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In this work, we report solid-state synthetized defective Bi2O3 containing Bi(V) sites as effective and recyclable arsenic adsorbent materials. Bi2O3 was extensively characterized, and structure-related adsorption processes are reported. Both As(V) and As(III) species-adsorption processes were investigated in a wide range of concentrations, pH values, and times. The effect of several competing ions was also tested together with the adsorbent recyclability.
Ramona Balint; Mattia Bartoli; Pravin Jagdale; Alberto Tagliaferro; Abdul Memon; Massimo Rovere; Maria Martin. Defective Bismuth Oxide as Effective Adsorbent for Arsenic Removal from Water and Wastewater. Toxics 2021, 9, 158 .
AMA StyleRamona Balint, Mattia Bartoli, Pravin Jagdale, Alberto Tagliaferro, Abdul Memon, Massimo Rovere, Maria Martin. Defective Bismuth Oxide as Effective Adsorbent for Arsenic Removal from Water and Wastewater. Toxics. 2021; 9 (7):158.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamona Balint; Mattia Bartoli; Pravin Jagdale; Alberto Tagliaferro; Abdul Memon; Massimo Rovere; Maria Martin. 2021. "Defective Bismuth Oxide as Effective Adsorbent for Arsenic Removal from Water and Wastewater." Toxics 9, no. 7: 158.
The hazardous effects of arsenic are closely linked to its speciation and interaction with different soil minerals, which influence both As mobility and bioavailability. Adsorption onto Fe (oxyhydr)oxides is one of the main processes controlling the partitioning of arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) between aqueous and solid phases. Arsenic retention can however be affected by changes in soil pH and the presence of competing anions, like phosphate. Whereas As competition with inorganic P for sorption sites on mineral surfaces has been widely studied, little is yet known on the interactions with organic P (Po) compounds, in particular inositol phosphates, even though they may represent a large fraction of total soil P. We quantified the effects of myo‐inositol hexaphosphate (InsP6) on the adsorption and retention of As(III) and As(V) on goethite as influenced by pH, the order of anion addition, and residence time. The efficiency of InsP6 in displacing adsorbed As(III) decreased with increasing pH values and interaction time, which may be attributed to the increase in the bonding strength of the As(III) complexes on the surface of goethite. The adsorption and retention of As(V) by goethite generally decreased with increasing pH, particularly in the presence of InsP6 due to the similar pKa values and the competition for the same binding sites. The addition of InsP6 before, together with or after adsorption of As(III) and As(V) strongly reduced the amounts of sorbed As, suggesting that the addition of Po‐rich matrices to As‐contaminated soils may strongly enhance As mobility. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
R. Balint; L. Celi; E. Barberis; M. Prati; M. Martin. Organic phosphorus affects the retention of arsenite and arsenate by goethite. Journal of Environmental Quality 2020, 49, 1655 -1666.
AMA StyleR. Balint, L. Celi, E. Barberis, M. Prati, M. Martin. Organic phosphorus affects the retention of arsenite and arsenate by goethite. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2020; 49 (6):1655-1666.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR. Balint; L. Celi; E. Barberis; M. Prati; M. Martin. 2020. "Organic phosphorus affects the retention of arsenite and arsenate by goethite." Journal of Environmental Quality 49, no. 6: 1655-1666.
Redox-driven changes in Fe crystallinity and speciation may affect soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization and carbon (C) turnover, with consequent influence on global terrestrial soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling. Under reducing conditions, increasing concentrations of Fe(II) released in solution from the reductive dissolution of Fe (hydr)oxides may accelerate ferrihydrite transformation, although our understanding of the influence of SOM on these transformations is still lacking.
Here, we evaluated abiotic Fe(II)-catalyzed mineralogical changes in Fe (hydr)oxides in bulk soils and size-fractionated SOM pools (for comparison, fine silt plus clay, FSi+Cl, and fine sand, FSa) of an agricultural soil, unamended or amended with biochar, municipal solid waste compost, and a combination of both.
