Extraction of bioavailable phosphorus in soils and sediments using an ultrasonic washing machine.

For improving the management of watershed eutrophication, methods for measuring bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) are more important than measurements of total phosphorus (TP). BAP in particulate form (P-BAP) is an important substance that promotes eutrophication, especially during rainy seasons. Only a portion of particulate phosphorus (PP) is taken up by algae that contribute to eutrophication. Erosion and runoff associated with rainfall transport PP bound to sediments and soil particles to surface waters, thus increasing PP concentration. This research evaluated an extraction method using an ultrasonic washing machine for extraction time and frequency. Extraction at a frequency of 28-45 kHz and an extraction time of 1 min resulted in extracted P concentrations almost the same as concentrations extracted using conventional methods. This new method requires less time and is more efficient than conventional methods because it extracts P from multiple samples in a single step. Results indicate that extraction using an ultrasonic washing machine is a promising method for rapidly obtaining BAP from sediments and soil particles.

Human health risk assessment of mercury vapor around artisanal small-scale gold mining area, Palu city, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Emissions of elemental mercury, Hg(0), from artisanal small-scale gold mining activities accounted for 37% of total global Hg(0) emissions in 2010. People who live near gold-mining areas may be exposed to high concentrations of Hg(0). Here, we assessed the human health risk due to Hg(0) exposure among residents of Palu city (Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia). The area around the city has more than 60t of gold reserves, and the nearby Poboya area is the most active gold-mining site in Indonesia. Owing to its geography, the city experiences alternating land and sea breezes. Sampling was done over a period of 3 years (from 2010 Aug. to 2012 Dec.) intermittently with a passive sampler for Hg(0), a portable handheld mercury analyzer, and a mercury analyzer in four areas of the city and in the Poboya gold-processing area, as well as wind speeds and directions in one area of the city. The 24-h average concentration, wind speed, and wind direction data show that the ambient air in both the gold-processing area and the city was always covered by high concentration of mercury vapor. The Hg(0) concentration in the city was higher at night than in the daytime, owing to the effect of land breezes. These results indicate that the inhabitants of the city were always exposed to high concentrations of Hg(0). The average daytime point-sample Hg(0) concentrations in the city, as measured with a handheld mercury analyzer over 3 days in July 2011, ranged from 2096 to 3299ngm(-3). In comparison, the average daytime Hg(0) concentration in the Poboya gold-processing area was 12,782ngm(-3). All of these concentrations are substantially higher than the World Health Organization air-quality guideline for annual average Hg exposure (1000ngm(-3)). We used the point-sample concentrations to calculate hazard quotient ratios by means of a probabilistic risk assessment method. The results indicated that 93% of the sample population overall was at risk (hazard quotient ratio ≥1 and cut off at the 95th percentile value of the sample population) of mercury toxicity, that is, damage to the central nervous system due to chronic exposure. The corresponding percentages for the northern, central, southern, and western areas of the city were 83%, 84%, 95%, and 95%, respectively. Our results indicate that the residents of Palu city are at serious risk from exposure to high concentrations of atmospheric Hg(0).

Measuring total mercury due to small-scale gold mining activities to determine community vulnerability in Cihonje, Central Java, Indonesia.

This research is comparative study of gold mining and non-gold mining areas, using four community vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability indicators are exposure degree, contamination rate, chronic, and acute toxicity. Each indicator used different samples, such as wastewater from gold mining process, river water from Tajum river, human hair samples, and health questionnaire. This research used cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry to determine total mercury concentration. The result showed that concentration of total mercury was 2,420 times than the maximum content of mercury permitted in wastewater based on the Indonesian regulation. Moreover, the mercury concentration in river water reached 685 ng/l, exceeding the quality threshold standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The mercury concentration in hair samples obtained from the people living in the research location was considered to identify the health quality level of the people or as a chronic toxicity indicator. The highest mercury concentration--i.e. 17 ng/mg, was found in the gold mining respondents. Therefore, based on the total mercury concentration in the four indicators, the community in the gold mining area were more vulnerable to mercury than communities in non-gold mining areas. It was concluded that the community in gold mining area was more vulnerable to mercury contamination than the community in non-gold mining area.

