Geology topics

G. Sheng

Publications and source records attributed to G. Sheng.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2006

Linear adsorption of nonionic organic compounds from water onto hydrophilic minerals: Silica and alumina

To characterize the linear adsorption phenomena in aqueous nonionic organic solute−mineral systems, the adsorption isotherms of some low-molecular-weight nonpolar nonionic solutes (1,2,3-trichlorobenzene, lindane, phenanthrene, and pyrene) and polar nonionic solutes (1,3-dinitrobenzene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene) from single- and binary-solute solutions on hydrophilic silica and alumina were established. Toward this objective, the influences of temperature, ionic strength, and pH on adsorption were also determined. It is found that linear adsorption exhibits low exothermic heats and practically no adsorptive competition. The solute−solid configuration and the adsorptive force consistent with these effects were hypothesized. For nonpolar solutes, the adsorption occurs presumably by London (dispersion) forces onto a water film above the mineral surface. For polar solutes, the adsorption is also assisted by polar-group interactions. The reduced adsorptive forces of solutes with hydrophilic minerals due to physical separation by the water film and the low fractions of the water-film surface covered by solutes offer a theoretical basis for linear solute adsorption, low exothermic heats, and no adsorptive competition. The postulated adsorptive forces are supported by observations that ionic strength or pH poses no effect on the adsorption of nonpolar solutes while it exhibits a significant effect on the uptake of polar solutes.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2005

Relation of organic contaminant equilibrium sorption and kinetic uptake in plants

Plant uptake is one of the environmental processes that influence contaminant fate. Understanding the magnitude and rate of plant uptake is critical to assessing potential crop contamination and the development of phytoremediation technologies. We determined (1) the partition-dominated equilibrium sorption of lindane (LDN) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by roots and shoots of wheat seedlings, (2) the kinetic uptake of LDN and HCB by roots and shoots of wheat seedlings, (3) the kinetic uptake of HCB, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and trichloroethylene (TCE) by roots and shoots of ryegrass seedlings, and (4) the lipid, carbohydrate, and water contents of the plants. Although the determined sorption and the plant composition together suggest the predominant role of plant lipids for the sorption of LDN and HCB, the predicted partition with lipids of LDN and HCB using the octanol-water partition coefficients is notably lower than the measured sorption, due presumably to underestimation of the plant lipid contents and to the fact that octanol is less effective as a partition medium than plant lipids. The equilibrium sorption or the estimated partition can be viewed as the kinetic uptake limits. The uptakes of LDN, PCE, and TCE from water at fixed concentrations increased with exposure time in approach to steady states. The uptake of HCB did not reach a plateau within the tested time because of its exceptionally high partition coefficient. In all of the cases, the observed uptakes were lower than their respective limits, due presumably to contaminant dissipation in and limited water transpiration by the plants. ?? 2005 American Chemical Society.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2004

Compositions and sorptive properties of crop residue-derived chars

Chars originating from the burning or pyrolysis of vegetation may significantly sorb neutral organic contaminants (NOCs). To evaluate the relationship between the char composition and NOC sorption, a series of char samples were generated by pyrolyzing a wheat residue (Triticum aestivum L) for 6 h at temperatures between 300 ??C and 700 ??C and analyzed for their elemental compositions, surface areas, and surface functional groups. The samples were then studied for their abilities to sorb benzene and nitrobenzene from water. A commercial activated carbon was used as a reference carbonaceous sample. The char samples produced at high pyrolytic temperatures (500-700 ??C) were well carbonized and exhibited a relatively high surface area (>300 m2/g), little organic matter (<3%), and low oxygen content (???10%). By contrast, the chars formed at low temperatures (300-400 ??C) were only partially carbonized, showing significantly different properties (<200 m2/g surface area, 40-50% organic carbon, and >20% oxygen). The char samples exhibited a significant range of surface acidity/basicity because of their different surface polar-group contents, as characterized by the Boehm titration data and the NMR and FTIR spectra. The NOC sorption by high-temperature chars occurred almost exclusively by surface adsorption on carbonized surfaces, whereas the sorption by low-temperature chars resulted from the surface adsorption and the concurrent smaller partition into the residual organic-matter phase. The chars appeared to have a higher surface affinity for a polar solute (nitrobenzene) than for a nonpolar solute (benzene), the difference being related to the surface acidity/basicity of the char samples.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2004

