Investigating how HS can alter the interactions between Hg and corroded steel surfaces to guide future decommissioning projects.

Many oil and gas developments will soon be decommissioned and, knowledge on the accumulation of mercury (Hg), throughout offshore infrastructure is limited. Any release of Hg could have a detrimental impact on marine ecosystems. To bridge this knowledge gap, a fractionation approach was taken on steel samples exposed to Hg and HS, separating Hg compounds removed from the surface into polar, non-polar and insoluble fractions.

Bulk and Mapping Speciation Analyses Unveil the Pattern and Heterogeneity of Cu Species during Organic Waste Treatment.

Organic wastes (OWs) can be a common source of copper (Cu) contamination of agricultural soils. Here we conducted a comprehensive study of 22 raw and treated OWs sampled at 6 different full-scale OW treatment plants. Bulk XANES analysis findings indicated that the Cu oxidation state was subject to changes throughout the OW treatment process, mostly depending on the anaerobic/aerobic conditions prevailing in each treatment stage.

Trace Element Distribution and Arsenic Speciation in Toenails as Affected by External Contamination and Evaluation of a Cleaning Protocol.

Trace element concentrations in toenail clippings have increasingly been used to measure trace element exposure in epidemeological research. Conventional methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography ICP-MS (HPLC-ICP-MS) are commonly used to measure trace elements and their speciation in toenails. However, the impact of the removal of external contamination on trace element quantification has not been thoroughly studied.

Mapping Phosphorus Availability in Soil at a Large Scale and High Resolution Using Novel Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films Designed for X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy.

A novel binding layer (BL) as part of the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique was developed for the two-dimensional visualization and quantification of labile phosphorus (P) in soils. This BL was designed for P detection by synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM). It differs from the conventional DGT BL as the hydrogel is eliminated to overcome the issue that the fluorescent X-rays of P are detected mainly from shallow sample depths.

Repeated applications of fipronil, propyzamide and flutriafol affect soil microbial functions and community composition: A laboratory-to-field assessment.

Pesticides play an important role in conventional agriculture by controlling pests, weeds, and plant diseases. However, repeated applications of pesticides may have long lasting effects on non-target microorganisms. Most studies have investigated the short-term effects of pesticides on soil microbial communities at the laboratory scale.