ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marie-Ange Massicotte, Antony T. Vincent, Anna Schneider, Valérie E. Paquet, Michel Frenette, Steve J. Charette〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The Gram-negative bacterium 〈em〉Aeromonas salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 is an aquatic pathogen which causes furunculosis to salmonids, especially in fish farms. The emergence of strains of this bacterium exhibiting antibiotic resistance is increasing, limiting the effectiveness of antibiotherapy as a treatment against this worldwide disease. In the present study, we discovered an isolate of 〈em〉A. salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 that harbors two novel plasmids variants carrying antibiotic resistance genes. The use of long-read sequencing (PacBio) allowed us to fully characterize those variants, named pAsa5-3432 and pRAS3-3432, which both differ from their classic counterpart through their content in mobile genetic elements. The plasmid pAsa5-3432 carries a new multidrug region composed of multiple mobile genetic elements, including a Class 1 integron similar to an integrated element of 〈em〉Salmonella enterica〈/em〉. With this new region, probably acquired through plasmid recombination, pAsa5-3432 is the first reported plasmid of this bacterium that bears both an essential virulence factor (the type three secretion system) and multiple antibiotic resistance genes. As for pRAS3-3432, compared to the classic pRAS3, it carries a new mobile element that has only been identified in 〈em〉Chlamydia suis〈/em〉. Hence, with the identification of those two novel plasmids harboring mobile genetic elements that are normally encountered in other bacterial species, the present study puts emphasis on the important impact of mobile genetic elements in the genomic plasticity of 〈em〉A. salmonicida〈/em〉 subsp. 〈em〉salmonicida〈/em〉 and suggests that this aquatic bacterium could be an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes that can be exchanged with other bacteria, including human and animal pathogens.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330293-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Christopher Markosian, Natella Mirzoyan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pollution by heavy metals and metalloids is detrimental to human health due to their toxic, genotoxic, and carcinogenic effects. The traditional approach to assess the extent of environmental and occupational exposures of metals is human biomonitoring (HBM). This method has several limitations, including invasiveness, sampling bias, cost- and time-intensiveness, and ethical issues. This suggests the need for a more robust, non-invasive, epidemiological tool for assessment of exposure to metals and their public health effects. Recently, wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been suggested and utilized as a novel approach to accurately determine the extent of exposure to multiple substances on the population level. We suggest the potential application of WBE to the study of metal exposure on the population level, including possible biomarkers for wastewater analysis of 10 metals belonging to three categories according to health effects and nutritional benefits, and its public health implications. Similar to previous studies of exposure to regulated or illegal drugs, unregulated legal substances, and pesticides, WBE can be applied to the study of metal exposure in a given community. Parental substance biomarkers (PSBs), metabolic substance biomarkers (MSBs), and non-substance biomarkers (NSBs) of 10 common metals are available for consideration in wastewater analysis. The use of WBE would allow for the interpretation of the relationship between metal exposure and population health, reveal synergistic effects of different health factors, and model public health risks under different scenarios.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329924-ga1.jpg" width="459" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong-Lin Liu, Yong-Tao Li, Jian-Fei Huang, Yu-Long Zhang, Zhong-Hang Ruan, Tian Hu, Jin-Jin Wang, Wen-Yan Li, Han-Jian Hu, Gang-Biao Jiang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The application of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) is often limited by agglomeration and low loading. Here, we presented a facile phase change material (PCM) -based sol-gel strategy for the fabrication of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles. Rosin was used as the PCM in the sol-gel process and the carbon-based substrate of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles in the thermal process. The α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle embedded rosin-derived biochar(α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc)were highly dispersed. The dispersity of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle could be regulated by the weight ratios of rosin to FeCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉·6H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O during the preparation, as evidenced by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) spectrum and the sorption capacity results. Among a series of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc nanocomposites, the one with the weight ratios of 1/1.5 rosin/FeCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉·6H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O had the highest capacity for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) sorption. This phenomenon can be ascribed to a remarkably enhanced interfacial reactivity due to an increase in the dispersity of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticle. In addition, SEM showed that the majority of α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles was dispersed on and inside the biochar substrate. Batch adsorption experiments revealed that the α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc adsorbed 90% Cr(VI) within one minute, and the maximum capacity was up to 166 mg·g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 based on the Langmuir model. The FTIR and XPS spectra revealed that the adsorbed Cr(VI) species were partially reduced to less toxic Cr(III). Considering that α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 nanoparticles provided important sorption sites, the newly formed Cr(III) and the remaining Cr(VI) ions could be adsorbed on α-Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉@HrBc via the formation of Fe〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Cr coprecipitation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331341-ga1.jpg" width="351" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lei Zhang, Zhen Shen, Wangkai Fang, Guang Gao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Efforts to understand the environmental and biological factors that influence the dynamics of microbial communities have received substantial attention in microbial ecology. In this study, Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology was used to examine the microbial community structure of activated sludge in municipal wastewater treatment systems (Chuzhou city, China). Overall, 〈em〉Proteobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Chloroflexi〈/em〉, 〈em〉Actinobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Acidobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Actinobacteria〈/em〉, 〈em〉Bacteroidetes〈/em〉, and 〈em〉Firmicutes〈/em〉 were the most dominant phyla in the five activated sludge samples. However, the community structure of nitrifying bacteria was relatively simple, and diversity was low; only AOB (〈em〉Nitrosomonas〈/em〉) and NOB (〈em〉Nitrospira〈/em〉) were detected. The dominant bacteria in the anaerobic sludge, anoxic sludge and oxic sludge were the same, and each bacterial species was relatively uniform, with differences only in proportions. Redundancy analysis indicated that pH, TP and COD were strong environmental factors influencing the bacterial community distribution. PICRUSt was used to describe the metabolic and functional abilities of the activated sludge bacterial communities. The results emphasized the vast genetic diversity of these organisms, which are involved in various essential processes such as amino acid transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, cell wall/membrane/envelope/biogenesis, signal transduction mechanisms, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. Activated sludge of municipal wastewater treatment systems can be ranked in the following order based on the 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of the detected phylotypes: S1 〉 S2 〉 S4 〉 S5 〉 S3. This study provides basic data and a theoretical analysis of the optimal design and operation in wastewater treatment plants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330050-ga1.jpg" width="285" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhanfei He, Qingying Zhang, Zhen Wei, Yuanhai Zhao, Xiangliang Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Organic micropollutants (OMPs) are frequently detected in water and wastewater, and have attracted wide attention due to potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. In this work, manganese-oxidizing aerobic granular sludge (Mn-AGS) was successfully cultivated and applied to remove OMPs from wastewater. Biogenic manganese (III,IV) oxides (bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉) were generated and accumulated to 22.0–28.3 mg Mn/g SS in the final sludge. Neither the addition of allochthonous manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB; 〈em〉Pseudomonas putida〈/em〉 MnB1) nor the reduction in hydraulic retention time (HRT) facilitated the cultivation of Mn-AGS. Batch experiments of OMPs degradation indicated that Mn-AGS significantly improved (1.3–3.9 times) degradation rates of most OMPs. Removal rates of bisphenol A (BPA), 17α‑ethinylestradiol (EE2), tetracycline (TC), and chloramphenicol (CAP) were 3.0–12.6 μg/h/g SS by the traditional AGS and 8.0–16.3 μg/h/g SS by Mn-AGS; those of imazethapyr (IM) were relatively high, 64.7 ± 0.1 and 127.8 ± 2.5 μg/h/g SS by AGS and Mn-AGS, respectively. However, degradation of dichlorophenyl phosphine (DCPP) was slower by Mn-AGS than AGS, 9.0 ± 0.4 vs. 21.2 ± 0.9 μg/h/g SS, possibly due to inhibition of microbial activity by bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉. This work provides a promising method for treating OMPs in organic wastewater, but the possible inhibition of microbes by bio-MnO〈sub〉x〈/sub〉 should be noted.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330827-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alexander Johs, Virginia A. Eller, Tonia L. Mehlhorn, Scott C. Brooks, David P. Harper, Melanie A. Mayes, Eric M. Pierce, Mark J. Peterson〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mercury (Hg) contamination of soils and sediments impacts numerous environments worldwide and constitutes a challenging remediation problem. In this study, we evaluate the impact of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the effectiveness of eight sorbent materials considered for Hg remediation in soils and sediments. The materials include both engineered and unmodified materials based on carbon, clays, mesoporous silica and a copper alloy. Initially, we investigated the kinetics of Hg(II) complexation with DOM for a series of Hg:DOM ratios. Steady-state Hg-DOM complexation occurred within 48 to 120 h, taking longer time at higher Hg:DOC (dissolved organic carbon) molar ratios. In subsequent equilibrium experiments, Hg(II) was equilibrated with DOM at a defined Hg:DOC molar ratio (2.4 · 10〈sup〉−6〈/sup〉) for 170 h and used in batch experiments to determine the effect of DOM on Hg partition coefficients and sorption isotherms by comparing Hg(II) and Hg-DOM. Hg sorption capacities of all sorbents were severely limited in the presence of DOM as a competing ligand. Thiol-SAMMS®, SediMite™ and pine biochar were most effective in reducing Hg concentrations. While pine biochar and lignin-derived carbon processed at high temperatures released negligible amounts of anions into solution, leaching of sulfate and chloride was observed for most engineered sorbent materials. Sulfate may stimulate microbial communities harboring sulfate reducing bacteria, which are considered one of the primary drivers of microbial mercury methylation in the environment. The results highlight potential challenges arising from the application of sorbents for Hg remediation in the field.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331146-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Min Xu, Robert D. Stedtfeld, Fang Wang, Syed A. Hashsham, Yang Song, Yahui Chuang, Jianbo Fan, Hui Li, Xin Jiang, James M. Tiedje〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Different long-term fertilization regimes may change indigenous microorganism diversity in the arable soil and thus might influence the persistence and transmission of manure-born antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Different manure origins and composting techniques might affect the fate of introduced ARGs in farmland. A four-month microcosm experiment was performed using two soils, which originated from the same field and applied with the same chemical fertilizer or swine manure for 26 years, to investigate the dynamics of ARGs in soil amended with manure or compost from the farm and an agro-technology company. High throughput qPCR and sequencing were applied to quantify ARGs using 144 primer sets and microorganism in soil. Fertilization history had little effect on dynamics of manure-borne ARGs in soil regardless of manure origin or composting. Very different half-lives of ARGs and mobile genetic elements from farm manure and commercial manure were observed in both soils. Composting decreased abundance of most ARGs in manure, but increased the persistence of manure-introduced ARGs in soil irrespective of fertilization history, especially for those from farm manure. These findings help understanding the fate of ARGs in manured soil and may inform techniques to mitigate ARGs transmission.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329493-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Abu Reza Md. Towfiqul Islam〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A comprehensive understanding of the changing behaviors of precipitation concentration and intensity plays a pivotal role in water resource management. Hence, we investigated the spatiotemporal changing behaviors of frequency and intensity of 13 precipitation indices and their probable causes of changes in precipitation systems. This study used daily precipitation datasets from 23 sites in Bangladesh and six atmospheric circulation indices during 1975–2017. The results showed that the precipitation concentration index (LCI) varies between 0.57 and 0.63, and the highest value was found in the southeastern region. The precipitation days frequency indices such as AD, LPD, MPD, HPD, and WPD have significantly increased in Bangladesh while precipitation intensity indices such as AII, LPI, MPI, HPI, and WPI have significantly declined; all types of indices have clear rapid changes. The results of detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exhibit long-term correlations among all precipitation indices, suggesting that these indices will sustain their present trend line in the upcoming period. The Sunspot (SS) and East Asian Summer Monsoon Index (EASMI) had a negative influence on ACI and South Asian Summer Monsoon index (SASMI) had a strong positive influence on precipitation days frequency indices. The significance analysis using the random forest (RF) algorithm showed that SS is the largest contributing factor affecting the precipitation systems in Bangladesh. ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis datasets revealed that elevating summer geopotential height, higher anticyclonic anomaly, increasing low and decreasing high cloud covers and lower solar radiation with adequate moisture divergence fluxes contributed to variations in precipitation extremes in Bangladesh.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Linear trend of Arid days, AD (a), Sequential Mann-kendall test to detect rapid change (b), DFA long term forecasting of ACI (c) and Cross wavelet between SASMI and ACI (d).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330980-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bláthnaid M. Mahon, Carina Brehony, Niamh Cahill, Elaine McGrath, Louise O'Connor, Aine Varley, Martin Cormican, Sinead Ryan, Paul Hickey, Shane Keane, Martina Mulligan, Bryan Ruane, Keith A. Jolley, Martin C. Maiden, Sylvain Brisse, Dearbháile Morris〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The rapid dissemination of carbapenemase-producing 〈em〉Enterobacterales〈/em〉 (CPE) is a major public health concern. The role that the aquatic environment plays in this dissemination is underexplored. This study aimed to examine seawater as a reservoir for CPE. Seawater sampling took place at a bathing site throughout the 2017 bathing season. Each 30 L sample (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 6) was filtered using the CapE filtration system. Wastewater samples (200 mL) (pre-treatment (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 3) and post-treatment (n = 3)) were obtained from a nearby secondary wastewater treatment plant, during the same time period. All samples were examined for CPE. Whole genome sequencing of confirmed CPE was carried out using Illumina sequencing. Isolate genomes were hosted in corresponding BIGSdb databases and analyses were performed using multiple web-based tools. CPE was detected in 2/6 seawater samples. It was not detected in any wastewater samples. OXA-48-like-producing ST131 〈em〉Escherichia coli〈/em〉 (Ec_BM707) was isolated from a seawater sample collected in May 2017 and OXA-48-like-producing ST101 〈em〉Klebsiella pneumoniae〈/em〉 (Kp_BM758) was isolated from a seawater sample collected in August 2017. The genomes of the environmental isolates were compared to a collection of previously described Irish clinical OXA-48-like-producing 〈em〉Enterobacterales〈/em〉 (〈em〉n〈/em〉 = 105). Ec_BM707 and Kp_BM758 harboured 〈em〉bla〈/em〉〈sub〉OXA-48〈/sub〉 on similar mobile genetic elements to those identified in the clinical collection (pOXA-48 fragment in Ec_BM707 and IncL(pOXA-48) plasmid in Kp_BM758). Genetic similarities were observed between Ec_BM707 and several of the clinical ST131 〈em〉E. coli,〈/em〉 with allele matches at up to 98.2% of 2513 core genome multilocus sequence type (cgMLST) loci. In contrast, Kp_BM758 and the 34 clinical 〈em〉K. pneumoniae〈/em〉 were genetically distant. The source of the CPE at this site was not identified. The detection of OXA-48-like-producing ST131 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 and OXA-48-like-producing ST101 〈em〉K. pneumoniae〈/em〉 in Irish recreational water is a concern. The potential for contamination of the aquatic environment to contribute to dissemination of CPE in Europe warrants further study.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330542-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhenyi Chen, Robyn Schofield, Peter Rayner, Tianshu Zhang, Cheng Liu, Claire Vincent, Sonya Fiddes, Robert George Ryan, Joel Alroe, Zoran D. Ristovski, Ruhi S. Humphries, Melita D. Keywood, Jason Ward, Clare Paton-Walsh, Travis Naylor, Xiaowen Shu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The rapid environmental changes in Australia prompt a more thorough investigation of the influence of transportation, local emissions, and optical–chemical properties on aerosol production across the region. A month-long intensive measurement campaign was conducted during spring 2016 at Mission Beach, a remote coastal site west of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) on the north-east coast of Australia. One aerosol pollution episode was investigated in early October. This event was governed by meteorological conditions and characterized by the increase in black carbon (BC) mass concentration (averaged value of 0.35 ± 0.20 μg m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉). Under the influence of the continental transportation, a new layer of nucleation-mode aerosols with an initial size diameter of 20 nm was observed and aerosol number concentrations reached the peak of 6733 cm〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 at a diameter of 29 nm. The averaged aerosol extinction coefficient at the height of 2 km was 150 Mm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, with a small depolarized ratio (3.5–5%). Simultaneously, the boundary layer height presented a fall–rise trend in the presence of these enhanced aerosol concentrations and became stable in a later stage of the episode. We did not observe clear boundary layer height diurnal variations from the LiDAR observations or from the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model outputs, except in an earlier stage of the aerosol episode for the former. Although the sea breeze may have been responsible for these particles, on the balance of available data, we suggest that the aerosol properties at the GBR surface during this period are more likely influenced by regional transportation of continental sources, including biomass-burning aerosols.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331201-ga1.jpg" width="326" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pau Batlle-Vilanova, Laura Rovira-Alsina, Sebastià Puig, M. Dolors Balaguer, Pilar Icaran, Victor M. Monsalvo, Frank Rogalla, Jesús Colprim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Biogas production in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) plays a decisive role in the reduction of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions and energy needs in the context of the water-energy nexus. The biogas obtained from sewage sludge digestion can be converted into biomethane by the use of biogas upgrading technologies. In this regard, an innovative water scrubbing based technology, known as ABAD Bioenergy® is presented and considered in this work. The effluents resulting from this system consist of biomethane and treated wastewater with a high CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentration. Therefore, the study explores the feasibility of using this CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-containing effluent in the cathode of a bioelectrochemical system (BES) for the transformation of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 into methane. Techno-economic assessment of the process is presented, including the valorisation of anode reactions through the production of chlorine compounds. Finally, the potential impacts of applying this technology in a WWTP operated by FCC Aqualia are (i) increasing biomethane production by 17.4%, (ii) decreasing CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 content by 42.8% and (iii) producing over 60 ppm of chlorine compounds to disinfect all the treated wastewater of the plant.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329341-ga1.jpg" width="265" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Muhammad Bilal, Hafiz M.N. Iqbal〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Steroidal estrogens are widespread water contaminants with potential carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting activities. The World Health Organization has listed estrogens as group 1 carcinogens. These contaminants are of substantial concern because of potential threats to human health, and aquatic organisms on long-term exposure. A range of methods, including oxidation, adsorption, electrochemical, and irradiation techniques have been employed for their remediation from aqueous systems. However, inadequate removal, toxic sludge generation, high operating costs, and the requisite for skilled operating and maintenance personnel commercially hampered the application of many methods. An interesting alternative treatment approach based on the use of oxidoreductases, particularly laccases, has recently gained amicability for the biotransformation of emerging pollutants. The use of immobilized enzymes is more cost-effective from an industrial perspective due to improved catalytic stability, reusability, reduction of product inhibition, and easier product separation. This review provides comprehensive knowledge on the use of laccases in the biodegradation of steroidal estrogens, including estrone, 17〈em〉β〈/em〉-estradiol, and 17〈em〉α〈/em〉-ethinylestradiol with endocrine-disrupting potency from the environment. After an overview of estrogens and catalytic properties of laccase, the use of free, as well as immobilized laccases with a particular emphasis on estrogens removal by laccase-based fed-batch, packed bed bioreactors, and membrane reactors, is discussed. A comparison of existing treatment technologies with enzyme technology for the removal of estrogens from different environmental matrices is made. Lastly, along with concluding remarks, future research direction aimed at bridging knowledge gaps for estrogenic compounds removal are also proposed in this very important research area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331389-ga1.jpg" width="227" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shohei Hattori, Yoshio Nuñez Palma, Yuko Itoh, Moeko Kawasaki, Yoichi Fujihara, Keiji Takase, Naohiro Yoshida〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The Hokuriku district of central Japan receives high levels of precipitation during winter, largely in the form of snow. This study aimed to elucidate the internal nitrogen dynamics in this temperate forested region with heavy snowfall using the triple oxygen and nitrogen isotopic compositions of NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉. The isotopic compositions of NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 in atmospheric depositions (P and Tf), with terrestrial components of the soil layer (A0, S25, S55, and S90), ground water (G), and output (St) were measured from 2015 to 2016 in a forested catchment located in the southern area of the Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Seasonal distributions of Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) showed a decreasing trend from the inputs to outputs of the ecosystem. We found relatively constant Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) values in the output components (G and St), but found highly fluctuating Δ〈sup〉17〈/sup〉O(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) values resulting from the seasonal variations in the nitrification activity within soil waters. Specifically, we observed a lower nitrifying activity in the top soil layer throughout cold periods, presumably due to the input of cold melted snow water. The general trend of increasing δ〈sup〉15〈/sup〉N(NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉) value from the input to output components, with the changes in denitrification hotspots from shallow to deeper soil layer, can be observed between warm and cold periods. Thus, the seasonal changes of hotspots related to microbial nitrification and denitrification could be noted due to the seasonal changes in the isotopic compositions of nitrate. The estimated ecosystem-scale gross nitrification and denitrification rates are low; however, the output components are relatively stable with low concentrations of nitrate, indicating that the plant uptake of nitrogen most probably occurs at greater rates and scales in this forested ecosystem. Future nitrogen deposition and the vulnerable dynamics of snow melting are likely to have impactful consequences on such localities.