FSa fractions showed the most significant Fe(II)-catalyzed ferrihydrite transformations with the consequent production of well-ordered Fe oxides irrespective of soil amendment, with the only exception being the compost-amended soils. In contrast, poorly crystalline ferrihydrite still constituted ca. 45% of the FSi+Cl fractions of amended soils, confirming the that the higher SOM content in this fraction inhibits atom exchange between aqueous Fe(II) and the solid phase. Building on our knowledge of Fe(II)-catalyzed mineralogical changes in simple systems, our results evidenced that the mechanisms of abiotic Fe mineral transformations in bulk soils depend on Fe mineralogy, organic C content and quality, and organo-mineral associations that exist across particle-size SOM pools. Our results underline that in the fine fractions the increase in SOM due to organic amendments can contribute to limiting abiotic Fe(II)-catalyzed ferrihydrite transformation, while coarser particle-size fractions represent an understudied pool of SOM subjected to Fe mineral transformations.
Beatrice Giannetta; Ramona Balint; Daniel Said-Pullicino; César Plaza; Maria Martin; Claudio Zaccone. Fe(II)-catalyzed transformation of Fe (hydr)oxides in particle-size soil organic matter fractions from amended agricultural soils. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleBeatrice Giannetta, Ramona Balint, Daniel Said-Pullicino, César Plaza, Maria Martin, Claudio Zaccone. Fe(II)-catalyzed transformation of Fe (hydr)oxides in particle-size soil organic matter fractions from amended agricultural soils. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleBeatrice Giannetta; Ramona Balint; Daniel Said-Pullicino; César Plaza; Maria Martin; Claudio Zaccone. 2020. "Fe(II)-catalyzed transformation of Fe (hydr)oxides in particle-size soil organic matter fractions from amended agricultural soils." , no. : 1.
Soils are a critical component of the Earth system in regulating many ecological processes that provide fundamental ecosystem services (Adhikari and Hartemink, 2016). Soil formation factors may be operating at faster timescales than is typically considered in recently deglaciated alpine environments, yielding important implications for critical zone services (e.g., water retention, the preservation of carbon (C) and nutrients, and chemical weathering fluxes). It remains unclear how variation in these properties are linked to soil development and soil organic C pools and fluxes, in part because sites varying in these characteristics also typically vary in vegetation and climate.
Here we leveraged the high-altitude alpine pastures of the Nivolet Critical Zone and Ecosystem Observatory, Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) to examine biotic and abiotic dynamics and controlling factors of organic C and weathering under different topographic positions and geologic substrates in a small localized mountainous region. Soil profiles were sampled across a range of parent materials deposited after the Last Glacial Maximum, including gneiss glacial till, carbonate and calcschist/gneiss colluvium, and gneiss/carbonate/calcschist alluvium across ridgetop, midslope and footslope topographic positions. Organic C, C stable isotopes, major and trace element content, particle size distribution, and pH reveal how parent material and landscape position govern soil C storage and development. Even under the cold climate, limited season with liquid water, young-age deglaciated context, soils have developed incipient spodic horizons and calcschist clasts appears completely weathered in place.
Alkali and alkaline earth elements exhibit chemical depletion throughout the profiles, whereas in some profiles phosphorus concentrations reflects nutrient uplift processes (i.e., accumulating at the top of the profile and depleted in mid-horizons) likely driven by “biotic” cycling. Phosphorus is relatively high in uppermost horizons at carbonate and glacial sites, but is quite low in gneiss, even though TOC is relatively high, suggesting that plants underlain by gneiss are able to generate organic compounds with lower P availability. Though rooting depth distributions exhibit linear declines with depth, contrary the typically observed exponential decay behavior, our data suggest that roots serve as important biotic weathering agents prompting rapid soil development. All profiles have high organic carbon content at the surface, but
are twice as high in the footslope Gneiss profile as in the midslope Glacier and Carbonate profiles and in the floodplain Alluvial profile.
