Secondary arsenic minerals in the environment: A review

Information on arsenic (As) speciation in solid materials is critical for many environmental studies concerned with As stability and/or mobility in natural As-impacted soils and mining or industrial sites contaminated by As. The investigation of these systems has provided evidence for a number of secondary As minerals that have often played a significant role in As mobility in the solid phase–water system. This paper presents a list of environmentally important secondary As minerals in contaminated soil and waste systems, summarizes the information about their origin, occurrence, environmental stability and thermodynamics, and proposes several important avenues for further investigation.     

Thiolated arsenicals in arsenic metabolism: Occurrence, formation, and biological implications

Arsenic (As) is a notoriously toxic pollutant of health concern worldwide with potential risk of cancer induction, but meanwhile it is used as medicines for the treatment of different conditions including hematological cancers. Arsenic can undergo extensive metabolism in biological systems, and both toxicological and therapeutic effects of arsenic compounds are closely related to their metabolism. Recent studies have identified methylated thioarsenicals as a new class of arsenic metabolites in biological systems after exposure of inorganic and organic arsenicals, including arsenite, dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV), dimethylarsinous glutathione (DMAIIIGS), and arsenosugars. The increasing detection of thiolated arsenicals, including monomethylmonothioarsonic acid (MMMTAV), dimethylmonothioarsinic acid (DMMTAV) and its glutathione conjugate (DMMTAVGS), and dimethyldithioarsinic acid (DMDTAV) suggests that thioarsenicals may be important metabolites and play important roles in arsenic toxicity and therapeutic effects. Here we summarized the reported occurrence of thioarsenicals in biological systems, the possible formation pathways of thioarsenicals, and their toxicity, and discussed the biological implications of thioarsenicals on arsenic metabolism, toxicity, and therapeutic effects.     

The role of phosphorus in the metabolism of arsenate by a freshwater green alga, Chlorella vulgaris

A freshwater microalga, Chlorella vulgaris, was grown in the presence of varying phosphate concentrations( 10–500 μg/L P) and environmentally realistic concentrations of arsenate(As(Ⅴ))(5–50 μg/L As). Arsenic speciation in the culture medium and total cellular arsenic were measured using AEC-ICP-MS and ICP-DRC-MS, respectively, to determine arsenic biotransformation and uptake in the various phosphorus scenarios. At high phosphate concentration in the culture medium, 100 μg/L P, the uptake and biotransformation of As(Ⅴ) was minimal and dimethylarsonate(DMAs(Ⅴ)) was the dominant metabolite excreted by C. vulgaris, albeit at relatively low concentrations. At common environmental P concentrations, 0–50 μg/L P, the uptake and biotransformation of As(Ⅴ) increased. At these higher As-uptake levels, arsenite(As(Ⅲ)) was the predominant metabolite excreted from the cell. The concentrations of As(Ⅲ) in these low P conditions were much higher than the concentrations of methylated arsenicals observed at the various P concentrations studied. The switchover threshold between the(small) methylation and(large) reduction of As(Ⅴ) occurred around a cellular As concentration of 1 fg/cell. The observed nearly quantitative conversion of As(Ⅴ) to As(Ⅲ) under low phosphate conditions indicates the importance of As(Ⅴ) bio-reduction at common freshwater P concentrations. These findings on the influence of phosphorus on arsenic uptake, accumulation and excretion are discussed in relation to previously published research. The impact that the two scenarios of As(Ⅴ) metabolism, As(Ⅲ) excretion at high As(Ⅴ)-uptake and methylarsenical excretion at low As(Ⅴ)-uptake, have on freshwater arsenic speciation is discussed.     

