Metal transport parameters of a gneiss saprolitic silty soil for liner design

Diffusion coefficients and retardation factors of two metal cations (Cd2+ and Pb2+) were measured for a compacted Brazilian saprolitic soil derived from gneiss, aiming to assess its geoenvironmental performance as a liner for waste disposal sites. This soil occurs extensively all over the country in very thick layers, but has not been used in liners because of its hydraulic conductivity, higher than 10(-9) m/s when compacted at optimum water content of standard Proctor energy, but which can be reduced by means of appropriate compaction techniques or additives. Batch, column, and diffusion tests were carried out with monospecies synthetic solutions at pH 1, 3, and 5.5. Measured diffusion coefficients varied between 0.5 and 4 X 10(-10) m(2)/s. Retardation factors show that cadmium, a very mobile cation, is not adsorbed at pH I but is significantly retained at pH 3 and pH 5.5, whereas lead is retained at all tested pH values though slightly at pH 1. Estimated retardation factors from batch tests were 1.3-2.3 times those resulting from column tests and at its highest when obtained by diffusion tests; whereas batch tests allow a more complete exposure of the soil grains to the solution, time-dependent nonspecific adsorption may take longer to occur. The importance of contact time was observed and should be considered in further investigations. Its significant retention of metals suggests a promising utilization of this soil as a bottom liner for wastes landfills.

Metal Transport in the Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis

Metal Transport in the Rhizobium-legume Symbiosis

Nicotianamine Chelates Both FeIII and FeII. Implications for Metal Transport in Plants1

Nicotianamine (NA) occurs in all plants and chelates metal cations, including FeII, but reportedly not FeIII. However, a comparison of the FeII and ZnII affinity constants of NA and various FeIII-chelating aminocarboxylates suggested that NA should chelate FeIII. High-voltage electrophoresis of the FeNA complex formed in the presence of FeIII showed that the complex had a net charge of 0, consistent with the hexadentate chelation of FeIII. Measurement of the affinity constant for FeIII yielded a value of 1020.6, which is greater than that for the association of NA with FeII (1012.8). However, capillary electrophoresis showed that in the presence of FeII and FeIII, NA preferentially chelates FeII, indicating that the FeIINA complex is kinetically stable under aerobic conditions. Furthermore, Fe complexes of NA are relatively poor Fenton reagents, as measured by their ability to mediate H2O2-dependent oxidation of deoxyribose. This suggests that NA will have an important role in scavenging Fe and protecting the cell from oxidative damage. The pH dependence of metal ion chelation by NA and a typical phytosiderophore, 2′-deoxymugineic acid, indicated that although both have the ability to chelate Fe, when both are present, 2′-deoxymugineic acid dominates the chelation process at acidic pH values, whereas NA dominates at alkaline pH values. The consequences for the role of NA in the long-distance transport of metals in the xylem and phloem are discussed.

The Role of Iron-Deficiency Stress Responses in Stimulating Heavy-Metal Transport in Plants1

Plant accumulation of Fe and other metals can be enhanced under Fe deficiency. We investigated the influence of Fe status on heavy-metal and divalent-cation uptake in roots of pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Sparkle) seedlings using Cd2+ uptake as a model system. Radiotracer techniques were used to quantify unidirectional 109Cd influx into roots of Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient pea seedlings. The concentration-dependent kinetics for 109Cd influx were graphically complex and nonsaturating but could be resolved into a linear component and a saturable component exhibiting Michaelis-Menten kinetics. We demonstrated that the linear component was apoplastically bound Cd2+ remaining in the root cell wall after desorption, whereas the saturable component was transporter-mediated Cd2+ influx across the root-cell plasma membrane. The Cd2+ transport system in roots of both Fe-deficient and Fe-sufficient seedlings exhibited similar Michaelis constant values, 1.5 and 0.6 μm, respectively, for saturable Cd2+ influx, whereas the maximum initial velocity for Cd2+ uptake in Fe-deficient seedlings was nearly 7-fold higher than that in Fe-grown seedlings. Investigations into the mechanistic basis for this response demonstrated that Fe-deficiency-induced stimulation of the plasma membrane H+-ATPase did not play a role in the enhanced Cd2+ uptake. Expression studies with the Fe2+ transporter cloned from Arabidopsis, IRT1, indicated that Fe deficiency induced the expression of this transporter, which might facilitate the transport of heavy-metal divalent cations such as Cd2+ and Zn2+, in addition to Fe2+.