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330803-ga1.jpg" width="362" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roya Mortazavi, Said Attiya, Parisa A. Ariya〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Arctic snow has been shown to be a reactive interface for key physical, chemical, and microbiological processes, affecting the Arctic's oxidation, biodiversity, radiation, and climate. To explore the potential links between snow-borne metal contaminants and metal-interactive bacteria, to freezing/melting processes, we performed concurrent chemical characterization, genomic, and morphological analysis of five different Arctic snowpack (accumulated, blowing, fresh falling, surface hoar, and wind pack snow) and frost flower in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, using Montreal urban snow as reference. Several complementary analytical techniques, including triple quad ICP-MS/MS along with various chromatography techniques, thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS), high-resolution transition electron microscopy with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM/EDS), and next generation sequencing (NGS), were deployed. Distinct metal composition and bacterial distribution among samples were observed. The concentration of 27 different transition, post-transition, rare, and radioactive metals were determined in molten snow and frost flower, as well as filtered samples. The range of three highest detected metal concentrations among samples were: Hg (3.294–134.485 μg/L), Fe (0.719–34.469 μg/L), and Sr (1.676–19,297.000 μg/L). NGS analysis led to the identification of metal interacting bacteria in all types of snow and frost flowers in the Arctic (blowing snow (1239), surface hoar snow (2243), windpack (2431), frost flowers (1440)), and Montreal urban snow (5498)) with specific bacterial genera such as: 〈em〉Acinetobacter〈/em〉, 〈em〉Arcenicella〈/em〉, 〈em〉Azospirillum〈/em〉 (surface hoar snow), 〈em〉Arthrobacter〈/em〉, 〈em〉Paenibacillus〈/em〉 (blowing snow), and 〈em〉Cycloclasticus〈/em〉, 〈em〉OM182 clade〈/em〉 (frost flower). Several types of bacteria with confirmed or associated ice nucleation activity were observed in different types of snow, and frost flower including 〈em〉Pseudomonas〈/em〉 genera (e.g., 〈em〉Pseudomonas fluorescens〈/em〉), 〈em〉Flavobacterium〈/em〉, 〈em〉Corynebacterium〈/em〉, and 〈em〉Pseudoxanthomonas〈/em〉. The implications of the above findings to snow-air interactions including nanoparticles, namely during melting and freezing cycles, and to probe the impact of various natural and anthropogenic activities are herein discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329237-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Yu, Weihong Xu, Ya Luo, Wei Ou, Shengnan Li, Xu Chen, Jie Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The etiology of depression is not known, it is thought that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contribute to the disease. Results of our previous research have shown that nonylphenol (NP), a well-known EDC, has neurotoxic effects, however, whether NP can induce depressive behavior by affecting synaptic plasticity has not yet been clearly elucidated. The depressive behavior induced by subchronic exposure to NP and its effect on the neuronal synaptic plasticity in rats are dynamically observed. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (C, corn oil), NP group (NP, 4 mg/kg), and depression model group (D, corticosterone 20 mg/kg). There were 8 rats in each group. The depressive behavior of rats was tested by sucrose preference test, open-field test, and forced swimming test once a month for 3 months. The serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticosterone were detected by ELISA assay, and cellular morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The number of nerve cells, the length of dendrites, and the density of dendritic spines were observed by Golgi staining, and the synaptic cleft width, the postsynaptic density (PSD) thickness, and the synaptic interface curvature were observed by transmission electron microscope. Compared with the control group, the consumption of sucrose solution decreased in the NP group at the 2nd and 3rd month compared to the 1st month (F = 9.887, P = 0.002). The number of central square entries, the central square duration, and the total distance of movement were all decreased, and the decreasing degrees at the 3rd month were greater than those at the 1st month (F = 21.191, P 〈 0.001; F = 9.836, P = 0.002). The time of immobility for the NP group at the 1st month was higher than that in the control group (F = 6.912, P = 0.002). The expression of BDNF in the NP-treated group was higher than the control, while the expression of corticosterone in the NP-treated group was lower than the control. In the NP group, the cytoplasm of nerve cells contracted and appeared disordered. The neuron arrangement was disordered, and the number of cells, the length of the apex, the length of the basal dendrites, and the dendritic spine density were all lower in the NP group than those in the control group. The PSD thickness, the synaptic cleft width, and synaptic interface curvatures were all decreased in the NP group when compared to the control group. Subchronic exposure to 4 mg/kg NP led to depressive behavior in rats, and the depressive behavior and alterations in synaptic plasticity were more obvious with longer exposure time.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328232-ga1.jpg" width="450" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Natalia Sieti, Ximena C. Schmidt Rivera, Laurence Stamford, Adisa Azapagic〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Although there is a growing body of literature on the environmental impacts of food, virtually none of the studies has addressed baby foods. Therefore, this work explored the life cycle environmental impacts of different ready-made baby foods, both at the level of individual meals and their combinations within a weekly menu. Twelve different meals were considered, based on baby food products available on the UK market, spanning breakfast, lunch and dessert. Menus following four different diets – omnivorous, vegetarian, pescatarian and dairy-free – were also evaluated. The results showed that, on average, lunch meals had the highest impacts and desserts the lowest. Breakfast has either intermediate (wet porridge) or low (dry porridge) impacts. Among the lunch meals, spaghetti Bolognese and salmon risotto had the highest impacts and among the desserts, strawberry, raspberry and banana as well as apple, pear and banana purees had the lowest. The key hotspots across the meals were raw materials and packaging. Meals with more meat and cream were found to have higher impacts. Manufacturing also played a significant role for global warming potential as well as depletion of fossil resources and the ozone layer due to the fossil fuels used in the process. When the impacts were analysed per mass of baby food consumed weekly, the dairy-free diet had higher impacts than the other three, but the difference among them was relatively small. The trends changed when nutritional value was taken into account, with the dairy-free diet exhibiting considerably higher impacts per unit of energy content. In that case, the pescatarian diet became the best option for most impacts. There was little difference between the omnivore and vegetarian diets. It is expected that these results will be of interest to baby food manufacturers and consumers, helping them to make more informed manufacturing and purchasing decisions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329365-ga1.jpg" width="321" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marius Budeanu, Ecaterina Nicoleta Apostol, Flaviu Popescu, Dragoş Postolache, Lucia Ioniţă〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The study aims to analyse the stability of the narrow crowned Norway spruce (〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 form) compared to the normal spruce form (〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 form) and the hybrids of the two forms, in 5 field trials (Comandău, Lepşa 1&2, Ilva Mică and Voineasa) located in the Romanian Carpathians. Trees height (Th), breast height diameter (Dbh), height growth of the last year, crown diameter (Cd), number of branches per whorl (Nbw) and dominant branch diameter (Dbd) traits were measured and survival rate (Sr) was determined, at 20 years old. Also, branches finesse (Bf), trees volume (Tv) and trees slenderness (Ts) were calculated. In order to compare the wood density (Cwd) there were collected cores. In all trials ANOVA revealed significant (p 〈 0.05) differences between the two forms of spruce and the hybrids (mainly between those that have a different crown form mother), especially for the stability and quality traits. Factorial ANOVA revealed a high influence (p 〈 0.001) of the locality and also a significant influence (p 〈 0.05) of the locality × spruce form interaction. The factor “form” was significant for some traits involved in Norway spruce stability (Ts, Cd, Nbw). The 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 trees present higher values for Sr, Dbh and Tv, and lower values for Ts, Cd, Nbw, Dbd and Bf, compared to 〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 spruce form, which showed a higher stability. Heritability was in generally low (h〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 〈 0.4), with exceptions of Ts which presents a medium rate of heritage. For the same trait, different heritability was registered in different environmental conditions. The Cwd was higher only with 2% for the 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 form in Lepşa trial, while in Comandău trial the 〈em〉pyramidalis〈/em〉 registered a higher value (7%). In the new breeding programme, the selection strategy may be pursued with the 〈em〉pendula〈/em〉 trees selection based on Ts and branches traits.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330918-ga1.jpg" width="451" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dongyu Xu, Bo Gao, Wenqi Peng, Xiaodong Qu, Min Zhang, Jiankang Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sediments act as crucial sink and source for metal contamination in aquatic environment of reservoir systems. However, the high complexity and heterogeneity of sediments make it difficult to trace the sources of metals in reservoir sediments. As a toxic metal, how to trace anthropogenic Pb sources in sediments is important for the water quality safety, especially in reservoir. Herein, 98 sediment samples collected from the connected Panjiakou Reservoir (PJKR) and Daheiting Reservoir (DHTR) were analyzed. A novel approach for tracing anthropogenic Pb sources was established by combining the regional geochemical baseline (RGB) and Pb isotopic ratios. The results showed that the mean concentration of Pb in these two reservoirs was 44.59 mg/kg, and the RGB value of Pb was 43.77 mg/kg. Pollution assessments using RGB and enrichment factor indicated that the influence of anthropogenic Pb is greater in DHTR sediments than in PJKR sediments. Based on the RGB model, samples influenced by anthropogenic activities (SS-AA) were screened and found in the DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb contribution in DHTR SS-AA was totally 35.29%. Moreover, the mean value of 〈sup〉206〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb in DHTR SS-AA (1.107 ± 0.029) was slightly lower than those of natural inputs, indicating there was a small amount of anthropogenic Pb input in DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb sources were further identified using Pb isotopic ratios (〈sup〉206〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb and 〈sup〉208〈/sup〉Pb/〈sup〉207〈/sup〉Pb) for DHTR SS-AA. Their apportionments were calculated with the help of the RGB model. The results showed that iron mining (20.42%) and coal combustion (14.87%) were the two main anthropogenic Pb sources. Aerosol deposition was likely the main pathway for coal combustion input. The results confirm that the proposed method of combining RGB and Pb isotopic ratios was a good attempt to trace the anthropogenic Pb sources in reservoir sediments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329419-ga1.jpg" width="356" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peng Ren, Yanguang Liu, Xuefa Shi, Shuwen Sun, Di Fan, Xuchen Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The concentrations and carbon isotopic (〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C, 〈sup〉14〈/sup〉C) compositions of total organic carbon (TOC) and black carbon (BC) were measured for four sediment cores collected from the shelf to slope in the Arctic Ocean. Contents of TOC and BC ranged from 0.46% to 1.94% and 0.04% to 0.13% by dry weight, and BC accounted for 3.5% to 15.2% of the TOC preserved in the shelf and slope sediments. Sediment of the Chukchi shelf contained relatively high BC contents compared with the sediments of the Arctic slope, suggesting strong influence from the river and terrestrial inputs to the shelf region. Radiocarbon measurements revealed that the ages of BC are in the range of 7330 to 29,700 years (before present) and they are 4093 to 7723 years older than the 〈sup〉14〈/sup〉C ages of TOC preserved in the same sediment depths. Based on an isotopic mass balance model, we calculated that fossil fuel combustion contributed 62–96%, and biomass burning contributed 4–38% of the BC pool in the sediments of the study area. This “slow-cycling” old BC is an important fraction of the inert organic carbon pool preserved in the sediments, and represents a significant sink of atmospheric CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and global carbon cycle. With the thawing permafrost caused by continuous global warming, the size of this BC pool mobilized and exported by rivers to the Arctic Ocean could increase in the future.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330104-ga1.jpg" width="471" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elmira Jamei, Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian, Ben Horan, Alex Stojcevski〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Urban climate knowledge has been increasingly integrated into urban design and planning practices. Numerical modeling systems, such as climatic and bioclimatic tools, are currently more popular than onsite field measurements. This higher popularity is mainly due to the complicated interactions in 3D urban environments and the spatial distribution of various climatic parameters that cannot be captured thoroughly via on-site measurements alone. Such modeling systems also offer better solutions to overcome the nonlinearity of urban climate in forecasting different “what if scenarios.”〈/p〉 〈p〉This paper provides an overview of different types of climatic and bioclimatic modeling systems and presents their main benefits and shortcomings. In the second part of this study, one of the most commonly used tools in urban climate studies, namely, ENVI-met, was selected, and its reliability in different contexts was investigated by reviewing past researches. The applicability of ENVI-met in accurately simulating the influence of future urban growth on one of the fastest growing suburbs in Melbourne, was tested by conducting a sensitivity analysis on inputs and control parameters, backed up with a series of field measurements in selected points. RMSE value was calculated for different runs of the initial ENVI-met model with adjusted control parameters (e.g., factor of short-wave adjustment, initial air temperature, relative humidity, roughness length, wind speed, albedo of walls, and albedo of roofs). The model achieved the optimum performance by altering the short-wave adjustment factor from 0.5 to 1; therefore, ENVI-met was considered a reliable tool for relative comparison of urban dynamics. The findings of this study not only help planners select the most practical modeling systems that address project objectives but also educate them on limitations associated with using ENVI-met.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Validation process of a bioclimatic modeling system from selection of the measurement points, conducting field measurement and calculation of the RMSU between the measured and simulated outputs (from left to right).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329729-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Sharda Bharti, Soumyo Mukherji, Suparna Mukherji〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study focused on development of a robust point-of-use (POU) water disinfection device employing immobilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for water disinfection in continuous flow through mode. Glass capillary tubes functionalized with positively charged amino groups using silane as the cross-linking agent facilitated the immobilization of citrate stabilized AgNPs. A fixed bed reactor (FBR) packed with these AgNP immobilized glass substrate was used for conducting POU water disinfection. The effect of various parameters such as, flow rate, initial concentration of bacteria and bed volume on disinfection performance of the device was evaluated. The total volume of water treated at breakpoint was found to improve with increase in flow rate and 2596–5172 bed volumes of water could be disinfected under the various conditions tested, i.e., empty bed contact time (EBCT) 0.29 to 5.8 min. Silver leaching studied under various operating conditions revealed minimal release of silver (〈100 μg/l) in treated water over time throughout the duration of the studies. Plug flow reactor with dispersion (PFDR) model with open boundary condition showed good fit to the E-curve generated by pulse input of chloride tracer and revealed significant dispersion in the FBR. Antibacterial material exhaustion rate (AER) was significantly affected by the EBCT, empty bed volume of the FBR, and load of bacteria in the influent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330566-ga1.jpg" width="355" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Johannes Laubach, John E. Hunt, Scott L. Graham, Rowan P. Buxton, Graeme N.D. Rogers, Paul L. Mudge, Sam Carrick, David Whitehead〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In New Zealand, dairy farming faces increasing scrutiny for its environmental impacts, including those on soil carbon (C) stocks; hence, alternative management practices are required. One such practice is usage of deep-rooting forage, such as lucerne (〈em〉Medicago sativa〈/em〉 L.). We measured the C and water exchange of two neighbouring lucerne fields on stony, well-drained soil for 3 years, following conversion from grassland. One field received irrigation and effluent; the other received neither. Net CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 exchange and evaporation were measured by eddy covariance, drainage and leaching with lysimeters, and water inputs with rain gauges. Biomass removal from harvesting and grazing was recorded by direct sampling. In the conversion year, irrigated lucerne was C-neutral despite two harvests and losses from the conversion process. In the 2nd and 3rd years combined, the biomass-C removal exceeded net CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 uptake, causing net losses of 450 g C m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 and 210 g C m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 for irrigated and non-irrigated lucerne, respectively. Leaching losses accounted for 1 to 9 % of annual net C uptake from the atmosphere. The ratio of ecosystem respiration to gross photosynthetic productivity (GPP) increased from 〈0.7 in spring to ≈ 1 in autumn. Consequently, the net C balance for both lucerne crops showed gains in the first two growth periods of each year and losses in the subsequent two to four growth periods. Irrigation made no difference to the photosynthetic water-use efficiency at field scale (GPP/evaporation), but enhanced production water-use efficiency (biomass/water input). Irrigation increased both the absolute amount of drainage and the fraction of water inputs lost by drainage. In one year, significant summer drainage occurred for the irrigated lucerne. To prevent that, soil-water content should be kept well below field capacity but above the crop's water-stress level. Such practice would likely also help retain soil carbon.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Annual cumulative carbon budgets of lucerne on stony soil.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329808-ga1.jpg" width="336" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tarik Serrano-Tovar, Baltasar Peñate Suárez, Ana Musicki, Juan A. de la Fuente Bencomo, Violeta Cabello, Mario Giampietro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Desalination is increasingly put forward as a sustainable local solution to water scarcity in combination with the exploitation of renewable energy sources. However, the complexity of the resource nexus entails the unavoidable existence of pros and cons across its various dimensions that can only be assessed at different scales of analysis. In turn, these pros and cons entail different winners and losers among the different social actors linked through the nexus. To address these challenges, a novel approach to resource nexus assessment is put forward, based on multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) and recognizing the resource nexus as a wicked problem. The integrated representation identifies the existence of biophysical constraints determined by processes both under human control (in the technosphere) and beyond human control (in the biosphere). The approach is illustrated with a local case study of desalination in the Canary Islands, Spain. The material presented has been generated in the context of the project “Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security” (MAGIC) for use in participatory processes of co-production of knowledge claims about desalination, a prerequisite for informed policy deliberation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004896971932995X-ga1.jpg" width="392" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peiwei Xu, Zhijian Chen, Lizhi Wu, Yuan Chen, Dandan Xu, Haitao Shen, Jianlong Han, Xiaofeng Wang, Xiaoming Lou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study aimed to evaluate the body burdens of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and their associated health impacts toward school-age children living near a municipal waste incinerator (MWI). A total of 82 children from the exposure area and 49 from the control area were recruited. We measured blood PCDD/F levels, conducted comet assays, calculated the percentage of 5-methylcytosine (%5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (%5-hmC), performed flow cytometry, measured hormonal levels, and analyzed hematological parameters. We also examined 17 congeners of PCDD/Fs in environmental samples, namely, eggs, rice, water, soil, and PM〈sub〉2.5.〈/sub〉 The mean blood levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and TEQ-ΣPCDD/Fs were statistically higher in the exposure group than in the control group (3.40 vs. 2.77 pg/g wet weight and 0.40 vs. 0.28 pg WHO-TEQ/g wet weight, respectively; 〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.05). By contrast, the %5-mC and %5-hmC levels were statistically lower in the exposure group than in the control group (1.15% vs. 4.66% and 0.22% vs. 0.30%, respectively; 〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.01), whereas the mean % tail DNA was statistically higher in the exposure group than in the control group (10.10% vs. 8.28%, 〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.01). The mean blood levels of ΣPCDD/Fs and TEQ-ΣPCDD/Fs were both negatively correlated with %5-mC (r = −0.245 and r = −0.217, respectively; 〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.01) but not with %5-hmC and % tail DNA (〈em〉p〈/em〉 〉 0.05). Furthermore, the mean ΣPCDD/F levels in eggs and soil obtained from the exposure area were statistically higher than those of the samples obtained from the control area (31.08 vs. 4.32 pg/g dry weight and 1026.04 vs. 674.97 pg/g dry weight, respectively). In conclusion, children living near the MWI may suffer genetic and epigenetic modifications, such as DNA damage or global DNA hypomethylation due to the MWI-emitted PCDD/Fs and other contaminants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329973-ga1.jpg" width="470" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yangyang Liu, Qian Wang, Zhaoying Zhang, Linjing Tong, Zhenqian Wang, Jianlong Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Improving our understanding of the impacts of climate variation and human activities on grassland dynamics is heightened by expectations that climate variation and human activities may induce grassland degradation. An accurate evaluation of the respective impacts of climate variation and human activities on grassland dynamics is crucial to understand the grassland degradation mechanism and to control the degraded grassland. In this study, net primary productivity (NPP) was selected as an indicator to reflect grassland dynamics. Meanwhile, the potential NPP (PNPP) and human-induced NPP (HNPP) calculated as the difference of PNPP and actual ANPP (ANPP) were used to assess the relative effects of climate variation and human activities on grassland NPP changes in China during 2000–2013. Results of grassland ANPP showed an overall increase than decrease in productivity (81.21% vs 18.79%) from 2000 to 2013. For the increase of ANPP, the relative contribution of climate variation and human activities to grassland NPP changes were 41.45% and 45.22%, respectively. Climate variation was the dominant factor that induced the increase in ANPP mainly in areas of Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. An increase in Human-dominated ANPP mainly occurred in Tibet, Qinghai and Xinjiang. The decrease in ANPP is principally controlled by the effect of human activities than that of climate variation, especially in Inner Mongolia. Meanwhile, climate-dominated ANPP increase and human-dominated ANPP decrease mainly occurred in plain grassland, desert grassland and meadow across the six types of grasslands in China. Furthermore, in alpine sub-alpine meadow and alpine sub-alpine, while climate-dominated ANPP of grassland was found to be decreased, an increase in human-dominated ANPP was detected. The increase in precipitation and the implementation of ecological restoration programs were found to be effective in inducing the noticeable increased grassland ANPP since 2003. The findings of the current research recommend that the Chinese government should continue to implement the prohibiting graze policy across the country and extensively strengthen the implementation of the policy in Inner Mongolia and North Xinjiang, particularly in plain grassland, desert grassland and meadow.