Arsenic redox transformation by Pseudomonas sp. HN-2 isolated from arsenic-contaminated soil in Hunan, China

A mesophilic,Gram-negative,arsenite[As(Ⅲ)]-oxidizing and arsenate[As(V)]-reducing bacterial strain,Pseudomonas sp.HN-2,was isolated from an As-contaminated soil.Phylogenetic analysis based on 16 S r RNA gene sequencing indicated that the strain was closely related to Pseudomonas stutzeri.Under aerobic conditions,this strain oxidized 92.0%(61.4 μmol/L) of arsenite to arsenate within 3 hr of incubation.Reduction of As(V) to As(Ⅲ) occurred in anoxic conditions.Pseudomonas sp.HN-2 is among the first soil bacteria shown to be capable of both aerobic As(Ⅲ) oxidation and anoxic As(V) reduction.The strain,as an efficient As(Ⅲ) oxidizer and As(V) reducer in Pseudomonas,has the potential to impact arsenic mobility in both anoxic and aerobic environments,and has potential application in As remediation processes.     

高压低流电化学深度处理砷氟废水技术研究

为解决企业外排生产废水砷氟超标问题,采用高压低流电化学技术对某矿山企业外排的含砷氟废水进行深度处理,研究考察进水pH值,电流密度,电化学反应时间、极板材料、絮凝反应、pH等工艺条件对处理效果的影响。得到2最佳工艺条件为进水pH5.5左右、絮凝pH6.5~7.0、电化学反应时间6 min,铁铝极板比例为1:2,电流密度10.9 m A/cm。处理出水中的砷、氟能稳定达到《地表水环境质量标准》(GB3838—2002)Ⅲ类水体水质标准要求。     

浅谈砷污染

金属冶炼，煤炭燃烧过程中向环境排出大量砷，严重危害人类健康．本文介绍了砷的污染来源，转移过程和对人体危害的机理，提醒人们注意砷的污染．     

Arsenic biotransformation and an arsenite S-adenosylmethionine methyltransferase in plankton

<正>Arsenic(As)is a well-recognized toxicant and carcinogen.Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic causes a range of human cancers(e.g.,skin,bladder,and lung)and increases the risk of developing diabetes,hypertension,and cardiovascular and neurological diseases.The prevalence of arsenic species and the severity of their health effects continue to drive and demand for extensive research(Carlin et al.,2016).     

原子荧光法测定土壤中砷前处理方法影响因素的研究

针对方法(GB/T 22105.2—2008)中土壤样品前处理过程中影响砷测定结果的因素进行了各类批次实验,得出各种因素对结果的影响程度及其消解的最佳条件。土壤样品的最佳称量范围为0.2～0.6g,消解液加入量的最佳范围为10～15ml,最佳消解时间为2h,硫脲溶液和抗坏血酸溶液的加入量必须满足20～30ml的条件,样品中加入还原剂后,静置时间不得低于20min,通常为30min。     

Mass balance of arsenic and antimony in municipal waste incinerators

The arsenic and antimony balance in two municipal waste incinerators was investigated. Initially, the production rates of ash and wet scrubber effluent were estimated. Then the arsenic and antimony in the ash and wet scrubber effluent were determined, which gave an estimate of the elemental balance. The total amounts of arsenic and antimony in the municipal waste were 0.9 g/t and 30–44 g/t, respectively. The distributions to fly ash were 45–47% and 33–74% for arsenic and antimony, respectively. The distribution mechanisms of arsenic and antimony are discussed from the viewpoints of their thermodynamics as well as their initial valencies, which greatly affect their behaviour. Received: July 2, 1998 / Accepted: February 27, 1999     

Influence of arsenic stress on synthesis and localization of low-molecular-weight thiols in Pteris vittata

The roles of low-molecular-weight thiols (LMWTs), such as glutathione and phytochelatins, in arsenic (As) tolerance and hyperaccumulation in Pteris vittata an As-hyperaccumulator fern remain to be better understood. This study aimed to thoroughly characterize LMWT synthesis in P. vittata to understand the roles played by LMWTs in As tolerance and hyperaccumulation. LMWT synthesis in P. vittata was induced directly by As, and not by As-mediated oxidative stress. Expression of PvECS2, one of the putative genes of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γECS), increases in P. vittata shoots at 48 h after the onset of As exposure, almost corresponding to the increase in the concentrations of γ-glutamylcysteine and glutathione. Furthermore, localization of As showed similar trends to those of LMWTs in fronds at both whole-frond and cellular levels. This study thus indicates the specific contribution of LMWTs to As tolerance in P. vittata. γECS may be responsible for the As-induced enhancement of LMWT synthesis.