Sources and Levels of Metals in the Upper Litani Basin Soils： Lebanon

There are a number of factors that contribute to heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils including deficient management of solid waste, waste water discharge, irrigation with contaminated water, and use of fertilizers and pesticides. The aim of this study is to estimate the sources and the levels of metals in soils of the ULB （Upper Litani Basin） that receive all mentioned factors. Soil samples were collected during the dry season from 24 sites along the Litani River flow, and 12 sites irrigated by Canal 900 withdrawn from the Qaraoun Dam along river. Metals in soils were analyzed using EDXRF （energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence） technique. Data revealed the following average levels of some heavy metals in soils with high percentage of samples exceeding the international guidelines： Mn （593 mg/kg）--67%, Ni （98 mg/kg）--96%, Cr （143 mg/kg）--92%, Hg （3.6 mg/kg）--38%, Cd （2.8 mg/kg）---25% and As （17.6 mg/kg）-84%. In canal soils： Mn （683 mg/kg）-86%, Ni （156 mg/kg）-100%, Cr （203 mg/kg） -100%, Hg （2.3 mg/kg）-25%, Cd （3.3 mg/kg）-25% and As （19.5 mg/kg）-92%. The prime source of toxic metals was due to the agricultural runoffs, beside sewage and domestic waste water discharge. Thus, the prominent findings of high levels of toxic metals （Cr, Cd, Hg and As） in soils and consequent probability in plants might induce a major health threat to consumers,

Sedimentation retention basin utilization for best management practice

Approaches to the artificial impoundment and theoretical design of sedimentation retention basin are reviewed with particular attention to best management practice(BMP) to control agriculture and surface runoff. Sediments retention basins are the small version of farm pond used where a criteria of farm pond is not met. Such basin traps the pollutants and suspended solids prior to entry into streams and lakes. The study is focused with special reference to the assessment and control of non point source pollution(NPSP) from the sub basin area of Tai Lake in the Xishan County of Wuxi City of China. The author suggested two different approaches to conduct this study including theoretical design for sedimentation retention basin and computation of flow, sediment transport and deposition during the artificial impoundment of retention basin for BMP's utilization. Theoretical design will provide a useful function as a first line defense against the movement of sediments and transport of pollutants into the Tai Lake while the assessment of sediments deposition will help to make its proper use and periodic cleanup.

Phosphorus losses via surface runoff in rice-wheat cropping systems as impacted by rainfall regimes and fertilizer applications

Phosphorus（P） losses from agricultural soils contribute to eutrophication of surface waters. This field plot study investigated effects of rainfall regimes and P applications on P loss by surface runoff from rice（Oryza sativa L.） and wheat（Triticum aestivum L.） cropping systems in Lake Taihu region, China. The study was conducted on two types of paddy soils（Hydromorphic at Anzhen site, Wuxi City, and Degleyed at Xinzhuang site, Changshu City, Jiangsu Province） with different P status, and it covered 3 years with low, high and normal rainfall regimes. Four rates of mineral P fertilizer, i.e., no P（control）, 30 kg P ha^（–1） for rice and 20 kg P ha^（–1） for wheat（P_（30＋20））, 75 plus 40（P_（75＋40））, and 150 plus 80（P_（150＋80））, were applied as treatments. Runoff water from individual plots and runoff events was recorded and analyzed for total P and dissolved reactive P concentrations. Losses of total P and dissolved reactive P significantly increased with rainfall depth and P rates（P〈0.0001）. Annual total P losses ranged from 0.36–0.92 kg ha^–1 in control to 1.13–4.67 kg ha^–1 in P150＋80 at Anzhen, and correspondingly from 0.36–0.48 kg h^–1 to 1.26–1.88 kg ha^–1 at Xinzhuang, with 16–49% of total P as dissolved reactive P. In particular, large amounts of P were lost during heavy rainfall events that occurred shortly after P applications at Anzhen. On average of all P treatments, rice growing season constituted 37–86% of annual total P loss at Anzhen and 28–44% of that at Xinzhuang. In both crop seasons, P concentrations peaked in the first runoff events and decreased with time. During rice growing season, runoff P concentrations positively correlated（P〈0.0001） with P concentrations in field ponding water that was intentionally enclosed by construction of field bund. The relative high P loss during wheat growing season at Xinzhuang was due to high soil P status. In conclusion, P should be applied at rates balancing crop removal（20–30 kg P ha^–1 in this study） and at time excluding heavy rains. Moreover, irrigation and drainage water should be appropriately managed to reduce runoff P losses from rice-wheat cropping systems.

