Compost enriched with inorganic amendments has been evaluated in laboratory-based experiments for its effectiveness to immobilise heavy metals in contaminated soils. This paper reports the results pertaining to copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) only. The inorganic amendments used were naturally occurring zeolite-Clinoptilolite and synthetic iron oxide (Fe₂O₃). A series of experiments have been performed on the amended soils and the results demonstrated that a combination of compost/iron oxide was effective in reducing the uptake of Cu in rye grass (Lolium perenne L.) whereas compost/iron oxide as well as compost/zeolite mixture was effective for reducing Cd uptake. The amended compost performed better in re-vegetating contaminated soil compared to compost or amendments alone. The sequential extraction of the control sample showed that major fraction of both Cu and Cd were associated with organic fraction indicating that the metals might be available to plants under oxidising conditions of soil. The percentage of Cu in the control sample associated with different fractions was in the following order: Organic > Residual > Reducible > Exchangeable fraction whereas for Cd it was: Organic > Reducible > Residual > Exchangeable. The sequential extraction of amended soils showed that exchangeable Cu decreased by 50% to 92% compared to the control. An increase in residual fraction of Cd (up to 40%) was observed in the amended soils. It was concluded that zeolite and/or iron oxide enriched compost can be used effectively for immobilising Cu and Cd in contaminated soils. The effect of amended compost on other metals should be taken into consideration for real field applicaitons.

This study assessed the arsenic and heavy metal contaminations of agricultural soils around the tin and tungsten mining areas in Dai Tu district in northern Vietnam. Among the examined elements, high total contents of As and Cu were found in the agricultural fields at both tin and tungsten mining sites. Although the major part of the accumulated As and Cu were bound by various soil constituents such as Fe and Mn oxides, organic matter, and clay minerals, increases in water soluble As and Cu were observed, especially for the paddy fields. The results suggest that, in the studied area, As and Cu dispersion from their pollution sources into farmlands is mainly via fluvial transportation of mine waste through streams that cross the paddy fields around the tin mining area, and soil erosion at the tea fields located at lower positions of the slope in the tungsten mining area.

It is well established that the livestock sector is a major contributor to greenhouse gases (GHG) and ammonia (NH₃) emissions. In this paper, the evolution of livestock NH₃, methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and particulate matter (PM) emissions is presented for the period 1960-2005 in Greece and the factors influencing the emission fluxes (such as livestock population changes, manure management systems in use) are examined and analyzed. Emission estimates are based on the updated EMEP/CORINAIR methodology together with the revised IPCC guidelines; newly published, Greece-specific emission factors are used. The emissions level from livestock is evaluated and compared with the corresponding emissions from other anthropogenic sources in Greece. Geographical analysis concerning the distribution of animals and the subsequent NH₃ emissions is performed. Main results indicate high levels of emissions from 1960 to 1995, while emissions from 1995 to 2005 show a stabilizing trend.

Environmental and energy performances of a water network system (WNS) utilizing water reuse are compared to those of a conventional water system (CWS) supplying only freshwater from the perspective of an entire economy and life cycle. Environmental input-output analysis (EIOA) is used to evaluate their air pollutant emissions and energy consumptions. The global warming potential and the emissions of carbon monoxide and of volatile organic compounds from the WNS are less than those from the CWS because of the decrease in the consumption of industrial water, while the emissions of sulfur dioxide and of nitrogen oxides and energy consumption from the WNS are greater because of the increase in electricity consumption for pumping. For perfectly environmentally-friendly water reuse, electricity consumption should be constrained or optimized in water network synthesis, and primary energy mix for electricity generation should be shifted towards renewable energy.

Flooded post-harvest rice paddies were examined as systems for reducing diazinon (organophosphate insecticide) concentrations in stormwater runoff. Two paddies were cultivated in Oryza sativa L. and amended with a 3-h simulated stormwater diazinon runoff event. Initial diazinon adsorption peaked at 347 and 571 μg kg⁻¹ (3% mass load reduction) for mean above-ground plant tissue concentrations in each pond, respectively. Subsequent senescence of above-ground tissue showed significant decreases in tissue mass (r ² = 0.985) and adsorbed diazinon mass (90 ± 4% and 82 ± 1%) within 1 month of amendment. There were no corollary increases in water column diazinon concentrations. Furthermore, control O. sativa tissue placed within the treatment ponds had below-detectable levels of diazinon throughout the decomposition phase, suggesting a lack of within pond transference of dissipated diazinon. This study shows the relative effectiveness of diazinon adsorption by post-harvest rice plants and a potential mitigation strategy of senescence and pesticide degradation for contaminated tailwater.

Pilot-scale experiments were performed to investigate the role of equalization basins used with constructed wetland systems for treatment of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) waters. Analysis of FGD water samples indicated that aqueous concentrations of Hg, As, and Se remained constant or changed very slightly in a pilot-scale equalization basin during a 24-h hydraulic retention time (HRT). No change in toxicity of FGD water occurred after one HRT. FGD particles were predominantly silt size, and approximately 99% of particles suspended in FGD water settled to the bottom of a 2.5-m-deep equalization basin during the first 4 h of the 24-h HRT. Approximately 90% of the total As, and smaller percentages of Hg and Se, in FGD water and particles were removed by particle settling in the equalization basin. Results of this investigation lend support to the use of equalization basins for treating FGD waters in constructed wetland treatment systems.

