Water purification with sintered porous materials fabricated at 400℃ from sea bottom sediments

A sintering technology for preparing porous materials from sea bottom sediments was developed for use in water purification. The purpose of the present study was to develop methods for converting the sea bottom sediments dredged from Ago Bay into value-added recycled products. The sintered products fabricated at 400℃ were found to be very effective adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals.

Temporal Changes in Transboundary Air Pollutants in Bottom Sediments of Lakes in East Asia

To clarify temporal changes in the transboundary pollution, we analyzed SCPs （spheroidal carbonaceous particles） in bottom sediments of lakes in China, South Korea and Japan. SCPs provide an unambiguous record of anthropogenic atmospheric pollution in bottom sediments. Recently deposited SCPs in air and unmelted snow on Mt. Fuji were also characterized. The concentrarion and characteristics of SCPs reflected the environmental and industrial history of the area. Evidence of transboundary air pollution was observed after the 1980s in Yashagaike and Kotaniike ponds in Japan, which are located on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The concentration suggests that the pollutants originated from continental Asia, particularly after the 1980s. The chemical composition of the SCPs allowed the source of emissions to be identified. Chinese SCPs were found at Yashagaike and Kotaniike ponds in Japan, and at Songiiho and Urimji lakes in Korea. The size distributions showed that small SCPs are transported over long distances. On the summit of Mr. Fuji, SCPs transported by the prevailing westerlies from China were found in addition to SCPs emitted in Japan.

Hygienic Quality of Fish Depending of Cadmium （Cd） and Lead （Pb） Content in Bottom Sediments of Water Reservoirs Kolinany

Analysis of bottom sediments in water reservoir Kolifiany from the aspect of Cd and Pb contents, the determination of observed heavy metal contents in different parts of carp body （meat muscle, liver and kidney） and the evaluation of hygienic status and suitability of fish meat for the human consumption were performed. For analysis, each tissue sample was dissolved in a solution of nitric acid p.a. （HNO3：HzO = 2：1）; sediment sample in solution of acids （HF-HNO3-HCIO4） and analyzed for presence of Cd, Pb by the atomic absorption spectrophotometer （AAS） Varian Duo 240FS and 240Z. Our results confirmed hygienic harmless of bottom sediments in water reservoir Kolifiany. The Cd, Pb contents in sediments represent no risk within their input into the fish organisms. The Cd content in fish meat is lower than maximum available amount given by legislative norms, and the contents of Pb in fish meat too. The results of Cd, Pb content determination in carp body confirmed that fish muscles belong to suitable foodstuff for the human consumption.

Heavy Metals in Water and Bottom Sediments of Odessa Region of the Black Sea

The paper presents the results of a comprehensive monitoring of the polygon： ＂Odessa Region, north-western part of the Black Sea＂ for the period 2009-2011. It is shown that most of the copper and nickel is brought into the sea from the catchment area, and zinc and cadmium are mainly of the autochthonous origin. It is found that in 2010, after heavy rains, the area of bottom sediments contaminated by copper and nickel was increased. The main source of copper in the sea is vast vineyards.

Natural and Artificial Radionuclides in River Bottom Sediments and Suspended Matter in the Czech Republic in the Period 2000-2010

The concentrations of natural radionuclides, radium-226, radium-228, and potassium-40, and the artificial radionuclide caesium-137, in river bottom sediments and suspended matter were monitored in the Czech Republic by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute during the period 2000-2010 and 2001-2010 respectively. The data were used to evaluate the natural background levels of these radionuclides and the impact of human activities on the water environment. For potassium-40 in sediments, the natural background level was estimated to be 570 Bq/kg. To evaluate the background level for radium-226, the river sites affected by human activities (mining and processing uranium ore, coal) were eliminated from the assessment. The average natural background values were 47.8 Bq/kg for radium-226 and 47.2 Bq/kg for radium-228 in sediments and 86.5 Bq/kg for radium-226 and 87.9 Bq/kg for radium-228 in suspended matter. The river sediments were identified as good indicators of radioactive contamination, especially radium-226, which recorded historic contamination due to former uranium mining and milling. The radium-226 contamination rate was assessed using the ratio of radium-226 to radium-228. This ratio was used to classify sediment according to the relative contamination from the uranium industry. The residual contamination of caesium-137 due to the Chernobyl accident in 1986 was also assessed. Average values of caesium-137 were 14.0 Bq/kg in sediments and 25.0 Bq/kg in suspended matter.

