Preliminary Study on the Chinese Version of Soil Sample Spectrum Analysis System

An imported energy spectrum analyzer is powerful, but English operation interface is not easy to use. According to actual work needs, preliminary design of the Chinese energy spectrum analysis system is introduced in the paper.

Spatial heterogeneity and source apportionment of soil metal(loid)s in an abandoned lead/zinc smelter

Metal smelting have brought severe metal(loid)s contamination to the soil.Spatial distribution and pollution source analysis for soil metal(loid)s in an abandoned lead/zinc smelter were studied.The results showed that soil was contaminated heavily withmetal(loid)s.The mean of lead(Pb),arsenic(As),cadmium(Cd),mercury(Hg)and antimony(Sb)content in topsoil is 9.7,8.2,5.0,2.3,and 1.2 times higher than the risk screening value for soil contamination of development land of China(GB36600-2018),respectively.Cd ismainly enriched in the 0–6mdepth of site soil while As and Pbmainly deposited in the 0–4mlayer.The spatial distribution of soil metal(loid)s is significantly correlated with the pollution source in the different functional areas of smelter.As,Hg,Sb,Pb and copper(Cu)were mainly distributed in pyrometallurgical area,while Cd,thallium(Tl)and zinc(Zn)was mainly existed in both hydrometallurgical area and raw material storage area.Soil metal(loid)s pollution sources in the abandoned smelter are mainly contributed to the anthropogenic sources,accounting for 84.5%.Specifically,Pb,Tl,As,Hg,Sb and Cumainly from atmospheric deposition(55.9%),Cd and Zn mainly from surface runoff(28.6%),While nickel(Ni)mainly comes from parent material(15.5%).The results clarified the spatial distribution and their sources in different functional areas of the smelter,providing a new thought for the risk prevention and control of metal(loid)s in polluted site soil.

Cursory seismic drift assessment for buildings in moderate seismicity regions

This paper outlines a methodology to assess the seismic drift of reinforced concrete buildings with limited structural and geotechnical information. Based on the latest and the most advanced research on predicting potential near-field and far field earthquakes affecting Hong Kong, the engineering response spectra for both rock and soil sites are derived. A new step-by-step procedure for displacement-based seismic hazard assessment of building structures is proposed to determine the maximum inter-storey drift demand for reinforced concrete buildings. The primary information required for this assessment is only the depth of the soft soil above bedrock and the height of the building. This procedure is further extended to assess the maximum chord rotation angle demand for the coupling beam of coupled shear wall or frame wall structures, which may be very critical when subjected to earthquake forces. An example is provided to illustrate calibration of the assessment procedure by using actual engineering structural models.

Treatability of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbon-contaminated soils of different textures along a vertical profile by mechanical soil aeration：A laboratory test

Mechanical soil aeration is a simple, effective, and low-cost soil remediation technology that is suitable for sites contaminated with volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons（VCHs）. Conventionally, this technique is used to treat the mixed soil of a site without considering the diversity and treatability of different soils within the site. A laboratory test was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical soil aeration for remediating soils of different textures（silty,clayey, and sandy soils） along a vertical profile at an abandoned chloro-alkali chemical site in China. The collected soils were artificially contaminated with chloroform（TCM） and trichloroethylene（TCE）. Mechanical soil aeration was effective for remediating VCHs（removal efficiency 〉 98%）. The volatilization process was described by an exponential kinetic function.In the early stage of treatment（0–7 hr）, rapid contaminant volatilization followed a pseudofirst order kinetic model. VCH concentrations decreased to low levels and showed a tailing phenomenon with very slow contaminant release after 8 hr. Compared with silty and sandy soils, clayey soil has high organic-matter content, a large specific surface area, a high clay fraction, and a complex pore structure. These characteristics substantially influenced the removal process, making it less efficient, more time consuming, and consequently more expensive. Our findings provide a potential basis for optimizing soil remediation strategy in a cost-effective manner.