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Magyar D, Tischner Z, Szabó B, Freiler-Nagy Á, Papp T, Allaga H, Kredics L. Characterization of Indoor Molds after Ajka Red Mud Spill, Hungary. Pathogens 2023; 13:22. [PMID: 38251330 PMCID: PMC10820486 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13010022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
A red mud suspension of ~700,000 m3 was accidentally released from the alumina plant in Ajka, Hungary, on the 4th of October 2010, flooding several buildings in the nearby towns. As there is no information in the literature on the effects of red mud on indoor mold growth, we conducted studies to answer the following question: does the heavy metal content of red mud inhibit fungal colonization in flooded houses? In order to gain knowledge on fungal spectra colonizing surfaces soaked with red mud and on the ability of fungi to grow on them, swabs, tape lifts, and air samples were collected from three case study buildings. A total of 43 fungal taxa were detected. The dominant species were Penicillium spp. on plaster/brick walls, but Aspergillus series Versicolores, Cladosporium, Acremonium, and Scopulariopsis spp. were also present. The level of airborne penicillia was high in all indoor samples. Selected fungal strains were subcultured on 2% MEA with 10-1 and 10-4 dilutions of red mud. The growth rate of most of the strains was not significantly reduced by red mud on the artificial media. The consequences of similar industrial flooding on indoor molds are also discussed in this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donát Magyar
- National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy, H-1097 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Tischner
- Department of Environmental Safety, Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary;
| | - Bence Szabó
- Centre for Translational Medicine, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Ágnes Freiler-Nagy
- Department of Animal Hygiene, Herd Health and Mobile Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Tamás Papp
- HUN-REN-SZTE Pathomechanisms of Fungal Infections Research Group, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary;
| | - Henrietta Allaga
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary; (H.A.); (L.K.)
| | - László Kredics
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, H-6726 Szeged, Hungary; (H.A.); (L.K.)
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Zhu J, Yue H, Ma L, Li Z, Bai R. The synergistic hydration mechanism and environmental safety of multiple solid wastes in red mud-based cementitious materials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023:10.1007/s11356-023-27800-w. [PMID: 37286836 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27800-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Red mud (RM) is a solid waste material with high alkalinity and low cementing activity component. The low activity of RM makes it difficult to prepare high-performance cementitious materials from RM alone. Five groups of RM-based cementitious samples were prepared by adding steel slag (SS), grade 42.5 ordinary Portland cement (OPC), blast furnace slag cement (BFSC), flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG), and fly ash (FA). The effects of different solid waste additives on the hydration mechanisms, mechanical properties, and environmental safety of RM-based cementitious materials were discussed and analyzed. The results showed that the samples prepared from different solid waste materials and RM formed similar hydration products, and the main products were C-S-H, tobermorite, and Ca(OH)2. The mechanical properties of the samples met the single flexural strength criterion (≥ 3.0 MPa) for first-grade pavement brick in the Industry Standard of Building Materials of the People's Republic of China-Concrete Pavement Brick. The alkali substances in the samples existed stably, and the leaching concentrations of the heavy metals reached class III of the surface water environmental quality standards. The radioactivity level was in the unrestricted range for main building materials and decorative materials. The results manifest that RM-based cementitious materials have the characteristics of environmentally friendly materials and possess the potential to partially or fully replace traditional cement in the development of engineering and construction applications and it provides innovative guidance for combined utilization of multi-solid waste materials and RM resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junge Zhu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Hongzhi Yue
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China.
