Deformity frequencies of benthic marine diatoms associated with contaminated sediments in Hong Kong

The relationship between contaminated sediments and deformity frequencies for benthic diatoms was the subject of this study. There were two basic types of diatom deformities observed in this study of Tolo Harbour diatoms: 1. Diatoms with deformed cell wall morphology and 2. diatoms with deformed ornamentation. Deformed individuals of Fragilaria capucina and Achananthes hauckiana Grun. displayed external cell wall deformities while deformed individuals of Diatoma displayed deformities in valve ornamentation. Abnormal cell morphology was used as an indicator of a degraded ecosystem. There was a significant correlation( P <0.05, r s=0.652) between sediment toxicity as reflected by the microtox test and benthic diatom diversity. Species diversity and species richness levels at the twelve sites were closely correlated with one another and inversely correlated with sediment toxicity as reflected by our microtox results( r s=0.809, P <0.01). The microtox test for acute toxicity was correlated ( P <0.05) with diatom species richness. The deformity frequencies and microtox tests were not significantly correlated. This lack of correlation was expected as in numerous laboratory studies, toxic substances were not necessarily mutagenic. The use of diatom deformity frequencies as a means of assessing the mutagenic/teratogenic impacts of anthropogenic substances on a marine benthic diatom community necessitates the enumeration of a large number of diatoms making this method extremely labor intensive.

An integrated method for the rapid dewatering and solidification/stabilization of dredged contaminated sediment with a high water content

To more efficiently treat the dredged contaminated sediment(DCS)with a high water content,this study proposes an integrated method(called PHDVPSS)that uses the solidifying/stabilizing(S/S)agents and prefabricated horizontal drain(PHD)assisted by vacuum pressure(VP).Using this method,dewatering and solidification/stabilization can be carried out simultaneously such that the treatment time can be significantly shortened and the treatment efficacy can be significantly improved.A series of model tests was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed method.Experimental results indicated that the proposed PHDVPSS method showed superior performance compared to the conventional S/S method that uses Portland cement(PC)directly without prior dewatering.The 56-day unconfined compressive strength of DCS treated by the proposed method with GGBS-MgO as the binder is 12–17 times higher than that by the conventional S/S method.DCS treated by the PHDVPSS method exhibited continuous decrease in leaching concentration of Zn with increasing curing age.The reduction of Zn leachability is more obvious when using GGBS-MgO as the binder than when using PC,because GGBS-MgO increased the residual fraction and decreased the acid soluble fraction of Zn.The microstructure analysis reveals the formation of hydrotalcite in GGBS-MgO binder,which resulted in higher mechanical strength and higher Zn stabilization efficiency.

Engineering and microstructure properties of contaminated marine sediments solidified by high content of incinerated sewage sludge ash

Management of incinerated sewage sludge ash(ISSA)and dredged contaminated marine sediments(CMSs)is a great challenge for Hong Kong and other coastal cities due to limited landfilling capacity.The present study investigates the use of high content(20%of sediment by mass)of ISSA in combination with cement/lime for solidification/stabilization(S/S)treatment of CMSs to provide a way to reuse the wastes as construction materials.The results showed that ISSA being a porous material was able to absorb a large amount of water rendering a more efficient solidification process of the marine sediment which normally had a very high water content(w80%).The S/S treatment improved the engineering properties of the sediment,but reduced the workability,especially for the lime-treated samples.Lime can be used to replace ordinary Portland cement(OPC)for better heavy metal immobilization and carbon emission reduction.The hardened sediment samples prepared with 10%of lime and 20%of ISSA could attain a strength of 1.6 MPa after 28 d of curing.In addition,leaching tests confirmed that there was no environmental risk induced by these stabilized materials.The formation of hydrated cementitious compounds including calcium silicate hydrate(CeSeH)/calcium aluminate silicate hydrate(C-A-S-H)/hydrocalumite/calcite was mainly responsible for the strength development in the ISSA/lime-treated sediments.

In-situ stabilisation followed by ex-situ composting for treatment and disposal of heavy metals polluted sediments

An innovative in-situ stabilisation treatment followed by ex-situ sediment composting was tested for its ability to treat and dispose of heavy-metal-polluted sediments in a river near the Chinese Pearl Delta. First, polluted sediments were treated in-situ to stabilise the heavy metals. Then the treated sediments were dredged, dewatered and sent for high temperature aerobic composting （HTAC） treatment. Finally, the compost products were used as a fertiliser for fiver bank plants. The stabilisation efficiency of heavy metals during the process was investigated and the results are as follows： （1） using in-situ stabilisation, the extraction concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb were reduced by 65.0%, 82.2% and 90.0%, respectively, which are much lower than the national standard given in the Identification Standard for Hazardous Waste （GB5085.3-1996）; （2） chemical fraction analysis showed that heavy metals were further stabilized during the HTAC treatment; （3） the concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb in rainwater leachate through the river bank met the level of class V in the Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water in China （GB3838-2002）. Therefore, using this new process, the toxicities of heavy metals in sediments were reduced markedly.

An analysis of River Derwent pollution and its impacts

As the major water catchment in Hobart city, the River Derwent provides water services to Hobart residents; however, water quality of the River Derwent is becoming unreliable. The aims of this paper are to identify the major water issues in the river and to reveal its impacts on Hobart residents and ecosystem. A methodology of secondary data analysis has been involved; which covers a wide range of existing dissertations. Through all the analysis of data, heavy metals, contaminated sediment and overload nitrogen can be regarded as three main causes of the water pollution. Moreover, the impacts of the water pollution are proved to be significant and perennial. On the basis of the analysis result, water pollution tends to be a tough issue that requires a great amount of time and efforts to deal with.

