Toxicity of binary mixtures of Cu, Cr and As to the earthworm Eisenia andrei

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) mixtures were used in the past for wood preservation, leading to large scale soil contamination. This study aimed at contributing to the risk assessment of CCA-contaminated soils by assessing the toxicity of binary mixtures of copper, chromium and arsenic to the earthwormEisenia andreiin OECD artificial soil. Mixture effects were related to reference models of Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA) using the MIXTOX model, with effects being related to total and available (H2O and 0.01 M CaCl(2)extractable) concentrations in the soil. Since only in mixtures with arsenic dose-related mortality occurred (LC(50)92.5 mg/kg dry soil), it was not possible to analyze the mixture effects on earthworm survival with the MIXTOX model. EC(50)s for effects of Cu, Cr and As on earthworm reproduction, based on total soil concentrations, were 154, 449 and 9.1 mg/kg dry soil, respectively. Effects of mixtures were mainly antagonistic when related to the CA model but additive related to the IA model. This was the case when mixture effects were based on total and H2O-extractable concentrations; when based on CaCl2-extractable concentrations effects mainly were additive related to the CA model except for the Cr-As mixture which acted antagonistically. These results suggest that the CCA components do interact leading to a reduced toxicity when present in a mixture.Peer reviewe

An uptake and elimination kinetics approach to assess the bioavailability of chromium, copper, and arsenic to earthworms (Eisenia andrei) in contaminated field soils

The aim of this study was to determine the bioavailability of metals in field soils contaminated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) mixtures. The uptake and elimination kinetics of chromium, copper, and arsenic were assessed in the earthworm Eisenia andrei exposed to soils from a gradient of CCA wood preservative contamination near Hartola, Finland. In soils contaminated with 1480–1590 mg Cr/kg dry soil, 642–791 mg Cu/kg dry soil, and 850–2810 mg Ag/kg dry soil, uptake and elimination kinetics patterns were similar for Cr and Cu. Both metals were rapidly taken up and rapidly excreted by Eisenia andrei with equilibrium reached within 1 day. The metalloid As, however, showed very slow uptake and elimination in the earthworms and body concentrations did not reach equilibrium within 21 days. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) were low for Cu and Cr (Peer reviewe

Alkyl-Substituted Aminobis(phosphonates) : Efficient Precipitating Agents for Rare Earth Elements, Thorium, and Uranium in Aqueous Solutions

The efficient and environmentally sustainable separation process for rare earth elements (REE), especially for adjacent lanthanoids, remains a challenge due to the chemical similarity of REEs. Tetravalent actinoids, thorium, and traces of uranium are also present in concentrates of REEs, making their separation relevant. This study reports six simple water-soluble aminobis(phosphonate) ligands, RN[CH2P(O)(OH)2]2 (1 R = CH2CH3, 2 R = (CH2)2CH3, 3 R = (CH2)3CH3, 4 R = (CH2)4CH3, 5 R = (CH2)5CH3, 6 R = CH2CH(C2H5)(CH2)3CH3) as precipitating agents for REEs, Th, and U, as well as gives insight into the coordination modes of the utilized ligands with REEs at the molecular level. Aminobis(phosphonates) 4–6 with longer carbon chains were found to separate selectively thorium, uranium, and scandium from REEs with short precipitation time (15 min) and excellent separation factors that generally range from 100 to 2000 in acidic aqueous solution. Ligands 1–6 also improved separation factors for adjacent lanthanoids in comparison to traditional oxalate precipitation agents. Importantly, precipitated metals can be recovered from the ligands with 3 molar HNO3 with no observed ligand decomposition enabling the possibility of recycling the ligands in the separation process. NMR-monitored pH titrations for 1 showed deprotonation steps at pKa 1.3, 5.55, and >10.5, which indicate that the ligands remain in a deprotonated [L]−1 form in the pH range of 0–4 used in the precipitation studies. 31P NMR titration studies between 1 and M(NO3)3 (M = Y, La, Lu) gave satisfactory fits for 1:3, 1:2, and 1:1 metal–ligand stoichiometries for Y, La, and Lu, respectively, according to an F-test. Therefore, aminobis(phosphonate) precipitation agents 1–6 are likely to form metal complexes with fewer ligands than traditional separation agents like DEHPA, which coordinates to REEs in 1:6 metal–ligand ratio.peerReviewe