scholarly journals Optimized microplastic analysis based on size fractionation, density separation and μ-FTIR

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 834-844
Author(s):  
Olga Konechnaya ◽  
Sabine Lüchtrath ◽  
Larissa Dsikowitzky ◽  
Jan Schwarzbauer
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Size Fractionation ◽  
Environmental Matrices ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Density Separation ◽  
Grain Sizes ◽  
Soils And Sediments ◽  
Hazardous Pollutants

Abstract Microplastic particles have been recognized as global hazardous pollutants in the last few decades pointing to the importance of analyzing and monitoring microplastics, especially in soils and sediments. This study focused on a multi-step approach for microplastic analysis combining grain size fractionation, density separation and identification by μ-FTIR-spectroscopy. Eight widely used polymers (polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrol (PS), polyethylenterephthalate (PET), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyurethane (PU) and polyamide (PA)) were fractionated into four groups of grain sizes (0.1–5 mm). Thereafter, sea sand was spiked with these particles to test a ZnCl2-based density separation for the polymer types and the various grain sizes. The obtained recovery rates were close to 100% showing that ZnCl2-based density separation is suitable to separate the polymer particles from a sandy matrix. This approach was extended on three further environmental matrices and recovery rates for two of them (sandy-silty and fine-grained sediment) also provided reliable values (94–106%). Lastly, the developed multi-step approach was verified by analyzing an environmental sample (sediment from river Tiranë, Albania) characterized by smaller grain size and moderate organic matter content. Identification of two polymer types in different grain size classes verified the suitability of the developed approach for microplastic analyses on particulate matter such as soils and sediments.

Relationships between macroinfaunal invertebrates and physicochemical factors in two sandy beaches of Patagonia

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Martha (Pitu) Mendez ◽  
Evangelina Schwindt ◽  
Alejandro Bortolus
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
National Park ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Benthic Fauna ◽  
Physicochemical Characteristics ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Soft Sediment ◽  
Physicochemical Factors

The interest in the knowledge of the ecology of soft-sediment communities is increasing due to the importance that these environments pose to ecologists and environmentalists. However, the ecology of Argentinean sandy beaches is almost unknown, in spite of being relatively common landscapes. In this work we describe and compare the macroinfaunal assemblages in the two largest sandy beaches within the Monte León National Park, the first marine-coastal park of Argentina. Macrobenthic samples were collected and environmental descriptions were performed by quantifying and comparing the organic matter content, grain size distribution and depth of the substratum available for macroinfaunal colonization. Results show that polychaetes and crustaceans are the dominant taxa and that the two beaches differ in the physicochemical characteristics, suggesting that a relation between the benthic fauna and physicochemical factors exists. Although they appeared similar at the landscape scale in preliminary visual surveys, the geomorphological differences between habitats are likely to drive strong differences in the structure of the macroinfaunal assemblages. The monitoring of visible landscape features is likely to undermine the efficiency of protection and managing strategies if not complemented by geomorphological and ecological surveys of less visible ecosystem variables.

The Effects of Fire on Archaeological Soils and Sediments: Temperature and Colour Relationships

2000 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 385-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.G. Canti ◽  
N. Linford
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Building Block ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Soil Heating ◽  
Fundamental Building Block ◽  
Soils And Sediments ◽  
Key Questions

Although fire is a fundamental building block of interpretation, details of its effect on archaeological substrates are still poorly understood. The key questions, from an interpretative point of view, are the level of heating produced in the soil underneath different fires and the degree of reddening preserved in the final stratigraphy. This paper explores these questions by examination of previous studies and through a series of instrumented experimental fires. We conclude that, although there is some variation, temperatures beneath most surface-built fires remain below 500° C and reddening of the soil happens only rarely. These two generalisations are, however, linked in a complex way which is not fully clarified. Some sediments redden dramatically at temperatures commonly found under the experimental fires and in the literature on soil heating, while others fail to redden even at significantly higher temperatures. These ‘anomalies’ could relate to either organic matter content or chemical variations affecting the progress of the iron oxide transformations that lead to soil reddening.

scholarly journals Superficial sediments and their relation to polyehaete families in a subtropieal embayment, Mexico

2015 ◽  
pp. 237-238
Author(s):  
Nuria Méndez ◽  
María Green Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Fine Sand ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Pearson’S Correlation ◽  
Pearson's Correlation ◽  
Superficial Sediments ◽  
Soft Bottoms

The soft bottoms in front of Mazatlan Bay and "Isla de la Piedra" Peninsula were studied to produce maps (depth, grain size and organic matter content in sediments). Sixty samples were óbtained with a 30 x 30 van Veen grab (4-21 m depth) and polychaetes were extracted from 21 subsamples. Grain size ranged from -1.05 phi (gravel) to 3 .81 phi (very fine sand), with fme sand predominl\ting. Organic matter content in sediment was 0.91-3.06 % (most values = 1-2 %). Thirty polychaete families (905 individuals/m2 in mean) were found, and Cirratulidae, Spionidae, Onuphidae, and Pilargiidae were domiuant. Pearson's correlation of grain size.

scholarly journals Variability of macrofauna distribution along a dissipative log-spiral sandy beach in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A.M. Barboza ◽  
Tatiana Cabrini ◽  
Gustavo Mattos ◽  
Viviane Skinner ◽  
Ricardo Cardoso
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Community Structure ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Beach Slope ◽  
Sediment Sorting

Log-spiral beaches display defined physical gradients alongshore. However, the majority of studies focus on the variability of a single population of macrofauna species. We aimed to investigate the variation in species distribution and in community structure along ten transects on a log-spiral beach. Principal component analysis indicated a clear physical gradient alongshore. Redundancy analysis showed that the sheltered end was related to smaller particle sizes, higher organic matter content and high densities of polychaetes. The exposed end was characterized by coarser sand, lower organic matter content and a high presence of crustaceans. Model selection indicated that the “best fit” to explain the variability in the number of individuals included grain size and beach slope. Variability of the polychaete Scolelepis squamata was best explained by grain size, slope and sediment sorting. The best model for the cirolanid Excirolana armata only included sediment sorting. The physical gradient in sediment texture and the beach slope explained more than one-third of the variability in community structure. The physical variables were also correlated with the distribution of the individual species. We showed that the physical gradient on log-spiral coasts may be an important driver of macrofauna variability, even at mesoscales and in dissipative conditions.

