环境•农林最新文献

The objective of this study is to utilize the powdered Andesie for effective sorption of methylene blue (MB) from simulated wastewater in a batch process. Characterization of Andesite was done using the S_BET, SEM imaging, X-ray spectroscopy, and infrared (IR) spectra. Andesite’s specific surface area was found to be 35.12 (m²/g) using Brunauer– Emmett–Teller analysis. Experimental variables including contact time (5–60 min), andesite dosage (0.5–1.3g), temperature (25–55℃) and pH (2 – 11) were investigated. The optimum conditions were 30 min, 1.1 g, 25°C, and pH 8. Using Freundlich isotherm model, which appropriately represents the process (R² 0.981), the maximum capacity for adsorption of MB was determined to be 2.427 (mg/g). Error analysis for isotherm models using the root mean square errors (RMS), average relative error (ARE), Chi-square error (χ2), sum of the squares of the errors (ERRSQ), hybrid fractional error function (HYBRID), sum of the absolute errors (EABS), and Marquardt's percent standard deviation (MPSD). By analyzing the kinetics of MB dye adsorption, it was discovered that the pseudo-2nd -order model, with an R² of 0.999, best described the adsorptive behavior of the MB. The values of the free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH), and entropy (ΔS) were -5.19 (kJ/mol), -42.2 (kJ/mol) and -0.13 (kJ/mol K), respectively. The optimal isotherm model served as the basis for the designing of a one-stage batch adsorber for the sorption of MB by andesite.

Tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate (TCEP), a representative organophosphate ester (OPEs), is widely used in building materials, electronics manufacturing and the chemical industry, and is therefore frequently detected in aquatic environment. An ultrasonically (US) activated persulfate (PS) system was developed to degrade TCEP, and the influencing factors, mechanism of action and toxicity risk were systematically analyzed. The US/PS system achieved 97.23% removal under optimized conditions. However, coexisting anions (Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻, H₂PO₄⁻) and organic matter (HA) inhibited degradation. Free radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies confirmed that ∙OH and SO₄^·− oxidation were the main mechanisms for TCEP degradation. The degradation pathway of TCEP in this system was predicted using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and test results. In addition, the ecotoxicological evaluation of TCEP and its intermediates was carried out using the Toxicity Evaluation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.), which indicated that the US/PS degradation system can significantly reduce the ecotoxicity of the parent compound. This study combines experimental and theoretical approaches to provide new insights into TCEP removal from water. The proposed US/PS system features low energy consumption and high efficiency, maintaining stable performance even in real lake water (65.9% removal). These results provide theoretical and data support for treating OPE-containing wastewater and highlight the promising engineering applicability of this technique.

Environmental management of urban groundwater contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) necessitates a risk-based decision-making framework that integrates environmental quality standards (EQS) for comprehensive protection. We conducted a risk-based evaluation of the conservatism of EQSs in South Korea across relevant media—namely soil, groundwater, and indoor air—for sites contaminated with PHCs. Conservatism was assessed by comparing human health risks at concentrations corresponding to EQSs with risk thresholds at contaminated sites. The study site was conceptualized as an urban residential area affected by petroleum spills from adjacent underground storage tanks, with contamination levels in each medium was assumed to correspond to Korea’s EQSs. Vapor intrusion was identified as the primary pathway for hydrocarbon exposure in urban underground environments. The PVI2D model was employed to simulate indoor air concentrations of hydrocarbons, and human health risks—including excess lifetime cancer risk and hazard quotients—were estimated using U.S. EPA standard equations. Results indicates that health risks from PHCs-contaminated soil at levels corresponding to soil EQSs were substantially lower than the risk thresholds, demonstrating that the soil EQSs are more conservative than risk-based criteria. This conservatism may vary depending on site-specific conditions. Soil EQSs for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were particularly conservative, even when accounting for uncertainties in TPH composition. Groundwater EQSs were considerably more conservative than those for other media, while indoor air EQSs were comparatively less conservative. Comparative evaluation of these EQSs may facilitate multi-criteria decision-making in environmental management.