Charge transport in transparent conductors: A comparison

A comparative investigation of charge transport properties is presented, for polymeric [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)], single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) and inorganic (indium tin oxide, ITO), transparent conducting electrodes. The polymeric and nanotube systems show hopping transport at low temperatures, in contrast with the disordered-metal transport in ITO. The low temperature magnetotransport (up to 11 T) and high electric-field transport (up to 500 V/cm) indicate the significant role of nanoscopic scale disorder for charge transport in polymer and nanotube based systems. The results show that characteristic length scales like localization length correlates with the nanomorphology in these systems. Further, the high frequency conductivity measurements (up to 30 MHz) in PEDOT:PSS and SWNT follow the extended pair approximation model [σ(ω)=σ(0)[1+(ω/ω0)s].

Functional characterization of the twin ZIP/SLC39 metal transporters, NpunF3111 and NpunF2202 in Nostoc punctiforme

The ZIP family of metal transporters is involved in the transport of Zn2+ and other metal cations from the extracellular environment and/or organelles into the cytoplasm of prokaryotes, eukaryotes and archaeotes. In the present study, we identified twin ZIP transporters, Zip11 (Npun_F3111) and Zip63 (Npun_F2202) encoded within the genome of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Nostoc punctiforme PCC73120. Sequence-based analyses and structural predictions confirmed that these cyanobacterial transporters belong to the SLC39 subfamily of metal transporters. Quantitative real-time (QRT)-PCR analyses suggested that the enzymes encoded by zip11 and zip63 have a broad allocrite range that includes zinc as well as cadmium, cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel. Inactivation of either zip11 or zip63 via insertional mutagenesis in N. punctiforme resulted in reduced expression of both genes, highlighting a possible co-regulation mechanism. Uptake experiments using 65Zn demonstrated that both zip mutants had diminished zinc uptake capacity, with the deletion of zip11 resulting in the greatest overall reduction in 65Zn uptake. Over-expression of Zip11 and Zip63 in an E. coli mutant strain (ZupT736::kan) restored divalent metal cation uptake, providing further evidence that these transporters are involved in Zn uptake in N. punctiforme. Our findings show the functional role of these twin metal uptake transporters in N. punctiforme, which are independently expressed in the presence of an array of metals. Both Zip11 and Zip63 are required for the maintenance of homeostatic levels of intracellular zinc N. punctiforme, although Zip11 appears to be the primary zinc transporter in this cyanobacterium, both ZIP's may be part of a larger metal uptake system with shared regulatory elements.

Coffee is highly tolerant to cadmium, nickel and zinc: Plant and soil nutritional status, metal distribution and bean yield

Sewage sludge has been used to fertilize coffee, increasing the risk of metal contamination in this crop. The aim of this work was to study the effects of Cd, Zn and Ni in adult coffee plants growing under field conditions. Seven-year-old coffee plants growing in the field received one of three;loses of Cd, Zn or Ni: 15,45 and 90 g Cd plant(-1); 35, 105 and 210 g Ni plant(-1); and 100, 300 and 600 g Zn plant(-1), with all three metals in the form of sulphate salts. After three months, we noticed good penetration of the three metals into the soil, especially in the first 50 cm, which is the region where most coffee plant roots are concentrated. Leaf concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu, Fe and Mn were nor affected. N levels did not change with the application of Ni or Zn but were reduced with either 45 or 90 g Cd plant(-1). Foliar P concentrations decreased with the addition of 45 and 90 g Cd plant(-1) and 600 g Zn plant(-1). Zn levels in leaves were not affected by the application of Cd or Ni. The highest concentrations. of Zn were found in branches (30-230 mg kg(-1)), leaves (7-35 mg kg(-1)) and beam (4-6.5 mg kg(-1)); Ni was found in leaves (4-45 mg kg(-1)), branches (3-18 mg kg(-1)) and beans (1-5 mg kg(-1)); and Cd was found in branches (0-6.2 mg kg(-1)) and beans (0-1.5 mg kg(-1)) but was absent in leaves. The mean yield of two harvests was not affected by Ni, but it decreased at the highest dose of Zn (600 g plant(-1)) and the two higher doses of Cd (45 and 90 g plant(-1)). Plants died when treated with the highest dose of Cd and showed symptoms of toxicity with the highest dose of Zn. Nevertheless, based on the amounts of metal used and the results obtained, we conclude that coffee plants are highly tolerant to the three metals tested. Moreover, even at high doses, there was very little transport to the beans, which is the part consumed by humans. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and Validation of a Fast and Homogeneous Cell-Based Fluorescence Screening Assay for Divalent Metal Transporter 1 (DMT1/SLC11A2) Using the FLIPR Tetra.

