Effect of mixed moderately thermophilic adaptation on leachability and mechanism of high arsenic gold concentrate in an airlift bioreactor

A refractory gold concentrate with 19% arsenic was treated by a mixed moderately thermophiles in an airlift bioreactor through an adaptation protocol. The moderately thermophiles could respond well to 20%(w/v) pulp density with less than 10% loss of productivity, and resist arsenic up to 15 g/L. There were a lot of jarosite, arsenolite and sulfur, but not scorodite and ferric arsenate in the bioleached residue. Jarosite passivation and lower sulfur-oxidizing activity of the cells due to the toxicity of the high concentrations of soluble arsenic and iron ions at low p H value should mainly response for the incomplete extraction at high pulp density. The initial bacterial community did not change in nature except for new found P aeruginosa ANSC, but sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms have been dominant microorganisms after a long time of adaptation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa originating from the gold concentrate should be closely relative to the metabolism of the organic matters contained in the refractory gold concentrate.

Optical and Structural Properties of In_(0.52)Al_(0.48)As/InP Structures Grown at Very High Arsenic Overpressures by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Growth of ln0.52Al0.48As epitaxial layers on lnP(100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy at a wide range of arsenic overpressures (V/III flux ratios from 30 to 300) has been carried out. Analysis performed using low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and double-axis X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows a strong and prominent dependence of the PL and XRD linewidths on the V/III flux ratio. Under our growth conditions, both the PL and XRD linewidths exhibit a minimum point at a V/III flux ratio of 150 which corresponds to a maximum in the PL intensity and XRD intensity ratio. Flux ratios exceeding 150 result in an increase in both the PL and XRD linewidths corresponding to a reduction in their associated intensities. Room temperature Raman scattering measurements show a narrowing in the lnAs-like and AlAs-like longitudinal-optic (LO)phonon linewidths which broaden at high flux ratios, while the LO phonon frequencies exhibit a gradual reduction as the flux ratio is increased. PL spectra taken at increasing temperatures show a quenching of the main emission peak followed by the evolution of a broad lower energy emission which is possibly associated with deep lying centres. This effect is more prominent in samples grown at lower V/III flux ratios. Hall effect measurements show a gradual reduction in the mobility in correspondence to an increase in the electron concentration as the flux ratio is increased.

Late Quaternary tectonic uplift and Yellow River evolution create high arsenic aquifers in the Hetao Basin,China

High arsenic(As)groundwater is a global problem primarily originating from As-enriched sediments.The provenance(source)and release mechanisms(sinks)of high As sediment have been identified,but the source-sink transfer is poorly understood,especially the influence of geological and surface processes.In this study,we explore the roles of tectonic movement and Yellow River evolution in provenance formation processes and evaluate the combined effects of provenance and sediment age on the As content of aquifer sediments in the northern Hetao Basin of Inner Mongolia.Based on optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)and 14C dating and detrital zircon U-Pb,As content,and lithological analyses of a 400 m core,we reconstructed As changes over the last 160 ka.Our results show clay deposited in a paleo-lake during the Gonghe movement period in the late Pleistocene(∼100 ka B.P.)is enriched in As(31.8μg/g)due to significant provenance contributions of the As-bearing Langshan Group under tectonic uplift and mountain erosion.In contrast,clay deposited in the middle Pleistocene(∼160 ka B.P.)has lower As content(7.3μg/g)due to the Yellow River as the primary provenance.Accordingly,the provenance of basin As forced by tectonic uplift and Yellow River evolution determines the background As of aquifer sediments.After deposition,sediment As content decays over time,with higher decay rates in coarse-grained sands than fine-grained.Overall,both provenance formation and sediment age,representing initial and dynamic states of solid phase As,jointly determine the As content of aquifer sediments.More solid phase As provided by younger sediments from the proximal orogenic provenance and reducing conditions due to frequent river-lake transitions,jointly lead to higher As concentrations in shallow groundwater.The study highlights the potential for using a combined analysis of the tectonic movement-surface processes-environment system to improve understanding of geogenic high As groundwater over global large sedimentary basins in the proximity of young orogenic belts.

Leaching behavior of metals from high-arsenic dust by NaOH-Na_2S alkaline leaching

Arsenic is selectively extracted from high-arsenic dust by NaOH-Na2S alkaline leaching process. In the leaching arsenic process, the effects of alkali-to-dust ratio, sodium sulfide addition, leaching temperature, leaching time and liquid-to-solid ratio on metals leaching efficiencies were investigated. The results show that the arsenic can be effectively separated from other metals under the optimum conditions of alkali/dust mass ratio of 0.5, sodium sulfide addition of 0.25 g/g, leaching temperature of 90 ℃, leaching time of 2 h, and liquid-to-solid ratio of 5：1 （mL/g）. Under these conditions, the average leaching efficiencies of arsenic, antimony, lead, tin and zinc are 92.75%, 11.68%, 0.31%, 29.75% and 36.85%, respectively. The NaOH-Na2S alkaline leaching process provides a simple and highly efficient way to remove arsenic from high-arsenic dust, leaving residue as a suitable lead resource.

Source,migration,distribution,toxicological effects and remediation technologies of arsenic in groundwater in China

Groundwater with high arsenic(As) content seriously threatens human life and health. Drinking high-As groundwater for a long time will lead to various pathological changes such as skin cancer, liver cancer,and kidney cancer. High-As groundwater has become one of the most serious environmental geological problems in China and even internationally. This paper aims to systematically summarize the sources,migration, distribution, toxicological effects, and treatment techniques of As in natural groundwater in China based on a large number of literature surveys. High-As groundwater in China is mainly distributed in the inland basins in arid and semi-arid environments and the alluvial and lacustrine aquifers in river deltas in humid environments, which are in neutral to weakly alkaline and strongly reducing environments.The content of As in groundwater varies widely, and As(Ⅲ) is the main form. The main mechanism of the formation of high-As groundwater in China is the reduced dissolution of Fe and Mn oxides under the action of organic matter and primary microorganisms, alkaline environment, intense evaporation and concentration, long-term water-rock interaction, and slow groundwater velocity, which promote the continuous migration and enrichment of As in groundwater. There are obvious differences in the toxicity of different forms of As. The toxic of As(Ⅲ) is far more than As(V), which is considered to be more toxic than methyl arsenate(MMA) and dimethyl arsenate(DMA). Inorganic As entering the body is metabolized through a combination of methylation(detoxification) and reduction(activation) and catalyzed by a series of methyltransferases and reductases. At present, remediation methods for high-As groundwater mainly include ion exchange technology, membrane filtration technology, biological treatment technology, nanocomposite adsorption technology, electrochemical technology, and so on. All the above remediation methods still have certain limitations, and it is urgent to develop treatment materials and technical means with stronger As removal performance and sustainability. With the joint efforts of scientists and governments of various countries in the future, this worldwide problem of drinking-water As poisoning will be solved as soon as possible. This paper systematically summarizes and discusses the hot research results of natural high-As groundwater, which could provide a reference for the related research of high-As groundwater in China and even the world.

微波高压消解双道原子荧光法测定蔬菜总砷和汞

用微波高压消解技术处理样品,用原子荧光光谱仪测定蔬菜中总砷汞,具有快速、方法简便、结果准确可靠的优点。方法的回收率为砷90.1%—106.9%,汞91.0%—104.0%;检出限为砷0.10μg/L,汞0.008μg/L。