Tourism can affect the availability and quality of freshwater resources, particularly in coastal regions like the Mediterranean. Water reuse is an increasingly adopted practice aimed at enhancing water resilience. To reduce pressure on freshwater resources, it is also being implemented in tourism-intensive areas at both centralised and decentralised scales. As a result, its potential environmental and public health risks are increasingly being investigated. At present, very few studies reported on the occurrence of organic micropollutants (OMP) in closed water cycles related to tourism, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, only one of them differentiated their occurrence in the different water and wastewater streams. This article investigates the occurrence of a set of OMP in the water cycle of a large resort located in Lloret de Mar, Spain. It hereby considers tap and pool water, the separate greywater streams (kitchen, laundry, and bathroom greywater, where part of the greywater is reused for toilet flushing), and wastewater. The target compounds include 39 OMP: 10 endocrine disruptors and related compounds (EDCs) and 29 pharmaceuticals (PhACs), most of them scarcely studied in the context of tourism in most investigated matrices, especially greywater, and some here reported for the first time. Two sampling campaigns were performed in the high and low tourist seasons. OMP were ubiquitous, with the lowest total concentrations found in tap water, as expected (124 ng/L), and the highest, amounting to 315 μg/L, in wastewater in the low season. Kitchen greywater, one of the least previously studied matrices, resulted in the highest total EDCs concentration. The highest total concentration of PhACs, 185 μg/L, was found in wastewater in the low season. Daily per capita OMP loads in wastewater and greywater are also provided, proving the variability of loads in the wastewater streams of the same facility between seasons, contributing to a more differentiated understanding about their quality and impact on the total wastewater load.

With the increase in consumption rates day by day and the intensity of the processes occurring in the industry, wastewater containing many environmentally harmful substances emerges and threatens water pollution. In this study, sodium alginate-carbon nanotube adsorbent spheres were used to remove boron from aqueous solutions by adsorption. The adsorbent spheres used in the study were prepared by adding carbon nanotubes to a sodium alginate solution. Isotherm and kinetic models were studied with the available values. It was concluded that the kinetic model is Pseudo-First Order and the isotherm is the Freundlich isotherm. FTIR, TGA, SEM, and XRD results were examined for the characterization of sodium alginate-carbon nanotube spheres. The response surface method was used with different values of concentration, adsorbent amount, and samples taken at different times to investigate the effect of optimum conditions and variables on the study. In the experiments, 24.4% boron removal was achieved using sodium alginate-carbon nanotube adsorbent spheres. The highest efficiency value of 24.4% was reached at 26 h with 4 g of adsorbent, 9.66 pH value, and 1000 mg/L boron concentration.

In this study, carbonized Prosopis farcta (CPF) ultrafiltration membrane (PES/CPF) was successfully synthesized using Prosopis farcta seeds. As a result of the contact angle measurement analysis, it was demonstrated that PES/2.00%CPF membranes (60.23°) were more hydrophilic than the pure membrane (74.32°) and that Prosopis farcta seeds provided hydrophilic properties to the ultrafiltration membrane. Additionally, PES/2.00%CPF membranes achieved 100% BSA and 100% E. coli removal efficiency. The biological effects of P. farcta seed powder were investigated. It caused single-strand breakage in the DNA cleavage experiment. P. farcta seed powder demonstrated 53.26% inhibition of α-amylase activity at a concentration of 100 mg/L. P. farcta seed powder exhibited the strongest antimicrobial effect against E. faecalis with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 8 mg/L, against E. hirae with 16 mg/L and against S. aureus with 32 mg/L. It was found that it significantly inhibited the cell viability of E. coli at the rate of 95.87% at the dose of 20 mg/L. Again, at the same concentration, it destroyed the biofilms formed by S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria by 89.96% and 75.58%. In addition, 2.0% weight P. farcta seed powder-coated membrane revealed a 98.91% antimicrobial effect. The present study demonstrated that PF seed powder, a natural material, could be an innovative material that can be used in various biomedical applications, and water treatment fields.

An Excimer KrCl* lamp has recently emerged as an attractive alternative for UV/H₂O₂ water treatment, primarily due to its intense UV emission around 222 nm. The present study demonstrates KrCl*UV/H₂O₂ degradation of 1,4-dioxane and compares it to low- and medium- pressure mercury UV lamps: LPUV/H₂O₂ and MPUV/H₂O₂. In phosphate buffer, UV/H₂O₂ degradation of 1,4-dioxane with KrCl* was eightfold faster than with LP, and fourfold faster than MP, due both to enhanced 1,4-dioxane direct photolysis and intense •OH production rate. The addition of HCO₃⁻ and fulvic acid slowed 1,4-dioxane degradation for all lamps but kept the kinetic advantage of KrCl*. The addition of NO₃⁻ sharply decreased the compound’s degradation rate for KrCl* and MP (by 41%-44%), with only a minor effect on LPUV/H₂O₂. The reason is the intense light absorption by NO₃⁻ at < 240 nm, which reduced direct photolysis of 1,4-dioxane and •OH production from H₂O₂. In addition to its effect on 1,4-dioxane degradation, NO₃⁻ led to enhanced production of the hazardous NO₂⁻ during KrCl*UV/H₂O₂, much faster than both MP and LP. In summary, KrCl* was more effective than mercury lamps under all tested conditions, but its use may be limited to NO₃⁻-free water.

