(210)Po and (210)Pb in the tissues of the deep-sea hydrothermal vent mussel Bathymodiolus azoricus from the Menez Gwen field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

The hydrothermal deep-sea vent fauna is naturally exposed to a highly specific environment enriched in potentially toxic species such as sulfides, metals and natural radionuclides due to the convective seawater circulation inside the oceanic crust and its interaction with basaltic or ultramafic host rocks. However, data on radionuclides in biota from such environment are very limited. An investigation was carried out on tissue partitioning of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb, two natural radionuclides within the ²³⁸U decay chain, in Bathymodiolus azoricus specimens from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Menez Gwen field). These two elements showed different distributions with high ²¹⁰Pb levels in gills and high ²¹⁰Po levels in both gills and especially in the remaining parts of the body tissue (including the digestive gland). Various factors that may explain such partitioning are discussed. However, ²¹⁰Po levels encountered in B. azoricus were not exceptionally high, leading to weighted internal dose rate in the range 3 to 4 μGy h^− 1. These levels are slightly higher than levels characterizing coastal mussels (~ 1 μGy h^− 1).     

Distribution and biokinetic analysis of Pb and Po in poultry due to ingestion of dicalcium phosphate

Dicalcium phosphate (DCP) is used as a calcium supplement for food producing animals (i.e., cattle, poultry and pig). When DCP is produced via wet acid digestion of the phosphate rock and depending on the acid used in the industrial process, the final product can result in enhanced ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po specific activities (∼ 2000 Bq·kg⁻¹). Both ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po are of great interest because their contribution to the dose received by ingestion is potentially large. The aims of this work are to examine the accumulation of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in chicken tissues during the first 42 days of life and to build a suitable single-compartment biokinetic model to understand the behavior of both radionuclides within the entire animal using the experimental results. Three commercial corn-soybean-based diets containing different amounts and sources of DCP were fed to broilers during a period of 42 days. The results show that diets containing enhanced concentrations of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po lead to larger specific accumulation in broiler tissues compared to the blank diet. Radionuclides do not accumulate homogeneously within the animal body: ²¹⁰Pb follows the calcium pathways to some extent and accumulates largely in bones, while ²¹⁰Po accumulates to a large extent in liver and kidneys. However, the total amount of radionuclide accumulation in tissues is small compared to the amounts excreted in feces. The single-compartment non-linear biokinetic model proposed here for ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po in the whole animal takes into account the size evolution and is self-consistent in that no fitting parameterization of intake and excretions rates is required.     

Determination of 210Po in various foodstuffs and its annual effective dose to inhabitants of Qena City, Egypt

The concentration of ²¹⁰Po was determined in different foodstuffs of plant origin purchased from markets in Qena City, Upper Egypt. Measurement of ²¹⁰Po has been carried out using alpha spectrometry technique in different food categories such as vegetables, fruits, cereals beverages and herbs. The general range of ²¹⁰Po activity levels ranged widely from < 0.010-18.6 ± 0.910 mBq g^− 1, with minimum being in cereal samples and maximum being in beverage samples. Tea samples recorded highest activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po with lowest value of 10 ± 0.54 mBq g⁻¹ for Crown tea and highest value of 18.6 ± 0.910 mBq g⁻¹ for El maabad tea. The daily intake of ²¹⁰Po from food consumption reveals that vegetables are the biggest contributors, while beverages are the lowest. The effective ingestion dose has been estimated for Qena City residents and it was found in the range 0.008-38.3 μSv y⁻¹.     

南海岛礁地区种植屋面适应性浅析

结合南海岛礁地区的环境气候特性分析平屋顶简单式种植屋面、平屋顶花园式种植屋面、平屋顶蓄水种植屋面、坡屋顶种植屋面和容器式种植屋面的技术特点和经济成本,为在我国南海岛礁地区开展种植屋面应用提供参考。     

Distribution of artificial radionuclides in deep sediments of the Mediterranean Sea

