ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinjiang Hu, Weixuan Wang, Guangyu Xie, Hui Wang, Xiaofei Tan, Qi Jin, Daixi Zhou, Yunlin Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel ternary composite of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉)/graphene oxide (GO) sheets/BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (CNGB) with highly enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity toward Cr(VI) photoreduction is prepared and characterized. The characterization and photocatalysis experiments corroborate its reasonable band gap, efficient charge separation and transfer, widened visible-light adsorption, easy solid-liquid separation, good stability and superior catalytic activity of CNGB. Three CNGB samples with different ratios of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 and BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 (CNGB-1, -2, -3 with 2:4, 3:3, and 4:2, respectively), though possessing different adsorption ability, eventually remove all Cr(VI) ions via photocatalysis within 90 min. The catalytic efficiency of the composite is the highest at pH 2; increases in pH decrease the catalytic ability. The inorganic anions such as SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, Cl〈sup〉−〈/sup〉, and NO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 only slightly affects the photocatalytic process. The matching of the band structure between BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 generates efficient photogenerated electron migration from the conduction band of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 to that of BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, which is also facilitated by the electron bridging and collecting effects of GO, and holes transfer from the valence band of BiFeO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 to that of g-C〈sub〉3〈/sub〉N〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, yielding the efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the subsequent enhancement of photocatalytic activity. The research provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the development of photocatalytic technologies for effective application in wastewater treatment and Cr-contaminated water restoration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): F. Faghihzadeh, N.M. Anaya, H. Hadjeres, T.B. Boving, V. Oyanedel-Craver〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉This study present assessed the effect of UV pulsed light (PL) on microbial and organic pollutants using two spiral lamps were used, i.e., PL1 and PL2 lamps, with wavelength cut-offs of 190 and 240 nm, respectively. Overall, our study demonstrated that pulsed UV light impacts several microbial biomolecules and degrades polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous solution. In microbial inactivation by PL2, temporary changes of bacterial cellular components, specifically proteins, were observed, but the compositional changes of bacteria that were exposed to PL1 were permanent due to ozonolysis. PL1 irradiation caused greater deactivation of the bacteria than PL2 irradiation due to the generation of ozone. The higher efficacy of PL1 in terms of membrane disruption, reduction of respiration rate, and reduction of growth rate was due to the production of ozone during the irradiation period. The bacteria that were irradiated with both PL lamps regrew due to photoreactivation, such as an enzymatic DNA-repair mechanism.〈/p〉 〈p〉The PAH degradation kinetics indicate that higher molecular weights degraded faster than those with lower molecular weights. For both lamps, the degradation of naphthalene and fluorene was first order, whereas second order for pyrene and anthracene. Any effect of ozonolysis on the PAH degradation rates was not apparent, which indicated that photolysis was the primary degradation pathway. PAH solutions treated with both pulsed UV lamps did not result in a toxicity effect on the bacteria.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yaquan Liu, Xinyue Pang, Jiarui Song, Xinhe Liu, Juanjuan Song, Yongna Yuan, Chunyan Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) is widely used in industry as an alternative to the decabromodiphenyl ether (BDEs). The large-scale use of DBDPE could lead to rapid growth of the human accumulation level of DBDPE. However, the biophysics of accumulation of DBDPE in cell membranes, as one of determinants of DBDPE metabolism is not clear. In the present study, detailed observations of cell lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels measurements proved that the DBDPE exposure to cell could result in significant cell membrane damage by concentration-dependent manners. The fluorescence anisotropy analysis supported the evidence that high concentration DBDPE bound decreased membrane fluidity significantly. Besides it, a detailed molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was approached to investigate the effects of DBDPE on the DPPC (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) phospholipid bilayer, which was constructed as the model of cell membrane. The molecular dynamic simulation revealed that DBDPE molecules can easily enter the membrane from the aqueous phase. Under the concentration of a threshold, the DBDPE molecules tended to aggregate inside the DPPC bilayer and caused pore formation. The bound of high concentration of DBDPE could result in significant variations in DPPC bilayer with a less dense, more disorder and rougher layer. The knowledge about DBDPEs interactions with lipid membranes is fundamentally essential to understand the in vivo process of DBDPE and the physical basis for the toxicity of DBDPE in cell membranes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320010-fx1.jpg" width="457" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yangke Long, Sifan Bu, Yixuan Huang, Yueqi Shao, Ling Xiao, Xiaowen Shi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metal-free carbo-catalyst has recently emerged as a promising candidate as a substituent for tradition-metal based heterogeneous catalyst for catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). However, most reported carbo-catalysts suffer from low catalytic efficiency and poor stability, thus a high-performance catalyst is urgently desired. In this study, a novel carbo-catalyst (NHPC-800), prepared by using tannic acid and dicyandiamide as renewable carbon/nitrogen feedstocks via a simple pyrolysis route, is reported as an activator of PMS with highly efficient catalytic ability and stability. The as-prepared NHPC-800 possesses as high as 22.4 atom% of nitrogen dopants and a hierarchically porous structure with abundant meso/macropores, accompanied by the abundant edges and wrinkles, which supply sufficient exposed catalytically active centers and fast electrons/mass transportations. Using rhodamine B as a model pollutant, the NHPC-800 shows a highly efficient catalytic ability which is superior to most reported carbo-catalysts and even some state-of-the-art metal catalysts. Based on competitive quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results, a non-radical pathway involving the generation of 〈sup〉1〈/sup〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 is responsible for the degradation of pollutants. Given that the NHPC-800 shows good recycling performance and strong resistance to adventitious interference such as anions and natural organic matters, we believe NHPC-800 can be a promising candidate for practical applications, and this study can provide inspirations for the further development of highly efficient carbo-catalysts.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320460-fx1.jpg" width="343" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nicole S.M. Vieira, Joana C. Bastos, Luís P.N. Rebelo, Ana Matias, João M.M. Araújo, Ana B. Pereiro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The use of fluorinated ionic liquids (FILs) as novel materials in biological and pharmaceutical applications is an emerging research field. The knowledge of their cytotoxicity and that of 1-octanol/water partition coefficients are essential to assess their environmental risks, to estimate their toxicity and activity, or the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance, as well as to explore their properties as solvents in extraction processes or for successful drug design. The study of the cytotoxicity in four different human cell lines and the experimental measurement of the partition coefficient between 1-octanol and water (P〈sub〉〈em〉o/w〈/em〉〈/sub〉), using the slow-stirring method, were carried out for several FILs. In both studies, the effect of the cation ([C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉Im]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [C〈sub〉2〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉py]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉pyr]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, [N〈sub〉1112(OH)〈/sub〉]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, or [N〈sub〉4444〈/sub〉]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉), the cationic alkyl side-chain length ([C〈sub〉n〈/sub〉C〈sub〉1〈/sub〉Im]〈sup〉+〈/sup〉, with n = 2, 6, 8 or 12), and the anionic fluorinated chain length/anionic fluorinated domain size ([C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉F〈sub〉9〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉]¯, [C〈sub〉8〈/sub〉F〈sub〉17〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉]¯, or [N(C〈sub〉4〈/sub〉F〈sub〉9〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉)〈sub〉2〈/sub〉]¯) were analysed. The results reveal that both toxicity and partition properties are mainly influenced by the size of the cationic hydrogenated alkyl side-chain and that of the anionic fluorinated domain. The intrinsic tuneability of the FILs allows for their selection according to the lipophilic or hydrophilic character of the target biological system under consideration. The toxicity studies corroborate the biocompatible nature of some FILs tested in this work. Along, for all the FILs under study P〈sub〉〈em〉o/w〈/em〉〈/sub〉 〈 1.00. Accordingly, a decadic logarithm of the bioconcentration factor in fish of 0.5 would be estimated, which is below the regulatory endpoint used by regulatory agencies.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320204-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yasir Aziz, Ghulam Abbas Shah, Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Recently, there is a growing interest among agriculturists to use nanotechnology for the development of nutrient-use efficient fertilizers. However, its sustainable use for the synthesis of mineral or organic nano-fertilizers requires a thoughtful of the mechanism as well as the fate of nutrients and their interaction with soil-plant systems. Therefore, the aim of current study was to investigate the mixing of three different application rates of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZNPs: 1.4, 2.8 and 3.6 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 soil) as well as zeolite (141, 282 and 423 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 soil) with biogas slurry (AS) on soil nutrient availability and herbage nitrogen (N) and zinc (Zn) uptake in a standard pot experiment. We found that both ZNPs and zeolite significantly increased mineral N content in soil compared to AS alone (P 〈 0.05). On the other hand, plant available phosphorus or potassium and microbial biomass carbon (C) in the soil were neither significantly affected by any application rate of ZNPs nor zeolite mixed AS. Soil microbial biomass N was significantly higher in second and third application rates of both ZNPs and zeolite amended AS treatments compared to AS alone. However, this increment in mineral N did not influence shoot uptake and herbage apparent recovery of this nutrient from AS. Similarly, co-mixing of both ZNPs and zeolite in AS did not influence shoot N uptake but Zn uptake was significantly higher in this treatment compared to AS alone. Therefore, this combination would be considered for improving crop Zn uptake under such fertilizer management regimes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319805-fx1.jpg" width="357" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Roya Nazari, Ljiljana Rajić, Ali Ciblak, Sebastián Hernández, Ibrahim E. Mousa, Wei Zhou, Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Akram N. Alshawabkeh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigates the effect of palladium (Pd) form on the electrochemical degradation of chlorobenzene in groundwater by palladium-catalyzed electro-Fenton (EF) reaction. In batch and flow-through column reactors, EF was initiated via in-situ electrochemical formation of hydrogen peroxide (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) supported by Pd on alumina powder or by palladized polyacrylic acid (PAA) in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane (Pd-PVDF/PAA). In a mixed batch reactor containing 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, 2 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of catalyst in powder form (1% Pd, 20 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Pd) and an initial pH of 3, chlorobenzene was degraded under 120 mA current following a first-order decay rate showing 96% removal within 60 min. Under the same conditions, a rotating Pd-PVDF/PAA disk produced 88% of chlorobenzene degradation. In the column experiment with automatic pH adjustment, 71% of chlorobenzene was removed within 120 min with 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and 2 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 catalyst in pellet form (0.5% Pd, 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Pd) under 60 mA. The EF reaction can be achieved under flow, without external pH adjustment and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 addition, and can be applied for in-situ groundwater treatment. Furthermore, the rotating PVDF-PAA membrane with immobilized Pd-catalyst showed an effective and low maintenance option for employing Pd catalyst for water treatment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320046-fx1.jpg" width="341" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Mengmeng Liu, Min Zhang, Rongjie Hao, Tingting Du, Tong Li, Yao Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Graphene oxide (GO) is a structural analog of graphene and contains numerous O-containing functional groups. As rapidly increasing production and usage of GO, it is inevitable to flow into the water and wastewater treatment system and finally oxidized by disinfectants to form DBPs. Meanwhile, as GO is a nano sized carbon material, it may also break the human digestion system when it was absorbed by human body. This study explored the DBP formation when only GO was present. Effects of Br〈sup〉−〈/sup〉 were also considered during the DBP formation. Both trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were formed during the chlorination and chloramination procedure, but the total concentration of THMs was at least three times higher than that of HAAs. Irradiation can significantly enhance the DBP formation via the formation of radicals. The wrinkled appearance and decomposition of aromatic ring may both be effective on the DBP formation via chlorination or bromination. The findings of this study advance knowledge on the DBP formation of GO in water treatment systems and provide insight on the toxic effects of the transformation products of GO.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bo Liu, Jing Wu, Cheng Cheng, Jiukai Tang, Muhammad Farooq Saleem Khan, Jian Shen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract:〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Identifying the causes of water body pollution is critical because of the serious water contamination in developing countries. The textile industry is a major contributor to severe water pollution due to its high discharge of wastewater with high concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants. In this study, fluorescence excitation emission matrix–parallel factor (EEM-PARAFAC) analysis was applied to characterize textile industry wastewater and trace its presence in water bodies. The EEM spectra of textile wastewater samples collected from 12 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) revealed two characteristic peaks: Peak T1 (tryptophan-like region) and Peak B (tyrosine-like region). Two protein-like components (C1 and C2) were identified in the textile wastewater by PARAFAC analysis. The components identified from different textile WWTPs were considered identical (similarity 〉0.95). C1 and C2 were not sensitive to changes in pH, ionic strength, or low humic acid concentration (TOC 〈 4 mg/L). Therefore, C1 combined with C2 was proposed as a source-specific indicator of textile wastewater, which was further demonstrated by conducting high-performance size exclusion chromatography analysis. These results suggested that EEM-PARAFAC analysis is a reliable means of identifying textile wastewater pollution in water bodies and may also enable the identification of other industrial wastewater.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320162-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bo Chen, Sijiang Chen, Huinan Zhao, Yang Liu, Fengxia Long, Xuejun Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ascribing to their significant differences in physicochemical properties, it is extremely challenging to treat complex wastewater containing more than one class of pollutants via one-step treatment. Here, we focused on disposal of complex wastewater bearing organic dye and heavy metal by using adsorptive method. Thus, by combining the advantages of polyethyleneimine (PEI), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as well as Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 magnetic nanoparticles, a versatile β-CD and PEI bi-functionalized magnetic nanoadsorbent (Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD) with spatially separated sorption sites was successfully constructed for simultaneous capture of methyl orange (MO) and Pb(II) in complex wastewater. In this setting, β-CD cavities and positively charged N-containing groups of PEI were mainly responsible for removal of MO via host-guest inclusion and electrostatic attraction, respectively, and oxygen-bearing groups on the edge of β-CD as well as the free amino moieties in PEI acted as the active sites for Pb(II) uptake. In their individual mono-pollutant system, the adsorption processes can be better described via applying pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. Interestingly, presence of MO in Pb(II)-MO binary system significantly promoted the uptake of Pb(II). But the coexisting Pb(II) had almost no effects on MO uptake. Such results demonstrated that both MO and Pb(II) could be simultaneously and synergistically removed by Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD through multiple mechanisms (such as electrostatic attraction, host-guest inclusion, chelating, etc.). Particularly, the excellent regeneration and stability make Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-PEI/β-CD an ideal integrative adsorbent for purification of actual wastewater contaminated by MO and Pb(II). Thus, this study provides some insights into designing a well-performed and easily recyclable adsorbent for simultaneous and synergetic capture of both organic and inorganic contaminants in complex wastewater.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A versatile β-CD and PEI bi-functionalized magnetic nanoadsorbent with spatially separated sorption sites (denoted as Fe3O4-PEI/β-CD) was successfully constructed for simultaneous removal of methyl orange (MO) and Pb(II) from complex wastewater through multiple mechanisms (such as electrostatic attraction, host-guest inclusion, chelating, etc.).〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320198-fx1.jpg" width="444" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xian Cao, Shuai Zhang, Hui Wang, Xianning Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In general, refractory organics were hardly used as co-substrate in bioelectrochemical system. This study established a coupled bioelectrochemical system composed of a biofilm electrode reactor and a microbial fuel cell for using the azo dye X-3B as part of co-substrate. The two units degraded the azo dye X-3B stepwise while using it as part of co-substrate. Our results indicated that the removal efficiency of X-3B increased 28.5% using the coupled system compared with a control system. Moreover, the addition of the co-substrate glucose, which was necessary for MFC electricity generation, was reduced on the premise of stable removal efficiency in the coupled system to prevent resource waste due to using X-3B as part of co-substrate. The intermediate products of X-3B degradation were further explored using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and a X-3B degradation pathway was proposed at the same time. Microbial communities were analyzed, illustrating that the mechanism of X-3B degradation was dependent on bioelectrochemistry rather than on microbial degradation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nikita Bakanov, Matthias V. Wieczorek, Ralf Schulz〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Understanding fate and transport of plant protection products (PPPs) that enter vegetated streams from agricultural fields is important for both exposure assessment and risk attenuation, yet limited knowledge is available. The present laboratory study investigated sorption processes governing mass transfer of three common PPPs between water and aquatic plant phases at flow-through exposure conditions (transient aqueous-phase PPP-peak of 4 h 25 min) using three temperature regimes. The exposure produced rapid sorption of PPPs to plants, followed by a gradual depuration from plants. Dynamic sorption kinetics depended on temperature, plant species, and physicochemical properties of the PPPs. Sorption to plants contributed to a 10% reduction of the water-phase peak concentrations of the PPPs. However, being reversible, the attenuation effect was limited to the residence time of the PPPs in the systems. Results of the present study highlight that effectivity of aquatic plants in the attenuation of PPP loads may vary greatly depending on hydrodynamic properties of aquatic systems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Huihui Wang, Hui Ma, Min Zhang, Tingting Du, Rongjie Hao, Mengmeng Liu, Yao Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) can be formed from many different kinds of carbon- and nitrogen-based organic materials. This study investigated DBP formation in the presence of two types of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 47) and 2,2′,3,3′,4,4′,5,5′,6,6′-decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209). The effects of PBDEs on the formation of DBPs upon the chlorination (or chloramination) of Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) were also evaluated. Results indicated that the chlorination of BDE 47 and BDE 209 resulted in the formation of DBPs, with 1,1,1-trichloro-2-propanone (1,1,1-TCP) being the major DBP type formed. When PBDEs were present in the SRHA solution, a lower amount of CHCl〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 was formed, and more 1,1,1-TCP was produced. However, the effects of PBDEs on the formation of DBPs in the real surface water were insignificant because of the complicated water chemistry.