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ABSTRACT: An incubation experiment was conducted to monitor effect of sewage sludge application on changes in numbers of faecal coliforms in soils over time after sludge application and evaluate the hygiene risks. Soil faecal coliform counts were made after 1, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 84days of incubation. The faecal coliform counts in the sludge-treated soils decreased substantially with time and were similar to those in the untreated controls after incubation for 56days. Land application of air-dried sludges increased the hygiene risks due to the re-growth of faecal coliforms, and the counts of faecal coliforms in soil treated with air dried sludge from Suzhou (91% DM) were 50 times higher than in soils with fresh dewatered sludge from Suzhou (15% DM) after 7days of incubation. The main factors affecting the changes in faecal coliform counts were sludge type and incubation time. Sludge type determined the faecal coliform counts and the ability of the faecal coliforms to re-establish, and indigenous microorganisms competed with the faecal coliforms for nutrients during the incubation process.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 04/2012; 28(1):97-101. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of growing vetiver grass on the biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) under glasshouse conditions. Plant biomass, microbial biomass C and degradation of B[a]P were determined. B[a]P disappeared faster in the plant treatments than in unplanted controls. Disappearance of B[a]P was accompanied by an increase in soil microbial biomass C. Vetiver grass may promote the biodegradation of B[a]P under flooded conditions by plant roots by stimulating the microbial biomass. Microbial biomass was the main factor affecting dissipation of B[a]P under flooded conditions.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 04/2012; 28(1):183-188. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were quantified in 30 soil profiles from the Yangtze River Delta Region, in east China. Relative concentrations of PAH compounds with different benzene rings and ratios of fluoranthene to fluoranthene plus pyrene and benz(a)anthracene to benz(a)anthracene plus chrysene were used to identify the possible sources of soil PAHs. Total concentrations of 15 PAHs in topsoils ranged from 8.6 to 3881 microg kg(-1) with an average of 397 microg kg(-1). Half of the soil samples were considered to be contaminated with PAHs (>200 microg kg(-1)) and two sampling sites were heavily polluted by PAHs with concentrations >1000 microg kg(-1). Phenanthrene was found in soils below a depth of 100 cm in half of the sampling sites, but the detectable ratio of benzo(a)pyrene decreased sharply from 100% in topsoil to 0 in the 4th horizon.
Environmental Pollution 06/2007; 147(2):358-65. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A geochemical baseline provides the means to distinguish between the pedogenic origin and the anthropogenic origin of the
trace element in the environmental compartments. We collected 271 soil samples representative of different parent rocks and
soil types from the whole territory of Hong Kong and analyzed the composition of clay mineralogy and the contents of 15 chemical
elements (Fe, Cd, As, etc.) for these samples. The baseline was predicted with the method of the normalization procedure combined
with the relative cumulative frequency curve. The result indicated that Fe was the best reference element for the normalization
procedure among the five potential reference elements (Fe, Al, Sc, Ti, and Mn), followed by Sc and Ti. A poor correlation
was found between Sc, Ti, and Cu. The predicted baseline was much lower than the A-value of the Dutch List used usually in screening the polluted soil of Hong Kong, implying that the extent of heavy metal
pollution might have been underestimated with respect to local lands. We also applied the cluster analysis to distinguish
the geochemical associations of the trace elements due to its importance to the baseline. Approximately three major associations
including the Fe–Mn-oxides related, Al oxides or Al-bearing-clay-mineralogy related and sulfide- related associations were
observed from the dendrogram.
Environmental Geology 01/2007; 52(5):843-851. · 1.13 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A soil column experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of inoculation of bacteria on metal bioavailability, mobility and potential leachability through single chemical extraction, consequential extraction and in situ soil solution extraction technologies. Results showed that bacteria inoculated, including Azotobacter chroococcum, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus mucilaginosus, may pose both positive and negative impacts on bioavailability and mobility of heavy metals in soil, depending on the chemical nature of the metals. The activities of bacteria led to an increase of water dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and a decrease of pH value, which enhanced metal mobility and bioavailability (e.g. an increase of water-soluble and HOAc-soluble Zn). On the other hand, bacteria could immobilize metals (e.g. a great reduction of water-soluble Pb) due to the adsorption by bacterial cell walls and possible sedimentation reactions with phosphate or other anions produced through bacterial metabolism.
