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Amiel N, Dror I, Berkowitz B. Mobility of Rare Earth Elements in Coastal Aquifer Materials under Fresh and Brackish Water Conditions. ACS ENVIRONMENTAL AU 2024; 4:186-195. [PMID: 39035866 PMCID: PMC11258752 DOI: 10.1021/acsenvironau.4c00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
The indispensable role of rare earth elements (REEs) in manufacturing high-tech products and developing various technologies has resulted in a surge in REE extraction and processing. The latter, in turn, intensifies the release of anthropogenic REEs into the environment, particularly in the groundwater system. REE contamination in coastal aquifer systems, which serve as drinking and domestic water sources for large populations, demands a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that govern REE transport and retention in these environments. In this study, we conducted batch and column experiments using five representative coastal aquifer materials and an acid-wash sand sample as a benchmark. These experiments were conducted by adding humic acid (HA) to the REE solution under fresh and brackish water conditions using NaCl, representing different groundwater compositions in coastal aquifers. The REEs were shown to be most mobile in the acid-wash sand and natural sand samples, followed by two types of low-carbonate calcareous sandstone and one type of high-calcareous sandstone and the least mobile in red loamy sand. The mobility of REEs, found in solution primarily as REE-HA complexes, was controlled mainly by the retention of HA, which increases with increasing ionic strength and surface area of the aquifer material. Furthermore, it was found that the presence of carbonate and clay minerals reduces the REE mobility due to enhanced surface interactions. The higher recoveries of middle-REE (MREE) in the column experiment effluents observed for the acid-wash sand and natural sand samples were due to the higher stabilization of MREE-HA complexes compared to light-REE (LREE) and heavy-REE (HREE) HA complexes. Higher HREE recoveries were observed for the calcareous sandstones due to the preferred complexation of HREE with carbonate ions and for the red loamy sand due to the preferred retention of LREE and MREE by clay, iron, and manganese minerals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitai Amiel
- Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ishai Dror
- Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Brian Berkowitz
- Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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Investigation of potential anthropogenic pollution of rare metals in Tama River followed by establishment of a comprehensive multielement analysis of major-to-ultratrace elements in river water and sewage treatment effluent. ANAL SCI 2023; 39:867-882. [PMID: 36811758 DOI: 10.1007/s44211-023-00287-8] [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: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
In this study, comprehensive multi-element analysis of at least 53 elements, including 40 rare metals, in river water at all points from upstream to the estuary in urban rivers and sewage treatment effluent was established using three analytical methods of ICP-MS, chelating solid-phase extraction (SPE)/ICP-MS, and reflux-type heating acid decomposition/chelating SPE/ICP-MS. Recoveries of some elements for sewage treatment effluent in chelating SPE were improved by being combined with reflux-type heating acid decomposition, because organic substances, such as EDTA, in sewage treatment effluent could be effectively decomposed. In particular, the reflux-type heating acid decomposition/chelating SPE/ICP-MS method enabled the determination of Co, In, Eu, Pr, Sm, Tb, and Tm, which had been difficult to determine in chelating SPE/ICP-MS without this decomposition procedure. A potential anthropogenic pollution (PAP) of rare metals in Tama River was investigated by the established analytical methods. As a result, 25 elements in river water samples from the inflow area of sewage treatment effluent were several to several dozen times higher than those in the clean area. In particular, the concentrations of Mn, Co, Ni, Ge, Rb, Mo, Cs, Gd, and Pt increased by more than one order of magnitude compared to the river water from clean area. These elements were suggested to be PAP. The concentrations of Gd in the effluents from five sewage treatment plants ranged from 60 to 120 ng L-1, 40 to 80 times higher than those in clean river water, and all sewage treatment plants effluents showed the definite elevation of Gd concentrations. This indicates that MRI contrast agent leakage is occurring in all sewage treatment effluents. In addition, concentrations of 16 rare metal elements (Li, B, Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Ga, Ge, Se, Rb, Mo, In, Cs, Ba, W, and Pt) in all sewage treatment effluents were higher than those in clean river water, suggesting that many rare metal elements may be PAP. In the river water after the merging of sewage treatment effluent, the concentrations of Gd and In were higher than the reported values about 20 years ago.
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Itoh A, Yaida A, Zhu Y. Potential Anthropogenic Pollution of High-technology Metals with a Focus on Rare Earth Elements in Environmental Water. ANAL SCI 2021; 37:131-143. [PMID: 33162416 DOI: 10.2116/analsci.20sar16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the utilization of high-technology metals such as rare earth elements (REEs), which exist in extremely low quantities in the Earth, has rapidly increased with the development of new types of industrial materials and pharmaceutical products. This review provides an overview of a new type of potential anthropogenic pollution caused by high-technology metals, with a focus on REEs released into environmental waters from waste treatment plants. In this paper, potential anthropogenic pollution was defined as pollution caused by metals gradually enriched in the environment by human activity, although standard and guideline concentrations of these elements are not regulated by environmental quality standards for water pollution. We review the analytical methods of REEs and the potential anthropogenic pollution of REEs with a focus on Gd, from the viewpoints of a comparison of the degree of Gd anomaly, chemical speciation, ecotoxicology, and bioaccessibility. Moreover, we also highlight the comprehensive analysis based on multielement analysis of high-technology metals as well as REEs for the further screening for potential anthropogenic pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihide Itoh
- Department of Environmental Science, School of Life and Environmental Science, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5201, Japan.
