Local Environmental Agencies Research Articles

Modeling results of atmospheric dispersion of NO2 in an urban area using METI–LIS and comparison with coincident mobile DOAS measurements

Synergetic use of in–situ measurements, remote sensing observations and model simulations can provide valuable information about atmospheric chemistry and air quality. In this work we present for the first time a qualitative comparison between modeled NO2 concentrations at ground level using dispersion model METI–LIS and tropospheric NO2 columns obtained by mobile DOAS technique. Experimental and modeling results are presented for a Romanian city, Braila (45.26 ° N, 27.95 ° E). In–situ observations of NO2 and meteorological data from four ground stations belonging to the local environmental agency were used to predict the concentration of NO2 at ground level by atmospheric dispersion modeling on two days when mobile DOAS measurements were available. The mobile DOAS observations were carried out using a UV–VIS spectrometer mounted on board a car. The tropospheric Vertical Column Density (VCD) of NO2 is deduced from DOAS observations. The VCD was obtained using complementary ground and space observations. The correlation between model and DOAS observations is described by a correlation coefficient of 0.33. Also, model results based on averaged in–situ measurements for a period of 5 years (2008–2012) are used for an overview of the background NO2 evolution in time and space for the selected urban area.

Heavy metal pollution and health risk assessment in the Wei River in China.

From data collected monthly at 26 monitoring cross sections in the Wei River in the Shaanxi Region of China during the period 2008-2012, the temporal pollution characteristics of heavy metals (Hg, Cd, Cr(VI), Pb, and As) were analyzed based on a heavy metal pollution index (HPI). The monthly HPI values of the five heavy metals in the river fluctuated greatly in 2008 and then declined gradually with time. This general trend of reduction in HPI appears not to have a seasonal variation and most likely resulted from the continued improvement in heavy metal pollution control strategies implemented by local environmental agencies combined with a significant improvement in wastewater treatment capacities. Among the five heavy metals, Cd and Pb were below 0.1 and 3μgL(-1), respectively, at all the sampling points in the studied areas in the year 2012. The detection rates of As, Hg, and Cr(VI) were in the order of Hg > Cr(VI) > As. Hg, Cr(VI), and As exceeded, in a month of the dry season in 2012, the standard limits for category III surface waters according to the China Environment Quality Standards for Surface Water (CEQSSW). Based on the assessment using the HPI method, the pollution status of these heavy metals in water of the Wei River in the Shaanxi Region was generally at an acceptable level, but exhibited distinctive characteristics between the main stream river and tributaries. Most of the tributaries were more seriously polluted than the main river. A health risk assessment was conducted based on the Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) method recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Apart from As, the health risk for the five heavy metals in the region were at acceptable levels for drinking water sources (hazard quotient (HQ) < 1, carcinogenic risk (CR) ranged from 10(-4)-10(-6)) according to the Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS), USEPA. Arsenic was identified as the most important pollutant of concern among the five heavy metals; both its values of the HQ and CR indicated potentially adverse health risks for the local population.

Depredation of domestic herds by pumas based on farmer's information in Southern Brazil.

BackgroundLarge carnivores such as pumas are frequently killed due to conflicts with human populations involving predation on domestic herds. In Southern Brazil, traditional pasture systems, where animals feed without specific husbandry practices is typical, becoming the herds vulnerable to puma attacks. The aim of this study was to examine the conflict between local people and pumas in a Protected Areas mosaic in southern Brazil.MethodsForty-five face-to-face interviews with local people were performed during the year of 2011, using a structured questionnaire with open and closed questions about puma attack episodes in some farms. Based on responses, the conflict and puma attacks were described, and the characteristics of attacked farms and estimated financial losses were evaluated. The first respondents were indicated by the Local Environmental Agency, and the others were indicated by the first one and so on, which is known as “snow-ball” method.ResultsOur data suggested that pumas used to attack in unfavorable conditions of visibility (foggy days) and on easier prey (e.g. sheep). Most of the attacks reported were close to forested areas and were focused on free herds during feeding activities. Some farmers said they gave up their sheep breeding activity due to losses caused by puma attacks. However, some farmers could over estimate their losses. Moreover, pumas were considered a threat to domestic herds and respondents mentioned cases of illegal puma hunting in the area. The results of questionnaires suggested that puma attack episodes were related to fragmentation of their habitat associated to incorrect management of herds in the farms studied. The diagnosis of this type of conflict and the characterization of most attacked sites are extremely important to create strategies to prevent and control attacks by wild carnivores.ConclusionsDeep changes in husbandry practices added to educational programs should be implemented, in order to maintain the sustainability of rural activities as well as the survival of pumas in southern Brazil.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1746-4269-10-73) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Potential Impact of Wash Bay Effluent on the Water Quality of a Subtropical River

