficients, D ow , ranging from about 0.2 (Al and Cu) to 1.25 (Pb). In a sample taken from the River Mersey, northwest England, octanol-solubility was detected for dissolved Al and Pb, but only after sample aliquots had been spiked with individual ionic metal standards and equilibrated. Spiking of the River Clyde sample revealed competition among different metals for hydrophobic ligands. Metal displacement from hydrophobic complexes was generally most significant following the addition of ionic Al or Pb, although the addition of either of these metals had little effect on the octanol-solubility of the other. In both river water samples hydrophobic metals were detected on the suspended particles retained by filtration following their extraction in n-octanol. In general, particulate Cu and Zn (up to 40%) were most available, and Al, Co and Pb most resistant ( 3.3 -10 5.3 ml g -1 . The presence of hydrophobic dissolved and particulate metal species has implications for our understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of metals in aquatic environments. Specifically, such species are predicted to exhibit characteristics of non-polar organic contaminants, including the potential to penetrate the lipid bilayer. Current strategies for assessing the bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and particulate trace metals in natural waters may, therefore, require revision. - New approaches are presented for fractionating trace metals in natural waters

Octanol-solubility of dissolved and particulate trace metals in contaminated rivers: implications for metal reactivity and availability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turner, Andrew [School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: aturner@plymouth.ac.uk; Mawji, Edward [School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)

2005-05-01

The lipid-like, amphiphilic solvent, n-octanol, has been used to determine a hydrophobic fraction of dissolved and particulate trace metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in contaminated rivers. In a sample from the River Clyde, southwest Scotland, octanol-solubility was detected for all dissolved metals except Co, with conditional octanol-water partition coefficients, D{sub ow}, ranging from about 0.2 (Al and Cu) to 1.25 (Pb). In a sample taken from the River Mersey, northwest England, octanol-solubility was detected for dissolved Al and Pb, but only after sample aliquots had been spiked with individual ionic metal standards and equilibrated. Spiking of the River Clyde sample revealed competition among different metals for hydrophobic ligands. Metal displacement from hydrophobic complexes was generally most significant following the addition of ionic Al or Pb, although the addition of either of these metals had little effect on the octanol-solubility of the other. In both river water samples hydrophobic metals were detected on the suspended particles retained by filtration following their extraction in n-octanol. In general, particulate Cu and Zn (up to 40%) were most available, and Al, Co and Pb most resistant (<1%) to octanol extraction. Distribution coefficients defining the concentration ratio of octanol-soluble particle-bound metal to octanol-soluble dissolved metal were in the range 10{sup 3.3}-10{sup 5.3} ml g{sup -1}. The presence of hydrophobic dissolved and particulate metal species has implications for our understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of metals in aquatic environments. Specifically, such species are predicted to exhibit characteristics of non-polar organic contaminants, including the potential to penetrate the lipid bilayer. Current strategies for assessing the bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and particulate trace metals in natural waters may, therefore, require revision. - New approaches are presented for fractionating

Nanomolar Trace Metal Analysis of Copper at Gold Microband Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Wahl, A.; Dawson, K.; Sassiat, N.; Quinn, A. J.; O'Riordan, A.

2011-08-01

This paper describes the fabrication and electrochemical characterization of gold microband electrode arrays designated as a highly sensitive sensor for trace metal detection of copper in drinking water samples. Gold microband electrodes have been routinely fabricated by standard photolithographic methods. Electrochemical characterization were conducted in 0.1 M H2SO4 and found to display characteristic gold oxide formation and reduction peaks. The advantages of gold microband electrodes as trace metal sensors over currently used methods have been investigated by employing under potential deposition anodic stripping voltammetry (UPD-ASV) in Cu2+ nanomolar concentrations. Linear correlations were observed for increasing Cu2+ concentrations from which the concentration of an unknown sample of drinking water was estimated. The results obtained for the estimation of the unknown trace copper concentration in drinking was in good agreement with expected values.

Nanomolar Trace Metal Analysis of Copper at Gold Microband Arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wahl, A; Dawson, K; Sassiat, N; Quinn, A J; O'Riordan, A

2011-01-01

This paper describes the fabrication and electrochemical characterization of gold microband electrode arrays designated as a highly sensitive sensor for trace metal detection of copper in drinking water samples. Gold microband electrodes have been routinely fabricated by standard photolithographic methods. Electrochemical characterization were conducted in 0.1 M H 2 SO 4 and found to display characteristic gold oxide formation and reduction peaks. The advantages of gold microband electrodes as trace metal sensors over currently used methods have been investigated by employing under potential deposition anodic stripping voltammetry (UPD-ASV) in Cu 2+ nanomolar concentrations. Linear correlations were observed for increasing Cu 2+ concentrations from which the concentration of an unknown sample of drinking water was estimated. The results obtained for the estimation of the unknown trace copper concentration in drinking was in good agreement with expected values.

Rapid and gradual modes of aerosol trace metal dissolution in seawater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine Rose Marie Mackey

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric deposition is a major source of trace metals in marine surface waters and supplies vital micronutrients to phytoplankton, yet measured aerosol trace metal solubility values are operationally defined and there are relatively few multi-element studies on aerosol-metal solubility in seawater. Here we measure the solubility of aluminum (Al, cadmium (Cd, cobalt (Co, copper (Cu, iron (Fe, manganese (Mn, nickel (Ni, lead (Pb, and zinc (Zn from natural aerosol samples in seawater over a 7 day period to (1 evaluate the role of extraction time in trace metal dissolution behavior and (2 explore how the individual dissolution patterns could influence biota. Dissolution behavior occurs over a continuum ranging from rapid dissolution, in which the majority of soluble metal dissolved immediately upon seawater exposure (Cd and Co in our samples, to gradual dissolution, where metals dissolved slowly over time (Zn, Mn, Cu, and Al in our samples. Additionally, dissolution affected by interactions with particles was observed in which a decline in soluble metal concentration over time occurred (Fe and Pb in our samples. Natural variability in aerosol chemistry between samples can cause metals to display different dissolution kinetics in different samples, and this was particularly evident for Ni, for which samples showed a broad range of dissolution rates. The elemental molar ratio of metals in the bulk aerosols was 23,189Fe: 22,651Al: 445Mn: 348Zn: 71Cu: 48Ni: 23Pb: 9Co: 1Cd, whereas the seawater soluble molar ratio after 7 days of leaching was 11Fe: 620Al: 205Mn: 240Zn: 20Cu: 14Ni: 9Pb: 2Co: 1Cd. The different kinetics and ratios of aerosol metal dissolution have implications for phytoplankton nutrition, and highlight the need for unified extraction protocols that simulate aerosol metal dissolution in the surface ocean.

Metal biosorption-flotation. Application to cadmium removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Matis, K A; Zouboulis, A I; Grigoriadou, A A; Lazaridis, N K; Ekateriniadou, L V

1996-05-01

Biosorption using suspended non-living biomass, and flotation (for consequent solid/liquid separation of the metal-loaded biomass) have been studied in the laboratory as a possible combined process, for the removal of toxic metals (i.e., cadmium) from dilute aqueous solutions. The various parameters of the process were investigated in depth, including re-use of biosorbent. A filter aid (contained in the biomass industrial waste used) was found not really to interfere. Zeta-potential measurements of the aforementioned system were also carried out. Promising results were obtained during continuous-flow experiments. A flotation residence time of 4 min was achieved. Metal removal and suspended biomass recovery were generally over 95%.

Influence of Protozoan Grazing on the Marine Geochemistry of Particle Reactive Trace Metals

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Barbeau, Katherine

1998-01-01

.... Principle findings included mobilization of extracellular as well as intracellular trace metals by protists, apparent generation of metal-organic complexes, and decoupling of metal and carbon cycling...

Plasma polymer-functionalized silica particles for heavy metals removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhavan, Behnam; Jarvis, Karyn; Majewski, Peter

2015-02-25

Highly negatively charged particles were fabricated via an innovative plasma-assisted approach for the removal of heavy metal ions. Thiophene plasma polymerization was used to deposit sulfur-rich films onto silica particles followed by the introduction of oxidized sulfur functionalities, such as sulfonate and sulfonic acid, via water-plasma treatments. Surface chemistry analyses were conducted by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Electrokinetic measurements quantified the zeta potentials and isoelectric points (IEPs) of modified particles and indicated significant decreases of zeta potentials and IEPs upon plasma modification of particles. Plasma polymerized thiophene-coated particles treated with water plasma for 10 min exhibited an IEP of less than 3.5. The effectiveness of developed surfaces in the adsorption of heavy metal ions was demonstrated through copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) removal experiments. The removal of metal ions was examined through changing initial pH of solution, removal time, and mass of particles. Increasing the water plasma treatment time to 20 min significantly increased the metal removal efficiency (MRE) of modified particles, whereas further increasing the plasma treatment time reduced the MRE due to the influence of an ablation mechanism. The developed particulate surfaces were capable of removing more than 96.7% of both Cu and Zn ions in 1 h. The combination of plasma polymerization and oxidative plasma treatment is an effective method for the fabrication of new adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals.

Temporal variability in trace metal solubility in a paddy soil not reflected in uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Yunyu; Koopmans, Gerwin F; Bonten, Luc T C; Song, Jing; Luo, Yongming; Temminghoff, Erwin J M; Comans, Rob N J

2016-12-01

Alternating flooding and drainage conditions have a strong influence on redox chemistry and the solubility of trace metals in paddy soils. However, current knowledge of how the effects of water management on trace metal solubility are linked to trace metal uptake by rice plants over time is still limited. Here, a field-contaminated paddy soil was subjected to two flooding and drainage cycles in a pot experiment with two rice plant cultivars, exhibiting either high or low Cd accumulation characteristics. Flooding led to a strong vertical gradient in the redox potential (Eh). The pH and Mn, Fe, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations increased with decreasing Eh and vice versa. During flooding, trace metal solubility decreased markedly, probably due to sulfide mineral precipitation. Despite its low solubility, the Cd content in rice grains exceeded the food quality standards for both cultivars. Trace metal contents in different rice plant tissues (roots, stem, and leaves) increased at a constant rate during the first flooding and drainage cycle but decreased after reaching a maximum during the second cycle. As such, the high temporal variability in trace metal solubility was not reflected in trace metal uptake by rice plants over time. This might be due to the presence of aerobic conditions and a consequent higher trace metal solubility near the root surface, even during flooding. Trace metal solubility in the rhizosphere should be considered when linking water management to trace metal uptake by rice over time.

Bibliography on cycling of trace metals in freshwater ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaRiviere, M.G.; Scott, A.J.; Woodfield, W.G.; Cushing, C.E.

1978-07-01

This bibliography is a listing of pertinent literature directly addressing the cycling of trace metals in freshwater ecosystems. Data on cycling, including the influences of environmental mediators, are included. 151 references

Electric discharge for treatment of trace contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Flamm, D. L.; Wydeven, T. J. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A radio frequency glow discharge reactor is described for removing trace oxidizable contaminants from an oxygen bearing atmosphere. The reaction chamber is defined by an inner metal electrode facing a dielectric backed by an outer conductive electrode. In one embodiment, a conductive liquid forms the conductor of an outer electrode and cools the dielectric. A resonator coupled to a variable radio frequency source generates the high voltages for creating a glow discharge in the chamber at a predetermined pressure whereby the trace contaminants are oxidized into a few simple non-toxic products that may be easily recovered. The corresponding process for removal of trace contaminants from an oxygen-bearing atmosphere with high efficiency independent of the concentration level is also disclosed.

Distribution and Potential Toxicity of Trace Metals in the Surface Sediments of Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem, Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, A.; Ramanathan, A.; Mathukumalli, B. K. P.; Datta, D. K.

2014-12-01

The distribution, enrichment and ecotoxocity potential of Bangladesh part of Sundarban mangrove was investigated for eight trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) using sediment quality assessment indices. The average concentration of trace metals in the sediments exceeded the crustal abundance suggesting sources other than natural in origin. Additionally, the trace metals profile may be a reflection of socio-economic development in the vicinity of Sundarban which further attributes trace metals abundance to the anthropogenic inputs. Geoaccumulation index suggests moderately polluted sediment quality w.r.t. Ni and As and background concentrations for Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, As and Cd. Contamination factor analysis suggested low contamination by Zn, Cr, Co and Cd, moderate by Fe, Mn, Cu and Pb while Ni and As show considerable and high contamination, respectively. Enrichment factors for Ni, Pb and As suggests high contamination from either biota or anthropogenic inputs besides natural enrichment. As per the three sediment quality guidelines, Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, Co and As would be more of a concern with respect to ecotoxicological risk in the Sundarban mangroves. The correlation between various physiochemical variables and trace metals suggested significant role of fine grained particles (clay) in trace metal distribution whereas owing to low organic carbon content in the region the organic complexation may not be playing significant role in trace metal distribution in the Sundarban mangroves.

Trace Metals in Mussels from the N.W. Mediterranean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fowler, S.W.; Oregioni, B.

1976-01-01

A coastal survey in the northwestern Mediterranean region was initiated to measure existing levels of selected trace metals in mussels. For most metals the highest values were found in samples from port cities and areas in the vicinity of river discharge. Marked seasonal variation for many metals was evident; an overall increase in metal concentration in mussels from most stations during March 1974 was attributed to high precipitation and attendant run-off rather than to local pollution. Data comparison indicates that average metal levels in northwestern Mediterranean mussels do not differ markedly from those measured in similar species from different localities throughout the world. (author)

Individual and competitive removal of heavy metals using capacitive deionization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Zhe; Lu, Lu; Cai, Zhenxiao; Ren, Zhiyong Jason

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Capactive deionization can effectively remove cadmium, lead, and chromium from water. • The removal rates of the individual metal ions vary due to adsorption difference. • The interplay between different metal ions when co-present affects ion removal. - Abstract: This study presents the viability and preference of capacitive deionization (CDI) for removing different heavy metal ions in various conditions. The removal performance and mechanisms of three ions, cadmium (Cd"2"+), lead (Pb"2"+) and chromium (Cr"3"+) were investigated individually and as a mixture under different applied voltages and ion concentrations. It was found that CDI could effectively remove these metals, and the performance was positively correlated with the applied voltage. When 1.2 V was applied into solution containing 0.5 mM individual ions, the Cd"2"+, Pb"2"+, and Cr"3"+ removal was 32%, 43%, and 52%, respectively, and the electrosorption played a bigger role in Cd"2"+ removal than for the other two ions. Interestingly, while the removal of Pb"2"+ and Cr"3"+ remained at a similar level of 46% in the mixture of three ions, the Cd"2"+ removal significantly decreased to 14%. Similar patterns were observed when 0.05 mM was used to simulate natural contaminated water condition, but the removal efficiencies were much higher, with the removal of Pb"2"+, Cr"3"+, and Cd"2"+ increased to 81%, 78%, and 42%, respectively. The low valence charge and lack of physical sorption of Cd"2"+ were believed to be the reason for the removal behavior, and advanced microscopic analysis showed clear deposits of metal ions on the cathode surface after operation.

Radionuclides and trace metals in eastern Mediterranean Sea algae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Masri, M.S.; Mamish, S.; Budier, Y.

2003-01-01

Three types of sea alga distributed along the Syrian coast have been collected and analyzed for radioactivity and trace elements. Results have shown that 137 Cs concentrations in all the analyzed sample were relatively low (less than 1.2 Bq kg -1 dry weight) while the levels of naturally occurring radionuclides, such as 210 Po and 210 Pb, were found to be high in most samples; the highest observed value (27.43 Bq kg -1 dry weight) for 210 Po being in the red Jania longifurca alga. In addition, most brown alga species were also found to accumulate 210 Po, which indicates their selectivity to this isotope. On the other hand, brown alga (Cystoseira and Sargassum Vulgare) have shown a clear selectivity for some trace metals such as Cr, As, Cu and Co, this selectivity may encourage their use as biomonitor for pollution by trace metals. Moreover, the red alga species were found to contain the highest levels of Mg while the brown alga species were found to concentrate Fe, Mn, Na and K and nonmetals such as Cl, I and Br

Characterization of landfill leachates and studies on heavy metal removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceçen, F; Gürsoy, G

2000-10-01

This study covers a thorough characterisation of landfill leachates emerging from a sanitary landfill area. The landfill leachates were obtained in the acidic stage of landfill stabilisation. Their organic content was high as reflected by the high BOD5 (5 day biological oxygen demand) and COD (chemical oxygen demand) values. They were also highly polluted in terms of the parameters TKN (total Kjeldahl nitrogen), NH4-N, alkalinity, hardness and heavy metals. Nickel was present in these wastewaters at a significant concentration. With regard to the high heavy metal content of these wastewaters, several physicochemical removal alternatives for the heavy metals Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, Mn and Fe were tested using coagulation, flocculation, precipitation, base addition and aeration. Additionally, COD removal and ammonia stripping were examined. Co-precipitation with either alum or iron salts did not usually lead to significantly higher heavy metal removal than lime alone. The major methods leading to an effective heavy metal removal were aeration and lime addition. Nickel and cadmium seemed to be strongly complexed and were not removed by any method. Also lead removal proved to be difficult. The results are also discussed in terms of compliance with standards.

Zinc removal from wastewater by complexation-microfiltration process

OpenAIRE

Trivunac Katarina; Sekulić Zoran; Stevanović Slavica

2012-01-01

As a result of its wide industrial applications, zinc has become an important contaminant in aquatic environment since it is a toxic heavy metal and some of its compounds such as zinc arsenate and zinc cyanide, may be extremely hazardous. Therefore, there is a growing need for developing simple methods capable of separating and recovering trace zinc from environmental waters. Nowadays, the ultra and microfiltration method for trace metals removal from waters by the addition of water-sol...

Individual and competitive removal of heavy metals using capacitive deionization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Zhe; Lu, Lu [Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States); Cai, Zhenxiao [Access Business Group LLC, 7575 Fulton Street East, Ada, MI 49301 (United States); Ren, Zhiyong Jason, E-mail: jason.ren@colorado.edu [Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309 (United States)

2016-01-25

Highlights: • Capactive deionization can effectively remove cadmium, lead, and chromium from water. • The removal rates of the individual metal ions vary due to adsorption difference. • The interplay between different metal ions when co-present affects ion removal. - Abstract: This study presents the viability and preference of capacitive deionization (CDI) for removing different heavy metal ions in various conditions. The removal performance and mechanisms of three ions, cadmium (Cd{sup 2+}), lead (Pb{sup 2+}) and chromium (Cr{sup 3+}) were investigated individually and as a mixture under different applied voltages and ion concentrations. It was found that CDI could effectively remove these metals, and the performance was positively correlated with the applied voltage. When 1.2 V was applied into solution containing 0.5 mM individual ions, the Cd{sup 2+}, Pb{sup 2+}, and Cr{sup 3+} removal was 32%, 43%, and 52%, respectively, and the electrosorption played a bigger role in Cd{sup 2+} removal than for the other two ions. Interestingly, while the removal of Pb{sup 2+} and Cr{sup 3+} remained at a similar level of 46% in the mixture of three ions, the Cd{sup 2+} removal significantly decreased to 14%. Similar patterns were observed when 0.05 mM was used to simulate natural contaminated water condition, but the removal efficiencies were much higher, with the removal of Pb{sup 2+}, Cr{sup 3+}, and Cd{sup 2+} increased to 81%, 78%, and 42%, respectively. The low valence charge and lack of physical sorption of Cd{sup 2+} were believed to be the reason for the removal behavior, and advanced microscopic analysis showed clear deposits of metal ions on the cathode surface after operation.

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Industrial Wastewaters Using Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Wastewater samples from battery, paint and textile industries were treated with different doses of locally available alum, aluminum sulphate and ferric chloride in order to determine and compare their effectiveness in removing heavy metal contents from the wastewaters. The percentage removal of the metals from the ...

enrichment factor of atmospheric trace metal using zirconium

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

Twelve (12) elements (Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ba, Sr, and Zr ) were detected in total suspended particulate matter (TSP) ..... Ni and V didn't show spatial variation (p>0.05). For K, ..... K.A. Wet deposition of trace metals to a remote.

Source apportionment of trace metals in river sediments: A comparison of three methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Haiyang; Teng, Yanguo; Li, Jiao; Wu, Jin; Wang, Jinsheng

2016-01-01

Increasing trace metal pollution in river sediment poses a significant threat to watershed ecosystem health. Identifying potential sources of sediment metals and apportioning their contributions are of key importance for proposing prevention and control strategies of river pollution. In this study, three advanced multivariate receptor models, factor analysis with nonnegative constraints (FA-NNC), positive matrix factorization (PMF), and multivariate curve resolution weighted-alternating least-squares (MCR-WALS), were comparatively employed for source apportionment of trace metals in river sediments and applied to the Le'an River, a main tributary of Poyang Lake which is the largest freshwater lake in China. The pollution assessment with contamination factor and geoaccumulation index suggested that the river sediments in Le'an River were contaminated severely by trace metals due to human activities. With the three apportionment tools, similar source profiles of trace metals in sediments were extracted. Especially, the MCR-WALS and PMF models produced essentially the same results. Comparatively speaking, the weighted schemes might give better solutions than the unweighted FA-NNC because the uncertainty information of environmental data was considered by PMF and MCR-WALS. Anthropogenic sources were apportioned as the most important pollution sources influencing the sediment metals in Le'an River with contributions of about 90%. Among them, copper tailings occupied the largest contribution (38.4–42.2%), followed by mining wastewater (29.0–33.5%), and agricultural activities (18.2–18.7%). To protect the ecosystem of Le'an River and Poyang Lake, special attention should be paid to the discharges of mining wastewater and the leachates of copper tailing ponds in that region. - Highlights: • Three advanced receptor models were comparatively employed for source apportionment. • The MCR-WALS and PMF models produce essentially same source profiles. • Copper

N-myc oncogene amplification is correlated to trace metal concentrations in neuroblastoma cultured cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouget, B.; Sergeant, C.; Benard, J.; Llabador, Y.; Simonoff, M.

2000-01-01

N-myc oncogene amplification is a powerful predictor of aggressive behavior of neuroblastoma (NB), the most common solid tumor of the early childhood. Since N-myc overexpression - subsequent to amplification - determines a phenotype of invasiveness and metastatic spreading, it is assumed that N-myc amplified neuroblasts synthesize zinc metalloenzymes leading to tumor invasion and formation of metastases. In order to test a possible relation between N-myc oncogene amplification and trace metal contents in human NB cells, Fe, Cu and Zn concentrations have been measured by nuclear microprobe analysis in three human neuroblastoma cell lines with various degrees of N-myc amplification. Elemental determinations show uniform distribution of trace metals within the cells, but variations of intracellular trace metal concentrations with respect to the degree of N-myc amplification are highly dependent on the nature of the element. Zinc concentration is higher in both N-myc amplified cell lines (IMR-32 and IGR-N-91) than in the non-amplified cells (SK-N-SH). In contrast, intracellular iron content is particularly low in N-myc amplified cell lines. Moreover, copper concentrations showed an increase with the degree of N-myc amplification. These results indicate that a relationship exists between intracellular trace metals and N-myc oncogene amplification. They further suggest that trace metals very probably play a determinant role in mechanisms of the neuroblastoma invasiveness

Coagulation / flocculation process in the removal of trace metals ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. MIKE HORSFALL

elements such as Cu, Zn, Ni and Cr, as well as ... solids, (2) separation of suspended solids by chemical ... Total Metal Concentration Of The Wastewater: The .... Copper adsorption by esterifies and unesterified fractions of sphagnum peat ...

Chemical speciation of trace metals in the industrial sludge of Dhaka City, Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Islam, Md Saiful; Al-Mamun, Md Habibullah; Feng, Ye; Tokumura, Masahiro; Masunaga, Shigeki

2017-07-01

The objective of this study was to assess total concentration and chemical fractionation of trace metals in the industrial wastewater and sludge collected from seven different types of industries in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. The sludge from industries is either dumped on landfills or reused as secondary resources in order to preserve natural resources. Metals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ranges of Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, and Pb in the sludges were 1.4-9,470, 4.8-994, 12.8-444, 2.2-224, 1.9-46.0 and 1.3-87.0 mg/kg, respectively. As a whole, the average concentrations of trace metals in samples were in the decreasing order of Cr > Ni > Cu > As > Pb > Cd. The results of the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction showed that the studied metals were predominantly associated with the residual fraction followed by the oxidizable fraction. The study revealed that the mobile fractions of trace metals are poorly predictable from the total content, and bioavailability of all fractions of elements tends to decrease.

Removal of trace mercury (II) from aqueous solution by in situ MnO(x) combined with poly-aluminum chloride.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xixin; Huangfu, Xiaoliu; Zhang, Xiang; Wang, Yaan; Ma, Jun

2015-06-01

Removal of trace mercury from aqueous solution by Mn (hydr)oxides formed in situ during coagulation with poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) (in situ MnO(x) combined with PAC) was investigated. The efficiency of trace mercury removal was evaluated under the experimental conditions of reaction time, Mn dosage, pH, and temperature. In addition, the ionic strength and the initial mercury concentration were examined to evaluate trace mercury removal for different water qualities. The results clearly demonstrated that in situ MnO(x) combined with PAC was effective for trace mercury removal from aqueous solution. A mercury removal ratio of 9.7 μg Hg/mg Mn was obtained at pH 3. Furthermore, at an initial mercury concentration of 30 μg/L and pH levels of both 3 and 5, a Mn dosage of 4 mg/L was able to lower the mercury concentration to meet the standards for drinking water quality at less than 1 μg/L. Analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests that the hydroxyls on the surface of Mn (hydr)oxides are the active sites for adsorption of trace mercury from aqueous solution.

Mapping human health risks from exposure to trace metal contamination of drinking water sources in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhowmik, Avit Kumar; Alamdar, Ambreen; Katsoyiannis, Ioannis; Shen, Heqing; Ali, Nadeem; Ali, Syeda Maria; Bokhari, Habib; Schäfer, Ralf B.; Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah

2015-01-01

The consumption of contaminated drinking water is one of the major causes of mortality and many severe diseases in developing countries. The principal drinking water sources in Pakistan, i.e. ground and surface water, are subject to geogenic and anthropogenic trace metal contamination. However, water quality monitoring activities have been limited to a few administrative areas and a nationwide human health risk assessment from trace metal exposure is lacking. Using geographically weighted regression (GWR) and eight relevant spatial predictors, we calculated nationwide human health risk maps by predicting the concentration of 10 trace metals in the drinking water sources of Pakistan and comparing them to guideline values. GWR incorporated local variations of trace metal concentrations into prediction models and hence mitigated effects of large distances between sampled districts due to data scarcity. Predicted concentrations mostly exhibited high accuracy and low uncertainty, and were in good agreement with observed concentrations. Concentrations for Central Pakistan were predicted with higher accuracy than for the North and South. A maximum 150–200 fold exceedance of guideline values was observed for predicted cadmium concentrations in ground water and arsenic concentrations in surface water. In more than 53% (4 and 100% for the lower and upper boundaries of 95% confidence interval (CI)) of the total area of Pakistan, the drinking water was predicted to be at risk of contamination from arsenic, chromium, iron, nickel and lead. The area with elevated risks is inhabited by more than 74 million (8 and 172 million for the lower and upper boundaries of 95% CI) people. Although these predictions require further validation by field monitoring, the results can inform disease mitigation and water resources management regarding potential hot spots. - Highlights: • Predictions of trace metal concentration use geographically weighted regression • Human health risk

Mapping human health risks from exposure to trace metal contamination of drinking water sources in Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhowmik, Avit Kumar [Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829 Landau in der Pfalz (Germany); Alamdar, Ambreen [Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021 (China); Katsoyiannis, Ioannis [Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Chemistry, Division of Chemical Technology, Box 116, Thessaloniki 54124 (Greece); Shen, Heqing [Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021 (China); Ali, Nadeem [Department of Environmental Sciences, FBAS, International Islamic University, Islamabad (Pakistan); Ali, Syeda Maria [Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia); Bokhari, Habib [Public Health and Environment Division, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan); Schäfer, Ralf B. [Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstrasse 7, D-76829 Landau in der Pfalz (Germany); Eqani, Syed Ali Musstjab Akber Shah, E-mail: ali_ebl2@yahoo.com [Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021 (China); Public Health and Environment Division, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan)

2015-12-15

The consumption of contaminated drinking water is one of the major causes of mortality and many severe diseases in developing countries. The principal drinking water sources in Pakistan, i.e. ground and surface water, are subject to geogenic and anthropogenic trace metal contamination. However, water quality monitoring activities have been limited to a few administrative areas and a nationwide human health risk assessment from trace metal exposure is lacking. Using geographically weighted regression (GWR) and eight relevant spatial predictors, we calculated nationwide human health risk maps by predicting the concentration of 10 trace metals in the drinking water sources of Pakistan and comparing them to guideline values. GWR incorporated local variations of trace metal concentrations into prediction models and hence mitigated effects of large distances between sampled districts due to data scarcity. Predicted concentrations mostly exhibited high accuracy and low uncertainty, and were in good agreement with observed concentrations. Concentrations for Central Pakistan were predicted with higher accuracy than for the North and South. A maximum 150–200 fold exceedance of guideline values was observed for predicted cadmium concentrations in ground water and arsenic concentrations in surface water. In more than 53% (4 and 100% for the lower and upper boundaries of 95% confidence interval (CI)) of the total area of Pakistan, the drinking water was predicted to be at risk of contamination from arsenic, chromium, iron, nickel and lead. The area with elevated risks is inhabited by more than 74 million (8 and 172 million for the lower and upper boundaries of 95% CI) people. Although these predictions require further validation by field monitoring, the results can inform disease mitigation and water resources management regarding potential hot spots. - Highlights: • Predictions of trace metal concentration use geographically weighted regression • Human health risk

Trace metal fronts in European shelf waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kremling, K.

1983-01-01

The Hebrides shelf edge area is characterized by strong horizontal salinity gradients (fronts) which mark the boundary between Scottish coastal and oceanic waters. The results presented here, obtained in summer 1981 on a transect between the open north Atlantic and the German Bight, confirm that the hydrographical front is accompanied by dramatic increases in inorganic nutrients (phosphate, silicate) and dissolved trace elements such as Cd, Cu, Mn, and 226 Ra. These data (together with measurements from North Sea regions) suggest that the trace metals are mobilized from partly reduced (organic-rich) sediments and vertically mixed into the surface waters. The regional variations evident from the transect are interpreted as being the result of the hydrography prevailing in waters around the British Isles. (author)

Trace metal determinations by total-reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis in the open Atlantic Ocean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, D.; Gerwinski, W.; Radke, I.

1993-01-01

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), as a major component of its programme ''Global Investigation of Pollution in the Marine Environment'' (GIPME), maintains a long-standing project on ''Open Ocean Baseline Studies of Trace Contaminants''. Initially, the Atlantic Ocean and trace metals were selected. Four deep-water stations in the Cape Basin, Angola Basin, Cape Verde Abyssal Plain and Seine Abyssal Plain were regularly sampled for at least 36 depths. Additional samples were taken between stations. Samples were distributed to participants and a similar number of additional laboratories. As a central part of our own contribution to the project, we determined the trace heavy metals manganese, nickel, copper, zinc and lead and the lighter selenium by total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis. For the TXRF, the pre-enrichment of the trace metals and the separation from the salt matrix were performed by complexation with sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate and reverse-phase chromatography. Generally, very low levels of trace elements were found in filtered and unfiltered water samples from these remote areas of the open Atlantic Ocean. Typical examples of the distributions of trace metal concentrations on depth profiles from the four deep-water stations as well as intercomparisons between the stations are presented. (author)

Heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions by sorption using ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions by sorption using natural clays from Burkina Faso. ... The high alkaline pH in one of the samples is attributable to the presence of ... The point of zero charge (pHpzc) values of the clays, as determined by ... significant contributions to the removal of metal ions in aqueous systems.

Measurement of trace metals in vitiligo by atomic absorption spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Hamid, Abdel-Aziz M.; Amin, N.E.; Mohy El-Din, Safaa M.

1985-01-01

Zn, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Co, Ag, Ca, and Mg were estimated in hair, fingernails and epidermis of vitiligo patients by atomic absorption spectroscopy. There has been a significant reduction in the concentration of trace metals in the studied sites. It seems that any speculation on the role of trace elements in vitiligo would have to take into account the structural defect which underlies the absence of melanin

Laser Direct Metal Deposition of 2024 Al Alloy: Trace Geometry Prediction via Machine Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizia Caiazzo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Laser direct metal deposition is an advanced additive manufacturing technology suitably applicable in maintenance, repair, and overhaul of high-cost products, allowing for minimal distortion of the workpiece, reduced heat affected zones, and superior surface quality. Special interest is growing for the repair and coating of 2024 aluminum alloy parts, extensively utilized for a wide range of applications in the automotive, military, and aerospace sectors due to its excellent plasticity, corrosion resistance, electric conductivity, and strength-to-weight ratio. A critical issue in the laser direct metal deposition process is related to the geometrical parameters of the cross-section of the deposited metal trace that should be controlled to meet the part specifications. In this research, a machine learning approach based on artificial neural networks is developed to find the correlation between the laser metal deposition process parameters and the output geometrical parameters of the deposited metal trace produced by laser direct metal deposition on 5-mm-thick 2024 aluminum alloy plates. The results show that the neural network-based machine learning paradigm is able to accurately estimate the appropriate process parameters required to obtain a specified geometry for the deposited metal trace.

Laser Direct Metal Deposition of 2024 Al Alloy: Trace Geometry Prediction via Machine Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Caiazzo, Fabrizia; Caggiano, Alessandra

2018-03-19

Laser direct metal deposition is an advanced additive manufacturing technology suitably applicable in maintenance, repair, and overhaul of high-cost products, allowing for minimal distortion of the workpiece, reduced heat affected zones, and superior surface quality. Special interest is growing for the repair and coating of 2024 aluminum alloy parts, extensively utilized for a wide range of applications in the automotive, military, and aerospace sectors due to its excellent plasticity, corrosion resistance, electric conductivity, and strength-to-weight ratio. A critical issue in the laser direct metal deposition process is related to the geometrical parameters of the cross-section of the deposited metal trace that should be controlled to meet the part specifications. In this research, a machine learning approach based on artificial neural networks is developed to find the correlation between the laser metal deposition process parameters and the output geometrical parameters of the deposited metal trace produced by laser direct metal deposition on 5-mm-thick 2024 aluminum alloy plates. The results show that the neural network-based machine learning paradigm is able to accurately estimate the appropriate process parameters required to obtain a specified geometry for the deposited metal trace.

Trace Metal Contamination in Water from Abandoned Mining and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fiifi Baidoo

copper and lead sulpho-salts (Dzigbordi-Adjimah, 1988). ... The resulting solution was analysed for trace metals at the Institute of Mining and Mineral ..... found in the samples (Tables 3 and 4) may be due to the mineral-water interactions and.

Trace metals in Antarctica related to climate change and increasing human impact.