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jiena Yun, Chang Zhu, Qian Wang, Qiaoli Hu, Gang Yang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sulfur dioxide (SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) ranks as a major air pollutant and is likely to generate acid rain. When molecular oxygen is the oxygen source, the regular surfaces of gibbsite (one of the most abundant mineral dusts) show no reactivity for SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conversions to H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉, while the partially dehydrated (100) surface with coordination-unsaturated Al sites becomes catalytically effective. Because of the easy availability of molecular oxygen, results manifest that acid rain can form under all atmospheric conditions and may account for the high conversion ratio of atmospheric SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The (100) and (001) surfaces show divergent catalytic effects, and hydrolysis is always the rate-limiting step. Path A (hydrolysis and then oxidation) is preferred for (100) surface, whereas a third path with obviously lower activation barriers is presented for (001) surface, which is non-existent for (100) surface. Atomic oxygen originating from the dissociation of molecular oxygen is catalytically active for (100) surface, while the active site of (001) surface fails to be recovered, suggesting that SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 conversions over gibbsite surfaces are facet-controlled. This work also offers an environmentally friendly route for production of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉SO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 (one of the essential compounds in chemical industry), directly using molecular oxygen as the oxygen source.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320769-fx1.jpg" width="326" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Guanghui Wang, Wenzhe Fan, Qin Li, Nansheng Deng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, aspartic acid-β-cyclodextrin (ACD) was synthesized by the reaction of β-cyclodextrin with aspartic acid and epichlorohydrin, and graphene oxide-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) composite catalyst was prepared by a hydrothermal method. The complexation of ACD with New Coccine (NC) and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 was characterized with FT-IR and XPS, respectively, the results show that ACD can simultaneously complex NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉. XRD analysis and SEM images of GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 show that TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 platelets are well distributed on both sides of the graphene oxide sheets, and display a similar XRD pattern to the pure TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 nanoparticles with the typical diffraction peak of anatase phase. The effects of ACD on the photocatalytic degradation of NC and photocatalytic reduction of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 were investigated in the single pollution system, and the synergistic effects on the simultaneous photocatalytic NC degradation and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 reduction in the presence of ACD were also evaluated. The results showed that the presence of ACD was favorable to the acceleration of photocatalytic oxidation of NC and photocatalytic reduction of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in the single pollution system, and the photocatalytic reaction rate constants of NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in the presence of ACD increased 58% and 42%, respectively. For the combined pollution system, the synergistic effects on the simultaneous conversion of NC and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in aqueous solutions were also further enhanced. ACD enhanced photocatalytic activity was attributed to the improvement of the electron transfer and mass transfer at the GO-TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 interface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xinbo Wang, Hong Cheng, Peiying Hong, Xixiang Zhang, Zhiping Lai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Despite advanced materials and techniques to reduce the fouling issue of membranes, 10–30% of the cost of ultrafiltration (UF) processes have been spent on membrane cleaning. Particularly in water treatment, the traditional heavy metal-based method is challenged due to its environmental pollution risk and increasing public health awareness. Here, we report the synthesis of a metal-free contact-active antifouling and antimicrobial membrane by covalently functionalizing a commercial polyacrylonitrile (PAN) UF membrane with 2,4-diamino-1,3,5-triazine (DAT) via a one-step catalyst-free hydrothermal [4 + 2] cyclization of dicyandiamide reaction. The proposed mechanism of the antimicrobial activity of the DAT-functionalized membrane is through strong attraction between the DAT groups and the microbial membrane protein via strong hydrogen bonding, leading to microbial membrane disruption and thus microbe death. A high water flux and good reusability of the membrane against protein in a UF experiment were achieved. The low cost, easy availability of the compounds, as well as the facile reaction offer a high potential of the membrane for real applications in ultrafiltration.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jalil Jaafari, Kamyar Yaghmaeian〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, the interaction of the initial metal concentration, time of reaction and 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 algae dose were taken for the biosorption of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe and As from aqueous solutions using the Box–Behnken design. The regression equation coefficients were calculated and the data confirmed the validity of second-order polynomial equation for the removal of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe and As with 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 algae. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination value (R〈sup〉2〈/sup〉) for Cr, Cd, Co, Fe, and As, being respectively 0.998, 0.998, 0.995, 0.998 and 0.994. Heavy metal biosorption increased with the increase in time of reaction from 30 h to 100 h then smoothly steadily decreased. The biosorption capacity of 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 increased when initial Cd concentration was increased from 5 to 12 mg/L, and then no change was seen with further increasing in initial Cd concentration. At low concentrations of heavy metal, 〈em〉Chlorella coloniales〈/em〉 showed its effectiveness for Cr, Co, Fe and As bioaccumulation, but at high concentrations of heavy metal bioaccumulation efficiency decreased Under optimal value of process parameters, maximum efficiencies for the removal of Cr, Cd, Co, Fe, and As were 97.8, 97.05, 95.15, 98.6 and 96.5% respectively. The results of the present study suggest that use of 〈em〉C. Coloniales〈/em〉 algae can be a good alternative to the current expensive methods of removing heavy metals from aqueous solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Khalid Rehman Hakeem, Hesham F. Alharby, Reiazul Rehman〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The effect of lead (Pb)-induced oxidative stress was investigated in 〈em〉Fagopyrum kashmirianum〈/em〉. The seedlings absorbed the Pb readily by showing time (15 and 30 days) and concentration (0, 100, 200 and 300 μM) dependent effects. Pb caused reduction in both root and shoot lengths but its accumulation was more in roots (22.32 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 DW) than shoots (8.86 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 DW) at the highest concentration (300 μM) resulting in translocation factor (TF) 〈 1 at all concentrations. Thus the uptake and translocation of Pb between roots and shoots showed a positive correlation indicating the plant as root accumulator. Amongst the photosynthetic pigments, chlorophyll content showed a decline while the carotenoid and anthocyanin levels were elevated. The fresh mass and biomass showed a non-significant decrease at both the sampling times. The osmolyte and antioxidative enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX. POD, GR and GST) were positively correlated with Pb treatments except proline and CAT, which showed decline in 30-day-old plants. The alleviation of Pb-stress is an indication for existence of strong detoxification mechanism in 〈em〉F. kashmirianum, which〈/em〉 suggest that it could be cultivated in Pb-contaminated soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Celestina E. Sobral – Souza, Ana R.P. Silva, Nadghia F. Leite, Janaina E. Rocha, Amanda K. Sousa, José G.M. Costa, Irwin R.A. Menezes, Francisco A.B. Cunha, Larissa A. Rolim, Henrique D.M. Coutinho〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The present study had as its objective to verify the 〈em〉Psidium guajava〈/em〉 var. Pomifera L. chelating, antioxidant and cytoprotective effects against mercury and aluminum. The ethanolic extract, tannic and flavonoid fractions were subjected to LC-MS analysis. The Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and ferric ion reduction demonstrated a present antioxidant activity. The fungicidal and bactericidal activity of these metals were established. After determining the sub-allelopathic doses, germination tests using 〈em〉Lactuca sativa〈/em〉 were performed. Quercetin and its derivatives were the main compounds identified in the extract and the fractions. Mercury chloride significantly reduced the bactericidal effect of the flavonoid fraction (p 〈 0.001). None of the fractions were cytoprotective against mercury or aluminum in the fungal model assays. Using a sub-allelopathic concentration (64 μg/mL), the ethanolic extract, flavonoid and tannic fractions were found to be cytoprotective against aluminum for radicles, however only the tannic fraction was cytoprotective for caulicles. These data suggest that natural 〈em〉P. guajava〈/em〉 products are promising cytoprotective compound sources. This activity may be related to the antioxidant effect of secondary metabolites, mainly flavonoids. Our results point to a potential for environmental intervention product and technique development aimed at mitigating contamination by toxic metals such as mercury and aluminum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Luo, Xinli Xing, Shihua Qi, Jian Wu, X.W. Sophie Gu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hyperaccumulators can mobilize all metals in soil through secreting exudates to form soluble compounds but only hyperaccumulate part of them. Metals that cannot be accumulated are defined as non-hyperaccumulated metals and can increase the leaching risk in phytoremediation. Cd and Zn hyperaccumulator 〈em〉Noccaea caerulescens〈/em〉 (formerly 〈em〉Thlaspi caerulescens〈/em〉) was utilized to remediate multi-metal polluted soil in the present study, and the leaching risk of non-hyperaccumulated metals including Cu and Pb was investigated during the phytoremediation process. Comparing with 〈em〉Thlaspi arvense〈/em〉, a non-hyperaccumulator, 〈em〉N. caerulescens〈/em〉 significantly decreased the concentrations of Cd and Zn in leachate gathered from precipitation simulation experiments without electric field, but meanwhile dramatically increased the concentrations of Cu and Pb in soil solution. Electric field with low (2 V) and moderate (4 V) voltages increased the biomass yield and metal uptake capacity of 〈em〉N. caerulescens〈/em〉 simultaneously and therefore further reduced the concentrations of Cd and Zn in the leachate. Although the volume of leachate decreased significantly in pots with electric field, the leaching risk of Pb and Cu was deteriorated. Thus, decontaminating multi-metal polluted soil with electric field and hyperaccumulator should be conducted with caution due to potential secondary environmental risk caused by activated non-hyperaccumulated metals.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320320-egi10NH7JS1ZHN.jpg" width="286" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Haitao Shen, Weiwei Li, Stephen E. Graham, James M. Starr〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ingestion of soils and house dusts is an important pathway for children's exposure to sorbed organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To reduce the uncertainty of the exposure estimates, it is important to understand the extent to which chemicals desorb and become bioaccessible following ingestion. In this study we use a three compartment in vitro digestive system to model the role of soil and house dust physicochemical properties on the post ingestion bioaccessibility of PCBs. Matched pairs (n = 37) of soil and dust were characterized for percent carbon and nitrogen, pH, moisture content, and particle size distribution. They were then fortified with a mixture of 18 PCBs and processed through the assay. The percent bioaccessibility of each PCB was calculated, then modeled using individual PCB log K〈sub〉ow〈/sub〉 values and the soil and dust properties. The bioaccessibility of the PCBs in soil (x̄ = 65 ± 16%) was greater (p 〈 0.001) than that of the PCBs in house dust (x̄ = 36 ± 14%). In the soil model, carbon was the sole statistically significant predictive (p ≤ 0.05) variable, while in house dust, both carbon and clay content were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) predictors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320666-fx1.jpg" width="355" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xue Wu, Zheng Bo Zhu, Jia Hui Chen, Yi Fan Huang, Zi Li Liu, Jian Wen Zou, Ya Hua Chen, Na Na Su, Jin Cui〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has been widely used in research on plant resistance to Cd. However, the underlying molecular mechanism of HRW in ameliorating cadmium stress in vegetables is largely unknown. In this study, the RNA-sequencing analyses were used to characterize the role of HRW in the alleviation of Cd toxicity in Chinese cabbage seedlings. Based on the obtained results, two genes encoding metal ionic transporters, 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 were ultimately selected out. Then, a systematic validation of the metal ion transport function of these two ZIP-encoding genes of pak choi were performed via a yeast transformation system. The results showed that 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 increased the sensitivity of different yeast mutant strains to relative metal ionic stresses and facilitated the accumulation of metal ions (Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Mn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Zn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉) in yeast; thus, it suggests that 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 probably have the ability to transport Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Mn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, Zn〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 in pak choi. The time-course and concentration-dependent expression profiles of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 showed that as time with HRW increased, the effectiveness of the repression on the expression of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 increased, and as the seedlings were exposed to increased Cd concentrations, the inhibition of 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉 by HRW was also increased. Over all, these findings provide new insights into the genome-wide transcriptome profiles in pak choi and show that HRW reduced Cd uptake probably through inhibiting the expression of transporters related to Cd absorption, 〈em〉BcIRT1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉BcZIP2〈/em〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Peter Butcherine, Kirsten Benkendorff, Brendan Kelaher, Bronwyn J. Barkla〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Widespread agricultural use of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides has resulted in the unintended contamination of aquatic environments. Water quality surveys regularly detect neonicotinoids in rivers and waterways at concentrations that could impact aquaculture stock. The toxicity of neonicotinoids to non-target aquatic insect and crustacean species has been recognised, however, there is a paucity of information on their effect on commercial shrimp aquaculture. Here, we show that commercially produced shrimp are likely to be exposed to dietary, sediment and waterborne sources of neonicotinoids; increasing the risks of disease and accidental human consumption. This review examines indicators of sublethal neonicotinoid exposure in non-target species and analyses their potential usefulness for ecotoxicology assessment in shrimp. The identification of rapid, reliable responses to neonicotinoid exposure in shrimp will result in better decision making in aquaculture management.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Maqusood Ahamed, Mohd Javed Akhtar, M.A. Majeed Khan, Salman A. Alrokayan, Hisham A. Alhadlaq〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bismuth oxide nanoparticles (Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs) have shown great potential for several applications including cosmetics and biomedicine. However, there is paucity of research on toxicity of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs. In this study, we first examined dose-dependent cytotoxicity and apoptosis response of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs in human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells. We further explored the potential mechanisms of cytotoxicity of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs through oxidative stress. Physicochemical study demonstrated that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs have crystalline structure and spherical shape with mean size of 97 nm. Toxicity studies have shown that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs reduce cell viability and induce membrane damage dose-dependently in the concentration range of 50–300 μg/ml. Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs also disturbed cell cycle of MCF-7 cells. Oxidative stress response of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs was evident by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), higher lipid peroxidation, reduction of glutathione (GSH) and low superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity. Interestingly, supplementation of external antioxidant N-acetyl-cysteine almost negated the effect of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced oxidative stress and cell death. We also found that exposure of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced apoptotic response in MCF-7 cells suggested by impaired regulation of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3 genes. Altogether, we found that Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells through modulating the redox homeostasis 〈em〉via〈/em〉 Bax/Bcl-2 pathway. This study warranted further research to delineate the underlying mechanism of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 NPs induced toxicity at 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 level.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320897-fx1.jpg" width="492" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xingdong Wang, Qiaoqiao Chi, Xuejiao Liu, Yin Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A novel approach was used to prepare sewage sludge (SS)-derived biochar via coupling of hydrothermal pretreatment with pyrolysis (HTP) process at 300–700 °C. The influence of the pyrolysis temperature on the characteristics and environmental risk of heavy metals (HMs) in biochar derived from SS were investigated. The HTP process at higher pyrolysis temperature (≥500 °C) resulting in a higher quality of SS-derived biochar and in HMs of lower toxicity and environmental risk, compared with direct SS pyrolysis. Surface characterization and micromorphology analysis indicate that the N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption capacity and BET surface area in biochar (SRC〈sub〉220〈/sub〉-500) obtained from hydrothermally treated SS at 220 °C (SR〈sub〉220〈/sub〉) pyrolysis at 500 °C, significantly increased the BET surface area and achieved its maximum value (47.04 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g). Moreover, the HTP process can promote the HMs in SS be transformed from bioavailable fractions to more stable fractions. This increases with the pyrolysis temperature, resulting in a remarkable reduction in the potential environmental risk of HMs from the biochar obtained from the HTP process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320605-fx1.jpg" width="340" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yan Wang, Qiaonan Zhang, Yuwei Zhang, Hongxia Zhao, Feng Tan, Xiaowei Wu, Jingwen Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Concentrations and temporal variations of priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the air from a suburban area of Dalian, China were investigated for a 1-year period to assess their sources and potential correlations with six criteria air pollutants and meteorological parameters. The total concentrations of PAHs were in the range of 4.32–112.2 ng/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 (Mean = 52.37 ± 23.99 ng/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉). Seasonality was discovered with the PAHs following an order of winter 〉 spring 〉 summer 〉 autumn. The impacts of meteorological parameters on PAH levels were season-dependent. High temperature may increase the air concentrations of 4-ring PAHs during the non-heating period, whereas high relative humidity may raise the concentrations of 3- and 4-ring PAHs during the heating period. Correlations of PAHs with criteria air pollutants, such as SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, and O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, indicated that both fossil fuel combustion and photochemical oxidation influenced the air concentrations of PAHs. According to the source apportionment by diagnostic ratios and PMF model, coal combustion and traffic emission were estimated to be the main sources of PAHs in Dalian, followed by petroleum release and biomass burning. It was worth noting that the contribution of coal combustion to the PAH burdens increased from 26% to 45% due to the emission from domestic heating in winter. This extra emission needs a continuous concern in the future.