Environmental Pollution 01/2007; 144(3):765-73. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Surface soil (0-10 cm) samples from 53 sampling sites including rural and urban areas of Hong Kong were collected and analyzed for 16 EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Total PAH concentrations were in the range of 7.0-410 microg kg(-1) (dry wt), with higher concentrations in urban soils than that in rural soils. The three predominant PAHs were Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Pyrene in rural soils, while Fluoranthene, Naphthalene and Benzo(b + k)fluoranthene dominated the PAHs of urban soils. The values of PAHs isomer indicated that biomass burning might be the major origin of PAHs in rural soils, but vehicular emission around the heavy traffic roads might contribute to the soil PAHs in urban areas. A cluster analysis was performed and grouped the detectable PAHs under 4 clusters, which could be indicative of the PAHs with different origins and PAHs affected by soil organic carbon contents respectively.
Environmental Pollution 06/2006; 141(1):107-14. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Various tissues of rice plants were sampled from a PAH contaminated site in Tianjin, China at different growth stages of the ripening period and analyzed for PAHs. PAHs were much higher in roots than in the exposed tissues. Grains and internodes accumulated much smaller amounts of PAHs than leaves, hulls or ear axes. No specific gradient trends along roots, stem, ear axes, and grains were observed, suggesting that systematic translocation among them is unlikely. Over the ripening period, PAH concentrations were increased in rice roots and decreased in most above-ground tissues. Significant correlations between PAH and lipid contents can only be observed during full mature stage. The spectra of individual PAH compounds in rice organs including roots were similar to those in air, rather than those in soil. There was also a significant correlation between bioconcentration factor (BCF, plant over air) and octanol/air partitioning coefficient (Koa).
Environmental Pollution 05/2006; 140(3):406-15. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It was short of research on the organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in the soils of Hong Kong. Sixty-six representative soil samples were collected from the 46 sites covering five types of land uses in Hong Kong. Hexachlorohexanes (HCH) and 7 Stockholm Convention OCPs were analyzed by gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a Nickel 63 electronic capture detector (muECD). The results presented that HCH and 5 Stockholm Convention pesticides were detected in Hong Kong soils although the detectable ratio varies to a great extent. The concentration sequence of the five detectable OCPs was HCH > dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) > hexachlorobenzene (HCB) approximately = Endrin > alpha-endosulfan. Among the OCPs and their homologues or isomers, beta-HCH and p,p'-DDE were the two predominant substances according to the concentrations and detectable ratios, concentrations of which in soils were averagely 6.12 microg kg(-1) and 0.41 microg kg(-1) respectively. Soil horizon samples of 0-10 cm, 10-30 cm and >30 cm depth were selected from nine soil profiles to demonstrate the depth distributions of DDT and HCH in soil profiles. Concentrations of HCH tended to increase gradually from the topsoil to bottom layer while the lowest concentration of DDT is usually found in the subsoil (10-30 cm) in most sampling sites. In addition, close correlations of pH(KCl) and total organic carbon (TOC) with HCH indicated an effect on the residues of HCH caused by these two soils properties, but such relationships were not found with DDT or other OCPs.
Chemosphere 04/2006; 63(4):633-41. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A greenhouse study was carried out with Brassica juncea to critically evaluate effects of bacterial inoculation on the uptake of heavy metals from Pb-Zn mine tailings by plants. Application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, including nitrogen-fixing bacteria and phosphate and potassium solubilizers, might play an important role in the further development of phytoremediation techniques. The presence of these beneficial bacteria stimulated plant growth and protected the plant from metal toxicity. Inoculation with rhizobacteria had little influence on the metal concentrations in plant tissues, but produced a much larger above-ground biomass and altered metal bioavailability in the soil. As a consequence, higher efficiency of phytoextraction was obtained compared with control treatments.
