Sorption of non-ionic organic compounds to organic matter is usually characterized as a partitioning interaction, which is quantified by K [subscript]oc, the organic-C normalized partitioning coefficient. However K [subscript]oc for any single compound varies considerably between soils, often by a factor of 3-10. This study addresses some of the potential causes of this variability. Forty-four soil cores were collected from a 2 ha paddock. Ten of these cores were selected for sorption measurements. The chemical composition of the soil organic matter (SOM) was determined using ¹³C NMR analysis. It was found that K [subscript]oc for diuron was positively correlated with aryl C (r² = 0.59) and negatively correlated with O-alkyl C (r² = 0.84). There were no such correlations for phenanthrene K [subscript]oc. A second set of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of SOM– mineral interactions on the sorption properties of a selection of the soils. It was found that HF-treatment increased K [subscript]oc for both phenanthrene and diuron. The HF treatment removes mineral matter leaving the organic phase unaffected by the treatment. The increase in K [subscript]oc on HF-treatment soils provides strong evidence that interactions between organic matter and soil minerals block organic matter sorption sites. Furthermore, following HF-treatment, there was a positive correlation between K [subscript]oc for phenanthrene and aryl C and carbonyl C and a negative correlation with O-alkyl C. This suggests that the non-constancy of the relationship between organic matter chemistry and K [subscript]oc, for whole soils in the case of phenanthrene, may be a consequence of variability of the effect of organic matter-mineral interactions on K [subscript]oc. The influence of lipids on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene to soils was also investigated. Lipids are known to cover the surfaces of organic matter in soil. K [subscript]oc for diuron and phenanthrene were consistently higher for the lipid-extracted soils than for the whole soils (average of 31% for diuron and 29% for phenanthrene), indicating that lipids block sorption sites on the organic matter. Sorption experiments on one pair of HF-treated soils indicated that the blocking effects of minerals and lipids are independent, because lipid extraction and HF-treatment combined increased K [subscript]oc by more than either treatment alone. In the last experiment, the effect of solvent conditioning on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene was investigated. The K [subscript]oc values for compounds were consistently higher for solvent-treated whole soil and lipid-extracted soil than corresponding soils before solvent treatment. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra of the solvent-treated soils indicated that there were no significant changes in the chemical structure of SOM caused by solvent treatment. Solvent treatment changes the physical conformation of the SOM, increasing its sorption affinity. The key findings from the research are: • Variations in sorption affinity for diuron are related to differences in the soil organic matter chemistry. • SOM-mineral interactions can have a substantial influence on K [subscript]oc for non- ionic compounds. • Lipids may block the active sorption sites on the SOM thereby diminishing sorption overall. • Solvent conditioning can change the physical conformation of SOM and lead to enhancement sorption of diuron and phenanthrene. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1372068 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

New technologies and new rotorcraft operations are being developed in order to meet new environmental requirements such as noise reduction and less pollutant emissions. In this project a parametric study was developed over a tilt rotor model in order to assess the environmental impact in terms of operational parameter and fuel burned looking at pollutant emission released into the air such as NOx, CO, UHC, PM, CO2 & H2O In order to perform the study previously stated, a computational tool build on Simulink titled tilt rotor mission performance was developed to run a single mission profile as a base line making different operational variations on every mission segment looking at deviations over fuel burned and pollutant emissions. The contribution of pollutant emissions during the cruise segment was compared to other phases obtaining 80% of CO2 and H2O, 75% of CO and UHC, 77% of NOx, and 78% of PM. Also, comparing the distance flown of the tilt rotor with some turboprop aircraft, it was found that the fuel burned and levels of CO2 are higher using tilt rotor rather than turboprop aircraft. On the other hand this is much better than helicopters.

The Wu-Luo River located in the Ping-Tong County of southern Taiwan has long been polluted by untreated domestic and partially treated poultry wastewaters and is among the most polluted rivers in Taiwan. A full-scale constructed wetland (CW) has been in operation since January of 2005 for cleaning a part of the polluted river water. The purpose of this study was to investigate the specifications of the CW and its performance for removing both organic and inorganic pollutants form the influent water. Results indicate that during the investigation period of April 2006 to February 2007, the CW had channel widths of 86-112 m (average 100 m) and a zone-type length of 1,600 m. It occupied a total area of 18 hectares in which around 9 hectares were wetted by the introduced river water. Around 4.7 hectares of the CW was flooded by the river water and 1.9 hectares were occupied by emergent and floating plants such as cattail, water lettuce, reed, water celery, and bara grass. A total water volume of around 6,800 m3 was estimated. In the period, 10,000-20,000 m3/day (CMD) (average 10,800 CMD) of the polluted river water was introduced to the CW and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.63 day was estimated for the flowing water in the through the water body. Results also indicated that the influent water has the following qualities (unit in mg/L except pH and number in parentheses indicates the average value): total COD (CODt) 10-121 (52), BOD 6-36 (21), suspended solids (SS) 10-165 (70), pH 5.4-8.1 (7.4), ammonia-N 2-22 V (13), nitrate-N 0-9.4 (2.5), nitrite-N 0-1.8 (0.2), total-N (TN) 9.9-41.3 (22.6), phosphate-P 0-3.1 (0.9), total-P (TP) 1.2-36.7 (5.2), Cu 0.022-0.60 (0.071), and Zn 0.01-0.36 (0.13). It was found that water sampled from nearly the middle point of the CW got better clarification results than that from the effluent end. Pollutant removal efficacies were 60, 60, and 67%, respectively, for CODt, BOD, and SS at the middle point, while 56, 54, and 45%, respectively, for CODt, BOD, and SS at the effluent end. Organics, N, and P released from rotten plants were responsible for the poor water qualities at the end. The CW had only a TN removal efficacy of around 18% and no TP removal effect.