Impact of lightning on organic matter-rich soils: influence of soil grain size and organic matter content on underground fires

2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittorio Zanon ◽  
Fátima Viveiros ◽  
Catarina Silva ◽  
Ana Rita Hipólito ◽  
Teresa Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Soil Grain Size

scholarly journals The Effect of Stormwater Discharge on the Nearshore Benthic Environment of Inner Wellington Harbour

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lesley Anne Bolton-Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Sediment Grain Size ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Biological Community ◽  
Benthic Environment ◽  
Over Time

<p>To investigate the spatial and temporal effects of stormwater discharge on the nearshore benthic environment of inner Wellington Harbour, sediment grain size, organic matter content, concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn and the presence and abundance of the benthic macrobiota were measured at a number of stations at both stormwater outlets and at control sites. Correlations between the biological and the sedimentological and chemical variables were also investigated. In the vicinity of some outlets the sediment grain size distribution was altered and the sediment organic matter content was up to 5.5 times higher and metal concentrations were up to 11 times higher, than that at control sites. In general organic matter content and metal concentrations were highest close to an outlet and decreased with increasing distance seaward. With increasing distance from outlets the biological communities changed and there were significant differences in one or more of total, polychaete, arthropod and mollusc taxa, polychaete and mollusc individuals, diversity and the abundance of 12 taxa. The spatial extent of the impact of stormwater discharge on the benthic environment ranged from l0 to more than 45 metres from an outlet. Over time the largest range in organic matter content at an outlet was 6.1-42.8% while at a control it was 4-9%. For As, Cu, Pb and Zn the range in concentration over time was larger at stations closer to than those further from the outlet and larger at outlet than control site stations e.g. at 2 m in front of one outlet the Pb concentration range was 25l-1367 ppm, at 20 m from the outlet it was 15-22 ppm and at the associated control site 2 m station it was 15-20 ppm. Over time the direction of change in the biological community was different, and there were significant differences in the number of total, mollusc, polychaete and arthropod taxa and individuals and diversity, between that at the outlet and the associated control site. 27 taxa were more abundant at outlet than control sites and 45 taxa were more abundant at control than outlet sites over time. The biological community at outlet and control sites was best correlated to combinations of 2-5 of the sedimentological/chemical variables. Of these variables, organic matter content was the only commonly occurring variable at outlet sites and did not occur as one of the variables at the control sites. Where the organic matter content was >22% there were a low number of taxa and individuals, and with an increase in organic matter content there was a significant decrease in the number of total and arthropod taxa. The abundance of two taxa was significantly correlated to organic matter content and the abundance of six taxa was significantly correlated to metal concentrations.</p>

Polish clayey raw materials for the production of ceramic tiles

Clay Minerals ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Wyszomirski ◽  
K. Galos
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Water Absorption ◽  
Bending Strength ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Organic Matter Content ◽  
Lower Jurassic ◽  
Matter Content ◽  
Ceramic Tiles ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Holy Cross Mountains

AbstractDevelopment of the Polish ceramic industry over the last ten years has resulted in a sharp increase in demand for basic raw materials, especially for ceramic clays – both white- and light-firing as well as red-firing varieties. Polish sources of white-firing clays are rather scarce. Their production is based on Santonian sandy-clayey sediments of the North-Sudetic Trough (Lower Silesia, SW Poland). Light-firing varieties occur mainly in Lower Jurassic sediments on the northern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains (central Poland). Red-firing well-sintering clays of Triassic age are known in the northern margin of the Holy Cross Mountains as well as in the Cracow-Silesian Monocline.The white-firing Santonian clays contain mainly highly-ordered kaolinite (~50%) and quartz (~30%) with minor amounts of illite. Their grain-size median ranges between 1.9 and 2.5 μm. They show moderate plasticity (bending strength after drying at 1.7–1.9 MPa) and weak sinterability (water absorption after firing ~12%), but greater lightness after firing (L parameter ~86%). The light-firing Jurassic clays are kaolinitic-illitic in character, with a variable content of quartz. Kaolinite is represented by the low-ordered variety. The grain-size median is also variable, ranging between 1.1 and 3.4 μm. They show good plasticity (bending strength after drying 2.6–2.8 MPa), good or very good sinterability (water absorption after firing <6%) but moderate lightness (L ~79%).Triassic red clays are highly polymineralic, with illite, kaolinite, smectite, chlorite and mixed-layered minerals occurring in variable amounts. Their specific features are: large hematite content (5–12%), commonly small CaO content (<0.5 wt.%) and an extremely small organic matter content (⩽0.1 wt.%). Their grain-size median usually varies between 2 and 3 mm. Using such clays, sintered ceramics (e.g. stoneware tiles) are obtained after firing in the temperature range 1150–1200ºC.

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