Distribution, source, and health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the soils from a typical petroleum refinery area in south China.

The ubiquity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils in petroleum refining areas is an important problem affecting human and ecological safety. In this study, 103 topsoil (0-0.50 m) samples were collected from a retired petroleum refinery area in Guangdong province, south China.

Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soils and health risk consequences of human exposure within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt plants in Rivers State, Nigeria.

This study evaluated the level of heavy metal pollution in soils within the vicinity of hot mix asphalt (HMA) plants and the health risk consequences of human exposure to the heavy metals. Soil samples collected from two asphalt plants during dry and rainy seasons were analyzed for Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cd, Pb, and Zn with atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Health risk indices were assessed as chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and carcinogenic risk (CR) while the degree of pollution was assessed with geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and contamination factor (CF).

Adsorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from aqueous solution by Organic Montmorillonite Sodium Alginate Nanocomposites.

The adsorption method is generally considered a promising technique to remove inorganic and organic contaminants in an economically and environmentally friendly superior manner. In this study, organic montmorillonite sodium alginate composites were prepared, in which, montmorillonite and cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) in different added amounts were coagulated with sodium alginate using CaCl as the crosslinking agent. The morphological properties of the composites were characterized thoroughly and employed in three typical target pollutants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (acenaphthene, fluorene, and phenanthrene) by batch adsorption experiments from aqueous solution.

Characteristics of cadmium accumulation and isotope fractionation in higher plants.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution of the soil is an important global environmental issue owing to its great toxicity. The study of metal isotope fractionation is a novel technique that could be used to identify and quantify metal uptake and transport mechanisms in plant. In this study, cadmium tolerant Ricinus communis and hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum have been cultured in different Cd concentration nutrient solutions.

Stable isotope fractionation during uptake and translocation of cadmium by tolerant Ricinus communis and hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum as influenced by EDTA.

The isotopic fractionation could contribute to understanding the Cd accumulation mechanisms in plant species. However, there are few of systematical investigations with regards to the Cd isotope fractionation in hyperaccumulator plants. The Cd tolerant Ricinus communis and hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum were cultivated in nutrient solutions with varying Cd and EDTA concentrations.

Heavy metal contents and enrichment characteristics of dominant plants in wasteland of the downstream of a lead-zinc mining area in Guangxi, Southwest China.

A field investigation on the content of heavy metals in soils and 17 kinds of dominant plants from wasteland of the downstream of a Pb-Zn mine in Northwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was carried out. The absorption and accumulation characteristics of heavy metals between plants and soil were compared, and the candidate species for ecosystem restoration of the area were selected. The results indicated that the soils had been subjected to pollution of heavy metals in varying degrees.

Characteristics, source, and potential ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Songhua River Basin, Northeast China.

The concentration characteristics, sources, and potential ecological risk assessment of 16 PAHs were investigated in the surface water from the Songhua River Basin, Northeast China. A total of 48 river water samples, including 16 from the main streams and 32 from the tributaries, were collected. Samples were separated into dissolved phases and suspended particle matter (SPM) via filtration with 0.

Mechanism of dialkyl phthalates removal from aqueous solution using γ-cyclodextrin and starch based polyurethane polymer adsorbents.

Phthalate esters have been known as potent endocrine disruptors and carcinogens; and their removal from water have been of considerable concern recently. In the present study, γ-cyclodextrin polyurethane polymer (GPP), γ-cyclodextrin/starch polyurethane copolymer (GSP), and starch polyurethane polymer (SPP) have been synthesized and characterized. Their adsorption efficiencies for the removal of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP) from aqueous solutions were investigated.

Cross-linked starch-based polymer as an SPE material for the determination of nitrophenols at trace levels in environmental water.

SPE using a cross-linked starch-based polymer (CSMDI) as an adsorbent for the determination of four nitrophenols at trace levels from aqueous solution was investigated. The CSMDI was synthesized from native starch using 4,4'-methylenebisphenyldiisocyanate as a cross-linking agent in dry DMF. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency including the pH of the water sample, type of eluent and its volume, flow rate, sample volume, and methanol content were investigated and optimized.

Application of quantum descriptors for predicting adsorption performance of starch and cyclodextrin adsorbents.

Adsorption trend of aromatic compounds on epichlorohydrin (EPI), 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), and 4,4-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) cross-linked starch and cyclodextrin adsorbents were comparatively studied by density functional theorem (DFT) based interaction descriptors and batch adsorption studies. The DFT quantum chemical descriptors predicted adsorption trend of MDI adsorbents>HDI adsorbents>EPI adsorbents. The values of the fractional number of electrons transferred (ΔN) for all the studied adsorbent-adsorbate pair were negative, indicating that the adsorbents were electron donors in the studied adsorption interaction.