Environmental Pollution 04/2006; 140(1):124-35. · 3.75 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Samples of eight types of vegetables, the rhizosphere soils, and bulk soils were collected from two sites (A and B) in Tianjin, China for the determination of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDXs). The average concentrations of total HCHs and DDXs in the bulk soils were 3.6 and 80.1 ng/g for site A and 102 and 235 ng/g for site B, respectively. Relative accumulations of HCHs and DDXs in the rhizosphere soil from site A but not site B were demonstrated. The concentrations of total HCHs and DDXs in vegetable roots were 3.6-60 and 4.2-73 ng/g for site A and 15-152 and 7.1-136 ng/g for site B, respectively. Difference in bioaccumulation among various vegetables, especially between tuber and fibrous vegetables was significant. DDXs in spinach and cauliflower from site B and lindane (gamma-HCH) in cauliflower from both sites and violet from site B exceeded the maximum residual limits. Linear correlation of log-transformed HCHs and DDXs contents between the vegetable roots and the rhizosphere soils suggests the direct uptake of HCHs and DDXs.
Environmental Science and Technology 05/2005; 39(8):2494-9. · 5.23 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was grown in pots containing soil artificially contaminated with various levels of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P)(0, 1, 10 and 100 mg kg–1). Soil and plants were sampled after 30, 40, 50, 60 and 90 days and compared with unlanted pots. The percentage of mycorrhizal root length colonized by Glomus caledoniun was not significantly affected by the addition of B[a]P up to 10 mg kg–1 but was significantly lower at 100 mg kg–1B[a]P compared with low concentrations (p < 0.05).="" there="" was="" no="" difference="" in="" soil="" polyphenol="" oxidase="" and="" dehydrogenase="" activity="" among="" the="" controls="" and="" applications="" of="" 1="" and="" 10="" mg="">–1 of B[a]P. However, enzyme activities were significantly higher at 100 mg kg–1B[a]P compared with the other three treatments, and there was no mycorrhizal effect. Over a period of 90 days the concentration of B[a]P in soil in which alfalfa was grown was significantly lower than in unplanted soil (p < 0.05).="" degradation="" rates="" of="">a]P added at 1, 10 and 100 mg kg–1 without G. caledonium were 76, 78 and 53%, and with mycorrhizal inoculation were 86, 87 and 57%. The degradation rate in unplanted soil was significantly lower than in planted soil, and was significantly higher in medium- and low-B[a]P treatments than in the high B[a]P concentration tested. There is a possibility of enhancement phytoremediation of PAHs in rhizosphere soil with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 05/2004; 26(2):285-293. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: An orthogonally designed experiment was conducted to study the single and combined effects of N, P and K on phytoremediation of Cu-polluted soil by Indian mustard. Addition of fertilizer N and P significantly increased Indian mustard shoot yield. Two high treatments combined with N resulted in the highest yields, followed by low-P combined with N. In contrast, high P with no N gave no yield increase and K had no effect on yield of Indian mustard. Nitrogen and P increased the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, indicating that the yield increases were due to enhanced photosynthesis. Nitrogen application had no effect on plant Cu concentrations but addition of P slightly decreased plant Cu concentrations, likely a dilution effect resulting from the increase in yield. Among the treatments, N and P applied at 100 and 200 mg kg–1 respectively with no K application resulted in the highest Cu uptake. Thus, a combination of low N and high P produced a yield increase in Indian mustard that was more than adequate to compensate for a slight decrease in Cu concentration, resulting in the highest Cu removal from the contaminated soil.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 05/2004; 26(2):331-335. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Plants that hyperaccumulate metals are ideal subjects for studying the mechanisms of metal and mineral nutrient uptake in the plant kingdom. Indian Mustard (Brassica juncea) has been shown to accumulate moderate levels of Cd, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cu. In this experiment, 10 levels of Cd concentration treatments were imposed by adding 10–190 mg Cd kg–1 to the soils as cadmium nitrate [Cd(NO3)2]. The effect of Cd on phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and the micronutrients iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in B. juncea was studied. Plant growth was affected negatively by Cd, root biomass decreased significantly at 170 mg Cd kg–1 dry weight soils treatment. Cadmium accumulation both in shoots and roots increased with increasing soil Cd treatments. The highest concentration of Cd was up to 300 mg kg–1 d.w. in the roots and 160 mg kg–1 d.w. in the shoots. The nutrients mainly affected by Cd were P, K, Ca, Fe, and Zn in the roots, and P, K, Ca, and Cu in the shoots. K and P concentrations in roots increased significantly when Cd was added at 170 mg kg–1, and this was almost the same level at which root growth was inhibited. Zn concentrations in roots decreased significantly when added Cd concentration was increased from 50 to 110 mg kg–1, then remained constant with Cd treatments from 110 to 190 mg kg–1. However, Zn concentrations in the shoots seemed less affected by Cd. It is possible that Zn uptake was affected by the Cd but not the translocation of Zn within the plant. Ca and Mg accumulation in roots and shoots showed similar trends. This result indicates that Ca and Mg uptake is a non-specific process.