ESRP: Study of Manganese in soils collected from Chicago ...
Transcript of ESRP: Study of Manganese in soils collected from Chicago ...
ApplicationThis research demonstrates to us that the industrial activity has a direct
impact on the levels of manganese in the soil. While manganese is an
essential element in human health, if found in high quantities manganese
has negative impacts on the health and psychology of those exposed. The
results of this experiment can be used to research the impact industrial
activities have on local communities.
ConclusionBased on XANES, it appears that the concentration of manganese in the
soil increased as the soil samples got closer to the industrial activity as
shown in Graph 1 and Figure 1. In addition, when each sample is equally
scaled, there is a similar shape as shown in Graph 2. This leads us to
conclude that in each sample the same type of manganese was found,
which can possibly indicate the manganese in the soil samples is
originiating from one or a few similar sources.
Materials and MethodsSamples of soil around the Chicagoland area, varying in their proximity
to industrial activities, were taken to the APS in March 2018. Each soil
sample was prepared by creating small pellets pressed with 10,000
pounds of pressure, placed into sample molds and covered with scotch
tape.
XANES was used in order to determine the elemental composition and
structure of the manganese in the samples. Knowing this information was
important as it allowed us identify and quantify the presence of
manganese at each site, which we then compared to find a correlation
between the levels of manganese in soil and the proximity of that soil to
industrial activities.
AbstractX-Ray fluorescence was used to estimate the concentration of manganese in
soil. Soil was taken from six separate residences in the city of Chicago which
are in the vicinity of industrial activities involving manganese. A background
soil sample was also taken at a location in Naperville away from suspected
industrial use of manganese. XANES (X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure)
scans were collected to estimate the oxidation state of manganese and to
compare and contrast the types of manganese compounds present in the
different soil samples.
Focusing QuestionIs there a connection between levels of manganese in soil and the proximity
of that soil to industrial activities?
HypothesisAs the samples get closer to the industrial activities, the manganese levels
should rise in the soil samples. Manganese levels in soil directly correlate
with distance of samples from the industrial activities.
ResultsThe data showed that each sample exhibited a unique manganese level as
shown below in Graph 1. As the samples got closer to the industrial source,
each sample demonstrated an increase in manganese level relative to the
background level illustrated in Figure 1. A foil sample of pure manganese
was measured at the beamline in the same way and the edge of manganese
was seen to be around 6,550 electron volts. Graph 2 shows all the results
scaled to a maximum value and each sample results in an absorption edge of
approximately 6,550 electron volts. The shape of each sample line is similar,
showing they are all a very similar type of manganese compound.
Further ResearchFurther research could include analysis of specific manganese form. We
could also collect additional samples in varying locations of the industrial
activity.
AcknowledgmentsThanks to: Louis Harnisch from the Exemplary Student Research Program
and Dr. Denis Keane, Dr. Qing Ma and Mr. William Guise from DND-
CAT. This research was made possible through the Exemplary Student
Research Program, supported by Argonne National Laboratory’s
Educational Programs (CEP), the APS User Office, Neuqua Valley
teacher, Daria Prawlocki and supported by the use of the Advanced Photon
Source, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science by Argonne National
Laboratory, and was supported by the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-
AC02-06CH11357. We are grateful for the use of sector 5 DND-CAT
facilities at the APS which are operated by DuPont, Northwestern
University, and Dow. Argonne National Laboratory is a U.S. Department
of Energy laboratory managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC.
Thanks also to our partnership with: Deborah Chizewer and Kristie Shu
of Northwestern Pritzker Law, Gina Ramirez of NRDC Chicago and Olga
Bautista of the Southeast Environmental Task Force.
ESRP: Study of Manganese in soils collected from Chicago residential areas
ESRP: Study of Manganese in Soils Collected From Chicago Residential AreasSamaksh Goyal1, Girik Jain1, Gillen Nelson1, Catherine O’Reilly1, Noah Simandl1, Joyce Zhou1
Daria Prawlocki1 ,,William Guise2, Qing Ma2, Denis T. Keane2
Deborah Chizewer3, Kristie Shu3, Gina Ramirez4, Olga Bautista5
1Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville, IL 605642DND-CAT, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
3Northwestern Pritzker Law, Chicago, IL 606114Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), Chicago, IL 60606
5Southeast Side Coalition, Chicago, IL 60633
Graph 1: Fluorescence Signal
Photo 3: Pressured Pellets mounted on the beamline.
Graph 2: Scaled Fluorescence Signal
Figure 1: Soil Collection Map
Industrial Activity
Photo 2: Students and Gina Ramirez collecting samples.
Photo 1: Students and Dr. Keane at the beamline.