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330761-ga1.jpg" width="434" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): N. Falk, T. Reid, A. Skoyles, A. Grgicak-Mannion, K. Drouillard, C.G. Weisener〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Microbial community function in freshwater sediments is influenced by the presence and persistence of anthropogenic pollutants, yet simultaneously imposes significant control on their transformation. Thus, microbes provide valuable ecosystem services in terms of biodegradation and bioindicators of compromised habitats. From a remediation perspective it is valuable to leverage the suite of microbial genes at the transcriptional level that are active in either natural versus stressed environments to provide insight into the cycling and fate of contaminants. Metatranscriptomic analysis of total bacterial and archaeal messenger RNA (mRNA) is a useful tool in this facet and was applied to sediments sampled from the Detroit River; a binational Area of Concern (AOC) in the Great Lakes. Previously established sediment surveys and modelling delineated the river into contaminant gradients based on concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals. Differential expression analysis through 〈em〉DESeq2〈/em〉 revealed that microbial transcripts associated with nitrate reduction, methanogenesis, and beta-oxidation were significant in legacy polluted sediments and linked with energetic pathways key in the generation of cellular currencies (acetyl-CoA, succinyl-CoA). Gluconeogenesis and polyester synthesis also showed high abundance in contaminated regions, along with increased expression of stress response genes and transposons, despite decreases in community α-diversity. Aromatic cleavage genes were detected, but in low abundance across the contaminant gradient. These results suggest that microbial communities within the Detroit River exploit unique anabolic and catabolic pathways to derive and store energy from legacy organic contaminants while simultaneously recruiting stress-response and gene transfer mechanisms to cope with xenobiotic pressures. By coupling well-resolved chemical datasets with metatranscriptomics, this study adds to the spatial understanding of in-situ microbial activities in pristine and perturbed freshwater sediments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330244-ga1.jpg" width="373" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ren-Min Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Coastal wetlands have been identified as vital global carbon (C) sinks; however, soil C sequestration in these ecosystems is susceptible to impacts of non-native species invasion and climate change worldwide. Although their potential impacts on soil organic C (SOC) storage have been reported in previous literature, the well-established mechanisms that control SOC storage response, especially in relation to soil depths, is still limited. To fill this knowledge gap, we developed a structural equation model (SEM) to identify mechanisms that account for SOC changes in topsoil (0–0.3 m) and subsoil (0.3–0.6 m) on coastal wetland of the East China Sea, where SOC in both depths increased with exotic 〈em〉Spartina alterniflora〈/em〉 invasion. In the initial model, we hypothesized that there were a set of direct and indirect effects of the invasion, climate, and soil physicochemical properties on SOC storage. By evaluating the interactions of these factors, we found relatively complex patterns that vary with depth. For topsoil, the invasion had not only direct effects on SOC storage, but also indirect effects through mediating effects of soil water content (SWC) that was linked to fine soil fractions. For subsoil, the invasion was indirectly related to SOC storage through mediating effects of SOC in topsoil, SWC, and salinity. SOC in subsoil was also affected by temperature. Our results highlight that the response of SOC storage to the invasion and climate change results from the interacting effects of climate-plant-soil system.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330463-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): M. Bouchoucha, R. Chekri, A. Leufroy, P. Jitaru, S. Millour, N. Marchond, C. Chafey, C. Testu, J. Zinck, P. Cresson, F. Mirallès, A. Mahe, N. Arnich, M. Sanaa, N. Bemrah, T. Guérin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉From 1966 to 2015, the Gardanne alumina refinery discharged some 20 million tons of bauxite residue (called red mud) into the Cassidaigne Canyon (northwest French Mediterranean) with impacts on local ecosystem functioning. Although these red muds contained high levels of trace elements (TE), in particular titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), aluminum (Al) and arsenic (As), surprisingly, their impacts on fish contamination levels and the risk related to fish consumption have been little studied until now. Here, 11 trace elements (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti and V) were analyzed in muscle and, when possible, liver, from 1308 fish of 26 species from an impacted zone in the vicinity of the Cassidaigne Canyon and a reference zone, unaffected by red mud disposals. Moreover, 66 arsenic speciation analyses were performed. Although the impact of human activities on the levels of fish contamination by trace elements is generally not easy to assess in situ because it is blurred by interaction with biological effects, we highlighted significant contamination of the fish species collected from the Cassidaigne Canyon, especially by the main trace elements attributable to the discharges of the Gardanne alumina refinery, namely Al, V and Ti. Moreover, inorganic toxic As concentrations were higher in the impacted zone. The results of this baseline research also confirmed the concern previously raised regarding Hg in Mediterranean organisms and that trace element contamination levels in fish are generally negatively related to fish length for all TE except Hg.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330487-ga1.jpg" width="461" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Philip Antwi, Dachao Zhang, Longwen Xiao, Felix Tetteh Kabutey, Frank Koblah Quashie, Wuhui Luo, Jia Meng, Jianzheng Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Two novel feedforward backpropagation Artificial Neural Networks (ANN)-based-models (8:N〈sub〉H〈/sub〉:1 and 7:N〈sub〉H〈/sub〉:1) combined with Box-Behnken design of experiments methodology was proposed and developed to model NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and Total Nitrogen (TN) removal within an upflow-sludge-bed (USB) reactor treating nitrogen-rich wastewater via Single-stage Nitrogen removal using Anammox and Partial nitritation (SNAP) process. ANN were developed by optimizing network architecture parameters via response surface methodology. Based on the goodness-of-fit standards, the proposed three-layered NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and TN removal ANN-based-models trained with Levenberg-Marquardt-algorithm demonstrated high-performance as computations exhibited smaller deviations-(±2.1%) as well as satisfactory coefficient of determination (R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉), fractional variance-(FV), and index of agreement-(IA) ranging 0.989–0.997, 0.003–0.031 and 0.993–0.998, respectively. The computational results affirmed that the ANN architecture which was optimized with response surface methodology enhanced the efficiency of the ANN-based-models. Furthermore, the overall performance of the developed ANN-based models revealed that modeling intricate biological systems (such as SNAP) using ANN-based models with the view to improve removal efficiencies, establish process control strategies and optimize performance is highly feasible. Microbial community analysis conducted with 16S rRNA high-throughput approach revealed that 〈em〉Candidatus Kuenenia〈/em〉 was the most pronounced genera which accounted for 13.11% followed by 〈em〉Nitrosomonas〈/em〉-(6.23%) and 〈em〉Proteocatella〈/em〉-(3.1%), an indication that nitrogen removal pathway within the USB was mainly via partial-nitritation/anammox process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Schematic diagram of the backpropagation artificial neural network and flowchart of the model development process.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330931-ga1.jpg" width="274" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenmei He, Youjin Kim, Daegeun Ko, Seongtaek Yun, Seongchun Jun, Gayoung Yoo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Potential CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 leakage is a major concern for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The effects of high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentration on microbes is a major element of impact assessments of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 leakage on terrestrial ecosystems. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the responses of microbial functional groups of ammonia-oxidizers, methanogens, and methanotrophs in high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conditions. A single-point injection gassing plot (2.5 m × 2.5 m in size), which had 52.2% CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in the center (radius = 0.5 m) and 5.5% in the edge (radius = 1.7 m) at 10 cm depth, was employed. N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 emissions increased after 1 day of injection because injected CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 was instantly utilized by nitrifiers and methanogens. This suggests that the activities of the selected microbes could be stimulated by high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentrations. Prolonged CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 injection has toxic effects on aerobic nitrifiers, but may favor anaerobic methanogens. However, the early stimulatory effects of high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 on N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 production did not last to the end of injection. These results imply that increased N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 emissions could be the minor side effects of high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Microbes responded faster than plants to high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, with responses observed as late as 7 days after injection. The inhibition of plant absorption of soil water and nutrients by high soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentrations may also influence microbial responses. Moreover, high soil water content could retard underground CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 diffusion, which would magnify CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 impacts on plants and microbes. Our results suggest that microbial response could be used as an early indicator of the impact assessments of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 leakage on soil ecosystems. An understanding of the interaction among soils, plants, and microbes would be helpful in assessing the biological risks of potential CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 leakage.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329730-ga1.jpg" width="308" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): L. Daniele, C. Cannatelli, J.T. Buscher, G. Bonatici〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The Chilean bottled water market has experienced continuous growth since 2000, surpassing 500 million liters sold in 2015. Generally, consumers tend to associate the consumption of bottled water with a healthy lifestyle, but current Chilean law does not require the product to be labelled with the chemical composition, thus preventing consumers from making informed choices.〈/p〉 〈p〉Our study focuses on determining the water quality of ten brands of bottled water available for sale in Santiago, Chile. All of the analyzed water was not carbonated and in plastic containers in the 1.5 L size when available and the closest size to this when not available. Thirty-two chemical elements were analyzed, including minor and trace elements, and the data have been evaluated with respect to the limits established by Chilean and international regulatory agencies.〈/p〉 〈p〉Our results indicate that the quality of the analyzed water generally complies with Chilean law for bottled water. However, 30% of the analyzed samples exceed the values of arsenic (As) permitted by Chilean drinking water regulations, the World Health Organization and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 40% of the samples, the NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 content is higher than groundwater values suggesting that the source of the bottled water is superficial. The purified bottled water brands contain minimal amounts of dissolved elements but do not comply with all of the parameters (e.g., pH) established by Chilean drinking water regulations.〈/p〉 〈p〉Our study highlights that there is an inconsistency between the Chilean norms that regulate bottled water and those that regulate drinking water. Some of the analyzed bottled waters do not comply with the drinking water regulations and paradoxically these brands should not be consumed by humans. However, risk assessment calculations for As ingestion show that the consumption of 1 L/day of bottled water does not pose a risk for human health.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Andreas Kubier, Thomas Pichler〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Elevated cadmium (Cd) concentrations in groundwater have widespread implications for water supply and agriculture. The aqueous chemistry of Cd is considered not complex; however, aside from intense industrial pollution, multi-faceted hydrogeochemical interactions control Cd mobility. Therefore, the behavior of Cd in groundwater was investigated through statistical analyses of a large hydrogeochemical data set, which contained analyses from 6300 sampling locations in Northern Germany. Cadmium concentrations of above 0.5 μg/L were linked to groundwater conditions caused (1) by woodlands in connection with acidification or (2) elevated nitrate concentrations beneath farmland due to fertilization. Comparably, both geogenic and anthropogenic Cd input were less important. The main hydrogeochemical parameters affecting Cd mobility were pH and redox potential, which are probably linked to Cd sorption to mineral surfaces and Cd release from carbonates and sulfides, such as pyrite. Thus, Cd concentrations were primarily elevated when groundwater conditions were oxic and autotrophic nitrate reducing. In addition, enhanced groundwater recharge and limited Cd retention capacity by the aquifer matrix were responsible for elevated Cd concentrations in groundwater, potentially breaching legal regulations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330736-ga1.jpg" width="214" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Takeo Sakurai, Yoshitaka Imaizumi, Keisuke Kuroda, Takehiko I. Hayashi, Noriyuki Suzuki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We investigated the multimedia fate of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) and dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) in the densely populated catchment basin of Tokyo Bay, Japan, by using a georeferenced multimedia model. We estimated the daily per person consumption rate of these compounds in Japan according to literature. Emissions to the atmosphere accounted for almost all of the emissions of these compounds to the environment. The majority of these compounds was predicted to be distributed in the atmosphere (about 60%) and sediment (about 40%). The advective flows in and out of the atmosphere over the Tokyo Bay catchment basin dominated the flows of these compounds. The sewerage systems contributed considerably to the transport and fate of D5 and D6 in water. They transported these compounds from households to discharge outlets of sewage treatment plants (STPs), which in turn accounted for approximately one quarter of the emission of these compounds to rivers and to Tokyo Bay. The wastewater treatment plants also effectively removed these compounds from the wastewater. The overall persistence of D5 and D6 in the catchment basin was estimated to be 3.8–9.5 days. The horizontal distributions of these compounds were similar among environmental compartments; high concentrations were generally observed in populated areas. A sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the D5 discharge rate to Tokyo Bay excluding the direct discharge from STPs and the D5 mass in the river compartment were sensitive to changes of the organic-carbon-water partition coefficient. Comparison with the concentrations in rivers measured recently in the target area showed that the model captured overall trends of low to high concentrations in rivers. However, there was some variability and a bias toward underprediction. The model provided a better fit to measurements for D5 than for D6. One potential factor contributing to the bias toward underprediction was underestimation of the consumption rates.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330359-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marcos Rodrigues, Sergi Costafreda-Aumedes, Carles Comas, Cristina Vega-García〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉The area affected by wildfires is experiencing an overall decrease in the Mediterranean European region. However, there is no clear trend associated to the incidence of large fire events, which continue to pose an important threat to assets-at-risk, while debates on control by meteorological or fuel drivers are ongoing. Understanding the underlying spatial and temporal patterns of large-fire drivers is of critical importance for a more efficient and science-based management, and specifically for improving wildfire season definition and informing fuel management.〈/p〉 〈p〉Taking advantage of the reliable wildfire data available in Spain, we analyzed large fires (〉100 ha) in the period 2010–2015 to outline homogenous spatial-temporal regions in terms of the influence of the main drivers of large-fire activity: temperature, wind speed, slope, distance to populated places and roads, and proximity to agricultural lands. We combined Geographically Weighted Logit Regression (GWLR) models to parameterize the marginal influence of the drivers, with optimized hierarchical clustering to define uniform regions in terms of the underlying driving factors. These regions were subsequently analyzed for monthly distribution of fire occurrence and associated fuel models.〈/p〉 〈p〉We identified four different zones in terms of drivers' features, capturing dissimilar intra-annual patterns of fire activity and affected fuels: one covering the Mediterranean and two along the northern coast, and a fourth aggregation in the hinterlands that seems to act as transition area. The Mediterranean and hinterland were linked to weather-related summer ignitions, late and early summer respectively. The northern cluster gathers most winter fires starting in remote locations under steep slopes and strong wind conditions. The northwestern cluster accounts for most of the fire activity in Spain, related to complex relief and shrub-type fuels.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330402-ga1.jpg" width="388" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jing Qiao, Mengyao Lv, Zhihui Qu, Meng Zhang, Xin Cui, Di Wang, Congcong Piao, Zhiyu Liu, Jun Wang, Youtao Song〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, a novel Z-scheme sonocatalyst, KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, is prepared via ultrasonic-assisted isoelectric point method. The prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of Z-scheme KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 sonocatalyst is studied in degradation of ceftriaxone sodium under ultrasonic irradiation. In addition, the influences of ultrasonic irradiation time, scavengers and sonocatalyst used times on sonocatalytic degradation of ceftriaxone sodium are examined. Under the experimental conditions of 150 min ultrasonic irradiation time, 1.00 g/L KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 addition amount and 10.00 mg/L ceftriaxone sodium concentration, the sonocatalytic degradation ratio of ceftriaxone sodium achieves 81.30%. Finally, the possible sonocatalytic degradation mechanism of ceftriaxone sodium caused by Z-scheme KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 sonocatalyst is proposed. The enhanced sonocatalytic activity may be attributed to the fact that the FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 as a special conductive channel provides a strong driving force to transfer electrons through valence state changes of iron and vanadium, which accelerates electron transfer from conduction band (CB) of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 to valence band (VB) of KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. Perhaps, the KTaO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/FeVO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 composite is an excellent Z-scheme sonocatalyst which can be used to effectively degrade the organic pollutants in wastewater under ultrasonic irradiation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329894-ga1.jpg" width="383" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuting Meng, Mark Cave, Chaosheng Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Soil lead (Pb) provides an important exposure pathway to the human body through soil ingestion and dust inhalation and is closely associated with human health as well as social behaviour. The challenge of transforming different spatial supports arises when linking point data (Pb concentration) to areal data (health status or social behaviour). A detailed review of methodologies for integrating point and areal data has been carried out. Among a number of methodologies, eight methods: (1) average, (2) median, (3) centroids inverse distance weighted (IDW), (4) average block IDW, (5) median block IDW, (6) centroids ordinary kriging (OK), (7) average block OK and (8) median block OK, have been compared using Pb data set in the Greater London Authority (GLA) area. The results indicated that the method of median block IDW was recommended for further investigation of the relationship between Pb concentration and socio-economic factors in the ward-level of the GLA area. The reasons were (i) spatial interpolations were useful for predicting unobserved values when simple average and median could not work in the locations where there were no samples collected in some areal units; (ii) the median value was more suitable than the average value for a skewed data set; (iii) the block method reduced estimation error and provided more representative values of areal units than the centroid method; (iv) IDW reserved more spatial variation than OK, containing more local maxima (hotspot) and local minima. Despite that it is still hard to decide the optimal method, this study has highlighted the point-to-area transformation issue and provided valuable examples to compare the different methods.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330256-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Basem S. Zakaria, Long Lin, Bipro Ranjan Dhar〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study, for the first time, documented microbial community shifts in response to the changes in anode potential in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) operated with primary sludge. At an anode potential of −0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the MEC showed COD and VSS removal efficiencies of 73 ± 1% and 75 ± 2%, respectively. The volumetric current density and specific hydrogen production rate were 23 ± 1.2 A/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉, and 145 ± 4.1 L/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉-d, respectively. The anodic microbial community was consisted of various fermentative/hydrolytic bacteria (e.g., 〈em〉Bacteroides〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Dysgonomonas〈/em〉) and anode-respiring bacteria (〈em〉Geobacter〈/em〉), while different hydrolytic/fermentative bacteria were abundant in suspension. The MEC showed substantially inferior performance along with a higher accumulation of various volatile fatty acids when the anode potential was switched to more positive values (0 V and +0.4 V). Both biofilms and suspended communities were also shifted when the anode potential was changed. Notably, at +0.4 V, 〈em〉Geobacter〈/em〉 genus entirely disappeared from the biofilms, while 〈em〉Paludibacter〈/em〉 species (known fermentative bacteria) were selectively enriched in biofilms. Also, the relative abundance of genus 〈em〉Bacteroides〈/em〉 (known hydrolytic bacteria) substantially decreased in both biofilms and suspension, which was correlated with the inferior hydrolysis of VSS. Quantitative comparison of biofilms and suspended microbial communities at different anode potentials revealed a sharp decrease in bacterial cell numbers in anode biofilms after changing anode potential from −0.4 V to +0.4 V. By contrast, bacterial cell numbers in suspension were slightly decreased. Collectively, these results provide new insights into the role of anode potential in shaping key microbial players associated with hydrolysis/fermentation and anodic respiration processes when MECs are operated with real biowastes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004896971933092X-ga1.jpg" width="290" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ting Wei, Zhiwen Dong, Shichang Kang, Chunlei Zong, Masoud Rostami, Yaping Shao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To investigate the large-scale trace element deposition and anthropogenic pollution in mountain glaciers of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its surrounding regions, we analyzed Al and 13 trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn) in glacier snowpacks collected at the Yuzhufeng, Laohugou No.12, and Qiyi glaciers (YG, LG12, and QG, respectively) in the northeastern TP as well as in the Miaoergou Glacier (MG) in the eastern Tianshan Mountains in June 2017. The concentrations and enrichment factors (EFs) of most trace elements (e.g., As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Sb) showed that the largest value appeared in the MG, followed by LG12, and the lowest value appeared in the QG, thereby implying a decreasing influence of anthropogenic emissions on these elements from the west (MG) to the east (QG). The YG inversely exhibited high concentrations but low EFs for As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Pb, and Sb. Compared to the surrounding regions of the southern and western TP (e.g., Nam〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Co, Mt. Everest, and Pamirs), Japan, and Kathmandu, the trace element concentrations were relatively higher at the YG and MG but relatively lower at the LG12 and QG. The spatial distribution characteristics of trace elements (e.g., Pb and Sb) exhibited a gradually decreasing concentration from west to east in the Tianshan Mountains, and from south to north in the TP, implying two potential transport routes of atmospheric pollutants from Central and South Asia to the northeastern TP. The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) backward trajectory model and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations/Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIPSO/CALIOP) data reflected that these trace elements in the MG, LG12, and QG predominately originated from the western and surrounding areas, whereas in the YG they were mainly derived from a local source and South Asia through long-distance transport.