Features of ^(90)Sr behavior in Crimean lakes with different salinity of their water environment

The comparative study of technogenic ^(90)Sr behavior features in Crimea lakes’ ecosystems with different levels of salinity was carried out in 2016-2021.Two sources of ^(90)Sr input were identified for all the studied lakes:the primary source concerned with atmospheric fallout immediately after the Chernobyl NPP accident and the secondary long-term input of this radionuclide by waterway.The half-life of the ^(90)Sr concentration in the water of the hypers aline Lake Sasyk-Sivash was estimated to vary from 0.8 to 1.1 years after the closure of the North Crimean Canal(NCC).Biogeochemical processes in the lake under the absence of the secondary source of the radionuclide input were shown to decrease in the ^(90)Sr residence time in the water column by 131 times.For brackish water bodies,a significant factor influencing the radionuclide concentration in ecosystems of lakes was the pH of their water,while for hypers aline lakes the level of water salinity was the main factor determining ^(90)Sr behavior.The concentration of ^(90)Sr in bottom sediments of studied lakes depended mainly on this radionuclide concentration in a water environment.Calculated ^(90)Sr distribution factors(Kd) for studied lakes’ bottom sediments varied in a range of n·10^(0)÷n·10^(2) for hypersaline lakes and of n·10^(1)÷n·10^(2) for lakes with brackish waters.Due to the closure of the NCC,the ^(90)Sr redistribution took place in lake ecosystems only under the geochemical processes within the water bodies themselves.The results obtained in this work are of particular importance as a starting point or a basis for further radioecological studies of the Crimean inland waters after the reopening of the NCC and the Dnieper waters re-entering the territory of Crimea in 2022after the 8 years of their absence.

Geochemical Studies and Elemental Contaminants in the Bay of the City of Asuncion

Minor and trace elements composition of bottom sediments from the bay of Asunci6n on the Paraguay River have been investigated by XRF （X-ray fluorescence） techniques to determine their correlation as well as provenance. The analysis of complex spectra was performed by the AXIL software and the quantitative analysis by the QAES （quantitative analysis of environmental samples ） software. Analyzed trace elements were the refractory elements Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Zr, Th and others with high field stabilization energy as Cr, Ni, Cu, together with Zn, As, Cd, Pb. Minor elements were Ti, Mn, Fe which are often to the above refractories related. According to their normalized spidergrams, two sets of sediments can be differentiated. Those that show LREE （light rare earth elements） enrichment, negative Nb and Ti anomalies and no spike at Zr and those that have spidergrams very alike, with strong negative anomalies at Nb, Nd and Ti whereas a of Fe versus the refractory elements except Fe-Zr in which correlation seem to be low. positive spike at Zr. In both set, there are strong correlations is negative. Potential hazards of toxic elements in sediments

Sea Trials of a Wave Energy Converter in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland

This paper describes a campaign of WEC （wave energy converter） testing and presents a selection of the results related to the measured motions and mooring tensions. A 1：20 physical model has been successfully deployed using a three point mooring installed at sea （Strangford Lough, NI） in 10 m depth. In calm weather the overall dynamics of mooring tensions is dominated by the tidal cycle due to the progressive lifting of the heavy chain with the increase in water depth on the flood and gradual lowering on the ebb. In flesh winds the dynamics is very complex, but can be studied with the aid of mathematical modelling. A simulation model was used to assess the dynamics of the mooring lines, and the results of open water tests have been compared with the model＇s performance. The results indicate that, in general, the model shows a reasonable agreement with the observations. The WEC＇s motions and the measured loads on the leading mooring line appear to relate to the concurrent environmental conditions. The data obtained can therefore be used for the model＇s calibration and further improvements, which is valuable for improving the WEC＇s design and operational characteristics. This may be important not only in relation to the issues of reliability and power take off, but also in terms of minimising the adverse effects of mooring lines on bottom sediments, as well as indirect effects of the eroded particles on a wide range of aquatic processes.