Artificial radionuclides enter the Mediterranean Sea mainly through atmospheric deposition following nuclear weapons tests and the Chernobyl accident, but also through the river discharge of nuclear facility effluents. Previous studies of artificial radionuclides impact of the Mediterranean Sea have focussed on shallow, coastal sediments. However, deep sea sediments have the potential to store and accumulate pollutants, including artificial radionuclides. Deep sea marine sediment cores were collected from Mediterranean Sea abyssal plains (depth > 2000 m) and analysed for ^239,240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs to elucidate the concentrations, inventories and sources of these radionuclides in the deepest areas of the Mediterranean. The activity — depth profiles of ²¹⁰Pb, together with ¹⁴C dating, indicate that sediment mixing redistributes the artificial radionuclides within the first 2.5 cm of the sedimentary column. The excess ²¹⁰Pb inventory was used to normalize ^239,240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs inventories for variable sediment fluxes. The ^239,240Pu/²¹⁰Pb_xs ratio was uniform across the entire sea, with a mean value of 1.24 × 10^− 3, indicating homogeneous fallout of ^239,240Pu. The ¹³⁷Cs/²¹⁰Pb_xs ratio showed differences between the eastern (0.049) and western basins (0.030), clearly significant impact of deep sea sediments from the Chernobyl accident. The inventory ratios of ^239,240Pu/¹³⁷Cs were 0.041 and 0.025 in the western and eastern basins respectively, greater than the fallout ratio, 0.021, showing more efficient scavenging of ^239,240Pu in the water column and major sedimentation of ¹³⁷Cs in the eastern basin. Although areas with water depths of > 2000 m constitute around 40% of the entire Mediterranean basin, the sediments in these regions only contained 2.7% of the ^239,240Pu and 0.95% of the ¹³⁷Cs deposited across the Sea in 2000. These data show that the accumulation of artificial radionuclides in deep Mediterranean environments is much lower than predicted by other studies from the analysis of continental shelf sediments.     

Sediment reworking rates in deep sediments of the Mediterranean Sea

Different pelagic areas of the Mediterranean Sea have been investigated in order to quantify physical and biological mixing processes in deep sea sediments. Herein, results of eleven sediment cores sampled at different deep areas (> 2000 m) of the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Sea are presented.²¹⁰Pb_xs and ¹³⁷Cs vertical profiles, together with ¹⁴C dating, are used to identify the main processes characterising the different areas and, finally, controlling mixing depths (SML) and bioturbation coefficients (D_b). Radionuclide vertical profiles and inventories indicate that bioturbation processes are the dominant processes responsible for sediment reworking in deep sea environments.Results show significant differences in sediment mixing depths and bioturbation coefficients among areas of the Mediterranean Sea characterised by different trophic regimes. In particular, in the Oran Rise area, where the Almeria-Oran Front induces frequent phytoplankton blooms, we calculate the highest values of sediment mixing layers (13 cm) and bioturbation coefficients (0.187 cm² yr⁻¹), and the highest values of ²¹⁰Pb_xs and ¹³⁷Cs inventories. Intermediate values of SML and D_b (~ 6 cm and ~ 0.040 cm² yr⁻¹, respectively) characterise the mesothrophic Algero-Balearic basin, while in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea mixing parameters (SML of 3 cm and D_b of 0.011 cm² yr⁻¹) are similar to those calculated for the oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean (SML of 2 cm and D_b of ~ 0.005 cm² yr⁻¹).     

Characterisation of bed sediments and suspension of the river Po (Italy) during normal and high flow conditions

Grain-size distribution, major elements, nutrients and trace metals were determined in bed sediments and suspension collected at 10 representative sites along the river Po under normal and high flow conditions. Grain-size distribution and major element composition of suspension highlighted the presence of two distinct particle populations in the upper-middle Po (coarser particles, lower carbonate content) and in the lower Po (finer particles, higher carbonate content). This change partly reflects the geological differences between the two parts of the basin, and also the presence of a hydroelectric power plant at Isola Serafini (Piacenza). With respect to environmental quality issues, bed sediments and suspension provide similar results. A moderate nutrient pollution is found in all but the uppermost parts of the river basin, while the most significant inputs of trace metals appear to originate from the urban areas of Turin and Milan. Calculation of sediment enrichment factors identifies Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn as the most impacted elements by human activities. On the other hand, the high levels of Ni and Cr throughout the river seem to derive mainly from the presence of basic rocks in the upper and middle parts of the basin. Both nutrient and trace metal particulate concentrations substantially decrease under high flow conditions possibly due to "flushing" of contaminated bed sediments and resuspension of coarser material. Under normal flow conditions, water hydrochemistry and concentrations of some elements (As, Ca, Cr, Cu, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, and Pb) in the dissolved phase (<0.45 microm) were also determined. Calculation of trace metals partition coefficients shows that the relative importance of the particulate and water phases varies in response to water hydrochemistry and suspended solid content, but that most elements achieve a conditional equilibrium in the lower stretches of the river Po. These results are the first of this kind reported for the whole river course and highlight the factors and mechanisms controlling the origin, mobility and fate of nutrients and trace metals in the river Po.     