Science.gov (United States)

Bargagli, R

2000-01-01

Metals are natural constituents of the abiotic and biotic components of all ecosystems, and under natural conditions they are cycled within and between the geochemical spheres--the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere--at quite steady fluxes. In the second half of the twentieth century, the huge increase in energy and mineral consumption determined anthropogenic emissions of several metals exceeding those from natural sources, e.g., volcanoes and windborne soil particles. In the Northern Hemisphere, the biogeochemical cycles of Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, and other metals were significantly altered, even in Arctic regions. On the contrary, available data on trace metal concentrations in abiotic matrices from continental Antarctica, summarized in this review, suggest that the biogeochemical cycle of Pb is probably the only one that has been significantly altered by anthropogenic emissions in Antarctica and elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the period 1950-1975. Environmental contamination by other metals from anthropogenic sources in Antarctica itself can generally only be detected in snow samples taken within a range of a few kilometers or several hundred meters from scientific stations. Local metal pollution from human activities in Antarctica may compromise studies aimed at assessing the biogeochemical cycle of trace elements and the effects of global climate change. Thus, this review focuses on concentrations of metals in atmospheric particulate, snow, surface soils, and freshwater from the Antarctic continent and surface sediments and seawater from the Southern Ocean, which can plausibly be regarded as global background values of trace elements. These baselines are also necessary in view of the construction of new stations, the expansion of existing facilities to support research, and the growth of tourism and fisheries. Despite difficulties in making comparisons with data from other remote areas of the world, concentrations of trace metals

Short-term acute hypercapnia affects cellular responses to trace metals in the hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanina, Anna V; Beniash, Elia; Etzkorn, Markus; Meyers, Tiffany B; Ringwood, Amy H; Sokolova, Inna M

2013-09-15

Estuarine and coastal habitats experience large fluctuations of environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, partial pressure of CO2 ( [Formula: see text] ) and pH; they also serve as the natural sinks for trace metals. Benthic filter-feeding organisms such as bivalves are exposed to the elevated concentrations of metals in estuarine water and sediments that can strongly affect their physiology. The effects of metals on estuarine organisms may be exacerbated by other environmental factors. Thus, a decrease in pH caused by high [Formula: see text] (hypercapnia) can modulate the effects of trace metals by affecting metal bioavailability, accumulation or binding. To better understand the cellular mechanisms of interactions between [Formula: see text] and trace metals in marine bivalves, we exposed isolated mantle cells of the hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) to different levels of [Formula: see text] (0.05, 1.52 and 3.01 kPa) and two major trace metal pollutants - cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu). Elevated [Formula: see text] resulted in a decrease in intracellular pH (pHi) of the isolated mantle cells from 7.8 to 7.4. Elevated [Formula: see text] significantly but differently affected the trace metal accumulation by the cells. Cd uptake was suppressed at elevated [Formula: see text] levels while Cu accumulation has greatly accelerated under hypercapnic conditions. Interestingly, at higher extracellular Cd levels, labile intracellular Cd(2+) concentration remained the same, while intracellular levels of free Zn(2+) increased suggesting that Cd(2+) substitutes bound Zn(2+) in these cells. In contrast, Cu exposure did not affect intracellular Zn(2+) but led to a profound increase in the intracellular levels of labile Cu(2+) and Fe(2+). An increase in the extracellular concentrations of Cd and Cu led to the elevated production of reactive oxygen species under the normocapnic conditions (0.05 kPa [Formula: see text] ); surprisingly, this effect was mitigated in

Effective removal of trace thallium from surface water by nanosized manganese dioxide enhanced quartz sand filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Huangfu, Xiaoliu; Ma, Chengxue; Ma, Jun; He, Qiang; Yang, Chun; Zhou, Jian; Jiang, Jin; Wang, Yaan

2017-12-01

Thallium (Tl) has drawn wide concern due to its high toxicity even at extremely low concentrations, as well as its tendency for significant accumulation in the human body and other organisms. The need to develop effective strategies for trace Tl removal from drinking water is urgent. In this study, the removal of trace Tl (0.5 μg L -1 ) by conventional quartz sand filtration enhanced by nanosized manganese dioxide (nMnO 2 ) has been investigated using typical surface water obtained from northeast China. The results indicate that nMnO 2 enhanced quartz sand filtration could remove trace Tl(I) and Tl(III) efficiently through the adsorption of Tl onto nMnO 2 added to a water matrix and onto nMnO 2 attached on quartz sand surfaces. Tl(III)-HA complexes might be responsible for higher residual Tl(III) in the effluent compared to residual Tl(I). Competitive Ca 2+ cations inhibit Tl removal to a certain extent because the Ca 2+ ions will occupy the Tl adsorption site on nMnO 2 . Moreover, high concentrations of HA (10 mgTOC L -1 ), which notably complexes with and dissolves nMnO 2 (more than 78%), resulted in higher residual Tl(I) and Tl(III). Tl(III)-HA complexes might also enhance Tl(III) penetration to a certain extent. Additionally, a higher pH level could enhance the removal of trace Tl from surface water. Finally, a slight increase of residual Tl was observed after backwash, followed by the reduction of the Tl concentration in the effluent to a "steady" state again. The knowledge obtained here may provide a potential strategy for drinking water treatment plants threatened by trace Tl. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Microscopic study of gum-metal alloys: A role of trace oxygen for dislocation-free deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagasako, Naoyuki; Asahi, Ryoji; Isheim, Dieter; Seidman, David N.; Kuramoto, Shigeru; Furuta, Tadahiko

2016-01-01

A class of Ti–Nb–Ta–Zr–O alloys called gum metal are known to display high strength, low Young's modulus and high elastic deformability up to 2.5%, simultaneously, and considered to deform by a dislocation-free deformation mechanism. A trace of oxygen (∼1%) in gum metal is indispensable to realize such significant properties; however, the detailed mechanism and the role of the oxygen has not been understood. To investigate an effect of trace oxygen included in gum metal, first-principles calculations for gum-metal approximants including zirconium and oxygen are performed. Calculated results clearly indicate that oxygen site with less neighboring Nb atom is energetically favorable, and that Zr–O bonding has an important role to stabilize the bcc structure of gum metal. The three-dimensional atom-probe tomography (3-D APT) measurements for gum metal were also performed to identify compositional inhomogeneity attributed to the trace elements. From the 3-D APT measurements, Zr ions bonding with oxygen ions are observed, which indicates existence of Zr–O nano-clusters in gum metal. Consequently, it is found that (a) coexistence of Zr atom and oxygen atom improves elastical stability of gum metal, (b) inhomogeneous distribution of the compositions induced by the trace elements causes anisotropical change of shear moduli, and (c) Zr–O nano-clusters existing in gum metal are expected to be obstacles to suppress movemen of dislocations.

Composition of Trace Metals in Dust Samples Collected from Selected High Schools in Pretoria, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. O. Olowoyo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Potential health risks associated with trace metal pollution have necessitated the importance of monitoring their levels in the environment. The present study investigated the concentrations and compositions of trace metals in dust samples collected from classrooms and playing ground from the selected high schools In Pretoria. Schools were selected from Pretoria based on factors such as proximity to high traffic ways, industrial areas, and residential areas. Thirty-two dust samples were collected from inside and outside the classrooms, where learners often stay during recess period. The dust samples were analysed for trace metal concentrations using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS. The composition of the elements showed that the concentrations of Zn were more than all other elements except from one of the schools. There were significant differences in the concentrations of trace metals from the schools (p<0.05. Regular cleaning, proximity to busy road, and well maintained gardens seem to have positive effects on the concentrations of trace metals recorded from the classrooms dust. The result further revealed a positive correlation for elements such as Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Sb, indicating that the dust might have a common source.

Temporal variability in trace metal solubility in a paddy soil not reflected in uptake by rice (Oryza sativa L.)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pan, Yunyu; Koopmans, Gerwin F.; Bonten, Luc T.C.; Song, Jing; Luo, Yongming; Temminghoff, Erwin J.M.; Comans, Rob N.J.

2016-01-01

Alternating flooding and drainage conditions have a strong influence on redox chemistry and the solubility of trace metals in paddy soils. However, current knowledge of how the effects of water management on trace metal solubility are linked to trace metal uptake by rice plants over time is still

Recent advances in nanoscale-metal assisted biochar derived from waste biomass used for heavy metals removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Shih-Hsin; Zhu, Shishu; Chang, Jo-Shu

2017-12-01

Pollution of heavy metals (HMs) is a detrimental treat to human health and need to be cleaned up in a proper way. Biochar (BC), a low-cost and "green" adsorbent, has attracted significant attention due to its considerable HMs removal capacity. In particular, nano-metals have recently been used to assist BC in improving its reactivity, surface texture and magnetism. Synthesis methods and metal precursors greatly influence the properties and structures of the nanocomposites, thereby affecting their HMs removal performance. This review presents advances in synthesis methods, formation mechanisms and surface characteristics of BC nanocomposites, along with the discussions on HMs removal mechanisms and the effects of environmental factors on HMs removal efficiency. Performance of using BC nanocomposites to remediate real HMs-containing wastewater and issues associated with its process scale-up are also discussed. This review aims to provide useful information to facilitate the development of HMs removal by nanoscale-metal assisted BC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feedback interactions between trace metal nutrients and phytoplankton in the ocean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William eSunda

2012-06-01

Full Text Available In addition to control by major nutrient elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon the productivity and species composition of marine phytoplankton communities are affected by a number of trace metal nutrients (iron, zinc, cobalt, manganese, copper, and cadmium. Of these, iron exerts the greatest limiting influence on carbon fixation rates and has the greatest effect on algal species diversity. It also plays an important role in limiting di-nitrogen (N2 fixation rates, and thus exerts an important influence on ocean inventories of biologically available fixed nitrogen. Because of these effects, iron is thought to play a key role in controlling the biological cycles of carbon and nitrogen in the ocean, including the biological transfer of carbon to the deep sea, the so-called biological CO2 pump, which helps regulate atmospheric CO2 levels and CO2-linked global warming. Other trace metal nutrients (zinc, cobalt, copper, and manganese have a lesser effect on productivity; but may exert an important influence on the species composition of algal communities because of large differences in metal requirements among algal species. The interactions between trace metals and ocean plankton are reciprocal: not only do the metals affect the plankton, but the plankton regulate the distributions, chemical speciation, and cycling of these metals through cellular uptake and regeneration processes, downward flux of biogenic particles, cellular release of organic chelators, and mediation of redox reactions. This two way interaction has influenced not only the biology and chemistry of the modern ocean, but has had a profound influence on biogeochemistry of the ocean and earth system as a whole, and on the evolution marine and terrestrial biology over geologic history.

Trace metal pyritization variability in response to mangrove soil aerobic and anaerobic oxidation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, W; Borrelli, N L; Ferreira, T O; Marques, A G B; Osterrieth, M; Guizan, C

2014-02-15

The degree of iron pyritization (DOP) and degree of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) were evaluated in mangrove soil profiles from an estuarine area located in Rio de Janeiro (SE Brazil). The soil pH was negatively correlated with redox potential (Eh) and positively correlated with DOP and DTMP of some elements (Mn, Cu and Pb), suggesting that pyrite oxidation generated acidity and can affect the importance of pyrite as a trace metal-binding phase, mainly in response to spatial variability in tidal flooding. Besides these aerobic oxidation effects, results from a sequential extraction analyses of reactive phases evidenced that Mn oxidized phase consumption in reaction with pyrite can be also important to determine the pyritization of trace elements. Cumulative effects of these aerobic and anaerobic oxidation processes were evidenced as factors affecting the capacity of mangrove soils to act as a sink for trace metals through pyritization processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PIXE analysis for bioaccumulation studies of trace elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwata, Y.; Satoh, A.; Sasaki, Y.; Ito, R.; Kuramachi, K.

2005-01-01

Bioaccumulation by micro-alga in the ocean was simulated in nutritive seawater containing known amounts of trace metals, and the concentration factors for Fe, Zn and Cd were measured by PIXE. Trace transition metals in nearshore seawater were removed by Chelex-100. Then a culture solution was prepared by adding known amounts of trace metals and nutritive salts to the purified seawater. Marine micro-algae (Nannochloropsis sp., and Phaeodactylum sp.,) were purely cultured in the culture solution. An interested metal ion was added to the culture solution (0.01-5.0 mg/l). Alga in 10 ml of the culture solution was collected on a polycarbonate filter (pore size: 1.0 ) by suction filtration and subjected to 2.9 MeV proton bombardment. Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Zn and Cd were simultaneously determined. PIXE multi-element analysis was possible using less than 1 mg of analytical sample. The quantity of the metal in the alga was increased in proportion to the concentration in the culture solution. The concentration factors for Zn, Fe and Cd were measured, e.g., 10200 ± 300 ml/g to Zn for Phaeodactylum. The trend of the affinity for the trace metals in the case of Nannochloropsis was Fe 3+ > Zn 2+ > Pb 2+ > Cd 2+ . (author)

Trace metals in heavy crude oils and tar sand bitumens

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reynolds, J.G.

1990-11-28

Fe, Ni, and V are considered trace impurities in heavy crude oils and tar sand bitumens. In order to understand the importance of these metals, we have examined several properties: (1) bulk metals levels, (2) distribution in separated fractions, (3) size behavior in feeds and during processing, (4) speciation as a function of size, and (5) correlations with rheological properties. Some of the results of these studies show: (1) V and Ni have roughly bimodal size distributions, (2) groupings were seen based on location, size distribution, and Ni/V ratio of the sample, (3) Fe profiles are distinctively different, having a unimodal distribution with a maximum at relatively large molecular size, (4) Fe concentrations in the tar sand bitumens suggest possible fines solubilization in some cases, (5) SARA separated fractions show possible correlations of metals with asphaltene properties suggesting secondary and tertiary structure interactions, and (6) ICP-MS examination for soluble ultra-trace metal impurities show the possibility of unexpected elements such as U, Th, Mo, and others at concentrations in the ppB to ppM range. 39 refs., 13 figs., 5 tabs.

The Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) as an indicator of coastal trace metal pollution.

Science.gov (United States)

Finger, Annett; Lavers, Jennifer L; Dann, Peter; Nugegoda, Dayanthi; Orbell, John D; Robertson, Bruce; Scarpaci, Carol

2015-10-01

Monitoring trace metal and metalloid concentrations in marine animals is important for their conservation and could also reliably reflect pollution levels in their marine ecosystems. Concentrations vary across tissue types, with implications for reliable monitoring. We sampled blood and moulted feathers of the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) from three distinct colonies, which are subject to varying levels of anthropogenic impact. Non-essential trace metal and metalloid concentrations in Little Penguins were clearly linked to the level of industrialisation adjacent to the respective foraging zones. This trend was more distinct in blood than in moulted feathers, although we found a clear correlation between blood and feathers for mercury, lead and iron. This study represents the first reported examination of trace metals and metalloids in the blood of any penguin species and demonstrates that this high trophic feeder is an effective bioindicator of coastal pollution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preservation of NOM-metal complexes in a modern hyperalkaline stalagmite: Implications for speleothem trace element geochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Hartland, Adam; Fairchild, Ian J.; Müller, Wolfgang; Dominguez-Villar, David

2014-03-01

description. This study seeks to make the first quantitative connection between the organic and inorganic compositions of speleothems and thus determine the potential for speleothems to encode fluctuations in colloid-facilitated trace metal transport in karst aquifers. Recent findings of direct relevance to the present studyThe conjugate dripwater (PE1) to the stalagmite studied here (PC-08-1) was characterised in June 2009 using an array of complementary techniques, in which the size, speciation and lability of NOM-metal complexes was characterised (Hartland et al., 2011), where lability is defined as the capacity for complexes to dissociate in the context of the on-going interfacial process at the stalagmite surface. In PE1 dripwater, the most stable aqueous complexes were formed between Co and the finest, low molecular weight component of the NOM spectrum (Hartland et al., 2011). Speciation experiments demonstrated that Co was essentially non-exchangeable (free metal (fm) = micro-fractures. This mode of transport was termed ‘low-flux’ and was the dominant mode of transport for Co and V. Complexes between metals and coarse colloids (>100 nm) and particulates (>1000 nm) showed a rapid responsiveness to infiltration events. This was termed the ‘high-flux’ mode of NOM-metal transport and was interpreted as being dominantly fracture-fed. This mode of transport was dominated by Cu, Zn and Ni. The ‘high-flux’ vs ‘low-flux’ interplay of trace metal transport is summarised in Fig. 1.The PC-08-1 stalagmite studied here was deposited following the removal of stalagmite PC-97-1 studied by Baker et al. (1999b) and which grew under the PE1 drip point between 1927 and 1997. Both the PC-97-1 stalagmite and its regrowth (PC-08-1) are characterised by annual lamina couplets consisting of a porous pale layer and a dense fluorescent layer. Fluorescence in the PC-97-1 stalagmite displayed a marked sinusoidal pattern with 10% of laminae exhibiting a double band structure (Baker

Post-depositional redistribution of trace metals in reservoir sediments of a mining/smelting-impacted watershed (the Lot River, SW France)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audry, Stephane; Grosbois, Cecile; Bril, Hubert; Schaefer, Joerg; Kierczak, Jakub; Blanc, Gerard

2010-01-01

Mining/smelting wastes and reservoir sediment cores from the Lot River watershed were studied using mineralogical (XRD, SEM-EDS, EMPA) and geochemical (redox dynamics, selective extractions) approaches to characterize the main carrier phases of trace metals. These two approaches permitted determining the role of post-depositional redistribution processes in sediments and their effects on the fate and mobility of trace metals. The mining/smelting wastes showed heterogeneous mineral compositions with highly variable contents of trace metals. The main trace metal-bearing phases include spinels affected by secondary processes, silicates and sulfates. The results indicate a clear change in the chemical partitioning of trace metals between the reservoir sediments upstream and downstream of the mining/smelting activities, with the downstream sediments showing a 2-fold to 5-fold greater contribution of the oxidizable fraction. This increase was ascribed to stronger post-depositional redistribution of trace metals related to intense early diagenetic processes, including dissolution of trace metal-bearing phases and precipitation of authigenic sulfide phases through organic matter (OM) mineralization. This redistribution is due to high inputs (derived from mining/smelting waste weathering) at the water-sediment interface of (i) dissolved SO 4 promoting more efficient OM mineralization, and (ii) highly reactive trace metal-bearing particles. As a result, the main trace metal-bearing phases in the downstream sediments are represented by Zn- and Fe-sulfides, with minor occurrence of detrital zincian spinels, sulfates and Fe-oxyhydroxides. Sequestration of trace metals in sulfides at depth in reservoir sediments does not represent long term sequestration owing to possible resuspension of anoxic sediments by natural (floods) and/or anthropogenic (dredging, dam flush) events that might promote trace metal mobilization through sulfide oxidation. It is estimated that, during a major

TXRF analysis of trace metals in thin silicon nitride films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vereecke, G.; Arnauts, S.; Verstraeten, K.; Schaekers, M.; Heyrts, M.M.

2000-01-01

As critical dimensions of integrated circuits continue to decrease, high dielectric constant materials such as silicon nitride are being considered to replace silicon dioxide in capacitors and transistors. The achievement of low levels of metal contamination in these layers is critical for high performance and reliability. Existing methods of quantitative analysis of trace metals in silicon nitride require high amounts of sample (from about 0.1 to 1 g, compared to a mass of 0.2 mg for a 2 nm thick film on a 8'' silicon wafer), and involve digestion steps not applicable to films on wafers or non-standard techniques such as neutron activation analysis. A novel approach has recently been developed to analyze trace metals in thin films with analytical techniques currently used in the semiconductor industry. Sample preparation consists of three steps: (1) decomposition of the silicon nitride matrix by moist HF condensed at the wafer surface to form ammonium fluosilicate. (2) vaporization of the fluosilicate by a short heat treatment at 300 o C. (3) collection of contaminants by scanning the wafer surface with a solution droplet (VPD-DSC procedure). The determination of trace metals is performed by drying the droplet on the wafer and by analyzing the residue by TXRF, as it offers the advantages of multi-elemental analysis with no dilution of the sample. The lower limits of detection for metals in 2 nm thick films on 8'' silicon wafers range from about 10 to 200 ng/g. The present study will focus on the matrix effects and the possible loss of analyte associated with the evaporation of the fluosilicate salt, in relation with the accuracy and the reproducibility of the method. The benefits of using an internal standard will be assessed. Results will be presented from both model samples (ammonium fluoride contaminated with metallic salts) and real samples (silicon nitride films from a production tool). (author)

Spatial Gradients in Trace Metal Concentrations in the Surface Microlayer of the Mediterranean Sea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio eTovar-Sanchez

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The relationship between dust deposition and surface water metal concentrations is poorly understood. Dissolution, solubility, and partitioning reactions of trace metals from dust particles are governed by complex chemical, biological, and physical processes occurring in the surface ocean. Despite that, the role of the sea surface microlayer (SML, a thin, but fundamental component modulating the air-sea exchange of materials has not been properly evaluated. Our study revealed that the SML of the Mediterranean Sea is enriched with bioactive trace metals (i.e., Cd, Co, Cu and Fe, ranging from 8 (for Cd to 1000 (for Fe times higher than the dissolved metal pool in the underlying water column. The highest enrichments were spatially correlated with the atmospheric deposition of mineral particles. Our mass balance results suggest that the SML in the Mediterranean Sea contains about 2 tonnes of Fe. However, we did not detect any trends between the concentrations of metals in SML with the subsurface water concentrations and biomass distributions. These findings suggest that future studies are needed to quantify the rate of metal exchange between the SML and the bioavailable pool and that the SML should be considered to better understand the effect of atmospheric inputs on the biogeochemistry of trace metals in the ocean.

Biosorbents for Removing Hazardous Metals and Metalloids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katsutoshi Inoue

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Biosorbents for remediating aquatic environmental media polluted with hazardous heavy metals and metalloids such as Pb(II, Cr(VI, Sb(III and V, and As(III and V were prepared from lignin waste, orange and apple juice residues, seaweed and persimmon and grape wastes using simple and cheap methods. A lignophenol gel such as lignocatechol gel was prepared by immobilizing the catechol functional groups onto lignin from sawdust, while lignosulfonate gel was prepared directly from waste liquor generated during pulp production. These gels effectively removed Pb(II. Orange and apple juice residues, which are rich in pectic acid, were easily converted using alkali (e.g., calcium hydroxide into biosorbents that effectively removed Pb(II. These materials also effectively removed Sb(III and V and As(III and V when these were preloaded with multi-valent metal ions such as Zr(IV and Fe(III. Similar biosorbents were prepared from seaweed waste, which is rich in alginic acid. Other biosorbents, which effectively removed Cr(VI, were prepared by simply treating persimmon and grape wastes with concentrated sulfuric acid.

Biogeochemical and hydrological controls on fate and distribution of trace metals in oiled Gulf salt marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Keevan, J.; Natter, M.; Lee, M.; Keimowitz, A.; Okeke, B.; Savrda, C.; Saunders, J.

2011-12-01

On April 20, 2010, the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the release of approximately 5 million barrels of crude oil into the environment. Oil and its associated trace metals have been demonstrated to have a detrimental effect on coastal wetland ecosystems. Wetlands are particularly susceptible to oil contamination because they are composed largely of fine-grained sediments, which have a high capacity to adsorb organic matter and metals. The biogeochemical cycling of trace metals can be strongly influenced by microbial activity, specifically those of sulfate- and iron-reducing bacteria. Microbial activity may be enhanced by an increase in amounts of organic matter such as oil. This research incorporates an assessment of levels of trace metals and associated biogeochemical changes from ten coastal marshes in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. These sampling sites range in their pollution levels from pristine to highly contaminated. A total digestion analysis of wetland sediments shows higher concentrations of certain trace metals (e.g., Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sr, Co, V, Ba, Hg, As) in heavily-oiled areas compared to less-affected and pristine sites. Due to chemical complexation among organic compounds and metals, crude oils often contain elevated levels (up to hundreds of mg/kg) of trace metals At the heavily-oiled Louisiana sites (e.g., Bay Jimmy, Bayou Dulac, Bay Batiste), elevated levels of metals and total organic carbon have been found in sediments down to depths of 30 cm. Clearly the contamination is not limited to shallow sediments and oil, along with various associated metals, may be invading into deeper (pre-industrial) portions of the marsh sediments. Pore-waters extracted from contaminated sediments are characterized by very high levels of reduced sulfur (up to 80 mg/kg), in contrast to fairly low ferrous iron concentrations (<0.02 mg/kg). The influx of oil into the wetlands might provide the initial substrate and

Migration of trace heavy metals at the sea water/sediment interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terada, Kikuo; Tomiyama, Chisato

1984-01-01

Migration behavior of some trace heavy metals such as Co(II), Cu(II), Mn(II) and Zn(II) at the sea water/sediment interface was investigated by tank experiments. The sea water which was doped with these metal ions (ppb to ppm levels) allowed to contact with the raw-, ignited- and autoclaved-marine sediments and the change of the concentration of each metal was traced at definite time intervals. At the end of the experiments, a core sample of the sediment was taken and analyzed for each metal in every 1 mm thick segment. On the other hand, the surface sediment was submitted to partial extraction with various kinds of reagents to estimate the chemical species of the metals captured in the sediment. While every metal ion was quickly adsorbed on surface of the raw sediment, a concentration gradient from surface to bottom of the water phase occurred in the ignited sediment system. The migration of manganese to the sediment phase was assumed to be concerned with bacterial activity in the sediment. Copper and zinc seemed to be adsorbed very quickly onto some fine sediment particles by the formation of organometallic complexes with some organic materials existing in the sediments. Cobalt migrated relatively fast downward within the sediment phase after its deposition. (author)

New method for mass spectrometric trace analysis of metals in biology and medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulten, H.R.; Bahr, U.; Palavinskas, R.

1984-01-01

A first survey on the basic aspects and applications of a novel method for trace analyses of metals is given. The advantages of this methodology for analyses of trace metals which was developed by our group are: small sample amount, high sensitivity and selectivity, simple sample preparation for the measurement (no ashing) and reliability and precision of the results. The time consumption for one complete quantitative analysis lies below 30 min. The concentration of monoisotopic metals, as for example aluminium, cesium, manganese etc. is determined using a calibration curve. Using stable isotope dilution analysis quantification of metals with at least two stable isotopes further improved the precision of the results. If this technique is utilized, on one hand contamination of the environment by radioactive substances is avoided, on the other even the smallest changes in concentrations of trace metals are detected unambigeously. The accuracy of the resulting quantitative data has been confirmed test measurements with other analytical methods such as atomic absorption spectroscopy and thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Although there is no doubt that the greatest analytical capacity of field desorption mass spectrometry is in the field of high-molecular weight natural products, it has been possible in the last years to modify the method for qualitative and quantitative investigations of more than 60 metals. (orig./EF) [de

Trace metals transfer during vine cultivation and winemaking processes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vystavna, Yuliya; Zaichenko, L.; Klimenko, N.; Rätsep, R.

2017-01-01

Roč. 97, č. 13 (2017), s. 4520-4525 ISSN 0022-5142 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : white wine * Chardonnay * Vitis * Ukraine * vineyard * trace metals Subject RIV: DJ - Water Pollution ; Quality OBOR OECD: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7) Impact factor: 2.463, year: 2016

Spatial distribution of trace metals in water resources impacted by PGM activities

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Walters, Chavon R

2012-05-01

Full Text Available the aquatic environment from natural and anthropogenic sources (such as industrial effluents and mining wastes). Trace metals can accumulate in fish (which are often at the top of the aquatic food chain) either through water or the food chain (1), and metals...

Concentration of trace metals in boreholes in the Ankobra Basin, Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kortasi, B. K.

2006-01-01

Analysis of trace metals in ground water from the Ankobra basin revealed high levels of iron, manganese and aluminium. Approximately 40% of boreholes had total iron concentration exceeding 1000 μ 1 -1 (maximum WHO permissible limit). Aluminium concentration varied from 0.1 μ to 2510 μ 1 -1 with a median value of 10.0 μ 1 -1 . Approximately 20% of the boreholes had aluminium concentration exceeding the WHO maximum acceptable limit (200 μ 1 -1 ) for drinking water. Manganese concentration was in the range 6-2510 μ 1 -1 with a median of 356 μ 1 -1 . Roughly 25% of the boreholes had manganese concentrations higher that 500 μ 1 -1 , which is the WHO maximum acceptable limit for drinking water. The concentrations of mercury was higher than 1.0 μ 1 -1 (WHO maximum acceptable limit) in 60% of the boreholes during the rainy season but below detection limit in the dry season, suggesting anthropogenic origin for mercury in the groundwater. Other trace metals that occurred, but in insignificant concentration in the boreholes, include lead, arsenic, nickel and selenium. Most of the boreholes with high trace metal concentrations were located in and around the Bawdie-Bogoso-Prestea area. (au)

Recovery of Trace and Heavy Metals from Coal Combustion Residues for Reuse and Safe Disposal: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Ashvani; Samadder, Sukha Ranjan; Elumalai, Suresh Pandian

2016-09-01

The safe disposal of coal combustion residues (CCRs) will remain a major public issue as long as coal is used as a fuel for energy production. Both dry and wet disposal methods of CCRs create serious environmental problems. The dry disposal method creates air pollution initially, and the wet disposal method creates water pollution as a result of the presence of trace and heavy metals. These leached heavy metals from fly ash may become more hazardous when they form toxic compounds such as arsenic sulfite (As2S3) and lead nitrate (N2O6Pb). The available studies on trace and heavy metals present in CCRs cannot ensure environmentally safe utilization. In this work, a novel approach has been offered for the retrieval of trace and heavy metals from CCRs. If the proposed method becomes successful, then the recovered trace and heavy metals may become a resource and environmentally safe use of CCRs may be possible.

Trace metal distribution in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary and the surrounding coastal area, South China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ip, Carman C.M.; Li Xiangdong; Zhang Gan; Wai, Onyx W.H.; Li, Y.-S.

2007-01-01

Surface sediments and sediment cores collected at the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and its surrounding coastal area were analysed for total metal concentrations, chemical partitioning, and Pb isotopic compositions. The distribution of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Zn demonstrated a typical diffusion pattern from the land to the direction of the sea. Two hotspots of trace metal contamination were located at the mixed zone between freshwater and marine waters. The enrichment of metals in the sediments could be attributed to the deposition of the dissolved and particulate trace metals in the water column at the estuarine area. The similar Pb isotopic signatures of the sediments at the PRE and its surrounding coastal area offered strong evidence that the PRE was a major source of trace metals to the adjacent coastal area. Slightly lower 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios in the coastal sediments may indicate other inputs of Pb in addition to the PRE sources, including the inputs from Hong Kong and other parts of the region. - The distribution of trace metals in sediments reflected contaminant sources, physical and chemical deposition processes

MICROBIAL REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS FROM WASTEWATER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justyna Koc-Jurczyk

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Industrialization and urbanization result in increase of heavy metals released into the environment (soil, lakes, rivers, seas, oceans, groundwater. Studies on biosorption of heavy metals are aimed to specify types of microorganisms which could efficiently bind metals. This approach has a very important significance for both slowing down metals exploitation by recovery, and also reduction of environmental pollution by decrease of their excessive concentration. Recent studies have reported about the capabilities of fungi, algae, yeasts, bacteria, waste and agricultural residues or materials containing chitosan derived from crustacean shells as a biosorbents. Biohydrometallurgy could be considered as a new “green” technology of heavy metals removal from wastewater.

Metal resistance mechanisms in Gram-negative bacteria and their potential to remove Hg in the presence of other metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Giovanella, Patricia; Cabral, Lucélia; Costa, Alexandre Pereira; de Oliveira Camargo, Flávio Anastácio; Gianello, Clesio; Bento, Fátima Menezes

2017-06-01

Contamination of the environment by heavy metals has been increasing in recent years due to industrial activities. Thus research involving microorganisms capable of surviving in multi-contaminated environments is extremely important. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the removal of mercury alone and in the presence of cadmium, nickel and lead by four mercury-resistant microorganisms; estimate the removal of Cd, Ni and Pb; understand the mechanisms involved (reduction, siderophores, biofilms, biosorption and bioaccumulation) in the metal resistance of the isolate Pseudomonas sp. B50D; and determine the capacity of Pseudomonas sp. B50D in removing Hg, Cd, Ni and Pb from an industrial effluent. It was shown that the four isolates evaluated were capable of removing from 62% to 95% of mercury from a culture medium with no addition of other metals. The isolate Pseudomonas sp. B50D showed the best performance in the removal of mercury when evaluated concomitantly with other metals. This isolate was capable of removing 75% of Hg in the presence of Cd and 91% in the presence of Ni and Pb. With respect to the other metals it removed 60%, 15% and 85% of Cd, Ni and Pb, respectively. In tests with effluent, the isolate Pseudomonas sp. B50D removed 85% of Hg but did not remove the other metals. This isolate presented reduction, biosorption, biofilm production and siderophore production as its metal resistance mechanisms. Pseudomonas sp. B50D was thus a candidate with potential for application in the bioremediation of effluents with complex metal contaminations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electrodialytic removal of heavy metals from fly ashes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Anne Juul

2002-01-01

The aim of the Ph.D. work was to develop the electrodialytic remediation method for removal of heavy metals from fly ashes. The work was focused on two types of fly ashes: fly ashes from wood combustion and fly ashes from municipal solid waste incineration.......The aim of the Ph.D. work was to develop the electrodialytic remediation method for removal of heavy metals from fly ashes. The work was focused on two types of fly ashes: fly ashes from wood combustion and fly ashes from municipal solid waste incineration....

Metals pollution tracing in the sewerage network using the diffusive gradients in thin films technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, P

2009-01-01

Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) is a quantitative, passive monitoring technique that can be used to measure concentrations of trace species in situ in solutions. Its potential for tracing metals pollution in the sewer system has been investigated by placing the DGT devices into sewage pumping stations and into manholes, to measure the concentration of certain metals in the catchment of a sewage treatment works with a known metals problem. In addition the methodology and procedure of using the DGT technique in sewers was investigated. Parameters such as temperature and pH were measured to ensure they were within the limits required by the DGT devices, and the optimum deployment time was examined. It was found that although the results given by the DGT technique could not be considered to be fully quantitative, they could be used to identify locations that were showing an excess concentration of metals, and hence trace pollution back to its source. The DGT technique is 'user friendly' and requires no complicated equipment for deployment or collection, and minimal training for use. It is thought that this is the first time that the DGT technique has been used in situ in sewers for metals pollution tracing.

An optimised method for electrodialytic removal of heavy metals from harbour sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kristine B.; Jensen, Pernille Erland; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2015-01-01

A 2-compartment electrodialytic cell set-up for treatment of solid materials has in many respects proven superior to other types of cells in removing heavy metals from sediments. Most notably, remediation times were shorter, energy consumption was lower and higher removal efficiencies were observed....... By employing m1ultivariate modelling and investigating additional experimental variables, the relative importance of variables effecting remediation was determined and response surfaces for heavy metal removal were calculated. Employing optimal conditions it was possible to remove targeted metals (Pb, Cu, Zn...