Washbay effluents have received scant attention as a potential source of water pollution globally. This study is the first to investigate the potential impact of the total wash bay effluent content released into river water in Africa. We investigated the potential ramifications of wash bay effluxent released off Charter Estates, Chimanimani in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe on the water quality of the receiving subtropical Nyahode River by measuring selected water limnochemical aspects which included biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease, pH, sulphates, phosphates, iron, total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO) and electrical conductivity (EC) once every 3 months from October 2011 to July 2012. The obtained mean levels of the limnochemical parameters from the Nyahode River were compared to the local Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and international World Health Organisation (WHO) effluent standards. Our results show that the control point and the off effluent discharge source downstream points in the Nyahode River had water quality parameters that were below the local EMA and WHO water quality threshold values. Cluster analysis showed a strong linkage in the values of water quality parameters measured at sampling sites 3 and 4 which were below the discharge point. Wash bay effluent released from the Charter Estate has an impact on some aspects of the water in the Nyahode River but the river has a functional self-purification capacity. Onsite industrial purification of wash bay effluent before discharge reduces its potential deleterious impact on water quality, river habitat integrity and aquatic biodiversity.

Hydrogeochemical characterization of the main aquifer of the “Litorale Domizio-Agro Aversano NIPS” (Campania — southern Italy)

The aim of the paper is the identification in a wide area located north of Napoli city (southern Italy) of different sectors and/or different sources of anthropogenic or natural contamination in groundwater, in order to guide more effective decontamination intervention and to establish long-term environmental measures. Local administrators and environmental agencies can follow the methods used for this first characterization and zonation of a wide region for planning more focused investigations.The area includes a large part of the “Litorale Domizio-Agro Aversano” NIPS, recognized by the Italian State as a National Interest Priority Site, where there is a need to implement characterization and remediation activities. In this area the main aquifer is located in the Volturno river plain; the intensive agriculture and the presence of numerous dumping sites (both legal and illegal), has produced widespread contamination, with many wells showing very high nitrate concentrations and point source pollution (heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides) has also been noticed.Moreover, groundwater presents different kinds of “natural contamination” such as high fluoride concentration (almost everywhere >1.5mg/L) and high arsenic concentration in the zones related to volcanic formations and, in some sectors, high sulphates deriving from present and/or past hydrothermal conditions. Close to the rivers, lower nitrate content is related to reducing conditions. Low sulphate contents and high Fe and Mn contents corroborate the presence of a reducing zone.The groundwater quality in the plain is influenced mainly by groundwater subsurface flows from the carbonate aquifers and by the proximity of volcanic districts, as stressed also by the statistical analysis. Indeed, the zonation of hydrochemical facies on the basis of the statistical analysis indicates clearly the different processes occurring in the aquifer along the groundwater flow path (contaminated areas, areas with reducing conditions, areas with carbonate influence, etc.).The main results are in the proposition of a synergic use of different kinds of data for sustainable aquifer management. Indeed, it is possible to rehabilitate wide areas by means of education, legislation and long-term environmental measures, without recourse to expensive treatment processes.

