The research provides data of pH and conductivity, some anions (e. g. fluoride, chloride, bromide, nitrate, phosphate and sulphate), monovalent cations (e. g sodium, ammonium and potassium), divalent cations (e. g calcium and magnesium) heavy metals (e. g. iron, copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, cadmium and manganese) and organic compounds – from water samples of rivers of Brunei Darussalam, namely, Brunei River, Belait River, Tutong River and Temburong River. The higher values of certain parameters with respect to the acceptable standard limits for river water indicate the pollution in river water samples of the study area, make the waters unsuitable for various applications and do pose a human health hazard. The pH levels in Brunei Darussalam is quite reassuring and mostly safe. Although there are some stretches of rivers that show slightly lower levels of pH, there is no cause for any alarm as these waterways are not sources of drinking water. As for anions and cations, the only anion of significant levels detected in Brunei Rivers is chloride whereas only monovalent cation detected in significant levels, is sodium. The concentrations of chloride and sodium ions are below the standard concentrations. Brunei Rivers are still free from chloride and sodium pollution. For heavy metals, only iron is detected in Brunei Rivers. Brunei being a oil based country experiments were done to identify levels of a numbers of significant toxic organic compounds, including, toluene and benzene which have been detected in the waters of the oil mining district of Belait District but are within normal limits. The use of a photolytic cell system to achieve the photodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (EDTA) and the surfactant – hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (C19H42NBr) is reported. The system has been optimised by investigating the effects of the addition of hydrogen peroxide (H202) as an oxidant and the addition of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a catalyst. The results show that the photolytic system can be used to achieve >99% degradation of organic contaminants. The research also includes a final chapter on management system which covers water protection, pollution control and solid waste management in Brunei. In addition to investigating various factors of the solid waste management in Brunei, the researcher has also exposed some of the weaknesses that need immediate addressing. Various measures have been suggested to make Brunei's water more efficient. Moreover, ways of preserving the high quality of Brunei's water figures in this chapter.

This thesis reviews literature relating both to the treatment of metal rich wastewaters by the use of constructed wetlands and the use of slurry analytical procedures for the determination of heavy metals in environmental micro-samples. A survey of metal contaminated wetland sites showed that aquatic plants maintain low levels of metals in aerial parts despite some very elevated sediment metal concentrations and extreme acidity. A series of greenhouse trials investigated the uptake of metals into aerial sections of Typha, Phragmites and Equisetum in long term hydroponic experiments. Phragmites was shown to accumulate zinc to a higher level than Typha. The toxicity of zinc supplied in the nutrient solution at 5 mg.dm-3 over long periods was found to limit the viability of such non-sediment based systems. A reliable routine analytical procedure was developed along with a program of quality control for the study of metal uptake into aquatic plants. A micro sampling technique, eminently suited for the analysis of small plant sections was developed. This technique uses ozone to ash the plant samples at a low temperature and following suspension in a liquid medium provides a sample ready for slurry determinations by a variety of analytical instrumentation. It is proposed that this method may also be suitable for the determination of metals in individual invertebrates and other zoological micro-samples as well as potential applications in the medical field.

In 1995, the Environment Agency for England and Wales developed urban runoff treatment wetlands at two selected locations in Outer London. The systems have been monitored for a wide range of parameters including heavy metals, suspended solids and BOD over a period of two years. Seven storm events were also monitored. The ability of micro-organisms, isolated from the rhizosphere of wetland plants collected at both systems, to tolerate and accumulate heavy metals has also been investigated. This study has demonstrated that constructed wetland treatment systems are capable of reducing the pollutant loadings associated with urban runoff, and that such systems can be successfully established within urban areas. During dry weather, pollutant concentrations and loadings were typically low and associated removal efficiencies highly variable. However, during storm events, pollutant loadings increased and removal efficiencies improved, with mean removal efficiencies of 71% for Pb and 81% for Cr at the Dagenham wetland. An exception to this was for suspended solids which showed an overall increase of 99% during storm events. Several design and operational issues have been identified and addressed during the course of the monitoring programme, and recommendations for the improved design and operation of urban runoff treatment wetland systems have been made. A range of micro-organisms, isolated from both wetland systems, were able to tolerate elevated Zn and Pb concentrations. Two strains (Beauveria bassiana and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) were selected for further work. Both strains could accumulate Zn and Pb, with B. bassiana showing a high capacity to bind Pb (maximum concentration of 136mgPb/g cells dry weight). Comparison of the growth of B. bassiana at 4°C and 30°C suggested that processes of microbial metal accumulation may occur throughout the year in treatment wetlands. The presence of Pb inside hyphae of B. bassiana, associated with hyphae walls and in the surrounding medium was confirmed. This study has found that micro-organisms isolated from urban runoff treatment wetlands can tolerate and accumulate Zn and Pb, and the application of these results to wetland treatment processes is discussed.

