New study uncovers potential risk of arsenic release from sediment under organic matter influence
2023-07-21
(Press-News.org)
Researchers from the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences have conducted a study to assess the impact of environmental factors and microbial communities on the mobilization of arsenic (As). The findings, published in Volume 15 of the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, reveal important insights into the biogeochemical processes involved in As release. The study focused on processes such as desorption, reduction, complexation, and co-precipitation that affect the As behaviour in the environment. The interaction between Fe (hydro) oxides and organic matters (OMs), particularly dissolved organic matter (DOM), was identified as a crucial control mechanism. The OMs were characterized using fluorescence indices, which indicated sustained biological activities throughout the experimental period. The microbial community analysis unveiled the presence of bacteria capable of reducing Fe, Mn, and As, as well as bacteria involved in metabolic transformations using EOM. When bio-reactive and chemically reactive OMs were introduced, they created a reduction environment facilitating the release of As, Fe, and Mn, particularly at high OM concentrations. Glucose and sodium lactate, easily metabolized by microorganisms, resulted in higher releases than the control group without OMs. The addition of humic acid (HA), a chemically reactive OM, significantly influenced the release of Fe and Mn, albeit with a lesser impact on As. The study also observed the formation of secondary Fe minerals, such as siderite and mackinawite, which incorporated As and contributed to the decline in As, Fe, and Mn concentrations in the aqueous phase. Microbial decomposition altered the characteristics of DOM, leading to the production of amino acids and the presence of polysaccharides, as indicated by specific functional groups. Furthermore, the research employed canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) to examine the relationship between environmental factors, the microbial community, and As mobilization. Positive correlations were found between As(III), Fe, and Mn, while a negative correlation was observed with oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). Several bacterial genera associated with As metabolism were identified, underscoring their role in the release process.
Highlights
•Groundwater arsenic mobilization regulated by exogenous organic matter (EOM) was revealed.
•Reactivity of Fe (hydro)oxides and SO42− reduction control groundwater As level.
•Secondary risk of anthropogenic EOM for groundwater As and Mn release merit noting.
The research significantly enhances our understanding of the intricate factors influencing the release of arsenic (As) and sheds light on the microbial processes involved in As mobilization in aquatic environments. The findings have important implications for managing and mitigating groundwater pollution caused by the infiltration of EOM. Specific sites, such as landfills, petrochemical sites, and managed aquifer recharge projects, are identified as particularly vulnerable to contamination. Further investigations are necessary to explore the effects of hydrodynamics and hydrogeochemical environments in practical applications. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive strategies to effectively control and mitigate the environmental risks associated with EOM infiltration, aiming to safeguard groundwater quality.
###
References
DOI
10.1016/j.ese.2023.100243
Funding information
National Key Research and Development Program (2019YFC1806204)
National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41907178).
About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology
Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. ESE received its latest impact factor of 12.6, according to the Journal Citation ReportTM 2022.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2023-07-21
DALLAS, July 21, 2023 — More than 100 scientists from across the U.S. are receiving special grants to support their research work in finding innovative solutions to fight heart disease and stroke. The grants, totaling $20 million, are part of the Second Century of Science Initiative of the American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organization dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives. The financial awards are announced as the Association, the largest non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S., prepares to celebrate ...
2023-07-21
Green hydrogen can be produced directly in a photoelectrochemical cell, splitting water with solar energy. However, this requires the development of super-efficient photoelectrodes that need to combine many talents at the same time: They must be excellent at converting sunlight into electricity, remain stable in acidic or basic water, act as catalysts to promote the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen, and be cheap, abundant and non-toxic. The large material class of metal oxides comes into question. However, it is difficult to find out what really happens at the interfaces ...
2023-07-21
URBANA, Ill. — New mothers can expect sleep deprivation in the first few years of baby’s life. But too little sleep can take a toll on the health of both mother and child. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at maternal and infant sleep patterns, identifying predictors and providing recommendations for instilling healthy habits.
“The first two years is a really critical period where a lot of development is going on, and sleep is important for health. We wanted to look at the association of mother and infant sleep and whether it changes over time,” said Tianying ...
2023-07-21
During our history, ancient civilisations have considerably shaped the global ecosystems through a coevolution of landscape and local populations. In some cases, the legacy of the disappeared civilizations is still visible in the form of buildings and other monuments such as the Stonehenge, the buildings of the Roman and Hellenic Empires, and ancient burial places and fortresses built by several cultures. These monuments are invaluable parts of our history and cultural heritage. Although it is often not in the spotlight, they can also hold a considerable biodiversity conservation potential.
In the vast steppes of Eurasia (and probably ...
2023-07-21
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Developing technology to quickly and efficiently bioprint human tissues at scale is the goal of a new project led by Penn State researchers. When fully developed, the technology will be the first to enable the fabrication of scalable, native tissues such as bones, tracheas and organs.
The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering at the National Institute of Health has awarded over $2 million in support of the project, led by Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, professor of engineering science and mechanics, biomedical engineering, and neurosurgery at Penn State.
“This will be a platform technology, which can be used for multiple purposes,” ...
2023-07-21
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Worldwide, high rates of obesity and other inflammatory conditions are associated with increased risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Investigating how environmental chemical exposure impacts the gut microbiome to exacerbate these conditions is the goal of a new $7 million grant awarded to Andrew Patterson, professor of molecular toxicology and the John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National ...
2023-07-21
About one in two women are affected by cystitis during her lifetime, and many suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections. Bladder infections are not only painful and potentially dangerous, but they also pose a significant dilemma for physicians. With antibiotic resistance becoming widespread in urinary tract infections and continually increasing, physicians are often forced to blindly prescribe antibiotics without knowing their effectiveness against the pathogen causing the infection. This is because it takes several days to identify a specific ...
2023-07-21
Saturable absorbers as passive modulators in passively mode-locked fiber lasers play a crucial role in the generation of ultrashort pulses. Germanene, a graphene-like two-dimensional material with fast carrier relaxation time and large nonlinear absorption coefficient comparable to that of graphene, is a saturable absorber material with very fast response.
Researchers led by Prof. Wei Xia at University of Jinan (UJN), are interested in modulation switches in fiber lasers, and two-dimensional material saturable absorbers have been a hot research topic in recent years. Two-dimensional materials make up for the disadvantages of ...
2023-07-21
About The Study: This study of more than 70 million births or spontaneous abortions showed the prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV)-positive pregnancies in the U.S. increased 16-fold between 1998 and 2018. Maternal HCV infection was associated with increased odds of preterm labor, poor fetal growth, or fetal distress. These data may support recent recommendations for universal HCV screening with each pregnancy.
Authors: Po-Hung Chen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, ...
2023-07-21
About The Study: The findings of this study of births to females ages 18 to 24 suggest that additional recommended cervical cancer screenings before birth were associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery. Cervical cancer screening guidelines should consider the downstream implications for preterm delivery risk when weighing the population-level costs of screenings against the benefits of reduced cervical cancer mortality.
Authors: Rebecca Bromley-Dulfano, M.S., of Harvard University Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the corresponding author.
To ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] New study uncovers potential risk of arsenic release from sediment under organic matter influence