Profiling the environmental risk management of Chinese local environmental agencies

The increasing frequency and impact of environmental accidents have pushed the issue of environmental risk management (ERM) to the top of the Chinese governments’ agendas and popularized the term ‘emergency response.’ Although the boundary between environmental accidents and other types of accidents is blurred and effective ERM requires an integrated and coordinated management system, environmental risks have not been given due weight in the overall risk management framework in China. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Bureaus at various governmental levels are responsible for the management of environmental risks. In recent years, major developments have taken place within these environmental agencies, but the upward trend in number of environmental accidents has remained unchanged. This raises questions on how these organizations respond to and prevent environmental risks, which shortcomings can be indicated, and what improvements can be made in ERM. This study addresses these questions through a survey among environmental bureaus at provincial and municipal levels. The results indicate that environmental emergency response and ERM have become a major concern of local environmental officials. However, the attitudes, available resources, and organizational capacities vary among environmental agencies, which results in considerable differences in the adopted strategies and management tools. This survey is the first attempt to profile the ERM of the Chinese environmental agencies, which serves as a basis for further analysis of ERM in China.

WEWENANG KELEMBAGAAN PENGELOLAAN LINGKUNGAN HIDUP DI ERA OTONOMI DAERAH

The aims of this study are to assess the regulation regarding institutional authority of local environmental management agencies and discover the strong regulation model and reflect the principles of local autonomy and ecological sustainability. The research used doctrinal legal research method by using primary legal materials and secondary legal materials and analyzed in a prescriptive-analysis. The research discover that the regulations regarding local environment management agencies are weak, due to uncertainty and lack of local authority, different nomenclature, and the absence of clear regulation on inter-institutional relations procedure. The future regulation model, the local environmental management agencies should have a broad authority, covering planning, implementation, monitoring and enforcement aspects. Duties and functions must integrate coordination and operational functions, and there is a clear relationship system encompassing both inter-institutional and inter-regional center. Key word: authority, institutional, local autonomy

Is Your Client on the EPA Watch List?

There are 1,098 locations on the EPA Watch List. Do you know if you have a client on it? Interestingly enough, sometimes clients that I have talked to about being on the Watch List did not even know they were on it.What is the EPA Watch List?The EPA maintains a ‘Watch List’ to keep track of certain enforcement matters that are primarily managed by state and local agencies. These enforcement matters are related to facilities (facilities are the tracking point for the EPA) identified as having either significant or high priority violations. The EPA states that “(b)eing on the Watch List may not mean that the facility has actually violated the law, only that an evaluation or investigation by EPA or a state or local environmental agency has led those organizations to allege that an unproven violation has in fact occurred.”The list includes the name, address and identification number of an alleged violator. When the EPA reviews the list with state and local regulators, and senses that no progress is being made in resolving environmental issues, it may take over investigation and enforcement.There is not just one Watch List. There are actually three — one list each for the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Long-term continuous measurement of near-road air pollution in Las Vegas: seasonal variability in traffic emissions impact on local air quality

Excess air pollution along roadways is an issue of public health concern to Federal, State, and local government environmental agencies and the public. This concern was the motivation for a long-term study to measure levels of air pollutants at various distances from a roadway in Las Vegas, Nevada. This study represents a joint effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration. Measurements of air pollutants—including carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO, NO2, NOX), and black carbon (BC)—were conducted concurrently at four distances from a major interstate (206,000 vehicles per day) for an entire year. With prevailing winds from the west, concentrations of all measured species at 20 m from the highway were significantly higher (non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals) than levels 300 m from the road. In addition, CO, NOX, and BC measured at 100 m from the road on the prevailing downwind side of the road were significantly higher than 100 m on the opposite side of the road. The disproportionate impact of the roadway emissions on the eastern side of the highway points to the importance of local meteorology in determining the extent of near-road impact. When isolating only time periods with winds from due west (±60°), CO, NO2, NOX, and BC levels at 20 m east of the highway were 60%, 46%, 122%, and 127% higher, respectively, than the concurrent measurements at the upwind site. Monthly average traffic volume and frequency of downwind conditions are not enough to explain the trends in monthly average excess CO at 20 m east of the road; average wind speed appears to be an important explanatory factor. The year-long extensive dataset afforded some unique data mining analyses—the maximum near-road impact (top 10% of 20 m east site minus 300 m east site) is associated with winds from the southwest to northwest, higher traffic volumes, and low wind speeds; meanwhile, the apparent maximum spatial extent in near-road impact (top 10% of 300 m east site minus to 100 m west site) occurred during evening to presunrise periods in the winter under conditions of low speed winds from due west, with moderate to low traffic volumes. This research confirms that excess air pollution associated with proximity to roads is significant over a year-long time frame and that local meteorology is a critical factor determining the extent of near-road impact.

