[Spatio-temporal Distribution Characteristic and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soils Around Centralized Drinking Water Sources in Wuhan].

In the present study, the spatio-temporal distribution characteristics of heavy metals (Cd, Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in soil around 19 centralized drinking water sources in Wuhan were investigated. Single-factor and comprehensive pollution indexes were used to determine soil pollution levels. The potential ecological hazard index was employed to evaluate soil potential ecological risks. The correlation and cluster analysis were conducted to identify pollution sources. The results showed that higher concentrations of heavy metals were present in soil from centralized drinking water source located in core area than suburb area of Wuhan. The concentrations of heavy metals in soil from centralized drinking water sources near the Yangtze River were higher than that in the sites near the tributaries of the Yangtze River. The average single potential ecological risk index of Hg, As, Pb, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn were lower than 40, which suggests a slight potential ecological risk. The average single potential ecological risk index of Cd was 80-160, which indicates a high potential ecological risk. The average comprehensive potential ecological risk index of heavy metals in soil around centralized drinking water sources in Wuhan was 142.12, which corresponded to a slight potential ecological risk. The correlation analysis showed that the sources of Cu, Pb, and Cr were similar and came from transport. The sources of Ni, As, Cr, and Cu were similar and could be attributed to metallurgical industries. The sources of Zn, Hg, and Cr were similar and could be related to antiseptic and catalytic industries. The long-term monitoring of Wuhan Dijiao and Baishazhou waterworks indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals around centralized drinking water sources in Wuhan were markedly decreased after 2017 and that ecological risk may be further reduced in the future.

[Screening of Amendments for Simultaneous Cd and As Immobilization in Soil].

Simultaneously reducing the availability of Cd and As is difficult owing to converse chemical behaviors of Cd and As in soil. In this study, amendments that can simultaneously immobilize Cd and As in soil were determined by an pure soil culture experiment in which flooding and wetting were performed for 30 d each. The effects of sepiolite (Sep), modified sepiolite (IMS and Sep-FM), steel slag (SS), and iron modified biochar (Fe-Bio) on soil pH, Eh, Cd, and As concentrations in pore water, and Cd and As fractions in soil were investigated. It showed that Sep (1%, 2.5%), IMS (1%, 2.5%), Sep-FM (1%, 2.5%), and SS (1%, 5%) treatments increased soil pH value and decreased Eh value and Cd concentrations in soil solution. In addition, As concentrations in soil solution treated with high doses of IMS (2.5%) and SS (5%) were lower than that of CK treatment during the whole incubation period. However, Fe-bio treatment decreased soil pH and increased Eh value and only decreased Cd and As concentrations in soil solution under wet conditions. Compared with the control, the application of the above amendments promoted the transformation of Cd fraction from exchangeable to reducible, oxidizable, and residual. High application rates of IMS (2.5%), Sep-FM (2.5%), and SS (5%) also reduced available As fraction (non-specifically sorbed and specifically-sorbed As fraction), and increased amorphous and poorly-crystalline hydrated Fe and Al oxide-bound As. On the contrary, Fe-bio treatment increased the fractions of non-specifically sorbed, specifically sorbed and residual As in soil. In short, IMS, Sep-FM, and SS are potential materials for remediation of Cd and As contaminated soil. They can effectively immobilize soil Cd and As and promote their transformation to the fractions that plants are difficult to uptake.

Elevated atmospheric CO2 might increase the health risk of long-term ingestion of leafy vegetables cultivated in residual DDT polluted soil.

Residual dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in the environment and a continuously increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration are two issues that have received a lot of attention. This study was conducted using a pot experiment to investigate the interactive effects of elevated CO2 and DDT on the uptake of DDT, the physiological responses and the resulting health risks in three vegetables. These vegetables included Brassica juncea var. foliosa Bailey (B. Bailey), Brassica campestris L. var. communis Tsen et Lee Suzhou Qing (B. Lee) and Brassica campestris L. ssp. pekinensis (Lour.) Olsson Chun Dawang (B. Olsson). Two levels of CO2 and four DDT treatment levels were set up. Results showed 5 mg kg-1 DDT significantly reduced the shoot biomass of B. Bailey when compared to 0 mg kg-1 DDT treatment under ambient CO2 condition. Elevated CO2 concentration stimulated the growth of B. Bailey and B. Lee, increased the DDT uptake in the shoots of both vegetables and the values of some photosynthesis indices, and triggered the activity of peroxidase and catalase in the shoots when compared to the related ambient CO2 treatment. Elevated CO2 concentration increased the values of hazard indexes for non-carcinogenic and cancer risks of all vegetables when compared to the individual ambient CO2 treatment (each of vegetable has an ambient CO2 treatment), especially for B. Bailey (increase amplitude of 123.81%-127.78% at 5 mg kg-1 DDT). Long-term ingestion with these DDT-polluted vegetables might result in an elevated carcinogenic risk and elevated atmospheric CO2 may enhance the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks.