Plant-based remediation techniques that can address mixtures of heavy metals and organic contaminants in soil warrant investigation due to their cost effectiveness and public acceptability. The potential of phytoremediation to remediate mixtures of heavy metals and hydrocarbons in soil is presented in two papers. A hydropic screening of twenty-seven forage grasses, grown in a solution containing 100 muM Zn, 5 muM Cu and 1 muM Cd, provided six species that were exceptionally metal tolerant. These six species were examined for their growth response and root phenolic secretion at five levels of hydroponic heavy metal contamination. Phenolic secretion, an indicator of a plant's capacity to promote polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation, increased with heavy metal contamination, however, the values were low (<30 mug/g root). Two high biomass producing, metal-tolerant grasses, Bromus riparius and Arrhenatherum elatius, were combined with M2Rhizo4, a strain of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. The plant-bacterial combinations were established in artificial and genuine soils contaminated with heavy metals and PAHs at a range of concentrations. In contaminant-free artificial soil, inoculation promoted B. riparius growth by 25% compared to non-inoculated plants. In artificial soil, contaminated with 495 mg/kg Zn, 263 mg/kg Cu and 23 mg/kg Cd, M2Rhizo4 promoted B. riparius growth by 22%. In chromated-copper-arsenate (CCA) and creosote contaminated soil, M2Rhizo4 inoculated A. elatius had 15% more biomass and greater survival rates than non-inoculated A. elatius. A phytoremediation system composed of metal-tolerant plants inoculated with hydrocarbon-degrading or plant growth promoting bacteria may be suitable for sites contaminated with a mixtures of hydrocarbons and heavy metals.

Heavy metals in the environment are a source of some concern because of their potential reactivity, toxicity, and mobility in the soil. Soil contamination by metals is placing human and environmental health at risk through possible contamination of food chain. / Soil washing can be used to remove metals from the soil. Chemical treatment involves the addition of extraction agents that react with the contaminant and leach it from the soil. The liquid, containing the contaminants, is separated from the soil resulting in a clean solid phase. Six chelating reagents, EDTA, Citric acid, ADA, DTPA, SCMC, and DPTA, were employed to determine the relative extraction efficiencies of the six chelating reagents for the target metals. Recycling of chelating reagent was the main interest of this study. The experiments were divided into four parts: (1) preliminary studies on the preparation and characterization of soil that included grinding, sieving, soil texture measurements, total metals content post digestion and the distribution of metals in different soil fractions as well as (2) a comparison of the extraction efficiencies of six chelating reagents toward Cu, Pb, Zn, Fe, and Mn. Additionally, the chelating reagent was liberated and recycled by treatment of the metal-complexes with disodium diethyl dithiocarbomate (DEDTC). Additionally, supercritical CO2 was used to extract metal-DEDTC complexes using various surfactants to maintain the metal-DEDTC complexes in suspension. Finally, (4) magnesium metal was evaluated as an alternative method for liberating the water-soluble chelating reagent from the complex so as to be able to recycle this reagent as well. / The different approaches were promising in terms of recycling the chelating reagents that suggests a means of optimizing the experimental conditions in future applications.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-187). / Microfiche. / xix, 187 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

