Sodium percarbonate (SPC, 2Na₂CO₃∙3H₂O₂), is a compound that can be used under multiple environmental applications. In this work, SPC was employed as oxidant in the treatment of soil contaminated with diesel oil. The soil samples were collected during the earthmoving stage of RNEST Oil Refinery (Petrobras), Brazil. Then, the samples were air-dried, mixed and characterized. Subsequently, raw soil was contaminated with diesel and treated by photo-Fenton reaction (H₂O₂/Fe²⁺/UV). SPC played a significant role in the generation of hydroxyl radicals under the catalytic effect of ferrous ions (Fe²⁺), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and radiation. These radicals provoked the photodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in the soil remediation. A factorial design 3³ was carried out to assess the variables which most influenced the decrease in total organic carbon (TOC). The study was performed with the following variables: initial concentration of [H₂O₂] and [Fe²⁺], between 190.0 and 950.0 mmol L⁻¹ and 0.0–14.4 mmol L⁻¹, respectively. UV radiation was supplied from sunlight, blacklight lamps, and system without radiation. All experiments were performed with 5.0 g of contaminated soil in 50.0 mL of solution. The initial concentration of Fe²⁺ showed the statistically most significant effect. The oxidation efficiency evaluated in the best condition showed a decrease from 34,765 mg kg⁻¹ to 15,801 mg kg⁻¹ in TOC and from 85.750 mg kg⁻¹ to 20.770 mg kg⁻¹ in PAHs content. Moreover, the sums of low and high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (LMW-PAHs and HMW-PAHs) were 19.537 mg kg⁻¹ and 1.233 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Both values are within the limits recommended by the United Sates Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and evidenced the satisfactory removal of PAHs from contaminated soil, being an alternative to classic oxidation protocols.

Biochar was prepared from rice straw and modified with 15% H₂O₂ and 1:1 HNO₃/H₂SO₄, respectively. The unmodified biochars and HCl treated biochars for carbonate removal were used as control. The biochars were added to the acid paddy soil collected from Langxi, Anhui Province, China at the rate of 30 g/kg. The paddy soil was flooded and then air-dried, and soil pH and Eh were measured in situ with pH electrode and platinum electrode during wet-dry alternation. Soil pH buffering capacity (pHBC) was determined by acid-base titration after the wet-dry treatment. Then, the simulated acidification experiments were carried out to study the changing trends of soil pH, base cations and exchangeable acidity. The results showed that soil pHBC was effectively increased and the resistance of the paddy soil to acidification was apparently enhanced with the incorporation of H₂O₂- and HNO₃/H₂SO₄-modified biochars. Surface functional groups on biochars were mainly responsible for enhanced soil resistance to acidification. During soil acidification, the protonation of organic anions generated by dissociation of these functional groups effectively retarded the decline of soil pH. The modification of HNO₃/H₂SO₄ led to greater increase in carboxyl functional groups on the biochars than H₂O₂ modification and thus HNO₃/H₂SO₄-modified biochars showed more enhancement in soil resistance to acidification than H₂O₂-modified biochars. After a wet-dry cycle, the pH of the paddy soil incorporated with HNO₃/H₂SO₄-modified biochar increased apparently. Consequently, the addition of HNO₃/H₂SO₄-modified biochar can be regarded as a new method to alleviate soil acidification. In short, the meaning of this paper is to provide a new method for the amelioration of acid paddy soils.

Understanding the mercury (Hg) methylation process is important for the management of paddy soils contaminated by Hg. In this work, samples of eighteen paddy soils with varying soil properties were spiked with inorganic Hg and subjected to a 90 d flooding period. Soil pH and redox potential (Eh) were measured in situ at intervals, and soils were sampled for the analysis of methylmercury (MeHg). The Hg methylation efficiency increased with flooding time and reached a relatively steady state at 30 d of incubation, ranging from 0.08% to 2.52%, and was significantly correlated with the in situ soil pH and Eh. The Elovich equation could adequately describe the kinetic production of MeHg. MeHg production was well predicted by the in situ soil pH and Eh of flooded soils, in addition to the organic matter content of air-dried soil samples and flooding time. The two predictive models explained 78% and 68% of the variability of the Hg methylation efficiency. The results suggested that the methylation of inorganic Hg in paddy soils after flooding can be predicted as a function of routinely measured soil properties and flooding time, a correlation that can be utilized to improve understanding of the extent of Hg methylation and the management of Hg-contaminated paddy soils.

