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This paper reports a methodology for assessing the risk of damage caused to key cultural heritage buildings because of exposure to air pollution. Both corrosion and soiling damage are considered. Emissions inventories linked to a dispersion model allow the production of pollutant (SO, O, PM) contour maps across a city. Combining this information with dose-response functions allows the rate of building material damage to be mapped. The location of key cultural heritage properties can be added to these maps, allowing the risk to these building to be evaluated. UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites in London and Barcelona are used to demonstrate the methodology.

This is a study of the environmental impact of organic contaminants emitted from urban traffic and road infrastructure in Göteborg, Sweden. The vertical leaching of organic contaminants in road ditches has been investigated, as well as their occurrence in storm water sediment, urban soil, and shallow groundwater.

A total of 80 specific organic contaminants were analysed in a storm water sediment sample, and of these as many as 40 specific organics were identified. The concentration of total semi-volatiles, alkylbenzenes, aliphatics, 4-nonylphenols, total of mono- and di-nonylphenol ethoxylates, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), diethyl hexylphthalate (DEHP), and several brominated flame retardants, were all analysed in high concentration. Depth profiles, in clay, clay/sand, and sand road ditches, at four places along highway E20, were analysed for a total of 40 specific organic compounds. In the soil profiles, total semi-volatiles (<2300 mg kg dw) and carcinogenic PAH-16 (<1.0 mg kg dw) were identified. In one of the clay/ sand profiles, total semi-volatiles were analysed in decreasing concentrations but until a depth of 1 m, and the carcinogenic PAH-16 until 1.5 m. The relative composition of the specific PAH-16 indicates rubber tyres, vehicle exhausts, and asphalt materials to be the main sources of PAH contamination. Even in urban shallow groundwater, total semi-volatiles and carcinogenic PAH-16 were identified in remarkably high concentrations.

The occurrence of total semi-volatiles and carcinogenic PAH deep in road ditches, and the high levels in urban groundwater, show the need for efficient construction of road ditches and treatment of road runoff to prevent contamination. The high levels of total semi-volatiles in all samples show that most of the contaminants occurring in urban environments are still unidentified compounds with unknown environmental effects.

In the present work, L., an epiphytic bromeliad, was used as bioindicator of atmospheric metal pollution in São Paulo, Brazil, the biggest city in South America. samples were collected from an unpolluted area and were exposed bimonthly at ten sites of the city with different pollution levels and at a control site. Seven trace metals (Ni, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, V, and Sb) were analysed in the plants by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) thereafter. The results indicated that Co, Ni, Cd, and V can be attributed to industrial sources while Cu can be associated to both vehicular and industrial sources. Sb is suggested to be influenced mainly by vehicular sources. For Pb, no evident sources could be identified so far as it was spread evenly along the monitoring sites.

The use of commercially available cation exchange cartridges for the on/off-line removal of the major interferences of platinum group elements (PGEs) during analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was investigated and the method was validated using standard solutions and a certified reference material (BCR-723), road dust. The developed method was then applied to the analysis of dated sediment cores taken from the Venetian Lagoon. The results obtained showed enrichment for the PGEs when compared to the mean crustal values, and were in good agreement with the results found by other research groups for sediments from different parts of the globe.

The results of a comparative investigation on urban and natural matrices (soil, road, and tunnel dust) from Latium (central Italy) are used to evaluate the influence of catalyzed traffic emission on the distribution of Pt and rare earth elements (REE). Normalized REE data show that REE distribution pattern in urban soils is strictly related to natural background. Road dust, although collected directly on asphalt and so richer in catalyst particles, do not show at the moment any significant difference: the results evidence that REE in urban samples substantially maintains their original geological mark. In addition, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) technique is utilized to identify and analyse catalyst fragments in samples: in fact, the association of platinum group element-convoy-group element (PGE–Ce) or PGE–lanthanum (La), as high intensity peaks found in urban matrices, reveals the presence of catalyst particles.