These data, in conjunction with microbial analysis and geochemical variation, suggest that biota are key agents promoting the observed high degree of soil development in these high altitude ecosystems. We demonstrate how in the early stages of soil development abiotic and biotic factors influence soil weathering and C storage across different parent material and topography.
Adhikari, K. and Hartemink, A. E.: Linking soils to ecosystem services – A global review, Geoderma, 262, 101–111, 2016
Ilaria Baneschi; Ashlee Dere; Emma Aronson; Ramona Balint; Sharon Billings; Silvia Giamberini; Marta Magnani; Pietro Mosca; Maddalena Pennisi; Antonello Provenzale; Brunella Raco; Pamela L. Sullivan; Timothy White. The Nivolet CZ Ecosystem Observatory reveals rapid soil development in recently deglaciated alpine environments: Biotic weathering is the likely culprit. 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleIlaria Baneschi, Ashlee Dere, Emma Aronson, Ramona Balint, Sharon Billings, Silvia Giamberini, Marta Magnani, Pietro Mosca, Maddalena Pennisi, Antonello Provenzale, Brunella Raco, Pamela L. Sullivan, Timothy White. The Nivolet CZ Ecosystem Observatory reveals rapid soil development in recently deglaciated alpine environments: Biotic weathering is the likely culprit. . 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIlaria Baneschi; Ashlee Dere; Emma Aronson; Ramona Balint; Sharon Billings; Silvia Giamberini; Marta Magnani; Pietro Mosca; Maddalena Pennisi; Antonello Provenzale; Brunella Raco; Pamela L. Sullivan; Timothy White. 2020. "The Nivolet CZ Ecosystem Observatory reveals rapid soil development in recently deglaciated alpine environments: Biotic weathering is the likely culprit." , no. : 1.
Elena Zanzo; Ramona Balint; Marco Prati; Luisella Celi; Elisabetta Barberis; Antonio Violante; Maria Martin. Aging and arsenite loading control arsenic mobility from ferrihydrite-arsenite coprecipitates. Geoderma 2017, 299, 91 -100.
AMA StyleElena Zanzo, Ramona Balint, Marco Prati, Luisella Celi, Elisabetta Barberis, Antonio Violante, Maria Martin. Aging and arsenite loading control arsenic mobility from ferrihydrite-arsenite coprecipitates. Geoderma. 2017; 299 ():91-100.
Chicago/Turabian StyleElena Zanzo; Ramona Balint; Marco Prati; Luisella Celi; Elisabetta Barberis; Antonio Violante; Maria Martin. 2017. "Aging and arsenite loading control arsenic mobility from ferrihydrite-arsenite coprecipitates." Geoderma 299, no. : 91-100.
M Martin; R Balint; R Gorra; L Celi; E Barberis; A Violante. Arsenic mobility in natural and synthetic coprecipitation products. Arsenic in the Environment - Proceedings 2016, 270 -271.
AMA StyleM Martin, R Balint, R Gorra, L Celi, E Barberis, A Violante. Arsenic mobility in natural and synthetic coprecipitation products. Arsenic in the Environment - Proceedings. 2016; ():270-271.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM Martin; R Balint; R Gorra; L Celi; E Barberis; A Violante. 2016. "Arsenic mobility in natural and synthetic coprecipitation products." Arsenic in the Environment - Proceedings , no. : 270-271.
Understanding the effect of soil redox conditions on contaminant dynamics is of significant importance for evaluating their lability, mobility and potential transfer to other environmental compartments. Under changing redox conditions, soil properties and constituents such as Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides and organic matter (OM) may influence the behavior of associated metallic elements (MEs). In this work, the redox-driven release and redistribution of Cu between different soil pools was studied in three soils having different contamination sources. This was achieved by subjecting soil columns to a series of alternating reducing and oxidizing cycles under non-limiting C conditions, and assessing their influence on soil pore water, leachate and solid phase composition. Results showed that, in all soils, alternating redox conditions led to an increase in the distribution of Cu in the more labile fractions, consequently enhancing its susceptibility to loss. This was generally linked to the redox-driven cycling of Fe, Mn and dissolved organic matter (DOM). In fact, results suggested that the reductive dissolution of Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides and subsequent reprecipitation as poorly-ordered phases under oxic conditions contributed to the release and mobilization of Cu and/or Cu-containing organometallic complexes. However, the behavior of Cu, as well as the mechanisms controlling Cu release and loss with redox cycling, was influenced by both soil properties (e.g. pH, contents of easily reducible Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides) and source of Cu contamination.
