Toxic element concentrations in lichen Platismatia interrupta around the geothermal power station on Kunashir Island

The results of the study of the gross content of 14 chemical elements in lichen Platismatia interrupta collected around the geothermal power station “Mendeleevskaya” on Kunashir Island are presented. The highest exceedance was noted for As in the research area. The gross content of As varies from 0.8–2.6 mg/kg in control areas and up to 5–9 mg/kg in the impact zone, i.e. the maximum excess in lichen is noted by 11.6 times. For other elements, there were no strong exceedances in the impact zone compared to the control areas. According to the results of regression analysis, a statistically reliable inverse exponential relationship between the content of As and the distance to the power station (adjusted R2: 0.86, p-value: 0.001) is traced. The average value of the enrichment coefficient for As exceeds 100, which indicates the non-substrate origin of this element.

Vilyui-Markha interfluve of Yakutia: a region prospective for Cu-Ni-PGM mineralization

Materials are discussed on geologically similar structure of Norilsk ore district (NOD) and Vilyui-Markha interstream area (VMIA), which implies the latter prospects for Cu-Ni-PGM mineralization. Data is provided on Cu-Ni-Co-Zn mineral occurrences within Ygyattinsky diamondiferous region centered on VMIA. Geological similarities of NOD and VMIA are summarized below. Both regions are located in Mesozoic tectonomagmatic activation domain at the edge of large troughs: NOD is localized in the Siberian platform foredeep, and VMIA lies at Vilyui syneclise margin. NOD deposits are hosted by centroclines of large brachysynclines at slopes of Pyasinskoye dome. Within VMIA, prospects are located at Syuldyukarskoye dome slopes in margibal parts of large troughs. NOD and VMIA comprise Paleozoic marl-carbonate strata overlain by carbonaceous Carboniferous-Permian overburden, which could be assimilated by basaltic magma in Mesozoic contributing to its ore differentiation. Norilsk-Kharaelakh ore-bearing intrusion in VMIA appears to be similar to Kholomolokh sulfide-rich intrusion with its inferred extensive ore-bearing sills. They have similar composition and structure including presence of pegmatites. Ore-controlling Norilsk-Kharaelakh fault is believed to be simi- lar to Khatyryk-Kholomolokh fault, which was traced for 24 km by drilling and is one of sutures within deep-seated kimberlite-controlling Vilyui-Markha zone. This fault’s impact zone host concentrated geochemical anomalies and Cu-Ni-Co-Zn-Pt-Au-Ag Khomustakh occurrence. Based on this, Norilsk-type Cu-Ni prospects ranked as a potential ore cluster and three ore fields were identified

Adverse Effects Of Flaming As A Surface Treatment Method For Stone Slabs Used In Road Pavements

This paper presents the results of tests on a damaged pavement made of flamed granite slabs. Due to their architectural value, the use of such pavements made of stone materials is a popular trend in Europe, especially in historic city centres. Faming is a popular method of surface treatment of stone elements, including slabs. The use of flame with a temperature around 1300°C on granite rock leads to allotropic transformations of quartz. The accompanying volume changes lead to flaking of the surface. As a result, the flaming gives the slab a natural texture and improves its anti-slip properties. As it was assessed, most slabs used in pavements exhibited characteristic edge and corner damage. Examination of the mechanical properties of rock taken from a slab revealed different results for samples taken from the high temperature impact zone and from other parts of the slab. The mineralogical tests carried out on samples from the high temperature impact zone showed changes in relation to the original mineralogical composition of granite, including the presence of glaze. These changes resulted in the accumulation of stresses, especially in the areas of slab edges and corners. The analysis of the test results was made in relation to the lack of uniform European standards for stone treatment by flaming and the lack of control procedures for this process. As a result of unrestricted flaming conditions, the originally homogeneous properties of the rock may vary within a single product and lead to its accelerated degradation during exploitation.

Valuing the Role of Mangroves in Storm Damage Reduction in Coastal Areas of Odisha

Mangroves help in building coastal resilience as effective natural safeguards against cyclones. The state of Odisha is the most cyclone prone region in the east coast of India and was endowed with nearly 500 km2 of mangroves until 1940s, which has now been reduced, through destruction, to 227 km2. This chapter attempts to value the storm protection provided by these remaining mangroves during the 1999 super cyclone and examines whether it is economically efficient to conserve these mangroves. During this storm, the storm protection value of mangroves was estimated to be USD 68,586 per km width and USD 4335 per ha of mangroves to all households living in the impact zone of the forest. To examine the question of conservation, these onetime values were annualized and the annual storm protection value of a mangrove hectare was found to be more than two times higher than the land price of cleared forests and more than twenty times higher than the annual return from alternative land uses, justifying mangrove conservation as a socially and financially viable policy and an economically efficient decision to build resilience.