Trace metals content (contaminants) as initial indicator in the quality of heat treated palm oil whole extract

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohd Fauzi, Noor Akhmazillah bt [Chemical and Bioprocess Department, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor (Malaysia); Sarmidi, Mohd Roji [Chemical Engineering Pilot Plant, Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor (Malaysia)

2011-07-01

An investigation was carried out on the effect of different sterilization time on the trace metals concentration of palm oil whole extract. Palm fruits were collected, cleaned and sterilized for 0, 20, 40 and 60 minutes. The kernels were then stripped from the sterilized fruits to get the pulp and later the pulp was pressed using small scale expeller. The resulting puree was centrifuge at 4000 rpm for 20 minutes. The palm oil whole extract were then collected and trace metals analysis was conducted using Inductively Couple Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The result showed that the highest yield was obtained at 40 minutes of sterilization with 19.9 {+-} 0.21 % (w/w). There was no significant different (p < 0.5) in total trace metals content between the degrees of the heat treatment. Na+ was found as the highest trace metals content in the extract with mean concentration ranging from 1.05 {+-} 0.03 ppm to 2.36 {+-} 0.01 ppm. 40 minutes of heating time was predicted to have good oil quality due to higher content in trace metals that inhibit the lipase enzyme activity.

Heavy metal removal from waste waters by ion flotation.

Science.gov (United States)

Polat, H; Erdogan, D

2007-09-05

Flotation studies were carried out to investigate the removal of heavy metals such as copper (II), zinc (II), chromium (III) and silver (I) from waste waters. Various parameters such as pH, collector and frother concentrations and airflow rate were tested to determine the optimum flotation conditions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide were used as collectors. Ethanol and methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) were used as frothers. Metal removal reached about 74% under optimum conditions at low pH. At basic pH it became as high as 90%, probably due to the contribution from the flotation of metal precipitates.

Short-term acute hypercapnia affects cellular responses to trace metals in the hard clams Mercenaria mercenaria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanina, Anna V.; Beniash, Elia; Etzkorn, Markus; Meyers, Tiffany B.; Ringwood, Amy H.; Sokolova, Inna M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: •P CO 2 alters accumulation of Cd and Cu in clam cells. •Accumulation of Cd induces release of free Zn 2+ . •Accumulation of Cu induces an increase in free Cu 2+ and Fe 2+ . •Metal-induced oxidative stress is alleviated at high P CO 2 . •Toxicity of Cu in likely enhanced while that of Cd alleviated by high P CO 2 . -- Abstract: Estuarine and coastal habitats experience large fluctuations of environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, partial pressure of CO 2 (P CO 2 ) and pH; they also serve as the natural sinks for trace metals. Benthic filter-feeding organisms such as bivalves are exposed to the elevated concentrations of metals in estuarine water and sediments that can strongly affect their physiology. The effects of metals on estuarine organisms may be exacerbated by other environmental factors. Thus, a decrease in pH caused by high P CO 2 (hypercapnia) can modulate the effects of trace metals by affecting metal bioavailability, accumulation or binding. To better understand the cellular mechanisms of interactions between P CO 2 and trace metals in marine bivalves, we exposed isolated mantle cells of the hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) to different levels of P CO 2 (0.05, 1.52 and 3.01 kPa) and two major trace metal pollutants – cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu). Elevated P CO 2 resulted in a decrease in intracellular pH (pH i ) of the isolated mantle cells from 7.8 to 7.4. Elevated P CO 2 significantly but differently affected the trace metal accumulation by the cells. Cd uptake was suppressed at elevated P CO 2 levels while Cu accumulation has greatly accelerated under hypercapnic conditions. Interestingly, at higher extracellular Cd levels, labile intracellular Cd 2+ concentration remained the same, while intracellular levels of free Zn 2+ increased suggesting that Cd 2+ substitutes bound Zn 2+ in these cells. In contrast, Cu exposure did not affect intracellular Zn 2+ but led to a profound increase in the intracellular levels

Distributions of traces of metals on sorption from solutions of vanadium(V)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evseeva, N.K.; Turnaov, A.N.; Telegin, G.F.; Kremenskaya, I.N.

1983-01-01

A study is made of the distributions of traces of metals between aqueous solutions of vanadium(V) and a solid reagent made by introducing di-2-ethylhexylphosphoric acid into an inert matrix: a nonionic macroporous copolymer of polystyrene with divinyl benzene (wofatit Y 29). As regards degree of extraction, the trace components fall in the series zinc > cadmium > manganese > copper > cobalt, which resemble the extractability series. The vanadium content of the solution and the concentrations of the trace components have virtually no effect on the sorption. The process is effective in concentrating trace components from solutions containing vanadium(V)

Trace Metals And Organic Matter Diagenesis At The Oman Margin

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Alagarsamy, R.

Trace Metals (e.g. Mn and Fe) play an important role as secondary oxidants in the degradation of sedimentary OM under sub-oxic conditions. Hence the remineralisation of organic constituents of sediments in the marine environment may significantly...

Health Risk Assessment of Trace Metals in Various Environmental Media, Crops and Human Hair from a Mining Affected Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wushuang Xie

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Long term exposure to trace metals in various media is of great concern for people living in known pollution sources, such as mining and industrial activities. Health risk assessment and human hair analysis can provide important information for local environmental management. Information on distribution characteristics of trace metals in soil, water, sediment, air, local crops, and human hair from a typical mining area in southern China was collected. Results show there exists severely trace metal contamination in soil, sediment, and air. Arsenic and Pb contents in the local children’s hair are higher than the upper reference values, and the accumulation of residents’ hair trace metals shows great correlation with the ingestion and inhalation pathways. Arsenic contributes 52.27% and 58.51% to the total non-cancer risk of adults and children, respectively. The cancer risk of Cd in adults and children are 4.66 and 3.22 times higher than the safe level, respectively. Ingestion exposure pathway of trace metals largely contributes to the total non-cancer and cancer effect. The metals As, Cd, and Pb are major risk sources and pollutants that should be given priority for management, and ingestion pathway exposure to trace metals through soil and crops should be controlled.

Removal of heavy metal from industrial effluents using Baker's yeast

Science.gov (United States)

Ferdous, Anika; Maisha, Nuzhat; Sultana, Nayer; Ahmed, Shoeb

2016-07-01

Bioremediation of wastewater containing heavy metals is one of the major challenges in environmental biotechnology. Heavy metals are not degraded and as a result they remain in the ecosystem, and pose serious health hazards as it comes in contact with human due to anthropogenic activities. Biological treatment with various microorganisms has been practiced widely in recent past, however, accessing and maintaining the microorganisms have always been a challenge. Microorganisms like Baker's yeast can be very promising biosorbents as they offer high surface to volume ratio, large availability, rapid kinetics of adsorption and desorption and low cost. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the biosorption process using baker's yeast. Here we present an experimental investigation of biosorption of Chromium (Cr) from water using commercial Baker's Yeast. It was envisaged that yeast, dead or alive, would adsorb heavy metals, however, operating parameters could play vital roles in determining the removal efficiency. Parameters, such as incubation time, pH, amount of biosorbent and heavy metal concentration were varied to investigate the impacts of those parameters on removal efficiency. Rate of removal was found to be inversely proportional to the initial Cr (+6) concentrations but the removal rate per unit biomass was a weakly dependent on initial Cr(+6) concentrations. Biosorption process was found to be more efficient at lower pH and it exhibited lower removal with the increase in solution pH. The optimum incubation time was found to be between 6-8 hours and optimum pH for the metal ion solution was 2. The effluents produced in leather industries are the major source of chromium pollution in Bangladesh and this study has presented a very cost effective yet efficient heavy metal removal approach that can be adopted for such kind of wastewater.

Hyperaccumulators of metal and metalloid trace elements: facts and fiction.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ent, A.; Baker, A.J.M.; Reeves, R.D.; Pollard, A.J.; Schat, H.

2012-01-01

Background: Plants that accumulate metal and metalloid trace elements to extraordinarily high concentrations in their living biomass have inspired much research worldwide during the last decades. Hyperaccumulators have been recorded and experimentally confirmed for elements such as nickel, zinc,

An appraisal of physicochemical parameters and some trace metals ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Industrial effluent samples collected from the disposal point of five different companies in Trans-Amadi industrial area of Port Harcourt were analyzed to investigate effect on the environment. The analyzed effluent samples showed results of the physicochemical parameters and trace metals in the ranges : (pH 3.60 - 6.90), ...

Heavy metal removal from waste waters by ion flotation

OpenAIRE

Polat, Hürriyet; Erdoğan, D.

2007-01-01

Flotation studies were carried out to investigate the removal of heavy metals such as copper (II), zinc (II), chromium (III) and silver (I) from waste waters. Various parameters such as pH, collector and frother concentrations and airflow rate were tested to determine the optimum flotation conditions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate and hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide were used as collectors. Ethanol and methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) were used as frothers. Metal removal reached about 74% under o...

Environment-friendly approach for the removal of toxic metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zahra, N.; Mehmood, F.; Sheikh, S.T.; Javed, K.; Amin, A.

2006-01-01

Water pollution is serious economical problem and the presence of toxic metals like lead causes contamination of plants and then through nutritional chain it affects the health of humans and animals. This research work describes the removal of lead from wastewater using natural bentonites taken from various areas of Pakistan. The batch adsorption process was applied to remove this toxic metal. The quantities of lead metal before and after the treatment of standard solutions with different samples of bentonite were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopic method. The studies were carried out at room temperature, pH 7 and -200 mesh particle size using 50 ml of metal solutions. The time taken to maintain equilibrium was one hour. Then percentage adsorption was estimated on bentonite samples. (author)

Removal, recovery and enrichment of metals from aqueous solutions using carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin-Gang Yu; Central South University, Changsha, Hunan; Ministry of Education; Xiu-Hui Zhao; Lin-Yan Yu; Fei-Peng Jiao; Xiao-Qing Chen; Ministry of Education; Jian-Hui Jiang

2014-01-01

Environmental pollution caused by toxic metals (heavy metals, radioactive metals, etc.) is one of the major global issues, thus removal of toxic metals from contaminated water seems to be particularly important. On the other hand, the recovery and enrichment of metals, especially noble metals, from waste water is also crucial. To address these issues, nanotechnology plays an essential role in environmental monitoring and pollution control. To remove metals from contaminated water, or enrich metals from waste water, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their composites have attracted great attention due to their excellent adsorption performance. The removal efficiency for metal ions by CNTs was observed around 10-80 %, which could be improved to approach 100 % by selectively functionalizing CNTs with organic ligands. Herein, we review the applications of CNTs in treatment of toxic metal-containing wastewater for environmental monitoring and metals recovery. Due to their higher sensitivity and selectivity towards the enrichment of metals or detection of toxic metal pollution of the environment, and the latest research progress of using CNT composites for metal treatment is also discussed. (author)

Efficiency of SPIONs functionalized with polyethylene glycol bis(amine) for heavy metal removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wanna, Yongyuth, E-mail: yongyuth.wanna@gmail.com [College of KMITL Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Nara Machinery Co., Ltd., 2-5-7, Jonan-Jima, Ohta-ku, Tokyo 143-0002 (Japan); Chindaduang, Anon; Tumcharern, Gamolwan [National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), 111 Thailand Science Park, Pahol Yothin Rd, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120 (Thailand); Phromyothin, Darinee [College of KMITL Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Porntheerapat, Supanit [NECTEC, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 112 Thailand Science Park, Phahonyothin Rd., Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120 (Thailand); Nukeaw, Jiti [College of KMITL Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand); Hofmann, Heirich [Laboratory of Powder Technology, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland); Pratontep, Sirapat [College of KMITL Nanotechnology, King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Chalongkrung Rd., Ladkrabang, Bangkok 10520 (Thailand)

2016-09-15

Hybrid magnetic nanoparticles based on poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanopaticles (SPIONs) with selective surface modification has been developed for heavy metal removal by applying external magnetic fields. The nanoparticles were prepared by the emulsion polymerization technique in an aqueous suspension of SPIONs. The hydrolysis of carboxyl functional group was then applied for grafting polyethylene glycol bis(amine)(PEG-bis(amine)) onto the PMMA-coated SPIONs. The morphology, the chemical structure and the magnetic properties of the grafted nanoparticles were investigated. The efficiency of the hybrid nanoparticles for heavy metal removal were conducted on Pb(II), Hg(II), Cu(II) and Co(II) in aqueous solutions.The metal concentration in the solutions after separation by the hybrid nanoparticles was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The results show the heavy metal uptake ratios of 0.08, 0.04, 0.03, and 0.01 mM per gramme of the grafted SPIONs for Pb(II), Hg(II), Cu(II), and Co(II), respectively. A competitive removal of Cu(II), Pb(II), Co(II) and Hg(II) ions in mixed metal salt solutions has also been studied.The heavy metal removal efficiency of the hybrid nanoparitcles was found to depend on the cation radius, in accordance with capture of metal ions by the amine group. - Highlights: • We synthesis hybrid magnetic nanoparticles for heavy metal removal. • The efficiency of hybrid nanoparticles for heavy metal removal is proposed. • We investigated the characteristic of hybrid nanoparticle. • The heavy metal removal efficiency of the hybrid nanoparticle was founded that depend on the heavy metal cation radius.

Removing metal debris from thermosetting EMC powders by Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liaw Yowching

2017-01-01

Full Text Available During the preparation of thermosetting encapsulation molding compounds (EMCs for semiconductor packaging, metal debris are always present in the EMC powders due to the hard silica fillers in the compound. These metal debris in the EMC powders will cause circuit shortage and therefore have to be removed before molding. In this study, Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets are used to remove these debris. The results show that the metal debris can be removed effectively as the rate of accumulation of the metal debris increases as time proceeds in the removing operation. The removal effectiveness of the debris is affected by both the magnetic flux density and the flow around the magnet. The wake flow behind the magnet is a relatively low speed recirculation region which facilities the attraction of metal debris in the powders. Thus, the largest amount of the accumulated EMC powders occurs downstream of the magnet. Hence, this low speed recirculation region should be better utilized to enhance the removal efficiency of the metal debris.

Winter Maintenance Wash-Water Heavy Metal Removal Pilot Scale Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher M. Miller

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To encourage sustainable engineering practices, departments of transportation are interested in reusing winter maintenance truck wash water as part of their brine production and future road application. Traffic-related metals in the wash water, however, could limit this option. The objective of this work was to conduct a pilot scale evaluation of heavy metal (copper, zinc, iron, and lead removal in a filtration unit (maximum flow rate of 45 L/minute containing proprietary (MAR Systems Sorbster® media. Three different trials were conducted and approximately 10,000 L of wash water collected from a winter maintenance facility in Ohio was treated with the pilot unit. Lab studies were also performed on six wash-water samples from multiple facilities to assess particle size removal and estimate settling time as a potential removal mechanism during wash-water storage. Pilot unit total metal removal efficiencies were 79%, 77%, 63%, and 94% for copper, zinc, iron, and lead, respectively. Particle settling calculation estimates for copper and zinc show that 10 hours in storage can also effectively reduce heavy metal concentrations in winter maintenance wash water in excess of 70%. These pilot scale results show promise for reducing heavy metal concentrations to an acceptable level for reuse.

Assessment of acid leachable trace metals in sediment cores from River Uppanar, Cuddalore, Southeast coast of India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayyamperumal, T.; Jonathan, M.P.; Srinivasalu, S.; Armstrong-Altrin, J.S.; Ram-Mohan, V.

2006-01-01

An acid leachable technique is employed in core samples (C1, C2 and C3) to develop a baseline data on the sediment quality for trace metals of River Uppanar, Cuddalore, southeast coast of India. Acid leachable metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn and Cd) indicate peak values at the sulphidic phase and enrichment of metals in the surface layers are due to the anthropogenic activities. Association of trace metals with Fe, Mn indicates their adsorption onto Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides and their correlation with S indicate that they are precipitated as metal sulphides. Factor analysis identified three possible types of geochemical associations and the supremacy of trace metals along with Fe, Mn, S and mud supports their geochemical associations. Factor analysis also signifies that anthropogenic activities have affected both the estuarine and fresh water regions of River Uppanar. - Both natural and anthropogenic factors are affecting metals in sediments

Trace metal in surface water and groundwater and its transfer in a Yellow River alluvial fan: Evidence from isotopes and hydrochemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Jing; Li, Fadong, E-mail: lifadong@igsnrr.ac.cn; Liu, Qiang; Zhang, Yan

2014-02-01

Metals are ubiquitous in the environment. The aim of sustainable management of the agro-ecosystem includes ensuring that water continues to fulfill its function in agricultural production, cycling of elements, and as a habitat of numerous organisms. There is no doubt that the influence of large-scale irrigation projects has impacted the regional surface–groundwater interactions in the North China Plain (NCP). Given these concerns, the aim of this study is to evaluate the pollution, identify the sources of trace metals, analyze the influence of surface–groundwater interactions on trace metal distribution, and to propose urgent management strategies for trace metals in the agriculture area in China. Trace metals, hydrochemical indicators (EC, pH, concentrations of Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, Mg{sup 2+}, Ca{sup 2+}, Cl{sup −}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2−}, and HCO{sub 3}{sup −}) and stable isotopic composition (δ{sup 18}O and δ{sup 2}H) were determined for surface water (SW) and groundwater (GW) samples. Trace metals were detected in all samples. Concentrations of Fe, Se, B, Mn, and Zn in SW exceeded drinking water standards by 14.8%, 29.6%, 25.9%, 11.1%, and 14.8% higher, respectively, and by 3.8%, 23.1%, 11.5%, 11.5%, and 7.7% in GW. The pollution of trace metals in surface water was more serious than that in groundwater, and was also higher than in common irrigation areas in NCP. Trace metals were found to have a combined origin of geogenic and agriculture and industrial activities. Their distribution varied greatly and exhibited a certain relationship with the water flow direction, with the exception of a number of singular sites. Hydrochemical and environmental isotopic evidence indicates surface–groundwater interactions influence the spatial distribution of trace metal in the study area. Facing the ongoing serious pollution, management practices for source control, improved control technologies, and the construction of a monitoring net to warn of increased risk are

Multiple heavy metal removal using an entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana.

Science.gov (United States)

Gola, Deepak; Dey, Priyadarshini; Bhattacharya, Arghya; Mishra, Abhishek; Malik, Anushree; Namburath, Maneesh; Ahammad, Shaikh Ziauddin

2016-10-01

Towards the development of a potential remediation technology for multiple heavy metals [Zn(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Cr(VI) and Ni(II)] from contaminated water, present study examined the growth kinetics and heavy metal removal ability of Beauveria bassiana in individual and multi metals. The specific growth rate of B. bassiana varied from 0.025h(-1) to 0.039h(-1) in presence of individual/multi heavy metals. FTIR analysis indicated the involvement of different surface functional groups in biosorption of different metals, while cellular changes in fungus was reflected by various microscopic (SEM, AFM and TEM) analysis. TEM studies proved removal of heavy metals via sorption and accumulation processes, whereas AFM studies revealed increase in cell surface roughness in fungal cells exposed to heavy metals. Present study delivers first report on the mechanism of bioremediation of heavy metals when present individually as well as multi metal mixture by entomopathogenic fungi. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In situ modification of activated carbons developed from a native invasive wood on removal of trace toxic metals from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

de Celis, J; Amadeo, N E; Cukierman, A L

2009-01-15

Activated carbons were developed by phosphoric acid activation of sawdust from Prosopis ruscifolia wood, an indigenous invasive species of degraded lands, at moderate conditions (acid/precursor ratio=2, 450 degrees C, 0.5h). For in situ modification of their characteristics, either a self-generated atmosphere or flowing air was used. The activated carbons developed in the self-generated atmosphere showed higher BET surface area (2281m2/g) and total pore volume (1.7cm3/g) than those obtained under flowing air (1638m2/g and 1.3cm3/g). Conversely, the latter possessed a higher total amount of surface acidic/polar oxygen groups (2.2meq/g) than the former (1.5meq/g). To evaluate their metal sorption capability, adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) ion from model solutions were determined and properly described by the Langmuir model. Maximum sorption capacity (Xm) for the air-derived carbons (Xm=0.44mmol/g) almost duplicated the value for those obtained in the self-generated atmosphere (Xm=0.24mmol/g), pointing to a predominant effect of the surface functionalities on metal sequestering behaviour. The air-derived carbons also demonstrated a superior effectiveness in removing Cd(II) ions as determined from additional assays in equilibrium conditions. Accordingly, effective phosphoric acid-activated carbons from Prosopis wood for toxic metals removal from wastewater may be developed by in situ modification of their characteristics operating under flowing air.

12 Trace Metals Distribution in Fish Tissues, Bottom Sediments and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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Abstract. Water samples, bottom sediments, Tilapia, and Cat Fish from Okumeshi River in Delta state of Nigeria were analysed ... Keywords: Trace metals, Fish Tissues, Water, Bottom sediments, Okumeshi River. Introduction ..... Grey Mangroove Avicemmia marina (Forsk). ... sewage treatment plant oulet pipe extension on.

[Designing metal frame removable partial dentures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Witter, D.J.; Barel, J.C.; Keltjens, H.M.A.M.; Creugers, N.H.J.

2011-01-01

Oral health care providers have the full responsibility for designing metal frame removable partial dentures and making all of the necessary preparations. Important principles of design are that the denture should hamper natural cleaning and daily oral hygiene as little as possible and that it

(suspended solids and metals) removal efficiencies

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ABSTRACT. Presented in this paper are the results of correlational analyses and logistic regression between metal substances (Cd, Cu,. Pb, Zn), as well as suspended solids removal, and physical pond parameters of 19 stormwater retention pond case studies obtained from the International Stormwater BMP database.

Potential human health risk assessment of trace metals via the consumption of marine fish in Persian Gulf

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naji, Abolfazl; Khan, Farhan R.; Hashemi, Seyed Hassan

2016-01-01

This study was carried out to evaluate the concentration of trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the muscle of four fish species from the Persian Gulf. Trace metals were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy and consumption rates advisory for minimizing chronic systemic effects in children and adults were estimated. The metals concentrations in analyzed fish samples were lower than legal limits. Cadmium target hazard quotient values suggested that the threshold to avoid the potential risk for children health is an exposure level lower than 3 meals per week. Hazard index values based on four metals (not including Pb) for the child age class were higher than those of the adult age class, suggesting that children may suffer from a higher health risk. This study provides information about the consumption limits of certain metals, in particular Cd, necessary for minimizing potential health risks resulting from human consumption. - Highlights: • Trace metals in wild marine fish from the Persian Gulf were investigated. • Metal concentrations descended in the following order: Zn > Cu > Pb ≈ Ni > Cd > . • The Cd and Pb may be potential risk to human. • No obvious health risk from the intake of trace elements through fish consumption.

Trace metals behaviour during salt and fresh water mixing in the Venice Lagoon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghermandi, G.; Campolieti, D.; Cecchi, R.; Costa, F.; Zaggia, L.; Zonta, R.

1993-01-01

Preliminary results of an investigation on trace metals behaviour in the estuarine system of the Dese River (Venice Lagoon) are described. Hydrodynamical and water chemical-physical measurements and PIXE concentrations analysis on size-fractionated samples emphasize the complexity of the processes occurring in the area of salt and fresh water mixing. Suspended load variations in the bottom layer of the water column, which may be mostly ascribed to resuspension, regulate the trace metal concentrations and seem to play a fundamental role in the transport of pollutants in shallow water areas of the estuary. The behaviour of dissolved metals is masked by the presence of suspended matter, but some relationships with chemical-physical variables are distinguishable, furnishing information on the processes affecting their concentration in the system. (orig.)

Complexing agent and heavy metal removals from metal plating effluent by electrocoagulation with stainless steel electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kabdaşli, Işik; Arslan, Tülin; Olmez-Hanci, Tuğba; Arslan-Alaton, Idil; Tünay, Olcay

2009-06-15

In the present study, the treatability of a metal plating wastewater containing complexed metals originating from the nickel and zinc plating process by electrocoagulation using stainless steel electrodes was experimentally investigated. The study focused on the effect of important operation parameters on electrocoagulation process performance in terms of organic complex former, nickel and zinc removals as well as sludge production and specific energy consumption. The results indicated that increasing the applied current density from 2.25 to 9.0 mA/cm(2) appreciably enhanced TOC removal efficiency from 20% to 66%, but a further increase in the applied current density to 56.25 mA/cm(2) did not accelerate TOC removal rates. Electrolyte concentration did not affect the process performance significantly and the highest TOC reduction (66%) accompanied with complete heavy metal removals were achieved at the original chloride content ( approximately 1500 mg Cl/L) of the wastewater sample. Nickel removal performance was adversely affected by the decrease of initial pH from its original value of 6. Optimum working conditions for electrocoagulation of metal plating effluent were established as follows: an applied current density of 9 mA/cm(2), the effluent's original electrolyte concentration and pH of the composite sample. TOC removal rates obtained for all electrocoagulation runs fitted pseudo-first-order kinetics very well (R(2)>92-99).

Filter materials for metal removal from mine drainage--a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Westholm, Lena Johansson; Repo, Eveliina; Sillanpää, Mika

2014-01-01

A large number of filter materials, organic and inorganic, for removal of heavy metals in mine drainage have been reviewed. Bark, chitin, chitosan, commercial ion exchangers, dairy manure compost, lignite, peat, rice husks, vegetal compost, and yeast are examples of organic materials, while bio-carbons, calcareous shale, dolomite, fly ash, limestone, olivine, steel slag materials and zeolites are examples of inorganic materials. The majority of these filter materials have been investigated in laboratory studies, based on various experimental set-ups (batch and/or column tests) and different conditions. A few materials, for instance steel slag materials, have also been subjects to field investigations under real-life conditions. The results from these investigations show that steel slag materials have the potential to remove heavy metals under different conditions. Ion exchange has been suggested as the major metal removal mechanisms not only for steel slag but also for lignite. Other suggested removal mechanisms have also been identified. Adsorption has been suggested important for activated carbon, precipitation for chitosan and sulphate reduction for olivine. General findings indicate that the results with regard to metal removal vary due to experimental set ups, composition of mine drainage and properties of filter materials and the discrepancies between studies renders normalisation of data difficult. However, the literature reveals that Fe, Zn, Pb, Hg and Al are removed to a large extent. Further investigations, especially under real-life conditions, are however necessary in order to find suitable filter materials for treatment of mine drainage.

The effect of waste water treatment on river metal concentrations: removal or enrichment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teuchies, J.; Bervoets, L.; Cox, T.J.S.; Meire, P.; de Deckere, E.

2011-01-01

Purpose Discharge of untreated domestic and industrial waste in many European rivers resulted in low oxygen concentrations and contamination with trace metals, often concentrated in sediments. Under these anoxic conditions, the formation of insoluble metal sulfides is known to reduce metal

Octanol-solubility of dissolved and particulate trace metals in contaminated rivers: implications for metal reactivity and availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Andrew; Mawji, Edward

2005-05-01

The lipid-like, amphiphilic solvent, n-octanol, has been used to determine a hydrophobic fraction of dissolved and particulate trace metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in contaminated rivers. In a sample from the River Clyde, southwest Scotland, octanol-solubility was detected for all dissolved metals except Co, with conditional octanol-water partition coefficients, D(ow), ranging from about 0.2 (Al and Cu) to 1.25 (Pb). In a sample taken from the River Mersey, northwest England, octanol-solubility was detected for dissolved Al and Pb, but only after sample aliquots had been spiked with individual ionic metal standards and equilibrated. Spiking of the River Clyde sample revealed competition among different metals for hydrophobic ligands. Metal displacement from hydrophobic complexes was generally most significant following the addition of ionic Al or Pb, although the addition of either of these metals had little effect on the octanol-solubility of the other. In both river water samples hydrophobic metals were detected on the suspended particles retained by filtration following their extraction in n-octanol. In general, particulate Cu and Zn (up to 40%) were most available, and Al, Co and Pb most resistant (octanol extraction. Distribution coefficients defining the concentration ratio of octanol-soluble particle-bound metal to octanol-soluble dissolved metal were in the range 10(3.3)-10(5.3)mlg(-1). The presence of hydrophobic dissolved and particulate metal species has implications for our understanding of the biogeochemical behaviour of metals in aquatic environments. Specifically, such species are predicted to exhibit characteristics of non-polar organic contaminants, including the potential to penetrate the lipid bilayer. Current strategies for assessing the bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and particulate trace metals in natural waters may, therefore, require revision.

Determination of trace impurities in high-purity iron using salting-out of polyoxyethylene-type surfactants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumiya, Hiroaki, E-mail: h-matsu@numse.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Sakane, Yuto; Hiraide, Masataka [Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)

2009-10-19

To an iron sample solution was added polyoxyethylene-4-isononylphenoxy ether (PONPE, nonionic surfactant, average number of ethylene oxides 7.5) and the surfactant was aggregated by the addition of lithium chloride. The iron(III) matrix was collected into the condensed surfactant phase in >99.9% yields, leaving trace metals [e.g., Ti(IV), Cr(III), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), and Bi(III)] in the aqueous phase. After removing the surfactant phase by centrifugation, the remaining trace metals were concentrated onto an iminodiacetic acid-type chelating resin. The trace metals were desorbed with dilute nitric acid for the determination by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry or graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The proposed separation method allowed the analysis of high-purity iron metals for trace impurities at low {mu}g g{sup -1} to ng g{sup -1} levels.

Study of trace metals in evaporites of Sergipe, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrade, L.L.

1982-01-01

Heavy metals and others which form strong complexes must be present in the brine feed of electrolytic cells only at very low levels. Their occurrence in quantities above the established levels has a deleterious effect on the membranes of the cells and will produce interference on voltage, current efficiency and other factors. The waste resulting from decantation of the brine causes serious environmental problems. Thirty brine samples from different sites, provided by Petrobras Mineracao S.A. (Brazil) were studied. The sample preparation method and the analytical results obtained from semiquantitative determination of trace metals by optical emission spectrography are described. The toxicity of certain metals, their effects on the environment and on electrolytic cell membranes are also discussed. (Author) [pt

Distribution of particulate trace metals in the western Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Satyanarayana, D.; Murty, P.V.S.P.; Sarma, V.V.

continuous increase from surface to bottom in the case ofFe, Ni, which appeared to be related to a combination offactors suchas authigenicprecipita tion/scavenging, rcsuspension of bottom rich sediments, and diffusion followed by precipitation at sedimcnt... ), most of these studies do not provide information onthe interaction of trace elements with particulate matter. The present study deals with the distribution of particulate trace metals (Fe, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd) and their possible interactions...

Analysis of trace metals in sodium by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahalingam, T.R.; Geetha, R.; Thiruvengadasamy, A.; Mathews, C.K.

1981-01-01

The estimation of trace metallic impurities in sodium is normally carried out by distilling off the sodium in vacuuum and analysing the residue by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). This paper describes the direct determination of the following impurities (viz.) Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, Mn, Ca, and Cu in sodium without going through the distillation step. Here sodium is simply dissolved and the solution is subjected to analysis by AAS using flameless atomisation in a graphite furnace. The method of standard additions is employed. Preliminary experiments were carried out to study the matrix effect of sodium on the atomic absorption of cobalt. It has been found that if pyrolysis is done at 1250 0 C for 20 seconds prior to atomisation, the bulk of the sodium nitrate matrix could be successfully removed. The use of the optimum pyrolysis temperatures for the various elements listed above and the matrix interference on the absorbances of these analytes are discussed in this paper. The precision and accuracy of our analytical procedure is also presented. (orig.)

Metal removal efficiency and ecotoxicological assessment of field-scale passive treatment biochemical reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Anaerobic biochemical reactors (BCRs) are useful for removing metals from mining-impacted water (MIW) at remote sites. Removal processes include sorption and precipitation of metal sulfides, carbonates and hydroxides. A question of interest is whether BCRs remove aquatic toxicit...

The removal of actinide metals from solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hancock, R.D.; Howell, I.V.

1980-01-01

A process is specified for removing actinide metals (e.g. uranium) from solutions. The solution is contacted with a substrate comprising the product obtained by reacting an inorganic solid containing surface hydroxyl groups (e.g. silica gel) with a compound containing a silane grouping, a nitrogen-containing group (e.g. an amine) and other specified radicals. After treatment, the actinide metal is recovered from the substrate. (U.K.)

Heavy metals removals from wet market wastewater by phycoremediation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Jais, N. M.; Mohamed, R. M. S. R.; Apandi, N.; Al-Gheethi, A. A.

2018-04-01

The wet market provided fresh foodstuff. Unfortunately, the sullage commonly discharged directly to the drainage without any treatment. Hence, this research was focused on culturing the Scenedesmus sp. and implemented the phycoremediation process to wet market wastewater and to measure the heavy metal removals by Scenedesmus sp. There are two different time collected samples: (1) Sample at 7 a.m. and (2) Sample at 9 a.m.. The five samples were collected for each time sampling from of the Parit Raja Public Market, Batu Pahat wastewater (with additional of five different concentrations of Scenedesmus sp. which are 1.235x106, 1.224x106, 1.220x106, 1.213x106 and 1.203x106 cell/ml). This experiment was conducted within eight days for culturing Scenedesmus sp. and phycoremediation within another eight days. The analysis was done with changes of DO and pH and heavy metals removal during phycoremediation. Based on the result, the optimum efficiency removals for each heavy metal had achieved (36.62-100%) and the optimum concentration for Sample 7 a.m. and Sample 9 a.m. is Concentration 1 (1.235x106 cell/ml) obtained 81.18-100% of heavy metal removals. Concentration of microalgae is statistically correlated well with Fe (p0.05) in influencing high nutrient removal in the wastewater.

Highly efficient removal of trace thallium from contaminated source waters with ferrate: Role of in situ formed ferric nanoparticle.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yulei; Wang, Lu; Wang, Xianshi; Huang, Zhuangsong; Xu, Chengbiao; Yang, Tao; Zhao, Xiaodan; Qi, Jingyao; Ma, Jun

2017-11-01

Thallium (Tl) is highly toxic to mammals and relevant pollution cases are increasing world-widely. Convenient and efficient method for the removal of trace Tl from contaminated source water is imperative. Here, the removal of trace Tl by K 2 FeO 4 [Fe(VI)] was investigated for the first time, with the exploration of reaction mechanisms. Six different types of water treatment agents (powdered activated carbon, Al 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , FeCl 3 , δ-MnO 2 , MnO 2 nano-particles, and K 2 FeO 4 ) were used for the removal of Tl in spiked river water, and K 2 FeO 4 showed excellent removal performance. Over 92% of Tl (1 μg/L) was removed within 5 min by applying 2.5 mg/L of K 2 FeO 4 (pH 7.0, 20 °C). XPS analysis revealed that in the reaction of Tl(I) with K 2 FeO 4 , Tl(I) was oxidized to Tl(III), and removed by the K 2 FeO 4 reduced ferric particles. The removal of Tl by in situ formed and ex situ formed ferric particle was examined respectively, and the results revealed that the removal of trace Tl could be attributed to the combination of adsorption and coprecipitation processes. The hydrodynamic size of the reduced particle from K 2 FeO 4 ranged from 10 nm to 100 nm, and its surface was negatively charged under neutral pH condition. These factors were conducive for the efficient removal of Tl by K 2 FeO 4 . The effects of solution pH, coexisting ions (Na + , Ca 2+ , and HCO 3 - ), humic acid, solution temperature, and reductive environment on the removal and desorption of Tl were investigated, and the elimination of Tl in polluted river water and reservoir water was performed. These results suggest that K 2 FeO 4 could be an efficient and convenient agent on trace Tl removal. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of Ocean Acidification on Organic and Inorganic Speciation of Trace Metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Stockdale, Anthony; Tipping, Edward; Lofts, Stephen; Mortimer, Robert J G

2016-02-16

Rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing acidification of the oceans. This results in changes to the concentrations of key chemical species such as hydroxide, carbonate and bicarbonate ions. These changes will affect the distribution of different forms of trace metals. Using IPCC data for pCO2 and pH under four future emissions scenarios (to the year 2100) we use a chemical speciation model to predict changes in the distribution of organic and inorganic forms of trace metals. Under a scenario where emissions peak after the year 2100, predicted free ion Al, Fe, Cu, and Pb concentrations increase by factors of up to approximately 21, 2.4, 1.5, and 2.0 respectively. Concentrations of organically complexed metal typically have a lower sensitivity to ocean acidification induced changes. Concentrations of organically complexed Mn, Cu, Zn, and Cd fall by up to 10%, while those of organically complexed Fe, Co, and Ni rise by up to 14%. Although modest, these changes may have significance for the biological availability of metals given the close adaptation of marine microorganisms to their environment.

