Evidence for Fossil Fuel PM1 Accumulation in Marine Biota.

When fine particulates such as those with a diameter of approximately 1 µm (particulate matter, PM1) are released from fossil fuel combustion into the air, they warm the atmosphere and contribute to millions of premature deaths in humans each year. Considerable quantities of PM1 eventually enter the oceans as suspended particulates, yet subsequent removal mechanisms are poorly understood. In fact, the presence of PM1 in marine biota has never been reported. Since sea anemones are opportunistic suspension feeders, they are anticipated to incorporate and accumulate PM1 in their bodies. By histological examination, PM1 was detected in 21 of the 22 sea anemones collected from Taiwan and Southeast China, with a depth of intertidal zone to 1000 m. PM1, if present, was always detected in endodermal layers and had the same dominant color (i.e., black, brown, or green) in different species from the same site. The bioaccumulation factor of PM1 in sea anemones was approximately 5-7 orders of magnitude. Based on radioisotope 14C results, the contribution of fossil fuel source PM1 was 8-24%. Regardless of PM1's color, S and Fe were commonly detected by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), suggesting anthropogenic sources. Furthermore, a maternal transfer of materials was suggested based on the existence of PM1 in sea anemone eggs and in brooding and released juveniles. The significance of PM1 accumulation by biota in aquatic ecosystems and the potential risk to living organisms via food webs warrant further investigation.

Distribution and hosts of arsenic in a sediment core from the Chianan Plain in SW Taiwan: Implications on arsenic primary source and release mechanisms.

High arsenic abundance of 50-700µg/L in the groundwater from the Chianan Plain in southwestern Taiwan is a well-known environmental hazard. The groundwater-associated sediments, however, have not been geochemically characterized, thus hindering a comprehensive understanding of arsenic cycling in this region. In this study, samples collected from a 250m sediment core at the centre of the Chianan Plain were analyzed for arsenic and TOC concentrations (N=158), constituent minerals (N=25), major element abundances (N=105), and sequential arsenic extraction (N=23). The arsenic data show a prevalence of >10mg/kg with higher concentrations of 20-50mg/kg concentrated at 60-80 and 195-210m. Arsenic was extracted mainly as an adsorbate on clay minerals, as a co-precipitate in amorphous iron oxyhydroxide, and as a structural component in clay minerals. Since the sediments consist mainly of quartz, chlorite, and illite, the correlations between arsenic concentration and abundances of K2O and MgO pinpoint illite and chlorite as the major arsenic hosts. The arsenic-total iron correlation reflects the role of chlorite along with the contribution from amorphous iron oxyhydroxide as indicated by arsenic extraction data. Organic matter is not the dominant arsenic host for low TOC content, low arsenic abundance extracted from it, and a relatively low R(2) of the arsenic-TOC correlation. The major constituent minerals in the sediments are the same as those of the upriver metapelites, establishing a sink-source relationship. Composition data from two deep groundwater samples near the sediment core show Eh values and As(V)/As(III) ratios of reducing environments and high arsenic, K, Mg, and Fe contents necessary for deriving arsenic from sediments by desorption from clay and dissolution of iron oxyhydroxide. Therefore, groundwater arsenic was mainly derived from groundwater-associated sediments with limited contributions from other sources, such as mud volcanoes.

CO2 sequestration utilizing basic-oxygen furnace slag: Controlling factors, reaction mechanisms and V-Cr concerns.

Basic-oxygen furnace slag (BOF-slag) contains >35% CaO, a potential component for CO2 sequestration. In this study, slag-water-CO2 reaction experiments were conducted with the longest reaction duration extending to 96hr under high CO2 pressures of 100-300kg/cm(2) to optimize BOF-slag carbonation conditions, to address carbonation mechanisms, and to evaluate the extents of V and Cr release from slag carbonation. The slag carbonation degree generally reached the maximum values after 24hr slag-water-CO2 reaction and was controlled by slag particle size and reaction temperature. The maximum carbonation degree of 71% was produced from the experiment using fine slag of ≤0.5mm under 100°C and a CO2 pressure of 250kg/cm(2) with a water/slag ratio of 5. Vanadium release from the slag to water was significantly enhanced (generally >2 orders) by slag carbonation. In contrast, slag carbonation did not promote chromium release until the reaction duration exceeded 24hr. However, the water chromium content was generally at least an order lower than the vanadium concentration, which decreased when the reaction duration exceeded 24hr. Therefore, long reaction durations of 48-96hr are proposed to reduce environmental impacts while keeping high carbonation degrees. Mineral textures and water compositions indicated that Mg-wüstite, in addition to CaO-containing minerals, can also be carbonated. Consequently, the conventional expression that only considered carbonation of the CaO-containing minerals undervalued the CO2 sequestration capability of the BOF-slag by ~20%. Therefore, the BOF-slag is a better CO2 storage medium than that previously recognized.