Total Amount Of Metal Research Articles

Evaluating the Effects of Fertilizers on Bioavailable Metallic Pollution of soils, Case study of Sistan farms, Iran

Present study determines not only the total amounts of metals (Cr, Cu and Pb) in superficial agricultural soil of Sistan area in Eastern Iran, but also the chemical partitioning of these elements in seven statistically selected cases. The analysis was run for local soil, soil treated by non-contaminated organic, compost and chemical fertilizers as well as soil treated by metal-contaminated fertilizers. The sampling campaign was done in Zabol University research farm in 2009. The grab samples were taken from seven different cases, the chemical partitioning analysis was performed and metallic concentrations were detected using FAAS. It may be concluded that the bioaccessibility of metals Cu and Cr would be increased in case of imposed contamination where the soil is treated with all three kinds of fertilizers. Although a relatively similar distribution pattern is seen between anthropogenic and geopogenic portions of bulk concentration in all three kinds of fertilizers, chemical fertilizer seems to manifest a more risky condition. According to the results achieved by cluster analysis, a close correlation exists between Cu and Cr behavior which may be attributed to the geological texture of the study area. In accordance with the results gained by partitioning analysis, IPOLL index values also show contaminated chemical fertilizer as the most risky case for all three metals in comparison with others.

Characterization of disposable optical sensors for heavy metal determination

This paper presents the development, characterization and quality control of analytical methods based on the use of disposable optical sensors for determination of heavy metals. Chromogenic reagents such as 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol, (2-pyridylazo)resorcinol, Zincon, Ferrozine, and Chromazurol S were used to develop optical sensors of heavy metal ions found as contaminants in pharmaceutical substances and products, such as Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Fe(II), and Fe(III). The chromogenic reagents were immobilized in polymeric membranes by spin-coating from cocktails containing all reagents needed. The methods were prevalidated using a comprehensive quality control strategy based on a system of mathematical/statistical testing and diagnosis of each prevalidation step. This system involved characterization of analytical groups; checking of two limiting groups; testing of data homogeneity; recognition of outliers; and determination of analytical functions, limiting values, precision and accuracy. The prevalidation strategy demonstrated the reliability of the proposed method and pointed out some limitations. Combining the optical sensors with multicomponent linear regression allowed simultaneous determination of multiple metals in synthetic mixtures with different compositions. Good agreement between experimental and theoretical amounts of heavy metals in the mixtures was obtained for the majority of sensors and metals. Even better agreement was obtained between the experimental and theoretical total amounts of metals in the mixtures. The proposed analytical methods were successfully applied to the determination of zinc in pharmaceutical preparations of insulin and the determination of metal mixtures in a commercial nasal spray of isotonic seawater. The reliable and sensitive individual optical sensors developed in this study may be useful for designing a multimembrane optical tongue that with appropriate further optimization can be used for screening heavy metals in various matrices.

The determination of the extractability of selected elements from agricultural soil

Concentrations of Ag, Al, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn-isolated by sequential extraction steps from apple orchard soil-were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy and compared to the total amount of metal in soil determined by XRF. The extractable amount of each metal was calculated by the extraction yields of the four steps. The LODs of the different elements in all extracts ware below 3 μg/L except for Ba (steps 1 and 2), Cu (step 1), Fe (all steps), K (steps 1-3), Mn (step 2), Na (steps 1-3), Ni (step 1), Pb (steps 1 and 4), and Zn (steps 1 and 2). The highest LOD (>10 μg/L) was found for Fe, K, and Na (step 1). The recovery of all metals after four sequential extraction steps was 90-112%. The repeatability (<1.1%), the intermediate precision (<5.3%), the day-to-day reproducibility (<6.2%), and the overall uncertainty of measurement (approximately 4-8.5%) for all analyzed metals supports the choice of the method used.

Hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction of NO over Cu/Fe-pillared clays: Diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy studies

The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO was investigated by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) over catalysts based on iron-pillared clays (Fe-PILC) ion exchanged with copper. It was studied the influence of either total amount of metal or copper distribution as Cu 2+ and CuO on the surface, with the aim to give a general idea of the reaction mechanism for this kind of catalysts. It was noted that the reaction intermediates were nitrates, nitrites, acetate, and C x H y O z N species. At low temperatures, bands corresponding to the vibration of C C and COO − groups were observed for those samples with CuO in their structure, confirming that its presence improves the NO yield to N 2.