This study was conducted to determine the metal (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Zn) tolerance and uptake of Mitchell grasses when grown on waste rocks and tailings of a base metal mine, Australia. The objective of conducting such phytoremediation studies was to gain data relating to the implementation and effectiveness of capping and revegetation strategies for mine waste repositories in regions of native grasslands. Pot trials demonstrate that Mitchell grasses are metal tolerant and have the ability to accumulate significant concentrations of metals (Pb, Zn) into their above-ground biomass. Concentrations of metals in Mitchell grasses were evaluated in terms of maximum allowable dietary levels in livestock. The pot trial project revealed that if Mitchell grasses were to be used for mined land reclamation and were grown on tailings, the grasses could potentially accumulate large quantities of Zn in their tissue, potentially causing harmful effects on animals feeding on them. Hence, it is undesirable that Mitchell grasses are grown on and their root system come in contact with tailings with elevated level of Zn. Otherwise, the species may accumulate phyto- and zootoxic concentrations of Zn. The metal tolerance, the tendency to accumulate metals in the above-ground biomass and the significant root penetration depth of Mitchell grasses have implications for the design of tailings storage facilities. Capping of waste repositories, containing elevated metal concentrations and using a cover system without capillary breaks, clay layers or alternative strategies, may not be sustainable in the long term. The application of phosphate amendments to tailings may represent an alternative strategy to limit the uptake of metals by Mitchell grasses. The pot trials prove that the addition of phosphate to mine wastes decreases the bio-availability of metals in these materials and reduces the Pb and Zn concentration in Mitchell grasses growing on them. Thus, the addition of phosphate amendments to the top layers of metalliferous mine wastes may represent an alternative waste management strategy.

The concentrations of As and Zn in 100 georeferenced soils uniformly distributed throughout the area affected by the spill from the Aznalcóllar mine (April 1998) were analysed at three depths (0-10, 10-30, and 30-50 cm) and on four dates (autumn-winter 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2004). For an estimate of the geochemical background, 30 unaffected soils near the edge of the spill were also analysed at the same depths. The soils were contaminated before the spill and, the accident seriously increased the concentration of As and Zn in the first 10 cm of almost all the affected soils. After the enormous efforts of cleaning up the tailings, around 45% of the soils had a concentration higher than 100 mg As kg⁻¹ dry soil, and some 35% had a concentration higher than 1,000 mg Zn kg⁻¹ dry soil. Both As and Zn penetrated between 10 and 30 cm in 25% and 45% of the soils, respectively, but reached 30 cm in only 12% of the soils. The remediation actions, especially the tilling and homogenisation of the uppermost 25 cm of the all soils, caused the As and Zn concentrations to decline in the soils, but this change was not very effective from the standpoint of pollution. Thus, 6 years after the spill, the uppermost 10 cm of 30% of the soils continued to have an As concentration higher than 100 mg As kg⁻¹, while the Zn concentration diminished considerably on the surface due to its greater mobility, accumulating between 10 and 30 cm in depth, where 20% of the soils continued to register more than 1,000 mg Zn kg⁻¹ dry soil.

Comprehensive survey of major rivers in the Tokyo metropolitan area was conducted for clarifying the emission sources of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in Tokyo. PFOS was found at all sampling sites at concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 58 ng L⁻¹; in addition to this, it was also indicated that unknown PFOS emission sources are present in the midstream of the Tama River basin. The relationship between PFOS and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was constant at a ratio of 10:3 (PFOS/PFOA) throughout the Tama River basin. The sum of daily load amounts of PFOS from Tokyo's major rivers to Tokyo Bay reached 215 g day⁻¹. This value corresponds to 12.8 μg day⁻¹ per person using the sum of wastewater treatment district populations. In contrast, an estimation of PFOS contribution of domestic wastewater was also attempted, and the contribution was 1.6 μg day⁻¹ per person. We took samples up trunk sewers in the Tama River and finally found at the highest PFOS concentration (58,000 ng L⁻¹) from one of the wastewater of the electronic parts manufacturing facilities.

Mobilization of arsenic (As) in the subsurface environment can result in elevated concentrations of As in groundwater and potential human exposure and adverse health effects. Natural attenuation (i.e., sequestration) of As may, under appropriate geochemical conditions, serve to limit human exposure to As. The effectiveness of As sequestration by sorption, co-precipitation, and/or precipitation can be strongly influenced by redox conditions, which can control the solubility of sorbent phases and the stability of As-containing solids. The redox transformation of As between the +III and +V oxidation states can also affect the extent of As sorption. The effect of amendment with synthetic manganese (Mn) oxide birnessite (nominally MnO₂) on As sequestration in a sediment suspension was examined in the absence and presence of iron (Fe) added as Fe(II). In the absence of Fe(II), the extent of As(III) oxidation to As(V) increased with increasing birnessite amendment, but As sequestration was not increased. In the presence of Fe(II), however, As sequestration did increase with increasing birnessite amendment. Concurrently, Fe(II) was also sequestered, and the Fe(III) content of the solid phase was observed to increase, suggesting that the oxidative precipitation of an Fe(III) oxyhydroxide phase plays an important role in As sequestration. These results suggest that amendment with Mn(III, IV) oxides could be an effective way to augment natural attenuation of As in cases where As-contaminated groundwater also contains elevated concentrations of Fe(II).