환경대기 중 유해성 VOC 측정에 관한 동향과 전망

In this article, we reviewed the monitoring status of hazardous VOC in ambinet air in Korea and some developed countries such as USA, Japan, and UK. In many countries, two types of VOC monitoring stations are being operated, i.e., for hazardous VOC and photochemical VOC. Each country has different target VOC but all includes benzene. Korea, Japan, and UK have a national ambient air quality standard for benzene, but no national standard has been established in the USA. For sampling of the hazardous VOC, the adsorbent method is adopted in Korea and UK, while the canister method is used in the USA. Both of adsorbent and canister methods are used in Japan. USA and UK have only non-automatic method to measure the hazardous VOC, and the individual samples are being sent to their national laboratories for integrated analysis. On the other hand, Korea and Japan have automatic and nonautomatic methods to measure the hazardous VOC. Local governments or regional environmental agencies in Korea and Japan have the authorization for the sampling and analysis of VOC. According to a field study to evaluate the performance of automatic VOC monitoring system, controlling the moisture in the air sample was identified as the most important problem. However, careful attention must be given to using a moisture removing device such as Nafyon dryer, because of unexpected artifacts formation. In order to have reliable data, it is highly recommended not only to use internal standards, but to use appropriate hydrophobic adsorbents as a cold trap in any automatic on-line VOC monitoring system.

Strengthening Community Capacity to Participate in Making Decisions to Reduce Disproportionate Environmental Exposures

Environmental exposures impose a disproportionate health burden on low-income populations and communities of color. One contributing factor may be the obstacles such communities face to full participation in making policy decisions about environmental health. This study described and analyzed the characteristics that contributed to communities' capacity to participate in making environmental decisions and suggested steps public agencies could take to achieve more meaningful participation. By strengthening community capacity, advancing authentic participation, and building democratic power, it might be possible to alter current patterns of health inequities. Strengthening participation by working with communities to develop the capacities needed to be effective in such processes is a key role for local, state, and national environmental agencies.

Bayesian univariate space-time hierarchical model for mapping pollutant concentrations in the municipal area of Taranto

An analysis of air quality data is provided for the municipal area of Taranto (Italy) characterized by high environmental risks as decreed by the Italian government in the 1990s. In the context of an agreement between Dipartimento di Scienze Statistiche—Universita degli Studi di Bari and the local regional environmental protection agency air quality, data were provided concerning six monitoring stations and covering years from 2005 to 2007. In this paper we analyze the daily concentrations of three pollutants highly relevant in such an industrial area, namely SO2, NO2 and PM10, with the aim of reconstructing daily pollutants concentration surfaces for the town area. Taking into account the large amount of sparse missing data and the non normality affecting pollutants’ concentrations, we propose a full Bayesian separable space-time hierarchical model for each pollutant concentration series. The proposed model allows to embed missing data imputation and prediction of pollutant concentration. We critically discuss the results, highlighting advantages and disadvantages of the proposed methodology.

Urban air pollution: a representative survey of PM(2.5) mass concentrations in six Brazilian cities.

