Microplastics and microfibers contamination in the Arno River (Central Italy): Impact from urban areas and contribution to the Mediterranean Sea.

Fluvial ecosystems are among the main drivers of microparticles (MPC) in the form of both synthetic polymers (i.e. microplastics; MPs) and natural-based textile fibers (MF) to the seas.

Riparian trees in mercury contaminated riverbanks: An important resource for sustainable remediation management.

Mining operations generate sediment erosion rates above those of natural landscapes, causing persistent contamination of floodplains. Riparian vegetation in mine-impacted river catchments plays a key role in the storage/remobilization of metal contaminants. Mercury (Hg) pollution from mining is a global environmental challenge.

bark from a mercury mining district studied with high resolution XANES spectroscopy.

Tree bark near former mercury (Hg) mines and roasting plants is known to have exceptionally high (up to several mg kg) Hg concentrations. This study explores the change of Hg speciation with depth (down to 25-30 mm from the outermost surface) in black pine () bark by means of high-resolution X-ray absorption near edge structure (HR-XANES) spectroscopy at the Hg L-edge. Principal component analysis and linear combination fitting applied to the HR-XANES spectra suggested that in the outermost layer (∼0-2 mm from the surface), roughly 50% of Hg is in the form of nanoparticulate metacinnabar (nano-β-HgS).

Total Mercury Mass Load from the Paglia-Tiber River System: The Contribution to Mediterranean Sea Hg Budget.

The Mediterranean Sea is characterized by a marked mercury (Hg) geochemical anomaly, arising in part from large Hg deposits. Mercury mass loads discharged from the Monte Amiata mining district (Central Italy) to the Mediterranean Sea through the Paglia-Tiber River system were estimated. Data from two seasons showed that up to 40 kg year of Hg are drained to Tiber River and finally to the Mediterranean Sea.

Occurrence and Quantification of Natural and Microplastic Items in Urban Streams: The Case of Mugnone Creek (Florence, Italy).

The terrestrial environment is an important contributor of microplastics (MPs) to the oceans. Urban streams, strictly interwoven in the city network and to the MPs' terrestrial source, have a relevant impact on the MP budget of large rivers and, in turn, marine areas. We investigated the fluxes (items/day) of MPs and natural fibers of Mugnone Creek, a small stream crossing the highly urbanized landscape of Florence (Italy) and ending in the Arno River (and eventually to the Tyrrhenian Sea).

Monitoring of Airborne Mercury: Comparison of Different Techniques in the Monte Amiata District, Southern Tuscany, Italy.

In the present study, mercury (Hg) concentrations were investigated in lichens ( (L.) Hale, (L.) Ach.

Evidence for the natural origins of anomalously high chromium levels in soils of the Cecina Valley (Italy).

The problem of high levels of chromium is one of the most important issues in soils of the Mediterranean area, in particular those deriving from ophiolitic parent materials. Very often the chromium concentration is greater than the threshold values of legislation on soil pollution and the knowledge of the origin of contamination (natural or anthropogenic) is important to formulate risk characterization. This study evaluated the soils from three coastal areas of the Cecina Valley (Tuscany, Italy) to understand the origin of chromium in the soils, where high levels of hexavalent chromium were found in well and spring waters of the areas.

Mercury speciation in Pinus nigra barks from Monte Amiata (Italy): An X-ray absorption spectroscopy study.

This study determined, by means of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, the speciation of mercury (Hg) in black pine (Pinus nigra) barks from Monte Amiata, that were previously shown to contain exceptionally high (up to some mg kg) Hg contents because of the proximity to the former Hg mines and roasting plants. Linear fit combination (LCF) analysis of the experimental spectra compared to a large set of reference compounds showed that all spectra can be fitted by only four species: β-HgS (metacinnabar), Hg-cysteine, Hg bound to tannic acid, and Hg. The first two are more widespread, whereas the last two occur in one sample only; the contribution of organic species is higher in deeper layers of barks than in the outermost ones.

Black pine (Pinus nigra) barks as biomonitors of airborne mercury pollution.