Phytoprotective influence of bacteria on growth and cadmium accumulation in the aquatic plant Lemna minor

Certain plants are known to accumulate heavy metals, and can be used in remediation of polluted soil or water. Plant-associated bacteria, especially those that are metal tolerant, may enhance the total amount of metal accumulated by the plant, but this process is still unclear. In this study, we investigated metal enhancement vs. exclusion by plants, and the phytoprotective role plant-associated bacteria might provide to plants exposed to heavy metal. We isolated cadmium-tolerant bacteria from the roots of the aquatic plant Lemna minor grown in heavy metal-polluted waters, and tested these isolates for tolerance to cadmium. The efficiency of plants to accumulate heavy metal from their surrounding environment was then tested by comparing L. minor plants grown with added metal tolerant bacteria to plants grown axenically to determine, whether bacteria associated with these plants increase metal accumulation in the plant. Unexpectedly, cadmium tolerance was not seen in all bacterial isolates that had been exposed to cadmium. Axenic plants accumulated slightly more cadmium than plants inoculated with bacterial isolates. Certain isolates promoted root growth, but overall, addition of bacterial strains did not enhance plant cadmium uptake, and in some cases, inhibited cadmium accumulation by plants. This suggests that bacteria serve a phytoprotective role in their relationship with Lemna minor, preventing toxic cadmium from entering plants.

Leaching of heavy metals and nutrients from calcareous sandy‐loam soil receiving municipal solid sewage sludge

AbstractLeaching column experiments were conducted to determine the degree of mobility of heavy metals (HMs) and nutrients after the addition of municipal solid sewage sludge (MSS) in a sandy‐loam soil. Treatments were (1) soil application of low metal content MSS, (2) soil application of metal‐enriched municipal solid sewage sludge (EMSS), and (3) control. The MSS application represented a dose of 200 Mg dry weight (dw) ha–1. Soil columns were incubated at room temperature for 15 d and were irrigated daily with distilled water to make a total of 557 mm. Leachates were collected and analyzed for HMs and nutrients. The Ni and Pb added to soil via MSS and EMSS were found to be leached through the 20 cm columns of calcareous sandy soil although Ni and Pb concentrations in the percolate were small relative to the total amounts of metals applied. Losses of K+ from the EMSS, MSS, and control were 92.5, 82.0, and 52.5 kg ha–1, respectively. Losses of Mg2+ were in the range from 104.4 (control treatment) to 295.2 kg ha–1 (EMSS), while the loss of Ca2+ was in the range from 265.0 (control treatment) to 568.2 kg ha–1 (EMSS). The results showed that the amounts of P leached from EMSS (3.02 kg ha–1) and MSS (2.97 kg–1 ha–1) were significantly larger than those from the control treatment (1.54 kg ha–1). The geochemical code Visual MINTEQ was used to calculate saturation indices. Leaching of P in different treatments was controlled by rate‐limited dissolution of hydroxyapatite, β‐tri‐Ca phosphate, and octa‐Ca phosphate. The results indicate that application of MSS to a sandy soil, at the loading rate used in this study, may pose a risk in terms of groundwater contamination with Ni, Pb, and the studied nutrients.

Analyses of Heavy Metals in Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Portland Cement

Introduction Portland cement is used in the construction industry as a binder in concrete. It is manufactured from chalk, limestone, and clay, which are clinkered at very high temperatures and ground with gypsum to form Portland cement. The raw materials and the manufacturing process can result in the inclusion of heavy metals in Portland cement. Portland cement with a four to one addition of bismuth oxide is marketed as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), which is used mainly as a dental material. Heavy metal inclusion can be of concern because MTA is in contact with hard and soft tissues. Methods Measurements of arsenic, lead, and chromium in hydrated gray and white Portland cement, ProRoot MTA, and MTA Angelus were conducted with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry after acid digestion on the hydrated material. The leaching of the metal ions from the solid material in water and simulated body fluid (SBF) was also determined. Results All cement types showed high relative values of leached chromium compared with arsenic and lead in both the total metal content and leached species. The gray Portland cement showed the highest total amount of metal. The white Portland and both MTAs had lower values for all the leached metal ions. Conclusions Both MTAs released more arsenic than the amount specified in ISO 9917-1 (2007). Portland cements and MTAs showed evidence of heavy metals in the acid-soluble form as well as leaching in deionized water and SBF. MTA contained levels of arsenic higher than the safe limit specified by the ISO 9917-1 (2007).

