The model of contaminant transport between the abiotic components of the lake water-sediment system is presented. The implementation of the model, which uses radioactive material as a contaminant, and the evaluation of parameter values are discussed in the work. A semi-analytical solution of the simulation of the dynamics of contaminant transport in the lake water and one-dimensional sediment solute transport including non-equilibrium processes is presented. The model includes a concept of dynamics of the contaminant sorption in lake water and sediment compartments, considering the specific porous structure of sediments, the contaminant material exchange between the liquid and solid phases of sediments. The key processes included in the model are sedimentation, resuspension, diffusive exchange of solute at the lake water-sediment interface and advection-diffusion in sediment solute. Modelling of the contaminant transport in both spheres (lake water and bottom sediments) is influenced by non-equilibrium and transformation reactions. Special attention was paid to the contamination balance between the two spheres in the interface area. The ranges of boundary and initial conditions were extended, and final results were obtained using an accurate and robust numerical inversion calculation based on the De Hoog algorithm. Therefore, the model can be used in experimental measurements interpreting the contaminant profile in lake sediments as well as a part associated with the comprehensive determination of the volumetric activity, in the estimation of irradiation doses due to radionuclides released into the lake water.

The drinking water treatment plant (WTP) of the city of Turin (NW Italy), with a treatment capacity of 40 × 10⁶ m³/year, has a basin that is employed as a lagooning pretreatment facility. This study aims to assess the effect of the basin on several environmental parameters (temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, pH, chloride, nitrite, and total chlorophyll) of the river water before entering the WTP and monitor the changes inside the basin caused by the seasonal hydrological and biological cycles. Sampling was carried out on 16 dates over 3 years at the inlet and outlet channel of the basin and in five locations along three depth values (1, 6, and 12 m, i.e., at the bottom). The results of the 3-year monitoring campaign demonstrated that the basin had an effect on pH (p = 6.6 × 10⁻⁹), DO (p = 0.000072), turbidity (p = 0.011), and chlorophyll (p = 0.033). No significant changes regarding nitrite (p = 0.11), chloride (p = 0.94), and temperature (p = 0.66) were detected. The results gathered from the sampling campaign inside the basin demonstrated that, during the year, the basin experienced the following: two states of complete mixing in early spring and fall, when the differences in temperature between the surface and the bottom of the basin were less than 1 °C; a condition of late spring/summer stratification with a temperature difference between the surface and the bottom of 4–5 °C and a difference in DO, pH, and total chlorophyll concentration that increased throughout the spring season; and one or more states of summer circulation due to the weak stability of the warm season stratification. During the states of circulation, the persistent algae photosynthetic activity tended to cause a quick change in the concentration of DO, total chlorophyll, and pH value in the most superficial layer of the basin. The results of the principal component analysis (PCA) showed a strong direct relationship between the weight of the first component and the hydrodynamic states of the basin (stratification/circulation) and an inverse relationship between the weight of the second component and the intensity of photosynthetic activity of algae species.

Sculpins are widely used as key species for monitoring heavy metal pollution near arctic mine sites. Typically, metal concentrations in liver and muscle tissue have been used as a proxy for metal exposure but such analyses lack temporal information of uptake and accumulation. Otoliths (ear bones) are considered metabolically stable and can potentially contain a complete record of the fish’s metal exposure history. To investigate the otolith chemistry of sculpins and the potential of these as records of metal exposure, common sculpins (Myoxocephalus scorpius) were collected at five sites near a former Pb–Zn mine in West Greenland. Otoliths were analyzed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for 12 elements of which Mg, Mn, Sr, Ba, and Pb were detected. The highest Pb concentrations were found within the otoliths from the most Pb-polluted sites near the mine (up to 0.6 ppm), and decreasing concentrations were observed in a gradient away from the mine. Notably, Pb and Sr variations were closely correlated and showed an annual oscillatory pattern with peaks consistently found in the winter zones. It is not clear to what the extent high winter-time accumulation of Pb in the otoliths is due to high winter-time exposure of Pb through diet or water and/or to physiological processes such as growth in the sculpins. The study indicates that LA-ICP-MS analyses of sculpin otoliths have the potential to become a valuable method for assessing time-resolved metal loading near mine sites but also that more studies are required to investigate the links between metal sources, pathways, and processes affecting otolith metal deposition.

The reversible and resistant components of adsorption and desorption of munition constituents (MCs) on soils was studied to determine the environmental fate of these contaminants. The long-term desorption of MCs has applicability in formulating accurate risk assessments for operational military ranges. Batch experiments near 1:1 (w/v) soil-to-solution ratios reflecting field conditions using solutions containing mixtures of HMX, RDX, and nitroglycerine (NG) were conducted. The three soils used varied from 0.04 to 13.3 % organic matter. The experiment involved one adsorption step followed by four consecutive desorption steps. Adsorption times were 2, 5, 10, and 30 days. For each adsorption time, desorption times were carried out for 1, 12, 24 and 72 h and 30 days. The reversible/resistant component model was applied to the data. The model predicted the desorption concentrations of the MCs in the soil with root mean square errors of approximately 0.05 to 0.2 μg g soil⁻¹. The extent of desorption hysteresis is not changed by the length of desorption time, irrespective of the initial adsorption time.