[Current researches in microbial remediation of arsenic pollution].

Along with the rapid development of industries, arsenic contamination emerges as one of the world's most urgent environmental problems, especially for the developing countries. Microbial remediation of arsenic polluted environments is a key technique in practice, four aspects, i.e., the special adsorption of arsenic by micro-organisms, the transformation of arsenic speciation and the degradation and volatilization of arsenic compounds by micro-organisms, the effects to arsenic contamination of soil by the interactions between micro-organisms and plant roots, and the molecular biological mechanism of bioremediation for arsenic were reviewed in this paper. In the final section of this paper, the outlook of bioremediation for arsenic and the issues and realms which call for more researches in the future were discussed.

[Comparative study on determinations of BTEX in soils from industrial contaminated sites].

In order to ascertain BTEX measurements of soils from industrial contaminated sites, static headspace, purge-and-trap and solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined gas chromatography were selected to determine BTEX in the soils. This method of SPME could not be used to analyze BTEX isomers in soils from highly contaminated sites because the high concentration of organic contaminants eroded the SPME probe head. The recoveries for added standard ranged from 95.2% - 98.2% for static headspace-GC and 99.2% - 101.3% for purge-and-trap-GC. When the soil samples contained low concentrations of BTEX (< 60 mg/kg), the concentration determined by purge-and-trap-GC was 12.6% - 37.6% higher than the value from static headspace-GC. For soil samples containing high concentrations of BTEX, the static headspace-GC result was higher than that from purge-and-trap-GC. The correlation trend lines of individual BTEX isomers to total BTEX were similar for both static headspace-GC and purge-and-trap-GC results.

[Chemical oxidants for remediation of BTEX-contaminated soils at coking sites].

An enclosed reactor was used to evaluate Fenton reagent, modified Fenton reagent, potassium permanganate and activated persulfate for removal of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene (BTEX) from soil at contaminated industrial coking sites. The results showed that Fenton reagent and modified Fenton reagent were the optimum oxidants for removing BTEX, and these oxidants decreased the concentration of BTEX in soils by 83% and 73%, respectively. The proportion of BTEX volatilized from the soil was < 4% in both cases, and the rates of BTEX removal from the whole system were 80% and 71%. More than 65% of xylene was removed after treatment with Fenton reagent and modified Fenton reagent. In contrast, benzene, toluene were more resistant to oxidation, and ethyl benzene was the most resistant of these compounds. The concentration of BTEX decreased to some extent when permanganate and activated persulfate were used as oxidants. However, the proportions of volatilized BTEX were 83% and 77% for permanganate and activated persulfate, respectively. This indicates that they could stimulate the desorption and volatilization of BTEX, while they were ineffective for removing BTEX from the environment.

[Enhancement of As-accumulation by Pteris vittata L. affected by microorganisms].

A pot experiment was carried out to study the root character and As accumulation of Pteris vittata L. affected by actinomycete PSQ, shf2 and bacteria Ts37, C13. The results indicated that growth of the fern was improved by the microorganisms. The biomass, root activity and root volume of shf2 treatment were 11.5 g/pot, 2.01 microg/(g x h), 38.3 mL, which were higher than those of other microorganisms treatments. Arsenic concentrations in the plants treated by the microorganisms were higher than that of the control treatment. The As concentration of leaves in Ts37 treatment was up to 837 mg/kg, 206% more than that of the control. The As concentration of root treated by shf2 is 427 mg/kg, 88% more than that of the control. The arsenic accumulation by the plant in microorganism treatments was higher than that of the control, especially shf2 treatment up to 5804 microg/pot, 136% more than that of the control. The phytoremediation efficiency of the fern in greenhouse experiment after 45d was from 8.9% to 11.3%. The ability of As-accumulation of Pteris vittata is greatly enhanced by application of microorganism, and actinomycete shf2 is proved as the perfect one.