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Migaszewski ZM, Gałuszka A, Migaszewski A. Legacy of anthropogenic activity recorded in sediments by microtechnofossils and chemical markers. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 930:172800. [PMID: 38679086 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
This overview presents comparison of common microtechnofossils with other geochemical markers that may have the great potential to be the anthropogenic signatures for recent and future sediment strata. The novel man-made products encompass spherical and spheroidal fly-ash particulates, microplastics, synthetic crystals, and more recently examined glass microspheres. Due to their low specific gravity and small size varying from a tiny fraction of millimeter to approximately 5 mm, microtechnofossils may be transported over a long distance from their primary or secondary sources by water and wind. Of these technogenic materials, among the most resistant to physical and chemical degradation are glass microbeads, and additionally synthetic crystals and some types of fly-ash particulates derived mostly from coal/oil combustion, metal ore smelting operations and cement/lime manufacturing. Nonetheless, synthetic glass microspheres have found exponentially growing applications as reflective ingredients in traffic-related paints and building facades, as well as in a variety of applications mostly as low-density fillers of many materials. In contrast to anthropogenic fly-ash and microplastic particles, glass microspheres resemble in many respects common detrital quartz grains. Moreover, like quartz, they are resistant to depositional and diagenetic processes, which is a prerequisite for future geologic archives preserving anthropogenic signals. These and other characteristics make glass microspheres a more widely used product in various fields thus assigning them to a new emerging and globally spreading chronostratigraphic marker of human-impacted sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zdzisław M Migaszewski
- Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, 7 Uniwersytecka St., 25-406 Kielce, Poland.
| | - Agnieszka Gałuszka
- Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, 7 Uniwersytecka St., 25-406 Kielce, Poland
| | - Andrzej Migaszewski
- Faculty of Environmental Engineering, Geomatics and Renewable Energy, Kielce University of Technology, 7 Domaszowska St., 25-314 Kielce, Poland
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Vejvodová K, Vaněk A, Spasić M, Mihaljevič M, Ettler V, Vaňková M, Drahota P, Teper L, Vokurková P, Pavlů L, Zádorová T, Drábek O. Effect of peat organic matter on sulfide weathering and thallium reactivity: Implications for organic environments. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 299:134380. [PMID: 35318025 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Weathering of Tl-containing sulfides in a model (12-week) peat pot trial was studied to better understand their geochemical stability, dissolution kinetics, alteration products and the associated release and mobility of anthropogenic Tl in organic environments. We also present the effect of industrial acid rainwater on sulfide degradation and Tl migration in naturally acidic peat. Sphalerite (ZnS) was much less stable in peat than other Tl-containing sulfides (galena and pyrite), and thus acted as a major phase responsible for Tl mobilization. Furthermore, Tl incongruently leached out over Zn from ZnS, and accumulated considerably more in the peat solutions (≤5 μg Tl/L) and the peat samples (≤0.4 mg Tl/kg) that were subjected to acid rain watering compared to a deionized H2O regime. This finding was in good agreement with the absence of secondary Tl-containing phases, which could potentially control the Tl flux into the peat. The behavior of Tl was not as conservative as Pb throughout the trial, since a higher peat mobility and migration potential of Tl was observed compared to Pb. In conclusion, industrial acid precipitations can significantly affect the stability of ZnS even in acidic peat/organic environments, making it susceptible to enhanced weathering and Tl release in the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateřina Vejvodová
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Vaněk
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Marko Spasić
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Mihaljevič
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Ettler
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Maria Vaňková
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Drahota
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Leslaw Teper
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Bedzinska 60, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Petra Vokurková
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Pavlů
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Zádorová
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Drábek
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
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Remediation of Azure A Dye from Aqueous Solution by Using Surface-Modified Coal Fly Ash Extracted Ferrospheres by Mineral Acids and Toxicity Assessment. ADSORPT SCI TECHNOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1155/2022/7012889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Indian coal fly ash (CFA) is composed of 5-15% ferrous fractions. The variation in percentage depends on the source of coal and the operating conditions of the thermal power plants. The present research work reports the recovery of ferrous particles from CFA by the wet magnetic separation method. The morphological, elemental, and chemical properties of the extracted ferrous fractions were analyzed. In order to achieve surface-modified ferrospheres, the extracted ferrospheres were treated with concentrated HCl followed by sonication. The instrumental analysis reported the ferrous composition is around 16% by weight and belongs to class F. The toxicity of CFA was determined on normal human lung (BEAS-2B) cells using MTS assay. The results showed that CFA’s induced cell toxicity in a dose-dependent manner. The ferrous particles were spherically shaped with various sizes ranging from 200 nm to 7000 nm. It was crystalline in nature and is a mixture of hematite and magnetite. The particles were found to be associated with alumina, silica, oxygen, and traces of Ca, Mg, Ti, and C. The surface-modified ferrospheres were used for the remediation of Azure A dye by batch adsorption study. The removal percentage of dye was 25.03%, within 30 minutes at neutral pH, i.e., 7.2. The surface-modified ferrospheres show potential as an alternate, more economical, and reusable adsorbent for the remediation of Azure A dye in the industries or in common effluent treatment plants. Moreover, the recovery of surface-modified ferrospheres using an external magnet and the reuse of the particles make the material much economical for dye removal at an industrial scale.