Seasonal comparison of trace metal residues in white-footed mice and soil from colliery stripmines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hausbeck, J.S.; Husby, M.P.; McBee, K.

1994-01-01

Mine tailings of abandoned coal stripmines in Oklahoma and other regions of the US have been shown to contain slightly elevated levels of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). Metalliferous stripmine spoil has been found to contain much higher levels of Cu and Zn than colliery stripmines, and many other trace metals including cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) among others. Although levels of trace metal contamination were lower for coal stripmines, research has shown small mammals exposed to low levels of trace metals may bioaccumulate trace metals. This study intended to determine the levels of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in liver, kidney, and bone tissues of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) and examine the variance of these levels among sites and seasons. Preliminary results of soil analysis have indicated that mice collected from stripmine sites were exposed to slightly elevated levels of Zn and Cd in stripmine spoil collected from Okmulgee Co., OK. Kidney and liver tissues from mice collected at stripmine sites within this county have shown significantly greater levels of Cd and Zn than tissues collected from reference mice. Significant seasonal variation in renal and hepatic Zn concentrations was observed and possibly was related to a change in diet or reproductive activity

The Determination of Uranium and Trace Metal Impurities in Yellow Cake Sample by Chemical Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Busamongkol, Arporn; Rodthongkom, Chouvana

1999-01-01

The purity of uranium cake is very critical in nuclear-grade uranium (UO 2 ) and uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) production. The major element in yellow cake is uranium and trace metal impurities. The objective of this study is to determine uranium and 25 trace metal impurities; Aluminum, Barium, Bismuth, Calcium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Potassium, Iithium, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sodium, Niobium, Nickel, Lead, Antimony, Tin, Strontium, Titanium, Vanadium, Zinc and Zirconium, Uranium is determined by Potassium dichromate titration, after solvent extraction with Cupferon in Chloroform, Trace metal impurities are determined by solvent extraction with Tributyl Phosphate in Carbon-tetrachloride ( for first 23 elements) and N-Benzoyl-N-Phenylhydroxylamine in Chloroform ( for last 2 elements), then analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) compared with Inductively Couple Plasma Spectrophotometers (ICP). The accuracy and precision are studied with standard uranium octaoxide

Dissolved trace metals (Ni, Zn, Co, Cd, Pb, Al, and Mn) around the Crozet Islands, Southern Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Castrillejo, Maxi; Statham, Peter J.; Fones, Gary R.; Planquette, Hélène; Idrus, Farah; Roberts, Keiron

2013-10-01

A phytoplankton bloom shown to be naturally iron (Fe) induced occurs north of the Crozet Islands (Southern Ocean) every year, providing an ideal opportunity to study dissolved trace metal distributions within an island system located in a high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) region. We present water column profiles of dissolved nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), aluminium (Al), and manganese (Mn) obtained as part of the NERC CROZEX program during austral summer (2004-2005). Two stations (M3 and M1) were sampled downstream (north) of Crozet in the bloom area and near the islands, along with a control station (M2) in the HNLC zone upstream (south) of the islands. The general range found was for Ni, 4.64-6.31 nM; Zn, 1.59-7.75 nM; Co, 24-49 pM; Cd, 135-673 pM; Pb, 6-22 pM; Al, 0.13-2.15 nM; and Mn, 0.07-0.64 nM. Vertical profiles indicate little island influence to the south with values in the range of other trace metal deprived regions of the Southern Ocean. Significant removal of Ni and Cd was observed in the bloom and Zn was moderately correlated with reactive silicate (Si) indicating diatom control over the internal cycling of this metal. Higher concentrations of Zn and Cd were observed near the islands. Pb, Al, and Mn distributions also suggest small but significant atmospheric dust supply particularly in the northern region.

Diagnostic value of lipids, total antioxidants, and trace metals in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Materials and Methods: Anthropometric characteristics, total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), serum lipids (total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides), Vit. E, total antioxidant status (TAS), and trace metals (Se, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn) were determined in 40 patients with histopathological diagnosis of ...

Biosorbents for Removing Hazardous Metals and Metalloids †

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Katsutoshi; Parajuli, Durga; Ghimire, Kedar Nath; Biswas, Biplob Kumar; Kawakita, Hidetaka; Oshima, Tatsuya; Ohto, Keisuke

2017-01-01

Biosorbents for remediating aquatic environmental media polluted with hazardous heavy metals and metalloids such as Pb(II), Cr(VI), Sb(III and V), and As(III and V) were prepared from lignin waste, orange and apple juice residues, seaweed and persimmon and grape wastes using simple and cheap methods. A lignophenol gel such as lignocatechol gel was prepared by immobilizing the catechol functional groups onto lignin from sawdust, while lignosulfonate gel was prepared directly from waste liquor generated during pulp production. These gels effectively removed Pb(II). Orange and apple juice residues, which are rich in pectic acid, were easily converted using alkali (e.g., calcium hydroxide) into biosorbents that effectively removed Pb(II). These materials also effectively removed Sb(III and V) and As(III and V) when these were preloaded with multi-valent metal ions such as Zr(IV) and Fe(III). Similar biosorbents were prepared from seaweed waste, which is rich in alginic acid. Other biosorbents, which effectively removed Cr(VI), were prepared by simply treating persimmon and grape wastes with concentrated sulfuric acid. PMID:28773217

Trace metals, melanin-based pigmentation and their interaction influence immune parameters in feral pigeons (Columba livia).

Science.gov (United States)

Chatelain, M; Gasparini, J; Frantz, A

2016-04-01

Understanding the effects of trace metals emitted by anthropogenic activities on wildlife is of great concern in urban ecology; yet, information on how they affect individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems remains scarce. In particular, trace metals may impact survival by altering the immune system response to parasites. Plumage melanin is assumed to influence the effects of trace metals on immunity owing to its ability to bind metal ions in feathers and its synthesis being coded by a pleiotropic gene. We thus hypothesized that trace metal exposure would interact with plumage colouration in shaping immune response. We experimentally investigated the interactive effect between exposure to an environmentally relevant range of zinc and/or lead and melanin-based plumage colouration on components of the immune system in feral pigeons (Columba livia). We found that zinc increased anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgY primary response maintenance, buffered the negative effect of lead on anti-KLH IgY secondary response maintenance and tended to increase T-cell mediated phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) skin response. Lead decreased the peak of the anti-KLH IgY secondary response. In addition, pheomelanic pigeons exhibited a higher secondary anti-KLH IgY response than did eumelanic ones. Finally, T-cell mediated PHA skin response decreased with increasing plumage eumelanin level of birds exposed to lead. Neither treatments nor plumage colouration correlated with endoparasite intensity. Overall, our study points out the effects of trace metals on some parameters of birds' immunity, independently from other confounding urbanization factors, and underlines the need to investigate their impacts on other life history traits and their consequences in the ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions.

Are acid volatile sulfides (AVS) important trace metals sinks in semi-arid mangroves?

Science.gov (United States)

Queiroz, Hermano Melo; Nóbrega, Gabriel Nuto; Otero, Xose L; Ferreira, Tiago Osório

2018-01-01

Acid-volatile sulfides (AVS) formation and its role on trace metals bioavailability were studied in semi-arid mangroves. The semi-arid climatic conditions at the studied sites, marked by low rainfall and high evapotranspiration rates, clearly limited the AVS formation (AVS contents varied from 0.10 to 2.34μmolg -1 ) by favoring oxic conditions (Eh>+350mV). The AVS contents were strongly correlated with reactive iron and organic carbon (r=0.84; r=0.83 respectively), evidencing their dominant role for AVS formation under semi-arid conditions. On the other hand, the recorded ΣSEM/AVS values remained >1 evidencing a little control of AVS over the bioavailability of trace metals and, thus, its minor role as a sink for toxic metals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol-modified nanoporous silica as a technique in simultaneous trace monitoring and removal of toxic heavy metals in food and water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Abolhasani, Jafar; Behbahani, Mohammad

2015-01-01

Solid-phase extraction is one the most useful and efficient techniques for sample preparation, purification, cleanup, preconcentration, and determination of heavy metals at trace levels. In this paper, functionalized MCM-48 nanoporous silica with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol was applied for trace determination of copper, lead, cadmium, and nickel in water and seafood samples. The experimental conditions such as pH, sample and eluent flow rate, type, concentration and volume of the eluent, breakthrough volume, and effect of coexisting ions were optimized for efficient solid-phase extraction of trace heavy metals in different water and seafood samples. The content of solutions containing the mentioned heavy metals was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), and the limits of detection were 0.3, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.9 ng mL(-1) for cadmium, copper, nickel, and lead, respectively. Recoveries and precisions were >98.0 and adsorption capacity of the modified nanoporous silica was 178 mg g(-1) for cadmium, 110 mg g(-1) for copper, 98 mg g(-1) for nickel, and 210 mg g(-1) for lead, respectively. The functionalized MCM-48 nanoporous silica with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol was characterized by thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (CHN), and N2 adsorption surface area measurement.

Investigation of heavy metal removal from motorway stormwater using inorganic ion exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pitcher, Sarah

2002-01-01

Stormwater runoff from motorway surfaces contains toxic heavy metals that are not sufficiently removed by current treatment systems. This research has investigated the potential use of inorganic ion exchange materials to further reduce the levels of dissolved heavy metals. Candidate materials (synthetic/natural zeolites, clay/modified clay, hydrotalcite, lignite) were tested by a shaking procedure (mixed 5 mg dm -3 of each heavy metals, shaken for 10 min) and analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry. The synthetic zeolites MAP and Y showed 100% heavy metal removal and were investigated further by a series of batch experiments. The zeolites exhibited a selectivity sequence Pb > Cu > Cd ∼ Zn. Zeolite MAP has a high capacity for heavy metal uptake (4.5 meq g -1 ), but is not practical for use in a treatment facility owing to its low particle size (3 μm). However, large zeolite pellets (∼ 2 mm) were found to have a low heavy metal uptake (∼ 44 %) due to diffusion limitations. Selected materials (zeolites MAP, Y, mordenite, and carbon-based lignite) were tested in actual and spiked motorway stormwater. The synthetic zeolites effectively remove heavy metals (∼ 100 %) but change the environmental chemistry of the stormwater by releasing high concentrations of sodium, removing calcium ions and increasing the solution pH. The presence of other dissolved contaminants in motorway stormwater inhibited the uptake of heavy metals by the natural zeolite mordenite (34 % less removal). Alkali/alkaline-earth metals (Na, Ca) in solution compete for exchange sites in lignite and mordenite, reducing the heavy metal uptake. Chloride in solution forms complexes with cadmium, severely reducing its uptake by zeolite Y. The presence of dissolved road salt is a potentially serious concern as it causes previously exchanged heavy metals to be re-eluted, especially zinc and cadmium. Zeolite MAP as an exchanger is relatively unaffected by road salt. There is potential for the use of

Spatial variability and temporal changes in the trace metal content of soils: implications for mine restoration plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandra, Rachna; Prusty, B Anjan Kumar; Azeez, P A

2014-06-01

Trace metals in soils may be inherited from the parent materials or added to the system due to anthropogenic activities. In proposed mining areas, trace metals become an integral part of the soil system. Usually, researchers undertake experiments on plant species selection (for the restoration plan) only after the termination of mining activities, i.e. without any pre-mining information about the soil-plant interactions. Though not shown in studies, it is clear that several recovery plans remain unsuccessful while carrying out restoration experiments. Therefore, we hypothesize that to restore the area effectively, it is imperative to consider the pre-mining scenario of metal levels in parent material as well as the vegetation ecology of the region. With these specifics, we examined the concentrations of trace metals in parent soils at three proposed bauxite locations in the Eastern Ghats, India, and compared them at a spatio-temporal scale. Vegetation quantification and other basic soil parameters accounted for establishing the connection between soil and plants. The study recorded significant spatial heterogeneity in trace metal concentrations and the role of vegetation on metal availability. Oxidation reduction potential (ORP), pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) directly influenced metal content, and Cu and Ni were lithogenic in origin. It implies that for effective restoration plant species varies for each geological location.

Contribution of trace metals in structuring in situ macroinvertebrate community composition along a salinity gradient

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peeters, E.T.H.M.; Gardeniers, J.J.P.; Koelmans, A.A.

2000-01-01

Macroinvertebrates were studied along a salinity gradient in the North Sea Canal, The Netherlands, to quantify the effect of trace metals (cadmium, copper, lead, zinc) on community composition. In addition, two methods for assessing metal bioavailability (normalizing metal concentrations on organic

Removal of dissolved heavy metals and radionuclides by microbial spores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Revis, N.W.; Hadden, C.T.; Edenborn, H.

1997-01-01

Microbial systems have been shown to remove specific heavy metals from contaminated aqueous waste to levels acceptable to EPA for environmental release. However, systems capable of removing a variety of heavy metals from aqueous waste to environmentally acceptable levels remain to be reported. The present studies were performed to determine the specificity of spores of the bacterium Bacillus megaterium for the adsorption of dissolved metals and radionuclides from aqueous waste. The spores effectively adsorbed eight heavy metals from a prepared metal mix and from a plating rinse waste to EPA acceptable levels for waste water. These results suggest that spores have multiple binding sites for the adsorption of heavy metals. Spores were also effective in adsorbing the radionuclides 85 strontium and 197 cesium. The presence of multiple sites in spores for the adsorption of heavy metals and radionuclides makes this biosorbent a good candidate for the treatment of aqueous wastes associated with the plating and nuclear industries. 17 refs., 4 tabs

Removal of heavy metals using a microbial active, continuously operated sand filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebner, C.

2001-01-01

Heavy metals play an important role within the spectrum of the various pollutants, emitted into the environment via human activities. In contrast to most organic pollutants, heavy metal can not be degraded. Many soils, lakes and rivers show a high contamination with heavy metals due to the enrichment of these pollutants. In addition to existing chemical-physical and biological technologies for the treatment of heavy metal containing waste waters a demand for new, efficient and low-cost cleaning technologies exists, particularly for high volumes of weakly contaminated waters. Such a technology was developed within the framework of a scientific project of the European Union. The approach makes use of a continuously operated, moving-bed Astrasand filter, which has been operated as a continuous biofilm reactor. By inoculation of the reactor with bacteria providing different, defined mechanisms of metal immobilization, and by continuous supply of suitable nutrients, a metal-immobilizing biofilm is built up and regenerated continuously. Metal-enriched biomass is removed continuously from the system, and the contained metals can be recycled by pyrometallurgical treatment of the biomass. The subjects of the present work were the optimization of the nutrient supply for the process of metal removal, the investigation of the toxicity of different waste waters, the optimization of inoculation and biofilm formation, set-up and operation of a lab scale sand filter and the operation of a pilot scale sand filter treating rinsing water of a chemical nickel plating plant. First, basic parameters like toxicity of heavy metal-containing waste waters and the influence of the nutrition of bacteria on biosorption and total metal removal were examined, using freely suspended bacteria in batch culture. Concerning toxicity great differences could be found within the spectrum of heavy metal-containing waste waters tested. Some waters completely inhibited growth, while others did not

Levels of some Trace Metals in Macroalgae from the Red Sea in Egypt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aboul-Naga, Wafiqa Mohamed

2005-01-01

The concentrations of iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and cobalt (Co) in ten macroalgae species from the Red Sea coastal water varied widely and also the trend of abundance of each metal also differed from one group to another. Concentration factors varied among species for iron (Fe) copper (Cu) manganese (Mn), but with iron (Fe) showing generally high concentration factors. Highly significant (P<0.05) relationships were found between manganese (Mn) and Nickel (Ni), and, Zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). Moreover, moderate correlations were observed between manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) and chromium (Cr), indicating that manganese (Mn) is the most accumulated metal in the macro algae of the Red Sea. In spite of the level of trace metals in the macro algae of the Red Sea. In spite of the level of trace metals in the macro algae, dominance is moderate relative to other sea areas subjected to intensive pollution. That is, the results indicated a nonpolluted environment. (author)

Geochemistry of trace metals in a fresh water sediment: Field results and diagenetic modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canavan, R.W.; Cappellen, P. van; Zwolsman, J.J.G.; Berg, G.A. van den; Slomp, C.P.

2007-01-01

Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined in pore water and sediment of a coastal fresh water lake (Haringvliet Lake, The Netherlands). Elevated sediment trace metal concentrations reflect anthropogenic inputs from the Rhine and Meuse Rivers. Pore water and sediment analyses, together with thermodynamic calculations, indicate a shift in trace metal speciation from oxide-bound to sulfide-bound over the upper 20 cm of the sediment. Concentrations of reducible Fe and Mn decline with increasing depth, but do not reach zero values at 20 cm depth. The reducible phases are relatively more important for the binding of Co, Ni, and Zn than for Pb and Cd. Pore waters exhibit supersaturation with respect to Zn, Pb, Co, and Cd monosulfides, while significant fractions of Ni and Co are bound to pyrite. A multi-component, diagenetic model developed for organic matter degradation was expanded to include Zn and Ni dynamics. Pore water transport of trace metals is primarily diffusive, with a lesser contribution of bioirrigation. Reactions affecting trace metal mobility near the sediment-water interface, especially sulfide oxidation and sorption to newly formed oxides, strongly influence the modeled estimates of the diffusive effluxes to the overlying water. Model results imply less efficient sediment retention of Ni than Zn. Sensitivity analyses show that increased bioturbation and sulfate availability, which are expected upon restoration of estuarine conditions in the lake, should increase the sulfide bound fractions of Zn and Ni in the sediments

Bromate and trace metal levels in bread loaves from outlets within Ile-Ife Metropolis, Southwestern Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.A.O. Oyekunle

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Bread loaves randomly sampled from nine outlets and bakeries within Ile-Ife were analysed to determine their safety levels for human consumption with respect to bromate and trace metal contents. Bromate determination was carried out via spectrophotometric method while trace metals in the digested bread samples were profiled using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Bromate levels in the analyzed bread samples ranged from 2.051 ± 0.011 μg/g to 66.224 ± 0.014 μg/g while the trace metal levels were of the order: 0.03–0.10 μg/g Co = 0.03–0.10 μg/g Pb < 0.23–0.46 μg/g Cu < 2.23–6.63 μg/g Zn < 25.83–75.53 μg/g Mn. This study revealed that many bread bakers around Ile-Ife had not fully complied with the bromate-free rule stipulated by NAFDAC contrary to the “bromate free” inscribed on the labels of the bread. The bread samples contained both essential and toxic trace metals to levels that could threaten the health of consumers over prolonged regular consumption.

Metal chelate process to remove pollutants from fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, S.G.T.

1994-12-06

The present invention relates to improved methods using an organic iron chelate to remove pollutants from fluids, such as flue gas. Specifically, the present invention relates to a process to remove NO[sub x] and optionally SO[sub 2] from a fluid using a metal ion (Fe[sup 2+]) chelate wherein the ligand is a dimercapto compound wherein the --SH groups are attached to adjacent carbon atoms (HS--C--C--SH) or (SH--C--CCSH) and contain a polar functional group so that the ligand of DMC chelate is water soluble. Alternatively, the DMC is covalently attached to a water insoluble substrate such as a polymer or resin, e.g., polystyrene. The chelate is regenerated using electroreduction or a chemical additive. The dimercapto compound bonded to a water insoluble substrate is also useful to lower the concentration or remove hazardous metal ions from an aqueous solution. 26 figures.

Potential release of in vivo trace metals from metallic medical implants in the human body: from ions to nanoparticles--a systematic analytical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Matusiewicz, Henryk

2014-06-01

Metal ion release from metallic materials, e.g. metallic alloys and pure metals, implanted into the human body in dental and orthopedic surgery is becoming a major cause for concern. This review briefly provides an overview of both metallic alloys and pure metals used in implant materials in dental and orthopedic surgery. Additionally, a short section is dedicated to important biomaterials and their corrosive behavior in both real solutions and various types of media that model human biological fluids and tissues. The present review gives an overview of analytical methods, techniques and different approaches applied to the measurement of in vivo trace metals released into body fluids and tissues from patients carrying metal-on-metal prostheses and metal dental implants. Reference levels of ion concentrations in body fluids and tissues that have been determined by a host of studies are compiled, reviewed and presented in this paper. Finally, a collection of published clinical data on in vivo released trace metals from metallic medical implants is included. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of dust and trace metal estimates from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ model version 5.0

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. W. Appel

2013-07-01

trace metals. Removing the anthropogenic fugitive dust (AFD emissions and the effects of wind-blown dust (WBD lowered the model soil concentrations. However, even with both AFD emissions and WBD effects removed, soil concentrations were still often overestimated, suggesting that there are other sources of errors in the modeling system that contribute to the overestimation of soil components. Efforts are underway to improve both the nighttime mixing in urban areas and the spatial and temporal distribution of dust-related emission sources in the emissions inventory.

Trace metal mobilization in an experimental carbon sequestration scenario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marcon, Virginia [University of Wyoming, Geology and Geophysics, Laramie, WY. 82070 (United States); Kaszuba, John [University of Wyoming, Geology and Geophysics, Laramie, WY. 82070 (United States); Univeristy of Wyoming, School of Energy Resources, Larmaie, WY. 82070 (United States)

2013-07-01

Mobilizing trace metals with injection of supercritical CO{sub 2} into deep saline aquifers is a concern for geologic carbon sequestration. Hydrothermal experiments investigate the release of harmful metals from two zones of a sequestration injection reservoir: at the cap-rock-reservoir boundary and deeper within the reservoir, away from the cap-rock. In both systems, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn behave in a similar manner, increasing in concentration with injection, but subsequently decreasing in concentration over time. SEM images and geochemical models indicate initial dissolution of minerals and precipitation of Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates, metal sulfides (i.e. Fe, As, Ag, and Co sulfides), and anhydrite in both systems. The results suggest that Ba, Cu, and Zn will not be contaminants of concern, but Pb, Fe, and As may require careful attention. (authors)

Accumulation of trace metals by aquatic macrophytes and their possible use in phytoremediation techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michaela Hillermannová

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the performed research was to obtain knowledge on the ability of aquatic plants naturally growing at a site to absorb trace metals contained in bottom sediments and surface water. Furthermore, we compared differences in the accumulation of trace metals by the individual groups of aquatic plants (submerged and emergent and assessed a possible use of the individual plant species in phytoremediation techniques. Representative samples of water, sediments and aquatic macrophytes were taken from three anthropogenically loaded streams in six monitoring cycles in several collection profiles differing in the distance from a source of contamination. The samples were analysed for the total content of selected trace metals (As, Cd, Pb, Al, Hg, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni and Cu. For comparison, one profile at an unloaded site was sampled as well. The obtained results were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis of data. Increased contents of Fe, Al, Mn, Cr and Zn were detected in sediments and plant biomass at loaded sites, namely 2–3× higher than at the comparing site. The contents of metals in surface water samples were altogether below the detection limit of the analytical method. When evaluating the individual plant species, we can state that the lowest contents of metals were detected in shore species (reed canary grass Phalaroides arundinacea, wood club-rush Scirpus silvaticus and red dock Rumex aquaticus; plant species growing in the very water current (water star-wort Callitriche sp. and flote-grass Glyceria fluitans exhibited mean contents of metals. In species forming mats (Fontinalis antipyretica and Cladophora sp., these contents were several times higher as compared to the previous species. The results of the performed research show that one of important factors, which influence the accumulation of trace metals in plants, is their ecological group (emergent – submerged affiliation and the species classification within this group

Application of Iron Oxide Nano materials for the Removal of Heavy Metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dave, P.N.; Chopda, L.V.

2014-01-01

In the 21st century water polluted by heavy metal is one of the environment problems. Various methods for removal of the heavy metal ions from the water have extensively been studied. Application of iron oxide nana particles based nano materials for removal of heavy metals is well-known adsorbents for remediation of water. Due to its important physiochemical property, inexpensive method and easy regeneration in the presence of external magnetic field make them more attractive toward water purification. Surface modification strategy of iron oxide nanoparticles is also used for the remediation of water increases the efficiency of iron oxide for the removal of the heavy metal ions from the aqueous system.

Removal of heavy metals from sludge of Sanaru-Lake by electrokinetics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seno, T.; Shiba, S.; Hirata, Y. [Dept. of Systems Engineering, Shizuoka Univ., Hamamatsu (Japan)

2001-07-01

Two kinds of experiments were carried out for the removal of heavy metals from soils by electrokinetic technique. One was the removal of lead from kaolinite by using a small-sized test cell. The effect of the kind of purging solutions (such as distilled water, tap water, acetic acid and nitric acid) on removal efficiency was examined. High removal efficiency was obtained for the acetic acid solution. It was found that the controlling pH of solution surrounding cathode had a significant influence on the removal efficiency. The other experiment was the removal of heavy metals from the bottom sludge of Sanaru Lake. Zinc, nickel and copper in the sludge were successfully removed, but lead and chromium were hardly able to remove from the sludge. The simplified one-dimensional mathematical model was proposed. The prediction by the model was qualitatively agreed with the experimental result. (orig.)

Persimmon leaf bio-waste for adsorptive removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seo-Yun; Choi, Hee-Jeong

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate heavy metal removal using waste biomass adsorbent, persimmon leaves, in an aqueous solution. Persimmon leaves, which are biomaterials, have a large number of hydroxyl groups and are highly suitable for removal of heavy metals. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the possibility of removal of Cu, Pb, and Cd in aqueous solution by using raw persimmon leaves (RPL) and dried persimmon leaves (DPL). Removal of heavy metals by RPL and DPL showed that DPL had a 10%-15% higher removal than RPL, and the order of removal efficiency was found to be Pb > Cu > Cd. The pseudo-second order model was a better fit to the heavy metal adsorption experiments using RPL and DPL than the pseudo-first order model. The adsorption of Cu, Pb, and Cd by DPL was more suitable with the Freundlich isothermal adsorption and showed an ion exchange reaction which occurred in the uneven adsorption surface layer. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu, Pb, and Cd was determined to be 19.42 mg/g, 22.59 mg/g, and 18.26 mg/g, respectively. The result of the adsorption experiments showed that the n value was higher than 2 regardless of the dose, indicating that the heavy metal adsorption on DPL was easy. In the thermodynamic experiment, ΔG° was a negative value, and ΔH° and ΔS° were positive values. It can be seen that the heavy metal adsorption process using DPL was spontaneous in nature and was an endothermic process. Moreover, as the temperature increased, the adsorption increased, and the affinity of heavy metal adsorption to DPL was very good. This experiment, in which heavy metals are removed using the waste biomass of persimmon leaves is an eco-friendly new bioadsorbent method because it can remove heavy metals without using chemicals while utilizing waste recycling. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Process for removing heavy metal compounds from heavy crude oil

Science.gov (United States)

Cha, Chang Y.; Boysen, John E.; Branthaver, Jan F.

1991-01-01

A process is provided for removing heavy metal compounds from heavy crude oil by mixing the heavy crude oil with tar sand; preheating the mixture to a temperature of about 650.degree. F.; heating said mixture to up to 800.degree. F.; and separating tar sand from the light oils formed during said heating. The heavy metals removed from the heavy oils can be recovered from the spent sand for other uses.

Trace metals and vitamin levels in Nigerian patients with sensory ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The significance of the higher levels of magnesium in the patients is unclear and needs further investigation. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this observation. Keywords: ataxia, trace metals, vitamins, Nigerians Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 4(2) 2005: 156–160 ...

Trace Metals and Mineral Composition of Harmattan Dust Haze in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ADOWIE PERE

2018-01-29

Jan 29, 2018 ... ABSTRACT: Trace metals and mineralogical composition of harmattan dust haze was carried out on samples collected at Ilorin (80 32'N, ... Sahara desert which transports the dust by wind. Junge (1979) reported that on the .... Schwela et al 2002, it was observed that road transport emission sources ...

Resolving and modelling trace metal partitioning in a freshwater sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devallois, V.; Boyer, P.; Coulomb, B.; Boudenne, J. L.

2009-01-01

Elevated concentrations of trace metals in sediments pose toxicological risks to biota and may impair water quality. the sediment-water interface is the site where gradients in physical, chemical and biological properties are the greatest. Both chemical and microbiological transformation processes are responsible for cycling elements between water and sediments. (Author)

Serum Lipids and Lipoproteins Levels and Selected Trace Metals In ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aim to determine the serum levels of trace metals and correlate same with serum levels of lipoproteins (an established marker of HBP) in newly diagnosed hypertensives (NDH) A total of 50 NDH subjects (24 males and 26 females) attending Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo ...

Removal of platinum group metals contained in molten glass using copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uruga, Kazuyoshi; Sawada, Kayo; Arita, Yuji; Enokida, Youichi; Yamamoto, Ichiro

2007-01-01

Removal of platinum group metals (PGMs) such as Pd, Ru, and RuO 2 from molten glass by using various amounts of liquid Cu was done as a basic study on a new vitrification process for a high-level radio-active waste. We prepared two types of borosilicate glasses containing PGMs and Cu, respectively. These glasses were mixed together and heated at 1,473 K for 4h in Ar atmosphere. More than 95% of Pd were removed as a spherical metal button composed of Pd-Cu alloy when Cu was added in an amount 0.5 times the weight of Pd. Nearly 95% of Ru was also removed as a spherical button with 2.5-5 times as much Cu addition as Ru in weight. Ruthenium oxide was reduced to metallic Ru by a reaction with Cu in the molten glass. The removal fraction was increased by increasing the amount of Cu and reached 63% when Cu addition was 7.5 times as much as RuO 2 in weight. By addition of Si as a reducing agent, nearly 90% of Pd and Ru were removed with Cu and Si metal composites even under O 2 :Ar=20:80 (v/v) condition. (author)

Trace element geochemistry of the South Atlantic Bight: Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Windom, H.L.

1987-12-01

Our major field effort involved participation in FLEX. Approximately 350 samples were collected for trace metal analyses. All of the SPREX data has been reduced and interpreted. One proposed paper describes a model for the flux of particulate material across the continental shelf. This model was applied to the particulate aluminum data collected during SPREX and will be used to estimate cross-shelf fluxes of particulate trace metals. The model will also serve as a basis for developing further models for freshwater, PON and POC fluxes during SPREX and FLEX. Another manuscript describes the estuarine behavior of plutonium and lead 210. A third manuscript describes trace metal behavior in the Savannah River estuary. All analyses and data reduction for Phase 1 and 2 sediment sampling campaigns have been completed. One paper, submitted for publication, shows that the major metal bearing phase in these sediments is aluminosilicate minerals. We will be interpreting these results during the coming year to estimate nearshore sediment removal of trace metals and nutrients and their cycling. Analyses of all pre-FLEX suspended sediment samples have been completed and will be used, with SPREX and FLEX data, to elucidate temporal variability on the composition of nearshore particles. Phase 3 sediments that were collected during our pre-FLEX Blue Fin cruise have been partially completed. 1 fig

Fraction-specific controls on the trace element distribution in iron formations : Implications for trace metal stable isotope proxies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oonk, Paul B.H.; Tsikos, Harilaos; Mason, Paul R.D.; Henkel, Susann; Staubwasser, Michael; Fryer, Lindi; Poulton, Simon W.; Williams, Helen M.

2017-01-01

Iron formations (IFs) are important geochemical repositories that provide constraints on atmospheric and ocean chemistry, prior to and during the onset of the Great Oxidation Event. Trace metal abundances and their Mo-Cr-U isotopic ratios have been widely used for investigating ocean redox processes

Simultaneous electrodialytic removal of PAH, PCB, TBT and heavy metals from sediments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Kristine B.; Lejon, Tore; Jensen, Pernille Erland

2017-01-01

with the need of different remedial actions for each pollutant. In this study, electrodialytic remediation (EDR) of sediments was found effective for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants for sediments from Arctic regions - Sisimiut in Greenland and Hammerfest in Norway. The influence...... was found to be important for the removal of heavy metals and TBT, while photolysis was significant for removal of PAH, PCB and TBT. In addition, dechlorination was found to be important for the removal of PCB. The highest removal efficiencies were found for heavy metals, TBT and PCB (>40%) and lower......Contaminated sediments are remediated in order to protect human health and the environment, with the additional benefit of using the treated sediments for other activities. Common for many polluted sediments is the contamination with several different pollutants, making remediation challenging...

Development of a low-cost alternative for metal removal from textile wastewater

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sekomo Birame, C.

2012-01-01

Heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn) found in textile wastewater are removed by a combination of adsorption using volcanic rock as adsorbent, sulfide precipitation and phytoremediation techniques. The integrated system for metal removal combining anaerobic bioreactor as main treatment step and a

An off-line automated preconcentration system with ethylenediaminetriacetate chelating resin for the determination of trace metals in seawater by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Minami, Tomoharu; Konagaya, Wataru; Zheng, Linjie; Takano, Shotaro; Sasaki, Masanobu; Murata, Rena; Nakaguchi, Yuzuru; Sohrin, Yoshiki

2015-01-07

A novel automated off-line preconcentration system for trace metals (Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in seawater was developed by improving a commercially available solid-phase extraction system SPE-100 (Hiranuma Sangyo). The utilized chelating resin was NOBIAS Chelate-PA1 (Hitachi High-Technologies) with ethylenediaminetriacetic acid and iminodiacetic acid functional groups. Parts of the 8-way valve made of alumina and zirconia in the original SPE-100 system were replaced with parts made of polychlorotrifluoroethylene in order to reduce contamination of trace metals. The eluent pass was altered for the back flush elution of trace metals. We optimized the cleaning procedures for the chelating resin column and flow lines of the preconcentration system, and developed a preconcentration procedure, which required less labor and led to a superior performance compared to manual preconcentration (Sohrin et al.). The nine trace metals were simultaneously and quantitatively preconcentrated from ∼120 g of seawater, eluted with ∼15 g of 1M HNO3, and determined by HR-ICP-MS using the calibration curve method. The single-step preconcentration removed more than 99.998% of Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Sr from seawater. The procedural blanks and detection limits were lower than the lowest concentrations in seawater for Mn, Ni, Cu, and Pb, while they were as low as the lowest concentrations in seawater for Al, Fe, Co, Zn, and Cd. The accuracy and precision of this method were confirmed by the analysis of reference seawater samples (CASS-5, NASS-5, GEOTRACES GS, and GD) and seawater samples for vertical distribution in the western North Pacific Ocean. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Long-term Records of Trace Metal Elements in Core Sediments: Anthropogenic Impacts in The Eure River Watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Gardes, T.; Debret, M.; Copard, Y.; Patault, E.; Deloffre, J.; Marcotte, S.; Develle, A. L.; Sabatier, P.; Chaumillon, E.; Coulombier, T.; Revillon, S.; Nizou, J.; Laberdesque, Y.; Koltalo, F.