Tree barks are relevant interfaces between plants and the external environment, and can effectively retain airborne particles and elements at their surface. In this paper we have studied the distribution of mercury (Hg) in soils and in black pine (Pinus nigra) barks from the Mt. Amiata Hg district in southern Tuscany (Italy), where past Hg mining and present-day geothermal power plants affect local atmospheric Hg concentration, posing serious environmental concerns.

Binding of bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at the surface of hydrozincite nanocrystals: An example of organic molecules absorption onto nanocrystalline minerals.

As a contribution to understand the interactions between mineral surfaces and organic molecules, this study reports an accurate characterization of the bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)-Hydrozincite (DEHP-HY), that has been conduced combining the following techniques: FTIR, NMR, XAS spectroscopies and XRD. XRD patterns indicate that the HY is made of nanocrystals whose size is not influenced by the presence of DEHP. The (1)H NMR analysis of DEHP-HY samples points out the presence of interactions of DEHP with HY.

Microscopic processes ruling the bioavailability of Zn to roots of Euphorbia pithyusa L. pioneer plant.

Euphorbia pithyusa L. was used in a plant growth-promoting assisted field trial experiment. To unravel the microscopic processes at the interface, thin slices of E.

Arsenic-bearing calcite in natural travertines: evidence from sequential extraction, μXAS, and μXRF.

Recent studies demonstrated that synthetic calcite may host considerable amounts of arsenic (As). In this paper, the concentration of As in natural calcite was determined using two novel, specifically designed, sequential extraction procedures. In addition, the oxidation state of As and its distribution between calcite and coexisting Fe-oxyhydroxides was unravelled by μXRF elemental mapping and As K-edge μXAS spectroscopy.

Long-distance transport of Hg, Sb, and As from a mined area, conversion of Hg to methyl-Hg, and uptake of Hg by fish on the Tiber River basin, west-central Italy.

Stream sediment, stream water, and fish were collected from a broad region to evaluate downstream transport and dispersion of mercury (Hg) from inactive mines in the Monte Amiata Hg District (MAMD), Tuscany, Italy. Stream sediment samples ranged in Hg concentration from 20 to 1,900 ng/g, and only 5 of the 17 collected samples exceeded the probable effect concentration for Hg of 1,060 ng/g, above which harmful effects are likely to be observed in sediment-dwelling organisms. Concentrations of methyl-Hg in Tiber River sediment varied from 0.

Concentration, distribution, and translocation of mercury and methylmercury in mine-waste, sediment, soil, water, and fish collected near the Abbadia San Salvatore mercury mine, Monte Amiata district, Italy.

The distribution and translocation of mercury (Hg) was studied in the Paglia River ecosystem, located downstream from the inactive Abbadia San Salvatore mine (ASSM). The ASSM is part of the Monte Amiata Hg district, Southern Tuscany, Italy, which was one of the world's largest Hg districts. Concentrations of Hg and methyl-Hg were determined in mine-waste calcine (retorted ore), sediment, water, soil, and freshwater fish collected from the ASSM and the downstream Paglia River.

Uptake of Pb by hydrozincite, Zn5(CO3)2(OH)6--implications for remediation.

Hydrozincite, Zn(5)(CO(3))(2)(OH)(6), periodically precipitates from heavy metal contaminated waters of the Rio Naracauli stream, Sardinia, in association with a biological photosynthetic community. The precipitation removes not only zinc from the waters, but also other toxic "heavy metals", such as Cd, Cu, Pb. The phenomenon is therefore of potential interest for "soft" remediation of contaminated waters.

The chemical state of arsenic in minerals of environmental interest--an XPS and an XAES study.

A systematic analytical study using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray induced Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) has been carried out to characterize the chemical state of arsenic in complex environmental samples. The conventional approach, which relies on the chemical shift of the core levels As3d, provides ambiguous results in determining the chemical environment of arsenic. A more accurate approach, based on the Auger parameter and on the Wagner (Chemical State) plot, which combines AsLMM kinetic energy and As3d binding energy, was adopted.