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320551-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Min Liu, Shenglan Jia, Ting Dong, Yuan Han, Jingchuan Xue, Elvy Riani Wanjaya, Mingliang Fang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Bisphenol A diglycidy ether (BADGE) and its derivatives are epoxy resins and widely used as emerging plasticizers in food packages and material coating. Though known as endocrine disruptors, little information is available on their occurrence, exposure routes and toxicity. Besides, the analysis of BADGE and its derivatives has always been a challenge due to their reactive chemical properties and the background contamination. Therefore, we firstly developed a novel water-free method to analyze BADGE and its derivatives in dust samples together with other two typical plasticizers bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS). In order to investigate the levels in paired dust and urine samples, 33 paired samples were collected from Singapore. In both dust and urine samples, the predominant compounds were BPA, BADGE-2H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O and BPS. A significantly positive correlation of BPA levels in paired dust and urine samples was observed in this small-scale study. To tentatively explore the human health effect from exposure to these bisphenol plasticizers, we assessed the correlation between the urinary concentrations of these compounds and oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), an oxidative stress biomarker. The result showed that 8-OHdG levels in urine samples was positively correlated with urinary BPA level and body mass index (BMI), suggesting that elevated oxidative stress might be associated with BPA exposure and obesity. In the future, a larger scale study is warranted due to the limited sample size in this study.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319453-fx1.jpg" width="300" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tao Cui, Chenyang Shen, Anlin Xu, Weiqing Han, Jiansheng Li, Xiuyun Sun, Jinyou Shen, Lianjun Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work, a novel coupled-oxidation tubular reactor (COTR)/non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (NTP-DBD) catalytic plasma in a synergistic electro-catalysis system was investigated for odorous mercaptans decomposition. In order to enhance the degradation efficiency of electro-oxidation, a novel enhanced Ti/PbO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 electro-catalytic tubular reactor prepared by using flow dynamic electrodeposition was designed and applied as pretreatment process for CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa wastewater. The results indicated that the optimal condition was 7 mA cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 of current density, 10 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of initial concentration of CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa, 9.0 of pH and 5.0 g L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of electrolyte concentration. Addition of Fe〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and mechanism of COTR system were first put forward. The target species CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa were removed over 90% by this process. In order to treat the CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SH effusion which was co-produced with CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SNa aqueous solution, the technology of NTP-DBD catalytic plasma reactor followed by a chemical absorption has been developed. MSH could be removed over 95% under the condition of 2 s of residence time, 15 kV of output voltage with oxygen concentration of 9%. Moreover, the synthetic Ni-doped AC catalyst had the best performance under 0.7 mmol g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of nickel loading. The conclusion was the energetic electrons generated in the DBD reactor played a key role on the removal of MSH, and the major decomposition products of MSH were detected as CH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉SSCH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, SO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and NO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Moreover, the gaseous products in the plasma exhaust could be absorbed and fixed by the subsequent aqueous NaOH solution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320411-fx1.jpg" width="359" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Changlong Wei, Xin Song, Qing Wang, Yun Liu, Na Lin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉6:2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonate (trade name F-53B), a perfluorooctane sulfonate alternative used as a mist suppressant in the chromium plating industry, is environmentally persistent and bioaccumulative. In this study, the kinetic and equilibrium data of F-53B sorption onto soils were obtained to investigate the relationship between sorption parameters and soil attributes. The effects of potential coexisting Cu(II), anionic Cr(VI) and sulfate on F-53B sorption by soils were explored. This is the first report of the effects of F-53B sorption behavior on soils with coexisting contaminants of Cu(II) and Cr(VI). The results showed that sorption kinetics of F-53B on soils could be well-fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum F-53B sorption capacity ranged from 22.71 to 92.36 mg/kg on six different soils, and the correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between the maximum sorption capacity and the soil organic content, Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, and Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉. The desorption percentages of F-53B in this study, defined as the proportion of sorbed F-53B on soils that was recovered upon desorption, were lower than 8.2%. Moreover, F-53B sorption capacities generally decreased in the presence of Cu(II), Cr(VI), and sulfate, indicating that these ions can facilitate the F-53B mobility in the subsurface. Taken together, these findings suggest that electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction, ligand exchange, and surface complexation contributed to the F-53B sorption on soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jaime Rodríguez-Estival, Marta I. Sánchez, Cristina Ramo, Nico Varo, Juan A. Amat, Juan Garrido-Fernández, Dámaso Hornero-Méndez, Manuel E. Ortiz-Santaliestra, Mark A. Taggart, Mónica Martinez-Haro, Andy J. Green, Rafael Mateo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉European populations of black-necked grebes (〈em〉Podiceps nigricollis〈/em〉) congregate every year to moult at the salt ponds of the Odiel Marshes (SW Spain). However, the Odiel Marshes are part of one of the most metal-polluted coastal estuaries in the world, which may pose risks to wildlife. We assessed the exposure of grebes to metal pollution during the critical moulting period in the Odiel Marshes and its potential to cause adverse health effects. Levels of metals in red blood pellet (as a biomarker of exposure), plasma carotenoids, eye redness, and body condition (as biomarkers of effects) were studied. Metal content was also analyzed in the brine shrimp 〈em〉Artemia parthenogenetica〈/em〉, the most important food for grebes in this hypersaline ecosystem during the moulting period. Results showed that, in comparison to toxicity thresholds, grebes had relatively high blood levels of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn). The high loads found in 〈em〉Artemia〈/em〉 and the way blood levels vary during the moulting period indicate that shrimp consumption may be the main route of metal exposure for grebes. Plasma carotenoids and body condition showed a positive association with exposure to As, while the relationship of lutein-like carotenoids with Hg accumulation was negative at the beginning of the moulting period to become positive afterwards. Moreover, eye redness was negatively affected by As accumulation. Factors including food resource availability, seasonal fluctuations in physiological status, and interannual variations in the degree of environmental contamination should be considered in monitoring efforts when using moult migrant waterbirds as sentinel species.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832006X-egi108SW54GQSP.jpg" width="355" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hong Wang, Zhiqiu Gao, Jingzheng Ren, Yibo Liu, Lisa Tzu-Chi Chang, Kevin Cheung, Yun Feng, Yubin Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study investigates the urban-rural and sex differences in the increased risks of the ten most common cancers in China related to high PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 concentration in the southeastern side of Hu line. Pearson correlation coefficient is estimated to reveal how the cancers closely associated with PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 long-term exposure. Then linear regression is conducted to evaluate sex- and area-specific increased risks of those cancers from high level PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 long-term exposure. The major finding is with the increase of every 10 μg/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 of annual mean PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 concentration, the increase of relative risks for lung cancer incidence and mortality are 15% and 23% for males, and 22% and 24% for females in rural area. For urban area, the increase of relative risk for ovarian cancer incidence is 9% for females, while that for prostatic cancer increases 17% for males. For leukemia, the increase of relative risks for incidence and mortality are 22% and 19% for females in rural area, while in urban area the increase of relative risk for mortality is 9% for males and for incidence is 6% for females. It is also found that with increased PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 exposure, the risks for ovarian and prostatic cancer rise significantly in urban area, while risks for lung cancer and leukemia rise significantly in rural area. The results demonstrate the higher risks for lung cancer and leukemia with increased PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 exposure are more significant for female. This study also suggests that the carcinogenic effects of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉 have obvious sex and urban-rural differences.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanju Liu, Jianhua Du, Zhaomin Dong, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Yongchao Gao, Kaihong Yan, Ravi Naidu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉There is increasing concern about the use of chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated timber due to the possible leaching of toxic metals or metalloids. CCA-treated timber waste are currently stockpiled across Australia with limited information about their risks to the environment or human health. In this study, the treatment and utilisation of CCA-treated timber waste as garden mulch, garden retaining walls, and soil additive were investigated. Iron materials were used as immobilising agents. The bioavailability of Cr, Cu and As to 〈em〉Spinacia oleracea〈/em〉 from CCA-treated timber, before and after treatment, was determined in the context of human health risk assessment. The results showed that the iron-based treatments resulted in significant decreases in the concentrations of Cu and As in spinach grown in CCA-treated timber in soil. Analyses of CCA derived Cu and As in spinach showed that they accumulated in the roots rather than in the leaves. The risks of toxicity to humans varied for different utilisation scenarios and the immobilisation amendments were shown to reduce carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. The information obtained in this study can inform development of utilisation options for CCA-treated timber wastes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320022-fx1.jpg" width="307" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Han Chen, Tao Lin, Wei Chen, Hui Tao, Hang Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The variations of disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors and DBPs-associated toxic potencies were evaluated by ozonation, followed by a up-flow biological activated carbon (O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UBAC) filter treating two reconstituted water samples, featuring either high bromide (105.3 μg/L) or dissolved organic nitrogen (0.73 mg N/L) concentration, respectively. Ozonation contributed to ∼20% decrease in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration at a dosage of 0.7 mg of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/mg of DOC, but no further reduction in DOC level was observed with an increased dose of 1.0 mg of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/mg of DOC. When chlorine or preformed monochloramine was used as a disinfectant, UBAC process led to ∼40% reduction in the sum of detected DBP formation potential (FP) due to the removal of precursors at a feasible empty bed contact time of 15 min. The integrated effect of ozonation and UBAC biofiltration decreased the sum of DBP FP by ∼50% including halonitromethanes (THNMs), N-nitrosamines (NAs), and bromate, which increased in the effluent of ozonation. Chloramination produced less DBPs by weight as well as DBPs-associated additive toxic potencies than chlorination. The reduction in additive toxic potencies was generally lower than the removal efficiency of DBP FP after chlor(am)ination of treated waters by O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉/UBAC, indicating that the removal of DBPs-associated additive toxic potencies should be focused to better understand on the residual risk to public health in controlling DBP precursors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518319064-fx1.jpg" width="273" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Brooke K. Mayer, Carlan Johnson, Yu Yang, Nicole Wellenstein, Emily Maher, Patrick J. McNamara〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study evaluated strategies targeting macro- and micro-organic contaminant mitigation using low-energy titanium dioxide photocatalysis. Energy inputs of 1, 2, and 5 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 resulted in incomplete oxidation of macro-organic natural organic matter, signified by greater reductions of UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 and specific ultraviolet UV absorbance (SUVA) in comparison to dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The rate of UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 removal was 3 orders of magnitude greater than the rate of DOC degradation. Incomplete oxidation improved operation of downstream filtration processes. Photocatalysis at 2 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 increased the bed life of downstream granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration by 340% relative to direct filtration pretreatment. Likewise, photocatalysis operated ahead of microfiltration decreased fouling, resulting in longer filter run times. Using 2 kWh m〈sup〉−3〈/sup〉 photocatalysis increased filter run time by 36 times in comparison to direct filtration. Furthermore, levels of DOC and UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉 in the membrane permeate improved (with no change in removal across the membrane) using low-energy photocatalysis pretreatments. While high-energy UV inputs provided high levels of removal of the estrogenic micro-organics estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17α-ethynlestradiol (EE2), low-energy photocatalysis did not enhance removal of estrogens beyond levels achieved by photolysis alone. In the cases of E1 and E3, the addition of TiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as a photocatalyst reduced degradation rates of estrogens compared to UV photolysis. Overall, process electrical energy per order magnitude reductions (EEOs) greatly improved using photocatalysis, versus photolysis, for the macro-organics DOC, UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉, and SUVA; however, energy required for removal of estrogens was similar between photolysis and photocatalysis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320885-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rahat Riaz, Usman Ali, Jun Li, Gan Zhang, Khan Alam, Andrew James Sweetman, Kevin C. Jones, Riffat Naseem Malik〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Lesser Himalayan Region (LHR) is an important mountain ecosystem which supports a wide range of biodiversity for native flora and fauna. Human population in this region is largely dependent upon local sources for their livelihood. Surface soil (n = 32) and sediment (n = 32) were collected from four different altitudinal ranges of LHR and analyzed for priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) recommended by USEPA. Level, sources and distribution pattern of PAHs were assessed in soil and sediments samples collected from four altitudinal zones in LHR. Total PAHs concentration level of PAHs in soil and sediments ranged from 62.79 to 1080 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 14.54–437.43 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively. Compositional profile of PAHs in both soil and sediment were dominated by low and medium molecular weight PAHs, ranged from 18.02 to 402.18 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉in soil and 0.32–96.34 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉in sediments. In the context of spatial distribution trend, highest mean concentrations of PAHs in soil were recorded in zone D (sites from the rural region) and for sediments highest concentrations were detected at zone A, which includes dam sites. In all four zones, no altitudinal trend of PAHs in soil and sediments was observed. Source apportionment through receptor modelling by positive matrix factorization (PMF) revealed that local sources such as biomass combustion and vehicular emissions are important sources of PAHs in this region. The prevalence of monsoon atmospheric circulation system in LHR implicated that this region is also influenced by medium and long range atmospheric transportation of PAHs from neighboring countries where potential sources and high level of PAHs has been reported.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320009-fx1.jpg" width="357" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaohui Zhang, Song Tang, Mao Wang, Weimin Sun, Yuwei Xie, Hui Peng, Aimin Zhong, Hongling Liu, Xiaowei Zhang, Hongxia Yu, John P. Giesy, Markus Hecker〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the most hazardous byproducts of some types of mining. However, research on how AMD affects the bacterial community structure of downstream riverine ecosystems and the distribution of metal resistance genes (MRGs) along pollution gradient is limited. Comprehensive geochemical and high-throughput next-generation sequencing analyses can be integrated to characterize spatial distributions and MRG profiles of sediment bacteria communities along the AMD-contaminated Hengshi River. We found that (1) diversities of bacterial communities significantly and gradually increased along the river with decreasing contamination, suggesting community composition reflected changes in geochemical conditions; (2) relative abundances of phyla 〈em〉Proteobacteria〈/em〉 and genus 〈em〉Halomonas〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Planococcaceae〈/em〉 that function in metal reduction decreased along the AMD gradient; (3) low levels of sediment salinity, sulfate, aquatic lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) were negatively correlated with bacterial diversity despite pH was in a positive manner with diversity; and (4) arsenic (As) and copper (Cu) resistance genes corresponded to sediment concentrations of As and Cu, respectively. Altogether, our findings offer initial insight into the distribution patterns of sediment bacterial community structure, diversity and MRGs along a lotic ecosystem contaminated by AMD, and the factors that affect them.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832085X-fx1.jpg" width="437" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kenneth Brezinski, Beata Gorczyca〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Natural organic matter (NOM) constitutes the terrestrial and aquatic sources of organic plant like material found in water bodies. As of recently, an ever-increasing amount of effort is being put towards developing better ways of unraveling the heterogeneous nature of NOM. This is important as NOM is responsible for a wide variety of both direct and indirect effects: ranging from aesthetic concerns related to taste and odor, to issues related to disinfection by-product formation and metal mobility. A better understanding of NOM can also provide a better appreciation for treatment design; lending a further understanding of potable water treatment impacts on specific fractions and constituents of NOM. The use of high performance size-exclusion chromatography has shown a growing promise in its various applications for NOM characterization, through the ability to partition ultraviolet absorbing moieties into ill-defined groups of humic acids, hydrolysates of humics, and low molecular weight acids. HPSEC also has the ability of simultaneously measuring absorbance in the UV–visible range (200–350 nm); further providing a spectroscopic fingerprint that is simply unavailable using surrogate measurements of NOM, such as total organic carbon (TOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV〈sub〉254〈/sub〉), excitation-emission matrices (EEM), and specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA〈sub〉254〈/sub〉). This review mainly focuses on the use of HPSEC in the characterization of NOM in a potable water setting, with an additional focus on strong-base ion-exchangers specifically targeted for NOM constituents.