Measuring Urban Forest Heavy Metals
Matthew Robin Daniel
Gilbert Rochon
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Matthew Daniel
Dear Gilbert,
Thank you for your prompt and informative reply, it is greatly appreciated.
I will discuss this with Greg Austic and inform you of our progress in future.
Kind regards
Matthew R Daniel
Director
Telephone 0433 026 823
22 Carr Street
Coburg North, VIC 3058
Australia
www.treepreservationaustralia.com.au
From: plots-spe...@googlegroups.com [mailto:plots-spe...@googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of Gilbert Rochon
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2017 6:15 AM
To: plots-spe...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [plots-spectrometry] Measuring Urban Forest Heavy Metals
Dear Matthew et al.: There are several methodologies available for measuring heavy metal content in soils, including:
Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS)
Inductively Coupled Plasma- Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES)
Xray Fluorescence (XRF). The University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute, Australia National University, among other academic institutions in Australia, as well as each have such equipment for which research testing potentially could be negotiated. I am unaware of an available affordable consumer test kit that can accurately and reliably test for specific heavy metals in soil. Developing partnerships with academic institutions may be the optimal solution.
Gilbert Rochon, Ph.D., MPH, Advocacy Manager
Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab)
The Warehouse
3014 Dauphine St., Suite T
New Orleans, LA 70017
Cell: (334) 421-9881
On Mon, Jul 10, 2017 at 12:10 AM, Matthew Robin Daniel <mat...@treepreservationaustralia.com.au> wrote:
Hi there, terav...@gmail.com
Does anyone know if there is any research into using a spectrometer to measure Heavy metals in soil?
I spoke with the Victorian EPA here in Australia and they are interested in developing a Citizen Science program that measures thin in the Urban Forest due to the rapid increase in Urban Agriculture.
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Gilbert Rochon
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Gilbert Rochon
Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental ... - MDPI
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
- Marija Jozic
- Thomas Peer
- Hans Malissa
, Volume 199, Issue 1–4, pp 291–300 Rapid Test Methods for the Field Screening of Heavy Metals in Soil Samples. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11270-008-9878-6
Matthew: Earlier in my career with the USDA Forest Service, there was also an attempt to identify pollution episodes, including heavy metals, utilizing tree ring analysis and dendrochemistry. This had mixed results, depending upon the specific hardwood and softwood varieties. Accordingly, I would concur with your approach, focusing on soil analysis. -Gilbert
Gilbert Rochon, Ph.D., MPH, Advocacy ManagerPublic Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab)The Warehouse3014 Dauphine St., Suite TNew Orleans, LA 70017Cell: (334) 421-9881
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Greg Austic
Gretchen Gehrke
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Matthew Daniel
Hi Gretchen,
Thanks for your post. I totally agree soils are very complex and that is why I am working on https://photosynq.org/projects/tree-health-calculator-1-0
I am trying to develop a community engagement project at a global scale to develop a wide data set to help investigate the complexities of plant and soil health and function.
This topic about heavy metals came about due to a conversation I had with the Victorian EPA – Citizen Science manager. Apparently the EPA are interested in my project but to get involved they need data on “nasties” to appease their mandate.
I understand how difficult it sounds to simplify a measurement protocol for heavy metals but if it is possible to include in a broad assessment of plant and soil health with onsite tools it is likely projects could get off the ground.
Keen to watch this possibility evolve with the help of the exceptional expertise of those within Public Lab, Our-Sci and PhotosynQ.
Here is a link to a meeting I had yesterday with Shannan Dosemagen. You folks are a cool bunch 😊
Kind regards
Matthew R Daniel
Telephone 0433 026 823
22 Carr Street
Coburg North, VIC 3058
Australia
From: Gretchen Gehrke [mailto:gret...@publiclab.org]
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2017 5:21 AM
To: plots-spe...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Gilbert Rochon <gil...@publiclab.org>; Matthew Daniel <mat...@treepreservationaustralia.com.au>; Dan Teravest <terav...@gmail.com>; Liz Barry <l...@publiclab.org>; Jeffrey Warren <je...@publiclab.org>; Stevie Lewis <ste...@publiclab.org>
Subject: Re: [plots-spectrometry] Measuring Urban Forest Heavy Metals
Hi folks,
Soils are tricky to analyze because they are so complex and heterogeneous. The reason they are mostly analyzed in the lab is because in order to measure the analytes of interest (e.g. metals or organic contaminants) at concentrations lower than a few parts per million (ppm), you need to digest or leach the soil. For heavy metals, you usually use a strong acid digest (usually a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid), heated. Once the metals are all in acid solution, then they can be analyzed a number of ways at high resolution (easily parts per billion range). I think there are a lot of potential lower-cost options for soil analysis in the future, and the most important place to start is probably in a more accessible method for soil extraction/digestion.