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330281-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaohong Fang, Bo Peng, Xin Wang, Zhaoliang Song, Dongxiao Zhou, Qin Wang, Zhilian Qin, Changyin Tan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Concentrations of heavy metals Ba, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Th, U, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd in sediments from the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results suggest that there are two metal distribution patterns in these sediments: (1) Ba, Sc, V, Cr, Mn, Th, and U are relatively homogeneously distributed and (2) Cd, Pb, Zn Cu, Co and Ni are heterogeneously distributed. The heterogeneously distributed metals are significantly enriched in these sediments and, thereby, contribute to contamination. Assessments of heavy metal contamination using the Geoaccumulation index, Pollution load index, and potential ecological risk index suggest that the levels of contamination from Cd and Mn are extremely high and moderately high, respectively, in all the sediments from the lower river. In comparison, the levels of contamination by Cu, Zn, and Pb varied spatially, decreasing progressively downriver. The level of contamination by Pb, Zn, and Cu in sediments from the Zhuzhou reach is extremely high, and is moderate to significant high for the Xiangtan, Changsha, and Xiangyin reaches. The ecological potential risks posed heavy metals are ranked, in descending order, as Cd 〉 Pb 〉 Cu 〉 Zn 〉 Cr 〉 Ni 〉 Co 〉 Mn for sediments from the Zhuzhou reach and Cd 〉 Pb 〉 Cu 〉 Ni 〉 Cr 〉 Co 〉 Zn 〉 Mn for sediments from the Xiangtan, Changsha, and Xiangyin reaches. Principal component analysis and enrichment factor calculations suggest that Ba, Sc, V, Cr, Th, and U mostly originate from natural processes. While, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, and Mn are derived from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, strategies for environmental protection in this watershed should focus on contamination by Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu, with Cd requiring particular attention.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329031-ga1.jpg" width="375" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Simona Crognale, Barbara Tonanzi, Francesco Valentino, Mauro Majone, Simona Rossetti〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study analyses the bacterial population dynamics of a mixed microbial community (MMC) selected in a pilot plant producing polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) from the fermentation of the organic fraction of urban waste (OFMSW) and sewage sludge (SS). 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing revealed the occurrence of a variety of PHA accumulating bacteria that ensured a stable PHA production in an open system operating with real substrates and without temperature control. The Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA) changes in the feed and the temperature variation affected the dynamics of the PHA-accumulating bacteria over the plant operation. Remarkably, the higher PHA content was associated to a MMC largely comprising of 〈em〉Hydrogenophaga〈/em〉 species during the operation at higher working temperature. The involvement of a heterogeneous PHA-accumulating MMC was associated with a high 〈em〉phaC〈/em〉 synthase genes biodiversity confirming the occurrence of a functional redundancy.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330645-ga1.jpg" width="343" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jing Yang, Liping Ma, Jie Yang, Zhiying Guo, Hongpan Liu, Wei Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Chemical-looping gasification (CLG) is a novel process for syngas generation from solid fuels that shares the same basic principles as chemical-looping combustion (CLC). This method also uses oxygen carriers (mainly metal oxides and calcium sulfate) to transfer heat and oxygen to the fuel. In this work, we used phosphogypsum (PG) as the oxygen carrier in CLG with lignite fuel. Based on experimental and density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculation analysis, the Ca and S migration characteristics in PG and the reaction mechanism between lignite fuel molecules and the oxygen carrier PG in CLG were explored. The results show that there is a series of tandem and competitive reactions during this process, and the optimal temperature range of the fuel reactor in the chemical looping gasification of PG oxygen carriers is 1173 K–1223 K. The only gaseous sulfide detected is H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S, and the solid sulfide CaS and a small amount of unreacted CaSO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 are detected at a temperature of 1173 K. DFT calculation shows that the presence of S〈sup〉+6〈/sup〉 atoms from SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 on the top of the CaSO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 surface is more favourable than Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 for C, CO, and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 oxidation at a temperature of 1173 K. During oxidation, lattice O consumption mainly occurs around the S〈sup〉+6〈/sup〉 atoms stepwise from S〈sup〉+6〈/sup〉 → S〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 at a temperature of 1173 K. In addition, CO and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 oxidation occur more easily than that of C at a temperature of 1173 K. The experimental results and the calculated results show good consistency, providing valuable information regarding the reactivity of the oxygen carrier PG and the C, CO, and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 oxidation over the CaSO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 surface at an atomic level.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330797-ga1.jpg" width="252" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): C.Q. Yin, F. Solmon, X.J. Deng, Y. Zou, T. Deng, N. Wang, F. Li, B.R. Mai, L. Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Up to now, a nation-wide scale study of surface ozone (O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) concentrations in China was limited due to scarce observation. Thanks to the establishment of national air quality monitoring network in 2013, surface O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 data from 1402 stations during 2014–2017 were collected to investigate O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 seasonality. Our analysis reveals that the variations of monthly O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 averaged from daily mean concentration during a year show different temporal profiles depending on latitude. A unimodal structure (UMS) is generally found for latitudes over 35°N, whereas a bimodal structure (BMS) is in most of the cases identified south of 35°N. The peak of UMS is found in the period of May to July, whereas the first and second peaks of BMS are found from April to June, and from July to October, respectively. In addition, the seasonality of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 presents a strong dependence on pseudo-equivalent potential temperature and monsoonal clouds. The onset and retreat of warm and wet air are correlated to the summer minimum in BMS cases and to the sharp decrease of UMS in July. As far as the relationships between O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and carbon monoxide are concerned, the effects of clean maritime air masses on the summer trough of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 are not significant for inland sites. Overall, summer monsoon bringing warm and moist air and subsequent clouds leads to the suppression of photochemical production, thereby contributing directly to the geographical distribution of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 seasonality.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330335-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lipeng Gu, Bin Huang, Fengxia Han, Bo Pan, Zhixiang Xu, Xiao Gu, Huayu Xu, Xuejun Pan, Dionysios D. Dionysiou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Microbial action is the main pathway removing steroid estrogens (SEs) from both aerobic and anaerobic natural waters. The rate is influenced by other active substances present, particularly dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM in natural surface waters has unstable components which undergo spontaneous photochemical oxidation, biological oxidation, chemical oxidation changes. How these changes influence the biosorption and bio-removal of SEs was the subject of this research. Photo oxidation-induced DOM increased the proportion of the fluorescence in area V, but biological oxidation and chemical oxidation caused fluorescence area V to decrease. All three oxidation processes can reduce the proportions of molecular weight (MW) 〉 5 kg·mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and increase the proportions of MW 〈 5 kg·mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Both the electron transfer capacity decreased monotonically with photo oxidation and chemical oxidation ageing, but biological oxidation ageing increased them. 17β-estradiol (E2) was the SEs used in the experiments. In aerobic conditions, fresh river humic acids (RHA) and aged RHA had the stronger mediating effect on the rate of E2 bio-removal under aerobic conditions. Its greater effectiveness was probably related to its binding with E2. Binding, biosorption of E2 and bio-removal of E2 were strongly positively correlated with the elemental C (R 〉 0.8, 〈em〉p〈/em〉 ≤ 0.01) and SUVA〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 (R 〉 0.8, 〈em〉p〈/em〉 ≤ 0.01) by correlation matrix. Besides, fresh river fulvic acids (RFA) and aged RFA had the bigger mediating effect on E2 bio-removal under anaerobic conditions, and this imply that changes in aged DOM affected by other electron transfer groups in an anaerobic water environment. In anaerobic conditions, biosorption of E2 and binding action could cluster together with SUVA〈sub〉254〈/sub〉, p(v), and 1 kg·mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 〈 MW 〈 5 kg·mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 by redundancy analysis, and but bio-removal of E2 could be well polymerized with EAC, EDC, p(iv), and MW 〉 5 kg·mol〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330517-ga1.jpg" width="232" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Aaron Alorda-Kleinglass, Jordi Garcia-Orellana, Valentí Rodellas, Marc Cerdà-Domènech, Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Marc Diego-Feliu, Giada Trezzi, David Sánchez-Quilez, Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Miquel Canals〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Mining impacts on coastal environments have been extensively studied around the world. However, the role of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) and Porewater Exchange (PEX) as pathways for pollutants from mining waste deposits into seawater has been largely overlooked. Portmán Bay is located in the Cartagena-La Unión Pb-Zn sulphur mining district in Murcia, SE of Spain. The disposal of about 60 million tons of metal-rich mine tailings from 1957 to 1990 led to the infill of most of the bay. Although the effects of metals on indicator organisms have been shown previously, there is a major lack of knowledge on the release of dissolved metals from the emerged tailing deposit into the sea, more than 25 years after the closure of the mining activities.〈/p〉 〈p〉Samples for Ra isotopes (〈sup〉223〈/sup〉Ra, 〈sup〉224〈/sup〉Ra, 〈sup〉226〈/sup〉Ra and 〈sup〉228〈/sup〉Ra) and dissolved metals (Ag, Cd, Co, Pb, Zn) were analyzed in porewaters and seawater in order to separately estimate SGD and PEX driven dissolved metal fluxes. Our results show a continuous release of dissolved metals into the sea driven by both PEX and SGD. Most of dissolved metals are remobilized and released into the water column by PEX, which is a ubiquitous mechanism acting along the shoreline. Although SGD only represents 13% of the water flow, it drives large fluxes of dissolved Fe into the sea, mainly restricted to the west side of the bay. Large inputs of dissolved Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 from the anoxic tailings deposit trigger a massive precipitation of iron hydroxides that enables the removal of most dissolved metals from the water column. This study highlights the role of PEX and SGD as significant mechanisms for the land to ocean transfer of dissolved metals from coastal mine tailings deposits.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327974-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zonghan Ma, Nana Yan, Bingfang Wu, Alfred Stein, Weiwei Zhu, Hongwei Zeng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The spatial distribution of water resources largely influences Earth ecosystems and human civilization. Being a major component of the global water cycle, evapotranspiration (ET) serves as an indicator of the availability of water resources. Understanding the actual ET (ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉) variation mechanism at different spatial and temporal scales can improve management of water use within the sustainable development limits. In this study, remote sensing derived ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉 data were used to study water resource fluctuations in the Loess Plateau, China. This region covers diverse climate types from humid to arid and experienced large changes in vegetation cover during a revegetation project between 2000 and 2015. The relations between spatiotemporal variation of ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉, climate factors and vegetation change were explored using statistical methods. The results show that cropland, forestland and grassland take the largest percentage of total ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉. Total ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉 exhibited a marginally increasing trend (p 〈 0.1) during 2000–2010 and no trend during 2011–2015. Windspeed and vegetation cover index highly influenced ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉, followed by atmospheric pressure, air humidity, precipitation, bright sunshine duration and temperature. Temperature has little effect on ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉 throughout the Loess Plateau. The monitoring of water resources based upon water balance between precipitation, ET〈sub〉a〈/sub〉 and river flow changes shows that water consumption deficit is consistent with vegetation changes: it was large during 2000–2010 when vegetation increased rapidly and decreased after 2010. These results could help to develop different water saving strategies across the Loess Plateau and build a better monitoring system of water resources.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327263-ga1.jpg" width="464" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ying Liu, Shuya Xie, Lirong Zheng, Tongtong Li, Yajie Sun, Limin Ma, Zhifen Lin, Peter Grathwohl, Rainer Lohmann〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Compared with dry and wet deposition rates, air-soil exchange fluxes cannot be directly measured experimentally. Polyethylene passive sampling was applied to assess transport directions and to measure concentration gradients in order to calculate diffusive fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) across the air-soil interface in an urban park of Shanghai, China. Seven campaigns with high spatial resolution sampling at 18 heights between 0 and 200 cm above the ground were conducted in 2017–2018. Air-to-soil deposition was observed, e.g. for phenanthrene, and soil-to-air volatilization for high molecular weight compounds, such as benzo[〈em〉b〈/em〉]fluoranthene. Significant linear correlations between gaseous PAH concentration and log-transformed height were observed. Influence of vegetation on vertical concentration gradients of gaseous PAHs was insignificant in most cases except during the growing season. Local micrometeorological conditions resulted in a directional eddy diffusion in air and then influenced vertical diffusion of gaseous PAHs. Furthermore, the vertical eddy diffusivity was estimated as a function of distance to the air-soil surface. Air-soil exchange fluxes based on the Mackay's fugacity approach were calculated and confirmed by diffusive fluxes within air layer based on vertical concentration gradient of PAHs and eddy/molecular diffusion. Polyethylene passive sampling technology provides a useful tool to investigate air-soil exchange process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330712-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xujie Li, Fengshan Cai, Tiangang Luan, Li Lin, Baowei Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Collaborations between multiple microbial species are important for understanding natural clearance and ecological effects of toxic organic contaminants in the environment. However, the interactions between different species in the transformation and degradation of contaminants remain to address. In this study, the effects of pyrene and its bacterial metabolites on the algal growth (〈em〉Selenastrum capricornutum〈/em〉) were examined. The specific growth rate of algal cells incubated with bacterial pyrene metabolites (1.18 d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) was highest among all treatment, followed by the controls (1.07 d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), treated with pyrene-free bacterial metabolites (1.04 d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and those treated with pyrene (0.55 d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). G〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 phase is the key growth phase for the cells to synthesize biomolecules for subsequent cell division in the cell cycle. Approximately 76.9% of the cells treated with bacterial pyrene metabolites were at the G〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 phase and significantly lower than those with the controls (85.3%), pyrene-free bacterial metabolites (85.5%) and pyrene treatment (92.5%). Transcriptomic analysis of algae showed that the expression of 47 ribosomal unigenes was down-regulated by 5 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of pyrene, while 308 unigenes related to the preparation of cell division (DNA replication and protein synthesis) were up-regulated by bacterial pyrene metabolites. It indicated that basal metabolism associated with the growth and proliferation of algal cells could be significantly promoted by bacterial pyrene metabolites. Overall, this study suggests a close relationship between algae and bacteria in the transformation and ecological effects of toxic contaminants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327330-ga1.jpg" width="483" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Matthew A. Wale, Robert A. Briers, Mark G.J. Hartl, David Bryson, Karen Diele〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Responses of marine invertebrates to anthropogenic noise are insufficiently known, impeding our understanding of ecosystemic impacts of noise and the development of mitigation strategies. We show that the blue mussel, 〈em〉Mytilus edulis〈/em〉, is negatively affected by ship-noise playbacks across different levels of biological organization. We take a novel mechanistic multi-method approach testing and employing established ecotoxicological techniques (i.e. Comet Assay and oxidative stress tests) in combination with behavioral and physiological biomarkers. We evidence, for the first time in marine species, noise-induced changes in DNA integrity (six-fold higher DNA single strand-breaks in haemocytes and gill epithelial cells) and oxidative stress (68% increased TBARS in gill cells). We further identify physiological and behavioral changes (12% reduced oxygen consumption, 60% increase in valve gape, 84% reduced filtration rate) in noise-exposed mussels. By employing established ecotoxicological techniques we highlight impacts not only on the organismal level, but also on ecological performance. When investigating species that produce little visually obvious responses to anthropogenic noise, the above mentioned endpoints are key to revealing sublethal effects of noise and thus enable a better understanding of how this emerging, but often overlooked stressor, affects animals without complex behaviors. Our integrated approach to noise research can be used as a model for other invertebrate species and faunal groups, and inform the development of effective methods for assessing and monitoring noise impacts. Given the observed negative effects, noise should be considered a potential confounding factor in studies involving other stressors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329535-ga1.jpg" width="395" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yijie Zhai, Xiaoxu Shen, Taiyong Quan, Xiaotian Ma, Ruirui Zhang, Changxing Ji, Tianzuo Zhang, Jinglan Hong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Water consumption and pollution in wheat production, which are worth paying attention in agricultural countries and arid regions, need to be assessed systematically and comprehensively. China, one of the largest wheat-producing country in the world, should be concerned about this issue. Thus, an impact-oriented water footprint assessment of wheat production in China was conducted based on the ISO 14046 standard to quantify water-related environmental impacts. We quantified the environmental impacts on human health and ecosystem quality categories of wheat production from 2009 to 2016 and evaluated the spatial variation of these categories in 2016. Results showed that the environmental impacts on human health and ecosystem quality categories in 2016 were 5.15 × 10〈sup〉−4〈/sup〉 DALY/t and 37.17 PDF·m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉·yr/t, respectively. Key factor analysis showed that the overall environmental impacts were primarily derived from fertilizer production, diesel production, and direct water consumption and emission. The dynamic analysis results revealed that the temporal variations in impacts were associated with water and fertilizer consumption. Areas with high potential impacts were mainly congregated in the North China Plain and Xinjiang Province due to their high wheat yields. Ecosystem quality was negatively correlated with wheat yield, and human health was positively correlated with crop water requirement. Therefore, on the basis of ensuring grain production, improving the utilization efficiency of irrigation water and reducing fertilizer and diesel consumption are the priorities for the management of agricultural water resources.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328359-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Α. Koltsakidou, Ch. Katsiloulis, Ε. Εvgenidou, D.A. Lambropoulou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, the degradation of Nimesulide (NIM), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, using photolysis, heterogeneous (TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in dispersion) and homogeneous (photo-Fenton reactant) photocatalysis, under simulated solar light (SSL) radiation, was investigated. Various parameters affecting the degradation rate of the target compound during the applied processes were optimized. The efficiency of all treatments used (direct photolysis; TiΟ〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL; TiΟ〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/Η〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Ο〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL; TiΟ〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/S〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Ο〈sub〉8〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉/SSL; Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉/H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL; Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉/S〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉8〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉/SSL and [Fe(C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)〈sub〉3〈/sub〉]〈sup〉3−〈/sup〉/H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL) was evaluated by means of initial reaction rate and mineralization. Moreover, the generated transformation products (TPs) by each basic process (photolysis; TiΟ〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL and Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉/H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL) were identified, using liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry, and their formation kinetic profiles were given. The main transformation routes of NIM were hydroxylation and fragmentation, for all three treatments applied. Finally, toxicity measurements were conducted using Microtox bioassay in order to evaluate the potential risk of NIM and its TPs to aqueous organisms. Although, the acute toxicity increased during the first stages of treatment the final outcome lead to very low toxicity levels even within 60 min of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉/SSL treatment. Concluding, the obtained results suggest that the photocatalytic degradation of NIM can lead to its complete elimination and simultaneously to the detoxification of the solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327433-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuo Chen, YueHan Lu, Padmanava Dash, Parnab Das, Jianwei Li, Krista Capps, Hamed Majidzadeh, Mark Elliott〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, can cause ecological disturbances that alter energy and nutrients across terrestrial-aquatic boundaries. Yet, relatively few studies have considered the impacts of extreme weather events on biogeochemical dynamics in watersheds at larger spatial scales. Here, we assessed the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma on the export of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrients in ten watersheds from five southeastern states of the United States. We quantified the magnitude of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nutrients exported during the storms and assessed the changes in DOM sources and bioreactivity after storms. Our results show that the storm-mobilized DOC and nutrients fluxes were primarily driven by water discharge. The proportions of terrestrial, humic-like DOM compounds increased, and percent autochthonous, protein-like DOM decreased during high flows. Percent bioreactive DOC decreased with increasing discharge. Bioreactivity increased with increasing nitrate concentration, but decreased as percent terrestrial humic-like DOM, aromaticity, and molecular weight increased. These observations suggest that storms may have shifted flow paths to shallower depths that promoted the addition of biorefractory organic matter from topsoils into the water column. Notably, the total flux of bioreactive DOC was at least nearly twice as high at peak discharge, indicating materials transported by large storm flows could strongly enhance microbial activity in streams, although the position of storm-mediated microbial hotspots would depend on the flow rate and other instream parameters. Additionally, compared to forest-dominated watersheds, urban watersheds exported high loads of nutrients and bioreactive DOC, and a wetland-dominated watershed had a prolonged, but relatively subdued export of DOC and nutrients. Together, our findings highlight the ecological significance of extreme weather and climate events in leading to rapid, large-magnitude changes in energy and nutrient availability within drainage networks, and the potential interactions between land use and climate change on watershed biogeochemistry.