Unravelling arsenic bioavailability in floodplain soils impacted by mining activities.

Gold mining not only introduces mercury (Hg) contamination to soils but also facilitates the mobilization of other toxic substances, including arsenic (As). This study assessed the total content, chemical species, and bioavailable fraction of As in surface soils impacted by mining residues during frequent flooding. Analysis of 207 soil samples across the floodplain region of La Mojana, Colombia, screened to 2 mm with polyethylene mesh, revealed significant correlations (p < 0.05) between inorganic As, the residual phase, sulphur (S), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and aluminum (Al), indicating associations with sulfides and oxyhydroxides of Fe and Mn. The origin of toxicity was linked to suspended materials transported by rivers during flooding in areas with intense mining activity. Sites with better oxidizing conditions exhibited a higher presence of phases associated with amorphous and crystalline oxides in non-flooded areas. Although the bioavailable fraction was minimal in flooded sites, reducing conditions facilitated As mobility, resulting in higher concentrations in deeper soil layers, particularly as As(III). The contamination factor (CF) ranged from 1.3 to 11.1, and the geochemical index (Igeo) ranged from -0.2 to 2.9, indicating a moderate to high As contamination level in soils. This poses potential health risks, considering the agricultural use of these soils.

Genetic damage among children living in agricultural areas in the North of Colombia.

In recent years, the use of pesticides has increased considerably for pest control and to improve agricultural production. The rural areas of several municipalities of department of Cordoba, north of Colombia, are highly dependent on agriculture. In this study, a questionnaire and field observations about pesticide use and genotoxic damage through the comet assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes of children who live near crop fields was evaluated. Damage Index for Comet Assay (DICA) of five children populations exposed to pesticides (mean of 94.73±53.95 for the municipality of Monteria, the higher damage in this study) were significantly Higher than control children population (mean of 7.56±7.39). Results showed the damage index in children exposed group was higher than in the control group. An inadequate management of pesticides, as well as incorrect disposal of toxic wastes was observed in the study zone.

A pilot-scale electrocoagulation-treatment wetland system for the treatment of landfill leachate.

In the present study, the technical feasibility of an electrocoagulation-treatment wetland continuous flow system, for the removal of organic matter from landfill leachate (LL), was evaluated. The response surface methodology (MSR) was used to assess the individual and combined effects of the applied potential and distance between electrodes, on the removal efficiency and optimization of the electrocoagulation process. The hybrid treatment wetland system consisted of a vertical flow system coupled to a horizontal subsurface flow system, both planted with Canna indica. For a chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration - without pretreatment of 5142.8 ± 2.5 mg L-1, the removal percentage for the electrocoagulation system was 79.4 ± 0.16%, under the optimal working conditions (Potential: 20 V; Distance: 2.0 cm). The COD removal efficiency in the treatment wetland with Canna indica showed a dependence with the hydraulic retention time, reaching 59.2 ± 0.2 % over 15 days. The overall efficiency of the system was about 91.5 ± 0.02 % removal of COD. In addition, a decrease in the biochemical oxygen demand (94.8 ± 0.14%) and total suspended solids (88.2 ± 0.22%), also related to the contamination levels of the LL, were obtained. This study, for the first time, shows that the coupling of electrocoagulation together with a treatment wetland system is a good alternative for the removal of organic contaminants present in LL.

Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals from Gold Mining Activities Using Clidemia sericea D. Don.

Soils contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) as a result of anthropogenic activities such as mining are a problem due to the adverse effects on human and environmental health, making it necessary to seek sustainable strategies to remediate contaminated areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the species Clidemia sericea D. Don for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with PTEs (Hg, Pb, and Cd) from gold mining activities. The study was conducted for three months, with soils from a gold mining area in northern Colombia, and seeds of C. sericea, under a completely randomized experimental design with one factor (concentration of PTEs in soil) and four levels (control (T0), low (T1), medium (T2), and high (T3)), each treatment in triplicate, for a total of twelve experimental units. Phytotoxic effects on plants, bioconcentration (BCF), and translocation (TF) factors were determined. The results obtained for the tissues differed in order of metal accumulation, with the root showing the highest concentration of metals. The highest values of bioconcentration (BCF > 1) were presented for Hg at T3 and Cd in the four treatments; and of translocation (TF > 1) for Hg and Pb at T0 and T1; however, for Pb, the TF indicates that it is transferable, but it is not considered for phytoextraction. Thus, C. sericea demonstrated its potential as a phytostabilizer of Hg and Cd in mining soils, strengthening as a wild species with results of resistance to the stress of the PTEs evaluated, presenting similar behavior and little phytotoxic affectation on the growth and development of each of the plants in the different treatments.

Mercury Accumulation in Commercial Varieties of Oryza sativa L. Cultivated in Soils of La Mojana Region, Colombia.