初始浓度对南海珊瑚泥沉积浊液面沉速特性影响试验研究

珊瑚泥是由细粒珊瑚碎屑组成的钙质软泥,在南海岛礁的吹填地基中因颗粒分选以夹层形式分布。在整个吹填场地形成过程中,珊瑚泥的沉积特性会对吹填后形成岛礁的地基稳定性产生一定影响。因此,从影响地基稳定性最初阶段的吹填沉积特性出发,探求初始浓度对珊瑚泥浊液面沉速特性影响。利用扫描电镜观察絮凝体尺寸,根据Stokes定律推得浊液面在等速沉积阶段的理论沉速,并与颗粒组成相近的海相沉积土和同塑性指数的芜湖粉质黏土的沉积特性展开对比分析。试验结果表明:三种土浊液面出现的高度随初始浓度减小而减小;在等速沉积阶段,浊液面沉速随初始浓度增大而减小,其变化逐渐减缓并趋于稳定。区别在于,珊瑚泥浊液面出现时间最早,其沉速远高于其他两种土,等速沉积阶段所用时间仅为其他两种土的1/3,且初始浓度对珊瑚泥等速沉积时间的影响最为明显。最后推导得到了初始浓度与浊液面沉速关系公式,这对于南海海域吹填施工及地基的安全稳定具有一定的现实意义。     

南海东沙群岛泥火山矿产预测

多道地震测线剖面以及CHIRP浅地层剖面显示出南海东沙群岛泥火山分布以及成形过程,根据泥火山分布特征,在泥火山部位采集试样,分别对此试样进行化合物测试,得到此区域化合物含量最高的为MnO,其次含量较高的为FeO,由此可以得到研究区域内的泥火山处具有锰矿与铁矿的成矿前景。     

Multiple site study of recent atmospheric metal (Pb, Zn and Cu) deposition in the NW Iberian Peninsula using peat cores

In order to estimate atmospheric metal deposition in Southern Europe since the beginning of the Industrial Period (~ 1850 AD), concentration profiles of Pb, Zn and Cu were determined in four ²¹⁰Pb-dated peat cores from ombrotrophic bogs in Serra do Xistral (Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula). Maximum metal concentrations varied by a factor of 1.8 for Pb and Zn (70 to 128 μg g⁻¹ and 128 to 231 μg g⁻¹, respectively) and 3.5 for Cu (11 to 37 μg g⁻¹). The cumulative metal inventories of each core varied by a factor of 3 for all analysed metals (132 to 329 μg cm⁻² for Pb, 198 to 625 μg cm⁻² for Zn and 22 to 69 μg cm⁻² for Cu), suggesting differences in net accumulation rates among peatlands. Although results suggest that mean deposition rates vary within the studied area, the enhanced ²¹⁰Pb accumulation and the interpretation of the inventory ratios (²¹⁰Pb/Pb, Zn/Pb and Cu/Pb) in two bogs indicated that either a record perturbation or post-depositional redistribution effects must be considered. After correction, Pb, Zn and Cu profiles showed increasing concentrations and atmospheric fluxes since the mid-XX^th century to maximum values in the second half of the XX^th century. For Pb, maximum fluxes were observed in 1955-1962 and ranged from 16 to 22 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ (mean of 18 ± 1 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹), two orders of magnitude higher than in the pre-industrial period. Peaks in Pb fluxes in Serra do Xistral before the period of maximum consumption of leaded petrol in Europe (1970s-1980s) suggest the dominance of local pollutant sources in the area (i.e. coal mining and burning). More recent peaks were observed for Zn and Cu, with fluxes ranging from 32 to 52 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ in 1989-1996, and from 4 to 9 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ in 1994-2001, respectively. Our results underline the importance of multi-core studies to assess both the integrity and reliability of peat records, and the degree of homogeneity in bog accumulation. We show the usefulness of using the excess ²¹⁰Pb inventory to distinguish between differential metal deposition, accumulation or anomalous peat records.     

