Lead speciation and availability affected by plants in a contaminated soil.

Changes in lead (Pb) speciation in the rhizosphere may be plant species-dependent and dictate Pb fate and behavior in the soil-plant system. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy can explain how these changes affect Pb availability in soils and its uptake by plants. We investigated the changes in Pb speciation and availability in the rhizosphere of eucalypt (Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis), palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha cv.

Health risks of potentially toxic trace elements in urban soils of Manaus city, Amazon, Brazil.

The city of Manaus is the biggest industrial city of the north Brazilian region, and a haphazard urbanization process characterizes it. The continuous urbanization and industrialization processes have increased the levels of trace elements in the urban environment and have posed great threat on human health. It is, then, essential to assess the pollution levels and the potential risks of the trace elements presence in urban soils.

Characterization and application of magnetic biochar for the removal of phosphorus from water.

Activated biochars were prepared from residues of medium density fiberboard (MDF) produced by the furniture industry. Biomass residue was pre-treated with FeCl3 in two different FeCl3:biomass ratios (0.5:1 and 1:1, w/w) aiming to produce a matrix embedded with iron oxide.

Heavy metals in iron ore tailings and floodplain soils affected by the Samarco dam collapse in Brazil.

In November 2015, the Fundão Dam collapsed releasing about 35 million m of iron ore tailings into the environment, which covered approximately 15 km of floodplain soils. Four years later, there is still great concern and controversy regarding contamination by heavy metals in the affected areas. Thus, the present study sought to evaluate the heavy metal contents and its distribution in tailings and non-affected soils.

Risk assessment of trace elements pollution of Manaus urban rivers.

Manaus is the Capital City of Amazonas State, Brazil, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Its metropolitan area has a huge hydrographic basin where the disorganized urbanization has caused adverse effects in the urban rivers and creeks water quality. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the contents of Ba, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cu, the physicochemical parameters and their respective health risks in water samples from rivers and creeks located in urban areas with different degrees of urbanization in two different seasons.

Characterization and evaluation of sorption potential of the iron mine waste after Samarco dam disaster in Doce River basin - Brazil.

The Fundão dam collapsed releasing 60 million tons of mining waste into the environment. The mining wastes should be better studied, since some of them are deposited on the alluvial plains soil and at the bottom of the rivers, like sediments, of the region affected. Thus, this work aims to perform the chemical, physical and adsorptive characterization of the samples colleted in region de Paracatu de Baixo.