Search results for " elements"

Rare earths and trace elements contents in leaves: A new indicator of the composition of atmospheric dust

2017

The relationship between the trace element distribution in atmospheric particles and leaves of some exposed plants in the environment was recently demonstrated. This indication would suggest that the trace element analysis of leaves in these plants could provide information about the composition, nature and origin of the atmospheric dust dispersed in the environment. In order to corroborate this hypothesis, the distribution of trace elements and Rare Earths were studied in leaves of some endemic plants, in the atmospheric fallout and in soils of rural, urban and industrial ecosystems in Sicily. These elements have been chosen to discriminate the source and nature of different source on atmo…

Rare earths release from dissolving atmospheric dust and their accumulation into crystallising halite. The dead-sea example

2023

: The industrial extraction of Y and lanthanides (hereafter defined as Rare Earth Elements, REE) often requires the achievement of leaching procedures removing these metals from primary rocks and their transfer in aqueous leachates or incorporated in newly forming soluble solids. These procedures are the most dangerous to the environment in relation to the composition of leachates. Hence, the recognition of natural settings where these processes currently occur, represents a worthy challenge for learning how to carry out similar industrial procedures under natural and more eco-friendly conditions. Accordingly, the REE distribution was studied in the brine of Dead Sea, a terminal evaporating…

Spontaneous ecological recovery of vegetation in a red gypsum landfill: Betula pendula dominates after 10 years of inactivity

2019

International audience; Red gypsum is the product of the neutralization of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) extraction residue from ilmenite and anatase. The disposal of red gypsum creates heterogeneous plots with layers that may include Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Mn, S, and other elements and an alkaline pH that makes revegetation complicated and slow. The vertical and horizontal dispersion of the sediment particles are the main concern. Therefore, the establishment of precise vegetation cover is needed to address this issue. One of the aims of this study was (1) to explore the distribution of the spontaneous vegetation found along a red gypsum-formed landfill located at the Ochsenfeld site in eastern France…

Desulfurization: Critical step towards enhanced selenium removal from industrial effluents

2017

Abstract Selenium (Se) removal from synthetic solutions and from real Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) wastewater generated by a coal-fired power plant was studied for the first time using a commercial iron oxide impregnated strong base anion exchange resin, Purolite ® FerrIX A33E. In synthetic solutions, the resin showed high affinity for selenate and selenite, while sulfate exhibited a strong competition for both oxyanions. The FGD wastewater investigated is a complex system that contains Se (∼1200 μg L −1 ), SO 4 2− (∼1.1 g L −1 ), Cl − (∼9.5 g L −1 ), and Ca 2+ (∼5 g L −1 ), alongside a broad spectrum of toxic trace metals including Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, and Zn. The resin performed poorly again…

Treatment of leachate from MSWI bottom ash landfilling with anaerobic sulphate-reducing process

2007

Abstract Removal of sulphate and toxic elements from the leachate of a field landfill lysimeter ( 112 m 3 ) , containing municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash, was studied. The leachate was treated in two parallel laboratory upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors without and with ethanol as additional carbon source. With ethanol more than 65% of sulphate was removed, while without ethanol removal was negligible. The treatment removed Ba, Ca, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Tl, Sb, Se, Sr, and Zn of the studied 35 trace and other elements. The sequential extraction of the reactor sludge at the end of runs confirmed that with a few exceptions (Ba, Ca, and Cu) the main mechanism by…

Vertical Distribution and Speciation of Trace Metals in Weathering Flotation Residues of a Zinc/Lead Sulfide Mine

2007

Sulfide-bearing mine tailings are a serious environmental problem around the world. In this study, the vertical distribution and speciation of Zn and Pb in the fine-grained flotation residues of a former sulfide ore mine in Germany were investigated to assess the inorganic weathering processes that effect the environmental risk arising from this site. Total metal contents were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). Mobilizable fractions of Zn, Pb, Fe, and Mn were quantified by sequential chemical extractions (SCE). Furthermore, the speciation of Zn was analyzed by Zn K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) to identify the residual Zn species. The v…

The distribution of Rare Earth Elements discriminates the growth substrate of Vitis vinifera L.

2021

Sustainable agricultural, food-related strategies and geographic traceability require understanding of the plant physiological response to stress potentially generated by contaminated soils. Here, we have investigated the effect of contaminated substrate on growth of Vitis vinifera L. plants analysing the distribution of full Rare Earth Elements (REE) spectra in different parts of the plant. Experiments were carried out using pristine plants growing in a handmade substrate (blank experiment) and in REE artificially-enriched soil (spiked experiment). Our results show that both plant mass and REE amount in leaves are not influenced by the substrate enrichment while roots are by one-order of m…

Losing DNA methylation at repetitive elements and breaking bad

2021

Abstract Background DNA methylation is an epigenetic chromatin mark that allows heterochromatin formation and gene silencing. It has a fundamental role in preserving genome stability (including chromosome stability) by controlling both gene expression and chromatin structure. Therefore, the onset of an incorrect pattern of DNA methylation is potentially dangerous for the cells. This is particularly important with respect to repetitive elements, which constitute the third of the human genome. Main body Repetitive sequences are involved in several cell processes, however, due to their intrinsic nature, they can be a source of genome instability. Thus, most repetitive elements are usually meth…

Passive degassing at Nyiragongo (D.R. Congo) and Etna (Italy) volcanoes: the chemical characterization of the emissions and assessment of their uptak…

2014

SEW – Save the Etna World

2017

At more than 3,330 m high and ~40 km wide, Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy, is the highestvolcano in Europe and one of the most active in the world. Etna stands majesticwherever you look at it, showing a distinctive skyline from each side. More than 200,000people live around its mid-slopes, while another 300,000 are in the biggest city, Catania,located at its southern lower slope. The volcano is so imposing that there are manydifferent landscapes and habitats, often highly dissimilar. Ente Parco dell’Etna (EtnaPark) is the institution, started in 1987, covering the core of the volcano, protecting itsbiodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, and lastly promoting the sustainabledevelopment of loca…