南海北部陆坡软黏土全流动强度试验研究

鉴于海底软黏土强度测试困难和精度不足的现状,研发了一种适用于低强度、高含水率土体强度测试的新型全流动贯入仪,并进行了有效性校验。在此基础上,针对南海北部陆坡区典型软黏土,开展了多组原状试样的全流动强度试验,分析了试验中初始阻力系数N与重塑阻力系数N_(rem)的取值范围,给出了软黏土扰动前后不排水剪切强度沿深度的分布特征及变化趋势,并结合微观孔隙面积比和宏观构造灵敏度,探究了研究区土体的强结构特征。最后,基于重塑不排水剪切强度与含水率/液限间的关联性分析,提出了适用于研究区土体的不排水剪切强度归一化模型,为南海北部陆坡区海底能源开发、海洋工程基础设计与地质灾害预测提供参考。     

内孤立波作用下南海陆坡沉积物动力响应特征

为探究内孤立波作用下南海北部陆坡浅表沉积物的动力响应特征,采用实测内孤立波和沉积物参数,建立两层流内孤立波-无限深度海床模型,基于二维Boit固结理论,计算不同沉积物物理力学参数和内孤立波参数条件下,无限深度内位移场和超孔隙水压力的分布情况,探讨不同变量下内孤立波引发的沉积物动力响应特征。研究表明南海北部陆坡沉积物的渗透率变化对动力响应特征的影响较小,孔隙度影响程度中等,剪切模量和饱和度影响较大,且饱和度是首要影响因素;细砂、砂质粉砂和黏土质粉砂三种南海北部陆坡浅表沉积物响应的超孔隙水压力在相同深度时逐渐减小;水平位移逐渐增大,垂向位移逐渐减小。     

Historical accumulation rates of mercury in four Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs over the past 2000 years

The historical accumulation rates of mercury resulting from atmospheric deposition to four Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs, Turclossie Moss (northeast Scotland), Flanders Moss (west-central), Red Moss of Balerno (east-central) and Carsegowan Moss (southwest), were determined via analysis of ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹⁴C-dated cores up to 2000 years old. Average pre-industrial rates of mercury accumulation of 4.5 and 3.7 μg m^− 2 y^− 1 were obtained for Flanders Moss (A.D. 1-1800) and Red Moss of Balerno (A.D. 800-1800), respectively. Thereafter, mercury accumulation rates increased to typical maximum values of 51, 61, 77 and 85 μg m^− 2 y^− 1, recorded at different times possibly reflecting local/regional influences during the first 70 years of the 20th century, at the four sites (TM, FM, RM, CM), before declining to a mean value of 27 ± 15 μg m^− 2 y^− 1 during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Comparison of such trends for mercury with those for lead and arsenic in the cores and also with direct data for the declining UK emissions of these three elements since 1970 suggested that a substantial proportion of the mercury deposited at these sites over the past few decades originated from outwith the UK, with contributions to wet and dry deposition arising from long-range transport of mercury released by sources such as combustion of coal. Confidence in the chronological reliability of these core-derived trends in absolute and relative accumulation of mercury, at least since the 19th century, was provided by the excellent agreement between the corresponding detailed and characteristic temporal trends in the ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb isotopic ratio of lead in the ²¹⁰Pb-dated Turclossie Moss core and those in archival Scottish Sphagnum moss samples of known date of collection. The possibility of some longer-term loss of volatile mercury released from diagenetically altered older peat cannot, however, be excluded by the findings of this study.     

基于混合方法的南海海域地震动衰减关系研究

我国南海海域面临俯冲带地震的影响,海域俯冲带地震的工程特性是海域工程抗震研究的基础,为给海域工程地震危险性分析提供合理的地震动输入,对于没有实际地震动数据的我国南海海域,文中提出一种基于数值模拟结合其他区域已有经验衰减关系建立本地衰减关系的方法。该方法采用随机有限断层法分别对南海俯冲带和日本东北部俯冲带板内地震动进行模拟,以模拟的不同震级、不同距离下的大量地震动为基础,回归了日本俯冲带与南海俯冲带地震动衰减关系,并推导二者的定量关系,基于此定量关系和已知的日本东北部俯冲带板内地震的经验衰减关系,最终建立南海俯冲带板内地震动的衰减关系。将文中建立的南海地震衰减关系与日本以及汶川地震衰减关系进行对比,结果表明：不同类型的地震的衰减特征存在一定的差异性,海域俯冲带板内地震的衰减速率要快于我国陆地地区的汶川地震的浅地壳地震;数值模拟结合经验关系的混合方法得到的南海俯冲带板内地震动衰减关系具有一定的应用价值,此方法可为没有实际地震动的地区建立衰减关系提供参考,建立的衰减关系可为海洋工程和近海交通重大工程的建设提供依据。     