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329249-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cuiping Ning, Yuan Gao, Haijun Zhang, Haoran Yu, Lei Wang, Ningbo Geng, Rong Cao, Jiping Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Dissolved organic matters (DOMs) in fine particulate matters (PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉) play a crucial role in global climate change and carbon cycle. However, the chemical components of DOMs are poorly understood due to its ultra-complexity. In this study, DOMs in atmospheric PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 collected during the heating period in coastal city Dalian were analyzed with ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer, and the molecular composition was characterized. A large number of monoisotopic molecular formulas were assigned to DOMs, which could be classified into CHO, CHNO, CHOS, and CHNOS subgroups. A total of 4228 molecular formulas were identified in DOMs collected in hazy days, while only 2313 components were found in DOMs collected in normal days. CHO group was the dominated components in normal days, whereas CHNO group gave significantly higher contributions in hazy days. The S-containing (CHOS and CHNOS) groups posed the highest relative percentages in both normal and hazy days. In addition, potential emission sources were discussed according to the chemical component analysis. The van Krevelent diagram illustrated that lignin-like and protein/amino sugar family species were the most abundant subclasses in DOMs; and 78% and 94% of DOMs in atmospheric PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 collected from Dalian could come from biogenic origins in hazy and normal days, respectively. More compounds in hazy days were derived from anthropogenic emissions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329912-ga1.jpg" width="485" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhiguo Cao, Qiaoying Chen, Meihui Ren, Ling Zhang, Fangfang Shen, Xiaoying Wang, Shiyu Shi, Youhua Zhao, Guangxuan Yan, Jianbiao Peng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To investigate the influence of haze on human dermal exposure to a series of halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), paired forehead wipes were collected from 46 volunteers (23 males, 23 females) using gauze pads soaked in isopropyl alcohol under heavy and light haze pollution levels. The median levels of ∑〈sub〉27〈/sub〉HFRs and ∑〈sub〉27〈/sub〉PCBs in all 92 samples were 672 and 1300 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉, respectively. Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) (171 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) and decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) (134 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) were the dominant components of HFRs, indicating that dermal exposure may also be the significant pathway for non-volatile compounds. PCB-37 contributed the most to ∑〈sub〉27〈/sub〉PCBs, with a median concentration of 194 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉, followed by PCB-60 (141 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉). Generally, PBDE, PCB and DD (dehalogenated derivatives of DPs) levels on the foreheads of female participants (291, 1340, 0.92 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) were higher (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.037, 0.001, and 0.031, respectively) than those of male participants (226, 989, and 0.45 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉). A significant difference (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.001) in PCBs was found between light (1690 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) and heavy (996 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) haze pollution conditions. Nevertheless, HFR levels under heavy (median = 595 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉, ranging from 295 to 1490 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) and light haze pollution conditions (ranging from 205 to 1220 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 with a median of 689 ng/m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) did not show significant differences (〈em〉p〈/em〉 = 0.269). The non-carcinogenic health risk resulting from dermal exposure to ∑〈sub〉8〈/sub〉HFRs and ∑〈sub〉27〈/sub〉PCBs was 8.72 × 10〈sup〉−5〈/sup〉 and 1.63 × 10〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉, respectively, raising more concern about populations' exposure to PCBs than HFRs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330025-ga1.jpg" width="377" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenling An, Chenxi Xu, Xiaohong Liu, Ning Tan, Masaki Sano, Mingqi Li, Xuemei Shao, Takeshi Nakatsuka, Zhengtang Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study reports the earlywood and latewood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O time series from two hemlock sites located to the east (EQ) and west (WQ) of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) in the Himalaya. The latewood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O series from both sites were highly consistent, whereas the earlywood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O values for the two sites show variations over the investigation period. Climate response analysis revealed that the dominant control on latewood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O values at both sites was the precipitation amounts of the middle/peak periods of upstream Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). However, for EQ- and WQ-Earlywood, the main controls were precipitation amounts during the early and middle phases of the upstream ISM, respectively. The upstream amount effect could have accounted for earlywood and latewood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O variance. Combined with moisture transport models, we found that source water incorporated into latewood at both sites was derived mainly from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea during middle/peak ISM precipitation. However, during the early ISM, the high ridges of Mt. Qomolangma may block most of the moisture that originates from the Bay of Bengal, which results in a stronger signal of early ISM being recorded in EQ-Earlywood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O. The influence of the ISM on WQ-Earlywood is delayed until the middle ISM.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Maps showing the sampling sites (Trees; EQ: east of the Mt. Qomolangma, WQ: west of the Mt. Qomolangma) and wind field (m/s; arrows) averaged from 300 to 1000 hPa for the period 1948–2013 during the monsoon season (May–October). Notice the position of Mt. Qomolangma, which could have blocked moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The major finding is the right panel showing the variations of earlywood and latewood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O series from the east (EQ; 1790–2013) and west (WQ; 1850–2013) sides of Mt. Qomolangma, overlaid with an 10-year smooth curves (thick lines) emphasize decadal variations. The difference between variations of earlywood δ〈sup〉18〈/sup〉O from EQ and WQ sites is evident.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328414-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): M. Francos, E.B. Stefanuto, X. Úbeda, P. Pereira〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Wildfires are common in wildland-urban interfaces (WUIs), where they represent a severe threat to inhabited urban settlements endangering both infrastructure and human life. Given these hazards, it is critical that forest management tools be designed to reduce the risk of wildfire at the WUI. In this regard, a management tool that is increasingly being adopted is that of prescribed fires; however, a complete understanding of their impact has yet to be gained. The aim of this study, therefore, is to analyze long-term soil properties after a prescribed fire and observed if the prescribed fire avoids vegetal fuel continuity. Our study area occupies a Mediterranean forest in the urban settlement of Picarany in the municipality of Almoster (Tarragona, Spain). The vegetation is composed primarily of 〈em〉Pinus halepensis〈/em〉 Miller. and 〈em〉Quercus ilex〈/em〉 L. and the soil type is classified as Xerorthents. Soil sampling was carried out in four campaigns: just before the prescribed fire (BPF), just after (APF), one year after (1YAPF) and 13 years after the prescribed fire (13YAPF). In each sampling period, 30 samples were taken (0–2.5 cm) from a 72-m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 experimental plot (4 × 18 m). The soil properties analyzed were total nitrogen (TN), soil organic matter (SOM), pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and available phosphorus (P) concentrations. The carbon/nitrogen ratio was also calculated. A comparison of pre-fire values (2004) with long-term results (2017) shows increases of EC, Ca and Mg and decreases of TN and SOM. Despite these changes, the prescribed fire was found to be a good tool for managing forest areas. Indeed, the changes in soil properties did not represent a severely degradation of the soil and after 13 years there was no horizontal or vertical fuel continuity in the wildland-urban interface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330074-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Beatrice De Felice, Noelia Salgueiro-González, Sara Castiglioni, Nicola Saino, Marco Parolini〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Illicit drugs and their metabolites have been identified as emerging aquatic pollutants. Cocaine (COC) is one of the most used illicit drug worldwide. After human consumption, COC enters the aquatic ecosystems, where it is commonly detected in ng L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 concentration range. Although a number of studies have shown that the exposure to environmental concentrations of COC can induce diverse biochemical, molecular and histological effects on aquatic organisms, the information of COC-induced behavioral alterations is scant. Thus, the present study aimed at exploring both biochemical and behavioral effects induced by the exposure to two environmental concentrations (50 ng L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 500 ng L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) of COC on the freshwater cladoceran 〈em〉Daphnia magna〈/em〉. Specimens were exposed to selected COC concentrations for 21 days and the effects on the oxidative status, including the amount of reactive oxygen species and the activity of antioxidant (SOD, CAT and GPx) and detoxifying (GST) enzymes, and swimming activity were investigated after 7, 14 and 21 days of treatment, while effects on reproductive success was assessed after 21-days only.. Exposure to COC induced an overproduction of reactive oxygen species and a modulation of the activity of defense enzymes. Moreover, COC affected the swimming behavior and altered the reproductive success of treated specimens. Our results highlighted that environmental concentrations of COC can cause adverse effects at different levels of the biological hierarchy in a zooplanktonic species, confirming the potential threat due to this illicit drug for the aquatic community.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329560-ga1.jpg" width="275" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuqin Wang, Shengping Li, Mamin Wang, Haoyao Sun, Zhen Mu, Lixin Zhang, Yanguang Li, Qingcai Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have recently attracted considerable attention as a new type of environmental risk substance due to their potential health effects. However, the sources and contributions of EPFRs in PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 are not yet clear. Therefore, this study reports the sources of EPFRs in PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 based on chemical analysis and positive matrix factorization (PMF). Daily PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 samples (116) were collected in Xi'an city from April 4 to December 29, 2017, and were quantitatively analyzed for EPFRs and other chemical constituents. The PMF model revealed contributions from five main sources of EPFRs in PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 (dust sources, coal combustion, secondary nitrates, industrial emissions and motor vehicle emissions). Coal combustion, motor vehicle emissions and dust sources are the top three contributors to EPFRs (76.12% in total). Coal combustion is highly important for PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 (35.10%) and EPFRs (16.75%). A high dust source contribution to EPFRs in spring may be due to dust storm events. Motor vehicle emissions are the top contributor to EPFRs, with a mean percentage of 32.13%. Secondary nitrates barely contributes to EPFRs (3.42%), indicating an EPFR origin from primary emissions rather than secondary inorganic reactions. Industrial emissions contribute less to PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 (4.31%) than to EPFRs (11.71%), which implies that fossil fuels contains many high-molecular-weight organics that could emit EPFRs. Integrating the PMF results with meteorological data revealed that atmospheric pollutants emitted in Xi'an city center could be transported to the sampling site by southern winds. These results suggest the need for further studies on the public health effects of EPFRs and can be used to help formulate source control measures to reduce the potential health risks posed by EPFRs in PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329985-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanhui Dai, Lian Feng, Xuejiao Hou, Chi-Yeung Choi, Junguo Liu, Xiaobin Cai, Lei Shi, Yunlin Zhang, Luke Gibson〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Enclosure fisheries have accommodated the widespread expansion of aquaculture in many lakes throughout the Yangtze Plain (YP), China, for over four decades. Such practices have increased food provision but have also triggered various detrimental environmental consequences. To restore ecosystem functions, the Chinese government recently implemented specific regulations to remove enclosure fences from lakes throughout the YP. However, little information is available on the spatial and temporal distributions of the enclosure fences, particularly in relation to the enforcement of recent policy changes. Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images taken between 2002 and 2018, we conducted the first comprehensive assessment of the interannual changes in enclosure fences in 17 large lakes throughout the YP. Consistent decreases in fence density were found in most lakes after 2015; 15 lakes had 〉50% of their fences removed, while 9 lakes had 〉90% removed. The timing and implementation of the development and destruction of enclosure fisheries were related to government policy; before 2015, regional dynamics in enclosure fisheries were attributed to provincial policies, whereas the nearly ubiquitous fence demolition after 2015 was likely a response to national policy. This study represents remotely sensed evidence that demonstrates the importance of both local and national environmental policies and their effectiveness in mitigating ongoing human impacts on vulnerable and valuable natural resources. These findings provide valuable baseline information for future lake environmental monitoring and restoration in the YP region, and the methods used here could be applied to other lacustrine and coastal regions experiencing similar aquaculture activities.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327500-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): João Gomes, João Lincho, Eva Domingues, Marta Gmurek, Pawel Mazierski, Adriana Zaleska-Medynska, Tomasz Klimczuk, Rosa M. Quinta-Ferreira, Rui C. Martins〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Self-organized TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanotubes as immobilized photocatalysts were evaluated in detail for the photocatalytic degradation of parabens mixtures from ultrapure water. This kind of approach can be a very suitable option for emerging contaminants degradation considering the possibility of the catalyst reuse and recovery which will be simpler than when catalytic powders are used. The anodization method was applied for the TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanotubes production under different preparation voltages (20, 30 and 40 V). These preparation conditions are important on the morphological characteristics of nanotubes such as length, as well as internal and external diameters. The photocatalytic efficiency was dependent on the materials preparation voltages. The photocatalytic oxidation was evaluated using two different irradiation sources, namely UVA and sunlight. These irradiation sources were evaluated for parabens mixture degradation using different number of catalytic plates. The increase of the number of plates improved the parabens degradation possibly due to the availability of more active sites which can be relevant for the hydroxyl radical's generation. The effect of the reactor design was also evaluated using sunlight irradiation. The configuration, position and solar concentrators can be important for the performance of degradation. The mechanism of degradation was analysed through by-products formation under sunlight irradiation. The main responsible for parabens degradation was hydroxyl radical. Decarboxylation, dealkylation and hydroxylation seem to be the most important reactional steps for the mixture decontamination.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329833-ga1.jpg" width="293" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dingyu Liu, Rob Mariman, Miriam E. Gerlofs-Nijland, John F. Boere, Gert Folkerts, Flemming R. Cassee, Elena Pinelli〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Patients with respiratory diseases in rural areas have been reported to have enhanced responsiveness to ambient particulate matter (PM). In addition to the physical and chemical components, ambient PM can contain microorganisms or parts thereof, referred here as BioPM, that can also contribute to the adverse health effects. This study aimed to characterize the microbial composition of BioPM originating from livestock, and to investigate whether these BioPM can trigger the activation of innate receptors and cells. Coarse (PM〈sub〉2.5–10〈/sub〉 μm) and fine (PM〈sub〉〈2.5〈/sub〉 μm) BioPM samples were collected from indoor chicken, pig and goat farms using the versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES) connected to a Biosampler. The fungal and bacterial communities were assessed with an amplicon based approach using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). In parallel, HEK-Blue cells expressing different pattern recognition receptors (Toll like receptors (TLR) 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and NOD 1, 2) and a human monocytic cell line (MM6) were exposed to BioPM samples from these sites. Distinct airborne microbiota profiles associated with the corresponding animal farm were observed. Moreover, the various BioPM contained mainly ligands for TLR2 and TLR4 resulting in a concentration-dependent increase of pro-inflammatory cytokine secreted by MM6 cells. In addition, we show for the first time that only the pig-derived BioPM induced TLR5 activation. These findings suggest that animal farm specific BioPM trigger distinct inflammatory responses, which may contribute to airway diseases in humans.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327901-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): H. Hakkim, V. Sinha, B.P. Chandra, A. Kumar, A.K. Mishra, B. Sinha, G. Sharma, H. Pawar, B. Sohpaul, Sachin D. Ghude, P. Pithani, R. Kulkarni, R.K. Jenamani, M. Rajeevan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉We report the first ambient measurements of thirteen VOCs for investigations of emissions and air quality during fog and non-fog wintertime conditions at a tower site (28.57° N, 77.11° E, 220 m amsl) in the megacity of Delhi. Measurements of acetonitrile (biomass burning (BB) tracer), isoprene (biogenic emission tracer in daytime), toluene (a traffic exhaust tracer) and benzene (emitted from BB and traffic), together with soluble and reactive oxygenated VOCs such as methanol, acetone and acetaldehyde were performed during the winters of 2015–16 and 2016–17, using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry. Remarkably, ambient VOC composition changes during fog were not governed by solubility. Acetaldehyde, toluene, sum of C8-aromatics (e.g. xylenes), sum of C9-aromatics (e.g. trimethyl benzenes) decreased by ≥30% (〉95% confidence interval), whereas acetonitrile and benzene showed significant increases by 20% (〉70% confidence interval), even after accounting for boundary layer dilution. During fog, the lower temperatures appeared to induce an emissions feedback from enhanced open BB within Delhi for warming, releasing both gaseous and aerosol pollutants with consequences for fog chemistry, sustenance and intensity. The potential feedback is important to consider for improving current emission parametrizations in models used for predicting air quality and fog in such atmospheric environments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330116-ga1.jpg" width="319" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jorge Hoyos-Santillan, Barry H. Lomax, David Large, Benjamin L. Turner, Omar R. Lopez, Arnoud Boom, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Sofie Sjögersten〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Tropical peatlands are globally important source of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, but data on carbon fluxes from these ecosystems is limited due to the logistical challenges of measuring gas fluxes in these ecosystems. Proposals to overcome the difficulties of measuring gas carbon fluxes in the tropics include remote sensing (top-down) approaches. However, these require information on the effect of vegetation communities on carbon dioxide (CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) and methane (CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) fluxes from the peat surface (bottom-up). Such information will help reducing the uncertainty in current carbon budgets and resolve inconsistencies between the top-down and bottom-up estimates of gas fluxes from tropical peatlands. We investigated temporal and spatial variability of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes from tropical peatlands inhabited by two contrasting vegetation communities (i.e., mixed forest and palm swamp) in Panama. In addition, we explored the influence of peat chemistry and nutrient status (i.e., factorial nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition) on greenhouse gas fluxes from the peat surface. We found that: i) CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes were not significantly different between the two vegetation communities, but did vary temporally across an annual cycle; ii) precipitation rates and peat temperature were poor predictors of CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes; iii) nitrogen addition increased CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes at the mixed forests when the water table was above the peat surface, but neither nitrogen nor phosphorus affected gas fluxes elsewhere; iv) gas fluxes varied significantly with the water table level, with CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 flux being 80% greater at low water table, and CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes being 81% higher with the water table above the surface. Taken together, our data suggested that water table is the most important control of greenhouse gas emissions from the peat surface in forested lowland tropical peatlands, and that neither the presence of distinct vegetation communities nor the addition of nutrients outweigh such control.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329390-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yulong Yin, Hao Ying, Yanfang Xue, Huifang Zheng, Qingsong Zhang, Zhenling Cui〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Current nitrogen (N) fertilization rates in China have incurred high social costs in the drive to achieve higher yields and economic returns. We conducted an intensive nation-wide investigation to estimate the socially optimal N rate (SOR) for Chinese maize, rice and wheat as a balance between crop productivity, farm income, ecological health and human health. The social cost of N impacts (SCN) was calculated based on 2210 field observations reported in 264 publications. The estimated SCN for three cereal crops grown in China was in the range $142–218 ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at medium N fertilization rates (173–204 kg N ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). The net benefits of N use were calculated as the differences between private profitability and the SCN. The minimum N application rate with maximized net benefit was estimated as the SOR calculated from data compiled from 27,476 on-farm year-site trials. The average SOR was in the range 149–160 kg ha〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉; values in this range were 18.1–23.7% lower than the privately optimal N rate (POR). The yield losses associated with implementation of the SOR were not significant (〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.01) compared with the yield of POR implementation. The POR calculates the minimum N application required to maximize private profitability, i.e., traditional N recommended practice. Compared with the POR, implementation of SOR reduced reactive N losses by 17.8–39.0%, and the SCN by 18.8–30.9%. Finally, we simulated the SOR at the county level for each soil type based on data collected from no-N control plots yields and maximum achieved yields (〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.01). Thus, we estimated the SOR at the Chinese county level for three cereal crops using direct on-farm measurements. This study provide updated estimates of optimizing N management to simultaneously address production and pollution problems in China and other similar regions of the world.