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518318824-fx1.jpg" width="474" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): John Pierce Wise, James T.F. Wise, Catherine F. Wise, Sandra S. Wise, Cairong Zhu, Cynthia L. Browning, Tongzhang Zheng, Christopher Perkins, Christy Gianios, Hong Xie, John Pierce Wise〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉One Environmental Health has emerged as an important area of research that considers the interconnectedness of human, animal and ecosystem health with a focus on toxicology. The great whales in the Gulf of Maine are important species for ecosystem health, for the economies of the Eastern seaboard of the United States, and as sentinels for human health. The Gulf of Maine is an area with heavy coastal development, industry, and marine traffic, all of which contribute chronic exposures to environmental chemicals that can bioaccumulate in tissues and may gradually diminish an individual whale's or a population's fitness. We biopsied whales for three seasons (2010–2012) and measured the levels of 25 metals and selenium in skin biopsies collected from three species: humpback whales (〈em〉Megaptera novaeangliae〈/em〉), fin whales (〈em〉Balaenoptera physalus〈/em〉), and a minke whale (〈em〉Balaenoptera acutorostrata〈/em〉). We established baseline levels for humpback and fin whales. Comparisons with similar species from other regions indicate humpback whales have elevated levels of aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, nickel and zinc. Contextualizing the data with a One Environmental Health approach finds these levels to be of potential concern for whale health. While much remains to understand what threats these metal levels may pose to the fitness and survival of these whale populations, these data serve as a useful and pertinent start to understanding the threat of pollution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Han Wang, Guangjing Xu, Zheng Qiu, Yan Zhou, Yu Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The high energy consumption associated with biological treatment of municipal wastewater is posing a serious impact and challenge on the current global wastewater industry and is also inevitably linked to the issue of global climate change. To tackle such an emerging situation, this study aimed to develop strategies to effectively suppress nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in pilot-scale mainstream nitritation-denitritation system coupled with MBR for municipal wastewater treatment. The results showed that stable nitrite shunt was achieved, while more than 90% of COD and NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-N removal were obtained via nitritation-denitritation in the pilot plant fed with real municipal wastewater. Through adjusting aeration intensity in MBR in combination with the integrated control of dissolved oxygen (DO), sludge retention time (SRT) and sludge return ratio, NOB was successfully suppressed with a nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) of more than 80%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Dong Chen, Zhong-wen Meng, Yi-ping Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Large quantities of molybdenum (Mo) slag are generated as a by-product during mining and smelting, which not only occupy huge stretches of arable land and natural habitats but also threaten the local ecosystem and environment. How to recycle this Mo slag is becoming an urgent issue. Here, we reported the toxicity assessment of Mo slag as a mineral fertilizer for slag recycling in agricultural practices. The results showed the following: (1) Lower rates of slag (1.0%, 2.5%, and 5.0%) fertilization, especially 5.0% slag, increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase), the contents of chlorophyll, and both the maximum quantum yield and quantum efficiency of photosystem II; decreased the content of malondialdehyde and the non-photochemical quenching of photosystem II; and eventually increased the height, leaf area, and biomass of pakchoi seedlings; (2) Higher rates (7.5% and 10.0%) of Mo slag application resulted in a reduction in the aforementioned physiological and morphological parameters (except for peroxidase activity) of pakchoi seedlings; and (3) Although fertilization with 5.0% slag increased the accumulation of the non-essential elements arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) in pakchoi seedlings, their contents were still lower than the maximum levels of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, European Union, and standards of China. From the perspectives of plant nutrition and food safety, our results showed that Mo slag fertilization at rates lower than 5.0% can be applied as a mineral fertilizer for pakchoi grown on calcareous soils.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320915-fx1.jpg" width="399" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rui Qu, Shu-Shen Liu, Tong Li, Hai-Ling Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In the field of computational toxicology, predicting toxicological interaction or hormesis effect of a mixture from individuals is still a challenge. The two most frequently used model concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) also cannot solve these challenges perfectly. In this paper, we used IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 (an interpolation method based on the Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi tessellation as well as the training set of direct equipartition ray design (EquRay) mixtures) to predict the toxicities of binary mixtures composed of hormetic ionic liquids (ILs). One of the purposes is to verify the predictive ability of IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉. The other one is to improve the risk assessment of ILs mixtures especial hormetic ILs, because the toxicity reports of ILs mixtures are rarely reported in particular the toxicity of the hormetic ILs mixtures. Hence, we determined time-dependent toxicities of four ILs and their binary mixtures (designed by EquRay) to 〈em〉Vibrio qinghaiensis〈/em〉 sp.-Q67 at first. Then, mixture toxicities were predicted and compared using the IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 and CA. The results show that, the accuracy of IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 is higher than the accuracy of CA. And, more important, to some mixtures out of the CA application, IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 also can predict the mixture effects accurately. It showed that IDV〈sub〉equ〈/sub〉 can be applied to predict the toxicity of any binary mixture regardless of the type of concentration-response curve of the components. These toxicity data provided useful information for researching the prediction of hormesis or toxicological interaction of the mixture and toxicities of ILs mixtures.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Gaël Le Croizier, Camille Lacroix, Sébastien Artigaud, Stéphane Le Floch, Jean-Marie Munaron, Jean Raffray, Virginie Penicaud, Marie-Laure Rouget, Raymond Laë, Luis Tito De Morais〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Subcellular cadmium (Cd) partitioning was investigated in the liver of two marine fish species, the European sea bass 〈em〉Dicentrarchus labrax〈/em〉 and the Senegalese sole 〈em〉Solea senegalensis〈/em〉, dietary exposed to an environmentally realistic Cd dose for two months followed by a two-month depuration. The two species displayed different handling strategies during the depuration period. Cd was largely bound to detoxifying fractions such as heat stable proteins (HSP) including metallothioneins (MT) in sea bass, while Cd was more linked to sensitive fractions such as organelles in sole. Whole liver concentrations and subcellular partitioning were also determined for essential elements. The greatest impairment of essential metal homeostasis due to Cd exposure was found in sole. These elements followed the Cd partitioning pattern, suggesting that they are involved in antioxidant responses against Cd toxicity. Cd consumption diminished sole growth in terms of body weight, probably due to lipid storage impairment. The contrasting partitioning patterns showed by the two species might imply different pathways for Cd elimination from the liver. In sea bass, MT-bound Cd would be excreted through bile or released into blood, crossing the cell membrane via a protein transporter. In sole, MRG-bound Cd would be sequestered by organelles before being released into the blood via vesicular exocytosis. These distinct strategies in cellular Cd handling in the liver might account for differential sensitivity to Cd toxicity and differential Cd excretion pathways between the two marine fish species.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320873-fx1.jpg" width="496" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pavla Sehonova, Andrea Zikova, Jana Blahova, Zdenka Svobodova, Petr Chloupek, Werner Kloas〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉Now-a-days, the occurrence of antidepressant residues in surface waters has become a major concern. Amitriptyline (AMI) has been described to treat depression and other disorders for decades. However, little is known about its effect on non-target organisms. The aim of this study was to assess the potential impact of AMI on the mRNA expression of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes during the early embryonic development of zebrafish (〈em〉Danio rerio〈/em〉)〈em〉.〈/em〉 Fertilized 〈em〉D. rerio〈/em〉 embryos were exposed to AMI at concentrations of 300 ng/L and 30 μg/L and sampled 24, 48, 96, and 144 h post fertilization (hpf) to assess the mRNA expressions of cytochrome P450 1A1, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase.〈/p〉 〈p〉The time courses of the mRNA expressions of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes revealed characteristic changes during embryonic development causing generally transient changes post hatching; however, AMI did not cause any significant impact except in the case of CAT after 144 h, which was significantly upregulated by the AMI concentration of 30 μg/L. The results suggest that the antidepressant AMI causes only moderate to minor impacts on antioxidant and detoxification enzymes during early embryonic development of the non-target organism 〈em〉D. rerio〈/em〉 and that CAT is the only biomarker affected by AMI.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhishu Liang, Guiying Li, Bixian Mai, Huimin Ma, Taicheng An〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA), a typical brominated flame retardant, leaked from commercial products into the environments has attracted people's attention around the world. 〈em〉Ochrobactrum〈/em〉 sp. T capable of degradation and mineralization of TBBPA was isolated in our early work. In this study, the identification of TBBPA-degrading gene from the strain was further carried out by combining whole-genome sequencing with gene cloning and expression procedures. In total, 3877 open reading frames were found within 3.9 Mb genome and seven of them were identified as dehalogenating-relating genes. One gene with a significant ability to degrade TBBPA was designated as 〈em〉tbbpaA〈/em〉. Sequence alignments analysis showed that it shared 100% identity with haloacid dehalogenases. Furthermore, 〈em〉tbbpaA〈/em〉 gene was cloned and expressed into 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 to achieve a constructed strain. Like the original strain, the constructed strain could degrade TBBPA (6 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) with 78% of debromination efficiency and 37.8% mineralization efficiency within 96 h. Gene expression study revealed that 〈em〉tbbpaA〈/em〉 was up-regulated in the presence of TBBPA. Overall, we report the identification of a functional TBBPA-degrading gene in an aerobe, which can deepen the knowledge of enhancing TBBPA removal by Strain T at the genetic level and facilitate in situ TBBPA bioremediation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321015-fx1.jpg" width="266" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hua Li, Shuai Zhang, Xiao-Li Yang, Yu-Li Yang, Han Xu, Xian-Ning Li, Hai-Liang Song〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study aims to demonstrate that an up-flow microbial fuel cell-coupled constructed wetland (UCW-MFC) can effectively treat synthetic wastewater that contains a high concentration of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs, 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 level), such as ibuprofen (IBP) and bisphenol A (BPA). A significant decline in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-N) removal was observed when BPA was added, which indicated that BPA was more toxic to bacteria. The closed circuit operation of UCW-MFC performed better than the open circuit mode for COD and NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-N removal. Similarly, the removal rates of IBP and BPA were increased by 9.3% and 18%, respectively, compared with the open circuit mode. The majority of PPCPs were removed from the bottom and anode layer, which accounted for 63.2–78.7% of the total removal. The main degradation products were identified. The removal rates of IBP and BPA decreased by 14.6% and 23.7% due to a reduction in the hydraulic detention times (HRTs) from 16 h to 4 h, respectively. Electricity generation performance, including voltage and maximum power density, initially increased and then declined with a decrease in the HRT. Additionally, both the current circuit operation mode and the HRT have an impact on the bacterial community diversity of the anode according to the results of high-throughput sequencing. The possible bacterial groups involved in PPCP degradation were identified. In summary, UCW-MFC is suitable for enabling the simultaneous removal of IBP and BPA and successful electricity production.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321192-fx1.jpg" width="359" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Vladimír Frišták, Haywood Dail Laughinghouse, Alena Packová, Marion Graser, Gerhard Soja〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Methylated analogues of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent important environmental contaminants produced often at process of feedstock thermochemical conversion. In the present study, we determined and compared levels of 1-methylnaphtalene and 2-methylnaphtalene in municipal sewage sludge (MSS), sludge-derived pyrogenic carbonaceous materials produced at 350 °C (PCM350) and 500 °C (PCM500) in process of slow pyrolysis. The highest extraction efficiency of both aromatic structures from MSS, PCM350 and PCM500 for toluene as extraction agent and 36 h of extraction time was revealed. The total concentrations of 1-methylnaphtalene reached values 8.7 mg/kg for MSS, 14.6 mg/kg for PCM350 and 18.1 mg/kg for PCM500.2-methylnaphtalene was quantified in concentrations 12.5 mg/kg for MSS, 19.3 mg/kg for PCM350 and 23 mg/kg for PCM500. Available levels of 1-methylnaphtalene and 2-methylnaphtalene determined by Tenax resin desorption test during 36 days showed decreasing trend in order PCM500 〉 PCM350 〉 MSS. In summary, pyrolysis treatment of sewage sludge can increase total amount of methylated PAHs in produced carbonaceous materials but decrease their available forms. This fact can contribute to global ecotoxicological assessment of organic pollutants in biochars and pyrogenic carbonaceous materials applied in agronomy as soil amendments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321271-fx1.jpg" width="266" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Chao Zhang, Di Tian, XiaoHui Yi, Tao Zhang, Jujun Ruan, Renren Wu, Chen Chen, Mingzhi Huang, GuangGuo Ying〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Occurrence and distribution of five neonicotinoids (NEOs) in surface water and sediment were studied in the Pearl Rivers, including three trunk streams, Dongjiang, Beijiang, Xijiang River (DR, BR and XR), South China. At least one neonicotinoid was detected in surface water and sediment of the Pearl Rivers, with imidacloprid (IMI) and thiamethoxam (THM) being the frequently detected NEOs. Total amount of NEOs (∑〈sub〉5〈/sub〉neonics) in surface water and sediment ranged from 24.0 to 322 ng/L, and from 0.11 to 11.6 ng/g dw, respectively. Moreover, the order of contamination level of NEOs in the Pearl Rivers was as follows: XR 〉 DR 〉 BR for surface water, and BR 〉 DR 〉 XR for sediment. Local agricultural activities and effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) could be major sources of NEOs in the Pearl Rivers. Solubilization and dilution of NEOs between surface water and sediment during different seasons (spring and summer) could be attributed to rainfall intensities or climate of the Pearl River Delta. An ecological risk assessment of the exposure to current environmental concentration of imidacloprid and ∑〈sub〉5〈/sub〉NEOs suggests a threat to sensitive non-target invertebrates, including aquatic invertebrates. Results would provide a better understanding of NEOs contamination in the Pearl Rivers, as well as being a reliable dataset for decision-making in contamination control and environmental protection.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321210-fx1.jpg" width="266" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Philip A.M. Bachand, Tamara E.C. Kraus, Elizabeth B. Stumpner, Sandra M. Bachand, Dylan Stern, Yan Ling Liang, William R. Horwath〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mercury (Hg) pollution is a concern to human and wildlife health worldwide, and management strategies that reduce Hg inputs to aquatic systems are of broad interest. Using a replicated field-scale study in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, we tested the effectiveness of chemically enhanced treatment wetlands (CETWs) under two coagulation treatments, polyaluminum chloride (Al treatment) and ferric sulfate (Fe treatment), in their initial removal and longer-term sequestration of Hg compared to untreated control wetlands. The primary mechanism for Hg removal by CETWs was the transfer of Hg from filtered forms to insoluble particulate forms and enhanced settling of particles. CETWs resulted in total Hg annual load removals of 63 ng m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 (71%) and 54 ng m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 (54%) for the Al and Fe treatments, respectively. Control wetlands removed significantly less at 13 ng m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 yr〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 (14%). Load removals indicate that Fe treatment wetlands more effectively reduced filtered and total methylmercury (MeHg) exports, while Al treatment wetlands more effectively reduced particulate MeHg and total Hg exports. These differences in Hg species load reductions possibly indicate different mechanisms of Hg sequestration; current data suggest more effective floc formation and particle settling was likely responsible for the Al treatment behavior, while either preferential MeHg sequestration or methylation suppression was potentially responsible for Fe treatment behavior. Differences in Hg sequestration behavior post-coagulation between the flocs formed by different coagulants indicate the importance of in-situ studies and the need for careful selection of coagulant treatment depending on the Hg species requiring remediation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rosa Pérez, Trinidad Suelves, Yolanda Molina, Francisca Corpas-Burgos, Vicent Yusà, on behalf of the BIOVAL task force〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, we assessed total mercury levels in hair specimens of 661 children, aged 6 to 11, participating in the BIOVAL programme, a human biomonitoring study carried out by the Health Department of the Regional Government of Valencia (Spain). The reference value (95th percentile) determined for this population, within this programme, was 3.25 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. Hg concentrations ranged between 0.03 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 8.71 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, with a geometric mean of 0.79 (CI 95%: 0.73–0.85) μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. This mean value was five times higher than the average levels found in children of 17 other European countries (0.145 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). About 13% of children had hair mercury levels above the FAO/WHO JECFA guideline of 2.3 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 18% of children had levels above the EFSA health-based guidance value of 1.9 μg. Multiple regression analysis revealed that fish consumption, mother's country of birth (Spain or abroad) and the employment situation of parents were the main predictors of mercury in hair.