Divalent metal ion transporter 1 (DMT1) is a proton-coupled Fe(2+) transporter that is essential for iron uptake in enterocytes and for transferrin-associated endosomal iron transport in many other cell types. DMT1 dysfunction is associated with several diseases such as iron overload disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The main objective of the present work is to develop and validate a fluorescence-based screening assay for DMT1 modulators. We found that Fe(2+) or Cd(2+) influx could be reliably monitored in calcium 5-loaded DMT1-expressing HEK293 cells using the FLIPR Tetra fluorescence microplate reader. DMT1-mediated metal transport shows saturation kinetics depending on the extracellular substrate concentration, with a K0.5 value of 1.4 µM and 3.5 µM for Fe(2+) and Cd(2+), respectively. In addition, Cd(2+) was used as a substrate for DMT1, and we find a Ki value of 2.1 µM for a compound (2-(3-carbamimidoylsulfanylmethyl-benzyl)-isothiourea) belonging to the benzylisothioureas family, which has been identified as a DMT1 inhibitor. The optimized screening method using this compound as a reference demonstrated a Z' factor of 0.51. In summary, we developed and validated a sensitive and reproducible cell-based fluorescence assay suitable for the identification of compounds that specifically modulate DMT1 transport activity.

Tandem quadruplication of HMA4 in the zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulator Noccaea caerulescens

Zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulation may have evolved twice in the Brassicaceae, in Arabidopsis halleri and in the Noccaea genus. Tandem gene duplication and deregulated expression of the Zn transporter, HMA4, has previously been linked to Zn/Cd hyperaccumulation in A. halleri. Here, we tested the hypothesis that tandem duplication and deregulation of HMA4 expression also occurs in Noccaea. A Noccaea caerulescens genomic library was generated, containing 36,864 fosmid pCC1FOS (TM) clones with insert sizes similar to 20-40 kbp, and screened with a PCR-generated HMA4 genomic probe. Gene copy number within the genome was estimated through DNA fingerprinting and pooled fosmid pyrosequencing. Gene copy numbers within individual clones was determined by PCR analyses with novel locus specific primers. Entire fosmids were then sequenced individually and reads equivalent to 20-fold coverage were assembled to generate complete whole contigs. Four tandem HMA4 repeats were identified in a contiguous sequence of 101,480 bp based on sequence overlap identities. These were flanked by regions syntenous with up and downstream regions of AtHMA4 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Promoter-reporter beta-glucuronidase (GUS) fusion analysis of a NcHMA4 in A. thaliana revealed deregulated expression in roots and shoots, analogous to AhHMA4 promoters, but distinct from AtHMA4 expression which localised to the root vascular tissue. This remarkable consistency in tandem duplication and deregulated expression of metal transport genes between N. caerulescens and A. halleri, which last shared a common ancestor > 40 mya, provides intriguing evidence that parallel evolutionary pathways may underlie Zn/Cd hyperaccumulation in Brassicaceae.