Vibrational spectroscopy is used to elucidate the adsorption mechanisms of model volatile organic pollutants with a variety of mineral oxides. Vapor phase adsorption processes are particularly important in the vadose zone of an aquifer, where void spaces are filled with air and vapor transport is significant. Gaining a better understanding of the interactions occurring at the oxide-air interface is critical in developing or improving remediation strategies. In this work, Raman and infrared spectroscopy are used to obtain molecularly specific information concerning model pollutant-oxide adsorption processes. The choices of pollutants are varied to include several classes of compounds. The interactions of azaarenes, aromatics, chlorinated aromatics, trichloroethylene, and tributyl phosphate are investigated with several mineral types. Pure mineral phases such as silica, alumina, hydrated iron oxide, and montmorillonite clay are used to provide a basis set of interactions, which can be extended to more complex systems in the future. Pollutantoxide interactions, including weak physisorption, hydrogen bonding, Bronsted acid-base, and Lewis acid-base, were identified in this work and varied depending on the specific pollutant-oxide system. This research provides surface adsorption information on environmentally relevant contaminants and the techniques may be utilized to verify the accuracy of pollutant fate and transport models and to improve remediation strategies for such pollutants.

Sorption of non-ionic organic compounds to organic matter is usually characterized as a partitioning interaction, which is quantified by K [subscript]oc, the organic-C normalized partitioning coefficient. However K [subscript]oc for any single compound varies considerably between soils, often by a factor of 3-10. This study addresses some of the potential causes of this variability. Forty-four soil cores were collected from a 2 ha paddock. Ten of these cores were selected for sorption measurements. The chemical composition of the soil organic matter (SOM) was determined using ¹³C NMR analysis. It was found that K [subscript]oc for diuron was positively correlated with aryl C (r² = 0.59) and negatively correlated with O-alkyl C (r² = 0.84). There were no such correlations for phenanthrene K [subscript]oc. A second set of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of SOM– mineral interactions on the sorption properties of a selection of the soils. It was found that HF-treatment increased K [subscript]oc for both phenanthrene and diuron. The HF treatment removes mineral matter leaving the organic phase unaffected by the treatment. The increase in K [subscript]oc on HF-treatment soils provides strong evidence that interactions between organic matter and soil minerals block organic matter sorption sites. Furthermore, following HF-treatment, there was a positive correlation between K [subscript]oc for phenanthrene and aryl C and carbonyl C and a negative correlation with O-alkyl C. This suggests that the non-constancy of the relationship between organic matter chemistry and K [subscript]oc, for whole soils in the case of phenanthrene, may be a consequence of variability of the effect of organic matter-mineral interactions on K [subscript]oc. The influence of lipids on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene to soils was also investigated. Lipids are known to cover the surfaces of organic matter in soil. K [subscript]oc for diuron and phenanthrene were consistently higher for the lipid-extracted soils than for the whole soils (average of 31% for diuron and 29% for phenanthrene), indicating that lipids block sorption sites on the organic matter. Sorption experiments on one pair of HF-treated soils indicated that the blocking effects of minerals and lipids are independent, because lipid extraction and HF-treatment combined increased K [subscript]oc by more than either treatment alone. In the last experiment, the effect of solvent conditioning on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene was investigated. The K [subscript]oc values for compounds were consistently higher for solvent-treated whole soil and lipid-extracted soil than corresponding soils before solvent treatment. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra of the solvent-treated soils indicated that there were no significant changes in the chemical structure of SOM caused by solvent treatment. Solvent treatment changes the physical conformation of the SOM, increasing its sorption affinity. The key findings from the research are: • Variations in sorption affinity for diuron are related to differences in the soil organic matter chemistry. • SOM-mineral interactions can have a substantial influence on K [subscript]oc for non- ionic compounds. • Lipids may block the active sorption sites on the SOM thereby diminishing sorption overall. • Solvent conditioning can change the physical conformation of SOM and lead to enhancement sorption of diuron and phenanthrene. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1372068 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Sorption of non-ionic organic compounds to organic matter is usually characterized as a partitioning interaction, which is quantified by K [subscript]oc, the organic-C normalized partitioning coefficient. However K [subscript]oc for any single compound varies considerably between soils, often by a factor of 3-10. This study addresses some of the potential causes of this variability. Forty-four soil cores were collected from a 2 ha paddock. Ten of these cores were selected for sorption measurements. The chemical composition of the soil organic matter (SOM) was determined using ¹³C NMR analysis. It was found that K [subscript]oc for diuron was positively correlated with aryl C (r² = 0.59) and negatively correlated with O-alkyl C (r² = 0.84). There were no such correlations for phenanthrene K [subscript]oc. A second set of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of SOM– mineral interactions on the sorption properties of a selection of the soils. It was found that HF-treatment increased K [subscript]oc for both phenanthrene