| | - Laijun Ma
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Zichao Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Rong Bai
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
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Zhu J, Yue H, Ma L, Li Z, Bai R. Study on hydration mechanism and environmental safety of thermal activated red mud-based cementitious materials. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:55905-55921. [PMID: 36905547 PMCID: PMC10121509 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25832-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Red mud (RM) cementitious materials were prepared with the thermally, thermoalkali- or thermocalcium-activated RM, steel slag (SS), and other additives. The effects of different thermal RM activation methods on the cementitious material hydration mechanisms, mechanical properties, and environmental risks were discussed and analyzed. The results showed that the hydration products of different thermally activated RM samples were similar with the main products being C-S-H, tobermorite, and Ca(OH)2. Ca(OH)2 was mainly present in thermally activated RM samples, and the tobermorite was mainly produced by samples prepared with thermoalkali- and the thermocalcium-activated RM. The mechanical properties of the samples prepared by thermally and thermocalcium-activated RM had early-strength properties, while the thermoalkali-activated RM samples were similar to the late-strength type of cement properties. The average flexural strength of thermally and the thermocalcium-activated RM samples at 14 days were 3.75 MPa and 3.87 MPa respectively, whereas, the 1000 °C thermoalkali-activated RM samples only at 28 days was 3.26 MPa; the above data could reach the single flexural strength (3.0 MPa) of the first-grade pavement blocks of the building materials industry standard of the People's Republic of China-concrete pavement blocks (JC/T446-2000). The optimal preactivated temperature for different thermally activated RM was different; the optimal preactivated temperature for both thermally and thermocalcium-activated RM was 900 °C, and the flexural strength was 4.46 MPa and 4.35 MPa, respectively. However, the optimal preactivated temperature of thermoalkali activated RM at 1000 °C. The 900 °C thermally activated RM samples had better solidified effects for heavy metal elements and alkali substances. 600~800℃ thermoalkali activated RM samples had better solidified effects for heavy metal elements. Different temperatures of thermocalcium-activated RM samples showed different solidified effects on different heavy metal elements, which may be due to the influence of thermocalcium activation temperature on the structural changes of the hydration products of the cementitious samples. In this study, three thermal RM activation methods were proposed, and the co-hydration mechanism and environmental risk study of different thermally activated RM and SS were further elucidated. This not only provides an effective method for the pretreatment and safe utilization of RM, but also facilitates the synergistic resource treatment of solid waste and further promotes the research process of replacing part of traditional cement with solid waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junge Zhu
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Hongzhi Yue
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China.
| | - Laijun Ma
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Zichao Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
| | - Rong Bai
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, 255000, Shandong, China
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Rubinos DA, Spagnoli G. Assessment of red mud as sorptive landfill liner for the retention of arsenic (V). JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 232:271-285. [PMID: 30481641 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.09.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The sorption of AsV on red mud (bauxite residue), produced in the ALCOA-San Cibrao factory (Spain), was assessed in view of its potential use as sorptive liner of landfills for the attenuation of As-rich leachates. The operating parameters evaluated, using batch-type procedures, comprised the effects of time, solution pH, AsV concentration (sorption isotherm) and presence of phosphate on the AsV sorption. The results showed that the red mud efficiently sorbed AsV. The sorption was fast, with a major fraction of initial AsV being removed in a few minutes or hours of contact, depending on AsV concentration. The kinetic process was well described by the pseudo-second order equation, which points to chemisorption is involved, whereas surface (film) diffusion chiefly governs the rate of AsV sorption for the red mud system. Sorption of AsV was strongly pH-dependent. Maximum removal (>98%) was observed at slightly acidic pH (pHmax = 5.5-6), while AsV sorption considerably decreased at both highly acidic and alkaline pH. The percentages of sorbed AsV decreased with the increasing solution AsV concentration, and the AsV sorption capacity (up to 43.5 mmol/kg) of the red mud was higher (∼4 -fold) at pH ∼6 than at pH ∼9.2 (natural pH of the red mud). The presence of P at equimolar or 1:10 As/P molar ratios reduced AsV sorption by ∼20% and 30%, respectively. Simulations of AsV migration taking into account the effects of dispersion and diffusion through an hypothetical red mud liner, using the sorption parameters and the geotechnical-hydraulic conductivity characteristics of the RM, predicted a deeper migration of AsV in the liner at pH∼9.2 than at pH∼6 and a minimum thickness of ∼90 cm and ∼20 cm, respectively, for a RM liner to decrease the solution AsV concentration from highly toxic 1 mM to a safe <0.133 μM (<10 μg/L) level, after a 35-years period.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Rubinos
- Freelance Researcher & Consultant, Reboiras 39, 15981 A Coruña, Spain.
| | - Giovanni Spagnoli
- BASF Construction Solutions GmbH, Dr.-Albert-Frank-Straße 32, 83308 Trostberg, Germany.