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329717-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Vera Kovacevic, André J. Simpson, Myrna J. Simpson〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The hydrophobic organic contaminants triclosan, triphenyl phosphate (TPhP) and diazinon sorb to dissolved organic matter (DOM) and this may alter their bioavailability and toxicity. 〈sup〉1〈/sup〉H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics was used to investigate how DOM at 1 and 5 mg organic carbon/L may alter the metabolome of 〈em〉Daphnia magna〈/em〉 from exposure to equitoxic mixtures of triclosan, TPhP and diazinon. These contaminants have different modes of action toward 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉. The contaminant concentrations in each mixture were an equal percentage of their lethal concentration to 50% of the population (LC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉) values, which equates to 1250 μg/L TPhP, 330 μg/L triclosan and 0.9 μg/L diazinon. The ternary mixture exposure at 1% LC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 values did not alter the 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉 metabolome. Contaminant mixture exposures at 5%, 10%, and 15% LC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 values decreased glucose, serine and glycine concentrations and increased asparagine and threonine concentrations, suggesting disruptions in energy metabolism. The contaminant mixture had a unique mode of action in 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉 and DOM at 1 and 5 mg organic carbon/L did not change this mode of action. The estimated sorption of triclosan, TPhP or diazinon to DOM at 1 or 5 mg organic carbon/L in this experimental design was calculated to be 〈50% for each contaminant. This suggests that the mode of action of the contaminant mixture was not altered by DOM because the two environmentally relevant concentrations of DOM may have not substantially altered contaminant bioavailability. Our results indicate that DOM may not inevitably mitigate or alter the sub-lethal toxicity of a mixture of hydrophobic organic contaminants. This indicates the complexity of predicting the molecular-level toxicity of environmental mixtures. For adequate risk assessment of freshwater ecosystems, it is vital to account for the combined sub-lethal toxicity of an environmental mixture of contaminants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719327950-ga1.jpg" width="410" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): E. Fernández-Palacios, J. Lafuente, M. Mora, D. Gabriel〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉SOx contained in flue gases and S-rich liquid effluents can be valorized to recover elemental sulfur in a two-stage bioscrubbing process. The reduction of sulfate to sulfide is the most crucial stage to be optimized. In this study, the long-term performance of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor using crude glycerol as electron donor was assessed. The UASB was operated for 400 days with different sulfate and organic loading rates (SLR and OLR, respectively) and a COD/S-SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 ratio ranging from 3.8 g O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 S to 5.4 g O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 S. After inoculation with methanogenic, granular biomass, the competition between sulfate-reducing and methanogenic microorganisms determined to what extent dissolved sulfide and methane were produced. After the complete washout of methanogens, which was revealed by next-generation sequencing analysis, the highest S-EC was reached in the system. The highest average sulfate elimination capacity (S-EC = 4.3 kg S m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) was obtained at a COD/S-SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉2−〈/sup〉 ratio of 5.4 g O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 S and an OLR of 24.4 kg O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉d〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 with a sulfate removal efficiency of 94%. The conversion of influent COD to methane decreased from 12% to 2.5% as the SLR increased while a large fraction of acetate (35% of the initial COD) was accumulated. Our data indicate that crude glycerol can promote sulfidogenesis. However, the disappearance of methanogens in the long-term due to the out competition by sulfate reducing bacteria, lead to such large accumulation of acetate.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719329444-ga1.jpg" width="279" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 688〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nasir Mahmood, Muhammad Arshad, Harald Kächele, Hua Ma, Ayat Ullah, Klaus Müller〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉More than three-quarters of the world's total cultivated land is under rainfed farming, producing almost 70% of total food. Most food production comes from developing and least favored nations. Pakistan, a developing country with an agro-based economy, is facing severe threats from climate change. Rainfed agriculture, especially wheat farming, is highly susceptible due to its heavy dependency on precipitation, one of the most important climatic parameters. Wheat is the main food crop, as well as a major source of calorific intake, for millions of people in Pakistan. This study aims to quantify the impacts of climate variability on mean yield levels and yield variability of wheat crop in the rainfed zone of Pakistan. Multistage random sampling technique is used for primary data collection from 400 rainfed wheat farmers during the 2016–17 crop season. The study uses primary data on crop input-output, management, socioeconomic, institutional, and historical climatic data (1980–2017). The data are analyzed employing the Just and Pope (J-P) stochastic production function approach with linear and non-linear functional forms. The results reveal that temperature rise negatively affects observed wheat mean yields, while cumulative precipitation positively affected it. Further, input market access, seed rate, and cumulative precipitation also cause variability in yield levels, leading to yield instability. Further, farm elevation influences wheat mean yield positively while input market access influences it negatively. The findings of the study have important implications for climate resilient wheat farming. Timely and tailor-made adaptations need to be undertaken in the rainfed wheat farming systems of Pakistan. Creating awareness among farmers about the optimal use of agronomic inputs under changing climatic conditions could be an effective adaptation strategy that improves yields and copes with yield instability.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328396-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fei Lian, Changrong Wang, Chuanxi Wang, Shiguo Gu, Xuesong Cao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The excess release of engineered nanomaterials into farmland poses a serious threat to food security. Although rice varieties exhibit substantial variation in cadmium accumulation, their responses to Cd-based nanoparticles are largely unknown. In this work, we investigated the accumulation of cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe QDs at 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg-Cd/L) in two rice varieties with different Cd accumulation capacity. It was found that 5.0 mg-Cd/L of CdTe QDs had minor growth inhibition to the high-Cd-accumulating variety (T705) relative to the low-Cd-accumulating variety (X24) after 7-day exposure. The two rice varieties had comparable Cd content in roots; however, T705 exhibited higher Cd content in shoots than X24. Transmission electron and confocal laser scanning microscopic observations demonstrated that more CdTe QDs can be transported and accumulated from roots to shoots in T705. The activities and gene expression of antioxidative enzymes in leaves of T705 increased more significantly than those of X24. Our findings for the first time validated that Cd accumulation divergence exists in different rice varieties when they are exposed to Cd-based QDs, the genetic basis for which needs to be further examined.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340604-ga1.jpg" width="469" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Seongchul Ryu, Gayathri Naidu, Hee Moon, Saravanamuthu Vigneswaran〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Selective copper (Cu) recovery from wastewater mitigates environmental pollution and is economically valuable. Mesoporous silica adsorbents, SBA-15, with amine-grafting (SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) and manganese loading along with amine-grafting (Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) were fabricated using KMnO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The characteristics of the synthesized adsorbents were evaluated in detail in terms of its crystal structure peaks, surface area and pore size distribution, transmission electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results established the 2.08 mmol/g of Cu adsorption capacity on Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Furthermore, in a mixed heavy metal solution, high selective Cu adsorption capacity on Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (2.01 mmol/g) was achieved while maintaining 96% adsorption amount as that of a single Cu solution. Comparatively, Cu adsorption on SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 decreased by half due to high competition with other heavy metals. Optimal Cu adsorption occurred at pH 5. This pH condition enabled grafted amine group in Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 to form strong chelating bonds with Cu, avoiding protonation of amine group (below pH 5) as well as precipitation (above pH 5). The adsorption equilibrium well fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, while kinetic results were represented by models of linear driving force approximation (LDFA) and pore diffusion model (PDM). High regeneration and reuse capacity of Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 were well established by its capacity to maintain 90% adsorption capacity in a multiple adsorption-desorption cycle. Cu was selectively extracted from Mn-SBA-15-NH〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 with an acid solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340471-ga1.jpg" width="320" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ye Shan, Wei Yang, Ying Li, Yangxian Liu, Jianfeng Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, novel activated magnetic bio-char adsorbents were proposed to remove the element mercury (Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉) from flue gas. Microwave activation and Mn-Fe mixed oxides impregnation assisted by ultrasound treatment were applied on the modification of renewable cotton straw chars. The influence of different preparation methods, loading value of Mn-Fe, molar ratio of Mn/Fe, calcining temperature, reaction temperature and individual flue gas ingredients (O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, NO, SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O) on removal of Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉 was investigated in a fixed bed system. The characterization results reveal that microwave activation is advantageous for the development of the pore structure, and ultrasound treatment can optimize the dispersion of Mn and Fe active ingredients. MnFe4%(3/10)/CSWU700 adsorbent exhibits the optimal Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉 removing performance. O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, NO, low concentration of SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (〈600 ppm) and low concentration of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O (〈2%) are found to be favourable for the capture of Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉, while high concentrations of SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O inhibit the removal of Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉. Chemical adsorption acts a pivotal part in the process of Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉 removal. Mn and Fe active ingredients are consumed in large quantities during the Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉 capture. In addition, chemisorbed oxygen (O〈sub〉β〈/sub〉) also plays an indispensable in the oxidation process of Hg〈sup〉0〈/sup〉. Furthermore, the magnetic adsorbent MnFe4%(3/10)/CSWU700 presents a good regeneration performance and adsorption capacity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340264-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Man Qu, Libo Luo, Yanhua Yang, Yan Kong, Dayong Wang〈/p〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉microRNAs (miRNAs) usually act post-transcriptionally to suppress the expression of many targeted genes. However, the response of miRNAs to nanoplastics is still unclear. We here employed 〈em〉Caenorhabditis elegans〈/em〉 to investigate the response of miRNAs to 100 nm nanopolystyrene at a predicted environmental concentration (1 μg/L). After exposure from L1-larvae to adult day-3, we found that 7 miRNAs (4 down-regulated (〈em〉mir-39〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-76〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-794〈/em〉, and 〈em〉mir-1830〈/em〉) and 3 up-regulated (〈em〉mir-35〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-38〈/em〉, and 〈em〉mir-354〈/em〉)) were dysregulated by nanopolystyrene. Expressions of these 7 miRNAs were dose-dependent in nematodes exposed to 1–100 μg/L nanopolystyrene. Among these 7 miRNAs, we found that only 〈em〉mir-35〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-38〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-76〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-354〈/em〉, and 〈em〉mir-794〈/em〉 were involved in the regulation of response to nanopolystyrene based on phenotypic analysis of both transgenic strains and mutant nematodes. Overexpression of 〈em〉mir-35〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-38〈/em〉, or 〈em〉mir-354〈/em〉 induced a resistance to nanopolystyrene toxicity, and overexpression of 〈em〉mir-76〈/em〉 or 〈em〉mir-794〈/em〉 induced a susceptibility to nanopolystyrene toxicity, which suggested that these 5 miRNAs mediated a protective response to nanopolystyrene. Gene ontology and KEGG analysis further implied that 〈em〉mir-35〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-38〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-76〈/em〉, 〈em〉mir-354〈/em〉, and 〈em〉mir-794〈/em〉 were associated with various biological processes and signaling pathways. Our results suggest the crucial role of a certain number of miRNAs in response to nanopolystyrene after long-term and low-dose exposure in organisms.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In nematodes, long-term and low-dose exposure to nanopolystyrene caused the response of limited number of miRNAs.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719341087-ga1.jpg" width="294" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yi-Xuan Wang, Wen-Qiang Li, Wen-Ming Zong, Tian-Yu Su, Yang Mu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The design of high-performance anodes for bioelectricity generation remains a challenge in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In the present work, we found that sodium citrate-derived carbon (SC) with a honeycomb-like macroporous structure could be prepared by a facile pyrolysis method. Then, a novel electrode fabricated by in-situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles on the SC-loaded carbon paper (CP), named PANI@SC-CP electrode, was used as the anode in electrochemical cells (ECs); this configuration resulted in much higher anodic current density than that of the control CP electrode. This improvement was attributed to the higher biocapacity resulting from the large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of the SC, the outstanding hydrophilicity of PANI, and the increased extracellular electron transfer efficiency owing to the good conductivity and the excellent electrochemical activity of the PANI@SC-CP electrode as well as the enhanced interaction between the electroactive microbes and the electrode triggered by the combination of PANI and SC. The excellent performance of the PANI@SC-CP anode for bioelectricity generation was also demonstrated in MFCs inoculated with a pure or mixed culture.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719339506-ga1.jpg" width="288" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roland Vogt, Darya Mozhayeva, Benedikt Steinhoff, Annika Schardt, Bastian Thiedo Frederic Spelz, Allan Philippe, Sandra Kurtz, Gabriele Ellen Schaumann, Carsten Engelhard, Holger Schönherr, Dunja Katharina Lamatsch, Josef Wanzenböck〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Over two years we assessed silver-containing nanoparticles (SCN) and total silver in the in- and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharging purified wastewater into a lake. Additionally, total silver was measured in sludge of the WWTP and in water, sediment, and fish of the receiving lake at several points with varying distance to the discharge point and compared to a reference lake. We used a novel single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS, with microsecond time resolution) protocol to detect SCN in environmental samples in addition to total elemental analysis by ICP-MS/OES (optical emission spectrometry), and histological analysis by dark-field microscopy. Total silver was below the limit of quantification in the WWTP influent and effluent, and in lake water and fishes, except for one influent sample. However, comparably high silver concentrations were detected in the sludge, irrespective of the season, indicating accumulation of silver. Furthermore, SP-ICP-MS analysis of influent samples confirmed the presence of SCN. Despite the high removal efficiency of silver and SCN from the wastewater, high silver concentrations were measured in the sediment near the discharge point, suggesting a constant silver input into the lake. Silver and SCN levels were lower than concentrations leading to adverse effects in recently published toxicological studies, thus the investigated lake ecosystem is currently not at risk.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340112-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Horacio A. Aguirre-Villegas, Rebecca A. Larson, Mahmoud A. Sharara〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anaerobic digestion (AD) and solid-liquid separation (SLS) can increase operational flexibility at livestock facilities, but they can also affect environmental impacts during downstream manure handling. In this study, manure was characterized before and after AD, SLS, and drying. The measured data were used as inputs to models to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia (NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) emissions during manure storage and land application. Nine dairy farms were sampled between each processing component to evaluate total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN), total phosphorus (TP), and total potassium (TK). AD systems with co-digestion have higher VS reduction than AD systems processing only dairy manure. SLS data indicate that both screw presses and centrifuges achieve higher separation efficiencies (mass in the solids) for TS and VS than for the other manure constituents. The farm with centrifugation achieves the highest separation efficiency for TP. TAN and TK are not well concentrated in the solids fraction for any processing system. TAN remains entirely within the liquid fraction, showing that each constituent has its own separation profile. Drying manure results in moisture, VS, and TAN losses. Since TAN stays with the liquids, these losses are negligible. When analyzing modeling results, most GHGs are emitted during storage as methane. However, land application is the major emitter of nitrous oxide and NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. Both AD and SLS can reduce GHG emissions, with the combined AD and SLS scenario achieving the highest reduction (41%). AD increases NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 emissions during storage due to the mineralization process during digestion. SLS alone can achieve significant GHG emission reductions (38%) even greater than AD when using actual performance data from operating systems. Both AD and SLS have the potential to reach higher GHG and NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 emission reductions with improved technology efficiencies and management.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340367-ga1.jpg" width="439" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yongjie Wang, Zongya Chen, Yonggui Wu, Huan Zhong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Paddy soil is a key area of methylmercury (MeHg) production and is dominated by fluctuating redox conditions following rice plant growth or rice-wheat rotation planting in eastern and southern Asia. The role of organic matter in the formation of MeHg under these biogeochemical redox cycles remains poorly understood, especially in certain mercury (Hg)-contaminated paddy soils. Here, we provide a detailed understanding of the formation of MeHg and its accumulation in crops (i.e., wheat and rice) in rice-wheat rotation systems under straw return. Two series of experiments, pot and microcosm experiments, were performed using Hg-contaminated paddy soil with 1% (〈em〉w〈/em〉/w) wheat or rice straw addition under aerobic or anoxic conditions. The results showed that straw amendments increased MeHg levels in wheat (by 225%) and rice (by 20%) grains, most likely due to the elevated soil MeHg following straw amendment. Microcosm experiments further confirmed that fresh straw-derived organic matter enhances MeHg net production in soil through an overall increase in the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), particularly under anoxic conditions. Our study clearly demonstrated that straw amendment enhanced MeHg accumulation in wheat and rice grains and highlighted that straw return in Hg-contaminated soils may increase the health risk of MeHg exposure to local residents via crop consumption. Thus, some guidance should be provided for crop residue return in rice-wheat rotation system farming practices.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719341208-ga1.jpg" width="402" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ying Yu, Mingxiao Li, Xin Dai, Fanhua Meng, Xuejiao Qi, Jiaqi Hou, Meiying Ye, Beidou Xi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In situ aeration combined with leachate recirculation is an effective method of treating carbon and nitrogen pollutants in landfills. In this work, we investigated the effects of in situ treatment of aged landfill leachate in aerobic–anaerobic recirculation-simulated landfill (AARL) and the feasibility of hydroxylamine addition to promote total nitrogen (TN) removal. Results showed that the hydroxylamine-treatment group had high TN removal and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification efficiency. High-throughput sequencing showed that hydroxylamine addition promoted the abundance of 〈em〉Nitrosomonas〈/em〉 (ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB)) in the aerobic zone. However, nitrite did not accumulate because the nitrite oxidation efficiency of nitrite-oxidising bacteria was higher than the ammonia oxidation efficiency of AOB. Moreover, 〈em〉Methylocaldum〈/em〉 was the dominant bacteria in AARL. This study contributed to the development of AARLs for the in situ remediation treatment of mature landfill leachate.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340616-ga1.jpg" width="404" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jialin Liu, Priyasha Shrestha, Lee R. Skabelund, Timothy Todd, Allyssa Decker, M.B. Kirkham〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Many prairie plant habitats have similarities to the harsh and stressful growing environments of green roofs. In the Mid-Continent Region of the USA under a hot summer climate, little research has been done to study prairie plant communities and their performance with different substrates on green roofs. To explore more sustainable, diverse green roof ecosystems, this research assessed the first-year growth (June to October 2018) on an experimental green roof in the Flint Hills Ecoregion, which has some of the most extensive coverage of intact tallgrass prairie in North America. A mixture of plants (four native prairie grasses and two sedums) were grown on two substrates—a commercial substrate (rooflite® extensive 800) and a regionally mixed substrate (Kansas BuildEx)—placed at two depths: 6.0–13.0 cm (called the “shallow depth”) and 16.5–25.5 cm (called the “deep depth”). Plant height, coverage, survival, visual appearance, leaf stomatal resistance, and volumetric substrate water content were measured. Supplemental irrigation was provided equally to each experimental plot during the growing season. It was shown that the regionally mixed substrate had greater effect on plant height at the shallow depth and on coverage at the deep depth. However, volumetric water content was usually higher in the commercial substrate. Substrate type did not affect visual appearance and leaf stomatal resistance. Substrate moisture was inversely related to leaf stomatal resistance at low soil moisture levels. All prairie species survived, while 〈em〉Sedum reflexum〈/em〉 had poor survival and coverage. 〈em〉Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Schizachyrium scoparium,〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Sedum rupestre〈/em〉 performed well in a green roof community. 〈em〉Bouteloua dactyloides〈/em〉 grew very well, but may be too aggressive when planted with sedums. The findings of this study will be of practical value for the design of mixed-species green roof systems in similar mid-continental regions with hot summers.