Abstract: Antimony (Sb) is extensively used in flame retardants, lead-acid batteries, solder, cable coverings, ammunition, fireworks, ceramic and porcelain glazes and semiconductors. However, the geochemical fate of antimony (Sb) remained largely unexplored. Among the different Sb species, Sb (V) is the dominant form in the soil environment in a very wide redox range. Although earlier studies have examined the fate of Sb in the presence of iron oxides such as goethite and hematite, few studies till date reported the interaction of Sb (V) with gibbsite, a common soil Al-oxide mineral. The objective of this study was to understand the sorption behavior of Sb (V) on gibbsite as a function of various solution properties such as pH, ionic strength (I), and initial Sb concentrations, and to interpret the sorption-edge data using a surface complexation model. A batch sorption study with 20 g L(-1) gibbsite was conducted using initial Sb concentrations range of 2.03-16.43 mu M, pH values between 2 and 10, and ionic strengths (I) between 0.001 and 0.1 M. The results suggest that Sb (V) sorbs strongly to the gibbsite surface, possibly via inner-sphere type mechanism with the formation of a binuclear monodentate surface complex. Weak I effect was noticed in sorption-edge data or in the isotherm data at a low surface coverage. Sorption of Sb (V) on gibbsite was highest in the pH range of 2-4, and negligible at pH 10. Our results suggest that gibbsite will likely play an important role in immobilizing Sb (V) in the soil environment. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Abstract: Lead (Pb) has limited solubility in the soil environment owing to complexation with various soil components. Although total soil Pb concentrations may be high at a given site, the fraction of soluble Pb that plants can extract is very small, which is the major limiting factor for Pb phytoremediation. The symbiotic effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus mosseae was examined on growth and phytoextraction of lead (Pb) by vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L)]. A hydroponic study, Phase 1(0, 1, 2, and 4 mM Pb) was conducted followed by an incubation pot study, Phase II (0, 400, 800, and 1200 mg kg(-1) Pb) where vetiver plants were colonized with G. mosseae. The results obtained indicate that plants colonized by the AM fungi not only exhibit better growth (increase in plant biomass), but also significantly increase Pb uptake in root and higher translocation to the shoot at all given treatments. Moreover, plants colonized with AM fungi had higher chlorophyll content and reduced levels of low molecular weight thiols, indicating the ability to better tolerate metal-induced stress. Results from this study indicate that vetiver plants in association with AM fungi can be used for improved phytoextraction of Pb from contaminated soil. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Abstract: Alum (aluminum sulfate) is the currently preferred chemical amendment for phosphorus (P) treatment in poultry litter (PL). Aluminum-based drinking-water treatment residuals (Al-WTRs) are the waste by-product of the drinking-water treatment process and have been effectively used to remove P from aqueous solutions, but their effectiveness in PL water extracts has not been studied in detail. Elevated cost associated with alum could be minimized by using the equally effective WTRs to remove soluble P from PL, and they can be obtained at a minimal cost from drinking-water treatment plants. We set up batch and incubation experiments to determine: (1) the effect of WTR amendment rates on PL water-extractable P (WEP) concentrations and (2) the effects of incubation time, pH, and temperature on WEP concentrations of WTR-amended PL. Removal of PL-soluble P by the WTR was biphasic, showing an initial fast reaction (60% removal within 10 min) followed by a slower reaction that was completed within 12 days (90% removal). Phosphorus removal by the WTR was unaffected by pH changes in the range of 3-8. Incubation experiments showed that all WTR rates (2.5-15 wt.%) significantly (p < 0.001) lowered WEP concentrations in PL to similar to 40% of the unamended PL (no WTR) at 23A degrees C. Minimal reduction (20% of the unamended PL) in WEP concentrations for all WTR rates were observed up to 18 days, possibly due to P diffusion limitations. Increasing the temperature to 35A degrees C resulted in overcoming such diffusion limitations by increasing P removal rate of reaction. Assuming year-round availability of adequate quantities in nearby drinking-water treatment plants, WTR may be a cost-effective treatment to reduce P availability in poultry litter. Field experiments are greatly needed in order to demonstrate the excellent performance of WTR in this laboratory-based study to remove soluble P concentrations in animal waste.
Abstract: A sensitive (method detection limit, 2.0 mu g As L-1) colorimetric determination of trace As(V) and As(III) concentrations in the presence of soluble phosphorus (P) concentrations in soil/water extracts is presented. The proposed method modifies the malachite green method (MG) originally developed for P in soil and water. Our method relies upon the finding that As(III) and As(V) do not develop the green color during P analysis using the MG method. When an optimum concentration of ascorbic acid (AA) is added to a sample containing up to 15 times P. As (mu M) concentrations, the final sample absorbance due to P will be equal to that of As(V) molecules. The soluble As concentration can then be quantified by the concentration difference between the mixed oxyanion (As + P) absorbance (proposed method) and the MG method absorbance that measures only P. Our method is miniaturized using a 96-well microplate UV-VIS reader that utilizes minute reagent and sample volumes (120 and 200 mu L sample(-1), respectively), thus, minimizing waste and offering flexibility in the field. Our method was tested in a suite of As-contaminated soils that successfully measured both As and P in soil water extracts and total digests. Mean% As recoveries ranged between 84 and 117%, corroborating data obtained with high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass-spectrometry. The performance of the proposed colorimetric As method was unaffected by the presence of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Fe, Al, Si, and Cr in both neutral and highly-acidic (ca. pH 2) soil extracts. Data from this study provide the proof of concept towards creating a field-deployable, portable As kit.
Abstract: Swine diets are often supplemented by organoarsenicals, such as 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (roxarsone) to treat animal diseases and promote growth. Recent work reported roxarsone degradation under anaerobic conditions in poultry litter, but no such data exist for swine wastes typically stored in lagoons nearby concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The objectives of this study were to: (i) characterize a suite of swine wastes collected from 19 randomly selected CAFOs for soluble arsenate [As(V)], arsenite [As(Ill)], dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), 3-ainino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-HPPA), p-arsandic acid, and roxarsone, and (ii) cleterm ine the geochemical fate of roxarsone in storage lagoons nearby CAFOs. Swine waste suspensions were spiked with roxarsone and incubated under dark/light and aerobic/anaerobic conditions to monitor roxarsone degradation kinetics. Arsenic speciation analysis using liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS) illustrated the prevalence of As(V) in swine waste suspensions. Roxarsonc underwent degradation to either organoarsenicals (3-HPPA) or As(V) and a number of unidentified metabolites. Roxarsone degradation occurred under anaerobic conditions for suspensions low in solids content, but suspensions higher in solids content facilitated roxarsone degradation under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Increased solids content enhanced roxarsone degradation kinetics under aerobic conditions. According to current waste storage and sampling practices, arsenic in swine wastes stored in lagoons has been overlooked as a possible environmental health issue.