Separation and viability of gill and hepatopancreatic cells of a mangrove crab Ucides cordatus

The gills contain essential cells for respiration and osmoregulation, whereas the hepatopancreas is the site of digestion, absorption, and nutrients storage. The aim of this work was to separate and characterize gill and hepatopancreatic cells of the mangrove crab, Ucides cordatus. For gills, the methodology consisted of an enzymatic cellular dissociation using Trypsin at 0.5%, observation of cellular viability with Tripan Blue, and separation of cells using discontinuous sucrose gradient at concentrations of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. The hepatopancreatic cells were dissociated by magnetic stirring, with posterior separation by sucrose gradient at the same concentrations above. For gills, a high cellular viability was observed (92.5 +/- 2.1%), with hemocyte cells in 10% sucrose layer (57.99 +/- 0.17%, *P < 0.05), principal cells in the 20% sucrose layer (57.33 +/- 0.18, *P < 0.05), and thick cells and pillar cells in the 30% and 40% sucrose layers, respectively (39.54 +/- 0.05%, *P < 0.05; and 41.81 +/- 0.04%, *P < 0.05). The hepatopancreatic cells also showed good viability (79.22 +/- 0.02%), with the observation of embryonic (E) cells in the 10% sucrose layer (67.87 +/- 0.06%, **P < 0.001), resorptive (R) and fibrillar (F) cells in the 20% and 30% sucrose layers (44.71 +/- 0.06%, **P < 0.001, and 43.25 +/- 0.01%, *P < 0.05; respectively), and blister (B) cells in the 40% sucrose layer (63.09 +/- 0.03%, **P < 0.001). The results are a starting point for in vitro studies of heavy metal transport in isolated cells of the mangrove crab U. cordatus, subjected to contamination by metals in the mangrove habitat where they are found.

Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Biochemical Engineering Symposium

This volume contains the Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Biochemical Engineering Symposium held at Kansas State University on September 21, 1996. The program included 10 oral presentations and 14 posters. Some of the papers describe the progress of ongoing projects, and others contain the results of completed projects. Only brief summaries are given of some of the papers; many of the papers will be published in full elsewhere. A listing of those who attended is given below. ContentsForeign Protein Production from SV40 Early Promoter in Continuous Cultures of Recombinant CHO Cells - Gautam Banik, Paul Todd, and Dhinakar Kampala Enhanced Cell Recruitment Due to Cell-Cell Interactions - Brad Farlow and Matthias Nollert The Recirculation of Hybridoma Suspension Cultures: Effects on Cell Death, Metabolism and Mab Productivity - Peng Jin and Carole A. Heath The Importance of Enzyme Inactivation and Self-Recovery in Cometabolic Biodegradation of Chlorinated Solvents - Xi-Hui Zhang, Shanka Banerji, and Rakesh Bajpai Phytoremediation of VOC contaminated Groundwater using Poplar Trees - Melissa Miller, Jason Dana, L.C. Davis, Murlidharan Narayanan, and L.E. Erickson Biological Treatment of Off-Gases from Aluminum Can Production: Experimental Results and Mathematical Modeling - Adeyma Y. Arroyo, Julio Zimbron, and Kenneth F. Reardon Inertial Migration Based Separation of Chlorella Microalgae in Branched Tubes - N.M. Poflee, A.L. Rakow, D.S. Dandy, M.L. Chappell, and M.N. Pons Contribution of Electrochemical Charge to Protein Partitioning in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems - Weiyu Fan and Charles C. Glatz Biodegradation of Some Commercial Surfactants Used in Bioremediation - Jun Gu, G.W. Preckshot, S.K. Banerji, and Rakesh Bajpai Modeling the Role of Biomass in Heavy Metal Transport Ln Vadose Zone - K.V. Nedunuri, L.E. Erickson, and R.S. Govindaraju Multivariable Statistical Methods for Monitoring Process Quality: Application to Bioinsecticide Production by 73 89 Bacillus Thuringiensis - c. Puente and M.N. Karim The Use of Polymeric Flocculants in Bacterial Lysate Streams - H. Graham, A.S. Cibulskas and E.H. Dunlop Effect of Water Content on transport of Trichloroethylene in a Chamber with Alfalfa Plants - Muralidharan Narayanan, Jiang Hu, Lawrence C. Davis, and Larry E. Erickson Detection of Specific Microorganisms using the Arbitrary Primed PCR in the Bacterial Community of Vegetated Soil - X. Wu and L.C. Davis Flux Enhancement Using Backpulsing - V.T. Kuberkar and R.H. Davis Chromatographic Purification of Oligonucleotides: Comparison with Electrophoresis - Stephen P. Cape, Ching-Yuan Lee, Kevin Petrini, Sean Foree, Micheal G. Sportiello and Paul Todd Determining Singular Arc Control Policies for Bioreactor Systems Using a Modified Iterative Dynamic Programming Algorithm - Arun Tholudur and W. Fred Ramirez Pressure Effect on Subtilisins Measured via FTIR, EPR and Activity Assays, and Its Impact on Crystallizations - J.N. Webb, R.Y. Waghmare, M.G. Bindewald, T.W. Randolph, J.F. Carpenter, C.E. Glatz Intercellular Calcium Changes in Endothelial Cells Exposed to Flow - Laura Worthen and Matthias Nollert Application of Liquid-Liquid Extraction in Propionic Acid Fermentation - Zhong Gu, Bonita A. Glatz, and Charles E. Glatz Purification of Recombinant T4 Lysozyme from E. Coli: Ion-Exchange Chromatography - Weiyu Fan, Matt L. Thatcher, and Charles E. Glatz Recovery and Purification of Recombinant Beta-Glucuronidase from Transgenic Corn - Ann R. Kusnadi, Roque Evangelista, Zivko L. Nikolov, and John Howard Effects of Auxins and cytokinins on Formation of Catharanthus Roseus G. Don Multiple Shoots - Ying-Jin Yuan, Yu-Min Yang, Tsung-Ting Hu, and Jiang Hu Fate and Effect of Trichloroethylene as Nonaqueous Phase Liquid in Chambers with Alfalfa - Qizhi Zhang, Brent Goplen, Sara Vanderhoof, Lawrence c. Davis, and Larry E. Erickson Oxygen Transport and Mixing Considerations for Microcarrier Culture of Mammalian Cells in an Airlift Reactor - Sridhar Sunderam, Frederick R. Souder, and Marylee Southard Effects of Cyclic Shear Stress on Mammalian Cells under Laminar Flow Conditions: Apparatus and Methods - M.L. Rigney, M.H. Liew, and M.Z. Southard