Transfer of Pollutants from Macrocystis pyrifera to Tetrapygus niger in a Highly Impacted Coastal Zone of Chile

PAHs and heavy metals are characteristic pollutants in urbanized coastal areas, especially those with industrial activity. Given this context and the ability of Macrocystis pyrifera to drift when detached and provide trophic subsidy in coastal systems, we analyzed the potential transfer of pollutants to the herbivore Tetrapygus niger, through diet, in an industrialized coastal zone in Central Chile (Caleta Horcón) and characterized the impacted zone using diverse polluted ecotoxicological indices. For this purpose, a culture experiment was conducted where M. pyrifera individuals from Algarrobo (control site) were cultivated in Caleta Horcón and then used as food for T. niger. The contents of both PAHs and heavy metal contents were subsequently determined in algal tissue and sea urchin gonads as well as in the seawater. The results show that algae cultivated in Caleta Horcón had higher concentrations of naphthalene (NAF) compared to those from a low industrial impact zone (Algarrobo) (2.5 and 1.8 mg kg−1, respectively). The concentrations of Cu, As, and Cd were higher in Caleta Horcón than in Algarrobo in both M. pyrifera and T. niger. For all metals, including Pb, higher concentrations were present in T. niger than in M. pyrifera (between 5 and 798 times higher). Additionally, as indicated by the toxicological indices MPI (0.00804) and PLI (10.89), Caleta Horcón is highly contaminated with metals compared to Algarrobo (0.0006 and 0.015, respectively). Finally, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) and trophic transfer factor (TTF) values were greater than one in most cases, with values in Caleta Horcón exceeding those in Algarrobo by one or two orders of magnitude. This study provides evidence that Caleta Horcón is a highly impacted zone (HIZ) compared to Algarrobo, in addition to evidence that the biomagnification of certain pollutants, including the possible responses to contaminants, are apparently not exclusively transferred to T. niger through diet.

Accumulation of Heavy Metals by Soil and Agricultural Plants in the Zone of Technogenic Impact

Background: The transformation of natural elements, the migration of soil substances used in industry most often refer to metals, as a result of which “metallization” of landscapes occurs in industrial regions. Methods: The article proposes an analysis of studies, conducting agroecological monitoring of soil and plants in the zone affected by the action of Ryazan power plant in 2015-2019. Experiments included the analysis of the soil and climatic conditions of the area, sampling in the zone of five rings of the pipe of the polluting enterprise, the analysis of the content of some trace elements in the coal during combustion and the products of their combustion, as well as heavy metals in the biomass of the main types of plant communities in the zone of influence and mobile forms of metals in the soil of the zone, depending on the main directions of influence. Result: According to the results, the greatest distribution of mobile forms of heavy metals in the impact zone of Ryazan State District Power Plant (RGRES) was observed in the southern and southeastern directions in radii from 2.5 km to 30 km, in the southwest direction it was in radii from 500 m to 7 km and in the northern and northwestern directions it was within a radius of 500 m to 2.5 km from the station.

Features in the formation of the structural state of low-carbon micro-alloyed steels after eletron beam welding

Welding thermomechanically-strengthened materials is accompanied with certain difficulties in terms of loss of strength characteristics in the zone of thermal influence. This issue can be resolved by using the technological welding schemes that include fusion of materials in a narrow contact area. One such technological scheme is electron beam welding, which is currently widely used to fabricate structures from refractory and chemically active materials. One of the main advantages of the electron beam welding process is a small quantity of heat input, which leads to the formation of narrow zones of melting and thermal influence and, as a result, minor deformities in the structure of the material. The welded joint can structurally be divided into several zones, which differ in the morphological characteristics of the structure. The most interesting, in terms of ensuring the quality of the joint, are the boundaries between the zones. It has been shown that the use of local heating sources, which is the case at electron beam welding, leads to the migration of the boundaries of grains. As a result, clear intersections, fusion lines, form at the boundaries between zones of the welded joint. The formation of the structural state of a welded joint is predetermined by the simultaneous course of several processes. First, a crystallization from the liquid state – the formation of a welded joint structure, as well as the boundary between a welded joint and the zone of thermal influence. Second, the phase-structural transformations in the solid state – a thermal impact zone, the boundary between a thermal impact zone and the main metal. Given this, one should note that the geometry and quality of joints at electron beam welding are more interrelated than in other welding techniques. Thus, one of the main parameters that ensure the quality of a welded joint is the structural state of the material that forms during welding

MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL AND MAN-MADE LANDSCAPES IN THE IMPACT ZONE OF THE "LEBYAZHYE" TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITY IN NORILSK

The tailings storage facility "Lebyazhye" operates as part of two fields. A third field is currently being designed. Therefore, at the construction stage, it is most important to solve the issues of managing natural and man-made landscapes in the zone of influence of the tailings storage facility.