Experiments were carried out to investigate the role of the different soil minerals for adsorption, fixation, and remobilization of automobile catalyst emitted platinum group elements – PGE (Pt, Pd, Rh). It was shown that the adsorption capacity of the investigated soil minerals (kaolinite, Mn/Feoxides, quartz, feldspar, calcite) shows large differences mainly depending on specific surface and surface loading. The pH value plays an important role for the buffer capacity of calcite. Kaolinite and Mn/Fe-oxides are characterized by high-specific surface and variable surface loading, expressing the highest adsorption capacity and also stronger bonding for the PGE.

Individual PGE show differences in respect of their adsorption behaviour. Platinum was adsorbed slower and to a much lower extend than Pd and Rh. Pd is the most easily removable element, even though it was adsorbed to a relatively high amount by all investigated minerals.

The experiments demonstrated that mineralogical composition and geochemical conditions of soil exert a decisive influence on fixation and remobilization of catalyst emitted PGE.

The aim of this project was to find effective reactive materials as use in soil-bed barriers, for remediation of soil contaminated with chromium at Stallbacka industrial area in Sweden. Materials with different reduction/ adsorption capacities of Cr(VI)/Cr(III) were tested in laboratory and in a field pilot-scale experiment. Concentrations of total Cr and Cr(VI) in the soil, highly contaminated with ferrochrome slag, were exceeding the guideline values for contaminated sites in Sweden.

Zero-valent iron (Fe) filling, FeSO o7HO, NaSO, field pine bark, modified pine bark, pine sawdust, and sphagnum peat were tested in batch or columns in mixture with the contaminated soil. All the materials, except peat, showed a good ability to reduce Cr(VI) in the batch experiments, and were chosen for further dynamic studies in columns. Iron sulphate and sodium sulphite were both shown to have a good ability to quickly reduce Cr(VI) in the columns, but the use might result in leaching of Fe and SO to surface and groundwater. For field bark it took a longer time to reduce/ adsorb the same amounts of chromium, but it was functional for a longer time.

Reactive soil-bed barriers were constructed in field: soil with embedded layers of FeSO, pine bark underlying the soil, and soil without any reactive material layer. The iron sulphate was determined not to be suitable for the soil treatment, due to the high percentage of coarse materials in the soil texture, and thereby a quick washout of FeSO during the water infiltration. The field reactive soil barrier with pine bark was proven to be effective in reducing Cr(VI), and also had the capacity to adsorb both total and dissolved chromium leaching from the contaminated soil.

Removal of dissolved heavy metals in road runoff can be achieved by filtration through reactive materials. A four-column installation was set up at an existing treatment plant and used to examine different types of filter materials . Two fractions of granulated activated carbon (GAC), Clinoptilolite and Polonite were investigated. The hydraulic loading was 1 m h and the metal attenuation capacities were studied under unsaturated and saturated conditions. The relative effectiveness of the materials decreased in the order: GAC of fine fraction > GAC of course fraction > zeolite > Polonite. Aluminium, Fe, Mn, and Zn showed the highest concentrations in influent storm water and also showed elevated removal efficiencies.

An experimental study was developed in order to evaluate the efficiency in retention of heavy metal from highway runoff using for filter bed current construction materials with known proprieties, sand and kaolinite. The control parameters for the experiments were: pH, conductivity, temperature, Zn, Cu, Pb, flow, and hydraulic head.

Preliminary results show that Zn is the most mobile metal with retention efficiency values decreasing to less than 50% in a 15-, 70-, and 110-day period, for the three different filter media. For Cu and Pb, and after a period of 260 days, the retention efficiencies obtained were above 70% and 40%, respectively, and above 90% in the sand and kaolinite media.

Worldwide, grass-lined channels (or swales) have long been used for the drainage of surface runoff from roads and motorways. Recently, the emphasis on sustainability and on minimization of impact on the environment have prompted the spread of swales as a drainage option which also provides flow attenuation and improvement of the quality of the discharged water. However, swales and other traditional grass-lined channels are typically too deep and steep-sided, from a vehicle safety view point, for use adjacent to carriageways.