2017-12-01

The Martot Dam is located in the Eure River Watershed (Normandy, France), few hundred meters upstream the Eure-Seine Rivers confluence. In the context of the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the French Authorities planned to remove this dam in 2017. Nevertheless, impacts of the removal remain poorly studied. Classically, dam blocked sedimentary transfers downstream, but here, sediments are not blocked behind the dam but stored three hundred meters upstream in a hydraulic annex, called the Martot Pond. Furthermore, this pond is submitted to the tidal flow from the Seine Estuary despite the Martot Dam. The aim of the study is to evaluate the dam removal impacts on sedimentary transfers and re-suspension of contaminated sediments stored in the Martot Pond and the Eure River's channel. Concerning past transfers and sediments accumulation in the Eure River Watershed, sedimentary archives have been cored, before dam removal, at the Martot Pond and the Les Damps Pond (located 10km upstream the latter). Dating of sedimentary cores for both ponds indicates a sedimentation rate around 1 cm y-1. Trace metal elements quantification showed a wide metallic contamination with highest concentrations evidenced during the 1950-1960's (As: 13-22 mg kg-1; Cd: 40-55 mg kg-1; Cr: 170-210 mg kg-1; Cu: 400-490 mg kg-1; Hg: 2.3 mg kg-1; Mn: 1,280-2,200 mg kg-1; Ni: 64-75 mg kg-1; Zn: 905-990 mg kg-1) and the 1990-2000's (Cr: 95-215 mg kg-1; Ni: 100 mg kg-1; Pb: 670-855 mg kg-1). These variations of concentrations along cores can be associated with industrial past of the Eure River Watershed and sources of contamination can be identified. Thereby, Zn, Ni or Hg contamination could be associated with wastes of battery factory released in the Eure River during the economic recovery, while Pb contamination is linked to the activities of a cathode-ray tubes factory. Metals quantification in core materials highlighted anthropogenic impacts in the Eure River Watershed. These

Trace metal content in aspirin and women's cosmetics via proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hichwa, B.P.; Pun, D.D.; Wang, D.

1981-01-01

A multielemental analysis to determine the trace metal content of generic and name-brand aspirins and name-brand lipsticks was done via proton induced x-ray (PIXE) measurements. The Hope College PIXE system is described as well as the target preparation methods. The trace metal content of twelve brands of aspirin and aspirin substitutes and fourteen brands of lipstick are reported. Detection limits for most elements are in the range of 100 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 parts per million

Self-assembled monolayers on mosoporous supports (SAMMS) for RCRA metal removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Xiangdong; Liu, Jun; Fryxell, G. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

1997-10-01

The Mixed Waste Focus Area has declared mercury removal and stabilization as the first and fourth priorities among 30 prioritized deficiencies. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metal and mercury removal has also been identified as a high priority at DOE sites such as Albuquerque, Idaho Falls, Oak Ridge, Hanford, Rocky Flats, and Savannah River. Under this task, a proprietary new technology, Self-Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous Supports (SAMMS), for RCRA metal ion removal from aqueous wastewater and mercury removal from organic wastes such as vacuum pump oils is being developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The six key features of the SAMMS technology are (1) large surface area (>900 m{sup 2}/g) of the mesoporous oxides (SiO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2}, TiO{sub 2}) ensures high capacity for metal loading (more than 1 g Hg/g SAMMS); (2) molecular recognition of the interfacial functional groups ensures the high affinity and selectivity for heavy metals without interference from other abundant cations (such as calcium and iron) in wastewater; (3) suitability for removal of mercury from both aqueous wastes and organic wastes; (4) the Hg-laden SAMMS not only pass TCLP tests, but also have good long-term durability as a waste form because the covalent binding between mercury and SAMMS has good resistance to ion exchange, oxidation, and hydrolysis; (5) the uniform and small pore size (2 to 40 nm) of the mesoporous silica prevents bacteria (>2000 nm) from solubilizing the bound mercury; and (6) SAMMS can also be used for RCRA metal removal from gaseous mercury waste, sludge, sediment, and soil.

Determination of metallic traces in kidneys, livers, lungs and spleens of rats with metallic implants after a long implantation time.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio, Juan Carlos; Garcia-Alonso, Maria Cristina; Alonso, Concepcion; Alobera, Miguel Angel; Clemente, Celia; Munuera, Luis; Escudero, Maria Lorenza

2008-01-01

Metallic transfer from implants does not stop at surrounding tissues, and metallic elements may be transferred by proteins to become lodged in organs far from the implant. This work presents an in vivo study of metallic implant corrosion to measure metallic element accumulation in organs located far from the implant, such as kidneys, livers, lungs and spleens. The studied metallic implant materials were CoCr alloy, Ti, and the experimental alloy MA956 coated with alpha-alumina. The implants were inserted in the hind legs of Wistar rats. Analysis for Co, Cr, Ti and Al metallic traces was performed after a long exposure time of 12 months by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) with Mass Spectrometry (MS). According to the results, the highest Cr and Ti concentrations were detected in spleens. Co is mainly found in kidneys, since this element is eliminated via urine. Cr and Ti traces increased significantly in rat organs after the long implantation time. The organs of rats implanted with the alpha-alumina coated experimental MA956 did not present any variation in Al content after 12 months, which means there was no degradation of the alumina layer surface.

Determination of Sugar and Some Trace Metals Content in Selected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ten brands of commercial fruit juices were analyzed for pH, specific gravity, total solids, reducing sugar and total sugar trace metals contents. The pH was determined using a Hanna pH meter. Sugar content was determined using the Lane and Eynon method. Sodium and potassium were determined by flame photometry ...

Concentration of Trace Metals in Boreholes in the Ankobra Basin ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Fiifi Baidoo

Most of the boreholes with high trace metal concentrations were located in and around the Bawdie-Bogoso-Prestea area. Introduction. Ankobra basin is one of the main mining areas in Ghana. The major minerals mined in this area include gold, manganese, bauxite and diamond. Gold mining in this basin dates about 500 ...

Trace metal pollution in Umtata River | Fatoki | Water SA

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dissolved trace metals, i.e Fe, Mn, Al, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd were determined in the Umtata River. High levels of Al, Cd, Pb, Zn and. Cu were observed, which may affect the “health” of the aquatic ecosystem. The high levels of Al, Cd and Pb may also affect the health of the rural community that uses the river water directly for ...

Transfer and mobility of trace metallic elements in the sedimentary column of continental hydro-systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devallois, V.

2009-02-01

In freshwater systems, trace metal pollutants are transferred into water and sedimentary columns under dissolved forms and/or fixed onto solid particles. Accumulated in the sedimentary areas, these latter ones can constitute important stocks of materials and associated pollutants and may impair water quality when environmental changes lead to increase their mobility. The mobility of the stocks of pollutants is mainly depending on the erosion, on the interstitial diffusion of the mobile phases (dissolved and colloidal) and on the bioturbation. In this context, this study involves the analysis of the mobility by interstitial diffusion. This topic consists in studying trace metal fractionation between their mobile (dissolved and colloidal) and non mobile (fixed onto the particles) forms. This point is governed by sorption/desorption processes at the particle surfaces. These processes are regulated by physico-chemical parameters (pH, redox potential, ionic strength...) and are influenced by biogeochemical reactions resulting from the oxidation of the organic matter by the microbial activity. These reactions generate vertical profiles of nutrients and metal concentrations along the sedimentary column. To understand these processes, this work is based on a mixed approach that combines in situ, analysis and modelling. In situ experimental part consists in sampling natural sediments cores collected at 4 different sites (1 site in Durance and 3 sites on the Rhone). These samples are analyzed according to an analytical protocol that provides the vertical distribution of physicochemical parameters (pH, redox potential, size distribution, porosity), nutrients and solid - liquid forms of trace metals (cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, zinc). The analysis and interpretation of these experimental results are based on a model that was developed during this study and that includes: 1) model of interstitial diffusion (Boudreau, 1997), 2) biogeochemical model (Wang and Van Cappellen

Linking Environmental Magnetism to Geochemical Studies and Management of Trace Metals. Examples from Fluvial, Estuarine and Marine Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Scoullos

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Among the diverse research fields and wide range of studies encompassed by environmental magnetism, the present work elaborates on critical aspects of the geochemistry of trace metals that emerged through years of original research in a variety of environmental compartments. This review aims at sharing the insights gained on (a tracing metal pollution sources; and (b identifying processes and transport pathways from sources to depositional environments. Case studies on the Elefsis Gulf (Greece and the Gulf of Lions (France demonstrate the potential of combined magnetic measurements and chemical analysis to trace pollution signals resulting from land-based sources and atmospheric deposition. Case studies on estuarine environments, namely the Louros, Acheloos, and Asopos Estuaries (Greece, address modes of trace metal behavior under the influence of different hydrological regimes and elucidate in situ processes within the transitional estuarine zone, that define their ultimate fate. As sources, transport pathways, and processes of trace metals are fundamental in environmental management assessments, the involvement of magnetic measurements in the policy cycle could facilitate the development and implementation of appropriate regulatory measures for the integrated management of river basins, coastal, and marine areas.

Unit Process Wetlands for Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants and Pathogens from Municipal Wastewater Effluents

Science.gov (United States)

Jasper, Justin T.; Nguyen, Mi T.; Jones, Zackary L.; Ismail, Niveen S.; Sedlak, David L.; Sharp, Jonathan O.; Luthy, Richard G.; Horne, Alex J.; Nelson, Kara L.

2013-01-01

Abstract Treatment wetlands have become an attractive option for the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater effluents due to their low energy requirements and operational costs, as well as the ancillary benefits they provide, including creating aesthetically appealing spaces and wildlife habitats. Treatment wetlands also hold promise as a means of removing other wastewater-derived contaminants, such as trace organic contaminants and pathogens. However, concerns about variations in treatment efficacy of these pollutants, coupled with an incomplete mechanistic understanding of their removal in wetlands, hinder the widespread adoption of constructed wetlands for these two classes of contaminants. A better understanding is needed so that wetlands as a unit process can be designed for their removal, with individual wetland cells optimized for the removal of specific contaminants, and connected in series or integrated with other engineered or natural treatment processes. In this article, removal mechanisms of trace organic contaminants and pathogens are reviewed, including sorption and sedimentation, biotransformation and predation, photolysis and photoinactivation, and remaining knowledge gaps are identified. In addition, suggestions are provided for how these treatment mechanisms can be enhanced in commonly employed unit process wetland cells or how they might be harnessed in novel unit process cells. It is hoped that application of the unit process concept to a wider range of contaminants will lead to more widespread application of wetland treatment trains as components of urban water infrastructure in the United States and around the globe. PMID:23983451

Unit Process Wetlands for Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants and Pathogens from Municipal Wastewater Effluents.

Science.gov (United States)

Jasper, Justin T; Nguyen, Mi T; Jones, Zackary L; Ismail, Niveen S; Sedlak, David L; Sharp, Jonathan O; Luthy, Richard G; Horne, Alex J; Nelson, Kara L

2013-08-01

Treatment wetlands have become an attractive option for the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater effluents due to their low energy requirements and operational costs, as well as the ancillary benefits they provide, including creating aesthetically appealing spaces and wildlife habitats. Treatment wetlands also hold promise as a means of removing other wastewater-derived contaminants, such as trace organic contaminants and pathogens. However, concerns about variations in treatment efficacy of these pollutants, coupled with an incomplete mechanistic understanding of their removal in wetlands, hinder the widespread adoption of constructed wetlands for these two classes of contaminants. A better understanding is needed so that wetlands as a unit process can be designed for their removal, with individual wetland cells optimized for the removal of specific contaminants, and connected in series or integrated with other engineered or natural treatment processes. In this article, removal mechanisms of trace organic contaminants and pathogens are reviewed, including sorption and sedimentation, biotransformation and predation, photolysis and photoinactivation, and remaining knowledge gaps are identified. In addition, suggestions are provided for how these treatment mechanisms can be enhanced in commonly employed unit process wetland cells or how they might be harnessed in novel unit process cells. It is hoped that application of the unit process concept to a wider range of contaminants will lead to more widespread application of wetland treatment trains as components of urban water infrastructure in the United States and around the globe.

Dissolved and particulate trace metals in the western Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rajendran, A.; De; Reddy, C.V.G.

Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Pb, both in soluble and particulate forms were studied in the upper 200 m depth. Correlation between the trace metal concentration and the primary productivity was also investigated. Zn, Ni and Co were...

Trace metals in vegetables and fruits cultivated around the surroundings of Tummalapalle uranium mining site, Andhra Pradesh, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allabaksh Murad Basha

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Vegetables (Tomato – Solanum lycopersicum, green chilli – Capsicum annum and bitter gourd – Momordica charantia and fruits (Banana – Musa acuminata colla, papaya – Carica papaya and mosambi – Citrus limetta from the cultivated areas around the Tummalapalle uranium mining site were analyzed for trace metals (Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Be, V, Co, Cd and U using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS. As per the estimated data, the concentrations of trace metals in vegetables and fruits are found in the range of 47.5–7.8 mg/kg for Al, 9.7–1.0 mg/kg for Cr, 3.8–1.0 mg/kg for Mn, 75.5–13.9 mg/kg for Fe, 1.4–0.2 mg/kg for Ni, 2.3–0.8 mg/kg for Cu, 9.2–3.1 mg/kg for Zn, 0.2–1.4 mg/kg for Pb, 19.2–1.9 μg/kg for Be, 96.1–15.8 μg/kg for V, 48.2–12.9 μg/kg for Co, 46.5–2.3 μg/kg for Cd and 16.4–2.7 μg/kg for U. The trace metals observed are compared to the literature reported values. Trace elemental data were subjected to statistical analysis to examine the interrelationship between the investigated trace elements and possible source identification of the trace metal contamination in vegetable and fruits. Daily intake of trace metals through ingestion of vegetables and fruits are also calculated.

Neutron activation analysis of trace metallic elements eluted from molecular sieves in the dehydration process of safflower oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takasago, Masahisa; Kobayashi, Koichi; Taru, Yasunori; Takaoka, Kyo

1992-01-01

Dissolved water in safflower oil affects the autoxidation of this oil significantly. Molecular sieves were used to remove the dissolved water from the oil. This method is much simpler than that of distillation, and dissolved water can be removed to the same extent as that by distillation. But, due to the elution of many kinds of trace metallic elements in the oil dehydrated with molecular sieves, these elements were analyzed by neutron activation analysis. For a data comparison trace amounts of metallic elements in the oil dehydrated by distillation were also analyzed. Since the intensity of the γ ray-photoelectric peak of nuclide 28 Al was largest among the detected elements, this element was analyzed quantitatively and the other elements qualitatively. In safflower oil dehydrated with molecular sieves, 14 kinds of the elements (I, Br, Al, Mg, Si, V, Cl, Nd, Ta, Cr, Sb, Cs, Co, Na) were detected. Also, I, Br, Cl, Cr, Ta, Sb, and Al elements were detected in the oil dehydrated by distillation. The intensity of the photoelectric peak of nuclide except 28 Al was essentially the same as that in the oil dehydrated by distillation, but the intensity of 28 Al in the oil with molecular sieves was about 28 times stronger than that in distillation oil. In the molecular sieves, 19 impure elements in addition to the original constituents (Na, K, Al, si, O) were detected. It was Al, Na, Si, Nd, Cs, and Co along with impure elements may possibly have been eluted in the oil. Al element in safflower oil dehydrated with molecular sieves was analyzed quantitatively. 0.91 ppm of Al was detected in safflower oil. The eluted amount of Al in safflower oil dehydrated by distillation was 0.032 ppm. A larger amount of Al element was thus eluted into the oil dehydrated with molecular sieves than by distillation. (author)

Nano-adsorbents for the removal of metallic pollutants from water and wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Y C; Srivastava, V; Singh, V K; Kaul, S N; Weng, C H

2009-05-01

Of the variety of adsorbents available for the removal of heavy and toxic metals, activated carbon has been the most popular. A number of minerals, clays and waste materials have been regularly used for the removal of metallic pollutants from water and industrial effluents. Recently there has been emphasis on the application of nanoparticles and nanostructured materials as efficient and viable alternatives to activated carbon. Carbon nanotubes also have been proved effective alternatives for the removal of metallic pollutants from aqueous solutions. Because of their importance from an environmental viewpoint, special emphasis has been given to the removal of the metals Cr, Cd, Hg, Zn, As, and Cu. Separation of the used nanoparticles from aqueous solutions and the health aspects of the separated nanoparticles have also been discussed. A significant number of the latest articles have been critically scanned for the present review to give a vivid picture of these exotic materials for water remediation.

Spectrochemical determination of impurities and noble metal traces in carnallite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldbart, Z.; Carmi, U.; Harrel, A.

1978-02-01

A spectrochemical method was developed for the determination of impurities and noble metal traces in carnallite by DC arc excitation. The investigated sample is brought to a standard form of potassium-magnesium sulphate mixed with graphite. Detection limits of 1-10 ppm were determined for 27 elements; the dynamical detection range is 1-400 ppm

Investigating Planetesimal Evolution by Experiments with Fe-Ni Metallic Melts: Light Element Composition Effects on Trace Element Partitioning Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Chabot, N. L.

2017-12-01

As planetesimals were heated up in the early Solar System, the formation of Fe-Ni metallic melts was a common occurrence. During planetesimal differentiation, the denser Fe-Ni metallic melts separated from the less dense silicate components, though some meteorites suggest that their parent bodies only experienced partial differentiation. If the Fe-Ni metallic melts did form a central metallic core, the core eventually crystallized to a solid, some of which we sample as iron meteorites. In all of these planetesimal evolution processes, the composition of the Fe-Ni metallic melt influenced the process and the resulting trace element chemical signatures. In particular, the metallic melt's "light element" composition, those elements present in the metallic melt in a significant concentration but with lower atomic masses than Fe, can strongly affect trace element partitioning. Experimental studies have provided critical data to determine the effects of light elements in Fe-Ni metallic melts on trace element partitioning behavior. Here I focus on combining numerous experimental results to identify trace elements that provide unique insight into constraining the light element composition of early Solar System Fe-Ni metallic melts. Experimental studies have been conducted at 1 atm in a variety of Fe-Ni systems to investigate the effects of light elements on trace element partitioning behavior. A frequent experimental examination of the effects of light elements in metallic systems involves producing run products with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases. Such solid-metal-liquid-metal experiments have been conducted in the Fe-Ni binary system as well as Fe-Ni systems with S, P, and C. Experiments with O-bearing or Si-bearing Fe-Ni metallic melts do not lend themselves to experiments with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases, due to the phase diagrams of these elements, but experiments with two immiscible Fe-Ni metallic melts have provided insight into

Monsoon control on trace metal fluxes in the deep Arabian Sea

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Monsoon control on trace metal fluxes in the deep Arabian Sea ... at marine boundaries and surface ocean processes: Forcings and feedbacks Volume 115 ... Annual Al fluxes at shallow and deep trap depths were 0.47 and 0.46 gm−2 in the ...

To study the recovery of L-Cysteine using halloysite nanotubes after heavy metal removal

Science.gov (United States)

Thakur, Juhi

2016-04-01

Industrial wastes are a major source of soil and water pollution that originate from mining industries, chemical industries, metal processing industries, etc. These wastes consist of a variety of chemicals including phenolics, heavy metals, etc. Use of industrial effluent and sewage sludge on agricultural land has become a common practice in the world which results in these toxic metals being transferred and ultimately concentrate in plant tissues from water and the soil. The metals that get accumulated, prove detrimental to plants themselves and may also cause damage to the healths of animals as well as man. This is because the heavy metals become toxins above certain concentrations, over a narrow range. As a further matter, these metals negatively affect the natural microbial populations as well, that leads to the disruption of fundamental ecological processes. However, many techniques and methods have been advanced to clear the heavy metal polluted soils and waters. One important method is by removing heavy metals with the help of amino acids like L-Cysteine and L-Penicillamine. But also, economy of removal of pollutant heavy metals from soils and waters is a major concern. Present study helps in decreasing the cost for large-scale removal of heavy metals from polluted water by recovering the amino acid (L-Cysteine) after removal of nickel (Ni+2) at a fixed pH, by binding the Ni+2 with halloysite nanotubes(HNT), so that L-Cysteine can be reused again for removal of heavy metals.

Removal of multiple metallic species from a sludge by electromigration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ricart, M.T.; Cameselle, C. [Dept. of Chemical Engineering., Univ. of Vigo (Spain); Lema, J.M. [Dept. of Chemical Engineering., Univ. of Vigo (Spain)]|[Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

2001-07-01

This study deals with the treatment of sludge from a wastewater treatment plant contaminated several metallic species. Electromigration laboratory experiments were conducted in an electrokinetic cell with or without cathode solution pH control. A large pH influence has been observed over metals removal. The neutralisation of basic environment at cathode deals with a increasing in current intensity and power consumption, but also in a large removal of Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, Mn, Sr, Zn and Cu from sludge sample. (orig.)

Trace metal anomalies in bleached Porites coral at Meiji Reef, tropical South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shu; Yu, Kefu; Zhao, Jianxin; Feng, Yuexing; Chen, Tianran

2017-01-01

Coral bleaching has generally been recognized as the main reason for tropical coral reef degradation, but there are few long-term records of coral bleaching events. In this study, trace metals including chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and yttrium (Y), were analyzed in two Porites corals collected from Meiji Reef in the tropical South China Sea (SCS) to assess differences in trace metal concentrations in bleached compared with unbleached coral growth bands. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo generally showed irregular fluctuations in both corals. Bleached layers contained high concentrations of Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb. Unbleached layers showed moderately high concentrations of Mn and Cu only. The different distribution of trace metals in Porites may be attributable to different selectivity on the basis of vital utility or toxicity. Ti, V, Cr, and Mo are discriminated against by both coral polyps and zooxanthellae, but Mn, Cu, Sn, and Pb are accumulated by zooxanthellae and only Mn and Cu are accumulated by polyps as essential elements. The marked increase in Cu, Mn, Pb, and Sn are associated with bleaching processes, including mucus secretion, tissue retraction, and zooxanthellae expulsion and occlusion. Variation in these trace elements within the coral skeleton can be used as potential tracers of short-lived bleaching events.

Enhanced Removal of Nutrients and Trace Organics from Urban Runoff with Novel Capture, Treatment, and Recharge Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ashoori, N.; Planes, M. T.; Lefevre, G.; Sedlak, D.; Luthy, R. G.

2017-12-01

Rapid population growth, urban sprawl and impact of climate change are forcing water-stressed areas to rely on new local sources of water supply. Under this scenario, reclamation of stormwater runoff has emerged as a source for irrigation and replenishing drinking-water groundwater reservoirs. However, urban stormwater can be a significant source of pollutants, including nutrients and organic compounds. In order to overcome the stormwater treatment system limitations, this project has developed a pilot-scale column system for passive treatment of infiltrated water using low-cost, low-energy geomedia. The objective was to provide guidance on the design and operation of systems for controlling nutrient and trace organic contaminant releases to surface waters. The work comprised of replicate column studies in the field to test stormwater treatment modules with various media, such as woodchips and biochar, using urban runoff from a watershed in Sonoma, California. Woodchip bioreactors host an endemic population of microorganisms that can be harnessed to biologically degrade nitrate. The columns amended with biochar enhance removal of organic pollutants present in stormwater through physicochemical processes (i.e., adsorption onto biochar) and biodegradation in the column through increasing retention time. The field columns were conditioned with stormwater for eight months before being spiked weekly with 50 ppb of representative trace organics. The key finding was the successful field demonstration of a novel treatment system for both the removal of nitrate and trace organics. Nitrogen removal was successful in all columns for the thirteen month experiment due to the woodchips being an effective source of carbon for denitrifying microorganisms to convert nitrate to nitrogen gases. As for the trace organics experiments, the results highlight an overall attenuation of the studied trace organic compounds by the columns containing woodchip and biochar throughout the five

Trace Metal Levels in Raw and Heat Processed Nigerian Staple ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The levels of some trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd) were quantitatively determined in raw and heat processed staple food cultivars (yam, cassava, cocoyam and maize) from oil producing areas of part of the Niger Delta and compared with a non-oil producing area of Ebonyi State as control. The survey was conducted to ...

Comparison of electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation for heavy metal removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akbal, F.; Camci, S. [Ondokuz Mayis University, Engineering Faculty, Environmental Engineering Department, Kurupelit, Samsun (Turkey)

2010-10-15

Copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) removal from metal plating wastewater by electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation was investigated. Chemical coagulation was performed using either aluminum sulfate or ferric chloride, whereas electrocoagulation was done in an electrolytic cell using aluminum or iron electrodes. By chemical coagulation, Cu-, Cr-, and Ni-removal of 99.9 % was achieved with aluminum sulfate and ferric chloride dosages of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg L{sup -1}, respectively. Removal of metals by electrocoagulation was affected by the electrode material, wastewater pH, current density, number of electrodes, and electrocoagulation time. Electrocoagulation with iron electrodes at a current density of 10 mA cm{sup -2}, electrocoagulation time of 20 min, and pH 3.0 resulted in 99.9 % Cu-, 99.9 % Cr-, and 98 % Ni-removal. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

TRACE ELEMENT CHEMISTRY IN RESIDUAL-TREATED SOIL: KEY CONCEPTS AND METAL BIOAVAILABILITY

Science.gov (United States)

Trace element solubility and availability in land-applied residuals is governed by fundamental chemical reactions between metal constituents, soil, and residual components. Iron, aluminum, and manganese oxides; organic matter; and phosphates, carbonates, and sulfides are importan...

Distribution of trace metals in surface seawater and zooplankton of the Bay of Bengal, off Rushikulya estuary, East Coast of India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srichandan, Suchismita; Panigrahy, R.C.; Baliarsingh, S.K.; Srinivasa, Rao B.; Pati, Premalata; Sahu, Biraja K.; Sahu, K.C.

2016-01-01

Concentrations of trace metals such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), vanadium (V), and selenium (Se) were determined in seawater and zooplankton from the surface waters off Rushikulya estuary, north-western Bay of Bengal. During the study period, the concentration of trace metals in seawater and zooplankton showed significant spatio-temporal variation. Cu and Co levels in seawater mostly remained non-detectable. Other elements were found at higher concentrations and exhibited marked variations. The rank order distribution of trace metals in terms of their average concentration in seawater was observed as Fe > Ni > Mn > Pb > As > Zn > Cr > V > Se > Cd while in zooplankton it was Fe > Mn > Cd > As > Pb > Ni > Cr > Zn > V > Se. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of Fe was highest followed by Zn and the lowest value was observed with Ni. Results of correlation analysis discerned positive affinity and good relationship among the majority of the trace metals, both in seawater and zooplankton suggesting their strong affinity and coexistence. - Highlights: • First-hand report on trace metal concentration in zooplankton and seawater covering 2 years from this eco-sensitive region. • In seawater trace metals followed the rank order of Fe > Ni > Mn > Pb > As > Zn > Cr > V > Se > Cd. • In zooplankton the rank order was Fe > Mn > Cd > As > Pb > Ni > Cr > Zn > V > Se. • The bioaccumulation factor of Fe was highest followed by Zn. • Strong affinity, coexistence, and similar source of trace metals in the study area.

Simultaneous removal of several heavy metals from aqueous solution by natural limestones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sdiri A.

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Four natural limestone samples, collected from the Campanian-Maastrichtian limestones, Tunisia, were used as adsorbents for the removal of toxic metals in aqueous systems. The results indicated that high removal efficiency could be achieved by the present natural limestones. Among the metal ions studied, Pb2+ was the most preferably removed cation because of its high affinity to calcite surface. In binary system, the presence of Cu2+ effectively depressed the sorption of Cd2+ and Zn2+. Similarly Cu2+ strongly competed with Pb2+ to limestone surface. In ternary system, the removal further decreased, but considerable amount of Pb2+ and Cu2+ still occurred regardless of the limestone sample. The same behavior was observed in quadruple system, where the selectivity sequence was Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Cd2+ > Zn2+. From these results, it was concluded that the studied limestones have the required technical specifications to be used for the removal of toxic metals from wastewaters.

Heavy Metal Removal by Chitosan and Chitosan Composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Mohdy, F.A.; El-Sawy, S.; Ibrahim, M.S.

2005-01-01

Radiation grafting of diethyl aminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) on chitosan to impart ion exchange properties and to be used for the separation of metal ions from waste water, was carried out. The effect of experimental conditions such as monomer concentration and the radiation dose on grafting were studied. On using chitosan, grafted chitosan and some chitosan composites in metal ion removal they show high up-take capacity for Cu 2+ and lower uptake capacities for the other divalent metal ions used (Zn and Co). Competitive study, performed with solutions containing mixture of metal salts, showed high selectivity for Cu 2+ than the other metal ion. Limited grafting of DEAEMA polymer -containing specific functional groups-onto the chitosan backbone improves the sorption performance

Simultaneous electrodialytic removal of PAH, PCB, TBT and heavy metals from sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Pedersen, Kristine B; Lejon, Tore; Jensen, Pernille E; Ottosen, Lisbeth M

2017-08-01

Contaminated sediments are remediated in order to protect human health and the environment, with the additional benefit of using the treated sediments for other activities. Common for many polluted sediments is the contamination with several different pollutants, making remediation challenging with the need of different remedial actions for each pollutant. In this study, electrodialytic remediation (EDR) of sediments was found effective for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants for sediments from Arctic regions - Sisimiut in Greenland and Hammerfest in Norway. The influence of sediment properties and experimental settings on the remediation process was studied by employing multivariate analysis. The importance of the variables studied varied with the pollutant and based on these results it was possible to assess removal processes for the different pollutants. Desorption was found to be important for the removal of heavy metals and TBT, while photolysis was significant for removal of PAH, PCB and TBT. In addition, dechlorination was found to be important for the removal of PCB. The highest removal efficiencies were found for heavy metals, TBT and PCB (>40%) and lower removal efficiencies for PAH (<35%). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective removal of heavy metal ions by disulfide linked polymer networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ko, Dongah; Sung Lee, Joo; Patel, Hasmukh A.

2017-01-01

Heavy metal contaminated surface water is one of the oldest pollution problems, which is critical to ecosystems and human health. We devised disulfide linked polymer networks and employed as a sorbent for removing heavy metal ions from contaminated water. Although the polymer network material has...... a moderate surface area, it demonstrated cadmium removal efficiency equivalent to highly porous activated carbon while it showed 16 times faster sorption kinetics compared to activated carbon, owing to the high affinity of cadmium towards disulfide and thiol functionality in the polymer network. The metal...... sorption mechanism on polymer network was studied by sorption kinetics, effect of pH, and metal complexation. We observed that the metal ions―copper, cadmium, and zinc showed high binding affinity in polymer network, even in the presence of competing cations like calcium in water....

Trace metal geochemistry in mangrove sediments and their transfer to mangrove plants (New Caledonia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchand, C.; Fernandez, J.-M.; Moreton, B.

2016-01-01

Because of their physico-chemical inherent properties, mangrove sediments may act as a sink for pollutants coming from catchments. The main objective of this study was to assess the distribution of some trace metals in the tissues of various mangrove plants developing downstream highly weathered ferralsols, taking into account metals partitioning in the sediment. In New Caledonia, mangroves act as a buffer between open-cast mines and the world's largest lagoon. As a result of the erosion of lateritic soils, Ni and Fe concentrations in the sediment were substantially higher than the world average. Whatever the mangrove stand and despite low bioaccumulation and translocations factors, Fe and Ni were also the most abundant metals in the different plant tissues. This low bioaccumulation may be explained by: i) the low availability of metals, which were mainly present in the form of oxides or sulfur minerals, and ii) the root systems acting as barriers towards the transfer of metals to the plant. Conversely, Cu and Zn metals had a greater mobility in the plant, and were characterized by high bioconcentration and translocation factors compared to the other metals. Cu and Zn were also more mobile in the sediment as a result of their association with organic matter. Whatever the metal, a strong decrease of trace metal stock was observed from the landside to the seaside of the mangrove, probably as a result of the increased reactivity of the sediment due to OM enrichment. This reactivity lead to higher dissolution of bearing phases, and thus to the export of dissolved trace metals trough the tidal action. Cu and Zn were the less concerned by the phenomenon probably as a result of higher plant uptake and their restitution to the sediment with litter fall in stands where tidal flushing is limited. - Highlights: • Unusual high concentrations of Fe and Ni were measured in mangrove tissues. • Bioconcentration and translocation factors of Fe, Ni, Co and Mn were low. • Low

Trace metal geochemistry in mangrove sediments and their transfer to mangrove plants (New Caledonia)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchand, C., E-mail: cyril.marchand@ird.fr [Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UR 206/UMR 7590 IMPMC, 98848 Nouméa, New Caledonia (France); Fernandez, J.-M.; Moreton, B. [AEL/LEA, 7 rue Loriot de Rouvray, 98800 Nouméa, New Caledonia (France)

2016-08-15

Because of their physico-chemical inherent properties, mangrove sediments may act as a sink for pollutants coming from catchments. The main objective of this study was to assess the distribution of some trace metals in the tissues of various mangrove plants developing downstream highly weathered ferralsols, taking into account metals partitioning in the sediment. In New Caledonia, mangroves act as a buffer between open-cast mines and the world's largest lagoon. As a result of the erosion of lateritic soils, Ni and Fe concentrations in the sediment were substantially higher than the world average. Whatever the mangrove stand and despite low bioaccumulation and translocations factors, Fe and Ni were also the most abundant metals in the different plant tissues. This low bioaccumulation may be explained by: i) the low availability of metals, which were mainly present in the form of oxides or sulfur minerals, and ii) the root systems acting as barriers towards the transfer of metals to the plant. Conversely, Cu and Zn metals had a greater mobility in the plant, and were characterized by high bioconcentration and translocation factors compared to the other metals. Cu and Zn were also more mobile in the sediment as a result of their association with organic matter. Whatever the metal, a strong decrease of trace metal stock was observed from the landside to the seaside of the mangrove, probably as a result of the increased reactivity of the sediment due to OM enrichment. This reactivity lead to higher dissolution of bearing phases, and thus to the export of dissolved trace metals trough the tidal action. Cu and Zn were the less concerned by the phenomenon probably as a result of higher plant uptake and their restitution to the sediment with litter fall in stands where tidal flushing is limited. - Highlights: • Unusual high concentrations of Fe and Ni were measured in mangrove tissues. • Bioconcentration and translocation factors of Fe, Ni, Co and Mn were low. �

Microscopic evaluation of trace metals in cloud droplets in an acid precipitation region.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Weijun; Wang, Yan; Collett, Jeffrey L; Chen, Jianmin; Zhang, Xiaoye; Wang, Zifa; Wang, Wenxing

2013-05-07

Mass concentrations of soluble trace metals and size, number, and mixing properties of nanometal particles in clouds determine their toxicity to ecosystems. Cloud water was found to be acidic, with a pH of 3.52, at Mt. Lu (elevation 1,165 m) in an acid precipitation region in South China. A combination of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for the first time demonstrates that the soluble metal concentrations and solid metal particle number are surprisingly high in acid clouds at Mt. Lu, where daily concentrations of SO2, NO2, and PM10 are 18 μg m(-3), 7 μg m(-3), and 22 μg m(-3). The soluble metals in cloudwater with the highest concentrations were zinc (Zn, 200 μg L(-1)), iron (Fe, 88 μg L(-1)), and lead (Pb, 77 μg L(-1)). TEM reveals that 76% of cloud residues include metal particles that range from 50 nm to 1 μm diameter with a median diameter of 250 nm. Four major metal-associated particle types are Pb-rich (35%), fly ash (27%), Fe-rich (23%), and Zn-rich (15%). Elemental mapping shows that minor soluble metals are distributed within sulfates of cloud residues. Emissions of fine metal particles from large, nonferrous industries and coal-fired power plants with tall stacks were transported upward to this high elevation. Our results suggest that the abundant trace metals in clouds aggravate the impacts of acid clouds or associated precipitation on the ecosystem and human health.