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Vaněk A, Vejvodová K, Mihaljevič M, Ettler V, Trubač J, Vaňková M, Goliáš V, Teper L, Sutkowska K, Vokurková P, Penížek V, Zádorová T, Drábek O. Thallium and lead variations in a contaminated peatland: A combined isotopic study from a mining/smelting area. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 290:117973. [PMID: 34428701 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Vertical profiles of Tl, Pb and Zn concentrations and Tl and Pb isotopic ratios in a contaminated peatland/fen (Wolbrom, Poland) were studied to address questions regarding (i) potential long-term immobility of Tl in a peat profile, and (ii) a possible link in Tl isotopic signatures between a Tl source and a peat sample. Both prerequisites are required for using peatlands as archives of atmospheric Tl deposition and Tl isotopic ratios as a source proxy. We demonstrate that Tl is an immobile element in peat with a conservative pattern synonymous to that of Pb, and in contrast to Zn. However, the peat Tl record was more affected by geogenic source(s), as inferred from the calculated element enrichments. The finding further implies that Tl was largely absent from the pre-industrial emissions (>~250 years BP). The measured variations in Tl isotopic ratios in respective peat samples suggest a consistency with anthropogenic Tl (ε205Tl between ~ -3 and -4), as well as with background Tl isotopic values in the study area (ε205Tl between ~0 and -1), in line with detected 206Pb/207Pb ratios (1.16-1.19). Therefore, we propose that peatlands can be used for monitoring trends in Tl deposition and that Tl isotopic ratios can serve to distinguish its origin(s). However, given that the studied fen has a particularly complicated geochemistry (attributed to significant environmental changes in its history), it seems that ombrotrophic peatlands could be better suited for this type of Tl research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleš Vaněk
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Kateřina Vejvodová
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Mihaljevič
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Ettler
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Trubač
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Maria Vaňková
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Viktor Goliáš
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - Leslaw Teper
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Bedzinska 60, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Sutkowska
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Bedzinska 60, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Petra Vokurková
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Vít Penížek
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Zádorová
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Drábek
- Department of Soil Science and Soil Protection, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic
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De Vleeschouwer F, Baron S, Cloy JM, Enrico M, Ettler V, Fagel N, Kempter H, Kylander M, Li C, Longman J, Martinez-Cortizas A, Marx S, Mattielli N, Mighall T, Nieminen TM, Piotrowska N, Pontevedra-Pombal X, Pratte S, Renson V, Shotyk W, Shuttleworth E, Sikorski J, Stromsoe N, Talbot J, von Scheffer C, Weiss D, Zaccone C, Le Roux G. Comment on: "A novel approach to peatlands as archives of total cumulative spatial pollution loads from atmospheric deposition of airborne elements complementary to EMEP data: Priority pollutants (Pb, Cd, Hg)" by Ewa Miszczak, Sebastian Stefaniak, Adam Michczyński, Eiliv Steinnes and Irena Twardowska. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 737:138699. [PMID: 32376094 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A recent paper by Miszczak et al. (2020) examines metal contamination of mires in Poland and Norway. The authors conclude that lead (Pb) records in ombrotrophic peatlands cannot be used to reconstruct the chronological history of anthropogenic activities due to post-depositional mobility of the metal. We contest this general conclusion which stands in contrast with a significant body of literature demonstrating that Pb is largely immobile in the vast majority of ombrotrophic peatlands. Our aim is to reaffirm the crucial contribution that peat records have made to our knowledge of atmospheric Pb contamination. In addition, we reiterate the necessity of following established protocols to produce reliable records of anthropogenic Pb contamination in environmental archives.
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Affiliation(s)
- F De Vleeschouwer
- Instituto Franco-Argentino para el Estudio del Clima y sus Impactos (UMI IFAECI/CNRS-CONICET-UBA-IRD), Argentina.
| | - S Baron
- Laboratoire TRACES (CNRS, Université de Toulouse), France
| | - J M Cloy
- Scotland's Rural College, Edinburgh, UK
| | - M Enrico
- Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - V Ettler
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - N Fagel
- AGEs, Département de Géologie, Université de Liège, Belgium
| | - H Kempter
- Welzheimer Str. 14, D-71566 Althuette, Germany
| | - M Kylander
- Department of Geological Sciences and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - C Li
- Geoscience Environnement Toulouse (CNRS-UPS-IRD-CNAP-CNES), France
| | - J Longman
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK
| | | | - S Marx
- GeoQuEST Research Centre, School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - N Mattielli
- Laboratoire G-Time, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - T Mighall
- School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
| | - T M Nieminen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke, Helsinki, Finland
| | - N Piotrowska
- Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Physics-CSE, GADAM Center, Gliwice, Poland
| | | | - S Pratte
- Department of Geography, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - V Renson
- Research Reactor, University of Missouri, USA
| | - W Shotyk
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | | | - J Sikorski
- Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Physics-CSE, GADAM Center, Gliwice, Poland
| | - N Stromsoe
- College of Engineering, IT and Environment, Charles Darwin University, Australia
| | - J Talbot
- Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - C von Scheffer
- Institute for Ecosystem Research, Kiel University, Germany
| | - D Weiss
- Imperial College London, UK; Princeton University, Princeton, USA
| | - C Zaccone
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Italy
| | - G Le Roux
- Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
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