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340665-ga1.jpg" width="415" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xia Ruan, Hong Liu, Junwen Wang, Dongye Zhao, Xianyuan Fan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Three possible dechlorination mechanisms of chloroorganics by nanoscale zero-valent iron (n-ZVI) have been proposed and widely accepted, however, the main mechanism is still controversial and not verified by experimental results. In this study, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was selected as the target pollutant and the experiments were carried out for the screening of the main mechanism of 2,4-DCP dechlorination by n-ZVI and Fe/Ni nanoparticles (n-Fe/Ni). The results indicated that 〉95% of 2,4-DCP could be dechlorinated to phenol by n-Fe/Ni within 120 min, while 2,4-DCP could hardly be dechlorinated by n-ZVI particles. The active hydrogen atom (H*) that transformed from H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 under the catalysis of Ni was responsible for 〉90% of 2,4-DCP dechlorination by n-Fe/Ni and 〈10% of the dechlorination was attributed to the direct electron transfer from ZVI. Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 was not able to dechlorinate 2,4-DCP. Correspondently, Ni in n-Fe/Ni mainly acted as a catalyst, while the acceleration of electron transfer from ZVI by Ni had a positive effect on 2,4-DCP dechlorination. The investigations on the relative importance of these three mechanisms are essential to iron-based remediation technology.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719339737-ga1.jpg" width="413" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanxu Liu, Wenwu Zhao, Ting Hua, Shuai Wang, Bojie Fu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The thinking of landscape sustainability discussed the win-win goal of landscape management for both ecological conservation and social development. The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has a pathway of green development towards sustainability, which could be benefited from a corporation on transnational landscape management. Although previous remote sensing observations showed that the ecosystem improvement and social development can coexist in most of the Belt and Road region, whether the change tendencies can be sustained have been neglected. Based on the continuous vegetation index, nighttime light and landcover datasets between 1980s–2010s, a detailed observation of the landscape evolution was obtained in this study. Depending on the identifications of temporal breakpoints, the time series was separated to identify the former and latter tendencies, and the evolution score were evaluated. The results showed that the vegetation greening trend weakened in nearly half of the region, and the arid region mostly experienced vegetation browning lately. The evolution patterns of ecological landscape and social landscape were coincided distributed in China and India, and in Southeast Asia was not scored high for both ecological conservation and social development. Consequently, we should not be overly optimistic about the synergy between ecosystem improvement and social development.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004896971934080X-ga1.jpg" width="325" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alessandra Gallo, Raffaele Boni, Maria Cristina Buia, Vincenzo Monfrecola, Maria Consiglia Esposito, Elisabetta Tosti〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Rising atmospheric CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 is causing a progressive decrease of seawater pH, termed ocean acidification. Predicting its impact on marine invertebrate reproduction is essential to anticipate the consequences of future climate change on species fitness and survival. Ocean acidification may affect reproductive success either in terms of gamete or progeny quality threating species survival. Despite an increasing number of studies focusing on the effects of ocean acidification on the early life history of marine organisms, very few have investigated the effects on invertebrate gamete quality. In this study, we set up two experimental approaches simulating the ocean conditions predicted for the end of this century, 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 transplant experiments at a naturally acidified volcanic vent area along the Ischia island coast and microcosm experiments, to evaluate the short-term effects of the predicted near-future levels of ocean acidification on sperm quality of the ascidian 〈em〉Ciona robusta〈/em〉 after parental exposure. In the first days of exposure to acidified conditions, we detected alteration of sperm motility, morphology and physiology, followed by a rapid recovery of physiological conditions that provide a new evidence of resilience of ascidian spermatozoa in response to ocean acidification. Overall, the short-term tolerance to adverse conditions opens a new scenario on the marine species capacity to continue to reproduce and persist in changing oceans.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sperm sensitivity assessment in 〈em〉Ciona robusta〈/em〉 after short-term acidified seawater exposure by setting up two experimental approaches: 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 transplant and microcosm. In the former, animals in cages were exposed to natural CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 vent emissions at Castello Aragonese (Island of Ischia, Gulf of Naples); in microcosm experiments seawater was acidified by means of a bubbling system suppling CO2 gas. After parental exposure, spermatozoa were collected from sperm duct. Different sperm quality parameters, as concentration, motility, fertilizing ability, reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial activity, intracellular pH, viability, lipid peroxidation, morphology, were evaluated by means of counting chamber, 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 fertilization, spectrofluorimetry and electron microscopy.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004896971934077X-ga1.jpg" width="256" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): C. Moos, M. Thomas, B. Pauli, G. Bergkamp, M. Stoffel, L. Dorren〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Forests provide a series of ecosystem services, including the protection from natural hazards. Thanks to these forests, structural protection measures can be avoided in many places. A realistic long-term valuation of this ecosystem-based risk reduction provided by the forest is essential. The aim of this study is to assess the Net Present Value (NPV) of a protection forest using a risk-based approach and compare it to the NPV of rockfall nets. Costs to be included in the NPV calculation are forest management interventions, net construction, and benefits are the risk reduction and wood sales. The risk reduction is monetised as avoided costs, i.e. the difference between the yearly rockfall risk with and without measure. Uncertainties in the protection effect due to possible forest fires were simulated over a period of 100 years using a Monte-Carlo approach. Both the protection forest and the nets effectively reduce rockfall risk at the study site. The NPV of the nets is highly negative (−124,100 CHF/ha), indicating that they are economically not worthwhile at the study site. The NPV of the protection forest is highly positive (162,400 CHF/ha). The variation of the NPV due to fires is very low and the influence of this disturbance on the long-term efficiency of the protection forest is small. Building temporary nets in case of a large fire can restore the protective effect. Their NPV is, however, lower compared to the situation without net. By calculating the NPV of a forest considering its risk reducing effect, we provide a methodology for a realistic valuation of its protective effect. It is based on a case study, which, however, can be applied in a broader context. The presented approach can serve as basis to find optimal combinations of investment in natural hazard prevention, be this ecosystem-based or structural measures.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340549-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Caroline Fávaro Oliveira, Renato Farias do Valle Junior, Carlos Alberto Valera, Vinícius Silva Rodrigues, Luis Filipe Sanches Fernandes, Fernando Antônio Leal Pacheco〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cattle grazing is a major source of income across the globe, and therefore conservation of pastures is vital to society. Pasture conservation requires the full understanding of factors contributing to their degradation, which is facilitated through panoramic analyses capable to handle all factors and capture their relationships at once. In this study, Partial Least Squares – Path Modeling (PLS-PM) was used to accomplish that task. The study area was the Environmental Protection Area of Uberaba River Basin (525 km〈sup〉2〈/sup〉), located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and extensively used for livestock pasturing (51%). The selected (15) contributing factors comprised soil characteristics (e.g., organic matter, phosphorus content), runoff indicators (e.g., percentage of sand and clay in the soil), environmental land use conflicts (deviations of actual from natural uses), stream water quality parameters (e.g., oxidation-reduction potential-ORP, turbidity), and pasture conservation indicators (extent of degraded pasture within a pre-defined buffer). These measured variables were assembled into 5 conceptual (latent) variables to form the PLS-PM model, namely Groundcover, Pasture Conservation, Surface Runoff, Environmental Land Use Conflicts and Water Quality. The results elected Groundcover as prominent contributor to Pasture Conservation, because of its largest regression (path) coefficient (β = 0.984). The most influent measured variable was organic matter. Surface Runoff (β = −0.108) and Environmental Land Use Conflicts (β = −0.135) contribute to pasture degradation. The role of conflicts is, however, limited to predefined areas where the deviations of actual from natural uses are more expressive. Pasture Conservation contributes unequivocally to improved Water Quality (β = 0.800), expressed as high ORP. The PLS-PM model was free from multi-collinearity problems and model fits (R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) were high. This gives us confidence to implement conservation measures and improved management techniques based on the PLS-PM results, and to transpose the model to other areas requiring pasture quality improvements.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340586-ga1.jpg" width="452" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuying Li, Kun Qiao, Yao Jiang, Qiong Wu, Scott Coffin, Wenjun Gui, Guonian Zhu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Organotin compounds are the ubiquitous environmental pollutants due to their wide industrial and agricultural applications and unexpected releasing into the environment, which show characteristic of endocrine disruptors to interfere with the synthesis, receptor binding or action of endogenous-hormones. Organotin pesticides (OTPs) are used in agriculture and may impact endocrine functions on organisms. Thyroid hormones (THs) play fundamental roles in regulating the basal metabolism and energy balance, while thyroid function can be impaired by environmental contaminants. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the effects and mechanisms of OTPs on hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. In this study, 〈em〉Xenopus laevis〈/em〉 tadpoles at stage 51 were exposed to fentin hydroxide and fenbutatin oxide (0.04, 0.20 and 1.00 μg·L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) for 21 days. It was found that both compounds caused inhibitory effects on metamorphic development of tadpoles (e.g., significant decrease in hindlimb length and retarding development). Triiodothyronine (T〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) significantly decreased in tadpoles exposed to 0.20 μg/L and 1.00 μg/L of the two OTPs for 14 days or 21 days. The expressions of TH responsive genes 〈em〉trβ〈/em〉, 〈em〉bteb〈/em〉 and 〈em〉dio2〈/em〉 were down-regulated, while 〈em〉tshβ〈/em〉 and 〈em〉slc5a5〈/em〉 were up-regulated. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) binding assays showed that fentin hydroxide had a moderate affinity to recombinant human thyroid hormone receptor β but fenbutatin oxide did not have. Result of the SPR assay was highly consistent with the luciferase reporter gene assays that fentin hydroxide suppressed the relative luciferase activity in the presence of T〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 while fenbutatin oxide did not, demonstrating fentin hydroxide but not fenbutatin oxide displayed an antagonistic activity against T〈sub〉3〈/sub〉-TR complex mediated transcriptional activation. Overall, the findings elucidated the mechanisms induced by OTPs along HPT axis. These results highlighted the adverse influences of organotin pesticides on thyroid hormone- dependent development in vertebrates and the need for more comprehensive investigations of their potential ecological risks.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719341178-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hocheol Song, Daniel C.W. Tsang, Gihoon Kwon, Eilhann E. Kwon, Dong-Wan Cho〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To valorize plastic wastes, pyrolysis of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was conducted as a case study. In an effort to build the more sustainable pyrolysis platform for PVC, CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 was particularly employed as a reactive gas medium, and magnetite (Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) was used to explore the feasibility of enhancing CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-assisted PVC pyrolysis. The favorable effect of Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 on syngas generation from pyrolysis of PVC was apparent to yield highest concentration of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (0.28 mol% at 590 °C) and CO (4.34 mol% at 800 °C) in the presence of 0.1 g Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉/1 g PVC. The GC-TOF analysis of tar generated from thermal decomposition of PVC evidenced more breakdown of PVC hydrocarbons in the presence of Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, which led to the enhanced production of syngas. In the presence of 0.01 g Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, the evolution of CO was observed at lower temperature (7.1 mol% at 680 °C) than the case without Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, and further addition of Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 up to 0.5 g gradually increased the CO level in the latter stage of pyrolysis (up to 4.5 mol% at 900 °C), which is attributed to the enhanced Boudouard reaction. Good adsorption ability of biochar products was also demonstrated in the removal of methylene blue. Collectively, the use of Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-assisted pyrolysis of plastics could open the possibility of utilizing waste plastics in thermo-chemical process for energy recovery and environmental application.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004896971933921X-ga1.jpg" width="361" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yixin He, Wei Guan, Dan Xue, Liangfeng Liu, Changhui Peng, Baowen Liao, Ji Hu, Qiu'an Zhu, Yanzhen Yang, Xu Wang, Guanyi Zhou, Zhongming Wu, Huai Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The strength of methane (CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉) source of mangroves is not well understood, especially when including all CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 pathways in consideration. This study measured CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes by five pathways (sediments, pneumatophores, water surface, leaves, and stems) from four typical mangrove forests, including 〈em〉Kandelia candel〈/em〉 without pneumatophores and three species with pneumatophores: 〈em〉Sonneratia apetala〈/em〉, 〈em〉Laguncularia racemosa〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Bruguiera gymnorhiza-Bruguiera sexangula〈/em〉. The CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes from sediments were 4.82 ± 1.46 mg CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for 〈em〉K. candel〈/em〉 and 1.36 ± 0.17 mg CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for the other three with pneumatophores. Among the three communities with pneumatophores, 〈em〉S. apetala〈/em〉 community had significantly greater emission rate than the other two (〈em〉P〈/em〉 〈 0.05). Pneumatophores in 〈em〉S. apetala〈/em〉 were found to significantly decrease CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 emission from sediments (〈em〉P〈/em〉 〈 0.01), while those in 〈em〉B. gymnorhiza-B. sexangula were〈/em〉 significantly increase it (〈em〉P〈/em〉 〈 0.05). CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes from waters were 3.48 ± 1.11 mg CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, with the highest emission rate in the 〈em〉K. candel〈/em〉 community for the duck farming. Leaves of mangroves except for those of 〈em〉K. candel〈/em〉 were a weak CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 daytime sink, but stems were a weak source. The total 72 ha of mangroves in the Changning river basin emitted about 8.10 Gg CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 per year, with a weighted emission rate of about 1.29 mg CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Our results suggested that mangroves are only a small methane source to atmosphere with great contribution from sediments and waters, only slight contribution from leaves and stems. Pneumatophores of different mangrove species played different roles in CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 fluxes from sediments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719339154-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Alan A. Ager, Richard Lasko, Viktor Myroniuk, Sergiy Zibtsev, Michelle A. Day, Uladzimir Usenia, Vadym Bogomolov, Ivan Kovalets, Cody R. Evers〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper examines the issue of radionuclide resuspension from wildland fires in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in 1986. This work originated from a scientific exchange among scientists from the USDA Forest Service, Ukraine and Belarus that was organized to assess science and technology gaps related to wildfire risk management. A wildfire risk modeling system was developed to predict likely hotspots for large fires and where wildfire ignitions will most likely result in significant radionuclide (Cesium, 〈sup〉137〈/sup〉Cs) resuspension. The system was also designed to examine the effect of fuel breaks in terms of reducing both burn probability and resuspension. Results showed substantial spatial variation in fire likelihood, size, intensity, and potential resuspension within the contaminated areas. The potential for a large wildfire and resuspension was highest in the Belorussian Polesie Reserve, but the likelihood of such an event was higher in the Ukrainian Chernobyl Exclusion Zone due to a higher predicted probability of ignition. Fuel breaks were most effective in terms of reducing potential resuspension when located near areas that had both high ignition probability and high levels of 〈sup〉137〈/sup〉Cs contamination. Simulation outputs highlighted how human activities shape the fire regime and likelihood of a large fire in the contaminated areas. We discuss how the results can be used to develop a fire management strategy that integrates ignition prevention, detection, effective suppression response, and fuel breaks. Specifically, the modeling system can now be used to explore a wide range of fire management scenarios for the contaminated areas and contribute to a comprehensive fire management strategy that targets specific drivers of fire by leveraging multiple tools including fire prevention and long-term fuel management. Wildfire-caused emissions of radionuclides in Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia are a socio-ecological problem that will require defragmenting existing risk management systems and leveraging multiple short- and long-term mitigation measures.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719339245-ga1.jpg" width="367" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Iris Lochon, Pascal Carrère, Jean-Claude Yvin, Diane Houdusse-Lemenager, Juliette M.G. Bloor〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Liming is a common agricultural practice for improving acidic soils, but the addition of liming materials may also promote soil carbon dioxide (CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) emissions, with adverse effects for climate regulation. In grasslands, current understanding of liming impacts on greenhouse gas emissions is limited by a lack of field data on liming and soil respiration. Here we used a two-year field trial and 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 chamber measurements to evaluate the effects of repeated, low-level liming on soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions from an acidic managed grassland with high soil organic matter content. Soil pH, temperature and moisture were measured during the experiment, as well as microbial and plant biomass, in order to assess possible liming-induced changes to drivers of grassland carbon cycling. Soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions showed significant variation during the two-year study, driven primarily by fluctuations in soil temperature. Soil respiration rates were unaffected by liming treatment, despite significant lime-induced increases in soil pH. Liming was associated with a decrease in biomass produced per gram nitrogen, as well as a decrease in forage C:N in the second year and transient decreases in microbial C:N, but neither plant nor microbial biomass showed significant responses to liming addition. Collectively, our results suggest that positive effects of low-level liming on plants and soil are not offset by increases in soil CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉, highlighting the potential for sustainable liming practices in fertilized grasslands.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340756-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chang-An Liu, Ming-Yue Liang, Yu Nie, Jian-Wei Tang, Kadambot H.M. Siddique〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Unprecedented economic growth in Southeast Asia has encouraged the expansion of rubber plantations. This study aimed to clarify the effects of the conversion of tropical forests to rubber plantations on soil acidification processes, exchangeable cations, exchangeable aluminum (Al), available copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe). The results showed that these conversions significantly decreased soil pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, available Zn, Mn and Fe, and increased exchangeable Al and available Cu in the topsoil layers. In both the rainy and dry seasons, the conversion of tropical forests to mature rubber plantations increased the average soil exchangeable Al by 930.1 and 54.4%, and soil available Cu by 82.7 and 65.8%, and decreased soil pH by 13.4 and 9.9%, soil exchangeable Ca by 70.9 and 79.9%, soil exchangeable Mg by 76.5 and 77.8%, soil available Zn by 73.8 and 51.6%, soil available Mn by 33.1 and 47.5% and soil available Fe by 15.9 and 22.2% in the 0–10 and 10–30 cm soil layers, respectively. The change of soil exchangeable Al was greatly affected by soil acidification processes and soil organic carbon, exchangeable Ca, Mg and available Cu was greatly affected by soil acidification processes, as were available Zn, Mn, and Fe by soil organic carbon. The large losses of soil exchangeable Ca, Mg, and available Zn in the rubber plantations limited plant growth. The release of large amounts of exchangeable Al in the rubber plantations not only decreased soil available P but also threatened the safety of the surrounding environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Soil pH, exchangeable Ca, Mg, Al, available P, Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe in topsoil layers of tropical forests and rubber plantations.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340598-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lin Wang, Akira Setoguchi, Kazato Oishi, Yuta Sonoda, Hajime Kumagai, Chagan Irbis, Tatsuya Inamura, Hiroyuki Hirooka〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In Southwestern China, dairy farms utilized by-product feeds in dairy production and surplus calves were kept for producing beef as a by-product. However, it is unclear how the environmental impacts are in such dairy production system. This study evaluated, for the first time, the global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP) and energy consumption (EC) of 36 intensive dairy farms by life cycle assessment (LCA) in China, and investigated the effects of the feeding patterns on the environmental impacts by a principal component analysis (PCA). The results of the LCA showed that the impacts of beef production by surplus calves and culled cows accounted for 43, 41, 41 and 40% of the total GWP, AP, EP and EC values, respectively, despite the fact that beef was considered as a by-product in the dairy system. Five feeding patterns were distinguished as principal components (PCs): vegetable residue-based concentrate feeding (PC1), beverage by-product feeding (PC2), corn grain-stover feeding (PC3), corn silage-stover feeding (PC4) and rice straw-based brewers' grain feeding (PC5). The results of the PCA indicated that the farms utilizing by-product feeds purchased from companies near the study area had relatively low environmental impacts. In contrast, the farms that managed cows without precise nutritional planning showed relatively high impacts in terms of GWP, AP, EP and EC. Other impact categories, such as abiotic depletion and land use, would be considered for a complete assessment of dairy production in future studies. The consequences of this study could have a certain reference value on making policy/planning for developing dairy-beef production in China.