Dissolved trace metal (Cu, Cd, Co, Ni, and Ag) distribution and Cu speciation in the southern Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, China

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Xiaojing, Wang; Jihua, Liu; Xuefa, Shi

2017-02-01

Trace metals play an important role in biogeochemical cycling in ocean systems. However, because the use of trace metal clean sampling and analytical techniques has been limited in coastal China, there are few accurate trace metal data for that region. This work studied spatial distribution of selected dissolved trace metals (Ag, Cu, Co, Cd, and Ni) and Cu speciation in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and Bohai Sea (BS). In general, the average metal (Cu, Co, Cd, and Ni) concentrations found in the SYS were lower by a factor of two than those in BS, and they are comparable to dissolved trace metal concentrations in coastal seawater of the United States and Europe. Possible sources and sinks and physical and biological processes that influenced the distribution of these trace metals in the study region were further examined. Close relationships were found between the trace metal spatial distribution with local freshwater discharge and processes such as sediment resuspension and biological uptake. Ag, owing to its extremely low concentrations, exhibited a unique distribution pattern that magnified the influences from the physical and biological processes. Cu speciation in the water column showed that, in the study region, Cu was strongly complexed with organic ligands and concentrations of free cupric ion were in the range of 10-12.6-10-13.2 mol L-1. The distribution of Cu-complexing ligand, indicated by values of the side reaction coefficient α', was similar to the Chl a distribution, suggesting that in situ biota production may be one main source of Cu-complexing organic ligand.

Polyrhodanine modified anodic aluminum oxide membrane for heavy metal ions removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jooyoung; Oh, Hyuntaek; Kong, Hyeyoung; Jang, Jyongsik

2011-03-15

Polyrhodanine was immobilized onto the inner surface of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane via vapor deposition polymerization method. The polyrhodanine modified membrane was applied to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solution because polyrhodanine could be coordinated with specific metal ions. Several parameters such as initial metal concentration, contact time and metal species were evaluated systematically for uptake efficiencies of the fabricated membrane under continuous flow condition. Adsorption isotherms of Hg(II) ion on the AAO-polyrhodanine membrane were analyzed with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The adsorption rate of Hg(II) ion on the membrane was obeyed by a pseudo-second order equation, indicating the chemical adsorption. The maximum removal capacity of Hg(II) ion onto the fabricated membrane was measured to be 4.2 mmol/g polymer. The AAO-polyrhodanine membrane had also remarkable uptake performance toward Ag(I) and Pb(II) ions. Furthermore, the polyrhodanine modified membrane could be recycled after recovery process. These results demonstrated that the polyrhodanine modified AAO membrane provided potential applications for removing the hazardous heavy metal ions from wastewater. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

HAIR HEAVY METAL AND ESSENTIAL TRACE ELEMENT CONCENTRATION IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabatadze, T; Zhorzholiani, L; Kherkheulidze, M; Kandelaki, E; Ivanashvili, T

2015-11-01

Our study aims evaluation of level of essential trace elements and heavy metals in the hair samples of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and identification of changes that are associated with autistic spectrum disorders. Case-control study was conducted at Child Development Center of Iashvili Children's Central Hospital (LD).We studied 60 children aged from 4 to 5 years old. The concentrations of 28 elements among (Ca,Zn, K, Fe, Cu, Se, Mn, Cr, S, Br, Cl, Co, Ag, V, Ni, Rb, Mo, Sr, Ti, Ba, Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Sb, Zr, Sn, Bi) them trace elements and toxic metals) were determined in scalp hair samples of children (n=30) with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and from control group of healthy children (n=30) with matched sex and age. Micro-elemental status was detected in the hair, with roentgen-fluorescence spectrometer method (Method MBИ 081/12-4502-000, Apparatus ALVAX- CIP, USA - UKRAIN) .To achieve the similarity of study and control groups, pre and postnatal as well as family and social history were assessed and similar groups were selected. Children with genetic problems, malnourished children, children from families with social problems were excluded from the study. The diagnosis of ASD were performed by pediatrician and psychologist (using M-CHAT and ADOS) according to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric association) criteria. The study was statistically analyzed using computer program SPSS 19. Deficiencies of essential trace microelements revealed in both group, but there was significant difference between control and studied groups. The most deficient element was zinc (92% in target and 20% in control), then - manganese (55% and 8%) and selenium (38% and 4%). In case of cooper study revealed excess concentration of this element only in target group in 50% of cases. The contaminations to heavy metals were detected in case of lead (78% and 16), mercury (43% and 10%) and cadmium (38% and 8%). The

Over one hundred years of trace metal fluxes in the sediments of the Pearl River Estuary, South China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ip, C.C.M.; Li, X.D.; Zhang, G.; Farmer, J.G.; Wai, O.W.H.; Li, Y.S.

2004-01-01

The rapid economic development in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in South China in the last three decades has had a significant impact on the local environment. Estuarine sediment is a major sink for contaminants and nutrients in the surrounding ecosystem. The accumulation of trace metals in sediments may cause serious environmental problems in the aquatic system. Thirty sediment cores were collected in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in 2000 for a study on trace metal pollution in this region. Heavy metal concentrations and Pb isotopic compositions in the four 210 Pb-dated sediment cores were determined to assess the fluxes in metal deposits over the last one hundred years. The concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in the surface sediment layers were generally elevated when compared with the sub-surface layers. There has been a significant increase in inputs of Cu, Pb and Zn in the PRE since the 1970s. The results also showed that different sampling locations in the estuary received slightly different types of inputs. Pb isotopic composition data indicated that the increased Pb in the recent sediments was of anthropogenic origin. The results of trace metal influxes showed that about 30% of total Pb and 15% of total Zn in the sediments in the 1990s were from anthropogenic sources. The combination of trace metal analysis, Pb isotopic composition and 210 Pb dating in an estuary can provide vital information on the long-term accumulation of metals in sediments

Assessment of concentrations of trace and toxic heavy metals in soil ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study reports on determination of concentrations of trace and toxic heavy metals in soil and vegetables grown near of Manyoni uranium deposit. Soil and vegetable samples were collected from five sites namely Mitoo Mbuga, farming area, Miyomboni, Tambukareli and near water pump. The concentrations of heavy ...

Electrodialytic removal of heavy metals from MSWI fly ashes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedersen, A.J.; Ottosen, L.M.; Villumsen, A. [Dept. of Civil Engineering, Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark)

2001-07-01

In this work a method called electrodialytic remediation, which is a combination of electrokinetic remediation and electrodialysis, is used for the extraction of heavy metals from MSWI fly ashes. It is shown that the use of electric current enhances the metal desorption significantly compared to traditional, chemical extraction. The metals of concern are Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr. Addition of ammonium citrate to the ash before and during remediation enhances the desorption and removal rate of all the examined heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cr) compared to experiments only added distilled water. By introducing continuous stirring of the ash slurry during electrodialytic remediation, it is shown that the remediation rate is improved significantly compared to 'traditional' electrodialytic remediation experiments. The development of the acidic front is avoided due to better pH-control, and a better contact between the ash particles and the liquid is achieved. Up to 62% of the initial Cd, 8.3% Pb, 73% Zn, 59% Cu, and 20% Cr has been removed from two different fly ashes in electrodialytic remediation experiments. (orig.)

Continuous metal scavenging and coupling to one-pot copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click reaction in flow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vural - Gursel, Dr. Iris; Aldiansyah, Ferry; Wang, Qi; Noël, Timothy; Hessel, Volker

2015-01-01

Increasing usage of catalytic chemistry calls for efficient removal of metal traces. This paper describes the development and optimization of a scavenger-based extraction in flow to remove metal catalysts. It enables liquid-liquid extraction with slug flow and phase separation with a porous

Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution by Carrot residues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eslamzadeh, T.; Nasernejad, B.; Bonakdar Pour, B.; Zamani, A.; Esmaail-Beygi, M.

2004-01-01

The removal of Copper(II), Zinc(II), and Chromium (III) from wastewater by carrot residues was investigated to evaluate cation exchange capacity. The effects of solution P H and co-ions were studied in batch experiments. Adsorption equilibria were initially rapidly established, and then decreased markedly after 10 min. Column experiments were carried out in a glass column filled with carrot residues to evaluate the metal removal capacity. The influences of the feed concentration and feed rate were also studied in order to compare the dynamic capacity for metal binding in different feed concentrations

The trace metals accumulation in marine organisms of the southeastern Adriatic coast, Montenegro

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joksimovic Danijela

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The concentration and accumulation of trace metals (Co, Ni, As, Cd, Pb and Hg were measured in sea water, sediments and marine organisms in the coastline of the Montenegro. The obtained results of trace metals in seagrass and mussels were compared with those found in the water column and sediment. Sampling was performed in the fall of 2005 at five locations in the Montenegrin coastline, Sveta Stasija, Herceg Novi, Zanjice, Budva and Bar, which present different levels and sources of human impact. The heavy metals analyses in seawater, sediment, P. oceanica and M. galloprovincialis identified the harbor of Bar as the most Hg-contaminated site, Zanjice as the most As contaminated and Sveta Stasija as the most Pb-contaminated areas of the Montenegrin coastal area. This study showed that P. oceanica may have a greater bioaccumulation capacity than M. galloprovincialis for the considered metals, except for As and Hg, and both organisms may reflect contamination in the water column and in the sediment. For the first time, seagrass P. oceanica and M. galloprovincialis were employed as metal bioindicators for the southeastern Adriatic. The results of this study could serve as a baseline in the future for the assessment of anthropogenic effects in this marine ecosystem.

Terrestrial sedimentary pyrites as a potential source of trace metal release to groundwater – A case study from the Emsland, Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Houben, Georg J.; Sitnikova, Maria A.; Post, Vincent E.A.

2017-01-01

Pyrite is a common minor constituent of terrestrial freshwater sediments and a sink for trace elements. Different amounts and morphological types (framboids and euhedral crystals) of sedimentary pyrites were found in the heavy mineral fraction of cores obtained from several drillholes located in the Emsland region, NW Germany. Their trace element contents were investigated to assess their potential for groundwater contamination after oxidation, e.g. induced by dewatering or autotrophic denitrification. Nickel, arsenic and cadmium were found in significant concentrations in pyrite. Geochemical modeling showed that elevated trace metal concentrations in groundwater, potentially exceeding drinking water standards, should preferentially occur in a less than 1 m thick zone situated around the depth of the redoxcline, where nitrate is reduced by pyrite. This was confirmed by depth-specific groundwater sampling in the Emsland and by previously published studies. The absolute concentration of released trace metals depends on their content in the pyrite but also strongly on the nitrate load of groundwater. - Highlights: • Pyrite from heavy mineral fraction of aquifer sediment analyzed for trace metal content. • Pyrites contain significant concentration of trace metals, such as nickel, arsenic, cadmium. • Trace elements are released by autotrophic denitrification. • Reactive transport model predicts small zone of trace element accumulation. • Release of trace elements strongly dependent on nitrate content of groundwater.

Heavy metal removal using reverse osmosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Gajdošová

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to study reverse osmosis characteristics for copper, nickel and zinc removal from technological aqueoussolutions. Reverse osmosis (RO is a separation process that uses pressure to force a solution through a membrane that retainsthe solute on one side and allows the pure solvent to pass to the other side. A polyamide thin-film composite membrane TW30-1812-50was used. The difference in flux decline is significant. There is a significant difference in flux decline depending on the anions of usedheavy metal salts. The heavy metal concentration also has a significant influence on the membrane separation. There is alsoa significant difference in flux decline depending on the transmembrane pressure.

Trace metal uptake by tropical vegetables grown on soil amended with urban sewage sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nabulo, G.; Black, C.R. [School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD (United Kingdom); Young, S.D., E-mail: scott.young@nottingham.ac.u [School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

Trace metal uptake was measured for tropical and temperate leafy vegetables grown on soil from an urban sewage disposal farm in the UK. Twenty-four leafy vegetables from East Africa and the UK were assessed and the five vegetable types that showed the greatest Cd concentrations were grown on eight soils differing in the severity of contamination, pH and other physico-chemical properties. The range of Cd concentrations in the edible shoots was greater for tropical vegetables than for temperate types. Metal uptake was modelled as a function of (i) total soil metal concentration, (ii) CaCl{sub 2}-soluble metal, (iii) soil solution concentration and (iv) the activity of metal ions in soil pore water. Tropical vegetables were not satisfactorily modelled as a single generic 'green vegetable', suggesting that more sophisticated approaches to risk assessment may be required to assess hazard from peri-urban agriculture in developing countries. - Research highlights: Cadmium uptake by tropical green vegetables varies greatly between types. Modelling metal uptake works best for Ni, Cd and Zn but is poor for Cu, Ba and Pb. Modelling with dilute CaCl{sub 2} extraction is as good as metal ion activity in pore water. - Trace metal uptake by tropical leaf vegetables can be predicted from dilute CaCl{sub 2} extraction of soil but model parameters are genotype-specific.

Trace metal uptake by tropical vegetables grown on soil amended with urban sewage sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nabulo, G.; Black, C.R.; Young, S.D.

2011-01-01

Trace metal uptake was measured for tropical and temperate leafy vegetables grown on soil from an urban sewage disposal farm in the UK. Twenty-four leafy vegetables from East Africa and the UK were assessed and the five vegetable types that showed the greatest Cd concentrations were grown on eight soils differing in the severity of contamination, pH and other physico-chemical properties. The range of Cd concentrations in the edible shoots was greater for tropical vegetables than for temperate types. Metal uptake was modelled as a function of (i) total soil metal concentration, (ii) CaCl 2 -soluble metal, (iii) soil solution concentration and (iv) the activity of metal ions in soil pore water. Tropical vegetables were not satisfactorily modelled as a single generic 'green vegetable', suggesting that more sophisticated approaches to risk assessment may be required to assess hazard from peri-urban agriculture in developing countries. - Research highlights: → Cadmium uptake by tropical green vegetables varies greatly between types. → Modelling metal uptake works best for Ni, Cd and Zn but is poor for Cu, Ba and Pb. → Modelling with dilute CaCl 2 extraction is as good as metal ion activity in pore water. - Trace metal uptake by tropical leaf vegetables can be predicted from dilute CaCl 2 extraction of soil but model parameters are genotype-specific.

Use of constructed wetland for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Sardar; Ahmad, Irshad; Shah, M Tahir; Rehman, Shafiqur; Khaliq, Abdul

2009-08-01

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a continuous free surface flow wetland for removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater, in Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate (GAIE), Swabi, Pakistan. Industrial wastewater samples were collected from the in-let, out-let and all cells of the constructed wetland (CW) and analyzed for heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) using standard methods. Similarly, samples of aquatic macrophytes and sediments were also analyzed for selected heavy metals. Results indicate that the removal efficiencies of the CW for Pb, Cd, Fe, Ni, Cr, and Cu were 50%, 91.9%, 74.1%, 40.9%, 89%, and 48.3%, respectively. Furthermore, the performance of the CW was efficient enough to remove the heavy metals, particularly Cd, Fe, and Cu, from the industrial wastewater fed to it. However, it is suggested that the metal removal efficiency of the CW can be further enhanced by using proper management of vegetation and area expansion of the present CW.

Removal of heavy-metal ions from dilute waste streams using membrane-based hybrid systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friesen, D.T.; Edlund, D.J.

1993-01-01

At Bend research, the authors have developed hybrid systems that couple a process that removes solvent (water) and a process that removes solute (metal ions) such that toxic heavy-metal ions can be efficiently and selectively removed to very low levels while simultaneously concentrating the heavy-metal ions in relatively pure form. Although this technology is broadly applicable, the authors are focusing on the development of a system to treat groundwater that is contaminated with heavy-metal ions. The process utilizes coupled transport and reverse osmosis to reduce chromium and uranium concentration down to parts-per-billion levels

Literature review on the use of bioaccumulation for heavy metal removal and recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benemann, J.R.; Wilde, E.W.

1991-02-01

Bioaccumulation of metals by microbes -- '' bioremoval'' -- is a powerful new technology for the concentration, recovery, and removal of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from waste streams and contaminated environments. Algae are particularly well suited for metal bioremoval. A recent commercial application of bioremoval utilizes inert (dead) immobilized microalgae biomass as ion exchange materials for the removal of heavy metals from industrial waste waters. Also, living microalgal cultures have been used to remove metals from mine effluents. Microbial cells and biomass can bioaccumulate metals and radionuclides by a large variety of mechanisms, both dependent and independent of cell metabolism. Microbial cell walls can act as ion exchange and metal complexation agents. Heavy metals can precipitate and even crystallize on cell surfaces. Metabolically produced hydrogen sulfide or other metabolic products can bioprecipitate heavy metals. Many microbes produce both intra- and extracellular metal complexing agents which could be considered in practical metal removal processes. Bioremoval processes are greatly affected by the microbial species and even strain used, pH, redox potential, temperature, and other conditions under which the microbes are grown. Development of practical applications of bioremoval requires applies research using the particular waste solutions to be treated, or close simulations thereof. From a practical perspective, the selection of the microbial biomass and the process for contacting the microbial biomass with the metal containing solutions are the key issues. Much of the recent commercial R ampersand D has emphasized commercially available, inert, microbial biomass sources as these can be acquired in sufficient quantities at affordable costs. The fundamental research and practical applications of bioaccumulation by microalgae suggests these organisms warrant a high priority in the development of advanced bioremoval processes

Literature review on the use of bioaccumulation for heavy metal removal and recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benemann, J.R. (Benemann (J.R.), Pinole, CA (United States)); Wilde, E.W. (Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States))

1991-02-01

Bioaccumulation of metals by microbes -- bioremoval'' -- is a powerful new technology for the concentration, recovery, and removal of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from waste streams and contaminated environments. Algae are particularly well suited for metal bioremoval. A recent commercial application of bioremoval utilizes inert (dead) immobilized microalgae biomass as ion exchange materials for the removal of heavy metals from industrial waste waters. Also, living microalgal cultures have been used to remove metals from mine effluents. Microbial cells and biomass can bioaccumulate metals and radionuclides by a large variety of mechanisms, both dependent and independent of cell metabolism. Microbial cell walls can act as ion exchange and metal complexation agents. Heavy metals can precipitate and even crystallize on cell surfaces. Metabolically produced hydrogen sulfide or other metabolic products can bioprecipitate heavy metals. Many microbes produce both intra- and extracellular metal complexing agents which could be considered in practical metal removal processes. Bioremoval processes are greatly affected by the microbial species and even strain used, pH, redox potential, temperature, and other conditions under which the microbes are grown. Development of practical applications of bioremoval requires applies research using the particular waste solutions to be treated, or close simulations thereof. From a practical perspective, the selection of the microbial biomass and the process for contacting the microbial biomass with the metal containing solutions are the key issues. Much of the recent commercial R D has emphasized commercially available, inert, microbial biomass sources as these can be acquired in sufficient quantities at affordable costs. The fundamental research and practical applications of bioaccumulation by microalgae suggests these organisms warrant a high priority in the development of advanced bioremoval processes.

LA-ICP-MS Study of Trace Elements in the Chanuskij Metal

Science.gov (United States)

Petaev, Michail I.

2005-01-01

This progress report covers work done during the second year of the 3-year proposal. During this year we resolved many issues relevant to the analytical technique developed by us for measuring trace elements in meteoritic metals. This technique was used to measure concentrations of Fe, Ni, Co, Cr, Cu, Ga, Ge, As, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Sb, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, and Au in eight large (120 - 160 microns) metal grains from both "igneous" and "metamorphic" lithologies of the Chanuskij silicate inclusions. The first application of OUT technique to metal grains from thin sections showed some limitations. Small thickness of metal grains in the thin section limited the signal to 3-4 time-slices instead of 10- 1 1 ones in polished sections of iron meteorites studied before.

Fingerprinting Marcellus Shale waste products from Pb isotope and trace metal perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Jason D.; Graney, Joseph R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Dry drilled, uncontaminated cuttings from Marcellus Shale and surrounding units. • Unoxidized and oxidized samples leached short and long term with H 2 O or dilute HCl. • Pb isotope ratios have distinctly different values from Marcellus Shale samples. • Mo and other trace metals can be used as Marcellus Shale environmental tracers. • Marcellus Shale leachate concentrations can exceed EPA contaminant screening levels. - Abstract: Drill cuttings generated during unconventional natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin, U.S.A., generally contain a very large component of organic-rich black shale because of extensive lateral drilling into this target unit. In this study, element concentrations and Pb isotope ratios obtained from leached drill cuttings spanning 600 m of stratigraphic section were used to assess the potential for short and long term environmental impacts from Marcellus Shale waste materials, in comparison with material from surrounding formations. Leachates of the units above, below and within the Marcellus Shale yielded Cl/Br ratios of 100–150, similar to produced water values. Leachates from oxidized and unoxidized drill cuttings from the Marcellus Shale contain distinct suites of elevated trace metal concentrations, including Cd, Cu, Mo, Ni, Sb, U, V and Zn. The most elevated Mo, Ni, Sb, U, and V concentrations are found in leachates from the lower portion of the Marcellus Shale, the section typically exploited for natural gas production. In addition, lower 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ratios within the lower Marcellus Shale (0.661–0.733) provide a distinctive fingerprint from formations above (0.822–0.846) and below (0.796–0.810), reflecting 206 Pb produced as a result of in situ 238 U decay within this organic rich black shale. Trace metal concentrations from the Marcellus Shale leachates are similar to total metal concentrations from other black shales. These metal concentrations can exceed screening

Laboratory investigations of stormwater remediation via slag: Effects of metals on phosphorus removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okochi, Nnaemeka C.; McMartin, Dena W.

2011-01-01

The use of electric arc furnace (EAF) slag for the removal of phosphorus (P) from various simulated stormwater blends was investigated in the laboratory. The form of P measured was the inorganic orthophosphate (PO 4 -P). The stormwater solutions used in this preliminary study were synthesized as blends of P and typical concentrations of some of the most common and abundant metals in stormwater (e.g. cadmium, copper, lead and zinc), and contacted with EAF slag to determine P removal efficiency and sorptive competition. Results showed that the presence of cadmium, lead and zinc had minimal effect on the removal process; copper was a significant inhibitor of P uptake by the EAF slag media. P removal was greatest in the metal-free and multi-metal stormwater solutions.

Release kinetics and mechanisms of trace heavy metals from cement based material; Cinetiques et mecanismes de relargage des metaux lourds presents en traces dans les matrices cimentaires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moudilou, E.

2002-12-15

Chemical species contained in a solid matrix may be transferred to the environment through water leaching. Previous studies of trace metals released from building materials (particularly cement-based ones) highlight an important analytical difficulty. The aim of this study is to determine the kinetics and the mechanisms involved in the release of trace heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) from industrial cement pastes (usually ranging from 20 to 300 ppm). The development of a dynamic leaching system, named CTG-LEACHCRETE, (used at pH=5, 20 C) which permits the evaluation of the kinetics of trace heavy metals is presented in the first part. Also, innovative solid analysis techniques (ICP-MS-Laser Ablation, local and Grazing Incidence X-rays Diffraction (GIXD) technique) were used to characterise the cement-degraded layers formed during leaching experiments. These techniques enable to monitor the mineralogical evolution and the distribution of trace metals in these areas. The confrontation of these two approaches, kinetic and solid analysis, coupled with a thorough investigation of previously developed models, lead to proposals concerning the mechanisms of release of the trace heavy metals studied. In all the cement pastes studied (CPA-CEM I, CPJ-CEM II/A and CLC-CEM V/A), chromium is trapped in ettringite by substitution SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}(U)CrO{sub 4}{sup 2-} and its release is then controlled by the dissolution of this hydrate. The behaviour of copper, nickel and zinc in degraded areas and in leachates, are correlated to the silicon of the hydrated calcium silicate (CSH), which imply that they are localised there. Lead, was never detected in the leachates. But it is also correlated to the silicon in the degraded layers. (author)

A novel method for the sequential removal and separation of multiple heavy metals from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Li; Li, Liang; Qu, Zan; Xu, Haomiao; Xu, Jianfang; Yan, Naiqiang

2018-01-15

A novel method was developed and applied for the treatment of simulated wastewater containing multiple heavy metals. A sorbent of ZnS nanocrystals (NCs) was synthesized and showed extraordinary performance for the removal of Hg 2+ , Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ . The removal efficiencies of Hg 2+ , Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ were 99.9%, 99.9%, 90.8% and 66.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, it was determined that solubility product (K sp ) of heavy metal sulfides was closely related to adsorption selectivity of various heavy metals on the sorbent. The removal efficiency of Hg 2+ was higher than that of Cd 2+ , while the K sp of HgS was lower than that of CdS. It indicated that preferential adsorption of heavy metals occurred when the K sp of the heavy metal sulfide was lower. In addition, the differences in the K sp of heavy metal sulfides allowed for the exchange of heavy metals, indicating the potential application for the sequential removal and separation of heavy metals from wastewater. According to the cumulative adsorption experimental results, multiple heavy metals were sequentially adsorbed and separated from the simulated wastewater in the order of the K sp of their sulfides. This method holds the promise of sequentially removing and separating multiple heavy metals from wastewater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Epiphytic lichen Flavoparmelia caperata as a sentinel for trace metal pollution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitrović Tatjana

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Widely spread lichen specie Flavoparmelia caperata is used in a biomonitoring study for atmospheric trace metal pollution in natural ecosystems in Southeastern Serbia. The concentration and distribution pattern of 21 metals in lichens were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The difference observed between metal deposition in peripheral and central parts of lichen thalli reflected air quality changes in the last and previous years. These findings were confirmed with principal component analysis. Our study demonstrated the accumulation of Ba, K, Mg, Na, Tl and Zn in peripheral parts of thalli, while As, B, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, Li, Ni, Pb and Se were concentrated in central parts of thalli.

Trace metal contents of selected seeds and vegetables from oil producing areas of Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Wegwu, Matthew O; Omeodu, Stephen I

2010-07-01

The concentrations of accumulated trace metals in selected seeds and vegetables collected in the oil producing Rivers State of Nigeria were investigated. The values were compared with those of seeds and vegetables cultivated in Owerri, a less industrialized area in Nigeria. The lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contents of the seeds obtained from Rivers State ranged between 0.10 and 0.23 microg/g dry weight, while those of the seeds cultivated in Owerri fell below the detection limit of 0.01 microg/g dry weight. The highest manganese (Mn) level (902 microg/g dry weight) was found in Irvingia garbonesis seeds cultivated in Rivers State. Similarly, the highest nickel (Ni) value (199 microg/g dry weight) was also obtained in I. garbonesis, however, in the seeds sampled in Owerri. The highest copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and iron (Fe) levels (16.8, 5.27, and 26.2 microg/g dry weight, resp.) were detected in seeds collected in Rivers State. With the exception of Talinum triangulae, Ocinum gratissimum, and Piper guineese, with Pb levels of 0.09, 0.10, and 0.11 microg/g dry weight, respectively, the Pb and Cd levels in the vegetables grown in Owerri fell below the detection limit of 0.01 microg/g dry weight. The trace metal with the highest levels in all the vegetables studied was Mn, followed by Fe. The highest concentrations of Ni and Cu occurred in vegetables collected from Rivers State, while the highest level of Zn was observed in Piper guineese collected in Owerri, with a value of 21.4 microg/g dry weight. Although the trace metal concentrations of the seeds and vegetables collected in Rivers State tended to be higher than those of the seeds and vegetables grown in Owerri, the average levels of trace metals obtained in this study fell far below the WHO specifications for metals in foods.

A review of the global emissions, transport and effects of heavy metals in the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, J.R.; Ashton, W.B.; Rapoport, R.D.

1993-06-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the current state of knowledge regarding the sources and quantities of heavy metal emissions, their transport and fate, their potential health and environmental effects, and strategies to control them. The approach is to review the literature on this topic and to consult with experts in the field. Ongoing research activities and research needs are discussed. Estimates of global anthropogenic and natural emissions indicate that anthropogenic emissions are responsible for most of the heavy metals released into the atmosphere and that industrial activities have had a significant impact on the global cycling of trace metals. The largest anthropogenic sources of trace metals are coal combustion and the nonferrous metal industry. Atmospheric deposition is an important pathway by which trace metals enter the environment. Atmospheric deposition varies according to the solubility of the element and the length of time it resides in the atmosphere. Evidence suggests that deposition is influenced by other chemicals in the atmosphere, such as ozone and sulfur dioxide. Trace metals also enter the environment through leaching. Existing emissions-control technologies such as electrostatic precipitators, baghouses, and scrubbers are designed to remove other particulates from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants and are only partially effective at removing heavy metals. Emerging technologies such as flue gas desulfurization, lignite coke, and fluidized bed combustion could further reduce emissions. 108 refs

Trace metals bioaccumulation potentials of three indigenous grasses grown on polluted soils collected around mining areas in Pretoria, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lion, G. N.; Olowoyo, J. O.; Modise, T. A.

2016-01-01

The rapid increase in the number of industries may have increased the levels of trace metals in the soil. Phyto remediation of these polluted soils using indigenous grasses is now considered an alternative method in re mediating these polluted soils. The present study investigated and compared the ability of three indigenous grasses as bioaccumulators of trace metals from polluted soils. Seeds of these grasses were introduced into pots containing polluted soil samples after the addition of organic manure. The seeds of the grasses were allowed to germinate and grow to maturity before harvesting. The harvested grasses were later separated into shoots and roots and the trace metal contents were determined using ICP –MS. From all the grasses, the concentrations of trace metals in the roots were more than those recorded in the shoot with a significant difference (P Themeda trianda > Cynodon dactylon. The study concluded that the three grasses used were all able to bioaccumulate trace metals in a similar proportion from the polluted soils. However, since livestock feed on these grasses, they should not be allowed to feed on the grasses used in this study especially when harvested from a polluted soil due to their bioaccumulative potentials. (au)

Evaluation of toxic trace metals Cd and Pb in Arabian Sea waters

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sanzgiri, S.; Mesquita, A.; Kureishy, T.W.; SenGupta, R.

An attempt has been made to present a picture of the distribution of toxic trace elements Cd and Pb in the Northern Arabian Sea by applying an improved analytical technique for the detection of dissolved forms of the metals at nanogram levels...

Metals in environmental media: A study of trace and platinum group ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A detailed study has been conducted to determine the contamination of Thohoyandou roadside soils, vegetation, sewage and river waters by Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Cd, Fe, Pt and Pd. The study further investigated the correlation between these trace metals in roadside soils and vegetation in order to infer the potential impacts of ...

Microbial and trace metal content of well water in three rural ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Microbial and trace metal content of well water in three rural communities in Bauchi State, Nigeria*. E Ikeh, PN Durfee, RH Glew, R Amato, FJ Frost, DJ Vanderjagt. Abstract. No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 5 (2) 2006: 66-70. Full Text: EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT

Metal (Cu, Cd and Zn) removal and stabilization during multiple soil washing by saponin.

Science.gov (United States)

Gusiatin, Zygmunt Mariusz; Klimiuk, Ewa

2012-01-01

The influence of multiple saponin washing on copper, cadmium and zinc removal and stability in three types of soils (loamy sand, loam, silty clay) was investigated. Distribution of metals and their mobility measured as the ratio of exchangeable form to the sum of all fractions in soils was differential. After single washing the highest efficiency of metal removal was obtained in loamy sand (82-90%) and loam (67-88%), whereas the lowest in silty clay (39-62%). In loamy sand and loam metals had higher mobility factors (44-61% Cu, 60-76% Cd, and 68-84% Zn) compared to silty clay (9% Cu, 28% Cd and 36% Zn). Triplicate washing led to increase both efficiency of metal removal and percentage content of their stable forms. In consequence, fractional patterns for metals before and after treatment changed visibly as a result of their redistribution. Based on the redistribution index, the most stable metal (mainly in residual and organic fractions) after triplicate washing was Cu in loamy sand and loam. For silty clay contaminated with Cd, effective metal removal and its stabilization required a higher number of washings. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a method employing chitosan to remove metallic ions from wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janegitz, Bruno Campos; Lourencao, Bruna Claudia; Lupetti, Karina Omuro; Fatibello-Filho, Orlando

2007-01-01

In this work a method was developed for removing metallic ions from wastewaters by co-precipitation of Cu 2+ , Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ , Cr 3+ and Hg 2+ with chitosan and sodium hydroxide solution. Solutions of these metallic ions in the range from 0.55 to 2160 mg L -1 were added to chitosan dissolved in 0.05 mol L -1 HCl. For the co-precipitation of metal-chitosan-hydroxide a 0.17 mol L -1 NaOH solution was added until pH 8.5-9.5. A parallel study was carried out applying a 0.17 mol L -1 NaOH solution to precipitate those metallic ions. Also, a chitosan solid phase column was used for removing those metallic ions from wastewaters. (author)

Assessment of heavy metal removal technologies for biowaste by physico-chemical fractionation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veeken, A.H.M.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

2003-01-01

In the Netherlands, the heavy metal content of biowaste-compost frequently exceeds the legal standards for heavy metals. In order to assess heavy metal removal technologies, a physico-chemical fractionation scheme was developed to gain insight into the distribution of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and

Removal of bound metal fasteners

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, R. F.

1981-04-01

This project explored the removal of bound metal fasteners through the use of ultrasonically assisted wrenches. Two wrenches were designed, fabricated and tested. Previous studies had indicated an increase in thread tension for a given torque application under the influence of ultrasonics. Based on this, the loosening of seized and corroded fasteners with the aid of ultrasonics was explored. Experimental data confirmed our prior analysis of the torque-tension relationship under the influence of ultrasonics; however, our progress did not satisfy the requirements necessary to loosen seized studs in a shipyard environment.