Historical analysis of salmon-derived polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in lake sediments

Several recent studies have highlighted the importance of salmon as a means to deliver biomagnifying contaminants to nursery lakes. There is a lack of studies, however, which demonstrate empirically how this source has varied through time. This is of great significance because past salmon-derived contaminant loading was potentially greater than it is today. By analyzing radiometrically dated sediment cores collected from ten lakes in Alaska and British Columbia (B.C.), we relate historical numbers of sockeye salmon spawners to ΣPCB concentrations and δ¹⁵N values (a paleolimnological proxy for past salmon-derived nitrogen) in the sediments. The results confirm that sockeye salmon have provided an important route for PCBs to enter the lakes in the past, a finding that is especially evident when the data of all lakes are pooled. Significant relationships between sockeye salmon numbers and δ¹⁵N, as well as ΣPCB concentrations and δ¹⁵N in sediments, were also found. However, it is difficult to establish relationships between salmon numbers, ΣPCBs and δ¹⁵N in individual lakes. This may be due to a number of factors which may influence contaminant loadings to the lakes. The factors include: a) changing salmon contaminant loads over time resulting from a lag in the upper ocean reservoir and/or changing salmon feeding locations; b) greater importance of atmospheric transport in lakes with relatively low salmon returns; and c) increased PCB scavenging due to higher algae productivity in the lakes in recent years.     

Temporal variation of Pu/Pu atom ratio and Pu inventory in water columns of the Japan Sea

The ^239+240Pu concentrations and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios were determined by alpha spectrometry and double-focusing SF-ICP-MS for seawater samples obtained in 1984 and 1993 from the Yamato and Tsushima Basins of the Japan Sea in the western North Pacific margin. The total ^239+240Pu inventories in the whole water columns were approximately doubled during the period from 1984 to 1993 in the two basins. The increasing rates were estimated to be 5.1 Bq m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the Yamato Basin and 4.2 Bq m⁻² yr⁻¹ in the Tsushima Basin and they corresponded to ~ 0.02% of the annual ^239+240Pu inflow rate into the Japan Sea through the Tsushima Strait. The mean ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios were ~ 0.240 and significantly higher than the mean global fallout ratio of 0.18. Furthermore, there were no temporal or spatial variations of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios during this period in the Japan Sea. The total ^239+240Pu inventories originating from the close-in fallout increased from 17.6 Bq m⁻² to 34.6 Bq m⁻² in the Yamato Basin and from 20.1 Bq m⁻² to 34.6 Bq m⁻² in the Tsushima Basin; however, the relative percentage of ~ 40% from the close-in fallout was unchanged during this period. A likely mechanism for the increasing Pu inventory would be the continuous inflow of the Tsushima Current from the western North Pacific, and the removal of Pu from surface waters by scavenging onto the settling particles, followed by regeneration of Pu from the settling particles during the downward transport.     

Temporal record of Pu isotopes in inter-tidal sediments from the northeastern Irish Sea

A depth profile of ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu specific activities and isotope ratios was determined in an inter-tidal sediment core from the Esk Estuary in the northeastern Irish Sea. The study site has been impacted with plutonium through routine radionuclide discharges from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in Cumbria, NW England. A pronounced sub-surface maximum of ~ 10 kBq kg^-1 was observed for ^239 + 240Pu, corresponding to the peak in Pu discharge from Sellafield in 1973, with a decreasing trend with depth down to ~ 0.04 kBq kg^-1 in the deeper layers. The depth profile of ^239 + 240Pu specific activities together with results from gamma-ray spectrometry for ¹³⁷Cs and ²⁴¹Am was compared with reported releases from the Sellafield plant in order to estimate a reliable sediment chronology. The upper layers (1992 onwards) showed higher ^239 + 240Pu specific activities than would be expected from the direct input of annual Sellafield discharges, indicating that the main input of Pu is from the time-integrated contaminated mud patch of the northeastern Irish Sea. The ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios ranged from ~ 0.03 in the deepest layers to > 0.20 in the sub-surface layers with an activity-weighted average of 0.181. The decreasing ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio with depth reflects the changing nature of operations at the Sellafield plant from weapons-grade Pu production to reprocessing spent nuclear fuel with higher burn-up times in the late 1950s. In addition, recent annual ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in winkles collected during 2003-2008 from three stations along the Cumbrian coastline showed no significant spatial or temporal differences with an overall average of 0.204, which supports the hypothesis of diluted Pu input from the contaminated mud patch.     