In urban areas of Brazil, vehicle emissions are the principal source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The World Health Organization air quality guidelines state that the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 should be below 10 μg m−3. In a collaboration of Brazilian institutions, coordinated by the University of São Paulo School of Medicine and conducted from June 2007 to August 2008, PM2.5 mass was monitored at sites with high traffic volumes in six Brazilian state capitals. We employed gravimetry to determine PM2.5 mass concentrations, reflectance to quantify black carbon concentrations, X-ray fluorescence to characterize elemental composition, and ion chromatography to determine the composition and concentrations of anions and cations. Mean PM2.5 concentrations and proportions of black carbon (BC) in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Recife, and Porto Alegre were 28.1 ± 13.6 μg m−3 (38% BC), 17.2 ± 11.2 μg m−3 (20% BC), 14.7 ± 7.7 μg m−3 (31% BC), 14.4 ± 9.5 μg m−3 (30% BC), 7.3 ± 3.1 μg m−3 (26% BC), and 13.4 ± 9.9 μg m−3 (26% BC), respectively. Sulfur and minerals (Al, Si, Ca, and Fe), derived from fuel combustion and soil resuspension, respectively, were the principal elements of the PM2.5 mass. We discuss the long-term health effects for each metropolitan region in terms of excess mortality risk, which translates to greater health care expenditures. This information could prove useful to decision makers at local environmental agencies.

FUZZY SYNTHETIC EVALUATION OF WEIHE WATER QUALITY

Based on the fuzzy logic principle, a modified Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) is proposed to assess water quality status of Weihe River (Baoji, China). The potential application of the FSE has been tested in a case study. Twelve sampling locations of Weihe River and its tributaries in Baoji area were selected and seven water quality parameters of BOD5, COD, fluoride, ammonia, total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and permanganate index, were monitored from 2008 to 2009. The findings clearly indicated that the methodology adopted in this study was reasonably close to the official reports published by the local Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the pollution problems in the study area. The water quality of Weihe River in Baoji area showed the Class II and III according to the Chinese classification standard. More importantly, this provides a good showcase of the modified FSE in river water quality evaluation.

Framework for Evaluating Co2 Emissions of Buildings within Singapore's Building Sector: A Review Article

Carbon dioxide emitted from the building industry contributes significantly to anthropogenic greenhouse gases emissions. No consensus on the magnitude of building-related CO2 emissions, however, was reached in the literature. This research aims to develop a Carbon Database Management System for evaluating carbon emissions of buildings in Singapore. This study presents a comprehensive literature survey pertinent to building-related carbon emissions. The findings show that different CO2 estimation approaches, variance in the definition of system boundaries, and variance in the use of functional units are instrumental in explaining the disagreement of CO2 estimation results. A conceptual framework for predicting the environmental performance (carbon index) and the economic performance (carbon tender price index) for new construction is then presented. The proposed framework may inspire the local government and environmental agencies to update Singapore's construction codes and environmental policies, with the aim to encourage the application of low-carbon practices and technologies to the building sector in Singapore. It would also offer an implication for other countries that encounter similar challenges.

Assessment of biomass burnings activity with the synergy of sunphotometric and LIDAR measurements in São Paulo, Brazil

In the period of July–November of 2007 an aerosol profiling campaign was carried out with a backscattering LIDAR system in São Paulo, Brazil (23° 33′S, 46° 44′W). The goals of this campaign were to perform an aerosol long period observation in the lower atmosphere (up to 10km) and extract correlations among the microphysical properties obtained from different plataforms, as well to pinpoint events where strong indications of biomass burning plumes were present above the planetary boundary layer (PBL) and still impact quality reports emitted by ground stations provided by the local environmental agency. In this context the present study aims to investigate the impact that this type of aerosol has on the environment of São Paulo when active fires in South America are observed in close and remote areas. Besides the LIDAR system, an AERONET Sunphotometer was used to help in characterizing the aerosol optical properties. Ten cases were selected as an identification of biomass burning layer entrance and after they were confirmed by NOAA-12 AVHRR sensor and 5-day Hysplit generated backtrajectories. A statistical analysis was carried out for analysis of the extinction-to-backscattering ratio (LIDAR ratio — LR) together with the sunphotometer retrieved Angström Exponent (AE) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) data. The observed layer sources were potentially from remote regions as the South Amazon basin and the north portion of Argentina and closer parts of São Paulo state related to sugar cane harvesting activities. The biomass burning plume heights were between 3 and 8km. It has been found that LR, AE and AOD values ranged from 44 to 147sr, from 0.85 to 1.58 and from 0.14 to 0.53, respectively. In a case study for September 7, 2007, an air mass with influence of biomass burning reached the city of São Paulo leading to a LR of 59sr. Despite the AOD value of 0.33, the aerosol size distribution analysis showed a higher amount of fine particulate matter in relation to coarse that is an indicative of transport of material in the free atmosphere. The analysis carried out in this study shows that these plumes affect greatly the LR mean values while with low effect on the AOD and AE daily averages.