Evaluation of current techniques for isolation of chars as natural adsorbents

Chars in soils or sediments may potentially influence the soil/sediment sorption behavior. Current techniques for the isolation of black carbon including chars rely often on acid demineralization, base extraction, and chemical oxidation to remove salts and minerals, humic acid, and refractory kerogen, respectively. Little is known about the potential effects of these chemical processes on the char surface and adsorptive properties. This study examined the effects of acid demineralization, base extraction, and acidic Cr2O72- oxidation on the surface areas, surface acidity, and benzene adsorption characteristics of laboratory-produced pinewood and wheat-residue chars, pure or mixed with soils, and a commercial activated carbon. Demineralization resulted in a small reduction in the char surface area, whereas base extraction showed no obvious effect. Neither demineralization nor base extraction caused an appreciable variation in benzene adsorption and presumably the char surface properties. By contrast, the Cr2O 72- oxidation caused a >31% reduction in char surface area. The Boehm titration, supplemented by FTIR spectra, indicated that the surface acidity of oxidized chars increased by a factor between 2.3 and 12 compared to nonoxidized chars. Benzene adsorption with the oxidized chars was lower than that with the non-oxidized chars by a factor of >8.9; both the decrease in char surface area and the increase in char surface acidity contributed to the reduction in char adsorptive power. Although the Cr 2O72- oxidation effectively removes resistant kerogen, it is not well suited for the isolation of chars as contaminant adsorbents because of its destructive nature. Alternative nondestructive techniques that preserve the char surface properties and effectively remove kerogen must be sought.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2001

A partition-limited model for the plant uptake of organic contaminants from soil and water

In dealing with the passive transport of organic contaminants from soils to plants (including crops), a partition-limited model is proposed in which (i) the maximum (equilibrium) concentration of a contaminant in any location in the plant is determined by partition equilibrium with its concentration in the soil interstitial water, which in turn is determined essentially by the concentration in the soil organic matter (SOM) and (ii) the extent of approach to partition equilibrium, as measured by the ratio of the contaminant concentrations in plant water and soil interstitial water, α pt (≤ 1), depends on the transport rate of the contaminant in soil water into the plant and the volume of soil water solution that is required for the plant contaminant level to reach equilibrium with the external soil-water phase. Through reasonable estimates of plant organic-water compositions and of contaminant partition coefficients with various plant components, the model accounts for calculated values of α pt in several published crop-contamination studies, including near-equilibrium values (i.e., α pt ≅ 1) for relatively water-soluble contaminants and lower values for much less soluble contaminants; the differences are attributed to the much higher partition coefficients of the less soluble compounds between plant lipids and plant water, which necessitates much larger volumes of the plant water transport for achieving the equilibrium capacities. The model analysis indicates that for plants with high water contents the plant-water phase acts as the major reservoir for highly water-soluble contaminants. By contrast, the lipid in a plant, even at small amounts, is usually the major reservoir for highly water-insoluble contaminants.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS2000

Sorption of selected organic compounds from water to a peat soil and its humic-acid and humin fractions: Potential sources of the sorption nonlinearity

The sorption isotherms of ethylene dibromide (EDB), diuron (DUN), and 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) from water on the humic acid and humin fractions of a peat soil and on the humic-acid of a muck soil have been measured. The data were compared with those of the solutes with the whole peat from which the humic-acid (HA) and humin (HM) fractions were derived and on which the sorption of the solutes exhibited varying extents of nonlinear capacities at low relative concentrations (C(e)/S(w)). The HA fraction as prepared by the density-fractionated method is relatively pure and presumably free of high- surface-area carbonaceous material (HSACM) that is considered to be responsible for the observed nonlinear sorption for nonpolar solutes (e.g., EDB) on the peat; conversely, the base-insoluble HM fraction as prepared is presumed to be enriched with HSACM, as manifested by the greatly higher BET- (N2) surface area than that of the whole peat. The sorption of EDB on HA exhibits no visible nonlinear effect, whereas the sorption on HM shows an enhanced nonlinearity over that on the whole peat. The sorption of polar DUN and DCP on HA and HM display nonlinear effects comparable with those on the whole peat; the effects are much more significant than those with nonpolar EDB. These results conform to the hypothesis that adsorption onto a small amount of strongly adsorbing HSACM is largely responsible for the nonlinear sorption of nonpolar solutes on soils and that additional specific interactions with the active groups of soil organic matter are responsible for the generally higher nonlinear sorption of the polar solutes.

Environmental Science & Technology↗