Multifunctional iron-carbon nanocomposites through an aerosol-based process for the in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons

Spherical iron-carbon nanocomposites were developed through a facile aerosol-based process with sucrose and iron chloride as starting materials. These composites exhibit multiple functionalities relevant to the in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The distribution and immobilization of iron nanoparticles on the surface of carbon spheres prevents zerovalent nanoiron aggregation with maintenance of reactivity. The aerosol-based carbon microspheres allow adsorption of TCE, thus removing dissolved TCE rapidly and facilitating reaction by increasing the local concentration of TCE in the vicinity of iron nanoparticles. The strongly adsorptive property of the composites may also prevent release of any toxic chlorinated intermediate products. The composite particles are in the optimal range for transport through groundwater saturated sediments. Furthermore, those iron-carbon composites can be designed at low cost, the process is amenable to scale-up for in situ application, and the materials are intrinsically benign to the environment.     

污染场地土壤环境初步调查采样方法研究

为了保护生态环境,节约土地资源,本文以工业用地为例进行土壤环境初调,以期了解当地土壤污染程度、污染类型与分布情况,在采样布点时应注意点位确定与深度选取,并结合区域实际情况制定采样方案、科学布设采样点,使污染区的土壤环境得到有效改善,为生态环保工作贡献更多力量.     

Mass spectroscopy-gas cromatographic identification of chlorinated hydrocarbons in trout

The PCB-content and the content of chlorinated hydrocarbons in trout was examined by GC-MS. PCBs ranging from trichlorobiphenyls to hexachlorbiphenyls, chlordan, DDE, DDD, DDT and dieldrine were found and identified by mass spectrometry. We suppose that less chlorinated PCBs in trout are not deposed or will be excreted very quickly.     

Development of a matrix solid-phase dispersion-sonication extraction method for the determination of fungicides residues in ginseng extract

A rapid method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) was developed for the determination of pentachloronitrobenzene, pentachloroaniline, methylpentachloro-phenylsulphide and procymidone in ginseng extract using gas chromatography. The optimal conditions selected for MSPD extraction were as follows: after blending 5 mL of aqueous ginseng extract (10%, w/v) with Florisil (10 g), the mixture was passed into a small chromatographic column and extracted twice with 10 mL ethyl acetate–hexane solvent mixture (70:30, v/v) for 15 min in an ultrasonic bath at room temperature. The analytical performance of this method showed MSPD to be efficient, fast, simple and had little or no matrix effect. The method detection limits varied from 0.1 to 0.4 μg/L. Mean recoveries were found in the range of 83.5–97.4% and had a good linear relationship (r² ? 0.9987) with relative standard deviations less than 10%. The proposed method has proved to be a feasible one for the analysis of fungicide residues in ginseng extract.     

Preparation and characterization of a new class of starch-stabilized bimetallic nanoparticles for degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons in water

Dechlorination of TCE and PCBs using bimetallic nanoparticles has received increasing interest in recent years. However, due to the extremely high reactivity, nanoparticles prepared using current methods tend to either react with surrounding media or agglomerate, resulting in the formation of much larger flocs and significant loss in reactivity. To overcome these drawbacks, we developed a simple and green approach for synthesizing palladized iron (Fe-Pd) nanoparticles. We modified the conventional methods by applying a water-soluble starch as a stabilizer. The starched nanoparticles displayed much less agglomeration but greater dechlorination power than those prepared without a stabilizer. TEM analyses indicated that the starched nanoparticles were present as discrete particles as opposed to dendritic flocs for nonstarched particles. The mean particle size was estimated to be 14.1 nm with a standard deviation of 11.7 nm, which translated to a surface area of approximately 55 m2 g(-1). While starched nanoparticles remained suspended in water for days, nonstarched particles agglomerated and precipitated within minutes. The starched nanoparticles exhibited markedly greater reactivity when used for dechlorination of TCE or PCBs in water. At a dose of 0.1 g L(-1), the starched particles were able to destroy 98% of TCE (C0 = 25 mg L(-1)) within 1 h. While trace amounts (<25 microg L(-1)) of 1,1-DCE were detected in the initial stage (<20 min) of degradation, no other intermediate byproducts such as vinyl chloride, cis-, or trans-dichloroethene were detected. The starched nanoparticles at approximately 1 g L(-1) were able to transform over 80% of PCBs (C0 = 2.5 mg L(-1)) in less than 100 h, as compared to only 24% with nonstarched Fe-Pd nanoparticles. The application of an innocuous stabilizer may substantially enhance the performances of palladized iron nanoparticles for environmental applications.     