Transport of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in a calcareous soil under wheat and safflower cultivation— A column study

Anthropogenic release of heavy metals (HMs) into the environment has resulted in a continuous buildup of HMs in agricultural soils. On the one hand, uptake of HMs by crop plants may lead to food chain transfer to humans, and on the other, leaching of HMs with deep seepage may cause groundwater contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the mobility of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) under two common crop plants with different rooting systems, wheat ( Triticum aestivum) with fibrous roots, and safflower ( Carthamus tinctorious) with a taproot system in a calcareous silty clay loam soil. The study was conducted with 50 cm long undisturbed soil columns (Typic Haplocalcid) extracted from a wheat and a safflower field located in the same unit of soil type. The top 10 cm of half of the columns were artificially contaminated with Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn at concentrations of 15, 585, 117 and 1094 mg kg − 1 , respectively. Half of the contaminated and uncontaminated columns were planted with wheat and the other half with safflower according to their previous cultivation history. Discharge was collected continuously. After the crops were harvested, soil samples were collected at 10-cm intervals and analyzed for HNO 3- and DTPA-extractable metals. Plants enhanced the displacement of metals into the subsoil. Safflower resulted in larger concentrations at deeper depths than wheat. Metal concentrations were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in discharge from contaminated than from uncontaminated columns. Because discharge was reduced in the presence of plants due to transpiration, total amounts of metals leached were in general larger in fallow than treatments with plants. The only exception was the leaching of Zn from wheat columns, which was larger under plants than under fallow. Plants did not only affect metal transport velocity of mobile fraction through actual root activity, but also through effects on soil properties during previous cultivation history, as there were clear differences in metal leaching between wheat and safflower soils from fallow columns. These were metal-dependent, indicating that these effects were not only related to different effects on soil structure by the root systems, but also to chemical soil properties.

Bimetallic Pt-Ni catalysts supported on usy zeolite for n-hexane isomerization

Isomerization of linear alkanes has had considerable importance for the refining industry because the isomers formed in this reaction have high octane number. Most works reported in the literature studied the use of bifunctional catalysts, i.e., ones that have acid sites and metallic sites. In this study, bifunctional monometallic (Ni or Pt) and bimetallic catalysts (Pt-Ni), using HUSY zeolite as the support, were prepared in order to verify the role of the metal content and composition on the catalytic properties for n-hexane isomerization. The method used for metal dispersion in the zeolite was competitive ion exchange using ammine complexes [Ni(NH3)6]Cl2 and [Pt(NH3)4]Cl2 as precursors. Four series of catalysts with constant atomic metal content had total metal amounts between 130 and 280 µmol M/gcat. Catalysts were characterized by temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and subjected to catalytic evaluation for n-hexane isomerization at 250 oC and 1 atm using H2/C6 = 9 molar ratio. TPR results show an easier reducibility of Ni+2 cations in the presence of Pt, which was evidenced by the displacement of the reduction peak of those cations towards lower temperatures in bimetallic catalysts. The bimetallic catalysts presented a higher activity in the isomerization of n-hexane when compared to the monometallic ones, as well better stability as the Pt content in the solid increases. The results of the activity as a function of the Pt content in the bimetallic catalysts show a maximum value around 50% of Pt. An addition of Pt above this critical value leads to a small decrease of the catalytic activity.