Ramona Balint; Daniel Said-Pullicino; Franco Ajmone-Marsan. Copper dynamics under alternating redox conditions is influenced by soil properties and contamination source. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 2015, 173, 83 -91.
AMA StyleRamona Balint, Daniel Said-Pullicino, Franco Ajmone-Marsan. Copper dynamics under alternating redox conditions is influenced by soil properties and contamination source. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology. 2015; 173 ():83-91.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamona Balint; Daniel Said-Pullicino; Franco Ajmone-Marsan. 2015. "Copper dynamics under alternating redox conditions is influenced by soil properties and contamination source." Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 173, no. : 83-91.
R Balint; I Popescu; F Ajmone-Marsan; N Khalili; A Russell; A Khoshghalb. Removal of leached metals from flooded/drained contaminated soils using zeolites. Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications 2014, 1683 -1688.
AMA StyleR Balint, I Popescu, F Ajmone-Marsan, N Khalili, A Russell, A Khoshghalb. Removal of leached metals from flooded/drained contaminated soils using zeolites. Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications. 2014; ():1683-1688.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR Balint; I Popescu; F Ajmone-Marsan; N Khalili; A Russell; A Khoshghalb. 2014. "Removal of leached metals from flooded/drained contaminated soils using zeolites." Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications , no. : 1683-1688.
Understanding metallic element (ME) behaviour in soils subjected to alternating redox conditions is of significant environmental importance, particularly for contaminated soils. Although variations in the hydrological status of soils may lead to the release of ME, redox-driven changes in ME dynamics are still not sufficiently understood. We studied the effects of alternating redox cycles on the release, leaching and redistribution of Zn, Cu and Pb in metal mine-contaminated and non-contaminated soils by means of a column experiment. Although the release of Zn was promoted by the onset of reductive conditions, successive redox cycles favoured metal partitioning in less labile fractions limiting its further mobilization. The release of Cu in soil pore waters and redistribution in the solid phase towards more labile pools were strongly dependent on the alternation between oxidizing and reducing conditions. In contaminated soils, the presence of chalcopyrite could have determined the release of Cu under oxic conditions and its relative immobilization under subsequent anoxic conditions. The behaviour of Pb did not seem to be influenced by the redox status, although higher concentrations in the column leachates with respect to soil pore waters suggested that alternating redox conditions could nonetheless result in substantial mobilization. This study provides evidence that the alternation of soil redox conditions may play a more important role in determining the release and leaching of ME from soils with respect to reducing or oxidizing conditions considered separately.
Ramona Balint; Gheorghe Nechifor; Franco Ajmone-Marsan. Leaching potential of metallic elements from contaminated soils under anoxia. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 2014, 16, 211 -219.
AMA StyleRamona Balint, Gheorghe Nechifor, Franco Ajmone-Marsan. Leaching potential of metallic elements from contaminated soils under anoxia. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. 2014; 16 (2):211-219.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamona Balint; Gheorghe Nechifor; Franco Ajmone-Marsan. 2014. "Leaching potential of metallic elements from contaminated soils under anoxia." Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 16, no. 2: 211-219.
Ramona Balint. HEAVY METAL VARIATION IN THE SOILS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BALAN MINING PERIMETER. SGEM2010 International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference & EXPO 2010, 1 .
AMA StyleRamona Balint. HEAVY METAL VARIATION IN THE SOILS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BALAN MINING PERIMETER. SGEM2010 International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference & EXPO. 2010; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRamona Balint. 2010. "HEAVY METAL VARIATION IN THE SOILS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BALAN MINING PERIMETER." SGEM2010 International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference & EXPO , no. : 1.