Isotopic and geochemical assessment of in situ biodegradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons

Currently there is no in situ method to detect and quantify complete mineralization of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) to CO2. Combined isotopic measurements in conjunction with traditional chemical techniques were used to assess in situ biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) and carbon tetrachloride (CT). Vadose zone CHC, ethene, ethane, methane, O2, and CO2 concentrations were analyzed using gas chromatography over 114 days at the Savannah River Site. delta13C of CHC and delta13C and 14C of vadose zone CO2, sediment organic matter, and groundwater dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC)were measured. Intermediate metabolites of TCE and CT accounted for < or = 10% of total CHCs. Delta13C of cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE) was always heavier than TCE indicating substantial DCE biodegradation. 14C-CO2 values ranged from 84 to 128 percent modern carbon (pMC), suggesting that plant root-respired CO2 was dominant. 14C-CO2 values decreased over time (up to 12 pMC), and contaminated groundwater 14C-DIC (76 pMC) was substantially depleted relative to the control (121 pMC). 14C provided a direct measure of complete CHC mineralization in vadose zone and groundwater in situ and may improve remediation strategies.     

Using a membrane technique (SPM) for high fat food sample preparation in the determination of chlorinated persistent organic pollutants by a GC/ECD method

This paper focuses upon the use of semipermeable membranes (SPM) as a clean-up method for the determination of 4,4′-DDD, 4,4′-DDE, 4,4′-DDT, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Isodrin, Lindane (γ -HCH), 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB), 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene (1,2,3-TCB), 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (1,2,3,4-TCB), 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (1,2,4,5-TCB), Pentachlorobenzene (PeCBz), Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) in high fat food samples. Pork fat, beef fat, butter, egg yolks and chocolate were all used as high fat food samples. The procedure consists of three steps: the first is dialysis in an SPM tube, using n-hexane as an external solvent. The second step is a clean-up procedure using a silica gel column, and the third step is GC/ECD analysis. This experiment shows that recovery values obtained for individual compounds were in the range of 55–100%. The conclusion drawn is that the SPM technique is an efficient method of preparation of high fat food samples for the determination of POPs by GC/ECD methods.     

Use of strontium isotopes to identify buried water main leakage into groundwater in a highly urbanized coastal area

Previous studies indicate that the local aquifer systems in the Mid-Levels, a highly urbanized coastal area in Hong Kong, have commonly been affected by leakage from water mains. The identification of leakage locations was done by conventional water quality parameters including major and trace elements. However, these parameters may lead to ambiguous results and fail to identify leakage locations especially where the leakage is from drinking water mains because the chemical composition of drinking water is similar to that of natural groundwater. In this study, natural groundwater, seepage in the developed spaces, leakage from water mains, and parent aquifer materials were measured for strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) compositions to explore the feasibility of using these ratios to better constrain the seepage sources. The results show that the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of natural groundwater and leakage from water mains are distinctly different and thus, they can provide additional information on the sources of seepage in developed spaces. A classification system based on the aqueous 87Sr/86Sr ratio is proposed for seepage source identification.     

Synthetic pyrethroid insecticides as replacements for chlorinated hydrocarbons for the control of wood-boring insects

The need for effective contact insecticides to replace γ-HCH and dieldrin is discussed. Four synthetic pyrethroids, permethrin, cypermethrin, decamethrin and fenvalerate were evaluated for control of the house longhorn beetle,Hylotrupes bajulus and the common furniture beetleAnobium punctatum. Permethrin was also tested againssLyctus brunneus and the termiteReticulitermes santonensis. Initial toxic effectiveness of all 4 pyrethroids was similar to or in the case of decamethrin, markedly better than γ-HCH and with the exception of fenvalerate their persistence in wood was superior to γ-HCH. They offer hopeful potential replacements for chlorinated hydrocarbons but further evaluation is necessary.     