The long-term environmental fate of the veterinary antibiotic sulfadiazine (SDZ) in soils is determined by a reversible sequestration into a residual fraction and an irreversible formation of non-extractable residues (NER), which can be described as first-order rate processes. However, the concentration dynamics of the resulting fractions of SDZ in soil show an unexplained rapid reduction of extractability during the first 24 h. We therefore investigated the short-term extractability of SDZ in two different soils under different SDZ application procedures over 24 h: with and without manure, for air-dried and for moist soils. In all batches, we observed an instantaneous loss of extractability on a time scale of minutes as well as kinetically determined sequestration and NER formation over 24 h. Data evaluation with a simple kinetic model led to the conclusion that application with manure accelerated the short-term formation of NER, whereas sequestration was very similar for all batches.

Cadmium bioavailability in paddy soils is strongly affected by flooding-draining cycle. In this study, we used synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy and a stirred-flow method to investigate the effects of flooding-draining and amendments of CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ on Cd speciation and release kinetics from a Cd-spiked paddy soil (total Cd concentration of 165 mg kg⁻¹). Extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis showed that Cd was predominantly bound to non-iron-clay minerals (e.g. Cd-kaolinite, Cd-illite, and Cd-montmorillonite, accounting for 60–100%) in the air-dried soil and 1- or 7-day flooded samples. After prolonged flooding (30 and 120 days), Cd-iron mineral complexes (e.g. Cd bound to ferrihydrite and goethite) became the predominant species (accounting for 52–100%). Stirred-flow kinetic analysis showed that both prolonged flooding and the amendments with CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ decreased the maximum amount and the rate coefficient of Cd release. However, the effect of prolonged flooding was reversed after a short period of draining, indicating that although Cd was immobilized during flooding, it became mobile rapidly after the soil was drained, possibly due to pH decrease and rapid oxidation of CdS. The effects of the amendments on Cd uptake in rice plants were tested in a pot experiment using the same paddy soil without Cd spiking (total Cd 2.1 mg kg⁻¹). Amendment with CaCO₃ and, to a lesser extent, CaSO₄, decreased the Cd accumulation in two cultivars of rice. The combination of CaCO₃ amendment and a low Cd accumulating cultivar was effective at limiting grain Cd concentration to below the 0.2 mg kg⁻¹ limit.

Metal-salt amended soils (MA, n = 23), and historically-contaminated urban soils from two English cities (Urban, n = 50), were investigated to assess the effects of soil properties and contaminant source on metal lability and solubility. A stable isotope dilution method, with and without a resin purification step, was used to measure the lability of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. For all five metals in MA soils, lability (%E-values) could be reasonably well predicted from soil pH value with a simple logistic equation. However, there was evidence of continuing time-dependent fixation of Cd and Zn in the MA soils, following more than a decade of storage under air-dried conditions, mainly in high pH soils. All five metals in MA soils remained much more labile than in Urban soils, strongly indicating an effect of contaminant source on metal lability in the latter. Metal solubility was predicted for both sets of soil by the geochemical speciation model WHAM-VII, using E-value as an input variable. For soils with low metal solution concentrations, over-estimation of Cd, Ni and Zn solubility was associated with binding to the Fe oxide fraction while accurate prediction of Cu solubility was dependent on humic acid content. Lead solubility was most poorly described, especially in the Urban soils. Generally, slightly poorer estimation of metal solubility was observed in Urban soils, possibly due to a greater incidence of high pH values. The use of isotopically exchangeable metal to predict solubility is appropriate both for historically contaminated soils and where amendment with soluble forms of metal is used, as in toxicological trials. However, the major limitation to predicting solubility may lie with the accuracy of model input variables such as humic acid and Fe oxide contents where there is often a reliance on relatively crude analytical estimations of these variables.Trace metal reactivity in urban soils depends on both soil properties and the original source material; the WHAM geochemical model predicts solubility using isotopically exchangeable metal as an input.