Enhanced uptake of heavy metals in municipal solid waste compost by turfgrass following the application of EDTA

Enhancement of multiple heavy metal uptake from municipal solid waste (MSW) compost by Lolium perenne L. in a field experiment was investigated with application of EDTA. EDTA was added in solution at six rates (0-30 mmol kg( - 1)) after 50 days of plant growth. Two weeks later, plants were harvested for the first crop and then all the turfgrasses were mowed. After another 30 days of growth, EDTA was added again at above six rates to the corresponding sites and the second crop was harvested 2 weeks later. The results showed that EDTA significantly increased heavy metal accumulation in both crops of L. perenne. For the first crop, the concentrations of Mn, Ni, Cd, and Pb in the shoots increased remarkably with increasing EDTA supply, peaked at 25 mmol kg( - 1) EDTA, and shoots of 0-5 cm height (shoots from medium surface to 5 cm height) had higher metal concentrations than 5-10 cm and >10 cm shoots. The highest concentration of Mn, Ni, Cd, and Pb was 2.3-, 2.3-, 2.6-, and 3.2-fold, respectively, in 0-5 cm shoots higher than control. For the second crop, the concentrations of Mn, Cu, and Pb in shoots were, in general, less than those in the first crop. However, the second crop was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the first crop in dry biomass, so the total amount of metals removed by the second crop was more than the first crop. In addition, EDTA significantly increased the translocation ratios of most heavy metals from roots to shoots. For the first crop, 38% of the total Zn, 51% of Cd, 49% of Pb, 60% Mn, 55% Ni, and 45% Cu taken up by the plant was translocated in the shoots of 0-5 cm height. Turfgrass would have potential for use in remediation of heavy metals in MSW compost or contaminated soils.

Corrosion mechanism of Ti–Cr alloys in solution containing fluoride

Objective The objective of this study was to clarify the influence of chromium content on surface reaction of Ti–Cr alloys in an acidic fluoride-containing saline solution. Methods Four Ti–Cr alloys containing 5, 10, 15 or 20 mass% chromium were characterized in terms of dissolution of metals in an acidic fluoride-containing saline solution and surface structure by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy. Results Total amount of metals dissolved from each alloy decreased with increase in chromium content. The surface oxide films of Ti–Cr alloys before and after immersion in an acidic fluoride-containing saline solution consisted of titanic and chromic species, such as oxide, hydroxide, and hydrate. The [Cr]/([Ti] + [Cr]) ratio in the surface oxide film on as-polished Ti–Cr alloys was closely correlated with chromium content. However, the ratio in any alloy approximately doubled after immersion. Although thick oxide films were observed after immersion, all alloys showed a thinner oxide film than commercially pure titanium. Significant In all alloys, concentration of chromic species such as oxide and hydroxide in the surface oxide film was associated with chromium content, and chromic species improved corrosion resistance to fluoride.

Effect of composting process on phytotoxicity and speciation of copper, zinc and lead in sewage sludge and swine manure

The concentration and bioavailability of heavy metals in composted organic wastes have negative environmental impacts following land application. Aerobic composting procedures were conducted to investigate the influences of selected parameters on heavy metal speciation and phytotoxicity. Results showed that both of sewage sludge (SSC) and swine manure (SMC) composting systems decreased the pH, the content of organic matter (OM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and total amounts of Cu, Zn and Pb. Sequential extraction showed that readily extractible fractions of exchangeable and carbonate in Cu and Zn increased during SSC composting but decreased during SMC composting, thus their bioavailability factors (BF) enhanced in SSC but declined in SMC. The fraction of reducible iron and manganese (FeMnOX) of Cu and Zn in SSC and FeMnOX-Cu in SMC decreased, but FeMnOX-Zn in SMC gradually increased in the process of compost. In contrast, the changes of Pb distributions were similar in two organic wastes. Pb was preferentially bound to the residual fraction and its BF decreased. The evolution of heavy metal distributions and BF depended on not only total metal concentrations but also the other properties, such as pH, decomposition of OM and decline of DOC. The germination rate (RSG), root growth (RRG) and germination index (GI) of pakchoi (Brassica Chinensis L.) increased during the composting process. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that GI, which could represent phytotoxic behavior to the plants, could be poorly predicted by BF or total amount of metals, i.e., BF-Zn, T-Cu. However, the inclusion of other physicochemical parameters (pH, OM and DOC) could enhance the linear regression significances (R).