In this paper, we compared the costs and benefits of reducing premature mortality caused by exposure to surface ozone and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM₂.₅) in East Asia in 2020. The cost of ozone and PM₂.₅emission reduction is estimated using the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS)-China model. The benefit of reducing premature mortality caused by exposure to corresponding ozone and PM₂.₅emission is valued by the value of statistical life (VSL). The costs and benefits are evaluated for two emission reduction policies in 2020 with varying stringency in China: Case FS (the strict policy implementation case in China) and Case FR (the less strict policy implementation case in China). For ozone, the emission reduction cost and the benefit of life saving are 33,000 and 8200, 36,600–99,700 and 22,200–60,700 (million int. $, 2005), for Case FS and Case FR, respectively. The corresponding cost and benefit for PM₂.₅are 3580 and 523, 292,000–797,000 and 194,000–530,000 (million int. $, 2005), respectively. In total (ozone and PM₂.₅), the respective values are 36,400 and 8720, 329,000–897,000 and 217,000–591,000 (million int. $, 2005). Owing to these large benefits and also relatively low PM control costs, the benefits of controlling PM₂.₅surpass control costs significantly. The benefit/cost ratio is especially high for PM₂.₅for both policies and highlight the priority of controlling aerosol emissions in East Asia.

In this study, the samples of the spatial soil and organs of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivar Tamjanika were collected from the selected zones near the Mining and Smelting Complex Bor (East Serbia). They were analyzed by ICP-OES to determine the content of Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Cd, and Ni with the aim of ascertaining if these data may help in the assessment and improvement of the quality of environment in polluted areas such as Bor and its surrounding area. The results obtained from the calculated biological and enrichment factors, as well as from the Pearson correlation study and hierarchical cluster analysis confirmed that very useful information is recorded in plant organs: root, stem, leaves, and fruit. Yet, when the atmospheric pollution is the sphere of interest, the most informative data are found in unwashed leaves. The results of this study indicated also that the investigated plant species has some highly effective strategies involved in tolerance to the stress induced by heavy metals, which makes it an excellent candidate for phytostabilization purposes. Planting of this grapevine cultivar can be recommended in all areas that are severely polluted with heavy metals.

Multifunctional sorbents, activated carbons (AC), were prepared by one-step microwave activation utilizing peanut shells and sunflower seed husks. The influence of the original particle size of raw materials on the yield and specific surface area of AC was studied, which reached 33.5 % and 1133.27 m²/g, respectively. The repetitive and competitive uptakes of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and chromium were applied to investigate the sorption properties of AC. The sorption mechanisms were demonstrated using sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure analysis (XANES). In the repetitive experiment, AC made from peanut shells (ACP₀₅) still retained 70 % removal efficiency of PFOS after the fourth sorption because sorbed PFOS might form a new organic phase that supplied effective sites for the hydrophobic partition of PFOS. However, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) decreased dramatically from 60 to 11 % after the fourth uptake because electrostatic attraction was its only removal pathway. In the binary solutes system, ACP₀₅ possessed perfect sorption performance for both PFOS and Cr(VI), which were 885 and 192 mg/g, respectively. In the multivariate solutes system, the XANES spectra indicated that the thiol functional group existed in the resulting AC and a metal chelate was formed between thiol and Zn²⁺/Cu²⁺. Hence, the presence of Zn²⁺/Cu²⁺ further promoted the removal of PFOS and Cr(VI) through the electrostatic attraction between the anions and positive metal chelate.

In this study, the fruit of Catalpa bignonioides was used as the raw material to obtain low-cost activated carbon. The activation process was carried out by using chemical activation method with zinc chloride. Catalpa activated carbon (CAC) was characterized using elemental analyzer, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and the point of zero charge (pHZPC). The BET surface area of CAC prepared by the impregnation ratio of 30 % ZnCl₂ (w/w) was found to be 896.02 m²/g. The efficiency in the process of the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution by CAC was searched with different factors, such as temperature, pH, adsorbent concentration, dye concentration, and contact time. From the experimental data obtained, the studies related to adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics were performed. Langmuir model provided the best fit, and the adsorption capacity for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by CAC was calculated to be 271.00 mg/g at 25 °C. The adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Moreover, the thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS° presented that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic.

Inadequately treated effluents from industry have serious environmental and public health concerns. Even low level discharges create problems through accumulation in water and soil. In the present work, the pollutant accumulating capacity and the general environmental health status of soil which is a repository of treated and untreated effluent discharges and solid waste dumping of a giant pulp and paper mill have been evaluated with respect to some selected physicochemical parameters. The pollutant accumulating capacity of the soil in seven well-defined sites in and around the mill was found with reference to a “control” site with no history of receiving effluent discharges or solid wastes. The changes in texture, bulk density, water-holding capacity, electrical conductivity, pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable sodium, etc. of the soil up to the normal tilled depth were observed in different seasons. In most sites, the soil organic carbon was poorly correlated to the bulk density, water-holding capacity, pH, and clay and sand contents, indicating an unhealthy state of the soil and, correspondingly, nearly exhausted pollutant accumulating capacity. Considerable differences in pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, and water-holding capacity were observed between the soil receiving effluent discharge and solid waste dumping and the control soil. The soil had accumulated considerable amounts of the exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, Na, and K). The work has found that industrial activities have worked against the normal behavior of the soil and reduced its capacity to serve as a natural repository of carbon.

The sorption behavior of cobalt by a sodium-modified zeolite-rich tuff was investigated using cobalt solutions prepared with water from the cooling system of a nuclear reactor. The sorption kinetics shows that the equilibrium was reached in less than 20 h. The isotherms showed that the sorption capacity of the sodium-modified zeolite-rich tuff for cobalt was 20.73 mg/g at 60 °C. The pH affects the sorption capacity of the sodium-modified zeolite-rich tuff for cobalt. The sorption capacity of the sodium-modified zeolite-rich tuff for cobalt was higher using nuclear purity water than water from other aqueous matrices.