An approach that doesn't require digestion is x-ray analysis -- either x-ray fluorescence (XRF) or x-ray diffraction (XRD). For XRF you would grind the soil into a powder (as homogenous as you could get it), and then expose it to x-rays to quantify the metals present, usually in the ppm-% range. For XRD, you would be able to identify the minerals present (not just elements), but it's only in the % range.
Best,
Gretchen
On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 9:37 AM, Greg Austic <gbat...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yeah, x-ray's ain't very field portable :) and ICP is quite inexpensive (35 metals for <$50/sample) so I don't think there's been a huge drive to find alternatives. The Flint water crisis has probably spurred research into water-based lead and other heavy metals, but not not sure where that is it (I'm guessing PL folks are better informed on that work).
If one were to pursue a field-based method, we did find some likely possible solutions during my time at MSU. This professor - https://www.egr.msu.edu/people/profile/alocilja , does some good work on detection of trace proteins, but actually the same technology could be applied to other specific compounds, maybe arsenic and lead. It may be worth having a conversation with her about it. The method is to create a magnetic molecule that bonds to the compound of interest (lead, arsenic, etc.) and when it does it loses it's magnetism. Then you use a magnet to remove everything except the stuff that reacted. Dissolve the remaining stuff in alcohol or water (can't remember) then you use cycle voltamettry (of which there is an open source board which can do that - http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0023783) to identify how much of the stuff is remaining in solution.
Alternatively, instead of magnetism being the way to separate the stuff you want from the stuff you don't, you can also use fluorescent compounds (stuff that reacts fluoresces, stuff that doesn't does not fluoresce). That would be my preferred method, as the extraction component becomes unnecessary (simplifying the method) and fluorescence allows for large signal responses from low amounts of material (maybe ppm level or lower ? guessing but probably in that range).
So overall, my impression is a new method needs to be developed which is not at trivial effort, but I would say it's worth investigating.
Greg
On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 12:29 PM, Gilbert Rochon <gil...@publiclab.org> wrote:
Some references with respect to in-field testing of heavy metals in soil samples and a geo-statistical method are listed below. I have not utilized the field-based equipment and accordingly cannot attest as to their accuracy, as compared with laboratory-based testing, utilizing AAU, XRF or ICP-OES:
Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental ... - MDPI
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Matthew Daniel
Oh I just wanted to add something to the conversation.
Over the past 10 years I have been measuring soil
- Soil Physical properties
- Soil Chemistry (Total, available, exchangeable nutrient)
- Soil Biology ( Bac, Fungi, Prot, nem, mycorrhizae)
These assessments are great and tell a good story. Although, they are expensive and can easily change in urban environments within meters.
I am not moving away from these lab based assessments just want to collect as much data as possible to increase our understanding of Urban Forest health and function.
Measurables that can be collected onsite and by community groups allows for a much wider understanding. I also hope it will make my industry of Arboriculture to recognize the below ground components of trees (Rootzone) (Soil health) additionally it will make the industry more scientific as current practices and standards are based on human interpretation without measurables and are subjective.
Matt.
Kind regards
Matthew R Daniel
CEO
Telephone 0433 026 823
22 Carr Street
Coburg North, VIC 3058
Australia
From: Matthew Daniel [mailto:mat...@globalurbanforest.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2017 9:44 AM
To: 'Gretchen Gehrke' <gret...@publiclab.org>; 'plots-spe...@googlegroups.com' <plots-spe...@googlegroups.com>
Cc: 'Gilbert Rochon' <gil...@publiclab.org>; 'Dan Teravest' <terav...@gmail.com>; 'Liz Barry' <l...@publiclab.org>; 'Jeffrey Warren' <je...@publiclab.org>; 'Stevie Lewis' <ste...@publiclab.org>; 'Shannon Dosemagen' <sha...@publiclab.org>; 'Greg Austic' <gbat...@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: [plots-spectrometry] Measuring Urban Forest Heavy Metals
Hi Gretchen,
Thanks for your post. I totally agree soils are very complex and that is why I am working on https://photosynq.org/projects/tree-health-calculator-1-0
I am trying to develop a community engagement project at a global scale to develop a wide data set to help investigate the complexities of plant and soil health and function.