A census of metals and baryons in stars in the local Universe

We combine stellar metallicity and stellar mass estimates for a large sample of galaxies drawn from the SDSS DR2 spanning wide ranges in physical properties, in order to derive an inventory of the total mass of metals and baryons locked up in stars today. Physical parameter estimates are derived from galaxy spectra with high S/N (>20). Coadded spectra of galaxies with similar velocity dispersions, absolute r-band magnitudes and 4000\AA-break values are used for those regions of parameter space where individual spectra have lower S/N. We estimate the total density of metals and of baryons in stars and, from these two quantities, we obtain a mass- and volume-averaged stellar metallicity of <Z_star>=1.04+-0.14 Z_sun, i.e. consistent with solar. We also study how metals are distributed in galaxies according to their mass, morphology and age, and we then compare these distributions with the corresponding distributions of stellar mass. We find that the bulk of metals locked up in stars in the local Universe reside in massive, bulge-dominated galaxies, with red colours and high 4000\AA-break values corresponding to old stellar populations. Bulge-dominated and disc-dominated galaxies contribute similar amounts to the total stellar mass density, but have different fractional contributions to the mass density of metals in stars, in agreement with the mass-metallicity relation. Bulge-dominated galaxies contain roughly 40% of the total amount of metals in stars, while disc-dominated galaxies less than 25%. Finally, at a given galaxy stellar mass, we define two characteristic ages as the median of the distributions of mass and metals as a function of age. These characteristic ages decrease progressively from high-mass to low-mass galaxies, consistent with the high formation epochs of stars in massive galaxies.

Utilização de solos locais para tratamento de efluentes do refino de petróleo contendo metais

The employment of local soils for extraction of metallic elements was evaluated through batch tests to treat wastewaters generated in a petroleum refinery plant in southern Brazil. Clay and organic carbon content and clay mineralogy provide these soils, in principle, with moderate metal retention capacity. The following retention order was established: Cr3+ > Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Hg2+ > Cd2+, with total amount of metals retained varying from 36 to 65 meq kg-1. The results show the high efficiency of local soils for extracting metals from liquid effluents through sorption and precipitation processes under acid pH conditions.

BjDHNs Confer Heavy-metal Tolerance in Plants

Dehydrin gene transcript could be induced by heavy metals, and some dehydrins possess the ability to bind metals. However, the correlation between dehydrins and heavy-metal stress is unknown. In order to elucidate the contribution of dehydrins to heavy-metal stress tolerance in plants, we cloned two SK(2)-type dehydrin genes from heavy-metal hyperaccumulator Brassica juncea, and investigated their Cd/Zn tolerance in transgenic plants. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that BjDHN2/BjDHN3 expressed in the leaves, stems and roots at a low level and were up-regulated by heavy metals. Antisense BjDHN3 Brassica juncea plants showed more electrolyte leakage and higher malondialdehyde production than the control plants when exposed to heavy metals, and the total amount of metals accumulated in the whole plant was reduced. Transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing BjDHN2/BjDHN3 showed lower electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde production than the control plants when exposed to Cd/Zn. These results indicated that BjDHN2/BjDHN3 enhanced the tolerance for heavy metals by reducing lipid peroxidation and maintaining membrane stability in the plants.

Multicomponent Adsorption Study of Metal Ions onto Bagasse Fly Ash Using Taguchi's Design of Experimental Methodology

This paper utilizes the Taguchi optimization methodology (L27 orthogonal array) to optimize various parameters for the simultaneous removal of Cd, Ni, and Zn metal ions from aqueous solutions using bagasse fly ash (BFA) as an adsorbent. The effect of such parameters as the initial metal concentrations (C0,i), temperature, initial pH, adsorbent dosage (m), and contact time on the adsorption of the aforementioned metal ions has been studied at three levels to determine their effect on the selected response characteristic (the total amount of metal adsorbed on BFA, in terms of mg/g of BFA (qtot)). The Pareto analysis of variance shows that m is the most significant parameter, with a 53.14% and 31.25% contribution to the qtot and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio data. The contribution of interactions between the C0,i values is also significant. Confirmation experiments have been performed to prove the effectiveness of the Taguchi technique after the optimum levels of process parameters are determined.

The missing metals problem - III. How many metals are expelled from galaxies?