Hazard Mitigation through a Systemic Model of Accident to a Socio-Technical System： A Case Study

This paper presents the STAMP （system-theoretic accident modeling and processes） accident model, based on systems theory, and describes its application in the context of risk prevention related to the remediation of contaminated sediments. The implementation of the model is described, and results are presented both in methodological and technical terms. The goal of this article is to emphasize the need of new approaches to take into account hazards and accidents within socio-technical systems.

Review on utilization of biochar for metal-contaminated soil and sediment remediation

Biochar is a carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative material produced through thermal decomposition of plant-and animal-based biomass under oxygen-limited conditions.Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the application of biochar as an adsorbent, soil ameliorant and climate mitigation approach in many types of applications.Metal-contaminated soil remediation using biochar has been intensively investigated in small-scale and pilot-scale trials with obtained beneficial results and multifaceted effects.But so far, the study and application of biochar in contaminated sediment management has been very limited, and this is also a worldwide problem. Nonetheless, there is reason to believe that the same multiple benefits can also be realized with these sediments due to similar mechanisms for stabilizing contaminants. This paper provides a review on current biochar properties and its use as a sorbent/amendment for metal-contaminated soil/sediment remediation and its effect on plant growth, fauna habits as well as microorganism communities. In addition, the use of biochar as a potential strategy for contaminated sediment management is also discussed, especially as regards in-situ planning. Finally, we highlight the possibility of biochar application as an effective amendment and propose further research directions to ensure the safe and sustainable use of biochar as an amendment for remediation of contaminated soil and sediment.

Comprehensive evaluation of heavy metal contamination of sediment in Lake Dianchi by using modified AHP method and ^(137)Cs dating

Through the use of general sampling and measurement by ^(137)Cs dating,problems regarding the absence of monitoring data can easily be resolved.Further,weighted values need to be determined while Environment Quality Comprehensive Index(EQCI)is commonly used as applied in environmental quality comprehensive evaluation.In order to overcome the subjectivity in determining weights,the modified Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP)method was designed.The modified AHP method involved the following key procedures:First,the parameters y_(i1) and y_(i2) were calculated based on the monitoring data;second,the factors were put in order according to the symbol and value of y_(i1) and y_(i2);third,the continuous odd integers,which represented the importance of factors,were given to factors according to their seating order;and,fourth,the factor weights were determined from the pair-wise comparison matrix calculated by the ratio of the given odd integers.Therefore,the weights were completely based on the monitoring data.In the present study,the comprehensive quality of sediments in five sections of Lake Dianchi were evaluated and the results indicated that the current contamination of sediments in each lake section is much more serious than at any other time in history.

Particle size distribution and characteristics of heavy metals in road-deposited sediments from Beijing Olympic Park

Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, heavy metals in road-deposited sediments（RDSs） of parks are emitted into the terrestrial, atmospheric, and water environment, and have a severe impact on residents＇ and tourists＇ health. To identify the distribution and characteristic of heavy metals in RDS and to assess the road environmental quality in Chinese parks, samples were collected from Beijing Olympic Park in the present study. The results indicated that particles with small grain size（〈150 μm） were the dominant fraction. The length of dry period was one of the main factors affecting the particle size distribution, as indicated by the variation of size fraction with the increase of dry days. The amount of heavy metal（i.e., Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd） content was the largest in particles with small size（〈150 μm） among all samples. Specifically, the percentage of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in these particles was 74.7%, 55.5%, 56.6% and 71.3%, respectively.Heavy metals adsorbed in sediments may mainly be contributed by road traffic emissions. The contamination levels of Pb and Cd were higher than Cu and Zn on the basis of the mean heavy metal contents. Specifically, the geoaccumulation index（I geo） decreased in the order：Cd〉Pb〉Cu〉Zn. This study analyzed the mobility of heavy metals in sediments using partial sequential extraction with the Tessier procedure. The results revealed that the apparent mobility and potential metal bioavailability of heavy metals in the sediments, based on the exchangeable and carbonate fractions, decreased in the order： Cd〉Zn≈Pb〉Cu.

Arsenic fractionation and contamination assessment in sediments of thirteen lakes from the East Plain and Yungui Plateau Ecoregions, China

Arsenic（As） fractions in the sediments of seven lakes from East Plain Ecoregion and six lakes from Yungui Plateau Ecoregion, China, were investigated. Results indicated that the total As concentrations in sediment samples of lakes of the East Plain Lake Ecoregion are higher than those of Yungui Plateau Lake Ecoregion. Residual As is the main fraction in sediment samples of lakes from both ecoregions, followed by reducible As and soluble or oxidizable As. The total As is correlated to oxidizable As and residual As in sediment samples from both lake ecoregions. As distribution in sediment samples of lakes of the East Plain Ecoregion appears to be affected by human activity, while the As origin mainly comes from natural sources in sediment samples of lakes in the Yungui Plateau Ecoregion. The potential ecological risk index and geoaccumulation index values suggest ＂low to moderate＂ risk degree and ＂unpolluted to moderately polluted＂ for As in the studied lake sediments.

Historical record of effects of human activities on absolute and relative concentrations of Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in Lake Chao,China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs）are attracting concern because of their potential toxicity,posing serious threats to health of humans and ecosystems（Kim et al.,2013;Zhao et al.,2016）.Generally,similar to other contaminants＇behaviors（Wu et al.,2001;Zhang et al.,2007,2008;Lu et al.,2009）,PAHs result from natural organic matter and activities of humans,the latter＇s contribution usually outweighing the inputs from other sources（Fernández et al.,2000;Srogi,2007）.