Application of solid-phase microextraction for in vivo laboratory and field sampling of pharmaceuticals in fish

Previous field studies utilizing solid-phase microextraction (SPME) predominantly focused on volatile and semivolatile compounds in air or water. Earlier in vivo sampling studies utilizing SPME were limited to the liquid matrix (blood). The present study has expanded the SPME technique to semisolid tissues under laboratory and field conditions through the investigation of both theoretical and applied experimental approaches. Pre-equilibrium extraction and desorption were performed in vivo in two separate animals. Excellent linearity was found between the amounts extracted by SPME from the muscle of living fish and the waterborne concentrations of pharmaceuticals. A simple SPME method is also described to simultaneously determine free and total analyte concentrations in living tissue. The utility of in vivo SPME sampling was evaluated in wild fish collected from a number of different river locations under varying degrees of influence from municipal wastewater effluents. Diphenhydramine and diltiazem were detected in the muscle of fish downstream of a local wastewater treatment plant. Based on this study, SPME demonstrated several important advantages such as simplicity, sensitivity, and robustness under laboratory and in vivo field sampling conditions.     

Occurrence and profiles of chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waste incinerators

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CIPAHs) have been reported to occur in urban air. Nevertheless, sources of CIPAHs in urban air have not been studied, due to the lack of appropriate analytical methods and standards. In this study, we measured concentrations of 20 CIPAHs and 11 brominated PAHs (BrPAHs) in fly ash and bottom ash from 11 municipal/hazardous/industrial waste incinerators, using analytical standards synthesized in our laboratory. Concentrations of total CIPAHs and BrPAHs in ash samples ranged from <0.06 to 6990 ng/g and from <0.14 to 1235 ng/g, respectively. The concentrations of CIPAHs were approximately 100-fold higher than the concentrations of BrPAHs. 6-CIBaP and 1-CIPyr were the dominant compounds in fly ash samples. The profiles of halogenated PAHs were similar to the profiles reported previously for urban air. 1-BrPyr was the predominant BrPAH in fly ash. Concentrations of 6-CIBaP, 9,10-Cl2Phe, 9-CIAnt, and 6-BrBaP in fly ash were significantly correlated with the corresponding parent PAH concentrations. Significant correlation between sigmaCIPAH and sigmaPAH concentrations suggests that direct chlorination of parent PAHs is the mechanism of formation of CIPAHs during incineration of wastes; nevertheless, a comparable correlation was not found for BrPAHs. There was no significant correlation between the capacity and temperature of an incinerator and the concentrations of sigmaCl-/BrPAHs in ash samples, although lower concentrations of all halogenated PAHs were found in stoker-type incinerators than in fixed grate-type incinerators. Toxicity equivalency quotients (TEQs) for CIPAHs in ash samples were calculated with CIPAH potencies. Average TEQ concentrations of CIPAHs in fly ash and bottom ash were15800 pg-TEQ/g and 67 pg-TEQ/g, respectively. Our results suggest that the extent of dioxin-like toxicity contributed by CIPAHs in ash generated during waste incineration is similar to that reported previously for dioxins. Waste incineration is an important source of Cl-/BrPAHs in the urban atmosphere.     

Optimization of a method of solid-phase immunoenzyme analysis for determination of chloramphenicol in milk

The method of solid-phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for quantitative detection of chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk was developed. Peculiarities of the adsorption on the microtitre plates surface of CAP-ovalbumin conjugate were investigated. Different conditions of competition stage of the analysis were studied. Conditions providing CAP monitoring in human blood serum in the clinical range were optimized. Matrix effect on the assay results was studied. The specificity of the analytical system was investigated and the reagents stability was examined. The method developed permits CAP concentration to be determined in human blood serum, diluted 1/100, in the linear range from 0.1 to 100 ng/ml. The assay is characterized by high sensitivity (0.08 ng/ml) and good reproducibility (CV < 10.8%), assay time is about 3 hours. The correlation coefficient with HPLC is 0.977.