We revisit the metal budget at z ≃ 2, and include the contribution of the intergalactic medium (IGM). Past estimates of the metal budget have indicated that, at redshift z ≃ 2.5, 90 per cent of the expected metals were missing. In the first two papers of this series, we have already shown that ∼30 per cent of the metals are observed in all z ∼ 2.5 galaxies detected in current surveys. This fraction could increase to ≤60 per cent if we extrapolate the faint end of the luminosity function (LF), leaving >40 per cent of the metals missing. Here, we extend our analysis to the metals outside galaxies (i.e. in the IGM), using (i) observational data and (ii) analytical calculations. Our results for both are strikingly similar. (i) Observationally, we find that, besides the small (5 per cent) contribution of damped Lya absorbers (DLAs), the forest and sub-DLAs contribute substantially to make ≤30-45 per cent of the metal budget; however, neither of these appear to be sufficient to close the metal budget. The forest accounts for 15-30 per cent depending on the ultraviolet background, and sub-DLAs for ≥2 to ≤17 per cent depending on the ionization fraction. Combining the metals in galaxies and in the IGM, it appears now that >65 per cent of the metals have been accounted for, and the 'missing metals problem' is substantially eased. (ii) We perform analytical calculations based on the effective yield-mass (y eff -V c ) relation, whose deficit for small galaxies is considered as evidence for supernova-driven outflows. As a test of the method, we show that, at z = 0, the calculation self-consistently predicts the total amount of metals expelled from galaxies. At z = 2, we find that the method predicts that 25-50 per cent of the metals have been ejected from galaxies into the IGM, consistent with the observations (≥35 per cent). The metal ejection is predominantly by L B < (1/3) L * B (z = 2) galaxies, which are responsible for 90 per cent of the metal enrichment, while the 50 percentile is at L ∼ (1/10) L * B (z = 2). As a consequence, if indeed 50 per cent of the metals have been ejected from galaxies, three to five bursts of star formation are required per galaxy prior to z = 2. The ratio between the mass of metals outside galaxies to those in stars has changed from z = 2 to z = 0; it was 1: 2 or 1: 1 and is now 1: 8 or 1: 9. This evolution implies that a significant fraction of the IGM metals will cool and fall back into galaxies.

A census of the physical parameters of nearby galaxies

We combine together physical parameters estimates for a large sample of galaxies drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release Two (SDSS DR2), spanning wide ranges in galaxy properties, in order to provide a census of the physical parameters of galaxies in the local Universe. Stellar metallicities, masses and ages for this sample have been estimated comparing the strengths of selected absorption features in each observed spectrum to a comprehensive Monte Carlo library of star formation histories, following a Bayesian statistical approach. This allows us also to derive the total amount of metals locked up in stars today, and hence the average stellar metallicity of galaxies in the local Universe, finding a value of 1.03 −0.15Z . We also quantify the relative contribution to the total densities of mass and metals in stars from galaxies with different properties.

Ca 2+-dependent plant response to Pb 2+ is regulated by LCT1

Tobacco plants transformed with TaLCT1 were cultured on Knop's medium with modified calcium concentrations (0.01–3 mM) in the presence of Pb 2+, and in soil contaminated by lead. A 4–5 μM Pb 2+ administered in the presence of 1 mM Ca 2+ inhibited the root growth of transgenic plants to much lesser degree than of control plants, whereas in the presence of 3 mM Ca 2+ no differences were found between the studied lines. The reduction of Pb 2+ toxicity in the presence of 1 mM Ca 2+ was not accompanied by a change in the lead tissue concentration. However, when Ca 2+ level in the medium was lowered to 0.01 mM, several fold higher root/shoot Pb ratio in transgenic plants was observed, twofold increase in the total amount of metal accumulated, and lower concentration of Pb in the xylem sap. Results suggest the involvement of TaLCT1 in the regulation of Ca-dependent Pb-detoxification, and under conditions of low calcium in lead uptake and distribution.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in snow along a highway

Snow quality and its variations due to distance from the road were studied. Also, how the snow quality changes over time during the melting period was discussed. Snow samples were collected at three occasions during the winter of 2004. The samples were taken along a highway in the Luleå region, Sweden, with an average daily traffic load of 9200 vehicles. Snow samples were taken perpendicular to the road and at different distances. The snow samples were analysed for metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Also, weather parameters such as temperature, precipitation, and wind speed and wind direction were measured. The highest total metal and PAH concentrations were found at the sample site closest to the road and at the end of the season. Before the melting period started, 42-57% of the total amount of metals and PAH were found in the first 1 m of the snow pack. This information could be valuable when one is discussing how to achieve sustainable snow-handling management.