This thesis is concerned with the use of natural waste materials, specifically used tea leaves and coffee grounds, as adsorbents for the removal of trace metals from water, e.g. in waste water treatment. Trace metals such as lead, mercury, zinc, copper, nickel and cadmium are released to the environment in waste water as a result of human activities, and generate concern because of their potential toxicity, persistence and tendency to become concentrated in food chains. While there are many conventional methods for removing these metals from waste water, such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, membrane technologies and electrochemical treatment, these processes can be expensive. Thus in recent years there has been increasing interest in low cost adsorbent materials as alternative adsorbents, particularly waste natural products such as rice hulls and spent coffee grounds. Most of the research reported in this thesis has been conducted with spent coffee grounds, both grounds produced by leaching of commercial ground coffee and spent grounds obtained from the manufacture of instant coffee. However, some preliminary work was also conducted using spent tea leaves. In the initial work, the adsorption of the metal ions Cu�⁺, Zn�⁺, Cd�⁺ and Pb�⁺ by these adsorbents was investigated using batch adsorption methods to determine the effects of pH, metal ion concentration, adsorbent concentration and other factors such as temperature and metal ion competition. The competitive effects of soluble material leached from the adsorbents that also bind metal ions were studied. The adsorption of the metal ions was found to follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. However, the maximum adsorption density was found to depend on the concentration of coffee adsorbent present. Further investigation indicated that this was a result of flocculation of the coffee solids, which acted to reduce the available surface area and thus the maximum density of adsorption sites. This was confirmed using a dispersant to break up the flocculated solids. Column adsorption studies showed that metal ions adsorbed by coffee grounds could be quantitatively leached in dilute acid solution without any loss of subsequent adsorption properties, thus promoting efficient re-use of the column for many adsorption cycles. The adsorbent was also found to be largely unaffected by biological degradation. A prototype waste water treatment column was used to treat tap water samples, with and without known additions of metal ions. The results showed that the grounds efficiently adsorbed trace metal contaminants at levels as low as [mu]g L⁻�. The acid base chemistry of both tea leaves and coffee grounds, and the soluble materials leached from the fresh tea and coffee, were studied using potentiometric titration. In addition the stoichiometry of H⁺ released during metal ion adsorption was also investigated. The latter results indicated that the stoichiometry of metal ion adsorption is not simple, i.e. it probably involves more than one type of adsorption site. The results of this thesis suggest that the use of waste coffee grounds shows considerable promise for the treatment of waste water containing trace metals, and provides an alternative commercial use for such exhausted coffee materials.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science. / The suitability of the Sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea commercialis) as a monitor of heavy metal contamination in estuarine and coastal waters was assessed. Case study I examined the influence of body size (ie: soft tissue dry weight) on the tissue concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Fe. Sampling was replicated both spatially and temporally in order to determine whether the size-metal relationship for these elements varied with geographical location (ie: differing levels of environmental contamination) or season. All oysters were collected from 'wild' populations in the HawkesburyfNepean estuary. Least-squares regression analysis indicated that Cu concentrations were independent of body size at all times. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that this relationship did not change with either geographical location or season. Size-metal relalionships for Zn indicated that concentrations for this element varied from being independent of size to being size-dependent with proportionally greater concentrations present in the larger individuals. Yet lests for homogeneily of slopes (ANCOVA) showed that no differences in regression coefficients occurred with geographical location or season. Iron concentrations were size-dependent with proportionally greater concentrations in the smaller individuals. ANCOVA revealed that homogeneity of slopes with geographical location occurred only on two of the four sampling occasions. Further examination of data revealed that the size·range of the individuals sampled may be important in determining size-metal relationship for iron. Case Study II examined the concentrations of Cu and Zn in S. commercialis deployed into the Georges River/Botany Bay and the Port Stephens estuaries. The influence of tissue assimilation/loss on metal concenlralions was also examined. Organisms of a homogenous genetic stock, of a similar size and age, and transplanted to a similar lidal height were utilized. As all organisms were of a similar size and age at the time of their deployment any differences in size during sampling were attributed to growth. Results indicated that tissue loss (ie: 'degrowth') not accompanied by a similar loss of metal resulted in an increase in metal concentrations. The assimilation of new tissue at a greater rate than metal accumulation (ie: 'dilution') resulted in decreased metal concentrations. From these relationships it was apparent that measures must be taken to reduce, account for, or eliminate the effects of growth in bivalve monitoring programs. Unless this problem is addressed, metal concentration values in S. commercialis are likely to give an inaccurate estimation of the level of environmenlal contamination and confound attempts to isolate pollution point sources.