and diuron. The HF treatment removes mineral matter leaving the organic phase unaffected by the treatment. The increase in K [subscript]oc on HF-treatment soils provides strong evidence that interactions between organic matter and soil minerals block organic matter sorption sites. Furthermore, following HF-treatment, there was a positive correlation between K [subscript]oc for phenanthrene and aryl C and carbonyl C and a negative correlation with O-alkyl C. This suggests that the non-constancy of the relationship between organic matter chemistry and K [subscript]oc, for whole soils in the case of phenanthrene, may be a consequence of variability of the effect of organic matter-mineral interactions on K [subscript]oc. The influence of lipids on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene to soils was also investigated. Lipids are known to cover the surfaces of organic matter in soil. K [subscript]oc for diuron and phenanthrene were consistently higher for the lipid-extracted soils than for the whole soils (average of 31% for diuron and 29% for phenanthrene), indicating that lipids block sorption sites on the organic matter. Sorption experiments on one pair of HF-treated soils indicated that the blocking effects of minerals and lipids are independent, because lipid extraction and HF-treatment combined increased K [subscript]oc by more than either treatment alone. In the last experiment, the effect of solvent conditioning on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene was investigated. The K [subscript]oc values for compounds were consistently higher for solvent-treated whole soil and lipid-extracted soil than corresponding soils before solvent treatment. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra of the solvent-treated soils indicated that there were no significant changes in the chemical structure of SOM caused by solvent treatment. Solvent treatment changes the physical conformation of the SOM, increasing its sorption affinity. The key findings from the research are: • Variations in sorption affinity for diuron are related to differences in the soil organic matter chemistry. • SOM-mineral interactions can have a substantial influence on K [subscript]oc for non- ionic compounds. • Lipids may block the active sorption sites on the SOM thereby diminishing sorption overall. • Solvent conditioning can change the physical conformation of SOM and lead to enhancement sorption of diuron and phenanthrene. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1372068 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Sorption of non-ionic organic compounds to organic matter is usually characterized as a partitioning interaction, which is quantified by K [subscript]oc, the organic-C normalized partitioning coefficient. However K [subscript]oc for any single compound varies considerably between soils, often by a factor of 3-10. This study addresses some of the potential causes of this variability. Forty-four soil cores were collected from a 2 ha paddock. Ten of these cores were selected for sorption measurements. The chemical composition of the soil organic matter (SOM) was determined using ¹³C NMR analysis. It was found that K [subscript]oc for diuron was positively correlated with aryl C (r² = 0.59) and negatively correlated with O-alkyl C (r² = 0.84). There were no such correlations for phenanthrene K [subscript]oc. A second set of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of SOM– mineral interactions on the sorption properties of a selection of the soils. It was found that HF-treatment increased K [subscript]oc for both phenanthrene and diuron. The HF treatment removes mineral matter leaving the organic phase unaffected by the treatment. The increase in K [subscript]oc on HF-treatment soils provides strong evidence that interactions between organic matter and soil minerals block organic matter sorption sites. Furthermore, following HF-treatment, there was a positive correlation between K [subscript]oc for phenanthrene and aryl C and carbonyl C and a negative correlation with O-alkyl C. This suggests that the non-constancy of the relationship between organic matter chemistry and K [subscript]oc, for whole soils in the case of phenanthrene, may be a consequence of variability of the effect of organic matter-mineral interactions on K [subscript]oc. The influence of lipids on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene to soils was also investigated. Lipids are known to cover the surfaces of organic matter in soil. K [subscript]oc for diuron and phenanthrene were consistently higher for the lipid-extracted soils than for the whole soils (average of 31% for diuron and 29% for phenanthrene), indicating that lipids block sorption sites on the organic matter. Sorption experiments on one pair of HF-treated soils indicated that the blocking effects of minerals and lipids are independent, because lipid extraction and HF-treatment combined increased K [subscript]oc by more than either treatment alone. In the last experiment, the effect of solvent conditioning on the sorption of diuron and phenanthrene was investigated. The K [subscript]oc values for compounds were consistently higher for solvent-treated whole soil and lipid-extracted soil than corresponding soils before solvent treatment. Solid-state ¹³C NMR spectra of the solvent-treated soils indicated that there were no significant changes in the chemical structure of SOM caused by solvent treatment. Solvent treatment changes the physical conformation of the SOM, increasing its sorption affinity. The key findings from the research are: • Variations in sorption affinity for diuron are related to differences in the soil organic matter chemistry. • SOM-mineral interactions can have a substantial influence on K [subscript]oc for non- ionic compounds. • Lipids may block the active sorption sites on the SOM thereby diminishing sorption overall. • Solvent conditioning can change the physical conformation of SOM and lead to enhancement sorption of diuron and phenanthrene. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1372068 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