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321143-fx1.jpg" width="301" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Prashant Kumar Mishra, Pramod Kumar Rai〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉An aero-gel based solid solution of titanium and cerium oxide nanoparticles have been used for the first time for ultra fast and trace level removal of arsenic from water. The interconnected long range ordered mesoporous structure was observed from TEM analysis which has been verified as an essential facet for the fast removal of arsenic in this study. The HR-XRD spectra indicated the face centred cubic structure with 〈math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.gif" overflow="scroll"〉〈mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="bold-italic"〉Fm〈/mi〉〈mrow〉〈mover accent="true"〉〈mn〉3〈/mn〉〈mo〉¯〈/mo〉〈/mover〉〈/mrow〉〈mi mathvariant="bold-italic"〉m〈/mi〉〈/mrow〉〈/math〉 space group. Le-Bail refinement and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of single phase solid solution of Ce〈sub〉1-X〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉x〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2-Y〈/sub〉 oxide nanoparticles. The HR-XPS and FT-IR study indicated the surface complexation and partial oxidation of As(III) to As(V) via electron transfer mechanism by reduction of Ce(IV) to Ce(III) and Ti(IV) to Ti(III) simultaneously during adsorption process. The kinetics study demonstrated 99% removal of As(III) within 10 min of initiating the adsorption process. The effect of pH and interfering ions confirmed the wide range of applicability for solid solution of titania and cerium oxide nanoparticles over the different environmental conditions for the removal of arsenic. The adsorption capacity for our best adsorbent (Ce〈sub〉0.8〈/sub〉Ti〈sub〉0.2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2-y〈/sub〉) was found to be 2 × 10〈sup〉5〈/sup〉 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 while the lowest concentration of water body system was 7 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 which is the minimum concentration of arsenic achieved by any metal oxide based adsorbent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321003-fx1.jpg" width="266" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Le Qian, Suzhen Qi, Fangjie Cao, Jie Zhang, Changping Li, Min Song, Chengju Wang〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Qingwei Guo, Ningning Li, Sili Chen, Yao Chen, Shuguang Xie〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Archaea〈/em〉 play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling of elements in the environment. Heavy metals are ubiquitous pollutants in the environment. Previous studies have revealed a considerable influence of metal pollution on the archaeal community, but the short-term response of the archaeal community to metal pollution remains unclear. Hence, the present study investigated the short versus long-term responses of overall archaeal communities in freshwater sediments after exposure to accidental metal pollution caused by the discharge of heavy metal-containing wastewater from an indium-producing factory. Quantitative PCR was used to determine the archaeal abundance, while Illumina MiSeq sequencing was applied to characterize the diversity and structure of the archaeal community. The abundance (2.47 × 10〈sup〉5〈/sup〉–1.55 × 10〈sup〉8〈/sup〉 archaeal 16S rRNA gene copies per gram dry sediment), diversity (Shannon diversity index = 2.49–4.45) and structure of overall archaeal community illustrated a drastic temporal change. The archaeal communities mainly comprised the phyla 〈em〉Euryarchaeota〈/em〉, 〈em〉Thaumarchaeota〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Bathyarchaeota〈/em〉. The exposure to metal pollution induced an increase in the proportion of 〈em〉Euryarchaeota〈/em〉 but lowered the proportion of 〈em〉Thaumarchaeota〈/em〉. The accidental metal pollution exerted a profound impact on the archaeal community in freshwater sediment. This study could contribute our understanding of the short versus long-term response of archaeal communities to metal pollution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Patricia Elizabeth García, Claudia Queimaliños, María C. Diéguez〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In aquatic environments the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) is produced through photochemical reactions involving chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Andean Patagonian freshwaters experience challenging underwater UV levels, which promote high levels of photochemical weathering. In this investigation, we study natural H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 levels and experimentally address the photochemical formation of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 in stream and lake water with a range of dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations and quality. The screening of different pristine aquatic systems of Patagonia revealed that H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentration fluctuates between 8 and 60 nM. Laboratory incubation of different water types in PAR + UV showed photo-production of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 formation rate increased linearly with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in streams (13.5–20.5 nM h〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉) and shallow lakes (25.7–37.8 nM h〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉). In contrast, the H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 formation rate in deep lakes was much lower (2.1–7.1 nM h〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉), and decreased with DOC. The natural potential for H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 formation was related to the concentration and quality of the DOM pool. At higher DOC levels, such as those present in shallow lakes, H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 production was directly related to DOC, whereas at low DOC levels in deep lakes and streams, two patterns were distinguished in relation to their DOM pool quality. Stream DOM, composed of high molecular weight/size humic compounds, proved to be a reactive substrate, as reflected by their high H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 formation rates. On the other hand, deep lake DOM, with its higher relative contribution of small and more processed compounds, was found to be a less reactive substrate, affording lower H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 formation rates.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bei-xing Li, Yang Liu, Peng Zhang, Xiao-xu Li, Xiu-yu Pang, Yun-he Zhao, Hua Li, Feng Liu, Jin Lin, Wei Mu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, the bioactivities of binary mixtures of organosilicone surfactants and indoxacarb against two Lepidopteran pests were investigated along with their environmental risks. All of the tested organosilicone surfactants had obvious synergistic effects on the contact toxicity of indoxacarb against 〈em〉Spodoptera exigua〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Agrotis ipsilon〈/em〉. However, all of the organosilicone surfactants exhibited certain antagonism for indoxacarb against 〈em〉S. exigua〈/em〉 in terms of stomach & contact toxicity; both Silwet-408 and Silwet-806 exhibited additivity against 〈em〉A. ipsilon〈/em〉, whereas Silwet-618 and Silwet-DRS-60 exhibited synergism and slight antagonism, respectively. All of the tested chemicals were highly toxic to 〈em〉Daphnia magna〈/em〉, among which Silwet-DRS-60 had the lowest acute toxicity (EC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 of 94.91 μg/L). However, these chemicals were less toxic to 〈em〉Brachydanio rerio〈/em〉. Silwet-DRS-60 had a low toxicity to 〈em〉B. rerio〈/em〉, while Silwet-408, Silwet-806 and Silwet-618 were moderately toxic to 〈em〉B. rerio〈/em〉. For the joint toxicity evaluation of organosilicone surfactants and indoxacarb to 〈em〉D. magna〈/em〉 and 〈em〉B. rerio〈/em〉, the additive index method, concentration addition method and toxicity unit method were robust in judging synergism or antagonism, whereas other methods were more conservative; the V-value method and equilibrium curve method exhibited high robustness and viability in evaluating the combined effects of binary mixtures. Overall, we should carefully select organosilicone surfactants for premixed or tank-mixed pesticides in agriculture to obtain a balance between synergistic effects on pests and environmental risks.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321684-egi109GN3J5WZB.jpg" width="500" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Daniel J. Caldwell, Vincent D'Aco, Todd Davidson, Kelly Kappler, Richard J. Murray-Smith, Stewart F. Owen, Paul F. Robinson, Brigitte Simon-Hettich, Jürg Oliver Straub, Joan Tell〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract:〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metformin (MET), CAS 1115–70–4 (Metformin hydrochloride), is an antidiabetic drug with high usage in North America and Europe and has become the subject of regulatory interest. A pharmaceutical industry working group investigated environmental risks of MET. Environmental fate and chronic effects data were collated across the industry for the present risk assessment. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) for MET were modeled for the USA and Europe using the P〈em〉h〈/em〉ATE and GREAT-ER models, respectively. PECs were compared with measured environmental concentrations (MECs) for the USA and Europe. A predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) of 1 mg/L for MET was derived by deterministic procedures, applying an assessment factor of 10 to the lowest no observed effect concentration (i.e., 10 mg/L) from multiple chronic studies with algae, daphnids and fish. The PEC/PNEC and MEC/PNEC risk characterization ratios were 〈1, indicating no significant risk for MET with high Margins of Safety (MOS) of 〉868. MET is known to degrade during wastewater treatment to guanylurea (GUU, CAS 141–83–3), which we have shown to further degrade. There are no GUU toxicity data in the literature; hence, chronic studies for GUU were conducted to derive a PNEC of 0.16 mg/L. PECs were derived for GUU as for MET, plus MECs were retrieved from the literature. The PEC/PNEC and MEC/PNEC risk characterization ratios for GUU were also 〈1, with an MOS of 〉6.5. Based on standard risk assessment procedures for both MET and its transformation product GUU, there is no significant risk to aquatic life.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Khadeeja Rehman, Asma Imran, Imran Amin, Muhammad Afzal〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Plants and bacteria individually as well as in synergism with each other hold a great potential to degrade a wide range of environmental pollutants. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) is an efficient and low-cost technology that uses the synergistic interaction between plant roots and microbes for 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 remediation of wastewater. The present study aims to assess the feasibility of FTW-based remediation of oil field-produced wastewater using an interaction between two plant species, 〈em〉Typha domingensis〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Leptochloa fusca〈/em〉, in partnership with a consortium of crude oil-degrading bacterial species, 〈em〉Bacillus subtilis〈/em〉 LORI66, 〈em〉Klebsiella〈/em〉 sp. LCRI87, 〈em〉Acinetobacter Junii〈/em〉 TYRH47, and 〈em〉Acinetobacter〈/em〉 sp. BRSI56. All the treatments reduced contaminant levels, but 〈em〉T. domingensis,〈/em〉 in combination with bacterial inoculation, exhibited the highest reduction in hydrocarbon (95%), COD (90%), and BOD content (93%) as compared to 〈em〉L. fusca〈/em〉. This combination maximally promoted increases in fresh biomass (31%), dry biomass (52%), and length (25%) of plants as well. This effect was further signified by the persistence of bacteria (40%) and considerable abundance (27%) and expression (28.5%) of the 〈em〉alkB〈/em〉 gene in the rhizoplane of 〈em〉T. domingensis〈/em〉 in comparison to that of 〈em〉L. fusca〈/em〉. The study, therefore, suggests that 〈em〉T. domingensis〈/em〉, in combination with bacterial consortium, has significant potential for treatment of oil field-produced water and can be exploited on large scale in FTWs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 216〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jürg Oliver Straub, Daniel J. Caldwell, Todd Davidson, Vincent D'Aco, Kelly Kappler, Paul F. Robinson, Brigitte Simon-Hettich, Joan Tell〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Metformin (MET) is a pharmaceutical with very high use worldwide that is excreted in unchanged form, leading to concern about potential aquatic life impacts associated with MET, and its primary transformation product guanylurea (GUU). This study presents, in two companion papers, a risk assessment following internationally accepted guidelines of MET and GUU in surface water based on literature data, previously unpublished studies, and a new degradation test that resolves conflicting earlier results. Previous studies have shown that MET is removed during sewage treatment, primarily through transformation to GUU. In addition, measurements in WWTPs suggest that MET is not only transformed to GUU, but that GUU is further biodegraded. A prolonged inherent biodegradation test strongly suggests not only primary transformation of MET to GUU, but also subsequent full mineralization of GUU, with both degradation phases starting after a clear lag phase. MET may partition from surface water to sediment, where both transformation to GUU and in part mineralization is possible, depending on the presence of competent degrading microorganisms. In addition, MET may form non-extractable residues in sediments (12.8–73.5%). Both MET and GUU may be anaerobically degraded during sludge digestion, in soils or in sediments. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) values in crops and most plants are close to 1 suggesting low bioaccumulation potential, moreover, at least some plants can metabolize MET to GUU; however, in aquatic plants higher BCFs were found, up to 53. Similarly, neither MET nor GUU are expected to bioaccumulate in fish based on estimated values of BCFs ≤3.16.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Pearl U. Ofoegbu, Joana Lourenço, Sónia Mendo, Amadeu M.V.M. Soares, Joāo L.T. Pestana〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉There is increasing knowledge about the presence of psychiatric pharmaceutical substances in the aquatic environment due to increasing number of ecotoxicological studies with sensitive species in addition to improved methods of analysis. Here, we assessed the effects of two psychiatric substances carbamazepine and fluoxetine in the planarian 〈em〉Schmidtea mediterranea〈/em〉 using endpoints such as survival, behaviour (feeding, locomotion), DNA damage and regeneration. Also, planarian asexual reproduction by fissioning was used to assess the reproductive effects of these compounds. Whereas for survival, no effect was observed for carbamazepine exposure, fluoxetine exposure was toxic to planarians with an LC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 of 357.93 and 160.01 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 at 48 and 96 h, respectively. Time for head regeneration in decapitated planarians was not affected by either fluoxetine or carbamazepine exposures. Fluoxetine was more toxic than carbamazepine and caused concentration dependent increase in locomotor activity and DNA damage (LOEC's of 0.1-1.0 μg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), and decrease in feeding and fissioning. Despite some alteration on planarian locomotion observed under exposure to intermediate concentrations, no significant effects were observed in the other endpoints in response to carbamazepine. The observations in the present study showed that freshwater planarians such as 〈em〉Schmidtea mediterranea〈/em〉, animal models in neuropharmacology, are sensitive to low concentrations of psychiatric drugs, displaying an array of sensitive sub-lethal endpoints that can be used for the ecological risk assessment of psychiatric substances. Future studies to determine effects of these psychiatric drugs on the levels of neurotransmitters and other biochemical biomarkers in planarians are recommended.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Crislaine Maria Carvalho da Cruz Brambilla, Ana Leticia Hilario Garcia, Fernanda Rabaioli da Silva, Silvio Roberto Taffarel, Ivana Grivicich, Jaqueline Nascimento Picada, Amanda Scotti, Daiana Dalberto, Miroslav Mišík, Siegfried Knasmüller, Juliana da Silva〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Acid Black 10B (AB10B) is widely used for the production of textiles, leather and prints. It is a representative of azo dyes and it is well documented that some of these compounds are mutagenic 〈em〉per se〈/em〉, and that cleavage products (in particular aromatic amines) may cause damage of the genetic material and cancer. Since no toxicological data on AB10B have been published, we evaluated its mutagenic activity in Salmonella/microsome assays and studied its acute toxic and genotoxic properties in a human derived liver cell line (HepG2) which retained the activities of drug metabolizing enzymes. The compound did not cause cytotoxicity (MTT assay), but clear genotoxic effects were detected in pro- and eukaryotic indicator cells. Dose dependent induction of his〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 revertants was seen in strain TA98 which detects frameshift mutations without metabolic activation; a more pronounced effect was seen in its derivative YG1024 which overexpresses N-acetyltransferase. Induction of single/double strand breaks by Comet assay was detected with concentrations 〉 0.125 mg/mL in liver derived cells; as well as increased rates for micronucleus (reflecting structural and numeric chromosomal aberrations) and nuclear buds which are a consequence of gene amplifications were seen with a higher dose (2.0 mg/mL) (p 〈 0.05; Tukey's test). The mutational pattern which was observed in the bacterial tests indicates that the cleavage product 〈em〉p〈/em〉-nitroaniline may cause the genotoxic effects of the dye. Our findings indicate that exposure of humans and the release of the compound into the environment may lead to adverse effects due to its DNA damaging activity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Antoine Gosset, Claude Durrieu, Pauline Barbe, Christine Bazin, Rémy Bayard〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Urban wet weather discharge (UWWD) management is an important issue. UWWD often represents a significant source of pollution in all aquatic bodies. The occurrence of this pollution is difficult to predict due to the variability of storm events and the unknown contents of urban watershed leached out by rain. Previous studies have tried to demonstrate the ecotoxic impact of UWWD. However, most of them merely highlight the limitations of classic monospecific bioassays, given the high dilution of micropollutants or the presence of nutrients masking toxic effects. Overcoming this problem is therefore of great interest. In this study, we demonstrated the utility of a battery of biomarkers (e.g. membrane permeability, chlorophyll fluorescence, esterase and alkaline phosphatase activities) on the microalgae 〈em〉Chlorella vulgaris〈/em〉 to detect the toxic effects of 7 UWWD samples after short exposures (2 and 24 h). These biomarkers are linked to microalgal life traits. Complementarily, monospecific bioassays were carried on 〈em〉Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata〈/em〉, 〈em〉Chlorella vulgaris〈/em〉, 〈em〉Daphnia magna〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Heterocypris incongruens〈/em〉 to compare their sensitivity to the UWWD samples. No toxic effect was detected in any of the bioassays. Yet, algal biomarkers indicated a disturbance in microalgae physiology, and particularly a perturbation of chlorophyll fluorescence, which was observed in all of the samples tested. While algal membrane permeability was affected by only one UWWD, these two enzymatic activities were stimulated or inhibited depending on the sample. Finally, this study demonstrates the sensitivity of algal biomarkers and the need to develop new, fruitful approaches to characterizing UWWD toxicity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321301-egi10F93L2RXLF.jpg" width="399" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jun Zhou, Lili Tang, Jia-Sheng Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The adverse impacts of AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 on gut-microbiota dependent metabolism in F344 rats were assessed via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-profiling and UHPLC-mass spectrometry (MS) metabolomic analyses. UHPLC-profiling analysis found 1100 raw peaks from the fecal samples collected at week 4, of which 335 peaks showed peak shape qualified for quantitation. A total of 24, 40 and 71 peaks were significantly decreased (〉2-fold, 〈em〉p〈/em〉 〈 0.05) among the exposure groups treated with 5, 25, and 75 μg AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 body weight (B. W.), respectively. Supervised orthogonal partial least squares projection to latent structures-discriminant analysis revealed 11 differential peaks that may be used to predict AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉-induced adverse changes of the metabolites. UHPLC-MS based metabolomic analysis discovered 494 features that were significantly altered by AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉, and 234 of them were imputatively identified using Human Metabolome Data Base (HMDB). Metabolite set enrichment analysis showed that the highly disrupted metabolic pathways were: protein biosynthesis, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, betaine metabolism, cysteine metabolism, and methionine metabolism. Eight features were rated as indicative metabolites for AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 exposure: 3-decanol, xanthylic acid, norspermidine, nervonyl carnitine, pantothenol, threitol, 2-hexanoyl carnitine, and 1-nitrohexane. These data suggest that AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉 could significantly reduce the variety of nutrients in gut and disrupt a number of gut-microbiota dependent metabolic pathways, which may contribute to the AFB〈sub〉1〈/sub〉-associated stunted growth, liver diseases and the immune toxic effects that have been observed in animal models and human populations.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Aemere Ogunlaja, Sunny O. Abarikwu, Chiagoziem A. Otuechere, Olufisayo O. Oshoro〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Landfill sites near human settlements are known to have adverse health effects. Here, we investigated the effect of different concentrations of leachates from the Redemption Camp landfill (RCLL, 10%, 30%, 50%) on the liver of adult female rats after 21 days of exposure in their drinking water. The physicochemical and metal analyses showed that biochemical oxygen and chemical oxygen demand, zinc and magnesium levels were significantly high, whereas copper level was low in RCLL when compared to water samples from residential areas close to the landfill site, and were higher than the acceptable limits (p 〈 0.05). The predominant bacteria isolates recovered from the leachate and drinking water samples were 〈em〉Escherichia coli, Salmonella〈/em〉 spp 〈em〉and Shigella〈/em〉 spp. At the end of the 21-day exposure, RCLL increased the weight of the liver. Malondialdehyde concentrations were increased and glutathione levels were decreased significantly in the liver of treated animals at all concentrations of leachates tested. Furthermore, the activities of serum alanine amino transferase, aspartate amino transferase, gamma glutamyl transferase and cholesterol concentrations were increased whereas bilirubin and albumin levels were decreased dose-dependently. Histological examination of the liver was characterized by accumulation of inflammatory cells around hepatocytes, and extended sinusoids. The histo-pathological alterations and oxidative damage observed in the liver of treated rats and occurrence of pathogenic species and metals in the RCLL may suggest possible impaired hepatic health in subjects with occupational or environmental exposure.