This study investigates the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic application of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) derived from the Euphorbia milii leaf extract. The nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing iron salts (FeSO₄ and FeCl₃) in the presence of the plant extract, with the formation of Fe₃O₄ confirmed through UV–visible, FTIR, and SEM analyses. The catalytic activity of Fe₃O₄ NPs was evaluated through the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4NP) to amino phenol in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH₄). The reaction exhibited a high reduction in efficiency, achieving 82.63% conversion at 20 min at a 0.1 mM 4NP concentration. The reduction reached 80.36% at 0.2 mM 4NP after 24 min, highlighting the influence of substrate concentration on the reaction rate. Optimization of reaction conditions revealed that a 2.0 mM NaBH₄ concentration achieved the highest reduction, with a 90.68% conversion within 14 min. Kinetic studies indicated that the reduction followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with an apparent rate constant (k_app) of 0.0962 min⁻¹ and an R² value of 0.9424. The recyclability of the catalyst was also evaluated, showing that Fe₃O₄ NPs maintained 82.63% reduction efficiency in the first cycle, which decreased to 71.09% in the third cycle. These findings highlights the potential of Fe₃O₄ NPs for environmental and industrial applications, particularly in catalytic remediation of organic pollutants.

Graphical Abstract

The wetlands within the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) are vital components of the ecosystem, offering crucial benefits such as flood prevention, hydrological cycle maintenance, natural hazard protection, weather control, and ecological restoration. Deplorably, the haphazard development and human activities in the city pose a constant threat to the wetlands, endangering the reduction of ecosystem services (ESs). Therefore, this study aims to assess the economic valuation and perception of surrounding residents regarding wetland ESs in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA). Ecosystem service valuation (ESV) and importance-performance analysis (IPA) were employed to analyze the impact, and the data collected from land use land cover (LULC) studies and field surveys, which involved 384 randomly selected participants. Various statistical techniques were performed to evaluate the gathered information. The findings of the study indicated that water supply was the most significant contributor to ESs, followed by water regulation, waste treatment, disturbance regulation, and cultural services. The total value of ESs provided by the wetlands exhibited an overall reduction from $6,635,655 in 1996 to $4,353,921 in 2008, and further decreased to $3,469,167 in 2020, representing rates of change -34.38% and -20.32%, respectively. The IPA results revealed that the highest level of discrepancy was observed in water supply, followed by disturbance regulation, culture, and climate regulation, while the lowest level of discrepancy was found in raw materials, genetic resources, food production, and pollination. The study emphasized the high prioritizing water supply, climate regulation, disturbance regulation, habitat/refugia, and culture, with importance indices ranging from 0.756 to 0.878. Both the actual ESV and the residents' perceptions regarding the 17 ESs demonstrated almost similar outcomes. Therefore, this study provides a foundation for future research in similar geographic conditions, aiming to effectively manage the present and future wetland ecosystem services in a sustainable manner.

This study investigates the complex dynamics of subsurface contamination, focusing on creosote as a dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) in alluvial and urban soils. The objective of the research is to integrate different geophysical and chemical techniques to characterize the physical and chemical properties of the subsurface environment and the extent of contamination. By applying seismic method, electrical conductivity (EC) profiles and Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF), we identified key stratigraphic features—such as sandy pathways and clay retention layers—that influence contaminant distribution, along with zones of creosote accumulation. The results demonstrated the complementarity of these methods, with the seismic tests providing information on the lithology and the EC profiles providing high-resolution data on soil properties. LIF enabled accurate mapping of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), confirmed by laboratory analyses using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The results emphasize the need for an integrated approach to characterizing contaminated sites, especially in heterogeneous environments. In addition, the study shows the importance of adapting the method to local conditions in order to accurately spatialize contaminant distributions. These results offer significant implications for improving remediation strategies in DNAPL-affected areas, providing a more accurate and less invasive means of subsurface analysis.