Model testing of radioactive contamination by Sr, Cs and Pu of water and bottom sediments in the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia)

This paper presents results of testing models for the radioactive contamination of river water and bottom sediments by ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu. The scenario for the model testing was based on data from the Techa River (Southern Urals, Russia), which was contaminated as a result of discharges of liquid radioactive waste into the river. The endpoints of the scenario were model predictions of the activity concentrations of ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu in water and bottom sediments along the Techa River in 1996. Calculations for the Techa scenario were performed by six participant teams from France (model CASTEAUR), Italy (model MARTE), Russia (models TRANSFER-2, CASSANDRA, GIDRO-W) and Ukraine (model RIVTOX), all using different models. As a whole, the radionuclide predictions for ⁹⁰Sr in water for all considered models, ¹³⁷Cs for MARTE and TRANSFER-2, and ^239,240Pu for TRANSFER-2 and CASSANDRA can be considered sufficiently reliable, whereas the prediction for sediments should be considered cautiously. At the same time the CASTEAUR and RIVTOX models estimate the activity concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu in water more reliably than in bottom sediments. The models MARTE (^239,240Pu) and CASSANDRA (¹³⁷Cs) evaluated the activity concentrations of radionuclides in sediments with about the same agreement with observations as for water. For ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs the agreement between empirical data and model predictions was good, but not for all the observations of ^239,240Pu in the river water-bottom sediment system. The modelling of ^239,240Pu distribution proved difficult because, in contrast to ¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr, most of models have not been previously tested or validated for plutonium.     

Performance of selected anion exchange resins for the treatment of a high DOC content surface water

The objective of this study was first to compare the performance of four strong anion exchange resins (AERs) (MIEX from Orica Pty Ltd, DOWEX-11 and DOWEX-MSA from DOW chemical and IRA-938 from Rohm and Haas) for their application in drinking water treatment (natural organic matter (NOM), mineral anions (nitrate, sulfate and bromide) and pesticide removal) using bench-scale experimental procedures on a high DOC content surface water. The efficiency of MIEX for NOM and mineral anions removal was furthermore evaluated using bench-scale dose-response experiments on raw, clarified and post-ozonated waters. NOM removal was assessed using the measurement of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) and the use of high-performance size exclusion chromatography with UV (HPSEC/UV) and fluorescence detection (HPSEC/FLUO). The MIEX and IRA938 anionic resins exhibit a faster removal of NOM and mineral anions compared to the DOWEX11 and MSA AERs. All the resins were found to be very effective with similar performances after 30 to 45 min of contact time. As expected, only limited sorption of atrazine and isoproturon (C0=1 microg/L) occurred with MIEX, DOWEX11 and MSA AERs. MIEX resin proved to be very efficient in eliminating NOM of high-molecular weight but also a large part of the smallest UV absorbing organic compounds which were refractory to coagulation/flocculation treatment. Remaining DOC levels after 30 min of contact with MIEX were found similar in raw water, clarified water and even post-ozonated water implying no DOC benefit can be gained by employing conventional treatment prior to MIEX treatment. Removal of bromide (initial concentration 110 microg/L) was also observed and ranged from 30% to 65% for resin dose increasing from 2 to 8 mL/L. T     

Environmental impact of mining activities on the surface water quality in Tibet: Gyama valley

Nearly 20 years of industrial scale metal mining operations in Tibet have caused an impact on the region's surface water quality. However, no information with respect to the pollution has been provided to the public. The aim of this work was to evaluate the chemical quality of the stream water and to assess the present and future potential risks of acid mine drainage to the regional and downstream environments.This study, based on data collected in 2006, 2007 and 2008 in the Gyama valley, using the Environmental Risk Index (I_ER) documents that elevated concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe and Al in the surface water and streambed at the upper/middle part of the valley pose a considerably high risk to the local environment. In contrast, the risk level at the stream source area is zero and only minor risk at the lower reaches. The iron and copper contamination of the upper/middle part of the river appears to be both natural and accelerated by the mining activities. The level of dissolved contaminants in the water decreases within short distance downstream due to precipitation and sorption to the streambed and strong dilution by a tributary stream and eventually by the Lhasa River.A high content of heavy metals in the stream sediments as well as in a number of tailings with gangue and material from the ore processing, poses a great potential threat to the downstream water users. Environmental changes such as global warming or increased mining activity may increase the mobility of these pools of heavy metals.