A new method for the determination of the 34S/32S ratio of water-soluble sulphur in soil

A new method for the determination of the ³⁴S/³²S ratio of water-extractable sulphate in soil is described. Soils are extracted directly with deionized water, which is evaporated down. The remaining residue is then rehydrated and transferred to tin cups containing an adsorbent and mixed with an oxygen donor (V₂O₅). Samples are then analysed using a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The new method requires around 10?g soil per determination, compared to much larger amounts (up to kilograms) of soil required for the previous methods. Sample preparation and subsequent analysis is quick and efficient. The method is demonstrated using a number of soils collected from around the world to provide a range of determined δ³⁴S values. The δ³⁴S values of water-extractable sulphur were broadly similar to those of the soil total sulphur.     

Some Aspects of the Mobility and Distribution of Toxic Heavy Metal Contaminants Insoil Profiles and River Sediments

Abstract

Investigations of the distribution and mobility of Pb, Ni, Cd and Hg have shown that Pb is strongly associated with humic substances in the top layer of soils and in river sediments, and that Pb shows the highest organophilicity. Ni is very organophilic, and Cd, somewhat less so. The hydrophilicity of Hg highly influences its movement in soil profiles and river sediments. The risk of contamination by these metals is characterized through the environment protection capacity (EPC_G) values which combine humus content and the quality and thickness of the humus layer in one parameter. The risk of contamination is highest at low EPC_G values. Increase of EPC_G decreases the risk of environmental contamination through binding of heavy metals to humic substances, decreasing their mobility.     

Production and properties of a biosurfactant applied to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon solubilization

Microorganisms isolated from a soil sample collected from a gasoline filling station (located in Guwahati) were tested for their pyrene- and anthracene-degrading potential. Preliminary studies showed the ability of the organism to grow on carbon-free mineral medium (CFMM) supplemented with pyrene as the sole source of carbon. The organisms were found to produce a bioemulsifier when grown on CFMM with glucose or glycerol and/or pyrene as the carbon source. The organisms could also utilize anthracene when grown on mineral salt medium along with 2% glycerol. Within 2 d, anthracene concentration dropped less than 30% of the original concentration. Approximately 100 mg of the emulsifier was isolated from 25 mL of the 5-d-grown culture. The emulsifier was tested to produce emulsion with both an aliphatic and an aromatic group of hydrocarbons and resulting emulsions were found to be stable for a long period of time when keptat 10–15°C. The emulsifier was also quite stable in a pH range of 3.0–11.0. In a concentration range of 0.5–10 mg/mL, it resulted in a linear increment of apparent pyrene and anthracene solubility in water.     

近红外光谱小波分析在土壤参数预测中的应用

从田间采集了150个田间土壤样本,在分析了所有样本的土壤参数统计特征之后,对原始近红外光谱数据进行了聚类分析,分别得到了50个土壤全氮和50个土壤有机质的等价样本及其对应光谱。对样本光谱曲线进行8层Biorthogonal小波包分解,分解得到的最低低频[80]结点对应着土壤水分以及土壤质地的光谱变化趋势,最高高频[8 255]结点对应着土壤粒度、光谱仪精度等引起的高频震荡。对以上两个结点进行重构并从样本光谱曲线中剔除以上影响成分,得到了对应的土壤参数特征光谱。基于特征光谱建立了土壤参数偏最小二乘回归模型：全氮偏最小二乘预测模型的预测系数r_c达到了0.960,验证系数r_v达到了0.920;有机质偏最小二乘预测模型的预测系数r_c达到0.922,验证系数r_v达到0.883。模型精度明显提高,满足实际生产的需要。     

Natural radionuclide concentrations in soils around Baoji coal-fired power plant,China

Radionuclides are released together with fly ash from the coal-fired power plant and thus add to the natural radiation. Fifty soil samples were collected around the Baoji coal-fired power plant from 25 locations and the natural radionuclide concentrations were determined by a gamma ray spectrometric system. The results show that the activity concentrations in soil samples range from 12.54 to 40.18 Bq kg^?1, 38.02 to 72.55 Bq kg^?1 and 498.02 to 1126.98 Bq kg^?1 for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K with the mean values of 27.35, 52.66 and 764.72 Bq kg^?1, respectively. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), the absorbed dose rate (D) and the annual effective dose rate have been calculated and compared with the internationally approved values. The radium equivalent activity in all the soil samples is lower than the safe limit set in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report (370 Bq kg^?1). The average value of the calculated dose rates is higher than the global average value 55 nGy h^?1, and the calculated annual effective dose rate is significantly lower than the average annual external effective dose rate (460 μSv y^?1) of the normal background radiation.     