We have investigated the distribution of a heavy oil residue in the coastal sediments of the Gulf of Mexico. The amount of the contamination was determined by high-temperature pyrolysis coupled with the Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) of air-dried sediments. The pyrolysis products contain straight-chain saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, such as dodecane and 1-dodecene, resulting in a very characteristic pattern of double peaks in the GCMS. Hydrocarbons containing 8 to 23 carbon atoms were detected in the pyrolysis products. Using thermal pyrolysis we have found that the sediment samples collected along Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi shores contain no detectable traces of oil residue, but most of the samples collected along Alabama and Florida shores contain ~200ppm of heavy oil residue.

In order to prove that hot air-dried crushed oyster shells (HACOS) are effective in reducing hydrogen sulfide in muddy tidal flat sediments and increasing the biomass, field experiments were carried out. The concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the interstitial water, which was 16mgSL⁻¹ before the application of HACOS, decreased sharply and maintained almost zero in the experimental sites (HACOS application sites) for one year, whereas it was remained at ca. 5mgSL⁻¹ in the control sites. The number of macrobenthos individuals increased to 2–4.5 times higher than that in the control site. Using a simple numerical model, the effective periods for suppression of hydrogen sulfide were estimated to be 3.2–7.6 and 6.4–15.2years for the experimental sites with 4 and 8tons per 10×10×0.2m area, respectively. From these results, it is concluded that HACOS is an effective material to remediate muddy tidal flats.

Improving digestibility, fermentation characteristics, and reducing greenhouse biogases to protect the environment without the use of synthetic materials is an important goal of modern-day farming and nutritionist. Plant extracts are capable of solving these. This is due to the digestive enzymes and the bioactive components capable of performing antimicrobial functions inherent in these plants. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of standard maize substrate treated with selected herbs and spices extracts on ruminal environmental biogas production and pressure during fermentation via biogas production technique. Herbs (Azadirachta indica leaves (T1), Moringa oleifera leaves (T2), Ocimum gratissimum leaves (T3) and spices (Allium sativum bulb (T4), Zingiber officinale rhizome (T5)) were harvested, air dried, and milled using standard procedures. Methanolic extracts of the herbs and spices were prepared and used as additives at different concentrations (50, 100, and 150 μL) to the maize substrate for in vitro biogas production. Data were analyzed using regression analysis. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences across all the treatments on the volume and pressure of biogas. The pressure and volume of biogas when compared with the levels tested showed differences (P < 0.05) across all the treatments for the prediction of volume from pressure of biogas. The pressure and volume of gas produced in vitro increased (P < 0.05) and biogases decreased (P < 0.05) by the substrate treated with herbs and spices but for the drum stick leaves which was similar for the levels of concentration tested. This means that the level tested had a pronounced mitigation effect on pressure of biogas and volume of biogas produced. It was concluded that the herb and spice extracts have the potential to improve rumen fermentation and reduce the production of biogases in ruminant diet.

Herbicides with long residual period may increase the risk of environmental contamination. Adequate management of forage can reduce the half-life of the picloram, one of the most herbicides used in weed control. This study aims to determine the half-life of picloram, using high-performance liquid chromatography in a cultivated soil with Brachiaria brizantha trimmed or not. Brachiaria brizantha was cultivated in 60 pots filled with samples of oxisol, and 30 others were kept uncultivated with this forage. This plant was cut off close to the ground, after 60 days of emergency on 30 vessels. Picloram was applied in all of the plots. Soil samples were collected at 2, 16, 30, 44, 58, 72, 86, 120, 150, and 180 days after the application of this herbicide. These samples were air-dried and stored at − 20 °C. Picloram was extracted by HPLC/UV-Vis detector. Half-life of this herbicide was calculated using kinetics models. The mere presence of roots in treatment with signalgrass cutoff did not reduce the concentrations of this herbicide, except when the emergence of new leaves occurred. The absence of B. brizantha cultivation in areas with application of picloram increases the risk of environmental contamination and successive crops due to the half-life of this herbicide. Brachiaria brizantha reduced half-life picloram and environmental risk in pastures. The validation method is suitable for determining picloram in low concentrations in soil.