Accumulation, sources and health risks of trace metals in elevated geochemical background soils used for greenhouse vegetable production in southwestern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Haidong; Huang, Biao; Dong, Linlin; Hu, Wenyou; Akhtar, Mohammad Saleem; Qu, Mingkai

2017-03-01

Greenhouse vegetable cultivation with substantive manure and fertilizer input on soils with an elevated geochemical background can accumulate trace metals in soils and plants leading to human health risks. Studies on trace metal accumulation over a land use shift duration in an elevated geochemical background scenario are lacking. Accumulation characteristics of seven trace metals in greenhouse soil and edible plants were evaluated along with an assessment of the health risk to the consumers. A total of 118 greenhouse surface soils (0-20cm) and 30 vegetables were collected from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, southwestern China, and analyzed for total Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Hg, and Cr content by ICP-MS and AFS. The trace metals were ordered Cu>Cd>Hg>Zn>Pb>As>Cr in greenhouse soils accumulation level, and the geo-accumulation index suggested the soil more severely polluted with Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn. The greenhouse and open-field soils had significant difference in Cd, Cr and Zn. The duration of shift from paddy to greenhouse land-use significantly influenced trace metal accumulation with a dramatic change during five to ten year greenhouse land-use, and continuous increase of Cd and Hg. A spatial pattern from north to south for Cd and Hg and a zonal pattern for Cu and Zn were found. An anthropogenic source primarily caused trace metal accumulation, where the principal component analysis/multiple linear regression indicated a contribution 61.2%. While the assessment showed no potential risk for children and adults, the hazard health risks index was greater than one for adolescents. The extended duration of land use as greenhouses caused the trace metal accumulation, rotation in land use should be promoted to reduce the health risks. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Accumulation of Trace Metals in Anadara granosa and Anadara inaequivalvis from Pattani Bay and the Setiu Wetlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Pradit, Siriporn; Shazili, Noor Azhar Mohamed; Towatana, Prawit; Saengmanee, Wuttipong

2016-04-01

This study was undertaken to assess the levels of trace metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn) in two common species of cockles (Anadara granosa and Anadara inaequivalvis) from two coastal areas in Thailand (Pattani Bay) and Malaysia (the Setiu Wetlands). A total of 350 cockles were collected in February and September 2014. Trace metals were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. We observed that cockles in both areas had a higher accumulation of metals in September. Notably, the biota-sediment accumulation (BSAF) of Cd was highest in both areas. A strong positive correlation of Cd with the length of the cockles at Pattani Bay (r(2) = 0.597) and the Setiu Wetlands (r(2) = 0.675) was noted. It was suggested that As could be a limiting element (BSAF Malaysia Food Regulations, mean values of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were within acceptable limits, but the maximum values of Cd and Pb exceeded the limits for both areas. Regular monitoring of trace metals in cockles from both areas is suggested for more definitive contamination determination.

Laboratory investigations of stormwater remediation via slag: Effects of metals on phosphorus removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okochi, Nnaemeka C. [Environmental Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2 (Canada); McMartin, Dena W., E-mail: dena.mcmartin@uregina.ca [Environmental Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2 (Canada)

2011-03-15

The use of electric arc furnace (EAF) slag for the removal of phosphorus (P) from various simulated stormwater blends was investigated in the laboratory. The form of P measured was the inorganic orthophosphate (PO{sub 4}-P). The stormwater solutions used in this preliminary study were synthesized as blends of P and typical concentrations of some of the most common and abundant metals in stormwater (e.g. cadmium, copper, lead and zinc), and contacted with EAF slag to determine P removal efficiency and sorptive competition. Results showed that the presence of cadmium, lead and zinc had minimal effect on the removal process; copper was a significant inhibitor of P uptake by the EAF slag media. P removal was greatest in the metal-free and multi-metal stormwater solutions.

Removing chromium and lead metals using phytoremediation technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Anbari Riyad

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Phytoremediation technique uses plants parts to remove, extract, and absorb heavy or toxic matter from soil and water. In the present study, Catharanthusroseus (Periwinkle and Nerium Oleander (Oleander were used for removing Chromium (Cr and Lead (Pb metals. These plant species were seeded in polyethylene pots containing 8kg of soil. Each pot was irrigated with wastewater for four months (May, June, July and August and accumulation of the considered metals was analyzed after every month for leaf, stem and root by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS. This experimental work was carried out in the laboratories of Water Desalination Researches Unit - Building and Construction Engineering Department and Environmental Research Centre at the University of Technology in Baghdad City, Iraq. The concentration of Cr was found to be increased with time. High Cr concentration, 20.34 mg/kg, was recorded at August in leaf of Periwinkle and 19.61 mg/kg in root of Oleander in case of using 100% wastewater (WW. While, for Pb, the maximum concentration, 22 mg/kg, was recorded in June in leaf of Periwinkle and 19.5 mg/kg in steam of Oleander. Accordingly, Oleander has the maximum removal efficiency.

Effect on Cs removal of solid-phase metal oxidation in metal ferrocyanides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Keun-Young; Kim, Jimin; Oh, Maengkyo; Lee, Eil-Hee; Kim, Kwang-Wook; Chung, Dong-Yong; Moon, Jei-Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of).

2017-07-01

Metal ferrocyanides (MFCs) have been studied for many years and are regarded as efficient adsorbents for the selective removal of radioactive cesium (Cs) from contaminated aqueous solutions. Although their efficiency has been demonstrated, various investigations on the physicochemical, thermal, and radiological stability of the solids of MFCs are required to enhance the applicability of MFCs in the treatment process. We observed that the Cs adsorption efficiencies of cobalt and nickel ferrocyanides decreased as their aging period increased, while the Cs adsorption efficiencies of copper and zinc ferrocyanides did not decrease. The tendencies of these ferrocyanides were accelerated by exposure of the solids at a higher temperature for a longer time. Our comprehensive analyses demonstrated that only the oxidizable metals in the MFCs can be oxidized by aging time and increasing temperature; also, this affects the Cs removal efficiency by decreasing the exchangeable sites in the solids. The chemical stability of MFCs is very important for the optimization of the synthesis and storage conditions.

Post-CMP cleaning for metallic contaminant removal by using a remote plasma and UV/ozone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Jong Min; Jeon, Bu Yong; Lee, Chong Mu

2000-01-01

For the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to be successful, it is important to establish a good post-CMP cleaning process that will remove not only slurry and particles but also metallic impurities from the polished surface. The common metallic contaminants found after oxide CMP and Cu CMP include Cu, K, and Fe. Scrubbing, a popular method for post-CMP cleaning, is effective in removing particles, but removal of metallic contaminants using this method is not so effective. In this study, the removal of Fe metallic contaminants like Fe, which are commonly found on the wafer surface after CMP processes, was investigated using remote-hydrogen-plasma and UV/O 3 cleaning techniques. Our results show that metal contaminants, including Fe, can be effectively removed by using a hydrogen-plasma or UV/O 3 cleaning technique performed under optimal process conditions. In remote plasma H 2 cleaning, contaminant removal is enhanced with decreasing plasma exposure time and increasing rf-power. The optimal process condition for the removal of the Fe impurities existing on the wafer surface is an rf-power of 100 W. Plasma cleaning for 5 min or less is effective in removing Fe contaminants, but a plasma exposure time of 1 min is more appropriate than 5 min in view of the process time, The surface roughness decreased by 30∼50 % after remote-H 2 -plasma cleaning. On the other hand, the highest efficiency of Fe-impurity removal was achieved for an UV exposure time of 30 s. The removal mechanism for the Fe contaminants in the remote-H 2 -plasma and the UV/O 3 cleaning processes is considered to be the liftoff of Fe atoms when the SiO is removed by evaporation after the chemical or native SiO 2 formed underneath the metal atoms reacts with H + and e - to form SiO

Removal of soluble toxic metals from water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckley, L.P.; Vijayan, S.; McConeghy, G.J.; Maves, S.R.; Martin, J.F.

1990-05-01

The removal of selected, soluble toxic metals from aqueous solutions has been accomplished using a combination of chemical treatment and ultrafiltration. The process has been evaluated at the bench-scale and is undergoing pilot-scale testing. Removal efficiencies in excess of 95-99% have been realized. The test program at the bench-scale investigated the limitations and established the optimum range of operating parameters for the process, while the tests conducted with the pilot-scale process equipment are providing information on longer-term process efficiencies, effective processing rates, and fouling potential of the membranes. With the typically found average concentrations of the toxic metals in groundwaters at Superfund sites used as the feed solution, the process has decreased levels up to 100-fold or more. Experiments were also conducted with concentrated solutions to determine their release from silica-based matrices. The solidified wastes were subjected to EP Toxicity test procedures and met the criteria successfully. The final phase of the program involving a field demonstration at a uranium tailings site will be outlined

Removal of some metal ions by activated carbon prepared from Phaseolus aureus hulls.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, M Madhava; Ramana, D K; Seshaiah, K; Wang, M C; Chien, S W Chang

2009-07-30

Removal of lead [Pb(II)], zinc [Zn(II)], copper [Cu(II)], and cadmium [Cd(II)] from aqueous solutions using activated carbon prepared from Phaseolus aureus hulls (ACPAH), an agricultural waste was studied. The influence of various parameters such as effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of metal ions on the removal was evaluated by batch method. The removal of metal ions by ACPAH was pH dependent and the optimum pH values were 7.0, 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0 for Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II), respectively. The sorption isotherms were studied using Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R), and Temkin isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity values of ACPAH for metal ions were 21.8 mg g(-1) for Pb(II), 21.2 mg g(-1) for Zn(II), 19.5 mg g(-1) for Cu(II), and 15.7 mg g(-1) for Cd(II). The experiments demonstrated that the removal of metal ions followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Desorption experiments were carried out using HCl solution with a view to regenerate the spent adsorbent and to recover the adsorbed metal ions.

Removal of some metal ions by activated carbon prepared from Phaseolus aureus hulls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, M. Madhava; Ramana, D.K.; Seshaiah, K.; Wang, M.C.; Chien, S.W. Chang

2009-01-01

Removal of lead [Pb(II)], zinc [Zn(II)], copper [Cu(II)], and cadmium [Cd(II)] from aqueous solutions using activated carbon prepared from Phaseolus aureus hulls (ACPAH), an agricultural waste was studied. The influence of various parameters such as effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of metal ions on the removal was evaluated by batch method. The removal of metal ions by ACPAH was pH dependent and the optimum pH values were 7.0, 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0 for Cu(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II), respectively. The sorption isotherms were studied using Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R), and Temkin isotherm models. The maximum adsorption capacity values of ACPAH for metal ions were 21.8 mg g -1 for Pb(II), 21.2 mg g -1 for Zn(II), 19.5 mg g -1 for Cu(II), and 15.7 mg g -1 for Cd(II). The experiments demonstrated that the removal of metal ions followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Desorption experiments were carried out using HCl solution with a view to regenerate the spent adsorbent and to recover the adsorbed metal ions.

Removing roughness on metal surface by irradiation of intense short-pulsed ion beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Y.

1995-01-01

Surface modification of metals with an intense pulsed ion beam (IPIB) was studied experimentally. When the temperature rise of metal surfaces by IPIB irradiation exceeds their boiling point, it is found that machining roughness on surfaces is removed. The experiments were performed with the pulsed power generator HARIMA-II at Himeji Institute of Technology. The main components of the ion beam were carbon and fluorine ions. The IPIB was irradiated to metal plates (Al, Cu and Ti) which were placed at the focal point. Machining roughness on Ti surface was removed after IPIB irradiation, while roughness on Al and Cu plates was not removed. Using the present experimental parameters (beam power density: 32 W/cm 2 , pulse width: 25 ns), the temperature rise of the Ti surface was estimated to be 8,100 K which exceed its boiling point (3,000 K). However, the estimated temperatures of Al and Cu surfaces was 2,500 and 1,500 K, respectively, that are less than their boiling points. These studies above suggests that temperature rise over the boiling point of metals is necessary for removing machining roughness on metal surfaces

Removal of heavy metals from fly ash leachate using combined bioelectrochemical systems and electrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Hu-Chun; Lei, Tao; Shi, Gang; Sun, Xiao-Nan; Wei, Xue-Yan; Zhang, Li-Juan; Wu, Wei-Min

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Heavy metals removal from MSWI fly ash with BES and electrolysis was confirmed. • 98.5% of Cu(II), 95.4% of Zn(II) and 98.1% of Pb(II) removal were achieved in reactors. • BESs can remove some heavy metals in fly ash with energy saving. -- Abstract: Based on environmental and energetic analysis, a novel combined approach using bioelectrochemical systems (BES) followed by electrolysis reactors (ER) was tested for heavy metals removal from fly ash leachate, which contained high detectable levels of Zn, Pb and Cu according to X-ray diffraction analysis. Acetic acid was used as the fly ash leaching agent and tested under various leaching conditions. A favorable condition for the leaching process was identified to be liquid/solid ratio of 14:1 (w/w) and leaching duration 10 h at initial pH 1.0. It was confirmed that the removal of heavy metals from fly ash leachate with the combination of BESs and ER is feasible. The metal removal efficiency was achieved at 98.5%, 95.4% and 98.1% for Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pb(II), respectively. Results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) indicated that Cu(II) was reduced and recovered mainly as metal Cu on cathodes related to power production, while Zn(II) and Pb(II) were not spontaneously reduced in BESs without applied voltage and basically electrolyzed in the electrolysis reactors

Risk assessment of trace metal-polluted coastal sediments on Hainan Island: A full-scale set of 474 geographical locations covering the entire island.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Feng; Lin, Ze-Feng; Wen, Jia-Sheng; Wei, Yan-Sha; Gan, Hua-Yang; He, Hai-Jun; Lin, Jin-Qin; Xia, Zhen; Chen, Bi-Shuang; Guo, Wen-Jie; Tan, Cha-Sheng; Cai, Hua-Yang

2017-12-15

Hainan Island is the second largest island and one of the most famous tourist destinations in China, but sediment contamination by trace metals in coastal areas is a major issue. However, full-scale risk assessments of trace metal-polluted coastal sediments are lacking. In this study, coastal surface sediments from 474 geographical locations covering almost the entire island were collected to identify risk-related variables. Controlling factors and possible sources of trace metals were identified, and the toxicity effects were carefully evaluated. Our results suggest that trace-metal pollution in coastal sediments, which was mainly caused by Pb, Zn and Cu emissions, has primarily resulted from industrial sewage and shipping activities and has threatened the offshore ecosystem of Hainan Island and warrants extensive consideration. This is the first study that has systematically investigated trace metal-polluted coastal sediments throughout the entirety of Hainan Island and provides solid evidence for sustainable marine management in the region. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Device for removing alkali metal residues from heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matal, O.

1987-01-01

The main parts of the facility consists of a condensing vessel and a vacuum pump unit interconnected via a vacuum pipe. The heat exchanger is heated to a temperature at which the alkali metal residues evaporate. Metal vapors are collected in the condensing vessel where they condense. The removal of the alkali metal residues from the heat exchanger pipes allows thorough inspection of the pipe inside during scheduled nuclear power plant shutdowns. The facility can be used especially with reverse steam generators. (E.S.). 1 fig

Removal of Metal Nanoparticles Colloidal Solutions by Water Plants

Science.gov (United States)

Olkhovych, Olga; Svietlova, Nataliia; Konotop, Yevheniia; Karaushu, Olena; Hrechishkina, Svitlana

2016-11-01

The ability of seven species of aquatic plants ( Elodea canadensis, Najas guadelupensis, Vallisneria spiralis L., Riccia fluitans L., Limnobium laevigatum, Pistia stratiotes L., and Salvinia natans L.) to absorb metal nanoparticles from colloidal solutions was studied. It was established that investigated aquatic plants have a high capacity for removal of metal nanoparticles from aqueous solution (30-100%) which indicates their high phytoremediation potential. Analysis of the water samples content for elements including the mixture of colloidal solutions of metal nanoparticles (Mn, Cu, Zn, Ag + Ag2O) before and after exposure to plants showed no significant differences when using submerged or free-floating hydrophytes so-called pleuston. However, it was found that the presence of submerged hydrophytes in aqueous medium ( E. canadensis, N. guadelupensis, V. spiralis L., and R. fluitans L.) and significant changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments, unlike free-floating hydrophytes ( L. laevigatum, P. stratiotes L., S. natans L.), had occur. Pleuston possesses higher potential for phytoremediation of contaminated water basins polluted by metal nanoparticles. In terms of removal of nanoparticles among studied free-floating hydrophytes, P. stratiotes L. and S. natans L. deserve on special attention.

Trace organics removal using three membrane bioreactor configurations: MBR, IFAS-MBR and MBMBR.

Science.gov (United States)

de la Torre, T; Alonso, E; Santos, J L; Rodríguez, C; Gómez, M A; Malfeito, J J

2015-01-01

Seventeen pharmaceutically active compounds and 22 other trace organic pollutants were analysed regularly in the influent and permeate from a semi-real plant treating municipal wastewater. The plant was operated during 29 months with different configurations which basically differed in the type of biomass present in the system. These processes were the integrated fixed-film activated sludge membrane bioreactor (IFAS-MBR), which combined suspended and attached biomass, the moving bed membrane bioreactor (MBMBR) (only attached biomass) and the MBR (only suspended biomass). Moreover, removal rates were compared to those of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operating nearby with conventional activated sludge treatment. Reverse osmosis (RO) was used after the pilot plant to improve removal rates. The highest elimination was found for the IFAS-MBR, especially for hormones (100% removal); this was attributed to the presence of biofilm, which may lead to different conditions (aerobic-anoxic-anaerobic) along its profile, which increases the degradation possibilities, and also to a higher sludge age of the biofilm, which allows complete acclimation to the contaminants. Operating conditions played an important role, high mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and sludge retention time (SRT) being necessary to achieve these high removal rates. Although pharmaceuticals and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates showed high removal rates (65-100%), nonylphenols and phthalate could only be removed to 10-30%. RO significantly increased removal rates to 88% mean removal rate.

Trace metals in fugitive dust from unsurfaced roads in the Viburnum Trend resource mining District of Missouri--implementation of a direct-suspension sampling methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Witt, Emitt C; Wronkiewicz, David J; Pavlowsky, Robert T; Shi, Honglan

2013-09-01

Fugitive dust from 18 unsurfaced roadways in Missouri were sampled using a novel cyclonic fugitive dust collector that was designed to obtain suspended bulk samples for analysis. The samples were analyzed for trace metals, Fe and Al, particle sizes, and mineralogy to characterize the similarities and differences between roadways. Thirteen roads were located in the Viburnum Trend (VT) mining district, where there has been a history of contaminant metal loading of local soils; while the remaining five roads were located southwest of the VT district in a similar rural setting, but without any mining or industrial process that might contribute to trace metal enrichment. Comparison of these two groups shows that trace metal concentration is higher for dusts collected in the VT district. Lead is the dominant trace metal found in VT district dusts representing on average 79% of the total trace metal concentration, and was found moderately to strongly enriched relative to unsurfaced roads in the non-VT area. Fugitive road dust concentrations calculated for the VT area substantially exceed the 2008 Federal ambient air standard of 0.15μgm(-3) for Pb. The pattern of trace metal contamination in fugitive dust from VT district roads is similar to trace metal concentrations patterns observed for soils measured more than 40years ago indicating that Pb contamination in the region is persistent as a long-term soil contaminant. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Estimation of trace metal contents in locally-baked breads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, N.; Rehman, S.

2013-01-01

In order to establish base line levels, estimation of some essential trace metals (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) has been conducted in four brands of fifteen locally baked breads of Rawalpindi /Islamabad area employing Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). The samples were digested in a mixture of nitric acid and perchloric acid and the analysis was done with air-acetylene flame. The reliability of the procedure employed was verify by analyzing Standard Reference Material, i.e., wheat flour (NBS-SRM-1567) for its Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn contents which were in good agreement with the certified values. The results revealed that brown breads contained higher amount of Fe 177.3 micro g g/sup -1/and Zn 19.27 micro g g/sup -1/while levels of Cu 21.90 micro g g/-sup 1/was found higher in the samples of plain bread. The determined metal concentrations in the bread samples were compared with the reported values for other countries. The effect of kneading/baking/slicing processes on the concentration levels of these metals was also studied. The daily intake of these metals through this source was calculated and compared with the recommended dietary allowance. (author)

Selective removals of heavy metals (Pb(2+), Cu(2+), and Cd(2+)) from wastewater by gelation with alginate for effective metal recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fei; Lu, Xingwen; Li, Xiao-yan

2016-05-05

A novel method that uses the aqueous sodium alginate solution for direct gelation with metal ions is developed for effective removal and recovery of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. The experimental study was conducted on Pb(2+), Cu(2+), and Cd(2+) as the model heavy metals. The results show that gels can be formed rapidly between the metals and alginate in less than 10 min and the gelation rates fit well with the pseudo second-order kinetic model. The optimum dosing ratio of alginate to the metal ions was found to be between 2:1 and 3:1 for removing Pb(2+) and around 4:1 for removing Cu(2+) and Cd(2+) from wastewater, and the metal removal efficiency by gelation increased as the solution pH increased. Alginate exhibited a higher gelation affinity toward Pb(2+) than Cu(2+) and Cd(2+), which allowed a selective removal of Pb(2+) from the wastewater in the presence of Cu(2+) and Cd(2+) ions. Chemical analysis of the gels suggests that the gelation mainly occurred between the metal ions and the -COO(-) and -OH groups on alginate. By simple calcination of the metal-laden gels at 700 °C for 1 h, the heavy metals can be well recovered as valuable resources. The metals obtained after the thermal treatment are in the form of PbO, CuO, and CdO nanopowders with crystal sizes of around 150, 50, and 100 nm, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trace metal contamination in mangrove sediments, Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

OpenAIRE

Farias,Cassia O.; Hamacher,Claudia; Wagener,Angela de Luca R.; Campos,Reinaldo C. de; Godoy,José M.

2007-01-01

The Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro has undergone profound alterations of its natural environmental conditions. Metal concentration increase in sediments has been reported to be among these alterations. Trace-metal contamination and availability were studied in sediments of 3 mangrove areas of the bay. Cd, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cu and Al concentrations were determined in segments of sediment cores, after treatment with 1 mol L-1 HCl and with concentrated HNO3. Fe and Mn were determined in the leach wit...

Bioassessment of heavy metal toxicity and enhancement of heavy metal removal by sulfate-reducing bacteria in the presence of zero valent iron.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jing; Kang, Yong; Feng, Ying

2017-12-01

A simple and valid toxicity evaluation of Zn 2+ , Mn 2+ and Cr 6+ on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and heavy metal removal were investigated using the SRB system and SRB+Fe 0 system. The heavy metal toxicity coefficient (β) and the heavy metal concentration resulting in 50% inhibition of sulfate reduction (I) from a modeling process were proposed to evaluate the heavy metal toxicity and nonlinear regression was applied to search for evaluation indices β and I. The heavy metal toxicity order was Cr 6+  > Mn 2+  > Zn 2+ . Compared with the SRB system, the SRB+Fe 0 system exhibited a better capability for sulfate reduction and heavy metal removal. The heavy metal removal was above 99% in the SRB+Fe 0 system, except for Mn 2+ . The energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis showed that the precipitates were removed primarily as sulfide for Zn 2+ and hydroxide for Mn 2+ and Cr 6+ .The method of evaluating the heavy metal toxicity on SRB was of great significance to understand the fundamentals of the heavy metal toxicity and inhibition effects on the microorganism and regulate the process of microbial sulfate reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment and source identification of trace metals in the soils of greenhouse vegetable production in eastern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lanqin; Huang, Biao; Hu, Wenyou; Chen, Yong; Mao, Mingcui

2013-11-01

Worldwide concern about the occurrence of trace metals in greenhouse vegetable production soils (GVPS) is growing. In this study, a total of 385 surface GVPS samples were collected in Shouguang and four vegetable production bases in Nanjing, Eastern China, for the determination of As and Hg using atomic fluorescence spectrometry and Pb, Cu, Cd, and Zn using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Geo-accumulation indices and factor analysis were used to investigate the accumulation and sources of the trace metals in soils in Eastern China. The results revealed that greenhouse production practices increased accumulation of the trace metals, particularly Cd, Zn, and Cu in soils and their accumulation became significant with increasing years of cultivation. Accumulation of Cd and Zn was also found in soils from organic greenhouses. The GVPS was generally less polluted or moderately polluted by As, Cu, Zn, and Pb but heavily polluted by Cd and Hg in some locations. Overall, accumulation of Cd, Zn, and Cu in GVPS was primarily associated with anthropogenic activities, particularly, application of manure. The high level of Hg found in some sites was related to historical heavy application of Hg containing pesticides. However, further identification of Hg sources is needed. To reduce accumulation of the trace metals in GVPS, organic fertilizer application should be suggested through development and implementation of reasonable and sustainable strategies. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Polyaza macroligands as potential agents for heavy metal removal from wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizondo Martínez Perla

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Two polyaza macroligands N,N´-bis(2-aminobenzyl-1,2- ethanediamine (L1 and 3,6,9,12-tetraaza-4(1,2,11(1,2-dibenzo-1(1,3- piridinaciclotridecafano (L2 were characterized and investigated for their metal ion extraction capabilities. The nature of all complexes was established by spectroscopic techniques. The equilibrium constants were determined by spectrophotometric and potentiometric techniques and the residual concentration of metals in the solutions by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS. The capacity of the ligands to remove heavy metals such as Cu(II, Ni(II, Cd(II, Zn(II and Pb(II as insoluble complexes was evaluated in wastewater from industrial effluents. These agents showed high affinity for the studied metals. The values of equilibrium constants of the isolated complexes (between 1 x 104 and 2 x 107 demonstrated the feasibility of applying these chelating agents as an alternative to remove heavy metals from industrial effluents.

The use of biosorbents for heavy metals removal from aqueous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Masri, M. S.; Amin, Y.

2010-04-01

Biomaterials, which could be adsorbed heavy metals, such bacteria, algae, yeasts, fungi and agricultural waste, is called Biomass. Recently, they are widely used for heavy metal removal from aqueous media, due to their large available quantities, low cost and good performance. The biosorbent, unlike mono functional ion exchange resins, contains variety of functional sites including carboxyl, imidazole, sulphydryl, amino, phosphate, sulfate, thioether, phenol, carbonyl, amide and hydroxyl moieties. In this paper, the biosorbents word widely and nationally used for heavy metal removal were reviewed. Their biosorption performance, their pretreatment and modification, aiming to improve their sorption capacity, and regeneration/reuse was introduced and evaluated. The potential application of biosorption and biosorbents was discussed. (author)

Removal of heavy metals from kaolin using an upward electrokinetic soil remedial (UESR) technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.-Y.; Huang, X.-J.; Kao, Jimmy C.M.; Stabnikova, Olena

2006-01-01

An upward electrokinetic soil remedial (UESR) technology was proposed to remove heavy metals from contaminated kaolin. Unlike conventional electrokinetic treatment that uses boreholes or trenches for horizontal migration of heavy metals, the UESR technology, applying vertical non-uniform electric fields, caused upward transportation of heavy metals to the top surface of the treated soil. The effects of current density, treatment duration, cell diameter, and different cathode chamber influent (distilled water or 0.01 M nitric acid) were studied. The removal efficiencies of heavy metals positively correlated to current density and treatment duration. Higher heavy metals removal efficiency was observed for the reactor cell with smaller diameter. A substantial amount of heavy metals was accumulated in the nearest to cathode 2 cm layer of kaolin when distilled water was continuously supplied to the cathode chamber. Heavy metals accumulated in this layer of kaolin can be easily excavated and disposed off. The main part of the removed heavy metals was dissolved in cathode chamber influent and moved away with cathode chamber effluent when 0.01 M nitric acid was used, instead of distilled water. Energy saving treatment by UESR technology with highest metal removal efficiencies was provided by two regimes: (1) by application of 0.01 M nitric acid as cathode chamber influent, cell diameter of 100 mm, duration of 18 days, and constant voltage of 3.5 V (19.7 kWh/m 3 of kaolin) and (2) by application of 0.01 M nitric acid as cathode chamber influent, cell diameter of 100 cm, duration of 6 days, and constant current density of 0.191 mA/cm 2 (19.1 kWh/m 3 of kaolin)

First assessment of trace metal concentration in mangrove crab eggs and other tissues, SE Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

de Almeida, Eduardo Vianna; Kütter, Vinicius Tavares; Marques, Eduardo Duarte; da Silva-Filho, Emmanoel Vieira

2016-07-01

The mangrove crab Ucides cordatus is widespread in the Brazilian coast, which has an important role in nutrient cycling. This species reproduces in summer and females carry eggs about a month, when they maintain contact with water and sediments. It remains unclear if trace metals can be absorbed or adsorbed by the eggs during development. The present study aims to investigate, for the first time, trace metal concentrations in ovigerous female tissues and eggs of U. cordatus in two areas with different metal pollution levels in the Southeastern Brazil. Samples were collected in two different mangroves, Guanabara Bay (GB) highly polluted environment and Paraíba do Sul River (PSR). In both populations, we observed significant increase of V, Cr, and Mn concentrations along eggs maturation. The higher metals averages were found in PSR population. This trend was reported since the 1990s and lower concentrations in GB marine organisms were attributed to reducing conditions, high organic load, and the presence of sulfide ions. These conditions restrict the bioavailability of metals in the bay, with exception of Mn. No significant differences were observed in gills and muscles. In both populations of the present study, V, Zn, As, and Pb were higher in eggs of initial stage, whereas Mn, Ni, Cu, and Cd were higher in hepatopancreas. Beside this, V, Cr, Mn, As, and Pb showed an increase concerning egg development. Thus, V, As, and Pb in eggs come from two sources previous discussed: females and environment. Zinc came mainly from females due to essential function. Those new information should be considered as one of the mechanisms of trace metal transfer to the trophic chain, between benthonic and pelagic environment.

A biosystem for removal of metal ions from water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kilbane, J.J. II.

1990-01-01

The presence of heavy metal ions in ground and surface waters constitutes a potential health risk and is an environmental concern. Moreover, processes for the recovery of valuable metal ions are of interest. Bioaccumulation or biosorption is not only a factor in assessing the environmental risk posed by metal ions; it can also be used as a means of decontamination. A biological system for the removal and recovery of metal ions from contaminated water is reported here. Exopolysaccharide-producing microorganisms, including a methanotrophic culture, are demonstrated to have superior metal binding ability, compared with other microbial cultures. This paper describes a biosorption process in which dried biomass obtained from exopolysaccharide-producing microorganisms is encapsulated in porous plastic beads and is used for metal ion binding and recovery. 22 refs., 13 figs.

Levels of essential and potentially toxic trace metals in Antarctic macro algae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farias, Silvia; Arisnabarreta, Sebastian Perez; Vodopivez, Cristian; Smichowski, Patricia

2002-01-01

Eleven species of Antarctic algae were examined for their accumulation ability in the uptake of different metals and metalloids from the Antarctic aquatic environment. Macro algae were collected during the 2000 austral summer season at Jubany Station (Argentinean base) around Potter Cove, King George Island. The elements quantified were: As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn. An optimized microwave-assisted digestion procedure was used to digest the samples and the elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. A wide range of metal retention capacity among the different species was observed. The highest levels of trace elements were found in Monostroma hariotii and Phaeurus antarcticus, with concentrations up to 3095 μg g -1 for Fe. On the basis of the levels of trace elements observed in Monostroma hariotii and its wide distribution in the Antarctic Peninsula, this organism accomplishes a number of prerequisites to be considered as an adequate biomonitor for future studies

Laboratory investigations of stormwater remediation via slag: Effects of metals on phosphorus removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Okochi, Nnaemeka C; McMartin, Dena W

2011-03-15

The use of electric arc furnace (EAF) slag for the removal of phosphorus (P) from various simulated stormwater blends was investigated in the laboratory. The form of P measured was the inorganic orthophosphate (PO(4)-P). The stormwater solutions used in this preliminary study were synthesized as blends of P and typical concentrations of some of the most common and abundant metals in stormwater (e.g. cadmium, copper, lead and zinc), and contacted with EAF slag to determine P removal efficiency and sorptive competition. Results showed that the presence of cadmium, lead and zinc had minimal effect on the removal process; copper was a significant inhibitor of P uptake by the EAF slag media. P removal was greatest in the metal-free and multi-metal stormwater solutions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of trace metal bioavailabilities in European coastal waters using mussels from Mytilus edulis complex as biomonitors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Przytarska, J.E.; Sokołowski, A.; Wołowicz, M.; Hummel, H.; Jansen, J.M.

2010-01-01

Mussels from Mytilus edulis complex were used as biomonitors of the trace metals Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, and Cu at 17 sampling sites to assess the relative bioavailability of metals in coastal waters around the European continent. Because accumulated metal concentrations in a given area can differ

Plasma cleaning and the removal of carbon from metal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, M.A.

1980-01-01

In an investigation of the plasma cleaning of metals and the plasma etching of carbon, a mass spectrometer was used as a sensitive process monitor. CO 2 produced by the plasma oxidation of carbon films or of organic contamination and occluded carbon at the surfaces of metals proved to be the most suitable gas to monitor. A good correlation was obtained between the measured etch rate of carbon and the resulting CO 2 partial pressure monitored continuously with the mass spectrometer. The rate of etching of carbon in an oxygen-argon plasma at 0.1 Torr was high when the carbon was at cathode potential and low when it was electrically isolated in the plasma, thus confirming the findings of previous workers and indicating the importance of ion bombardment in the etching process. Superficial organic contamination on the surfaces of the metals aluminium and copper and of the alloy Inconel 625 was quickly removed by the oxygen-argon plasma when the metal was electrically isolated and also when it was at cathode potential. Occluded carbon (or carbides) at or near the surfaces of the metals was removed slowly and only when the metal was at cathode potential, thus illustrating again the importance of ion bombardment. (Auth.)

Metal removal from tailings ponds water using indigenous micro-algae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahdavi, H.; Ulrich, A.; Liu, Y. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2010-07-01

Each barrel of oil produced by oil sands produce 1.25 m{sup 3} of tailings. The tailings are collected in ponds located at mining sites. The tailing pond water (TPW) must be reclaimed and released into the environment. This PowerPoint presentation discussed a method of removing metals from tailings pond water that used indigenous micro-algae. The in situ experimental method used Parachlorella kessliri to treat 2 ponds. The TPW was enriched with low and high concentrations of nutrients. Dry cell biomass analyses were then conducted, and the pH of the resulting samples was compared. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analysis methods were used to determine the initial metal concentrations in the raw TPWs. The study showed that the micro-algae remove significantly more metals when high levels of nutrients are used. tabs., figs.

Stabilized chitosan/Fe(0)-nanoparticle beads to remove heavy metals from polluted sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, T; Sun, Y; Wang, Z L

2016-01-01

Sediment contamination by heavy metals has become a widespread problem that can affect the normal behaviors of rivers and lakes. After chitosan/Fe(0)-nanoparticles (CS-NZVI) beads were cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GLA), their mechanical strength, stability and separation efficiency from the sediment were obviously improved. Moreover, the average aperture size of GLA-CS-NZVI beads was 20.6 μm and NZVI particles were nearly spherical in shape with a mean diameter of 40.2 nm. In addition, the pH showed an insignificant effect on the removal rates from the sediment. Due to the dissolution of metals species into aqueous solutions as an introduction of the salt, the removal rates of all heavy metals from the sediment were increased with an increase of the salinity. The competitive adsorption of heavy metals between the sediment particles and GLA-CS-NZVI beads became stronger as the sediment particles became smaller, leading to decreased removal rates. Therefore, the removal efficiency could be enhanced by optimizing experimental conditions and choosing appropriate materials for the target contaminants.

Guidelines for the determination of selected trace metals in aerosols and in wet precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This publication describes sampling and analytical procedures suitable for the collection and analysis of representative samples of atmospheric aerosols and wet precipitation for selected trace metals. 11 refs, 2 tabs

Trace Metal and Ancillary Data in Puget Sound, 1980 - 1986 (NODC Accession 9100153)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — In first of three data reports on the trace metal and ancillary data in Puget Sound and its watershed (Paulson et al., 1991a), all water column, sediment, and...