This topic about heavy metals came about due to a conversation I had with the Victorian EPA – Citizen Science manager. Apparently the EPA are interested in my project but to get involved they need data on “nasties” to appease their mandate.
I understand how difficult it sounds to simplify a measurement protocol for heavy metals but if it is possible to include in a broad assessment of plant and soil health with onsite tools it is likely projects could get off the ground.
Keen to watch this possibility evolve with the help of the exceptional expertise of those within Public Lab, Our-Sci and PhotosynQ.
Here is a link to a meeting I had yesterday with Shannan Dosemagen. You folks are a cool bunch 😊
Kind regards
Matthew R Daniel
CEO
Telephone 0433 026 823
22 Carr Street
Coburg North, VIC 3058
Australia
From: Gretchen Gehrke [mailto:gret...@publiclab.org]
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2017 5:21 AM
To: plots-spe...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Gilbert Rochon <gil...@publiclab.org>; Matthew Daniel <mat...@treepreservationaustralia.com.au>; Dan Teravest <terav...@gmail.com>; Liz Barry <l...@publiclab.org>; Jeffrey Warren <je...@publiclab.org>; Stevie Lewis <ste...@publiclab.org>
Subject: Re: [plots-spectrometry] Measuring Urban Forest Heavy Metals
Hi folks,
Soils are tricky to analyze because they are so complex and heterogeneous. The reason they are mostly analyzed in the lab is because in order to measure the analytes of interest (e.g. metals or organic contaminants) at concentrations lower than a few parts per million (ppm), you need to digest or leach the soil. For heavy metals, you usually use a strong acid digest (usually a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid), heated. Once the metals are all in acid solution, then they can be analyzed a number of ways at high resolution (easily parts per billion range). I think there are a lot of potential lower-cost options for soil analysis in the future, and the most important place to start is probably in a more accessible method for soil extraction/digestion.
An approach that doesn't require digestion is x-ray analysis -- either x-ray fluorescence (XRF) or x-ray diffraction (XRD). For XRF you would grind the soil into a powder (as homogenous as you could get it), and then expose it to x-rays to quantify the metals present, usually in the ppm-% range. For XRD, you would be able to identify the minerals present (not just elements), but it's only in the % range.
Best,
Gretchen
On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 9:37 AM, Greg Austic <gbat...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yeah, x-ray's ain't very field portable :) and ICP is quite inexpensive (35 metals for <$50/sample) so I don't think there's been a huge drive to find alternatives. The Flint water crisis has probably spurred research into water-based lead and other heavy metals, but not not sure where that is it (I'm guessing PL folks are better informed on that work).
If one were to pursue a field-based method, we did find some likely possible solutions during my time at MSU. This professor - https://www.egr.msu.edu/people/profile/alocilja , does some good work on detection of trace proteins, but actually the same technology could be applied to other specific compounds, maybe arsenic and lead. It may be worth having a conversation with her about it. The method is to create a magnetic molecule that bonds to the compound of interest (lead, arsenic, etc.) and when it does it loses it's magnetism. Then you use a magnet to remove everything except the stuff that reacted. Dissolve the remaining stuff in alcohol or water (can't remember) then you use cycle voltamettry (of which there is an open source board which can do that - http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0023783) to identify how much of the stuff is remaining in solution.
Alternatively, instead of magnetism being the way to separate the stuff you want from the stuff you don't, you can also use fluorescent compounds (stuff that reacts fluoresces, stuff that doesn't does not fluoresce). That would be my preferred method, as the extraction component becomes unnecessary (simplifying the method) and fluorescence allows for large signal responses from low amounts of material (maybe ppm level or lower ? guessing but probably in that range).
So overall, my impression is a new method needs to be developed which is not at trivial effort, but I would say it's worth investigating.
Greg
On Tue, Jul 11, 2017 at 12:29 PM, Gilbert Rochon <gil...@publiclab.org> wrote:
Some references with respect to in-field testing of heavy metals in soil samples and a geo-statistical method are listed below. I have not utilized the field-based equipment and accordingly cannot attest as to their accuracy, as compared with laboratory-based testing, utilizing AAU, XRF or ICP-OES:
Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals and the Environmental ... - MDPI
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