The yeast ZRT1 gene encodes the zinc transporter protein of a high-affinity uptake system induced by zinc limitation.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two separate systems for zinc uptake. One system has high affinity for substrate and is induced in zinc-deficient cells. The second system has lower affinity and is not highly regulated by zinc status. The ZRT1 gene encodes the transporter for the high-affinity system, called Zrt1p. The predicted amino acid sequence of Zrt1p is similar to that of Irt1p, a probable Fe(II) transporter from Arabidopsis thaliana. Like Irt1p, Zrt1p contains eight potential transmembrane domains and a possible metal-binding domain. Consistent with the proposed role of ZRT1 in zinc uptake, overexpressing this gene increased high-affinity uptake activity, whereas disrupting it eliminated that activity and resulted in poor growth of the mutant in zinc-limited media. Furthermore, ZRT1 mRNA levels and uptake activity were closely correlated, as was zinc-limited induction of a ZRT1-lacZ fusion. These results suggest that ZRT1 is regulated at the transcriptional level by the intracellular concentration of zinc. ZRT1 is an additional member of a growing family of metal transport proteins.

Concentrations and isotopic compositions of low molecular weight hydrocarbons in hydrothermal fluids from ODP Field, Middle Valley, northern Juan de Fuca Ridge

The presence of sedimentary organic matter blanketing midocean ridge crests has a potentially strong impact on metal transport in hydrothermal vent fluids. To constrain the role of organic matter in metal mobility during hydrothermal sediment alteration, we reacted organic-rich diatomaceous ooze from Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, and organic-poor hemipelagic mud from Middle Valley, northern Juan de Fuca Ridge, with seawater and a Na-Ca-K-Cl fluid of seawater chlorinity, at 275° to 400°C, 350 to 500 bars, and initial fluid: sediment mass ratios ranging from 1.6 to 9.8. Reaction of these fluids with both sediment types released CO2 and high concentrations of ore-forming metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb) to solution. Relatively low concentrations of Cu were observed in solution and likely reflect the reducing conditions that resulted from the presence of sedimentary organic matter. Both the concentrations of CO2 and dissolved metals were lower in fluids reacted with Middle Valley sediment compared with aqueous concentrations in fluids reacted with Guaymas Basin sediment. During alteration of both sediment types, metal concentrations varied strongly as a function of temperature, increasing by up to an order of magnitude over the 75°C range of each experiment. Major element fluid chemistry and observed alteration assemblages suggest that during hydrothermal alteration of organic-lean sediment from Middle Valley a feldspar-quartz-illite mineral assemblage buffered in situ pH. In contrast, data from the experimental alteration of organic-rich Guaymas Basin sediment suggest that a calcite-plagioclase-quartz assemblage regulated in situ pH. Fluid speciation calculations suggest that in situ pH during Guaymas Basin sediment alteration was lower than during alteration of Middle Valley sediment and accounts for the substantially greater metal mobility at a given temperature and pressure during the former experiment. Comparison of our results with the results of basalt alteration experiments indicate that except for Cu, hydrothermal sediment alteration results in equal or greater concentrations of ore-forming metals at a given temperature and pressure. Accordingly, the presence of ore-forming metals in fluids currently venting from sediment-covered hydrothermal systems at concentrations substantially lower than in fluids from bare-rock systems may reflect chemical reequilibration during subsurface cooling within the sediment pile.