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719339622-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 20 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 697〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): G.S. Araujo, D.M.S. Abessa, A.M.V.M. Soares, S. Loureiro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anthropogenic activities commonly relate to a set of diffuse and point contamination sources, from industrial, domestic or agricultural outputs, characterized by a chemical cocktail exposure and consequent disturbances of natural ecosystems. Different species may present different sensitivities to contaminants, even when phylogenetically close. This study used two monophyletic 〈em〉Daphnia〈/em〉 species from tropical and temperate environments, 〈em〉Daphnia similis〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Daphnia magna〈/em〉 respectively, to evaluate the variation of their sensitivity to Pb (if any) and fitness during a multi-generational exposure and recovery. To accomplish that, standard acute immobilization tests were done on specific generations. Tests were carried out with exposures to 1) potassium dichromate (K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Cr〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉7〈/sub〉) to evaluate organisms' sensitivity/fitness, 2) Pb, to monitor variation on Pb sensitivity and 3) the fungicide mancozeb, providing a pulse toxicity approach on generational Pb acclimated daphnids. Since growth is an important trait related to organisms' fitness, organisms' size measurements were also monitored. In addition, organisms were maintained under two different dietary regimes. Our results indicate no variation on daphnids sensitivity to K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉Cr〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉7〈/sub〉, except for 〈em〉D. similis〈/em〉 from a recovery period under food restriction. However, a lower Pb sensitivity was seen for both species throughout generations. Both species also showed that under food restriction neonates' sizes were larger than those kept under regular food, while reproduction was considerably reduced. Food restriction also generated opposite outcomes on both species, such as 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉 epigenetic changes and 〈em〉D. similis〈/em〉 phenotypic acclimation to Pb. Besides, 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉 pre-exposed to Pb presented lower sensitivity to mancozeb, while the contrary was shown by 〈em〉D. similis〈/em〉. This study indicates that daphnids are capable of acquiring a lower sensitivity to Pb across a long-term exposure, and that Pb pre-exposure can affect the sensitivity to other chemicals. Also, different patterns in multi-generational responses from monophyletic species (especially under oligotrophic media, common on natural habitats) acknowledge the use of representative or native species to assess the effect of contaminants, since monophyletic species can provide different toxicity outputs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340082-ga1.jpg" width="295" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jeetendra Sahani, Prashant Kumar, Sisay Debele, Christos Spyrou, Michael Loupis, Leonardo Aragão, Federico Porcù, Mohammad Aminur Rahman Shah, Silvana Di Sabatino〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydro-meteorological risk (HMR) management involves a range of methods, such as monitoring of uncertain climate, planning and prevention by technical countermeasures, risk assessment, preparedness for risk by early-warnings, spreading knowledge and awareness, response and recovery. To execute HMR management by risk assessment, many models and tools, ranging from conceptual to sophisticated/numerical methods are currently in use. However, there is still a gap in systematically classifying and documenting them in the field of disaster risk management. This paper discusses various methods used for HMR assessment and its management via potential nature-based solutions (NBS), which are actually lessons learnt from nature. We focused on three hydro-meteorological hazards (HMHs), floods, droughts and heatwaves, and their management by relevant NBS. Different methodologies related to the chosen HMHs are considered with respect to exposure, vulnerability and adaptation interaction of the elements at risk. Two widely used methods for flood risk assessment are fuzzy logic (e.g. fuzzy analytic hierarchy process) and probabilistic methodology (e.g. univariate and multivariate probability distributions). Different kinds of indices have been described in the literature to define drought risk, depending upon the type of drought and the purpose of evaluation. For heatwave risk estimation, mapping of the vulnerable property and population-based on geographical information system is a widely used methodology in addition to a number of computational, mathematical and statistical methods, such as principal component analysis, extreme value theorem, functional data analysis, the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process and meta-analysis. NBS (blue, green and hybrid infrastructures) are promoted for HMR management. For example, marshes and wetlands in place of dams for flood and drought risk reduction, and green infrastructure for urban cooling and combating heatwaves, are potential NBS. More research is needed into risk assessment and management through NBS, to enhance its wider significance for sustainable living, building adaptations and resilience.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719338860-ga1.jpg" width="433" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Natàlia Blázquez-Pallí, Orfan Shouakar-Stash, Jordi Palau, Alba Trueba-Santiso, Joan Varias, Marçal Bosch, Albert Soler, Teresa Vicent, Ernest Marco-Urrea, Mònica Rosell〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Many aquifers around the world are impacted by toxic chlorinated methanes derived from industrial processes due to accidental spills. Frequently, these contaminants co-occur with chlorinated ethenes and/or chlorinated benzenes in groundwater, forming complex mixtures that become very difficult to remediate. In this study, a multi-method approach was used to provide lines of evidence of natural attenuation processes and potential setbacks in the implementation of bioremediation strategies in multi-contaminated aquifers. First, this study determined i) the carbon and chlorine isotopic compositions (δ〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C, δ〈sup〉37〈/sup〉Cl) of several commercial pure phase chlorinated compounds, and ii) the chlorine isotopic fractionation (εCl = −5.2 ± 0.6‰) and the dual C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Cl isotope correlation (Λ〈sup〉C/Cl〈/sup〉 = 5.9 ± 0.3) during dichloromethane (DCM) degradation by a 〈em〉Dehalobacterium〈/em〉-containing culture. Such data provide valuable information for practitioners to support the interpretation of stable isotope analyses derived from polluted sites. Second, the bioremediation potential of two industrial sites contaminated with a mixture of organic pollutants (mainly DCM, chloroform (CF), trichloroethene (TCE), and mono-chlorobenzene (MCB)) was evaluated. Hydrochemistry, dual (C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Cl) isotope analyses, laboratory microcosms, and microbiological data were used to investigate the origin, fate and biodegradation potential of chlorinated methanes. At Site 1, δ〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C and δ〈sup〉37〈/sup〉Cl compositions from field samples were consistent with laboratory microcosms, which showed complete degradation of CF, DCM and TCE, while MCB remained. Identification of 〈em〉Dehalobacter〈/em〉 sp. in CF-enriched microcosms further supported the biodegradation capability of the aquifer to remediate chlorinated methanes. At Site 2, hydrochemistry and δ〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C and δ〈sup〉37〈/sup〉Cl compositions from field samples suggested little DCM, CF and TCE transformation; however, laboratory microcosms evidenced that their degradation was severely inhibited, probably by co-contamination. A dual C〈img src="https://sdfestaticassets-eu-west-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/16/entities/sbnd"〉Cl isotopic assessment using results from this study and reference values from the literature allowed to determine the extent of degradation and elucidated the origin of chlorinated methanes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719340434-ga1.jpg" width="499" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dandan Huang, Huiqing Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉For determining setback distances considering multiple air pollutants, a comprehensive study was conducted to simulate the atmospheric dispersion of odour, ammonia (NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉), hydrogen sulfide (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉S), and respirable dust using an US EPA air dispersion model AERMOD for a commercial dairy, broiler, and cage-layer barn in the Canadian Prairies. The simulation was conducted using five years of meteorological data. Setback distances were determined with the input of varying monthly emission rates of all four air pollutants and odour impact criteria specifically developed for all three odour sources. Results showed the layer barn had the greatest odour impact area (maximum 3023 m for an annual average odour concentration of 0.01 OU m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉) followed by the broiler and dairy barns. Due to the prevailing south wind for all three barns, odour traveled farthest in the north. Using the suggested odour impact criteria by the Government of Saskatchewan defined for all odour sources, maximum setback distances were decreasing from 1941 to 641 m for the layer barn and from 980 to 320 m for the broiler barn along with the increasing of odour concentration (OC) thresholds (1–6 OU m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉), all in the north direction. While for the dairy barn, setback distances were determined only under an OC limit of 1 OU m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉; maximum 205 m in the north and minimum 171 m in the south. Using the newly developed odour impact criteria specifically for the three odour sources, maximum setback distance of 558 m in the north was determined for the layer barn under an odour threshold of 9 OU m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉. Additionally, the results suggest the use of odour impact criteria for determining setback distance rather than using gas/respirable threshold limits set in ambient air quality standards as the former always requires much greater setback distances than the latter.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719331237-ga1.jpg" width="367" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Enrique Albert-Belda, Agustín Bermejo-Fernández, Artemi Cerdà, Encarnación V. Taguas〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Soil erosion is enhanced by wildfire, mainly due to the loss of vegetation cover and changes in soil properties. After wildfires, there is a need to control the non-sustainable soil and water losses. Of the strategies commonly applied, the use of contour felled log debris barriers to sediment trapping is widespread, but this is not always successful in Mediterranean Ecosystems. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a new barrier which can be applied on steep terrains affected by wildfires. The hydrological response and sediment delivery were measured to test a innovative design, which are easy to transport and use. The Easy-Barriers (EB) size is 0.8 × 0.1 × 0.2 m and were designed to restore degraded areas which need a quick, low-cost solution, such as after a wildfire. The experimental design was based on the analysis of a simulated runoff flow of 0.6 l·s〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉 circulated on 6 plots of 24 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 (0.8 × 30 m), on each of which 2 treatments were systematically applied: Control and EB. The EB were set up after the assessment of the runoff generation and the site rainfall characteristics for “extraordinary” events. We measured the rills, the sediments collected on each slope and the topographical changes. The total load and runoff in the outlet of the plots were also quantified using sediment volume and concentration measurements. The EB resulted in a decrease in the peak flow and a delay in the runoff time at the outlet. The sediment trapping rate of the barriers was 42.7%. The soil moisture was higher in the EB plots due to the accumulated sediment. In addition to these features, the EB allow us to save between 30 and 40% of total restoration costs in comparison with traditional barriers, due to the reduction in labour costs. Moreover, all its components are biodegradable.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328761-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 1 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 689〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pauline Merrot, Farid Juillot, Vincent Noël, Pierre Lefebvre, Jessica Brest, Nicolas Menguy, Jean-Michel Guigner, Marine Blondeau, Eric Viollier, Jean-Michel Fernandez, Benjamin Moreton, John R. Bargar, Guillaume Morin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In the tropics, continental weathering and erosion are major sources of trace metals towards estuaries and lagoons, where early diagenesis of sediments may influence their mobility and bioavailability. Determining trace metals speciation in tropical sedimentary settings is thus needed to assess their long-term fate and potential threat to fragile coastal ecosystems. In this study, we determined Fe, Ni and S speciation across a shore-to-reef gradient in sediments from the New Caledonia lagoon that receive mixed contribution from lateritic (iron-oxyhydroxides and clay minerals), volcano-sedimentary (silicates) and marine (carbonate) sources. Sulfur K-edge XANES data indicated a major contribution of pyrite (FeS〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) to S speciation close to the shore. However, this contribution was found to dramatically decrease across the shore-to-reef gradient, S mainly occurring as sulfate close to the coral reef. In contrast, Fe and Ni K-edge XANES and EXAFS data indicated a minor contribution of pyrite to Fe and Ni speciation, and this contribution could be evidenced only close to the shore. The major fractions of Fe and Ni across the shore-to-reef gradient were found to occur as Ni- and Fe-bearing clay minerals consisting of smectite (~nontronite), glauconite and two types of serpentines (chrysotile and greenalite/berthierine). Among these clay minerals, greenalite/berthierine, glauconite and possibly smectite, were considered as authigenic. The low contribution of pyrite to trace metals speciation compared to clay minerals is interpreted as a result of (1) a reduced formation rate due to the low amounts of organic carbon compared to the Fe pool and (2) repeated re-oxidation events upon re-suspension of the sediments top layers due to the specific context of shallow lagoon waters. This study thus suggests that green clay authigenesis could represent a key process in the biogeochemical cycling of trace metals that are delivered to lagoon ecosystems upon continental erosion and weathering.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719328475-ga1.jpg" width="403" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rajat Nag, Agathe Auer, Bryan K. Markey, Paul Whyte, Stephen Nolan, Vincent O'Flaherty, Lauren Russell, Declan Bolton, Owen Fenton, Karl Richards, Enda Cummins〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been identified as a potential green technology to treat food and municipal waste, agricultural residues, including farmyard manure and slurry (FYM&S), to produce biogas. FYM&S and digestate can act as soil conditioners and provide valuable nutrients to plants; however, it may also contain harmful pathogens. This study looks at the critical indicators in determining the microbial inactivation potential of AD and the possible implications for human and environmental health of spreading the resulting digestate on agricultural land. In addition, available strategies for risk assessment in the context of EU and Irish legislation are assessed. Storage time and process parameters (including temperature, pH, organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time), feedstock recipe (carbon-nitrogen ratio) to the AD plant (both mesophilic and thermophilic) were all assessed to significantly influence pathogen inactivation. However, complete inactivation of all pathogens is unlikely. There are limited studies evaluating risks from FYM&S as a feedstock in AD and the spreading of resulting digestate. The lack of process standardisation and varying feedstocks between AD farms means risk must be evaluated on a case by case basis and calls for a more unified risk assessment methodology. In addition, there is a need for the enhancement of AD farm-based modelling techniques and datasets to help in advancing knowledge in this area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330840-ga1.jpg" width="500" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): S. Mounicou, S. Frelon, A. Le Guernic, Y. Eb-Levadoux, V. Camilleri, L. Février, S. Pierrisnard, L. Carasco, R. Gilbin, K. Mahé, H. Tabouret, G. Bareille, O. Simon〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉This study aimed to determine uranium (U) pollution over time using otoliths as a marker of fish U contamination. Experiments were performed in field contamination (~20 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉: encaged fish: 15d, 50d and collected wild fish) and in laboratory exposure conditions (20 and 250 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, 20d). We reported the U seasonal concentrations in field waterborne exposed roach fish (〈em〉Rutilus rutilus〈/em〉), in organs and otoliths. Otoliths were analyzed by ICPMS and LA-ICP SF MS of the entire growth zone.〈/p〉 〈p〉Concentrations were measured on transects from nucleus to the edge of otoliths to characterize environmental variations of metal accumulation. Results showed a spatial and temporal variation of U contamination in water (from 51 to 9.4 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at the surface of the water column), a high and seasonal accumulation in fish organs, mainly the digestive tract (from 1000 to 30,000 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, fw), the gills (from 1600 to 3200 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, fw) and the muscle (from 144 to 1054 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, fw). U was detected throughout the otolith and accumulation varied over the season from 70 to 350 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, close to the values measured (310 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) after high exposure levels in laboratory conditions. U in otoliths of encaged fish showed rapid and high U accumulation from 20 to 150 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The U accumulation signal was mainly detected on the edge of the otolith, showing two U accumulation peaks, probably correlated to fish age, i.e. 2 years old. Surprisingly, elemental U and Zn signatures followed the same pattern therefore using the same uptake pathways. Laboratory, caging and field experiments indicated that otoliths were able to quickly accumulate U on the surface even for low levels and to store high levels of U. This study is an encouraging first step in using otoliths as a marker of U exposure.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330967-ga1.jpg" width="403" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 690〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mostafa Sobhi, Jianbin Guo, Xian Cui, Hui Sun, Bowen Li, Dominic Aboagye, Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Renjie Dong〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nutrient overloading resulting from digestate (effluent of anaerobic digestion process) application has become a major bottleneck for the development of the biogas industry and raised environmental concerns in regions with intensive animal husbandry. Due to this, it is imperative to find low cost and effective alternative to export nutrient from digestate. Among the numerous applications, indigenous microflora has recently been utilized successfully as a biofloc technology in aquatic systems for controlling ammonia and subsequent reduction of feeding cost. Accordingly, performance of the indigenous microflora in undiluted liquid digestate of chicken manure was evaluated in this study to recover nutrients and produce high-value biomass under aerobic heterotrophic mode in batch shaking experiments. The results showed that 68% of phosphate was recovered and 97% of total nitrogen was removed from the liquid digestate. Additionally, 〉6 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of dry biomass was simultaneously produced and featured with up to 65% crude protein without pathogens, 10.9% lipids, 10.7% ash and 19.6 MJ kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 gross energy. Therefore, the produced biomass could be used either as an alternative sustainable source for animal or fish feeding or as a substrate for energy applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719330608-ga1.jpg" width="250" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 15 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 696〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Wang, Liang Shi, Xinzhe Zhang, Xuan Zhao, Kecheng Zhong, Shengxiao Wang, Jianwen Zou, Zhenguo Shen, Yahua Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The effect of earthworms on the immobilization of heavy metals by biochar was investigated using 4-week soil pot experiments. Our results showed that both sludge and rice husk biochars applied to Cd, Pb and Zn contaminated soils significantly reduced the bioavailability of those heavy metals in soils, and their concentrations in soil pore water. The Cd and Pb concentrations in pakchoi shoots were decreased by 10.8%–11.7% and 21.5%–26.5%, respectively, in biochar treatments alone. Biochar and earthworm treatments, alone or in combination, can significantly increase pakchoi growth. However, compared with biochar-treated alone, applying earthworms into pots with biochar treatments significantly reduced soil pH by 0.1–0.19 units, increased the Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in soil pore water, their bioavailability and total uptake in shoots. Additionally, earthworms weaken the immobilization effect of biochar on heavy metals. The results of principal component analysis and correlation analysis showed that earthworm treatment was the main cause of soil pH reduction, and soil pH was significantly negatively correlated with the bioavailable Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations in the soil. Furthermore, the effect of the earthworm digestive system (casts) on bioavailable Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations could not explain their changes in the soil. In addition, the application of biochar had no significant effect on the survival and heavy metal enrichment of earthworm. Therefore, the effect of earthworms must be considered in the process of Cd, Pb and Zn contaminated farmland soil remediation using biochar.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719336678-ga1.jpg" width="442" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 695〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): P. Zúñiga-Upegui, C. Arnaiz-Schmitz, C. Herrero-Jáuregui, S.M. Smart, C.A. López-Santiago, M.F. Schmitz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This paper describes the relationship between the landscape and the socio-economic and political characteristics of a highly biodiverse Andean region of Colombia, which is now recovering from the socio-ecological impact of protracted armed conflict. We quantify the current spatial relationship between nature and society, and we include legacy effects from the most recent period of armed conflict and its consequences of forced displacement and land use disruption. The procedure followed provides a quantitative model where a minimum number of socio-economic and political variables explain the variation in land cover. The results represent the relationship between land use intensity and the main socio-economic and political indicators, highlighting a close interaction between landscape configuration, socio-economic structure of local populations, coercive conservation and armed conflict. A simulated post-conflict landscape shows a clear transition gradient towards agrarian expansion and intensification, also in systems where naturalness is a relevant feature. The peace process in Colombia offers opportunities for new schemes of land planning and management, including natural resource governance and policy reforms to improve welfare and resilience of local communities. The results allow to define options for future planning given the possible consequences of socio-political legacy effects yet to fully play out across Colombia.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719338240-ga1.jpg" width="381" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 10 December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Science of The Total Environment, Volume 695〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Afnan K.A. Suleiman, Paula Harkes, Sven van den Elsen, Martijn Holterman, Gerard W. Korthals, Johannes Helder, Eiko E. Kuramae〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Anthropogenic modification of soil systems has diverse impacts on food web interactions and ecosystem functioning. To understand the positive, neutral or adverse effects of agricultural practices on the associations of community members of soil microbes and microfaunal biomes, we characterized the effects of different fertilization types (organic, inorganic and a combination of organic and inorganic) on the food web active communities in the bulk soil and rhizosphere compartments in field conditions. We examined the influence of fertilization on (i) individual groups (bacteria, protozoa and fungi as microbe representatives and metazoans as microfauna representatives) and (ii) inter-kingdom interactions (focusing on the interactions between bacteria and eukaryotic groups) both neglecting and considering environmental factors in our analysis in combination with the microbial compositional data. Our results revealed different patterns of biota communities under organic versus inorganic fertilization, which shaped food web associations in both the bulk and rhizosphere compartments. Overall, organic fertilization increased the complexity of microbial–microfaunal ecological associations with inter- and intra- connections among categories of primary decomposers (bacteria and fungi) and predators (protozoa and microfauna) and differences in potential function in the soil food web in both the bulk and rhizosphere compartments. Furthermore, the inter-connections between primary decomposers and predators in bulk soil were more pronounced when environmental factors were considered. We suggest that organic fertilization selects bacterial orders with different potential ecological functions and interactions as survival, predation and cooperation due to more complex environment than those of inorganic or combined fertilization. Our findings support the importance of a comprehensive understanding of trophic food web patterns for soil management systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0048969719338355-ga1.jpg" width="301" alt="Unlabelled Image" title="Unlabelled Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