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elissavet Kassotaki, Maite Pijuan, Ignasi Rodriguez-Roda, Gianluigi Buttiglieri〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Despite the number of studies that have investigated the fate of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), to date results are still contradictory and more research is required to evaluate the contribution of the microbial communities present in different engineered treatment systems. Thus, autotrophic and heterotrophic types of biomass were here compared in terms of efficiency in the removal of estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethynilestradiol (EE2) and bisphenol A (BPA). Experiments were performed with enriched nitrifying activated sludge (NAS) and enriched ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) sludge cultivated at lab-scale, as well as with conventional activated sludge (CAS) from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. Both enriched NAS and AOB demonstrated a negligible degrading capacity. In both cases, the studied EDCs exhibited low removals (〈14%) and showed no correlation with the increasing nitrification rates contradicting some of the hypothesis present in literature. Contrariwise, the biodegradation capabilities of the heterotrophic fraction of CAS were highlighted. E2 and E3 were removed by up to 100% and 78%, respectively. E1 was found to be the main transformation product of E2 (almost quantitative oxidation) and it was also highly eliminated. Finally, EE2 and BPA were more persistent biologically with removals ranging from 10% to 39%. For these two compounds similar removals were obtained during experiments with heat-inactivated biomass suggesting that sorption could be a relevant route of elimination.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832109X-fx1.jpg" width="295" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jie Gu, Jiayao Zhang, Yaoyao Chen, Hongye Wang, Min Guo, Lei Wang, Zhen Wang, Shengmin Wu, Lili Shi, Aihua Gu, Guixiang Ji〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉As an alternate of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS) is now widely used to produce our daily consumer goods. Some studies have shown that BPS has the potential to disrupt the reproduction and glucose homeostasis. However, the impact of BPS on the nervous system remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of BPS on the nervous systems of zebrafish in their early growing stages. The 96 h-LC〈sub〉50〈/sub〉 value of BPS to zebrafish larvae was 323 mg/L (95%CI: 308–339 mg/L). Zebrafish embryos were exposed to BPS at concentrations of 0, 0.03, 0.3 and 3.0 mg/L until 6 days postfertilization. Our results showed that 0.3 and 3.0 mg/L BPS exposure markedly decreased locomotor behavior, accompany by the increased oxidative stress, promoted apoptosis and altered retinal structure in zebrafish. In addition, the expression levels of six neurodevelopment genes (〈em〉α1-tubuli〈/em〉n, 〈em〉elavl3〈/em〉, 〈em〉gap43〈/em〉, 〈em〉mbp〈/em〉, 〈em〉syn2a〈/em〉 and 〈em〉gfap〈/em〉) were downregulated after 3.0 mg/L BPS treatment. In conclusion, BPS may affect locomotor behavior and alter retinal structure in zebrafish larvae partially by increasing oxidative stress, and by suppressing the expression levels of neurodevelopment genes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518320939-egi10RBR4HDJ24.jpg" width="500" alt="Image" title="Image"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Seyed Mojtaba Momtaz, Parvin Mehdipour, Payam Dadvand, Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush, Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian, Mohammad Hassan Lotfi, Alireza Sarsangi Aliabad, Fereshte Molavi, Mohammad Javad Zare Sakhvidi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Biomarkers are promising indicators to evaluate human exposure to air pollutants and to predict the health outcomes. Area of Airway macrophages that is occupied by Black Carbon could be used as a biomarker of personal long term exposure to traffic related air pollution. Association of airway macrophages carbon load with weighted average distance and environmental and subject-specific behavior are considered in this study. Sputum samples were taken from 160 healthy adult women and airway macrophages carbon load (AMCL) were determined in 93 subjects, which represent a success rate of 62% in sputum induction. Nearest distance of the subjects to major roads and average weighted distance were calculated for each subject. A questionnaire was field according to general and behavioral characteristics of the participants. There was not any significant difference (P-value 〉0.05) between induced and non-induced subjects. Subjects with indoor kitchen without separation wall, passive smokers and those with longer presence time in high traffic streets showed higher carbon area. Weighted average distance had a better association (β = −0.186, 95%CI: −0.139, −0.230, P-value = 0.00) with AMCL than nearest distance to major roads (β = −0.155, 95%CI: −0.109, −0.201, P-value = 0.19). Association of Weighted average distance with AMCL was interrupted in subjects with a garage connected to house environment, those with IK kitchen, those with a hood above the stove and passive smokers. The findings indicated that more generation and distribution of indoor air pollutants can completely enhance the internal exposure and indoor pollution has the same importance as outdoor pollution.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: February 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 217〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yasunori Kawagoshi, Yuki Yamashita, Luong Van Duc, Takehide Hama, Hiroaki Ito〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Nitrogen-removal processes using anammox bacteria are expected to achieve high-rate removal while remaining economical, and their practical applications have been investigated. However, anammox bacteria still have unfavorable characteristics for practical use, including susceptibility to a change in environmental conditions. In this study, with an aim of exploring the adaptability of mixed anammox bacteria to environmental conditions, the shift of nitrogen-removal performance and bacterial community in a mixed culture comprising freshwater anammox bacteria (FAB) and marine anammox bacteria (MAB) were investigated by a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The CSTR inoculated with the mixed anammox bacteria was operated for 180 days under an averaged condition between freshwater and marine conditions with a temperature of 27.5 °C and a synthetic medium with 15 g/L NaCl was used. Nitrogen-removal performance became stable after 114 days and more than 90% of nitrogen that was loaded into the reactor was removed in the range of nitrogen loading rate 0.07–0.42 kg N/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉/d. After operating at 0.42 kg N/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉/d for one month, a biomass sample was taken and its bacterial community was analyzed by clone-library analysis using a partial sequence of 16S rRNA. Among the clones of anammox bacteria that were made by an anammox-bacteria-specific primer, 97% of them were MAB and only 3% were FAB. These results indicate that the bacterial community including anammox bacteria was evidently changed due to environmental conditions and that the averaged condition in this study was suitable for marine bacteria rather than freshwater bacteria.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518321507-fx1.jpg" width="372" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xu He, Robert Büchel, Renato Figi, Yucheng Zhang, Yeonkyoung Bahk, Jun Ma, Jing Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The wide applications of particulate micromotors in practice, especially in the removal of environmental pollutants, have been limited by the low production yields and demand on high concentration of fuel such as H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. Carbon/MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 micromotors were made hydrothermally using different carbon allotropes including graphite, carbon nanotube (CNT), and graphene for treatment of methylene blue and toxic Ag ions. The obtained micromotors showed high speed of self-propulsion. The highest speed of MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-based micromotors to date was observed for CNT/MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 (〉2 mm/s, 5 wt% H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, 0.5 wt% surfactant). Moreover, different from previous studies, even with low H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 concentration (0.5 wt%) and without surfactant addition, the micromotors could also be well dispersed in water by the O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 stream released from their reaction with H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉. The carbon/MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 micromotors removed both methylene blue (〉80%) and Ag ions (100%) effectively within 15 min by catalytic decomposition and adsorption. Especially high adsorption capacity of Ag (600 mg/g) was measured on graphite/MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and graphene/MnO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 micromotors.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Cláudio E.T. Parente, Antonio Azeredo, Renata E. Vollú, Everaldo Zonta, Claudio E. Azevedo-Silva, Elcia M.S. Brito, Lucy Seldin, João Paulo M. Torres, Rodrigo O. Meire, Olaf Malm〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Our main goal was to investigate the potential accumulation of fluoroquinolones (FQs) in agricultural soils over extended periods of land use, predicting leaching and estimating risk quotients for soil microorganisms. Short to long-term of poultry litter fertilization (〈1–30 years) were evaluated for enrofloxacin (ENR) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) input, in addition to the emergence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes. High FQs concentration (range 0.56–100 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) were measured in poultry litter samples. In soils, FQs occurrence and risks have changed over the years. An accumulation trend was observed between short and medium-term fertilized soils (ST and MT soils), reaching a range of 330–6138 μg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 ENR and 170–960 μg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 CIP in MT soil, followed by decreased concentrations in long-term fertilized soils (LT soils). The environmental risk assessment showed a high ENR risk quotient (RQ ≥ 1) in ST and MT soils ranging (7–226) and high CIP risk (9–53) in LT soils. The detection of 〈em〉qnr〈/em〉S genes in the area with the lowest FQs concentration emphasizes the importance of a broader approach to environmental assessment, in which not only target compounds are considered. FQs soil-water migration model pointed out a high leaching risk in ST soil. To reduce risks, management measures to decrease antibiotic environmental load should be taken before poultry litter application. In addition, the high weathering of tropical soils contributing to possible fate of antibiotics to water resources through drainage basins should be considered.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518322914-fx1.jpg" width="320" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Florian Delerue, Jean-François Masfaraud, Jean-François Lascourrèges, Olivier Atteia〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Development of organisms that live on contaminated soils depends on toxicity as well as several physical and chemical soil properties. We aimed to identify plant bioassays most responsive to contaminants and not to confounding factors due to soil type differences. We implemented a multi-site approach in seven contaminated sites and used different ordinary plant bioassays (fourteen-day-shoot biomass and five-day-root and shoot elongation). Most of the sites were contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and soils were sampled from areas of both high and low contamination. Bioassays were performed on ninety soil samples and were carried out with six model species. We performed analyses of regulatory PAHs and their derivatives content in the samples. Fourteen-day-shoot biomass responses depended on the site's origin, with an intricate response of plants that faced contrasted soil pH and organic matter content and various contaminant levels. Five-day-shoot and root lengths were informative when considering the most heavily PAH-contaminated site, since both measures exhibited a close dose-dependent response to PAHs but not to soil pH or organic matter content. For the other sites, elongation tests revealed tenuous effects somehow related to the presence of PAHs or their derivatives. We propose that tests based on plant development during their autotrophic phase (the fourteen-day-shoot biomass test in this study) are likely more sensitive to environmental stressors but less specific for contaminant-induced effects. Comparatively, tests based on early and heterotrophic plant development could be particularly more specific for soil contaminants, but the associated responses may be of low sensitivity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ying Wang, Bin Zhong, Mohammad Shafi, Jiawei Ma, Jia Guo, Jiasen Wu, Zhengqian Ye, Dan Liu, Hexian Jin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of wood biochar (5%), bamboo biochar (5%), rice straw biochar (5%) and Chinese walnut shell biochar (5%) on growth, accumulation of heavy metals in moso bamboo, soil physical properties, and solubility of heavy metals in soil. The results revealed that dry weight of moso bamboo was significantly increased in treatments of wood biochar (5%), rice straw biochar (5%) and Chinese walnut shell biochar (5%) except bamboo biochar (5%). Application of straw biochar (5%) was most effective in enhancing plants biomass, with increase of 157%, 113% and 111% in leaves, roots and stems of moso bamboo. All treatments of biochar have significantly improved soil electrical conductivity with maximum increase of 360% compared to CK. In case of heavy metals accumulation, application of 5% bamboo biochar, straw biochar and Chinese walnut shell biochar has reduced Cu uptake in roots by 15%, 35% and 26%, respectively. The biochars have significantly reduced solubility of soil heavy metals with maximum reduction of 58.91 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 10.59 mg kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Cu and Pb with application of rice straw biochar. It is concluded that dry weight of moso bamboo was significantly enhanced by all treatments of biochar except bamboo biochar.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xin Zhong, Yuting Li, Xingkai Che, Zishan Zhang, Yiman Li, Binbin Liu, Qingming Li, Huiyuan Gao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oxybenzone (OBZ), an active ingredient in most sunscreens, was recently shown to be toxic to humans, corals and other animals. This study is the first to demonstrate that OBZ can significantly inhibit photosynthesis and respiration in the leaves of a higher plant, cucumber. An OBZ suspension content as low as 0.228 mg/L obviously inhibited the photosynthesis and respiration of cucumber. OBZ instantly inhibits the electron transport of chloroplasts and mitochondria in cucumber leaves. Probit analysis demonstrated that the effective content for 20% inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport was 11.7 mg/L (95% confidence level). The inhibition of photosynthesis and respiration restricts carbohydrate synthesis and ATP regeneration, respectively, limiting the energy available for metabolic processes including the synthesis of vital organic macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids in plant cells. The inhibition of photosynthesis also enhanced the excess excitation energy in chloroplasts, resulting in overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the inhibition of respiration aggravated this process. ROS accumulation adversely affects the structure and function of proteins, DNA and membrane lipids in plant cells, interfering with normal metabolism and even leading to plant death. Therefore, reducing the use of OBZ is important for protecting global ecological security.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉OBZ can enter cells to significantly inhibit photosynthesis and respiration in the leaves of a higher plant, cucumber. OBZ can instantly inhibit the electron transports of chloroplasts and mitochondria. The inhibition of photosynthesis and respiration would restrict the synthesis of carbohydrates and the regeneration of ATP, limiting the energy available for metabolic processes. The inhibition of photosynthesis increased the excess excitation energy in the plant cells, resulting in over-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the inhibition of respiration aggravated this process. The over-accumulation of ROS adversely affects the structure and function of proteins, DNA and membrane lipids in plant cells, interfering with normal metabolism and even leading to the death of plant.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323415-egi10RK3ZTNDKH.jpg" width="253" alt="Image 103" title="Image 103"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ling Zhu, Lihong Tong, Nan Zhao, Jie Li, Yizhong Lv〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Based on the interaction between mesoscopic biochar materials and nanomaterials, the synergistic mechanism of the two materials in the process of cadmium remediation was studied. K〈sub〉2〈/sub〉CO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 activated porous biochar (KBC) loaded with nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI)/nano-α-hydroxy-iron oxide (nHIO) was studied. Macroscopically, batch adsorption experiments were carried out to describe the adsorption properties of the composites. Microscopically, the changes of surface chemical states were characterized by electron microscopy, XRD, FTIR and XPS. Combining the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics, the synergistic mechanism between biochar and nZVI/nHIO was comprehensively analyzed. The strong synergistic effects between biochar and nano-zero-valent iron (nZVI)/nano-α-hydroxy-iron oxide (nHIO) were found, which improved the removal efficiency of cadmium (Cd) in aqueous solution. The results showed that the loading of nZVI/nHIO reduced the specific surface area to 178.6 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 272.2 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively, but the adsorption capacity of Cd increased to 22.37 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and 26.43 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, respectively, which was more than three times that of KBC (7.02 mg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). The interaction between nZVI/nHIO and Cd was enhanced by the complexation of surface functional groups, but the coupling effects were different. The coupling mechanism of Cd on nZVI@KBC was complexation - reduction. Cd was partly reduced in the removal process. While for nHIO@KBC, the existence of Fe (III) on the surface of biochar increased the number and species of oxygen-containing functional groups and enhanced complexation. The existence of synergistic mechanism will provide theoretical basis for the preparation of high efficient nanocomposites and expand the application of nanomaterials in the field of environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S004565351832335X-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Catherine C. Beaucham, Diana Ceballos, Charles Mueller, Elena Page, Mark J. La Guardia〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Flame retardants have been associated with endocrine disorders, thyroid disruption, reproductive toxicity, and immunological interference. Through dismantling and recycling electronics and electric products, flame retardants can be released into the air and settle on work surfaces which may lead to dermal exposure. Hand wipe sampling is commonly used to evaluate dermal exposure. This study assesses the removal efficiency of wipes on the hands of recycling employees, and to compare the efficacy of two common surface wipe sampling materials. We used three sequential hand wipes and quantified the percentage of flame retardants that was removed by each hand wipe in the sequence. Two common wipe materials (gauze and twill) were used to compare the ability to remove flame retardants. The wipes were collected from 12 employees at a U.S. electronics recycling facility immediately at the end of their shift, prior to washing their hands. Results show that although the first wipe removed the highest median percent of the sum of the three wipes for most flame retardants, there was a wide range of the percentages of total individual flame retardants removed by both gauze (4%–98%) or twill hand wipe (1%–89%). Approximately half of the flame retardants a high percentage (〉50%) removed by the second and third wipes. This suggests that a single wipe is not sufficient to characterize the extent of dermal contamination. The average of the total amount of flame retardants removed by twill wipes was greater than the average using gauze, but the difference was not statistically significant.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Emna Fourati, Katarina Vogel-Mikuš, Taoufik Bettaieb, Anja Kavčič, Mitja Kelemen, Primož Vavpetič, Primož Pelicon, Chedly Abdelly, Tahar Ghnaya〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Sesuvium portulacastrum,〈/em〉 a halophyte with high tolerance to heavy metals like Cd, Pb and Ni is considered for phytoremediation of metal contaminated saline soils. The tolerance to a selected metal ion could, by hypothesis, be stimulated through 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 adaptation and regeneration of the plant. Seedlings obtained by 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 micro-propagation, were exposed to 0, 25 and 50 μM Ni, as NiCl〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, in agar-based medium for 30 days. Growth parameters, plant water content, the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, proline and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were determined. Nickel and nutrients distribution in leaves was studied by micro-Proton-Induced-X-ray-Emission (μ-PIXE). The results showed that Ni was mainly accumulated in vascular bundles, next in water storage tissues and chlorenchyma. Ni concentrations in chlorenchyma increased with increasing Ni in culturing medium, in direct relation to decrease of photosynthetic pigments and increase of oxidative stress. As compared to control plants, Ni induced substantial increase in MDA and proline accumulation. Plants exposed to 50 μM Ni accumulated up to 650 μg g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Ni in the shoots, exhibiting chlorosis and necrosis and a drastically reduced plant growth. Perturbations in uptake and distribution of nutrients were observed, inducing mineral deficiency, probably through membrane leakage. The mineral nutrient disturbances induced by Ni could be highly implicated in the restriction of 〈em〉S. portulacastrum〈/em〉 development under the acute 50 μM Ni level.