Ammonia and phosphorus removal from using cash crop waste-derived agricultural runoff biochars

Adsorption of biochars(BC)produced from cash crop residuals is an economical and practical technology for removing nutrients from agricultural runoff.In this study,B C made of orange tree trunks and tea tree twigs from the Laoguanhe Basin were produced and modified by aluminum chloride(Al-modified)and ferric sulfate solutions(Fe-modified)under various pyrolysis temperatures(200℃-600℃)and residence times(2-5 h).All produced and modified B C were further analyzed for their abilities to adsorb ammonia and phosphorus with initial concentrations of 10-40 mg/L and 4-12 mg/L,respectively.Fe-modified Tea Tree B C 2h/400℃showed the highest phosphorus adsorption capacity of 0.56 mg/g.Al-modified Orange Tree B C 3h/500℃showed the best performance for ammonia removal with an adsorption capacity of 1.72 mg/g.FTIR characterization showed that P=O bonds were formed after the adsoiption of phosphorus by modified BC,N-H bonds were formed after ammonia adsorption.X P S analysis revealed that the key process of ammonia adsorption was the ion exchange between K+and N H 44.Phosphorus adsorption was related to oxidation and interaction between PO43-and Fe3+.According to X R D results,ammonia was found in the form of potassium amide,while phosphorus was found in the form of iron hydrogen phosphates.The sorption isotherms showed that the Freundlich equation fits better for phosphorus adsorption,while the Langmuir equation fits better for ammonia adsorption.The simulated runoff infiltration experiment showed that 97.3%of ammonia was removed by Al-modified Orange tree B C 3h/500℃,and 92.9%of phosphorus was removed by Fe-modified Tea tree B C 2h/400℃.

Removing phosphorus from aqueous solutions by using iron- modified corn straw biochar

Iron-modified corn straw biochar was used as an adsorbent to remove phosphorus from agricultural runoff. When agricultural runoffs with a total phosphorus （TP） concentration of 1.86 mg.L-1 to 2.47 mg.L-1 were filtered at a hydraulic retention time of 2 h through a filtration column packed with the modified biochar, a TP removal efficiency of over 99% and an effluent TP concentration of less than 0.02mg.L-1 were achieved. The isotherms of the phosphorus adsorption by the modified biochar fitted the Freundlich equation better than the Langmuir equation. The mechanism of the phosphorus adsorbed by the modified biochar was analyzed by using various technologies, i.e. scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）. The results indicated that the surface of the modified biochar was covered by small iron granules, which were identified as Fe304. The results also showed that new iron oxides were formed on the surface of the modified biochar after the adsorption of phosphorus. Moreover, new bonds of Fe- O-P and P-C were found, which suggested that the new iron oxides tend to be Fe5（PO4）4（OH）3. Aside from removing phosphorus, adding the modified biochar into soil also improved soil productivity. When the modified biochar-to-soil rate was 5%, the stem, root, and bean of broad bean plants demonstrated increased growth rates of 91%, 64%, and 165%, respectively.

Distribution and Fate of Anthropogenic Nitrogen in the Calamagrostis angustifolia Wetland Ecosystem of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

Wetlands are important for the protection of water quality of rivers and lakes, especially those adjacent to agricultural landscapes, by intercepting and removing nutrients in runoff. In this study, the ^15N tracer technique was applied to study the distribution and fate of anthropogenic nitrogen （^15N-fertilizer） in Calamagrostis angustifolia Kom wetland plant-soil microcosms to identify the main ecological effects of it. ^15NH4^15NO3 solution （14.93 mg N/L, 20.28 at.% ^15N） was added to each microcosm of the first group, which was approximate to the current nitrogen concentration （CNC） of farm drainage, and 29.86 mg NIL ^15NH4^15NO3 solution was added to another group, which was approximate to the double nitrogen concentration （DNC） of farm drainage, while no nitrogen （NN） was added to the third group. The results suggest that the input of anthropogenic nitrogen has positive effects on the biomass and total nitrogen content of plant, and the positive effects will be elevated as the increase of its input amount. The increase of ^15N-fertilizer can also elevate its amounts and proportions in plant nitrogen. Soil nitrogen is still the main source of plant nitrogen, but its proportion will be reduced as the increase of ^15 N-fertilizer. The study of the fate of ^15N-fertilizer indicates that, in CNC treatment, only a small proportion is water-dissolved （0,13 ± 0.20%）, a considerable proportion is soil-immobilized （17.02 ± 8.62%）, or plant-assimilated （23.70 ± 0.92%）, and most is lost by gaseous forms （59.15 ± 8.35%）. While in DNC treatment, about 0.09 ± 0.15% is water-dissolved, 15.33 ± 7.46% is soil-immobilized, 23.55±2.86% is plant-assimilated, and 61.01±5.59% is lost by gaseous forms. The double input of anthropogenic nitrogen can not elevate the proportions of plant-assimilation, soil-immobilization and water-dissolution, but it can enhance the gaseous losses.