| | - Akane Yaida
- Graduate School of Environmental Health Sciences, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5201, Japan
| | - Yanbei Zhu
- National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8563, Japan
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Zhang J, Wang Z, Wu Q, An Y, Jia H, Shen Y. Anthropogenic Rare Earth Elements: Gadolinium in a Small Catchment in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E4052. [PMID: 31652627 PMCID: PMC6843927 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16204052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth elements (REEs), known as "industrial vitamins", are widely used in medical treatment, industry, agriculture, etc. However, with the increasing demand for REEs, excess REEs, such as gadolinium (Gd), are considered micropollutants in the environment. In this paper, the distributions of dissolved REEs were analyzed in three small streams, in order to determine the extent and occurrence of Gd anomalies. The shale-normalized REE patterns in the three streams were less smooth with heavy REEs higher than light REEs, for a weak reaction of the heavy REE complexes. A negative Ce (cerium) anomaly and positive samarium (Sm) and europium (Eu) anomalies were observed in the three streams and the negative Ce anomaly was affected by the pH of the alkaline rivers. However, a positive Gd anomaly was found in only a typical urban small stream, Jinzhong. With a population of approximately 60,000, Jinzhong runs by a hospital and through wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The concentrations of Gd in Jinzhong ranged from 1.54 to 86.65 ng/L with high anthropogenic Gd proportions (63.64%-98.07%). Anthropogenic Gd showed significant seasonal variations and distinct spatial disparities from upstream to downstream, and it was associated with certain ions such as Cl-. Anthropogenic Gd could be attributed to gadopentetic acid (Gd-DTPA), which is used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in hospitals. This type of Gd was shown to be correlated with municipal wastewater. Due to the high stability and low particulate reactivity in water, anthropogenic Gd has great potential to serve as a tracer to prove the presence of medical wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jue Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, the College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Zhuhong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Qixin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, the College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Yanling An
- Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Huipeng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, the College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
| | - Yuanyi Shen
- Key Laboratory of Karst Environment and Geohazard, Ministry of Land and Resources, the College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China.
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Fujimori E, Nagata S, Kumata H, Umemura T. Investigation of adverse effect of coexisting aminopolycarboxylates on the determination of rare earth elements by ICP-MS after solid phase extraction using an iminodiacetate-based chelating-resin. CHEMOSPHERE 2019; 214:288-294. [PMID: 30265936 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.09.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
When iminodiacetic acid chelating-resin solid phase extraction (SPE) was used for the preconcentration of rare earth elements (REEs) in river water samples around sewage treatment plant (STP), low recovery values for heavy REEs were observed. In order to find out the reason for the low recovery, in the present paper, organic ligands in the STP effluent, which may compete with iminodiacetic acids, were analyzed by GC-NPD. It was found that EDTA was contained in the STP effluent at several-100 nM level and interfered with the adsorption of REEs, especially heavy REEs (present at pM level) on the chelating-resin due to the formation of stable complexes. Therefore, acid treatment was applied to decompose EDTA molecules. As a result of acid treatment with HNO3 and H2O2 at 170 °C for 4 h, all REEs were almost quantitatively recovered from the STP effluent with chelating-resin SPE with good reproducibility. After the acid treatment and subsequent 40-times preconcentration with SPE, all REEs in river water samples were precisely determined by ICP-MS at several-10 to sub pg mL-1 levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eiji Fujimori
- National Environmental Research and Training Institute, 3-3 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-0042, Japan.
| | - Suzuka Nagata
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Kumata
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan
| | - Tomonari Umemura
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0392, Japan
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Simultaneous Determination of Cr, As, Se, and Other Trace Metal Elements in Seawater by ICP-MS with Hybrid Simultaneous Preconcentration Combining Iron Hydroxide Coprecipitation and Solid Phase Extraction Using Chelating Resin. Int J Anal Chem 2018; 2018:9457095. [PMID: 30538748 PMCID: PMC6258093 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9457095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, ICP-MS with a new hybrid simultaneous preconcentration combining solid phase extraction using chelating resin and iron hydroxide coprecipitation in one batch at a single pH adjustment (pH 6.0) were developed for multielement determination of trace metal ions in seawater. In multielement determination, the present method makes it possible to determine Cr(III), As(V), Se (IV), and other 14 trace metal elements (Ti, V, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ge, Cd, Sb, Sn, W, Pb, and U) in seawater. Moreover, for speciation analyses of Cr, As, and Se, the pH dependence on recovery for the different chemical forms of Cr, As, and Se was investigated. In speciation analyses, Cr, As, and Se were determined as the total of Cr (III) and a part of Cr (VI), total of As (III) and As (V), and Se(IV), respectively. Determination of total of Se and Cr(VI) remains as future task to improve. Nevertheless, the present method would have possibility to develop as the analytical method to determine comprehensively most metal elements in all standard and guideline values in quality standard in environmental water in Japan, that is, most toxic metal elements in environmental water.
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