Exploring the Function and Regulation of Arabidopsis EIN2 in Ethylene Signaling

Ethylene is an essential plant hormone involved in nearly all stages of plant growth and development. EIN2 (ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE2) is a master positive regulator in the ethylene signaling pathway, consisting of an N-terminal domain and a C-terminal domain. The EIN2 N-terminal domain localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and shows sequence similarity to Nramp metal ion transporters. The cytosolic C-terminal domain is unique to plants and signals downstream. There have been several major gaps in our knowledge of EIN2 function. It was unknown how the ethylene signal gets relayed from the known upstream component CTR1 (CONSTITUTIVE RESPONSE1) a Ser/Thr kinase at the ER, to EIN2. How the ethylene signal was transduced from EIN2 to the next downstream component transcription factor EIN3 (ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE3) in the nucleus was also unknown. The N-terminal domain of EIN2 shows homology to Nramp metal ion transporters and whether EIN2 can also function as a metal transporter has been a question plaguing the ethylene field for almost two decades. Here, EIN2 was found to interact with the CTR1 protein kinase, leading to the discovery that CTR1 phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of EIN2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using tags at the termini of EIN2, it was deduced that in the presence of ethylene, the EIN2 C-terminal domain is cleaved and translocates into the nucleus, where it could somehow activate downstream ethylene responses. The EIN2 C-terminal domain interacts with nuclear proteins, RTE3 and EER5, which are components of the TREX-2 mRNA export complex, although the role of these interactions remains unclear. The EIN2 N-terminal domain was found to be capable of divalent metal transport when expressed in E. coli and S. cerevisiae leading to the hypothesis that metal transport plays a role in ethylene signaling. This hypothesis was tested using a novel missense allele, ein2 G36E, substituting a highly conserved residue that is required for metal transport in Nramp proteins. This G36E substitution did not disrupt metal ion transport of EIN2, but the ethylene insensitive phenotype of this mutant indicates that the EIN2 N-terminal domain is important for positively regulating the C-terminal domain. The defect of the ein2 G36E mutant does not prevent proper expression or subcellular localization, but might affect protein modifications. The ein2 G36E allele is partially dominant, mostly likely displaying haploinsufficiency. Overexpression of the EIN2 N-terminal domain in the ein2 G36E mutant did not rescue ethylene insensitivity, suggesting the N-terminal domain functions in cis to regulate the C-terminal domain. These findings advance our knowledge of EIN2, which is critical to understanding ethylene signaling.

Influence of organic matter in road deposited particulates in heavy metal accumulation and transport

The research study discussed in the paper investigated the influence of organic matter on heavy metal adsorption for different particle size ranges of build-up solids. Samples collected from road surfaces were assessed for organic matter content, mineral composition, particle size distribution and effective cation exchange capacity. It was found that the organic matter plays a key role in >75µm particles in the adsorption of Zinc, Lead, Nickel and Copper, which are generated by traffic activities. Clay forming minerals and metal oxides of Iron, Aluminium and Manganese was found to be important for heavy metal adsorption to <75µm particles. It was also found that heavy metals adsorbed to organic matter are strongly bound to particles and these metal ions will not be bio-available if the chemical quality of the media remains stable.