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 05/2004; 26(2):319-324. · 1.62 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A glasshouse pot experiment and a laboratory leaching column experiment were conducted to study the EDTA enhancement of the mobility and phytoextraction of heavy metals and the potential for leaching of metals during the phytoextraction process. Addition of EDTA (disodium salt, 3 mmol kg −1) to pots of a paddy soil (an Fe-accumulic Gleyi-Stagnic Antrosol) historically polluted with Cu and experimentally spiked with Zn, Pb and Cd significantly enhanced the mobilities of soil Cu and Pb but not of Zn and Cd. EDTA increased shoot Cu and Pb concentrations in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) plants growing in the soil but the resulting offtakes were low and a sequence of at least 200 crops would be required to remediate the soil. Addition of oxalic, citric or malic acid to soil at the same rate (3 mmol kg −1) had virtually no effect on uptake of the metals by Indian mustard. EDTA addition led to elevated soil solution concentrations of TOC, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd for about 1 month. Rainfall after EDTA application, as simulated by the column leaching experiment, increased the concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd linearly in leachate with increasing EDTA dosage (0–12 mmol kg −1). EDTA addition also led to losses of soil macronutrients including Fe. About 68% of the added EDTA tended to chelate soil Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd and the remaining 32% was chelated with and leached other ions. Total Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd losses were significantly correlated with EDTA dosage. The low shoot offtakes of Pb and Cu and the risk of groundwater pollution as EDTA remains active for several weeks make chelate-enhanced phytoremediation with Indian mustard unsuitable for this soil, especially during periods of high rainfall.
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 01/2004; 102:307-318. · 3.00 Impact Factor
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Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 11/2003; 71(4):706-13. · 1.02 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Chemical behavior of Cd in rice rhizosphere as affected or not by Pb was investigated. The NH4OAc extractable Cd in the rhizosphere was distinctly lower than that in bulk soil. The depletion of Cd in the rhizosphere could not be simply attributed to Cd uptake by rice. The observed phenomena could be attributed to the decreasing pH in the rhizosphere and the complexing capabilities of soluble exudates for Cd. Extractable Cd increased in both the rhizosphere and bulk soil after the addition of Pb, which might be caused by the replacement of Pb for Cd. The extractable Cd in the non-rhizosphere varied with the distance from the root surface, especially within 0-1 mm, which was greatly affected by the combined effects of mass flow, activation and fixation, and had the lowest extractable Cd. Pb addition affected the distribution of extractable Cd in the non-rhizosphere, implying that the affinity of Pb for organic matter was greater than that of Cd. The difference of Cd species between rhizosphere and bulk soil demonstrated that the transformation of exchangeable Cd (EXC-Cd) to OM-Cd (bound to organic matter) and FMO-Cd (bound to iron and manganese oxide) occurred in the rice rhizosphere due to the exudations from the rice root, the activity of microorganisms on the root surface and the activation of Fe and Mn oxides. The interaction between Pb and Cd resulted in the content of EXC-Cd being higher in the presence of Pb, whereas the OM-Cd content was lower in the presence of Pb.
Chemosphere 03/2003; 50(6):755-61. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Adsorption and hydroponics experiments were conducted to study the role of citric acid on the phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. The results show that addition of citric acid decreased the adsorption of both lead and cadmium, such an effect was bigger for cadmium than for lead. The decrease in the adsorption of Pb and Cd was mainly due to a decrease of pH in the presence of citric acid. The presence of citric acid could alleviate the toxicity of Pb and Cd to radish, and stimulate their transportation from root to shoot. The studies of heavy metal forms using sequential extraction demonstrated that lead was mainly existed as FHAC (a lower bioavailable form) in the root, while F(HCl) was the dominant form in the leaf. The addition of citric acid to the soil changed the concentration and relative abundance of all the forms. The detoxifying effect of citric acid to Pb in shoots might result from the transformation of higher toxic forms into lower toxic forms. Cadmium was mainly present as F(NaCl), therefore, it had higher toxicity than lead. The addition of citric acid increased the abundance of F(H2O) + F(NaCl), indicating that citric acid treatment could transform cadmium into more transportable forms.
