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Magliozzi LJ, Matiasek SJ, Alpers CN, Korak JA, McKnight D, Foster AL, Ryan JN, Roth DA, Ku P, Tsui MTK, Chow AT, Webster JP. Wildland-urban interface wildfire increases metal contributions to stormwater runoff in Paradise, California. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2024; 26:667-685. [PMID: 38315154 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00298e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The 2018 Camp Fire was a large late-year (November) wildfire that produced an urban firestorm in the Town of Paradise, California, USA, and destroyed more than 18 000 structures. Runoff from burned wildland areas is known to contain ash, which can transport contaminants including metals into nearby watersheds. However, due to historically infrequent occurrences, the effect of wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, such as the Camp Fire, on surface water quality has not been well-characterized. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of widespread urban burning on surface water quality in major watersheds of the Camp Fire area. Between November 2018 and May 2019, 140 surface water samples were collected, including baseflow and stormflow, from burned and unburned watersheds with varying extent of urban development. Samples were analyzed for total and filter-passing metals, dissolved organic carbon, major anions, and total suspended solids. Ash and debris from the Camp Fire contributed metals to downstream watersheds via runoff throughout the storm season. Increases in concentration up to 200-fold were found for metals Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in burned watersheds compared to pre-fire values. Total concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn exceeded EPA aquatic habitat acute criteria by up to 16-fold for up to five months after the fire. To assess possible transport mechanisms and bioavailability, a subset of 18 samples was analyzed using four filters with nominal pore sizes ranging from 0.22 to 1.2 μm to determine the particulate size distribution of metals. Trace and major metals (Al, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were found mostly associated with larger grain sizes (>0.45 μm), and some metals (Al, Cr, Fe, and Pb) also included a substantial colloidal phase (0.22 to 0.45 μm). This study suggests that fires in the wildland-urban interface increase metal concentrations, mainly through particulate driven transport. The metals with the largest increases are likely from anthropogenic disaster materials, though biomass ash also is a major contributor to water quality. The increase in metals following WUI burning may have adverse ecological impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J Magliozzi
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Sandrine J Matiasek
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, California State University Chico, CA, USA
| | - Charles N Alpers
- U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Julie A Korak
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Diane McKnight
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Andrea L Foster
- U.S. Geological Survey, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Menlo Park, CA, USA
| | - Joseph N Ryan
- Environmental Engineering Program, University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USA
| | - David A Roth
- U.S. Geological Survey, Water Mission Area, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Peijia Ku
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, USA
| | - Martin Tsz-Ki Tsui
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Alex T Chow
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, SC, USA
| | - Jackson P Webster
- Department of Civil Engineering, California State University Chico, CA, USA.
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Villarruel CM, Figueroa LA, Ranville JF. Quantification of Bioaccessible and Environmentally Relevant Trace Metals in Structure Ash from a Wildland-Urban Interface Fire. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:2502-2513. [PMID: 38277687 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c08446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
Wildfires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) are increasing in frequency and intensity, driven by climate change and anthropogenic ignitions. Few studies have characterized the variability in the metal content in ash generated from burned structures in order to determine the potential risk to human and environmental health. Using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we analyzed leachable trace metal concentration in soils and ash from structures burned by the Marshall Fire, a WUI fire that destroyed over 1000 structures in Boulder County, Colorado. Acid digestion revealed that ash derived from structures contained 22 times more Cu and 3 times more Pb on average than surrounding soils on a mg/kg basis. Ash liberated 12 times more Ni (mg/kg) and twice as much Cr (mg/kg) as soils in a water leach. By comparing the amount of acid-extractable metals to that released by water and simulated epithelial lung fluid (SELF), we estimated their potential for environmental mobility and human bioaccessibility. The SELF leach showed that Cu and Ni were more bioaccessible (mg of leachable metal/mg of acid-extractable metal) in ash than in soils. These results suggest that structure ash is an important source of trace metals that can negatively impact the health of both humans and the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen M Villarruel
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Linda A Figueroa
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - James F Ranville
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
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Portman TA, Granath A, Mann MA, El Hayek E, Herzer K, Cerrato JM, Rudgers JA. Characterization of root-associated fungi and reduced plant growth in soils from a New Mexico uranium mine. Mycologia 2023; 115:165-177. [PMID: 36857605 PMCID: PMC10089371 DOI: 10.1080/00275514.2022.2156746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing the diverse, root-associated fungi in mine wastes can accelerate the development of bioremediation strategies to stabilize heavy metals. Ascomycota fungi are well known for their mutualistic associations with plant roots and, separately, for roles in the accumulation of toxic compounds from the environment, such as heavy metals. We sampled soils and cultured root-associated fungi from blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) collected from lands with a history of uranium (U) mining and contrasted against communities in nearby, off-mine sites. Plant root-associated fungal communities from mine sites were lower in taxonomic richness and diversity than root fungi from paired, off-mine sites. We assessed potential functional consequences of unique mine-associated soil microbial communities using plant bioassays, which revealed that plants grown in mine soils in the greenhouse had significantly lower germination, survival, and less total biomass than plants grown in off-mine soils but did not alter allocation patterns to roots versus shoots. We identified candidate culturable root-associated Ascomycota taxa for bioremediation and increased understanding of the biological impacts of heavy metals on microbial communities and plant growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A Portman
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Abigail Granath
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Michael A Mann
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Eliane El Hayek
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Kelsie Herzer
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - José M Cerrato
- Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
| | - Jennifer A Rudgers
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