Determination of chlorpyrifos in soils using multi-throughput dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled online with salting-out-assisted liquid–liquid extraction followed by LC–MS/MS

A simple and rapid method based on multi-throughput dynamic microwave-assisted extraction coupled online with salting-out-assisted liquid–liquid extraction was developed for the analysis of chlorpyrifos in soil. First, the chlorpyrifos was extracted with acetonitrile aqueous (50%, v/v) under the action of microwave energy. Then the obtained extract was separated clearly and easily into an acetonitrile phase and an aqueous phase with the assistance of ammonium acetate. The acetonitrile phase containing chlorpyrifos was concentrated and determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The effects of parameters on extraction efficiency including microwave power, extraction solvent, volumes and flow rate of extraction solvent, sample pH, types and amount of salt were studied and optimised. To eliminate the matrix effect, validation of the method was carried out using the matrix-based calibration curve. The limits of detection and quantification for chlorpyrifos were 0.17 and 0.5 ng g^?1, respectively. The proposed method was applied to analyse chlorpyrifos in five soil samples and verified by the recovery test. The recoveries of chlorpyrifos at three spiked levels (5, 50, 200 ng g^?1) were in the range of 90.0–100.5%, with relative standard deviations varying from 1.3% to 5.7%. Compared with the methods reported previously, the proposed method can simplify the operation procedure and reduce solvent consumption in sample pretreatment.     

半干旱区土壤酶活性与其理化及微生物的关系

在半干旱典型区域选择了8个不同植物群落样地对4类土壤酶活性及与土壤理化性质、微生物量的关系进行研究.结果表明,各种酶活性受制于水分、盐碱等因素,含量均较低.大多数酶在同一样地各个剖面中变化趋势一致.相关分析表明,影响各种酶活性的土壤物理、化学、生物性状有一定的差异,其中大多与有机质含量、微生物含量有非常密切的关系.用土壤化学性质对各种酶活性进行逐步回归分析,可以得到理想的方程.主成分分析发现,徽生物量和中性磷酸酶在各主成分中均有较大的相关系数,可认为是该地区有代表性的土壤生物特性因子.另外,对土壤表层酶活性和微生物量进行聚类分析,可以将8个样地分为不同的类别.     

微生物脂肪酶的研究进展

讨论了微生物脂肪酶的生产、纯化、鉴定、特性等,介绍了相关脂肪酶在工业生产中的应用。     

Two rapid and sensitive automated methods for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in soil samples

Spectrophotometric flow injection methods were developed for the individual determination of nitrite or nitrate, and for the simultaneous determination of nitrite and nitrate, in soil samples. Nitrite was determined directly using a modified version of the Griess-Ilosvay diazo-coupling reaction, measuring at 543 nm the absorbance of the azo-dye complex formed. Simultaneous nitrite and nitrate determinations were based on on-line nitrate reduction in a micro column containing copperised cadmium. A single chromogenic reagent containing all the necessary reactants was used in both methods. For determinations, the chemical and instrumental variables were optimised by univariate analysis and simplex chemometric method. The optimised conditions gave a linear calibration range between 0.05 and 1.6 µg m L^− 1 for N-NO₂⁻ and between 0.05 and 7.0 µg m L^− 1 for N-NO₃⁻. The detection limits for nitrite and nitrate were 22 µg L^− 1 and 44 µg L^− 1 respectively. The proposed methods allowed up to 35-40 samples per hour to be analysed with good precision. The simultaneous method was successfully used for the determination of nitrite and nitrate in soil samples (the results obtained were validated against those obtained by reference methods). The proposed methods are simpler and faster than conventional methods and could be routinely used in environmental monitoring laboratories.