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Rasulov O, Zacharová A, Schwarz M. Determination of total mercury in aluminium industrial zones and soil contaminated with red mud. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2017; 189:388. [PMID: 28699117 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-017-6079-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated total mercury contents in areas impacted by aluminium plants in Tajikistan and Slovakia and in one area flooded with red mud in Hungary. We present the first determination of total mercury contents in the near-top soil (0-10 and 10-20 cm) in Tajikistan and the first comparative investigation of Tajikistan-Slovakia-Hungary. The Tajik Aluminium Company (TALCO) is one of the leading producers of primary aluminium in Central Asia. In the past 30 years, the plant has been producing large volumes of industrial waste, resulting in negative impacts on soil, groundwater and air quality of the surrounding region. Mercury concentrations were significant in Slovakia and Hungary, 6 years after the flooding. In studied areas in Slovakia and Hungary, concentrations of total mercury exceeded the threshold limit value (TLV = 0.5 mg Hg kg-1). However, in Tajikistan, values were below the TLV (0.006-0.074 mg kg-1) and did not significantly vary between depths. Total Hg in Slovakia ranged from 0.057 to 0.668 mg kg-1 and in Hungary from 0.029 to 1.275 mg kg-1. However, in the plots near to the red mud reservoir and the flooded area, Hg concentrations were higher in the upper layers than in the lower ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oqil Rasulov
- Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia.
| | - Andrea Zacharová
- Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - Marián Schwarz
- Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia
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Rubinos DA, Barral MT. Sorptive removal of Hg II by red mud (bauxite residue) in contaminated landfill leachate. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART A, TOXIC/HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2017; 52:84-98. [PMID: 27737613 DOI: 10.1080/10934529.2016.1229938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The ability of red mud (RM) (bauxite residue) to remove HgII from landfill leachate (LL) was assessed. The studied aspects comprised the effects of time, pH, HgII concentration and the sorption isotherm, besides the influence of chloride and representative organic ligands. HgII removal by RM exhibited a complex kinetics where initial rapid sorption was followed by desorption at longer times. The sorption of HgII on RM was strongly pH-dependent. Outstanding maximum sorption was observed at pH∼4-5 (≥99.6%), while it abruptly dropped at higher pH values down to a minimum ∼28% at pH∼10.5. Chloride decreased HgII sorption at acid pH and shifted the pHmax towards higher pH∼9.4, which opposes to sorption in LL and suggests Cl- did not primarily control the process in LL. Amongst the organic ligands, acetate and salicylate slightly affected HgII sorption. Conversely, glycine affected sorption in a pH-dependent manner resembling that in LL, which suggests the relevant role of the organic nitrogenated compounds of LL. EDTA suppressed HgII sorption at any pH. HgII speciation modelling and dissolved organic matter (DOM) sorption support complexation of HgII by DOM as the primary factor governing the removal of HgII in LL. The sorption isotherm was better described by the Freundlich equation, which agrees with the heterogeneous composition of RM. The results indicate that HgII sorption on RM is favorable, but reveal differences in sorption and reduced efficiency, in LL media. Notwithstanding, RM possesses a notable capacity to remove HgII, even under the unhelpful complexing and competing conditions of LL.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Rubinos
- a Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy , University of Santiago de Compostela , Santiago de Compostela , Spain
| | - María T Barral
- a Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy , University of Santiago de Compostela , Santiago de Compostela , Spain
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