Search results for "Earth and Related Environmental Sciences"

t-Curves for n-Hexane

1992

The adsorption and desorption isotherms of n-hexane on powdered alumina and silica have been studied at 25°C over a wide range of relative pressures. Two t-curves for pore structure analysis are proposed, one for alumina (C = 12) and the second for silica (3 ≤ C ≤ 9). The statistical thickness t of the adsorbed n-hexane layer has been drawn as a function of the relative pressure assuming a maximal thickness of 0.55 nm and a mean thickness of 0.42 nm for the monolayer. The results are discussed in relation to previous published data.

Variability of near-surface saturated hydraulic conductivity for the clay soils of a small Sicilian basin

2019

Abstract Proper characterization of saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of clay soils in a hillslope or a basin is still a challenge for soil science. In this investigation, the clay soils of the Maganoce (Sicily, Italy) basin were sampled at 19 sampling sites by the BEST procedure of soil hydraulic characterization. More OM implied less compact conditions (decreasing dry soil bulk density; coefficient of determination, R2 = 0.67), more stability to water of the soil aggregates (increasing water stable aggregates; R2 = 0.83) and, consequently, higher Ks values (R2 = 0.54). Variability of Ks was lower in the steeper zones of the basin than in the flatter ones. A comparison with the Ks data…

2017

Abstract. Further development and optimisation of a previously described ion trap aerosol mass spectrometer (IT-AMS) are presented, which resulted in more reproducible and robust operation and allowed for the instrument's first field deployment. Results from this 11-day-long measurement indicate that the instrument is capable of providing quantitative information on organics, nitrate, and sulfate mass concentrations with reasonable detection limits (0.5–1.4 µg m−3 for 1 h averages) and that results obtained with the IT-AMS can directly be related to those from Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometers. The capability of the IT-AMS to elucidate the structure of fragment ions is demonstrated via an…

The effect of soil on human health: an overview

2018

Soil has a considerable effect on human health, whether those effects are positive or negative, direct or indirect. Soil is an important source of nutrients in our food supply and medicines such as antibiotics. However, nutrient imbalances and the presence of human pathogens in the soil biological community can cause negative effects on health. There are also many locations where various elements or chemical compounds are found in soil at toxic levels, because of either natural conditions or anthropogenic activities. The soil of urban environments has received increased attention in the last few years, and they too pose a number of human health questions and challenges. Concepts such as soi…

The Influence of Natural and Model Forms of Humic Acids on the Dynamic Parameters of Model Membranes

2016

Abstract In this paper the influence of humic acid concentrations extracted from Histosols (HA-A) and their model forms (HA-B) separated from humic substances commercially produced by Carl Roth GmbH + Co.KG on the dynamic properties of liposome membranes was determined. Differences in the quality of the humic acids (HA-A and HA-B) were determined by the 1HNMR and FTIR methods. Liposomes from the sonication of egg yolk lecithin (EYL) in an aqueous solution and synthetic Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were used. Fluidity of liposome membranes was determined by the EPR technique with spin probes (TEMPO, 16DOIXYL). The electrical parameters of membranes were found using a Keithley 6517 e…

Quantitative study of the capture of silver nanoparticles by several kinds of soils

2018

The capacity of different soils to capture silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by measuring changes of an AgNP intrinsic property such as the plasmon for the first time, was studied. In-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME) coupled on-line to capillary liquid chromatography (CapLC) with diode array detection (DAD) was employed for measuring the interactions between soil and in-contact AgNP dispersions. Its achieved LOD 9 pM assures quantitative retention measurements and selectivity for soil lixiviation was suitable. Electronic microscopy was employed for corroborating the entrapped Ag into the soils. Capture % of AgNPs was calculated in compost (>99%), mountain (>99%), orchard (15±1%) and ur…

Photo-fragmentation of alkyl phosphates in the gas-phase

2018

Abstract Alkyl phosphates are experiencing an ever increasing use due to the current arising of new applications. This implies their increasing presence in the environment so their stability and reactivity under high-energy photons, which are still unknown, need to be clarified. In this study, a mass spectrometric investigation of the ionization and fragmentation processes of four representative alkyl phosphates (dibutyl, tributyl, bis-2-ethylhexyl, and tris-2-ethylhexyl phosphate) induced by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation has been carried out. The experimental data show that fragmentation occurs through a stepwise cleavage of the bonds between the phosphate group and the alkyl chains l…

Experimental determination of the phase relations of Pt and Pd antimonides and bismuthinides in the Fe-Ni-Cu sulfide systems between 1100 and 700 °C

2020

Abstract The stability relations of Pt and Pd antimonides and bismuthinides in the Sb- and Bi-bearing Fe-Ni-Cu sulfide systems have been experimentally determined at temperatures between 1100 and 700 °C in evacuated silica tubes. Both PtSb and PdSb are stable as immiscible liquids at temperatures above 1100 and 1000 °C, respectively. The Fe-Ni-Cu-sulfide melt that coexists with the immiscible antimonide melt can dissolve up to 3.8 wt% Sb at 1100 °C, whereas monosulfide solid solution (mss) dissolves very low amounts of Sb over the entire 1100–700 °C temperature range. The liquidus of Pt-antimonides and Pdantimonides are above 980 and 750 °C, respectively. Bismuth does not form immiscible me…

Changes in soil redox potential in response to flood irrigation with waste water in central Mexico

2017

Irrigation with untreated sewage water adds fresh organic matter to the soil. When it is applied by flooding, as in the Mezquital Valley of Mexico, many of the pores in the soil become temporarily waterlogged and depleted of oxygen, and reduction generates nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). We monitored the redox potential, Eh, in the soil at two sites in the Mezquital Valley to discover whether the short-term gaseous emissions matched the changes in Eh. One site is irrigated periodically by flooding with waste water and has alfalfa, rye grass and maize grown in succession; the other site grows maize with water from summer rain only. Each electrode buried in the soil for the purpose pro…

2017

Abstract In this study, an adsorption-oriented process for the removal of fungicides from polycontaminated aqueous solutions was applied. To remove triazole fungicides from aqueous mixtures of propiconazole (PROPI), tebuconazole (TEBU), epoxiconazole (EPOXI), bromuconazole (BROMU) and difenoconazole (DIFENO), several materials used as adsorbents were compared using batch experiments, namely two conventional activated carbons (ACs) and five nonconventional cross-linked cyclodextrin (CD)-based materials (α-CDP, β-CDP, γ-CDP, αβγ-CDP mixture, and hydroxypropyl-β-CDP). This article presents the abatements obtained. As expected, ACs exhibited the highest levels of triazole fungicide removal: the…