Manganese(iv) oxide amendments reduce methylmercury concentrations in sediment porewater.

Manganese(iv) oxide (pyrolusite, birnessite) mineral amendments can reduce dissolved MeHg concentrations in sediment theoretically by inhibiting microbial sulfate reduction, which is a major methylation pathway in sediments. Anaerobic sediment slurry microcosms in which Hg methylation was stimulated by addition of labile organic carbon (acetate) and HgCl2 showed that manganese(iv) oxide reduced the percent MeHg in slurry porewater (filtered), by 1-2 orders of magnitude relative to controls. Sediment-water mesocosms with pyrolusite or birnessite either directly mixed into the top 5 cm or applied in a thin (5 cm) sand layer over sediment showed reductions in percent MeHg in porewater of 66-69% for pyrolusite and 81-89% for birnessite amendment.

Silicate Binding and Precipitation on Iron Oxyhydroxides.

Silica-bearing waters in nature often alter the reactivity of mineral surfaces via deposition of Si complexes and solids. In this work, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify hydroxo groups at goethite (α-FeOOH) and lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) surfaces that are targeted by ligand exchange reactions with monomeric silicate species. Measurements of samples first reacted in aqueous solutions then dried under N(g) enabled resolution of the signature O-H stretching bands of singly (-OH), doubly (μ-OH), and triply coordinated (μ-OH) groups.

Influence of phosphate and silica on U(VI) precipitation from acidic and neutralized wastewaters.

Uranium speciation and physical-chemical characteristics were studied in solids precipitated from synthetic acidic to circumneutral wastewaters in the presence and absence of dissolved silica and phosphate to examine thermodynamic and kinetic controls on phase formation. Composition of synthetic wastewater was based on disposal sites 216-U-8 and 216-U-12 Cribs at the Hanford site (WA, USA). In the absence of dissolved silica or phosphate, crystalline or amorphous uranyl oxide hydrates, either compreignacite or meta-schoepite, precipitated at pH 5 or 7 after 30 d of reaction, in agreement with thermodynamic calculations.

Arsenic removal from water using flame-synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles with variable oxidation states.

We utilized gas-phase diffusion flame synthesis, which has potential for large-scale production of metal oxide nanoparticles, to produce iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with variable oxidation states. The efficacy of these materials in removal of arsenate (As(V) ) from water was assessed. Two different flame configurations, a diffusion flame (DF) and an inverse diffusion flame (IDF), were employed to synthesize six different IONPs by controlling flame conditions.

Individual and combined effects of water quality and empty bed contact time on As(V) removal by a fixed-bed iron oxide adsorber: implication for silicate precoating.

The individual and combined effects of changes in water quality (i.e. pH, initial concentrations of arsenate (As(V)) and competing ions) and empty bed contact time (EBCT) on As(V) removal performance of a fixed-bed adsorber (FBA) packed with a nanostructured goethite-based granular porous adsorbent were systematically studied under environmentally relevant conditions.

Quantification of the effects of organic and carbonate buffers on arsenate and phosphate adsorption on a goethite-based granular porous adsorbent.

Interest in the development of oxide-based materials for arsenate removal has led to a variety of experimental methods and conditions for determining arsenate adsorption isotherms, which hinders comparative evaluation of their adsorptive capacities. Here, we systematically investigate the effects of buffer (HEPES or carbonate), adsorbent dose, and solution pH on arsenate and phosphate adsorption isotherms for a previously well characterized goethite-based adsorbent (Bayoxide E33 (E33)). All adsorption isotherms obtained at different adsorbate/adsorbent concentrations were identical when 1 mM of HEPES (96 mg C/L) was used as a buffer.

Extended triple layer modeling of arsenate and phosphate adsorption on a goethite-based granular porous adsorbent.

The extended triple layer model (ETLM), which is consistent with spectroscopic and theoretical molecular evidence, is first systematically tested for its capability to model adsorption of arsenate and phosphate, a strong competitor, on a common goethite-based granular porous adsorptive media (Bayoxide E33 (E33)) in water treatment systems under a wide range of solution conditions. Deprotonated bidentate-binuclear, protonated bidentate-binuclear, and deprotonated monodentate complexes are chosen as surface species for both arsenate and phosphate. The estimated values of the ETLM parameters of arsenate for the adsorbent are close to those for pure goethite minerals previously determined by others.

Origins and transport of aquatic dioxins in the Japanese watershed: soil contamination, land use, and soil runoff events.

Significant dioxins accumulations in Japanese forests and paddy fields have been observed, and surface soil runoff caused by rainfall and irrigation (i.e., soil puddling in paddy fields) results in dioxins input into the aquatic environment.

Characterization and potential environmental risks of leachate from shredded rubber mulches.

In order to determine whether shredded rubber mulches (RM) pose water quality risks when used in stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as bioretention basins, batch leaching tests were conducted to identify and quantify constituents in leachates from RM such as metal ions, nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC), and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity (determined by the chemically activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) bioassay) at varied temperature and initial pH values. The results indicate that aqueous extracts of RM contain high concentrations of zinc (Zn) compared with wood mulches (WM), and its concentration increased at lower pH and higher temperature. Although methanol extracts of RM displayed high AhR activity, none of the aqueous extracts of RM had significant activity.

Mass loading and partitioning of dioxins in irrigation runoff from Japanese paddy fields: combination usage of the CALUX assay with HRGC/HRMS.

Lack of understanding of dioxins mass loading into the aquatic environment motivated the quantitative investigation of dioxins runoff from paddy fields during one entire irrigation period in the Minakuchi region, Japan. Combination use of the chemically activated luciferase gene expression (CALUX) bioassay together with high resolution gas chromatography and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) enabled efficient investigation of dioxins contamination. The result shows that the congener profile in irrigation runoff is quite similar to those in paddy soil samples and that 1,3,6,8-/1,3,7,9-TeCDD and OCDD derived from pesticides (i.