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Tuhý M, Ettler V, Rohovec J, Matoušková Š, Mihaljevič M, Kříbek B, Mapani B. Metal(loid)s remobilization and mineralogical transformations in smelter-polluted savanna soils under simulated wildfire conditions. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 293:112899. [PMID: 34089961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112899] [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: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The surroundings of mines and smelters may be exposed to wildfires, especially in semi-arid areas. The temperature-dependent releases of metal(loid)s (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) from biomass-rich savanna soils collected near a Cu smelter in Namibia have been studied under simulated wildfire conditions. Laboratory single-step combustion experiments (250-850 °C) and experiments with a continuous temperature increase (25-750 °C) were coupled with mineralogical investigations of the soils, ashes, and aerosols. Metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) were released at >550-600 °C, mostly at the highest temperatures, where complex aerosol particles, predominantly composed of slag-like aggregates, formed. In contrast, As exhibited several emission peaks at ~275 °C, ~370-410 °C, and ~580 °C, reflecting its complex speciation in the solid phase and indicating its remobilization, even during wildfires with moderate soil heating. At <500 °C, As was successively released via the transformation of As-bearing hydrous ferric oxides, arsenolite (As2O3) grains attached to the organic matter fragments, metal arsenates, and/or As-bearing apatite, followed by the thermal decomposition of enargite (Cu3AsS4) at >500 °C. The results indicate that the active and abandoned mining and smelting sites, especially those highly enriched in As, should be protected against wildfires, which can be responsible for substantial As re-emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Tuhý
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Vojtěch Ettler
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Rohovec
- Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Šárka Matoušková
- Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojová 269, 165 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Mihaljevič
- Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Mineral Resources, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - Bohdan Kříbek
- Czech Geological Survey, Geologická 6, 152 00, Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Ben Mapani
- Department of Mining and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Private Bag, 13388, Windhoek, Namibia
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Zhang Y, Yan C, Liu H, Pu S, Chen H, Zhou B, Yuan R, Wang F. Bacterial response to soil property changes caused by wood ash from wildfire in forest soils around mining areas: Relevance of bacterial community composition, carbon and nitrogen cycling. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 412:125264. [PMID: 33548782 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The different physical-chemical properties of the black ash (200-500 °C) and white ash (>510 °C) generated by wildfire may result in varied impacts on soil biological and abiotic indicators. Many studies have highlighted the environmental impacts of wood ash application due to its complex mixture of beneficial and detrimental compounds. However, few studies have compared the effect of black ash and white ash on soil, especially for the heavy metal polluted soil. In this study, we used the comparative analysis of parallel microcosm experiments to study the impacts of white ash and black ash on bioavailable heavy metals and metabolic potentials of microbial community. The results indicated that both white ash and black ash increased the concentration of soil bioavailable As and Cr, while the increasing trend of bioavailable As could be limited by Ca in the treatment of white ash. The addition of black ash could enhance the abundance of genes related to the Calvin cycle (CBB). Different kinds of wood ash inputs into soils could cause the differences in the microbial taxa for carbon fixation, as indicated by the dominance of different taxa for carbon fixation in white ash versus black ash treatments. Additionally, both white ash and black ash impaired dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), nitrate assimilation and nitrification, while white ash enhanced denitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyue Zhang
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - Changchun Yan
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - Haijun Liu
- School of Resources and Environment, Anqing Normal University, 1318 Jixian North Road, 246133 Anqing, Anhui, China
| | - Shengyan Pu
- State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, 1#, Dongsanlu, Erxianqiao, 610059 Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Huilun Chen
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - Beihai Zhou
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - Rongfang Yuan
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - Fei Wang
- School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, 100083 Beijing, China.
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Velasco CA, Artyushkova K, Ali AMS, Osburn CL, Gonzalez-Estrella J, Lezama-Pacheco JS, Cabaniss SE, Cerrato JM. Organic Functional Group Chemistry in Mineralized Deposits Containing U(IV) and U(VI) from the Jackpile Mine in New Mexico. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:5758-5767. [PMID: 30998849 PMCID: PMC6557721 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the functional group chemistry of natural organic matter (NOM) associated with both U(IV) and U(VI) in solids from mineralized deposits exposed to oxidizing conditions from the Jackpile Mine, Laguna Pueblo, NM. The uranium (U) content in unreacted samples was 0.44-2.6% by weight determined by X-ray fluorescence. In spite of prolonged exposure to ambient oxidizing conditions, ≈49% of U(IV) and ≈51% of U(VI) were identified on U LIII edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra. Loss on ignition and thermogravimetric analyses identified from 13% to 44% of NOM in the samples. Carbonyl, phenolic, and carboxylic functional groups in the unreacted samples were identified by fitting of high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) C 1s and O 1s spectra. Peaks corresponding to phenolic and carbonyl functional groups had intensities higher than those corresponding to carboxylic groups in samples from the supernatant from batch extractions conducted at pH 13, 7, and 2. U(IV) and U(VI) species were detected in the supernatant after batch extractions conducted under oxidizing conditions by fitting of high-resolution XPS U 4f spectra. The outcomes from this study highlight the importance of the influence of pH on the organic functional group chemistry and U speciation in mineralized deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen A. Velasco
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Kateryna Artyushkova
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, MSC01 1120, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Abdul-Mehdi S. Ali
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, MSC03 2040, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Christopher L. Osburn
- Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, United States
| | - Jorge Gonzalez-Estrella
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - Juan S. Lezama-Pacheco
- Department of Environmental Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Stephen E. Cabaniss
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
| | - José M. Cerrato
- Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering, MSC01 1070, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States
- Corresponding Author. Telephone: (001) (505) 277-0870. Fax: (001) (505) 277-1918
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