Availability of different phosphorus forms in agricultural soil to Microcystis aeruginosa.

We investigated the availability of different forms of particulate soil phosphorus (P) to Microcystis aeruginosa by sequential extraction and bioassay. We cultured M. aeruginosa in media containing, as the sole source of P, soils sequentially extracted with 1 M NH4Cl, 0.11 M bicarbonate dithionite, 1 M NaOH, and 0.5 M HCl. Analyses of chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon, and particulate organic nitrogen showed that M. aeruginosa could utilize some of the P remaining in the soil after each extraction. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) assays of sequentially extracted soils showed distinct patterns that depended on the type of co-cultured soil. A direct relationship between cellular P concentrations and the level of alkaline phosphatase activity was observed in only some media, an indication that not all forms of P were equally suitable substrates for AP hydrolysis. These results imply that cyanobacterial-available P included not only HCl-extractable P, which is assumed to consist of carbonate or apatite bound-P and organic P, but also refractory P, which has been considered to be unavailable to algae. Both HCl-extracted P and refractory P enhance the production of chlorophyll a, but did not lead to the storage of P by M. aeruginosa.

Developing a method to measure bioavailable phosphorus in river water via simultaneous multisample ultrasonic extraction.

To reduce aquatic eutrophication, measurements of bioavailable phosphorus (BAP) rather than total phosphorus (TP) are deemed critical. However, current methods require much time to separate sediments from river water, which limits the routine measurement of BAP in rivers. Therefore, in this study, a simultaneous multisample ultrasonic extraction method is proposed to directly measure total BAP (TBAP) in river water without the separation of sediment and water. Spike-and-recovery assessments showed that at least three extractions are required to maintain efficiency. A process including 2-min extraction time and three extractions was suggested. The concentrations of TBAP extracted by this process showed no significant differences with the spike calculations. Furthermore, river water TBAP was quantified using the conventional and proposed method to examine the practicality of using the proposed method for simultaneous multisample ultrasonic extraction and to evaluate its adaptability to actual river water analysis. The extracted concentrations matched those obtained using the conventional method, in which total BAP is calculated as the sum of dissolved BAP and particulate BAP; no significant difference was observed between the concentrations. Ultrasonic extraction was considerably less time-consuming than the conventional method because more samples could be analyzed during a single run. Therefore, the simultaneous multisample ultrasonic extraction method proposed in this study can be used to directly quantify total BAP in river water.

Plastic pollution in the surface water in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Plastic pollution in the ocean primarily originates from the land-derived mismanaged plastic waste that is transported by rivers. This study aimed to estimate the plastic litter generation in the surface water in Jakarta and Indonesia. A field survey was conducted at six riverine sampling points (upstream to downstream) and three holding facilities of the litter in Jakarta during the rainy season. The Jakarta Open Data database was used to estimate the tonnage of plastic litter. By mass, plastic comprised approximately 74 % of the anthropogenic litter in rivers and 87 % in holding facilities. The riverine plastic proportion slightly increased downstream. Approximately 9.9 g/person/day of plastic litter was discharged into Jakarta's surface water during rainy season and recovered by floating booms. To reduce plastic pollution and its severe impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health, further field investigation is necessary to design an effective clean-up system and litter-prevention strategy.

Determination of ammonium in river water and sewage samples by capillary zone electrophoresis with direct UV detection.

We developed capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with direct UV detection for determination of ammonium in environmental water samples. Ammonium in the samples was partly converted into ammonia in the alkaline background electrolyte (BGE) during migration and was detected by molecular absorption of ammonia at 190 nm in approximately 7 min. The limit of detection (LOD) for ammonium was 0.24 mg/l (as nitrogen) at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. The respective values of the relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak area, peak height, and migration time for ammonium were 2.1, 1.8, and 0.46%. Major alkali and alkaline earth metal ions coexisting in the samples did not interfere with ammonium determination by the proposed method. The proposed method determined ammonium in surface water and sewage samples. The results were compared to those obtained using ion chromatography (IC).