REMOVAL OF HEAVY-METALS FROM WASTEWATER USING A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. REMOVAL ... containing wastewaters obtained from a tannery and a leather processing industries revealed excellent adsorption efficacies ... the heavy-metal loading in test industrial effluents obtained from a leather industry and from a.

Production and characterization of heavy-metal removing bacterial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DINESH

2012-05-17

May 17, 2012 ... heavy metal removal (Quintelas et al., 2008; Salehizadeh ..... extract and peptone (Liu et al., 2010; Nakata and Kurane,. 1999; Xia et al., 2008; Zheng et .... Banci L, Bertini I, Ciofi-Baffoni S, Su XC, Miras R, Bal N, Mintz E, Catty.

Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solution by nonliving Ulva seaweed as biosorbent.

Science.gov (United States)

Suzuki, Yoshihiro; Kametani, Takuji; Maruyama, Toshiroh

2005-05-01

The growth of dense green seaweed mats of Ulva spp. is an increasing problem in estuaries and coasts worldwide. The enormous amount of Ulva biomass thus becomes a troublesome waste disposal problem. On the other hand, it has been revealed that nonliving seaweed biomass, particularly brown seaweeds, has a high capacity for assimilating heavy metals. In this study, the possibility of using Ulva seaweed biomass as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals was examined. After processing, the biomass material was very easy to separate from the aqueous solution using a mesh. The sorption capacity of Cd on Ulva biomass increased upon pretreatment with alkali solution. The outstanding function of the biosorbent was demonstrated at around pH 8. On the basis of the Langmuir isotherms of Cd, Zn and Cu using the alkali-pretreated biomass, the parameters q(m) and b were determined to be within the narrow range of 60-90 mg/g and 0.03-0.04 L/mg, respectively, for each metal. Given the q(m) and b values, Ulva seaweed is a good biosorbent material for removing heavy metals. In an experiment using artificial wastewater containing Cd, Zn, Cu, Cr and Ni, it was possible to remove each metal simultaneously using Ulva biomass. Adsorption by Ulva biomass is effective for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater.

Vegetation and Cold Trapping Modulating Elevation-dependent Distribution of Trace Metals in Soils of a High Mountain in Eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Science.gov (United States)

Bing, Haijian; Wu, Yanhong; Zhou, Jun; Li, Rui; Luo, Ji; Yu, Dong

2016-04-07

Trace metals adsorbed onto fine particles can be transported long distances and ultimately deposited in Polar Regions via the cold condensation effect. This study indicated the possible sources of silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb) and zinc (Zn) in soils on the eastern slope of Mt. Gongga, eastern Tibetan Plateau, and deciphered the effects of vegetation and mountain cold condensation on their distributions with elevation. The metal concentrations in the soils were comparable to other mountains worldwide except the remarkably high concentrations of Cd. Trace metals with high enrichment in the soils were influenced from anthropogenic contributions. Spatially, the concentrations of Cu and Zn in the surface horizons decreased from 2000 to 3700 m a.s.l., and then increased with elevation, whereas other metals were notably enriched in the mid-elevation area (approximately 3000 m a.s.l.). After normalization for soil organic carbon, high concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb and Zn were observed above the timberline. Our results indicated the importance of vegetation in trace metal accumulation in an alpine ecosystem and highlighted the mountain cold trapping effect on trace metal deposition sourced from long-range atmospheric transport.

Removal of metals from landfill leachate by sorption to activated carbon, bone meal and iron fines.

Science.gov (United States)

Modin, Hanna; Persson, Kenneth M; Andersson, Anna; van Praagh, Martijn

2011-05-30

Sorption filters based on granular activated carbon, bone meal and iron fines were tested for their efficiency of removing metals from landfill leachate. Removal of Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn were studied in a laboratory scale setup. Activated carbon removed more than 90% of Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni. Ca, Pb, Sr and Zn were removed but less efficiently. Bone meal removed over 80% of Cr, Fe, Hg, Mn and Sr and 20-80% of Al, Ca, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn. Iron fines removed most metals (As, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sr and Zn) to some extent but less efficiently. All materials released unwanted substances (metals, TOC or nutrients), highlighting the need to study the uptake and release of a large number of compounds, not only the target metals. To remove a wide range of metals using these materials two or more filter materials may need to be combined. Sorption mechanisms for all materials include ion exchange, sorption and precipitation. For iron fines oxidation of Fe(0) seems to be important for metal immobilisation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Removal of metals and phenols by adsorption/ion exchange process; Eliminacion conjunta de metales y fenoles por adsorcion/intercambio ionico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maranon, E.; Castrillon, I.; Monster, T.; Sastre, H.

2002-07-01

The present work studies the possible interactions in the removal of metals and phenolic compounds that may be present in an industrial wastewater by means of an adsorption/ion exchange process. The resins employed were Amberlite 252-C for the removal of metals and Amberlite XAD-4 for the removal of phenol. Firstly, elimination was studied by means of assays with solutions that contained either 100 mg/l of copper, 100 mg/l of zinc or 1000 mg/l of phenol. Subsequently, assays were carried out using solutions containing a mixture of 100 mg/l of each metal, and finally, with solutions containing a mixture of 100 mg/l of each metal and 1000 mg/l of phenol. The saturation capacity of the Amberlite 252-C resin for metals decreased slightly in the presence of phenol, the decrease in working capacity being greater than that of saturation capacity. However, the presence of metallic cations increased the sorption of phenol by the Amberlite XAD-4 resin. (Author) 14 refs.

A fiber optic sensor with a metal organic framework as a sensing material for trace levels of water in industrial gases.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohira, Shin-Ichi; Miki, Yusuke; Matsuzaki, Toru; Nakamura, Nao; Sato, Yu-ki; Hirose, Yasuo; Toda, Kei

2015-07-30

Industrial gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and helium are easily contaminated with water during production, transfer and use, because there is a high volume fraction of water in the atmosphere (approximately 1.2% estimated with the average annual atmospheric temperature and relative humidity). Even trace water (industrial gases can cause quality problems in the process such as production of semiconductors. Therefore, it is important to monitor and to control trace water levels in industrial gases at each supplying step, and especially during their use. In the present study, a fiber optic gas sensor was investigated for monitoring trace water levels in industrial gases. The sensor consists of a film containing a metal organic framework (MOF). MOFs are made of metals coordinated to organic ligands, and have mesoscale pores that adsorb gas molecules. When the MOF, copper benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC), was used as a sensing material, we investigated the color of Cu-BTC with water adsorption changed both in depth and tone. Cu-BTC crystals appeared deep blue in dry gases, and then changed to light blue in wet gases. An optical gas sensor with the Cu-BTC film was developed using a light emitting diode as the light source and a photodiode as the light intensity detector. The sensor showed a reversible response to trace water, did not require heating to remove the adsorbed water molecules. The sample gas flow rate did not affect the sensitivity. The obtained limit of detection was 40 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). The response time for sample gas containing 2.5 ppmvH2O was 23 s. The standard deviation obtained for daily analysis of 1.0 ppmvH2O standard gas over 20 days was 9%. Furthermore, the type of industrial gas did not affect the sensitivity. These properties mean the sensor will be applicable to trace water detection in various industrial gases. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical speciation and human health risk of trace metals in urban street dusts from a metropolitan city, Nanjing, SE China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Huiming; Qian, Xin, E-mail: xqian@nju.edu.cn; Hu, Wei; Wang, Yulei; Gao, Hailong

2013-07-01

The modified BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure was applied for partitioning and evaluating the mobility, availability and persistence of trace metals (Al, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, V and Zn) in urban street dusts collected from different areas of Nanjing, China. The mobility sequence based on the sum of the BCR sequential extraction stages was: Sr (91.65%) > Pb (79.16%) > Zn (74.26%) > Cu (68.53%) > Co (45.98%) > Al (40.01%) ≈ V (38.45%) ≈ Ni (37.88%) > Cr (29.35%) > Cd (22.68%). Almost every trace metal had its highest total concentrations in the industrial area, except for Sr which had its highest concentration in the commercial area. Contamination factors (Cf), risk assessment code (RAC) and enrichment factor (Ef) were then calculated to further assess the environmental risk and provide a preliminary estimate of the main sources of trace metals in street dusts. Non-carcinogenic effects and carcinogenic effects due to exposure to urban street dusts were assessed for both children and adults. For non-carcinogenic effects, ingestion was the main route of exposure to street dusts for these metals, followed by dermal contact and inhalation. Hazard index values for all studied metals were lower than the safe level of 1, and Pb exhibited the highest risk value (0.125) in the case of children. The carcinogenic risk for Cd, Co, Cr and Ni were all below the acceptable level (< 10{sup −6}). - Highlights: • This study assesses a comprehensive environmental risk of urban trace metal pollution. • This study evaluates human health risk combined with the speciation of trace metals. • This study points the critical contaminated metals that need to be paid special attention. • This study supplies useful information and reference on the application of BCR SPE method.

Neutron activation analysis of trace metallic elements eluted from molecular sieves in the dehydration process of safflower oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takasago, Masahisa; Kobayashi, Koichi; Taru, Yasunori; Takaoka, Kyo (Musashi Inst. of Tech., Tokyo (Japan))

1992-11-01

Dissolved water in safflower oil affects the autoxidation of this oil significantly. Molecular sieves were used to remove the dissolved water from the oil. This method is much simpler than that of distillation, and dissolved water can be removed to the same extent as that by distillation. But, due to the elution of many kinds of trace metallic elements in the oil dehydrated with molecular sieves, these elements were analyzed by neutron activation analysis. For a data comparison trace amounts of metallic elements in the oil dehydrated by distillation were also analyzed. Since the intensity of the [gamma] ray-photoelectric peak of nuclide [sup 28]Al was largest among the detected elements, this element was analyzed quantitatively and the other elements qualitatively. In safflower oil dehydrated with molecular sieves, 14 kinds of the elements (I, Br, Al, Mg, Si, V, Cl, Nd, Ta, Cr, Sb, Cs, Co, Na) were detected. Also, I, Br, Cl, Cr, Ta, Sb, and Al elements were detected in the oil dehydrated by distillation. The intensity of the photoelectric peak of nuclide except [sup 28]Al was essentially the same as that in the oil dehydrated by distillation, but the intensity of [sup 28]Al in the oil with molecular sieves was about 28 times stronger than that in distillation oil. In the molecular sieves, 19 impure elements in addition to the original constituents (Na, K, Al, si, O) were detected. It was Al, Na, Si, Nd, Cs, and Co along with impure elements may possibly have been eluted in the oil. Al element in safflower oil dehydrated with molecular sieves was analyzed quantitatively. 0.91 ppm of Al was detected in safflower oil. The eluted amount of Al in safflower oil dehydrated by distillation was 0.032 ppm. A larger amount of Al element was thus eluted into the oil dehydrated with molecular sieves than by distillation. (author).

Assessment of trace metals using lichen transplant from automobile mechanic workshop in Ile-Ife metropolis, Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Odiwe, Anthony I; Adesanwo, Adeyemi T J; Olowoyo, Joshua O; Raimi, Idris O

2014-04-01

The level of air pollution around the automobile mechanic workshops has been generally overlooked. This study, examined the level of trace metals in automobile mechanic workshops and the suitability of using transplanted lichen thalli of Lepraria incana for measuring air pollution in such areas. Samples of the lichen thalli were transplanted into seven different sites and were attached to the bark of trees at each site. The samples were harvested from the sites after 3-month exposure. Concentrations of Pb, Cu, Cd, Fe, Zn, and S content were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results showed that there was a significant difference in the trace metals concentrations across the sites (p trend in the concentration of these heavy metals suggests that activities in these workshops might become a major source of certain heavy metals in the environment and if the pollution activities persist, it might become worrisome over time.

Study of the migration of toxic metals in steelmaking waste using radioactive tracing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andre, C.; Jauzein, M.; Charentus, T.; Margrita, R.; Dechelette, O.

1991-01-01

The danger presented by toxic metals contained in steelmaking wastes put into slag piles may be neutralized by suitably chosen alternation of these wastes when they are deposited. Presentation of a study method using radioactive tracing of the migration of toxic metal (cadmium, zinc, chromium) in steelmaking wastes (slag, blast furnace sludge). This non destructive method was used in columns in the laboratory, but may be used in on-site slag piles [fr

Application of Electrochemical Process in Removal of Heavy Metals from Landfill Leachate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mostafaii Gh.1 PhD,

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Aims Municipal landfill leachate contains high concentrations of heavy metals, organics, ammonia. The efficeincy of electrochemically removal of heavy metals from landfill leachate was studied. Materials & Methods The leachate was obtained from Kahrizak landfill in south of Tehran. The experiments were carried out by batch process. The 2liter batch reactor was made of glass. There were eight anodes and cathodes electrodes. The electrodes were placed vertically parallel to each other and they were connected to a digital DC power supply. The pH and conductivity were adjusted to a desirable value using NaOH or H2SO4, and NaCl. All the runs were performed at constant temperature of 25°C. In each run, 1.5liter of the leachate was placed into the electrolytic cell. Samples were extracted every 10min and then filtered through a mixed cellulose acetate membrane (0.42μm. The amount of Lead, Zinc and Nickel removal was measured at pH=7 and in current density of 0.5, 0.75, and 1A. Findings When current density and time reaction increased, removal efficiency of heavy metals such as Lead, Zinc and Nickel increased. At initial pH=7, density 1A and reaction time= 60min, Lead, Nickel and Zinc were removed up to 86, 93 and 95%, respectively. Conclusion Electrochemical process can be proposed as a suitable technique to remove heavy metal from landfill leachate.

Heavy metal removal and recovery using microorganisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilde, E.W. (Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)); Benemann, J.R. (Benemann (J.R.), Pinole, CA (United States))

1991-02-01

Microorganisms -- bacteria, fungi, and microalgae -- can accumulate relatively large amounts of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from the environment. These organisms often exhibit specificity for particular metals. The metal content of microbial biomass can be a substantial fraction of total dry weight with concentration factors (metal in dry biomass to metal in solution) exceeding one million in some cases. Both living and inert (dead) microbial biomass can be used to reduce heavy metal concentrations in contaminated waters to very low levels -- parts per billion and even lower. In many respects (e.g. specificity, residual metal concentrations, accumulation factors, and economics) microbial bioremoval processes can be superior to conventional processes, such as ion exchange and caustic (lime or hydroxide) precipitation for heavy metals removal from waste and contaminated waters. Thus, bioremoval could be developed to contribute to the clean-up of wastes at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and other DOE facilities. However, the potential advantages of bioremoval processes must still be developed into practical operating systems. A detailed review of the literature suggests that appropriate bioremoval processes could be developed for the SRS. There is great variability from one biomass source to another in bioremoval capabilities. Bioremoval is affected by pH, other ions, temperature, and many other factors. The biological (living vs. dead) and physical (immobilized vs. dispersed) characteristics of the biomass also greatly affect metal binding. Even subtle differences in the microbial biomass, such as the conditions under which it was cultivated, can have major effects on heavy metal binding.

Heavy metal removal and recovery using microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilde, E.W.; Benemann, J.R.

1991-02-01

Microorganisms -- bacteria, fungi, and microalgae -- can accumulate relatively large amounts of toxic heavy metals and radionuclides from the environment. These organisms often exhibit specificity for particular metals. The metal content of microbial biomass can be a substantial fraction of total dry weight with concentration factors (metal in dry biomass to metal in solution) exceeding one million in some cases. Both living and inert (dead) microbial biomass can be used to reduce heavy metal concentrations in contaminated waters to very low levels -- parts per billion and even lower. In many respects (e.g. specificity, residual metal concentrations, accumulation factors, and economics) microbial bioremoval processes can be superior to conventional processes, such as ion exchange and caustic (lime or hydroxide) precipitation for heavy metals removal from waste and contaminated waters. Thus, bioremoval could be developed to contribute to the clean-up of wastes at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and other DOE facilities. However, the potential advantages of bioremoval processes must still be developed into practical operating systems. A detailed review of the literature suggests that appropriate bioremoval processes could be developed for the SRS. There is great variability from one biomass source to another in bioremoval capabilities. Bioremoval is affected by pH, other ions, temperature, and many other factors. The biological (living vs. dead) and physical (immobilized vs. dispersed) characteristics of the biomass also greatly affect metal binding. Even subtle differences in the microbial biomass, such as the conditions under which it was cultivated, can have major effects on heavy metal binding

Potential human health risk assessment of trace metals via the consumption of marine fish in Persian Gulf

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Naji, Abolfazl; Khan, Farhan; Hashemi, Seyed Hassan

2016-01-01

This study was carried out to evaluate the concentration of trace metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the muscle of four fish species from the Persian Gulf. Trace metals were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy and consumption rates advisory for minimizing chronic systemic effects in chil...... health risks resulting from human consumption....... in children and adults were estimated. The metals concentrations in analyzed fish samples were lower than legal limits. Cadmium target hazard quotient values suggested that the threshold to avoid the potential risk for children health is an exposure level lower than 3 meals per week. Hazard index values based...... on four metals (not including Pb) for the child age class were higher than those of the adult age class, suggesting that children may suffer from a higher health risk. This study provides information about the consumption limits of certain metals, in particular Cd, necessary for minimizing potential...

Selective removal of heavy metals from metal-bearing wastewater in a cascade line reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlović, Jelena; Stopić, Srećko; Friedrich, Bernd; Kamberović, Zeljko

2007-11-01

This paper is a part of the research work on 'Integrated treatment of industrial wastes towards prevention of regional water resources contamination - INTREAT' the project. It addresses the environmental pollution problems associated with solid and liquid waste/effluents produced by sulfide ore mining and metallurgical activities in the Copper Mining and Smelting Complex Bor (RTB-BOR), Serbia. However, since the minimum solubility for the different metals usually found in the polluted water occurs at different pH values and the hydroxide precipitates are amphoteric in nature, selective removal of mixed metals could be achieved as the multiple stage precipitation. For this reason, acid mine water had to be treated in multiple stages in a continuous precipitation system-cascade line reactor. All experiments were performed using synthetic metal-bearing effluent with chemical a composition similar to the effluent from open pit, Copper Mining and Smelting Complex Bor (RTB-BOR). That effluent is characterized by low pH (1.78) due to the content of sulfuric acid and heavy metals, such as Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, Zn with concentrations of 76.680, 26.130, 0.113, 11.490, 1.020 mg/dm3, respectively. The cascade line reactor is equipped with the following components: for feeding of effluents, for injection of the precipitation agent, for pH measurements and control, and for removal of the process gases. The precipitation agent was 1M NaOH. In each of the three reactors, a changing of pH and temperature was observed. In order to verify. efficiency of heavy metals removal, chemical analyses of samples taken at different pH was done using AES-ICP. Consumption of NaOH in reactors was 370 cm3, 40 cm3 and 80 cm3, respectively. Total time of the experiment was 4 h including feeding of the first reactor. The time necessary to achieve the defined pH value was 25 min for the first reactor and 13 min for both second and third reactors. Taking into account the complete process in the cascade line

Variations in time and space of trace metal aerosol concentrations in urban areas and their surroundings

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, T.; Querol, X.; Alastuey, A.; Reche, C.; Cusack, M.; Amato, F.; Pandolfi, M.; Pey, J.; Richard, A.; Prévôt, A. S. H.; Furger, M.; Gibbons, W.

2011-09-01

Using an unprecedentedly large geochemical database, we compare temporal and spatial variations in inhalable trace metal background concentrations in a major city (Barcelona, Spain) and at a nearby mountainous site (Montseny) affected by the urban plume. Both sites are contaminated by technogenic metals, with V, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, Sn, Bi, Sb and Cd all showing upper continental crust (UCC) normalised values >1 in broadly increasing order. The highest metal concentrations usually occur during winter at Barcelona and summer in Montseny. This seasonal difference was especially marked at the remote mountain site in several elements such as Ti and Rare Earth Elements, which recorded campaign maxima, exceeding PM10 concentrations seen in Barcelona. The most common metals were Zn, Ti, Cu, Mn, Pb and V. Both V and Ni show highest concentrations in summer, and preferentially fractionate into the finest PM sizes (PM1/PM10 > 0.5) especially in Barcelona, this being attributed to regionally dispersed contamination from fuel oil combustion point sources. Within the city, hourly metal concentrations are controlled either by traffic (rush hour double peak for Cu, Sb, Sn, Ba) or industrial plumes (morning peak of Ni, Mn, Cr generated outside the city overnight), whereas at Montseny metal concentrations rise during the morning to a single, prolonged afternoon peak as contaminated air transported by the sea breeze moves into the mountains. Our exceptional database, which includes hourly measurements of chemical concentrations, demonstrates in more detail than previous studies the spatial and temporal variability of urban pollution by trace metals in a given city. Technogenic metalliferous aerosols are commonly fine in size and therefore potentially bioavailable, emphasising the case for basing urban background PM characterisation not only on physical parameters such as mass but also on sample chemistry and with special emphasis on trace metal content.

Trace metal dynamics in zooplankton from the Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rejomon, G.; DineshKumar, P.K.; Nair, M.; Muraleedharan, K.R.

Trace metal (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) concentrations in zooplankton from the mixed layer were investigated at 8 coastal and 20 offshore stations in the western Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon of 2003. The ecotoxicological importance...

Removal of metallic ions from aqueous solutions by fluidized bed fly ashes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rio, S.; Delebarre, A.; Hequet, V. [Ecole des Mines de Nantes, 44 - Nantes (France); Blondin, J. [Cerchar 62 - Mazingarbe (France)

2001-07-01

One of the main constraints deriving from the generation of power by coal combustion is to find some use for the fly ashes instead of disposing of them. Fly ashes from two fluidized bed power plants were tested to remove Pb{sup 2+}, Cu{sup 2+}, Cr (III), Ni{sup 2+}, Zn{sup 2+} and Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions. Experimental design methodology was used to study the removal and the leaching as a function of (i) the water pollutant content, (ii) the metal concentration in water, (iii) the pH of the solution and (iv) the addition of lime to fly ashes. The results show that the percentage of adsorbed ions was more important when they were in contact with silico-aluminous fly ashes than sulfo-calcic fly ashes, except in the case of the ion Ni{sup 2+}. The removal of metallic ions increases with increasing pH. The metallic canons removal accounting for the leaching test was higher when lime was added to silico-aluminous fly ashes during the adsorption. (authors)

Removing lead from metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards by vacuum distillation: factorial design and removal mechanism.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xingang; Gao, Yujie; Ding, Hui

2013-10-01

The lead removal from the metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards by vacuum distillation was optimized using experimental design, and a mathematical model was established to elucidate the removal mechanism. The variables studied in lead evaporation consisted of the chamber pressure, heating temperature, heating time, particle size and initial mass. The low-level chamber pressure was fixed at 0.1 Pa as the operation pressure. The application of two-level factorial design generated a first-order polynomial that agreed well with the data for evaporation efficiency of lead. The heating temperature and heating time exhibited significant effects on the efficiency, which was validated by means of the copper-lead mixture experiments. The optimized operating conditions within the region studied were the chamber pressure of 0.1 Pa, heating temperature of 1023 K and heating time of 120 min. After the conditions were employed to remove lead from the metallic mixture of waste printed circuit boards, the efficiency was 99.97%. The mechanism of the effects was elucidated by mathematical modeling that deals with evaporation, mass transfer and condensation, and can be applied to a wider range of metal removal by vacuum distillation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trophic transfer of trace metals from the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor to the polychaete N. virens and the decapod crustacean Palaemonetes varians

Science.gov (United States)

Rainbow, P.S.; Poirier, L.; Smith, B.D.; Brix, K.V.; Luoma, S.N.

2006-01-01

Diet is an important exposure route for the uptake of trace metals by aquatic invertebrates, with trace metal trophic transfer depending on 2 stages - assimilation and subsequent accumulation by the predator. This study investigated the trophic transfer of trace metals from the sediment-dwelling polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor from metal-rich estuarine sediments in southwestern UK to 2 predators - another polychaete N. virens (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe) and the decapod crustacean Palaemonetes varians (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Fe, Ag, As, Mn). N. virens showed net accumulation of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd from the prey; accumulation increased with increasing prey concentration, but a coefficient of trophic transfer decreased with increasing prey concentration, probably because a higher proportion of accumulated metal in the prey is bound in less trophically available (insoluble) detoxified forms. The trace metal accumulation patterns of P. varians apparently restricted significant net accumulation of metals from the diet of N. diversicolor to just Cd. There was significant mortality of the decapods fed on the diets of metal-rich worms. Metal-rich invertebrates that have accumulated metals from the rich historical store in the sediments of particular SW England estuaries can potentially pass these metals along food chains, with accumulation and total food chain transfer depending on the metal assimilation efficiencies and accumulation patterns of the animal at each trophic level. This trophic transfer may be significant enough to have ecotoxicological effects. ?? Inter-Research 2006.

Improved method for removing metal vapor from gas streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahluwalia, R.K.; Im, K.H.

1994-01-01

This invention relates to a process for gas cleanup to remove one or more metallic contaminants present as vapor. More particularly, the invention relates to a gas cleanup process using mass transfer to control the saturation levels such that essentially no particulates are formed, and the vapor condenses on the gas passage surfaces. It addresses the need to cleanup an inert gas contaminated with cadmium which may escape from the electrochemical processing of Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) fuel in a hot cell. The IFR is a complete, self-contained, sodium-cooled, pool-type fast reactor fueled with a metallic alloy of uranium, plutonium and zirconium, and is equipped with a close-coupled fuel cycle. Tests with a model have shown that removal of cadmium from argon gas is in the order of 99.99%. The invention could also apply to the industrial cleanup of air or other gases contaminated with zinc, lead, or mercury. In addition, the invention has application in the cleanup of other gas systems contaminated with metal vapors which may be toxic or unhealthy

Enzyme leaching of surficial geochemical samples for detecting hydromorphic trace-element anomalies associated with precious-metal mineralized bedrock buried beneath glacial overburden in northern Minnesota

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Robert J.; Meier, A.L.; Riddle, G.; ,

1990-01-01

One objective of the International Falls and Roseau, Minnesota, CUSMAP projects was to develop a means of conducting regional-scale geochemical surveys in areas where bedrock is buried beneath complex glacially derived overburden. Partial analysis of B-horizon soils offered hope for detecting subtle hydromorphic trace-element dispersion patterns. An enzyme-based partial leach selectively removes metals from oxide coatings on the surfaces of soil materials without attacking their matrix. Most trace-element concentrations in the resulting solutions are in the part-per-trillion to low part-per-billion range, necessitating determinations by inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry. The resulting data show greater contrasts for many trace elements than with other techniques tested. Spatially, many trace metal anomalies are locally discontinuous, but anomalous trends within larger areas are apparent. In many instances, the source for an anomaly seems to be either basal till or bedrock. Ground water flow is probably the most important mechanism for transporting metals toward the surface, although ionic diffusion, electrochemical gradients, and capillary action may play a role in anomaly dispersal. Sample sites near the Rainy Lake-Seine River fault zone, a regional shear zone, often have anomalous concentrations of a variety of metals, commonly including Zn and/or one or more metals which substitute for Zn in sphalerite (Cd, Ge, Ga, and Sn). Shifts in background concentrations of Bi, Sb, and As show a trend across the area indicating a possible regional zoning of lode-Au mineralization. Soil anomalies of Ag, Co, and Tl parallel basement structures, suggesting areas that may have potential for Cobalt/Thunder Baytype silver viens. An area around Baudette, Minnesota, which is underlain by quartz-chlorite-carbonate-altered shear zones, is anomalous in Ag, As, Bi, Co, Mo, Te, Tl, and W. Anomalies of Ag, As, Bi, Te, and W tend to follow the fault zones, suggesting potential

Occurrence of Trace and Toxic metals in River Narmada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Arif

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Deteriorating water quality has become a serious problem in developing countries. Almost 70% of Indian’s surface water resources have become contaminated due to the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents. The results reveals that out of nine water quality stations monitored, water samples collected at 5 water quality stations (Amarkantak, Dindori, Manot, Barmanghat and Handia are found to be within the permissible limit for all purposes in respect to trace & toxic metals. While Sandia, Hoshangabad, Mandleshwar and Garudeshwar stations were beyond the permissible limit due to presence of chromium, copper and iron metals. The major source of pollution to the Narmada river is the anthropogenic municipal solid waste and sewage from nearby towns/habitations, agricultural runoff and native soil erosion. The quality of the Narmada River is degraded due to the municipal and industrial discharges from the catchment.

Kinetics as a tool to assess the immobilization of soil trace metals by binding phase amendments for in situ remediation purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varrault, Gilles; Bermond, Alain

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Assessment of the efficiency of soil remediation method by binding phase amendment. → Use of a kinetic fractionation method to assess trace metal mobility in amended soils. → Vernadite amendments are effective for lead and cadmium remediation. → IHA amendments are only effective for copper remediation. → Advantages of kinetic fractionation vs. extraction schemes performed at equilibrium. - Abstract: Many soil remediation techniques consist in decreasing the mobility of trace metals by means of adding trace metal binding phases. For this study, whose aim is to assess the efficiency of soil remediation method by binding phase amendment, a kinetic fractionation method that provides the labile and slowly labile trace metal amounts in soil has been introduced. Manganese oxides (vernadite) and insolubilized humic acids (IHA) have been used as binding phases for the remediation of four heavily polluted soils. Vernadite amendments are effective for lead and cadmium remediation, whereas IHA amendments are only effective for copper remediation. In most cases, the labile metal fractions decrease dramatically in amended soils (up to 50%); on the other hand, the amounts of total extracted metal near the point of thermodynamic equilibrium often show no significant difference between the amended soil and the control soil. These results highlight the utility of kinetic fractionation in assessing the efficiency of soil remediation techniques and, more generally, in evaluating trace metal mobility in soils and its potential advantages compared to extraction schemes performed under equilibrium conditions. In the future, this kinetic method could be considerably simplified so as to consume much less time allowing its routine use.

Anthropogenic impact on diffuse trace metal accumulation in river sediments from agricultural reclamation areas with geochemical and isotopic approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiao, Wei; Ouyang, Wei, E-mail: wei@itc.nl; Hao, Fanghua; Lin, Chunye

2015-12-01

A better understanding of anthropogenic impact can help assess the diffuse trace metal accumulation in the agricultural environment. In this study, both river sediments and background soils were collected from a case study area in Northeast China and analyzed for total concentrations of six trace metals, four major elements and three lead isotopes. Results showed that Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr and Ni have accumulated in the river sediments after about 40 years of agricultural development, with average concentrations 1.23–1.71 times higher than local soil background values. Among them Ni, Cr and Cu were of special concern and they may pose adverse biological effects. By calculating enrichment factor (EF), it was found that the trace metal accumulation was still mainly ascribed to natural weathering processes, but anthropogenic contribution could represent up to 40.09% of total sediment content. For Pb, geochemical and isotopic approaches gave very similar anthropogenic contributions. Principal component analysis (PCA) further suggested that the anthropogenic Pb, Cu, Cr and Ni inputs were mostly related to the regional atmospheric deposition of industrial emissions and gasoline combustion, which had a strong affinity for iron oxides in the sediments. Concerning Cd, however, it mainly originated from local fertilizer applications and was controlled by sediment carbonates. - Graphical abstract: The trace metal accumulation was mainly ascribed to natural weathering processes, but anthropogenic contribution could represent up to 40.09% of total sediment content. Anthropogenic Pb, Cu, Cr and Ni mostly came from atmospheric deposition, while fertilizer application was the main anthropogenic source of Cd. - Highlights: • Trace metals have accumulated in the Naolihe sediments. • Natural weathering was still a major contributor to metal accumulation. • Anthropogenic Pb, Cu, Cr and Ni mostly came from atmospheric deposition. • Local fertilizer application was the main

Physiochemicals and Heavy Metal Removal from Domestic Wastewater via Phycoremediation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ab Razak Abdul Rafiq

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The common sources of water pollution in Malaysia are domestic sewage and industrial waste. Therefore, domestic wastewater quality effluent should be improved before discharged through the outlets. The alternative method of treatment uses microalgae for water remediation which is known as phycoremediation was applied. This technique is to remove or reduce nutrients and harmful pollutants in domestic wastewater. Thus, objective of the present study is to bioremediate the physiochemical and heavy metal from domestic wastewater using freshwater green microalgae Botryococcus sp. A photobioreactor is used to treat the wastewater by employing the microalgae Botryococcus sp. as a vital part of the treatment system. The results show that several nutrients have been reduced successfully such as phosphate and total phosphorus of 100% removal, inorganic carbon of 99% removal, total carbon of 42% removal, and nitrate of 10%. The most prominent heavy metal content that has been removed is Aluminium of 41%. At the same time, the growth of microalgae Botryococcus sp. in this wastewater has achieved the maximum value at Day 4 with 2.58 × 105 cell/ml only. These results show the potential of Botryococcus sp. cultivation as an alternative method to treat domestic wastewater and any other biotechnology works in the future.

Facilitation of trace metal uptake in cells by inulin coating of metallic nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Santillán-Urquiza, Esmeralda; Arteaga-Cardona, Fernando; Torres-Duarte, Cristina; Cole, Bryan; Wu, Bing; Méndez-Rojas, Miguel A.; Cherr, Gary N.

2017-09-01

Trace elements such as zinc and iron are essential for the proper function of biochemical processes, and their uptake and bioavailability are dependent on their chemical form. Supplementation of trace metals through nanostructured materials is a new field, but its application raises concerns regarding their toxicity. Here, we compared the intracellular zinc uptake of different sources of zinc: zinc sulfate, and ZnO and core-shell α-Fe2O3@ZnO nanoparticles, coated or uncoated with inulin, an edible and biocompatible polysaccharide. Using mussel haemocytes, a well-known model system to assess nanomaterial toxicity, we simultaneously assessed zinc accumulation and multiple cellular response endpoints. We found that intracellular zinc uptake was strongly enhanced by inulin coating, in comparison to the uncoated nanoparticles, while no significant effects on cell death, cell viability, mitochondrial membrane integrity, production of reactive oxygen species or lysosome abundance were observed at concentrations up to 20 ppm. Since no significant increments in toxicity were observed, the coated nanomaterials may be useful to increase in vivo zinc uptake for nutritional applications.

Surface metal standards produced by ion implantation through a removable layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schueler, B.W.; Granger, C.N.; McCaig, L.; McKinley, J.M.; Metz, J.; Mowat, I.; Reich, D.F.; Smith, S.; Stevie, F.A.; Yang, M.H.

2003-01-01

Surface metal concentration standards were produced by ion implantation and investigated for their suitability to calibrate surface metal measurements by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Single isotope implants were made through a 100 nm oxide layer on silicon. The implant energies were chosen to place the peak of the implanted species at a depth of 100 nm. Subsequent removal of the oxide layer was used to expose the implant peak and to produce controlled surface metal concentrations. Surface metal concentration measurements by time-of-flight SIMS (TOF-SIMS) with an analysis depth of 1 nm agreed with the expected surface concentrations of the implant standards with a relative mean standard deviation of 20%. Since the TOF-SIMS relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) were originally derived from surface metal measurements of surface contaminated silicon wafers, the agreement implies that the implant standards can be used to measure RSF values. The homogeneity of the surface metal concentration was typically <10%. The dopant dose remaining in silicon after oxide removal was measured using the surface-SIMS protocol. The measured implant dose agreed with the expected dose with a mean relative standard deviation of 25%