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hoi-Shing Lo, Chun-Yuen Wong, Nora Fung-Yee Tam, Siu-Gin Cheung〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The spatial distribution, composition and source of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) including polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) of the sedimentary microplastics (0.25–5 mm) in Hong Kong were investigated. The concentration of ΣPAHs ranged between 70.8 and 1509 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 with inter-site differences although the regional difference was insignificant, indicating localised pyrolytic and petrogenic input of PAHs. The concentration of ΣPCBs (13–1083 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) varied with both study sites and regions with higher concentrations obtained in the western waters, possibly due to the input from Pearl River. Significantly higher concentrations of OCPs on eastern shores highlighted fishing and aquaculture activities in South China Sea a potential major source of OCPs. DDT and its metabolites (DDX, ranged from 1.96 to 626 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) were the dominant forms of OCPs (45%–80%). Since most of the DDX existed as DDT, this suggested that there was a fresh input of DDT into the microplastics. As microplastics and HOCs cannot be removed effectively from the environment, reduction of potential ecotoxicological risks should rely on minimizing the use of plastics and HOCs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Nguyen Thanh-Nho, Cyril Marchand, Emilie Strady, Truong-Van Vinh, Tran-Thi Nhu-Trang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Mangrove sediments act as natural biogeochemical reactors, modifying metals partitioning after their deposition. The objectives of the present study were: to determine distribution and partitioning of metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co and As) in sediments and pore-waters of Can Gio Mangrove; and to assess their ecological risks based on Risk Assessment Code. Three cores were collected within a mudflat, beneath 〈em〉Avicennia alba〈/em〉 and 〈em〉Rhizophora apiculata〈/em〉 stands. We suggest that most metals had a natural origin, being deposited in the mangrove mainly as oxyhydroxides derived from the upstream lateritic soils. This hypothesis could be supported by the high proportion of metals in the residual fraction (mean values (%): 71.9, 30.7, 80.7, 80.9, 67.9, 53.4 and 66.5 for Fe, Mn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Co, and As respectively, in the mudflat). The enrichment of mangrove-derived organic matter from the mudflat to the 〈em〉Rhizophora〈/em〉 stand (i.e. up to 4.6% of TOC) played a key role in controlling metals partitioning. We suggest that dissolution of Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides in reducing condition during decomposition of organic matter may be a major source of dissolved metals in pore-waters. Only Mn exhibited a potential high risk to the ecosystem. Most metals stocks in the sediments were higher in the 〈em〉Avicennia〈/em〉 stand than the 〈em〉Rhizophora〈/em〉 stand, possibly because of enhanced dissolution of metal bearing phases beneath later one. In a context of enhanced mangrove forests destruction, this study provides insights on the effects of perturbation and oxidation of sediments on metal release to the environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yu Cao, Hui Liu, Junyao Sun, Yang Liu, Hong Sheng Jiang, Wei Wang, Wei Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Submerged macrophytes are considered the main primary producers in shallow lakes. Recently, they have experienced a decline due to increasing environmental impacts, e.g., excessive heavy metal loads. Compared to extensive studies on vegetative growth, reports on effects of heavy metals on propagule germination and reproduction remain scarce. In this study, three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of cadmium (Cd) on the propagule germination and sexual reproduction of submerged macrophytes. In Experiment I, six Cd concentrations were used (0, 0.05, 0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉), with seed germination found to be marginally affected by Cd treatment. In Experiment II, Cd exposure (5 d) at the six Cd concentrations was performed 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 d prior to the designated germination date for turions/tubers. The 〈em〉Vallisneria spinulosa〈/em〉 tubers did not germinate at ≥ 2.5 mg Cd L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 when exposed to Cd 90 and 120 d prior to germination, whereas the 〈em〉Potamogeton crispus〈/em〉 turions remained viable but with a low germination rate at ≥ 2.5 mg Cd L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. In Experiment III, with an increase from 0 to 0.5 Cd mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, the fruit weight of 〈em〉Ottelia alismoides〈/em〉 and 〈em〉V. spinulosa〈/em〉 decreased, whereas the fruit number increased for 〈em〉O. alismoides〈/em〉 but not for 〈em〉V. spinulosa.〈/em〉 Furthermore, the phenology of sexual reproduction for both species advanced under Cd exposure. In summary, Cd exposure affected the germination of asexual propagules and sexual reproduction of submerged macrophytes, with seeds found to be tolerant of Cd treatment up to 5 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323786-fx1.jpg" width="386" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): T.H. Lee, D.C.W. Tsang, W.H. Chen, F. Verpoort, Y.T. Sheu, C.M. Kao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Emulsified polycolloid substrate (EPS) was developed and applied in situ to form a biobarrier for the containment and enhanced bioremediation of a petroleum-hydrocarbon plume. EPS had a negative zeta potential (−35.7 mv), which promoted its even distribution after injection. Batch and column experiments were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of EPS on toluene containment and biodegradation. The EPS-to-water partition coefficient for toluene (target compound) was 943. Thus, toluene had a significant sorption affinity to EPS, which caused reduced toluene concentration in water phase in the EPS/water system. Groundwater containing toluene (18 mg/L) was pumped into the three-column system at a flow rate of 0.28 mL/min, while EPS was injected into the second column to form a biobarrier. A significant reduction of toluene concentration to 0.1 mg/L was observed immediately after EPS injection. This indicates that EPS could effectively contain toluene plume and prevent its further migration to farther downgradient zone. Approximately 99% of toluene was removed after 296 PVs of operation via sorption, natural attenuation, and EPS-enhanced biodegradation. Increase in total organic carbon and bacteria were also observed after EPS supplement. Supplement of EPS resulted in a growth of petroleum-hydrocarbon degrading bacteria, which enhanced the toluene biodegradation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong-Por Ong, Li-Ngee Ho, Soon-An Ong, Johar Banjuraizah, Abdul Haqi Ibrahim, Sin-Li Lee, Noradiba Nordin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Photocatalytic fuel cell (PFC) is considered as a sustainable green technology which could degrade organic pollutant and generate electricity simultaneously. A synergistic double-sided ZnO/BaTiO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 loaded carbon plate heterojunction photoanode was fabricated in different ratios by using simple ultrasonication and mixed-annealed method. The double-sided design of photoanode allowed the lights irradiated at both sides of the photoanode. The ferroelectricity fabricated photoanode was applied in a membraneless PFC with platinum-loaded carbon as the cathode. Results revealed that the photoanode with 1:1 ratio of BaTiO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and ZnO exhibited a superior photocatalytic activity among all the photoanodes prepared in this study. The heterojunction of this photoanode was able to achieve up to a removal efficiency of 93.67% with a maximum power density of 0.5284 μW cm〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉 in 10 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 of Reactive Red 120 (RR120) without any supporting electrolyte. This photoanode was able to maintain at high performance after recycling 3 times. Overloading of ZnO above 50% on BaTiO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 could lead to deterioration of the performance of PFC due to the charge defects and light trapping ability. The interactions, interesting polarizations of the photocatalysts and proposed mechanism of the n-n type heterojunction in the photoanode of ZnO/BaTiO〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 was also discussed.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323269-fx1.jpg" width="381" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Victor Augusto Araújo de Freitas, Samuel Moura Breder, Flávia Paulucci Cianga Silvas, Patrícia Radino Rouse, Luiz Carlos Alves de Oliveira〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The global demand for iron ore with high iron contents to supply the steel industry is associated, in most countries, with the generation of tailings from mineral processing. The chemical compositions of iron ore tailings (basically Fe〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 and SiO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) make them an excellent candidate as a catalyst for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially the Fenton process and its derivatives. Therefore, this paper aimed to transform iron ore tailings from tailing dams into catalysts able to activate H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 for the purpose of treating, in a continuous flow, effluents contaminated with organic dyes, employing methylene blue as a model molecule. The mineralogical characteristics of 〈em〉in natura〈/em〉 tailings, such as the associations between iron oxides and quartz and the particle sizes of iron oxides, are favourable points for their transformation into catalysts by Fenton-like processes. Different pellet geometries and binding agents were evaluated to optimize the dye removal. Pellet pretreatment in a CH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 atmosphere at 550 °C for 2 h with 10% bentonite as a binding agent (RCSP sample) resulted in the removal of approximately 80% of dye. Kinetic removal data show the good stability of the catalyst in the flow system. Significant catalytic activity loss was not observed after four runs, and data from TG-MS indicate that there is a synergetic mechanism between the adsorption, radical attack and desorption processes of the substrate on the catalyst surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323749-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Naima A. Khan, Michael D. Johnson, James D. Kubicki, F. Omar Holguin, Barry Dungan, Kenneth C. Carroll〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Enhanced reactivity of aqueous ozone (O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉) with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) and its impact on relative reactivity of O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 with contaminants were evaluated herein. Oxidation kinetics of 1,4-dioxane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) using O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 in single and multiple contaminant systems, with and without HPβCD, were quantified. 1,4-Dioxane decay rate constants for O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 in the presence of HPβCD increased compared to those without HPβCD. Density functional theory molecular modeling confirmed that formation of ternary complexes with HPβCD, O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉, and contaminant increased reactivity by increasing reactant proximity and through additional reactivity within the HPβCD cavity. In the presence of chlorinated co-contaminants, the oxidation rate constant of 1,4-dioxane was enhanced. Use of HPβCD enabled O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 reactivity within the HPβCD cavity and enhanced 1,4-dioxane treatment rates without inhibition in the presence of TCE, TCA, and radical scavengers including NaCl and bicarbonate. Micro-environmental chemistry within HPβCD inclusion cavities mediated contaminant oxidation reactions with increased reaction specificity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323075-fx1.jpg" width="273" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jing Xie, Xu Duan, Leiyu Feng, Yuanyuan Yan, Feng Wang, Haiqing Dong, Renyong Jia, Qi Zhou〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Extensive studies on anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge (WAS) for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production focused on the effects of operating parameters and pretreatment methods, and little information is available for those of organic pollutants which were absorbed on sludge. The influence of sulfadiazine (SDZ), a typical antibiotic pollutant in WAS, on VFAs production during anaerobic fermentation was investigated in this study. The accumulation of VFAs was remarkably affected in the presence of SDZ. When the content of SDZ was 50 mg per kilogram dry sludge the concentration of VFAs from sludge was 2032.8 mg COD/L, much higher than that of control (1540.2 mg COD/L). Mechanism investigation revealed that the content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from sludge was increased due to the presence of SDZ, which provided more substrates, 〈em〉i.e.〈/em〉, protein and carbohydrate, and created a favorable environment for anaerobes. The hydrolysis and acidification of WAS were stimulated by SDZ, and the functional microorganisms were advantageous to VFAs production. The activities of protease, α-glucosidase and acetate kinase were promoted when SDZ occurred, which were beneficial for hydrolysis and acidification. The effect of SDZ on pure strains further confirmed that the formation of VFAs during anaerobic fermentation was stimulated by SDZ.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323373-fx1.jpg" width="428" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Weixin Jing, Lang Lang, Zigen Lin, Na Liu, Lan Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Experiments were carried out to investigate the bioaccumulation and elimination of cadmium (Cd) in tissues (kidney, gills, digestive gland, mantle, visceral mass, foot, adductor muscle and hemolymph) from the freshwater mussel, 〈em〉Anodonta woodiana〈/em〉. The mussels were exposed to subchronic Cd at concentrations of 0.168 and 0.675 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for 28 d of bioaccumulation and 28 d of elimination. During the bioaccumulation phase, Cd bioaccumulations increased in all tissues. The highest bioaccumulation of Cd was found in the kidney. The second-highest and third-highest bioaccumulations of Cd were found in the digestive gland and gills, respectively. The Cd bioaccumulations in the tissues of 〈em〉A. woodiana〈/em〉 increased with exposure time and concentration, except for hemolymph, which reached the highest value on d 14. The bioaccumulation factors (BCFs) increased with exposure time, but an inverse relationship was observed between BCFs and exposure concentration. During the elimination phase, the visceral mass showed the highest Cd elimination rate. In the kidney, digestive gland and gills, the elimination rates almost reached 40%, but their concentrations were still higher than in other tissues. Thus, we concluded that the kidney, gills and digestive gland of 〈em〉A. woodiana〈/em〉 are target tissues for subchronic Cd toxicity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rut Sanchis, Ana Dejoz, Isabel Vázquez, Enrique Vilarrasa-García, José Jiménez-Jiménez, Enrique Rodríguez-Castellón, José M. López Nieto, Benjamín Solsona〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Ferric chloride solutions are used as coagulants or flocculants in water treatment operations for human consumption. This treatment produces large amounts of clay-type solids formed mainly of montmorillonite with iron oxides and humic substances. This ferric sludge can be used as an efficient catalyst for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by total oxidation. This waste isolated in the purification process has been activated by calcinations in air, characterized by several physicochemical techniques and employed as a catalyst for the removal by total oxidation of representative VOCs: toluene, propane and mixtures of toluene/propane with or without water. This ferric sludge has shown a catalytic activity one order of magnitude higher than that of a commercial iron oxide. This high activity has been related to the composition of the sludge (as it contains active metal oxides such as oxides of iron and manganese) and to the porous structure (leading to a reasonably high surface area). Moreover, it can be also used as a support for platinum, showing comparable (or even higher) catalytic activity than a similar platinum catalyst supported on conventional γ-alumina. This work presents a double environmental perspective since the material employed as a catalyst is a waste sludge and the catalytic reaction studied deals about the elimination of pollutants.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323245-fx1.jpg" width="281" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiao-Qiu Lin, Zhi-Ling Li, Bin Liang, Jun Nan, Ai-Jie Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Improving anode configuration with polymer or nanomaterial modification is promising for enhancing microbial fuel cell performance. However, how anode modification affects biofilm development and electrogenic function remains poorly understood. In this study, the carbon cloth anode modified with polyaniline and reduced graphene oxide was successfully fabricated which obtained the highest power output. Accelerated electrogenic biofilm formation and the better electrogenic bacterial colonization based on the superior material properties (preferable electrochemical characteristics, the film-like structure and the more activated sites) were observed with the 〈em〉in situ〈/em〉 biofilm development monitoring. The acclimation time was 2.4 times shorter with graphene and polyaniline modified anode than the bare one when inoculated with wastewater. Biofilm structure and function analysis show that 〈em〉Geobacter〈/em〉 is the most predominant with the abundance as high as 81.4%, and meanwhile, electrogenesis related outer-surface octaheme c-type cytochrome 〈em〉omc〈/em〉Z is highly expressed in the modified anode. The anode modified with graphene and polyaniline favors 〈em〉Geobacter〈/em〉 colonization, accelerates electrogenic biofilm formation and improves 〈em〉omc〈/em〉Z expression level, eventually leading to the improved performance of microbial fuel cell. The study for the first time reveals the impacts on biofilm development and microbial function by anode modification, which will better guide the potential application of microbial fuel cell for wastewater recovery.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323191-fx1.jpg" width="245" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Olushola M. Awoyemi, Naveen Kumar, Cassandra Schmitt, Seenivasan Subbiah, Jordan Crago〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Pyrethroids are potent neurotoxicants that may elicit multiple pathways of toxicity in non-target organisms. Comparative studies on the mechanistic and developmental effects of types I and II pyrethroids against non-target aquatic species are limited. This study assessed the effects of the two pyrethroid types against embryo-larval zebrafish (〈em〉Danio rerio〈/em〉) at environmentally relevant and laboratory concentrations. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to type-I (permethrin, bifenthrin) and type-II (deltamethrin, λ-cyhalothrin, fenvalerate, esfenvalerate) pyrethroids at 1000, 10, 0.1, 0.01, 0.0 μg/L, starting at 5-h post-fertilization (hpf) through 5-d post-fertilization (dpf) under static exposure conditions. Swimming behavior (distance traveled and velocity) was assessed at 5-dpf. The relative expression of Nrf2a, GST, Casp-9 and p53 mRNA transcripts, carboxyl esterase (CES) activity and total reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. The stability of the pyrethroids across 5 days was analyzed. Bifenthrin-(10 μg/L) and esfenvalerate-(1000 μg/L) significantly (p 〈 0.05) reduced total distance traveled by larvae while 1000 μg/L deltamethrin and λ-cyhalothrin were lethal causing body axis curvature and pericardial edema. At environmentally relevant concentrations-(μg/L) compared to control, permethrin-(0.122) upregulated Nrf2a and Casp-9 expressions while λ-cyhalothrin-(0.053) downregulated Nrf2a and fenvalerate-0.037 downregulated GST. At laboratory concentrations-(μg/L), permethrin-(1000) upregulated Nrf2a, Casp-9 and p53 expressions, bifenthrin-(10) upregulated Casp-9 while fenvalerate-(0.1) and esfenvalerate-(1000) downregulated GST. There was concentration dependent increase in CES activity which correlated positively with total ROS. Pyrethroid concentrations decreased significantly by day 5. This study showed disparity in the mechanistic effects across the pyrethroids types and their instability in aqueous media may underestimate toxicity against non-target aquatic species when exposed in their natural environment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323488-fx1.jpg" width="300" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Inácio Abreu Pestana, Lucas Silva Azevedo, Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos, Cristina Maria Magalhães de Souza〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The increase in global demand for electric energy is reflected in plans to construct numerous hydroelectric dams in South America that can cause chronic ecological impacts if not built and managed correctly. One of the main impacts generated by hydropower dams is the accumulation of Hg chemical species in their reservoir compartments and the downstream transport of these contaminants. Hg circulation in these environments has been studied for 27 years and this review brings a synthesis of the dynamics that are now well established, so that future studies can focus on gaps and inconsistent results in the literature. The topics cover the methylation process of Hg, its transfer along the trophic chain and the impacts downstream from dams. In addition, meta-analyses are used to propose regression models that explain Hg dispersion in environmental compartments of reservoirs, using as predictors morphological, spatial and temporal aspects of these environments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Richa Soni, Dericks Praise Shukla〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A zeolite-reduced graphene oxide (ZrGO) based composite was synthesized to remove arsenic from water. To make a low-cost adsorbent, zeolite was synthesized using an inexpensive waste material; fly ash, which was further used to produce the ZrGO composite. