Background: The Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique has become the most widely used passive sampling method for inorganic compounds. This widespread adoption can be partly attributed to the development of new binding phases that facilitate the sampling of numerous analytes. In contrast, to date, the DGT sampler for inorganic compounds has not seen any significant design improvements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMetallomics
April 2023
This work aims to evaluate the size and lability of Cu and Zn bound to proteins in the cytosol of fish liver of Oreochromis niloticus by employing solid-phase extraction (SPE), diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), and ultrafiltration (UF). SPE was carried out using Chelex-100. DGT containing Chelex-100 as binding agent was employed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) technique represents an ideal tool for monitoring water quality of inorganic species in systems with a high flow such as rivers, streams, lakes and seas. However, in low-flow systems (non-turbulent waters), the influence of a diffusive boundary layer (DBL) formed on the surface of the DGT device has been observed, which can lead to erroneous measurements by DGT. Therefore, the use of DGT in wells for groundwater monitoring is still very limited until now.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOver recent decades, hydrocarbon concentrations have been augmented in soil and water, mainly derived from accidents or operations that input crude oil and petroleum into the environment. Different techniques for remediation have been proposed and used to mitigate oil contamination. Among the available environmental recovery approaches, bioremediation stands out since these hydrocarbon compounds can be used as growth substrates for microorganisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMine restoration is a long and ongoing process, requiring careful management, which must be informed by site-specific, geochemical risk assessment. Paired topsoil and tree core samples from 4 sites within the uranium mining complex of INB Caldas in Minas Gerais (Brazil) were collected. Soil samples were analysed for their total content of Co, Fe, Pb, U and Zn by XRF, and subsequently, the potential environmental bioavailability of these metals were investigated by DGT and pore water analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLight non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) spills are a widespread source of contamination in shallow aquifers. Owing to their human health risks, remediation actions should be undertaken to recover the contaminants from the subsurface. However, traditional investigation techniques do not assess the actual volume of residual hydrocarbon in the pore space, hindering the effectiveness of remediation predictions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Sci Pollut Res Int
September 2017
The toxic metal lead (Pb) can be harmful to human health in various manners, but is also considered as a distinguished tracer of environmental pollution since the relative abundance of its four stable isotopes with the atomic masses of 204, 206, 207, and 208 varies with the emission source. This study is focused on the Pb concentrations and isotope ratios in the particulate matter of the Brazilian city of Goiânia in order to determine the main Pb emission sources. Particulate matter samples were collected on clean Teflon filters during rainy and dry season in 2014 in the center of Goiânia city near main roads with a high traffic volume.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIsotopes Environ Health Stud
October 2017
Based on Global Network Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) isotopic data set, a review of the spatial and temporal variability of δO and δH in precipitation was conducted throughout central and eastern Brazil, indicating that dynamic interactions between Intertropical and South Atlantic Convergence Zones, Amazon rainforest, and Atlantic Ocean determine the variations on the isotopic composition of precipitation over this area. Despite the seasonality and latitude effects observed, a fair correlation with precipitation amount was found. In addition, Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) air mass back trajectories were used to quantify the factors controlling daily variability in stable isotopes in precipitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMass transfer of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) trapped in porous media is a complex phenomenon. Water table fluctuations have been identified as responsible for generating significant variations in the concentration of dissolved hydrocarbons. Based on field evidence, this work presents a conceptual model and a numerical solution for mass transfer from entrapped LNAPL to groundwater controlled by both LNAPL saturation and seasonal water table fluctuations within the LNAPL smear zone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chim Acta
January 2017
Amberlite IRA-410 anionic exchange resin was evaluated as the binding layer for sampling V(V) by using Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT). V(V) was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Mass vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe exchange membranes P81 and DE81 and Chelex-100 resin were used to perform in situ speciation of uranium in treated acid mine drainage at the Osamu Utsumi mining site, Poços de Caldas city, Southeast Brazil. To investigate possible chemical modifications in the samples during analysis, the three ligands were deployed in situ and in a laboratory (in lab). The results obtained in situ were also compared to a speciation performed using Visual MINTEQ software.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA method for the in situ redox speciation analysis of chromium in water by the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique using a DE81 anion exchange membrane was successfully developed. For the selective uptake of Cr(VI), a DGT device containing an anion exchange membrane DE81 (cellulose acetate chromatographic paper) was used (DE81-DGT), while selective uptake of Cr(III) was carried out using DGT devices containing the Chelex-100 resin (Chelex-100-DGT). A correlation coefficient of 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, a method is proposed for the selective retention of As(V) using diffusive gradient in thin film (DGT) samplers containing a strongly basic anion exchange resin (Amberlite IRA 910) supported on a polyacrylamide gel. In addition, the total arsenic content is determined by ferrihydrite gel discs. Subsequently, the concentration of As(III) was obtained by determining the difference between the total As and As(V).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious environmental problem that creates acidic solution with high Mn concentrations. The speciation of residual Mn from AMD after an active treatment involving the addition of a neutralizing agent can reliably evaluate the treatment efficiency and provide knowledge of the Mn species being inputted into the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in situ lability and speciation of Mn using the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique with treated drainage water from a uranium mine (TAMD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies concerning the lability and bioavailability of trace metals have played a prominent role in the search for contamination of water resources. This work describes the first application yet of the diffusive gradients in thin films technique (DGT) to the determination of the fraction of free plus labile metals in waters from the Amazon Basin. Due to the complexity of the use of DGT for samples with low ionic strength and high organic matter content (characteristic of Amazonian rivers), a new analytical procedure was developed.
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