Right answers and right-wrong answers: Sources of information influencing knowledge of nuclear-related information

Surveys in 2008 and 2009 asked almost 6000 United States residents to indicate their knowledge about the use of nuclear and other sources of energy, and the disposition of nuclear waste. Less than 10% of respondents knew where spent commercial nuclear fuel is stored. With regard to knowledge about fuel for electrical energy, respondents overestimated solar and wind use and underestimated coal use. These responses are consistent with mass media coverage of these issues. The mass media were the source of information for the vast majority of respondents. However, the likelihood of right answers to our questions increased as reliance on the mass media decreased, and it increased with use of books, magazines, personal contacts and the web. Educated affluent white males with strong preferences for nuclear energy disproportionately were knowledgeable. These observations demonstrate the daunting challenge of providing information about subjects that are largely distant and disconnected from the public’s lives. The Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, state and local health, environmental and energy agencies, and facility owners and operators have huge domestic political, national security and economic stakes in improving the factual grounding of public reactions to energy production and waste management choices.

Application of geophysical monitoring techniques as aids to probabilistic risk‐based management of landfill sites

Increasingly stringent regulatory regimes, in conjunction with landfill development in environmentally sensitive locations and the large number of abandoned landfill sites, are significantly increasing the responsibilities of local authorities and environmental agencies. These responsibilities include the identification and/or monitoring of: locations of contaminated land; boundaries of waste sites; nature of the landfill content; location, extent, content and depth of closed landfill sites; leachate plumes escaping from both operational and closed sites and the performance of landfill liners. Probabilistic risk based modelling is a standard methodology for monitoring and managing the environmental impact of landfill sites. A critical problem in the implementation of probabilistic risk based modelling is the large uncertainty in the shallow geology, internal structure and leachate distribution of landfills caused by the severe lack of both surface and subsurface information from within and outside the landfill site. The utility of two non‐invasive ground based geophysical monitoring techniques, ground penetrating radar and reflectance spectroscopy, as aids to characterising the three‐dimensional structure and distribution of leachate within a landfill has been investigated. Strong correlations between red edge inflection position and chlorophyll and metal concentration have been demonstrated from grassland species affected by leachate contamination of the soil adjacent to the landfill study site. The results of this study have demonstrated how recent advances in equipment, techniques and software mean that field‐based reflectance spectroscopy and Ground Penetrating Radar can now provide environmental scientists with cost‐effective, rapid techniques to characterise landfill sites in three dimensions, aid landfill managers in positioning additional boreholes and field sampling surveys, and provide data as inputs to leachate migration modelling.

Determination of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and ammonia in ambient air using the passive sampling method associated with ion chromatographic and potentiometric analyses.

Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), and ammonia (NH3) were determined in the ambient air of Al-Ain city over a year using the passive sampling method associated with ion chromatographic and potentiometric detections. IVL samplers were used for collecting nitrogen and sulfur dioxides whereas Ogawa samplers were used for collecting ozone and ammonia. Five sites representing the industrial, traffic, commercial, residential, and background regions of the city were monitored in the course of this investigation. Year average concentrations of ≤59.26, 15.15, 17.03, and 11.88 μg/m3 were obtained for NO2, SO2, O3, and NH3, respectively. These values are lower than the maxima recommended for ambient air quality standards by the local environmental agency and the world health organization. Results obtained were correlated with the three meteorological parameters: humidity, wind speed, and temperature recorded during the same period of time using the paired t test, probability p values, and correlation coefficients. Humidity and wind speed showed insignificant effects on NO2, SO2, O3, and NH3 concentrations at 95% confidence level. Temperature showed insignificant effects on the concentrations of NO2 and NH3 while significant effects on SO2 and O3 were observed. Nonlinear correlations (R 2 ≤ 0.722) were obtained for the changes in measured concentrations with changes in the three meteorological parameters. Passive samplers were shown to be not only precise (RSD ≤ 13.57) but also of low cost, low technical demand, and expediency in monitoring different locations.

An innovative stabilization/solidification treatment For contaminated soil remediation: demonstration project results

An innovative stabilization/solidification (S/S) process using high-performance additivated concrete technology was developed for remediating soil contaminated by metals from abandoned industrial sites. In order to verify the effectiveness of this new ex situ S/S procedure, an area highly contaminated by metallic pollutants (As, Cd, Hg, and Pb), due to the uncontrolled discharge of waste generated from artistic glass production on the island of Murano (Venice, Italy), was selected as a case study. The technique transforms the contaminated soil into an aggregate material suitable for reuse as on-site backfill. This paper reports the main results of the demonstration project performed in collaboration with the local environmental protection agency (ARPAV). An ex situ treatment for brownfield remediation, based on the transformation of contaminated soil into very dense, low porous, and mechanically resistant granular material, was set up and tested. Specific additives (water reducers and superplasticizers) to improve the stabilized material properties were developed and patented. A demonstration plant assembled on the study area to treat 6 m3 h–1was then tested. After excavation, the contaminated soil was screened to remove coarse material. The fraction O > 4 mm (coarse fraction), mainly composed of glass, brick, concrete, and stone debris, was directly reused on site after passing through a washing treatment section. The highly polluted fraction O ≤ 4 mm (fine fraction) was treated in the S/S treatment division of the plant (European patent WO/2006/097272). The fine fraction was mixed with Portland cement and additives defined on the basis of the high performance concrete technique. the mixture was then granulated in a rolling-plate system. After 28 days curing in an onsite storage area to allow for cement hydration, the stabilized material was monitored before its in situ relocation. The chemical, mechanical, and ecotoxicological reliability and performance of the treatment was checked. Metal leachability was verified according to four leaching test methods: Italian Environmental Ministry Decree (1998), EN 12457 (2002) tout court, amended only with MgSO4 and, lastly, with artificial sea water. The mechanical properties were measured according to BS (1990) and AASHTO (1999) to obtain the Aggregate Crushing Value and California Bearing Ratio, in that order. Moreover, leachate samples prepared with artificial seawater were assessed via the Crassostrea gigas embryotoxicity test and Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition test to discriminate the presence of potential ecotoxicological effects for the brackish and saltwater biota. Outcomes from all leachate samples highlighted the effectiveness of the remediation treatment, fully complying with the Italian legislation for non-hazardous material reuse under a physicochemical viewpoint. The stabilized granular material demonstrated high mechanical strength, low porosity, and leachability. Moreover, ecotoxicological surveys indicated the presence of low toxicity levels in leachate samples according to both toxicity tests. Remediated soil samples revealed a significant decrease in leachability of heavy metals as a consequence of the application of additivated cement that enhanced granular material properties, resulting in improved compactness due to the reduction in water content. The toxicity data confirmed this state-of-the-art technique, indicating that leachates could be deemed as minor acutely toxic. The proposed S/S treatment proved to be able to remediate soil contaminated by heavy metals through trapping pollutants in pellet materials presenting adequate physicochemical, mechanical, and ecotoxicological properties in order to prevent leachability phenomena, their reclamation, and reuse being made easier by its granular form. This project foresees long-term monitoring activity over several years (until 2014) to consider treatment durability.