Chemosphere 03/2003; 50(6):807-11. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Physiological experiments on plant roots exposed to cadmium were conducted on carrot and radish using a liquid culture and a pot experiment with a series of cadmium applications. Activities of four enzymes (catalase, peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, superoxide dismutase), and concentrations of free proline and malonaldehyde in the roots of both plants were investigated. Results showed that the germination rate and growth of roots of both plants were inhibited at the concentration of 20 mg Cd/l, and the inhibition was increased with the increasing concentrations of cadmium, both in the liquid culture and in the pot experiment; activities of the four enzymes declined similarly in both species. The concentration of proline in roots reached the maximum when the application of cadmium was at the level of 20 mg/l in the liquid culture (or 20 mg/kg in soil), and then it declined slowly with the increasing concentration of cadmium. However, the reverse trend was observed for the concentration of malonaldehyde. All of bio-indicators measured here was quite sensitive to the addition of cadmium.
Chemosphere 03/2003; 50(6):789-93. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The effects of cadmium stress on nodulation, N2-fixation capabilities of the root nodule, the change in ultrastructure of the root nodule, soybean growth, and the distribution of cadmium in plants were studied. The results obtained show that the nodulation of soybean roots was greatly inhibited by the addition of Cd, especially at the addition level of 10 and 20 mg kg(-1) soil. The inhibition of plant growth, especially the root growth, increased as the cadmium concentration increased, with deleterious effects observed for the roots. The weight ratio of soybean root/leaf decreased as the Cd concentration increased, which might explain the reason for nodulation decreases. The results also indicate that N2-fixation of root nodule was stimulated to some extent at the low levels of Cd addition, but decreased sharply with further increase of the Cd concentration. High Cd levels were also associated with changes in the ultrastructure of root nodule, in which the effective N2-fixing area was reduced and the N2-fixing cells in the area also reduced. In addition, the results also reveal that the content of Cd in different parts of the plants was as follows: roots > stems > seeds, indicating that the accumulation of Cd by roots is much larger than that by any other part of the soybean plant, and might cause deleterious effects to root systems.
Chemosphere 03/2003; 50(6):781-7. · 3.21 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A laboratory incubation study was conducted using a paddy soil spiked with two quantities of Zn as soluble Zn(NO3)2 and unamended controls. Three single extractants (1 M ammonium acetate (pH 7.0), 0.43 M acetic acid and 0.05 M EDTA) were used to assess the bioavailability of Zn. Biological community assessments were made microbial biomass (chloroform fumigation), soil basal respiration and dehydrogenase activity. During the 84-day period of the experiment, addition of Zn at both 500 and 1,000 mg kg(-1) had little detectable effect on soil pH. The concentration of NH4OAc-extractable Zn decreased rapidly within the initial six weeks. The concentration of HOAc-extractable Zn showed no decrease during 84 days incubation. EDTA-extractable Zn was greater than NH4OAc- and HOAc-extractable fractions, and showed a similar trend to NH4OAc-extractable after incubation. Microbial biomass, soil basal respiration and dehydrogenase activity all decreased over time during 84 days incubation. Addition of Zn resulted in a significant increase in specific respiration (qCO2). Microbial biomass and dehydrogenase activity did not appear to be influenced by added Zn, probably due to the strong buffering capacity of the soil. The Zn extracted by EDTA, HOAc and NH4OAc showed close relationships with each other (p < 0.001). Zinc extracted by 0.05 M EDTA and NH4OAc were highly correlated with soil basal respiration and specific respiration rate (p < 0.01). The results suggest that NH4OAc-extractable Zn combined with soil specific respiration could be used as parameters for risk assessment.
Chemosphere 03/2003; 50(6):855-61. · 3.21 Impact Factor
