ß-cyclodextrin functionalized biochars as novel sorbents for high-performance of Pb2+ removal.

The aim of this study was to synthesize the functionalized biochars with ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD), compare the two kinds of adsorption capability, and try to explore the possible mechanism for the adsorption Pb2+ by ß-CD functionalized rice straw and palm biochars in the aquatic environment. The performance of the functionalized biochars was matched against the activated and raw biochars. Rice straw biochar loaded with ß-CD performed better than functionalized palm biochar with the adsorption capabilities of 130.60 mg/g and 90.30 mg/g at Pb2+ concentration of 3000 mg/L and 2000 mg/L, respectively. Maximum adsorption capability of functionalized rice straw and palm biochars from the Langmuir isotherms were all fitted out to be 131.24 mg/g and 118.08 mg/g for Pb2+. Kinetics and thermodynamics are combined to investigate the Pb2+ removal by the two functionalized biochars, e.g, Pb2+ is mainly removed by chemical process for functionalized palm biochar, whereas by both physical and chemical factors for functionalized rice straw biochar.

Aging activity of DDE in dissimilar rice soils in a greenhouse experiment.

A green-house study was conducted in late 2005 to investigate the aging behavior of p,p'-DDE in two types of soil, Hydragric Anthrosols (An) and Hydragric Acrisols (Ac), according to the World Reference Base (WRB) [FAO/ISRIC/ISSS. 1998. World reference base for soil resources. World soil resources reports, Rome. p. 87]. Paddy rice and dry rice were grown in submerged paddy soils and non-submerged upland soils, respectively. The concentration of extractable p,p'-DDE in fresh DDE-spiked soils was 746.2ngg(-1). During the first few weeks of the experiment, the extractability of p,p'-DDE became increasingly low as the aging period prolonged. However, certain amount of p,p'-DDE that had been captured by soil minerals and organic matter (OM) could be released and became extractable in the later period. The extractability of p,p'-DDE in submerged soils was significantly lower than that in non-submerged soil, because flooding could increase the binding of pollutants to soil particles. The plantation of both dry rice and paddy rice slowed down the aging process of p,p'-DDE. After one month's growth of rice, p,p'-DDE bound to soil particles was released and became extractable. The OM and silt content of An are higher than that of Ac, resulting in more bound residues and relative lower extractability of p,p'-DDE in An. In addition, the extractability of p,p'-DDE could be reduced by the addition of rice straw to soils.

Organochlorine pesticides in soils under different land usage in the Taihu Lake region, China.

A field study was conducted in the Taihu Lake region, China in 2004 to reveal the organochlorine pesticide concentrations in soils after the ban of these substances in the year 1983. Thirteen organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analyzed in soils from paddy field, tree land and fallow land. Total organochlorine pesticide residues were higher in agricultural soils than in uncultivated fallow land soils. Among all the pesticides, sigmaDDX (DDD, DDE and DDT) had the highest concentration for all the soil samples, ranging from 3.10 ng/g to 166.55 ng/g with a mean value of 57.04 ng/g and followed by sigmaHCH, ranging from 0.73 ng/g to 60.97 ng/g with a mean value of 24.06 ng/g. Dieldrin, endrin, HCB and alpha-endosulfan were also found in soils with less than 15 ng/g. Ratios of p,p'-(DDD+DDE)/DDT in soils under three land usages were: paddy field > tree land > fallow land, indicating that land usage influenced the degradation of DDT in soils. Ratios of p,p'-(DDD+DDE)/DDT > 1, showing aged residues of DDTs in soils of the Taihu Lake region. The results were discussed with data from a former study that showed very low actual concentrations of HCH and DDT in soils in the Taihu Lake region, but according to the chemical half-lives and their concentrations in soils in 1980s, the concentration of DDT in soils seemed to be underestimated. In any case our data show that the ban on the use of HCH and DDT resulted in a tremendous reduction of these pesticide residues in soils, but there are still high amounts of pesticide residues in soils, which need more remediation processes.