This thesis presents the results of an investigation into the uptake and distribution of cadmium (Cd) in two cultivars of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) shown to contain different concentrations of Cd in the tuber at maturity. An initial glasshouse trial sought to determine whether differences in tuber Cd between these two cultivars resulted from differences in uptake from the soil, or were due to differences in the allocation of Cd to the various tissues within the plant. Total uptake of Cd from the soil did not differ between cultivars, nor did the yield of tubers. However, there were marked differences in Cd distribution within the plant. Most of the differences in tuber Cd concentration could be accounted for by a large (3-fold) retention of Cd in the roots of cultivar Wilwash. The concentration of Cd in the shoots of Wilwash was also higher than of Kennebec, although to a lesser extent than the roots. Further studies were conducted to trace the pathways of Cd uptake and movement within the plant. A split-pot trial, involving long-term growth of potatoes in 109Cd-labelled soil, was undertaken to determine the overall pattern of Cd distribution and the importance of the root system in supplying Cd to the tubers. The root system of the potato plant is different to many plants, in that the main root system (basal roots) is augmented after tuber initiation by roots extending from the stolon and from the tuber itself. The basal roots were found to be the dominant source of Cd to all tissues and accounted for approximately 85 % of tuber Cd. The remaining tuber Cd was sourced directly from the stolon and tuber roots. However, there was no evidence of a direct link between the main (basal) root system and the stolons. Although Cd was found to accumulate in the periderm of the tubers, there was no uptake into the tuber tissue itself. Isotopic studies were undertaken to investigate the short-term movement of newly absorbed Cd in the xylem and the phloem. Cadmium was found to be highly mobile in both the xylem and phloem, with added Cd being rapidly assimilated into all tissues following both root and foliar application. Newly absorbed Cd was rapidly sequestered by the stems when applied to either the soil or to a source leaf, suggesting that the stems may act as a transitional storage pool when rapid turnover of nutrients and other mineral elements is required during tuber bulking. Inhibition of Cd uptake by zinc (Zn), has been proposed as a method for reducing the concentration of Cd in various agricultural crops, including potatoes. The ability of Zn to reduce Cd uptake was found to be highly dependent upon cultivar and on the concentration of Cd in the external medium. Although competition between Zn and Cd was found for cultivar Wilwash when the external concentration of Cd was low, when the concentration of Cd in the external media was high, increasing Zn served to increase Cd uptake. Both synergistic and competitive responses were also noted for cultivar Kennebec. However, the patterns of response were opposite to those evident in Wilwash. The complexity of these interactions highlighted the possible shortcomings in using soil applied Zn to limit Cd uptake by potatoes. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2004.

This thesis presents the results of an investigation into the uptake and distribution of cadmium (Cd) in two cultivars of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) shown to contain different concentrations of Cd in the tuber at maturity. An initial glasshouse trial sought to determine whether differences in tuber Cd between these two cultivars resulted from differences in uptake from the soil, or were due to differences in the allocation of Cd to the various tissues within the plant. Total uptake of Cd from the soil did not differ between cultivars, nor did the yield of tubers. However, there were marked differences in Cd distribution within the plant. Most of the differences in tuber Cd concentration could be accounted for by a large (3-fold) retention of Cd in the roots of cultivar Wilwash. The concentration of Cd in the shoots of Wilwash was also higher than of Kennebec, although to a lesser extent than the roots. Further studies were conducted to trace the pathways of Cd uptake and movement within the plant. A split-pot trial, involving long-term growth of potatoes in 109Cd-labelled soil, was undertaken to determine the overall pattern of Cd distribution and the importance of the root system in supplying Cd to the tubers. The root system of the potato plant is different to many plants, in that the main root system (basal roots) is augmented after tuber initiation by roots extending from the stolon and from the tuber itself. The basal roots were found to be the dominant source of Cd to all tissues and accounted for approximately 85 % of tuber Cd. The remaining tuber Cd was sourced directly from the stolon and tuber roots. However, there was no evidence of a direct link between the main (basal) root system and the stolons. Although Cd was found to accumulate in the periderm of the tubers, there was no uptake into the tuber tissue itself. Isotopic studies were undertaken to investigate the short-term movement of newly absorbed Cd in the xylem and the phloem. Cadmium was found to be highly mobile in both the xylem and phloem, with added Cd being rapidly assimilated into all tissues following both root and foliar application. Newly absorbed Cd was rapidly sequestered by the stems when applied to either the soil or to a source leaf, suggesting that the stems may act as a transitional storage pool when rapid turnover of nutrients and other mineral elements is required during tuber bulking. Inhibition of Cd uptake by zinc (Zn), has been proposed as a method for reducing the concentration of Cd in various agricultural crops, including potatoes. The ability of Zn to reduce Cd uptake was found to be highly dependent upon cultivar and on the concentration of Cd in the external medium. Although competition between Zn and Cd was found for cultivar Wilwash when the external concentration of Cd was low, when the concentration of Cd in the external media was high, increasing Zn served to increase Cd uptake. Both synergistic and competitive responses were also noted for cultivar Kennebec. However, the patterns of response were opposite to those evident in Wilwash. The complexity of these interactions highlighted the possible shortcomings in using soil applied Zn to limit Cd uptake by potatoes. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2004.