The persistent organic pollutants (POPs) refer to many different chemicals that, upon release into the environment, remain intact for several decades. These contaminants travel long distances through repeated cycles of deposition and evaporation, and eventually deposit in the Arctic regions. The purpose of this work was to examine the potential human health implications of POP exposures among the Canadian Inuit, using modelling and epidemiological approaches. Blood guideline values were developed for the organochlorine pesticides, chlordane and toxaphene, and the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) using the concept of biomonitoring equivalents (BEs), which are based on toxicity endpoints and toxicokinetic modelling to convert an oral reference dose to an equivalent blood concentration. The biomonitoring data from the Adult Inuit Health Survey (2007-2008) and the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS, Cycle 1 2007-2009) were compared with the derived guideline values to assess population-level risks of exposures for the Inuit and the general Canadian population, respectively. Epidemiological analyses were also conducted to explore if POPs were associated with diabetes and high cholesterol, using data from the Inuit Health Survey. A set of BE values were derived for chlordane isomers and metabolite, three abundant toxaphene isomers, and the PCBs. The derived values are in a similar range of the BEs of other POPs in the literature. Among the Inuit, a large percentage exceeded the trans-nonachlor guideline value, particularly among the elderly. Fewer exceedances were observed for cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane, none for toxaphene, and minimally for the PCBs. In comparison, no exceedances for any of the POPs were observed in the general Canadian population. Highest vs. lowest quartile exposures to PCBs and p,p’-DDE were associated with increased risk of diabetes and an increase in fasting glucose among the Inuit. In addition, PCBs were associated with increased risk of high cholesterol, and higher levels of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), but not high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The results of this work suggest that exposures to POPs remain a potential health concern among the Canadian Inuit. Future research efforts should be devoted to collecting updated contaminant concentrations for the Inuit, measuring contaminants in prepared food samples, conducting cohort studies on contaminant exposures and health outcomes, and assessing the effects of chemical mixtures using statistical approaches and toxicokinetic modelling.

Hyporheic exchange in streams supports many important ecosystem services but can also contribute to legacy pollution, by trapping less reactive contaminants in streambed sediments that are then slowly released back to the stream over time. In this study we evaluated three different analytical representations of the backward transit time distribution (bTTD) of water leaving the hyporheic zone, corresponding to different mechanisms for how water and solutes in hyporheic zone storage are sampled for outflow: (1) uniform sampling (exponential bTTD), plug-flow sampling (Dirac delta bTTD), and preferential sampling of either young or old water (Gamma bTTD). Using the Method of Moments, these three bTTDs were tested against data from 47 previously published hyporheic exchange experiments conducted in laboratory flumes over a range of flow conditions, sediment grain sizes, and bedform sizes and types. Based on measures of model fit and parsimony (AICc), in all 47 experiments hyporheic exchange was best represented by either the Gamma or exponential distributions. Further, values for key process variables, including hyporheic exchange flux and the Gamma distribution's shape parameter are correlated with readily measured field variables, including mean grain diameter of the streambed, streambed roughness, and mean stream discharge and velocity. This work advances understanding of hyporheic exchange processes and their representation in models of pollutant fate and transport in streams. / Master of Science / The sediments beneath a stream, where surface water and groundwater interact, play an important role in supporting aquatic ecosystems and nutrient cycling. In natural streams, conservative pollutants enter into the permeable sediments and slowly return to the stream over time, known as legacy pollution. This study looks at different models of how conservative pollutants circulate through the in-stream sediments, and tests how well each model represents published laboratory experiments. Model parameters were also correlated to physical parameters such as flow velocity, mean grain size diameter, and porosity. This study helps clarify the role that sediments play in pollutant transport in streams and articulates implications for legacy pollution in stream bed sediments.

No description available.