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectra were used to characterize the morphology and surface composition of the synthesized materials. Synthesized materials: zeolite, rGO and ZrGO were evaluated as an adsorbent to remove arsenic from water. The results indicated that all three were able to adsorb arsenic from water but the removal efficiency of ZrGO was the best as it was able to bring down the arsenic concentration within the WHO permissible limits. The maximum adsorption capacity for 100 μg/L of initial arsenic concentration was found to be 49.23 μg/g. Results indicate that pseudo second order kinetics describes the arsenic adsorption on ZrGO. Adsorption isotherm study for ZrGO shows best fit for Redlich-Peterson model of adsorption.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323105-egi10SN394D1QS.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 103941" title="Image 103941"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Elizabeth A. Gibson, Heather M. Stapleton, Lehyla Calero, Darrell Holmes, Kimberly Burke, Rodney Martinez, Boris Cortes, Amy Nematollahi, David Evans, Kim A. Anderson, Julie B. Herbstman〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Background〈/h6〉 〈p〉Humans are ubiquitously exposed to flame retardants, including organophosphate esters (OPEs), through direct contact with consumer products or exposure through household dust. Children are at increased risk because of their proximity to dust, hand-to-mouth activity, and the importance of childhood as a critical period in neurodevelopment.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Objectives〈/h6〉 〈p〉To quantify differences in exposure levels between mothers and children (three to six years of age), we analyzed urinary metabolites of OPEs. We additionally assessed the ability of silicone wristbands (measuring ambient exposure) to predict urinary metabolite concentrations.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉We selected 32 mother and child dyads from an existing cohort. Participants provided baseline urine samples and wore wristbands for one week. After the first week, they returned their wristbands and provided a second urine sample. During the second week, participants wore a second wristband that they returned at the end of week two with a third and final urine sample.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉We found significantly higher levels of bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) (p 〈 0.001) and lower levels of bis(1-chloro-2-isopropyl) 1-hydroxy-2-propyl phosphate (BCIPHIPP) (p 〈 0.001) in children's urine samples compared to mothers' samples at baseline. We found that triphenylphosphate (TPHP), tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP), and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) measured in wristbands predicted their respective metabolite levels in urine.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusion〈/h6〉 〈p〉Children had higher levels than mothers for two of six flame retardant metabolites measured in urine. Generally, wristband measurements positively predicted internal dose. As little is known about the health effects of OPEs on child development, future research is needed to determine the impact of differential exposure.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Bon-Wun Gu, Seung-Hee Hong, Chang-Gu Lee, Seong-Jik Park〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using bentonite, illite, and zeolite as capping materials to interrupt the release of and sequestrate carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from contaminated sediments. Their efficiency was assessed in batch isotherm, column incubation experiments, and nitrogen and phosphorus extraction from the capping materials and sediments. All capping materials contributed to the reduction of dissolved oxygen depletion and chemical oxygen demand in overlying water. Zeolite showed a high adsorption capacity for NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-N; the zeolite cap produced the lowest NH〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-N flux constituting the highest percentage of total nitrogen in the overlying water. Significant changes in water conditions, such as an increased pH (〉8) and lowered oxidation reduction potential (〈−80 mV) were observed when a bentonite cap was used. Illite showed high capping efficiency (〉130%) for both PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-P and total phosphorus, and phosphorus was adsorbed mainly as the high residual-P fraction (≈90%) in its strongest adsorbed form. The results of this study indicate that illite has potential for use as an agent to deactivate phosphorus in lake eutrophication control techniques.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323439-fx1.jpg" width="402" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Silvia Quadroni, Roberta Bettinetti〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this work we assessed the presence of two well-known pesticides (DDT and lindane) along with their main metabolite or isomer in tobacco products from 11 countries. In 11 of the 14 samples DDTs were the dominant compounds, with maximum concentrations of ppʹ-DDT in Morocco cigarettes (9 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉) and of ppʹ-DDE in Italian cigars (13 ng g〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉). Moreover, the α/γ-HCH ratio was mostly lower than 1, indicating the main use of “Lindane” formulation. However, all the detected levels were below the guidance residue values of respective pesticide and metabolite/isomer.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ishwar Chandra Yadav, Ningombam Linthoingambi Devi, Vipin Kumar Singh, Jun Li, Gan Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Raising population, deteriorating environmental conditions and limiting natural resources to handle the key environmental health problems have critically affected human health and the environment. Policy makers and planners in Nepal are more concerned today than at any other time in the past about the deterioration of the environmental condition. Therefore, understanding the connection between pollution and human wellbeing is fundamental endeavors to control pollution exposures and secure human wellbeing. This ability is especially critical for countries like Nepal where the issues of environmental pollution have customarily taken a second place to request for economic development. In this study, spatial distribution and sources of 12 heavy metals (HMs) were investigated in surface soils (n = 24) and house dust (n = 24) from four major urban areas of Nepal in order to mark the pollution level. Additionally, a health risk was estimated to establish the link between HMs pollution and human health. Results showed that the median concentration of Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, Mn and Zn in soil and dust were 2–13 times greater than the background value. The As, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb showed a relatively higher spatial variability in soil and dust. Zn was the most abundant metal measured in dust and soil and accounted for 59% and 55% of ∑〈sub〉7〈/sub〉HMs, respectively. The HMs in soil and dust were poorly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) and black carbon (BC), suggesting little or no influence on HMs contamination. Source analysis study indicated the distribution of Cr, Ni, Sb, Ag, Pb, Cu, and Zn in soil and dust are mainly affected by anthropogenic sources, particularly traffic emissions, industrial source, and domestic households materials, while Co, Fe, As, Mn and Cd were from natural sources. The estimated carcinogenic risk (CR) of HMs in soil and dust exceeded the acceptable level of human exposure, recommending significant CR to the local population.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323099-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 219〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lilian Dalago Salgado, Antonio Ernesto Meister Luz Marques, Rafael Duarte Kramer, Fernando Garrido de Oliveira, Sarah Lott Moretto, Barbara Alves de Lima, Maritana Mela Prodocimo, Marta Margarete Cestari, Júlio Cesar Rodrigues de Azevedo, Helena Cristina Silva de Assis〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study combined data of the concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pharmaceuticals and personal hygiene products (PPCPs) in the sediments and the biological responses of the 〈em〉Atherinella brasiliensis〈/em〉 fish in two different sites and climate seasons in the Estuarine-Lagoon Complex of Iguape-Cananéia, Southeast Brazil. The presence of metals, PAHs, and PPCPs were observed in the sediments demonstrating the contamination throughout the system with contributions of sewage and residues disposal, oil and combustion of biomass and fossil fuels. Higher contaminations were identified in the point of greater human presence (C - Cananéia City), especially during the cold-dry season. The influence of anthropic activities and variations in the estuarine conditions, such as lower hydrodynamics during the lower rainfall period, were observed. In fish, spatial and seasonal changes in the parameters of oxidative stress and biotransformation, genotoxicity and histopathological alterations followed the same trend, with more pronounced responses in C in the cold-dry season. The biological responses of the fish revealed adverse effects in the local species population and indicated the presence of metals, PAHs and PPCPs as stressors. The multivariate analysis and the integrated biomarker response index (IBR) corroborated with these results, also indicating that site C had the worst environmental quality. The present study provides new information about the contamination of the sediments of Estuarine-Lagoon Complex of Iguape-Cananéia and the chronic exposure to contaminants in 〈em〉A. brasiliensis〈/em〉. Therefore, contributing to a better understanding of the local environmental quality with data that can support protective management of the area.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ronan Guillossou, Julien Le Roux, Romain Mailler, Emmanuelle Vulliet, Catherine Morlay, Fabrice Nauleau, Johnny Gasperi, Vincent Rocher〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Several advanced treatments, such as ozonation or activated carbon adsorption, are currently considered for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). However, little is known on the overall performances of a WWTP upgraded with those processes and the benefits provided regarding the elimination of multiple families of OMPs. In this study, 5 sampling campaigns were performed to determine the removal of 48 OMPs in a WWTP followed by an activated carbon pilot. The primary treatment had no effect on OMPs (removals 〈 20%), whereas the biological treatment removed OMPs that can be easily sorbed onto sludges or biodegraded (〉60%). The additional elimination provided by the advanced treatment was not significant (〈10%) for OMPs already well removed in the WWTP) but was substantial (〉30%) for recalcitrant OMPs. Removals higher than 60% were obtained for all OMPs (except azithromycin and sulfamethoxazole) over the WWTP and the activated carbon pilot. The adsorption conditions (10 g/m〈sup〉3〈/sup〉 fresh activated carbon addition) were not sufficient to achieve the 80% removal targeted in Switzerland for compounds suggested as indicator substances for wastewater treatment. A higher dose of activated carbon or the combination with another advanced treatment should be used to achieve a satisfactory removal of those compounds.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518322896-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Moonis Ali Khan, Ayoub Abdullah Alqadami, Marta Otero, Masoom Raza Siddiqui, Zeid Abdullah Alothman, Ibrahim Alsohaimi, M. Rafatullah, Abdelrazig Elfaki Hamedelniel〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Efforts to improve water quality have led to the development of green and sustainable water treatment approaches. Herein, nitrogen-doped magnetized hydrochar (mSBHC-N) was synthesized, characterized, and used for the removal of post-transition and transition heavy metals, viz. Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 from aqueous environment. mSBHC-N was found to be mesoporous (BET surface area – 62.5 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉/g) and paramagnetic (saturation magnetization – 44 emu/g). Both, FT-IR (with peaks at 577, 1065, 1609 and 3440 cm〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 corresponding to Fe – O stretching vibrations, C – N stretching, N – H in-plane deformation and stretching) and XPS analyses (with peaks at 284.4, 400, 530, 710 eV due to C 1s, N 1s, O 1s, and Fe 2p) confirmed the presence of oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups on mSBHC-N. The adsorption of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 was governed by oxygen and nitrogen functionalities through electrostatic and co-ordination forces. 75–80% of Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 and Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 adsorption at 〈em〉C〈/em〉〈sub〉〈em〉o〈/em〉〈/sub〉: 25 mg/L, either from deionized water or humic acid solution was accomplished within 15 min. The data was fitted to pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models, with maximum monolayer adsorption capacities being 323 and 357 mg/g for Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 at 318 K, respectively. Maximum Cd〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 (82.6%) and Pb〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 (78.7%) were eluted with 0.01 M HCl, simultaneously allowing minimum iron leaching (2.73%) from mSBHC-N. In conclusion, the study may provide a novel, economical, and clean route to utilize agro-waste, such as sugarcane bagasse (SB), for aquatic environment remediation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323178-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Meng-Ru Jia, Ni Tang, Yue Cao, Yanshan Chen, Yong-He Han, Lena Q. Ma〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Arsenate (AsV) reduction in bacteria is essential to alleviate their arsenic (As) toxicity. We isolated a 〈em〉Bacillus〈/em〉 strain PVR-YHB1-1 from the roots of As-hyperaccumulator 〈em〉Pteris vittata〈/em〉. The strain was efficient in reducing AsV to arsenite (AsIII), but the associated mechanisms were unclear. Here, we investigated its As resistance and reduction behaviors and associated genes at genome level. Results showed that the strain tolerated up to 20 mM AsV. When grown in 1 mM AsV, 96% AsV was reduced to AsIII in 48 h, with its AsV reduction ability being positively correlated to bacterial biomass. Two 〈em〉ars〈/em〉 operons 〈em〉arsRacr3arsCDA〈/em〉 and 〈em〉arsRKacr3arsC〈/em〉 for As metabolisms were identified based on draft genome sequencing and gene annotations. Our data suggested that both operons might have attributed to efficient As resistance and AsV reduction in PVR-YHB1-1, providing clues to better understand As transformation in bacteria and their roles in As transformation in the environment〈em〉.〈/em〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518322525-fx1.jpg" width="500" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yang Wang, Baoyu Gao, Shuya Li, Bo Jin, Qinyan Yue, Zhining Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cerium oxide (CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) nanoparticles (NPs) have indicated great potentials as nanofiller owing to its high surface area, antioxidant properties and low cost. In this paper, thin film nanocomposite (TFN) RO membranes were proposed to be prepared through incorporation of hydrophilic CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs in polyamide (PA) selective layers via interfacial polymerization (IP). EDX, XPS, SEM, AFM, contact angle and zeta potential were used to examine the property and morphology of the prepared membranes. CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs were successfully embedded in the PA network, which endowed the TFN membranes with rougher surfaces and thinner PA layers. The TFN membranes were fabricated with different CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs contents (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 400 mg/L). With increasing CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs loading amount, the hydrophilicity improved from 85.4° to 65.7° and the surface charge declined from −19.4 to −34.2 mV. These characteristics contributed to a 50% enhancement in water flux of TFN-CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉100 membrane (containing 100 mg/L of CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs) without compromise the NaCl rejection (98%). Moreover, CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 embedded membrane exhibited an enhanced fouling resistance property through preventing the adhesion of hydrophobic foultants. This study demonstrated the desirable applicability of CeO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 NPs in synthesizing novel TFN membranes for desalination application.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323142-egi1097WLGG903.jpg" width="330" alt="Image 1097903" title="Image 1097903"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jiexin Li, Chunhong Shi, Huifeng Zhang, Xinfei Zhang, Yangyang Wei, Kai Jiang, Baogang Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Silicalite-1 (S-1) zeolite membrane synthesized by seed method with superior features attracts intensive attentions, while the influences of key parameters during synthesis process and its applications for organics removal require further investigation. This study revealed the morphology and the structure of the prepared membranes under different crystallization temperatures and seed concentrations by using a suite of characterization methods. The as-prepared membrane under optimal condition (crystallization temperature of 175 °C and seed concentration of 1.0 wt. %) possessed high membrane integrity, with ideal separation factor of 4.0. It also exhibited outstanding performance for organics removal, with dyes retention of 99.9% and 99.2% for 500 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 neutral red and 500 mg L〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 methyl blue, respectively. Excellent antifouling property of the synthesized membrane was also proved. Results of this work can guide the characteristic improvement of the S-1 zeolite membrane by adjusting key parameters and broaden its applications in dye wastewater treatment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Zhipan Wen, Yalei Zhang, Gang Cheng, Yingru Wang, Rong Chen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this study, nanosized ordered magnetic mesoporous Fe-Ce bimetal oxides (Nanosized-MMIC) with highly well-ordered inner-connected mesostructure were successfully synthesized through the KIT-6 template method. This Nanosized-MMIC displayed excellent adsorption capacities for As(V), Cr(VI) and AO7, and the corresponding calculated maximum adsorption capacities of material were 111.17, 125.28 and 156.52 mg/g, respectively. As(V) and Cr(VI) removal by Nanosized-MMIC were slightly dependent on the ionic strength but highly solution pH-dependent, the coexistent silicate and phosphate ions competed remarkably with both As(V) and Cr(VI) for the adsorption active site. Mechanisms indicated As(V) and Cr(VI) formed inner-sphere complexes on Nanosized-MMIC interface via the electrostatic interaction and surface complexation, while the total organic carbon (TOC) change demonstrated that AO7 could be removed completely and no organic intermediates formed through the adsorption process. In addition, Nanosized-MMIC also possessed superior adsorption performance in As(V)/Cr(VI)-AO7 binary systems, and the reusable and regeneration properties indicated that the obtained nanomaterials could maintain at a comparatively high level after several recycling. Finally, fixed-bed experiments suggested the Nanosized-MMIC was expected to have a promising excellent nano-adsorbent with high application potential for co-existed toxic heavy metals and organic dyes removal in practical wastewater treatment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323154-fx1.jpg" width="288" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: March 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Chemosphere, Volume 218〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tian Li, Yao Wang, Jian Hou, Dan Zheng, Guiyang Wang, Chen Hu, Tian Xu, Juan Cheng, Wenjun Yin, Xiang Mao, Lin Wang, Zhenyu He, Jing Yuan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉) is linked to various respiratory outcomes. However, the associations of concentrations of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs) with airway inflammatory indices remains unclear. To assess effects of short-term exposure to PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs on fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), we conducted a pilot study with repeated measures. We recruited 20 postgraduate students in Wuhan city, China, and repeatedly measured outdoor and indoor (including dormitories, offices and laboratories) PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs concentrations, urinary monohydroxy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) and FeNO levels in the four seasons. Subsequently, we estimated inhaled doses of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs based on the micro-environmental PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs concentrations, time-activity patterns and referred inhalation rates. We assessed the association of inhaled doses of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs with FeNO using linear mixed-effects regression models. We found the positive associations of urinary ∑OH-PAHs levels with inhaled doses of indoor PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs (including dormitories and offices) (all p 〈 0.05). A one-unit increase in inhaled doses of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs or in urinary concentrations of ∑OH-PAHs was corresponded to a maximum FeNO increase of 13.5% (95% CI: 5.4, 22.2) at lag2 day or of 6.8% (95% CI: 3.4, 10.2) at lag1 day. Inhaled doses of PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs or urinary OH-PAHs was positively related to increased FeNO, they may be accepted as a short-term biomarker of exposure to PAHs in air. Exposure to PM〈sub〉2.5〈/sub〉-bound PAHs in indoor air may contribute more to the body burden of PAHs than outdoor air, and exhibited stronger effect on increased FeNO rather than urinary OH-PAHs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653518323038-fx1.jpg" width="466" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