Determination of ammonium cations and alkali and alkaline earth metal cations in jellyfish by capillary zone electrophoresis.

We developed a capillary zone electrophoresis method with indirect UV detection for determination of ammonium cations and alkali and alkaline earth metal cations in jellyfish. As the background electrolyte, a mixture of N-methylbenzylamine, citrate, and 18-crown-6 was used for the complete separation of all analyte cations. The limits of detection were 0.13 - 0.34 mg l(-1) at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. The values of the relative standard deviation of peak area were 3.2 - 4.9%. The proposed method successfully determined the above analyte cations in jellyfish for approximately 4 min.

Simultaneous determination of iodide and iodate in seawater by transient isotachophoresis-capillary zone electrophoresis with artificial seawater as the background electrolyte.

We developed capillary zone electrophoresis with transient isotachophoresis (ITP) as an on-line concentration procedure for simultaneous determination of iodide and iodate in seawater. The effective mobility of iodide was decreased by addition of 20 mM cetyltrimethylammonium chloride to an artificial seawater background electrolyte so that transient ITP functioned for both iodide and iodate. Limits of detection for iodide and iodate were 4.0 and 5.0 microg/l (as iodine) at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Values of the relative standard deviation of peak area, peak height, and migration times for iodide and iodate were 2.9, 1.3, 1.0 and 2.3, 2.1, 1.0%, respectively. The proposed method was applied to simultaneous determination of iodide and iodate in seawater collected at a pond at our university.

Sensitive monitoring of iodine species in sea water using capillary electrophoresis: vertical profiles of dissolved iodine in the Pacific Ocean.

Using a novel high-sensitivity capillary electrophoretic method, vertical distributions of iodate, iodide, total inorganic iodine, dissolved organic iodine and total iodine in the North Pacific Ocean (0-5500 m) were determined without any sample pre-treatment other than UV irradiation before total iodine analysis. An extensive set of data demonstrated that the iodine behaviour in the ocean water collected during a cruise in the North Pacific Ocean in February-March 2003 was not conservative but correlated with variations in concentrations of dissolved oxygen and nutrient elements such as silicon, nitrogen and phosphorus. This suggests that the vertical distribution of iodine is associated with biological activities. The dissolved organic iodine was found in the euphotic zone in accord with observations elsewhere in the oceans. The vertical profile of dissolved organic iodine also appears to be related to biogeochemical activity. The concentrations of all measured iodine species vary noticeably above 1000 m but only minor latitudinal changes occur below 1000 m and slight vertical alterations can be observed below 2400 m. These findings are thought to reflect the stratification of nutrients and iodine species with different biological activities in the water column.

Capillary zone electrophoretic determination of iodide in seawater using transient isotachophoresis with artificial seawater as the background electrolyte.

We describe an application of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with transient isotachophoresis (ITP) as the on-line concentration procedure for the determination of iodide in seawater. The effective mobility of iodide was decreased by the addition of 10 mM cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) to an artificial seawater background electrolyte (BGE) so that transient ITP functioned and iodide was separated from other coexisting anions such as bromide, nitrite, and nitrate in seawater samples. After sample injection, 600 mM acetate was separately injected into the capillary as the terminating ion to generate transient ITP. The limit of detection (LOD) for iodide was 3.0 microg/L. The LOD was obtained at a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 3. The values of the relative standard deviation (RSD) of peak area, peak height, and migration time for iodide were 2.9, 2.1, and 0.6%. The proposed method was applied to the determination of iodide in seawater collected around the Osaka Bay. The results obtained by use of the calibration graph were agreed with those obtained by the addition of the standard solutions for iodide.