The Hg accumulation in different commercial varieties of Oryzasativa L. was evaluated in the region of La Mojana, Colombia, where rice cultivation has become the staple food of the population living in this area. The varieties studied were Fedearroz-473 (FA473), Fedearroz-2000 (FA2000), and Fedearroz-Mocari (FAM). Soil spiked at different Hg levels was evaluated, (130, 800, and 1500 µg kg-1) using a 32 factorial design that consisted of 3 (rice varieties) × 3 (Hg contents). The biomass, 1000-grain weight, and the accumulation of Hg in the roots, grains, and husks were determined. The highest biomass was found in the FA473 (308.76 ± 108.26 g), and the lowest was found in FAM (144.04 ± 26.45 g) in the 1500 µg kg-1 Hg soil in both cases. The weight per 1000-grains decreased significantly in the soil containing 800 µg of Hg kg-1. Hg accumulation in the organs of the evaluated varieties was higher in the roots, followed by in the husks and grains. The Hg in the rice grains of the evaluated varieties presented levels close to the permissible limit of the Chinese standard (20 µg Hg kg-1) in the evaluated soils and were only exceeded by FA473. Although in natural soil concentrations, the non-cancer health risk (HQ) from rice consumption was lower for FA473 and FAM; Hg enrichment in the soil of La Mojana region may endanger the health of future populations due to their high consumption of rice.

Determination of arsenic chemical species in rice grains using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to hydride generator with atomic fluorescence detector (HPLC-HG-AFS).

The objective of this work is the validation and implementation of an analytical method for the determination of arsenic chemical species in rice grain samples using High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a hydride generator with atomic fluorescence detector (HPLC-HG-AFS). The extraction protocol developed was based on HNO3 0.28 M (90 °C, 2 h), microwave-assisted. The results showed recovery percentages of arsenite (As (III)) (99-101%), arsenate (As (V)) (91-96%), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) (92-102%) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) (94-97%). The precision of the method presented coefficients of variation lower than 7% and 8% for repeatability and reproducibility respectively. The detection limits were 2.5, 3.75, 7.5 and 4.0 µg kg-1 for As (III), As (V), DMA and MMA respectively. The proposed methodology is reliable for the quantification of As species, because they are conserved during the extraction.•The extraction protocol developed was based on Microwave-assisted acid extraction.•This methodology offers good sensitivity, precision, accuracy, detection and quantification limits.•It was successfully applied to determination of arsenic chemical species in rice grains.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals in the Cispata Bay, Colombia: A marine tropical ecosystem.

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals were evaluated in shallow sediments, water, fish and seabird samples from the Cispata Bay, Colombia. The heavy metals concentrations in the sediment was in the following order: Cu>Pb>Hg>Cd. The heavy metal concentration was different (p<0.05) in juvenile and adult birds. High concentrations of mercury were registered in the seabird (10.19±4.99mgkg-1) and fish (0.67µgg-1) samples. The total concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 7.0-41ngg-1 in sediment, 0.03-0.34ngmL-1 in water samples, 53.24ngg-1 in fish, and 66ngg-1 in seabirds. The high concentrations of heavy metals in seabirds may be explained by their feeding habits. The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Cispata Bay may be due to hydrocarbon spills during oil transport at the nearby oil port.

Removal of mercury from gold mine effluents using Limnocharis flava in constructed wetlands.

Phytoremediation has received increased attention over the recent decades, as an emerging and eco-friendly approach that utilizes the natural properties of plants to remediate contaminated water, soils or sediments. The current study provides information about a pilot-scale experiment designed to evaluate the potential of the anchored aquatic plant Limnocharis flava for phytoremediation of water contaminated with mercury (Hg), in a constructed wetland (CW) with horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF). Mine effluent used in this experiment was collected from a gold mining area located at the Alacran mine in Colombia (Hg: 0.11 ± 0.03 µg mL-1) and spiked with HgNO3 (1.50 ± 0.09 µg mL-1). Over a 30 day test period, the efficiency of the reduction in the heavy metal concentration in the wetlands, and the relative metal sorption by the L. flava, varied according to the exposure time. The continued rate of removal of Hg from the constructed wetland was 9 times higher than the control, demonstrating a better performance and nearly 90% reduction in Hg concentrations in the contaminated water in the presence of L. flava. The results in this present study show the great potential of the aquatic macrophyte L. flava for phytoremediation of Hg from gold mining effluents in constructed wetlands.

Mercury uptake and effects on growth in Jatropha curcas.

The use of metal-accumulating plants for the phytoremediation of contaminated soils is gaining more attention. Mercury (Hg)-contaminated soils from historical gold mines represent a potential risk to human health and the environment. Therefore, Jatropha curcas plant, that has shown its tolerance to these environments, is a species of particular interest to implement phytoremediation techniques in gold mining sites. In this work, the behavior of J. curcas was assessed in different hydroponic cultures fortified with Hg at concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80µgHg/mL (T5, T10, T20, T40 and T80, respectively). After exposure, plant growth, net photosynthesis, leaf area, and Hg accumulation were determined and variables such as net Hg uptake, effective Hg accumulation, translocation and bioaccumulation factors were calculated. Accumulation of Hg in root and leaf tissues increased with respect to the Hg concentrations in the hydroponic culture, with statistically significant differences (p<0.05) among treatments. Moreover, Hg concentration in roots was 7 and 12-fold higher in average than in plant leaves and shoots, respectively. Many effects were found in the development of plants, especially related with loss of biomass and leaf area, with significant growth inhibition related to control values (>50% with treatment T5). Moreover, percentage of inhibition was even higher (>60%) with same treatment for net photosynthesis. Finally, it should be highlighted that for T40 and T80 treatments, plant growth and photosynthesis were almost completely depleted (88%-95%).