Environmental Technology & Innovation最新文献

Trivalent chromium [Cr (III)] is a frequently detected environmental contaminant that negatively affects plant metabolism, growth, and yield. Plant secondary metabolites are non-nutrient compounds involved in diverse physiological functions in response to abiotic stresses. This study performed biochemical and transcriptomic analyses to clarify the protective role and mechanisms of secondary metabolites in rice seedlings under Cr(III) stress. The content of measured secondary metabolites i.e., total soluble phenolics, flavonoids, lignin, and anthocyanin in rice tissues was significantly enhanced under Cr(III) exposure. Additionally, the activities of several enzymes including chalcone synthase, phenylalanine ammonialyase, peroxidase, and anthocyanidin synthase, were positively activated. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Cr(III)-treated rice seedlings and their expression patterns are tissue-specific. Additionally, the DEGs involved in secondary metabolism pathways were evident after KEGG enrichment analysis. Cr(III) exposure resulted in distinct genetic regulation strategies in rice tissues, with different DEGs activating various sub-pathways in the secondary metabolism pathways to cope with Cr(III) stress. Furthermore, the integrated correlation analysis of the secondary metabolites and transcriptome data identified key genes involved in different steps of the sub-pathways of secondary metabolism pathway in rice plants under Cr(III) stress. This study indicates that the accumulation of secondary metabolites in rice plants is a survival and detoxification strategy to reduce the adverse effects of toxic compounds. Future research should explore how key genes in secondary metabolism pathways aid in Cr(III) detoxification and enhance crop stress tolerance.

Although the collection and recycling of used cooking oils have been well-established, tempura powder debris discarded from the frying process has received little attention. Here, in collaboration with a local company that collects used cooking oil, we estimated that approximately 881,000,000 kg of tempura powder debris is discarded annually in South Korea. The debris was found to contain approximately 60 % of oils that can be extracted through a squeezing process. The resulting cake was proven to be beneficial for the fabrication of 3-dimensional biocomposites with waste biomass powders (e.g., used cardboard and coffee powders and rice straw powder), wherein the polysaccharides from the debris likely serve as a binder. Various complex structures were readily fabricated using heat-drying (90 ℃ for 30 minutes and then at 120 ℃ for 30 minutes for a dish and 130 ℃ for 24 hours for other shapes) and exhibited a compressive strength of 2500 kPa and a thermal conductivity of 0.089 W/(m·K). The overall composite shape was maintained under water soaking, while the compressive strengths were reduced by 40 % under a high humidity. Furthermore, strong sorption for toxic compounds, excellent biodegradability, low cytotoxicity, good-odor emission, and enhanced maize germination rates with bed soils were displayed by using the composites. The performance and function comparisons with commercial expanded polystyrene suggest that using the composites could be multi-beneficial. In conclusion, tempura powder debris from the fried food sector could become a significant bulk waste source, supporting the development of circular economy such as a low-performance plastic alternative.

As a class of emerging contaminants in marine environments, organophosphate esters (OPEs) have attracted increasing attention of environmental scientists and policymakers due to their ubiquity and ecotoxicity. However, little is known about the environmental geochemical behaviors of OPEs in seawater of the South China Sea (SCS). In this study, the concentration, composition, pollution source, and ecological risk of twelve typical OPEs were analyzed in the surface seawater of the northern SCS between August and September 2021. The results showed that five out of twelve OPEs were detectable with the total concentration of five OPEs (Σ₅OPEs) ranging from 7.17 to 67.6 ng/L in seawater. Chlorinated OPEs (Cl-OPEs) were the predominant OPEs, with a mean concentration of 18.4 ng/L, accounting for more than 69.8 % of Σ₅OPEs. Among the detected congeners, tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) was the most abundant OPE (mean: 14.8 ng/L, 56.2 %), followed by triethyl phosphate (TEP) (mean: 7.75 ng/L, 29.5 %) and tris(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCIPP) (mean: 2.07 ng/L, 7.87 %). Principal component analysis and Spearman correlation analysis indicated that terrestrial inputs, atmospheric deposition, and shipping activities were the potential sources of OPEs in the northern SCS. The ecological risk assessment revealed that TCEP posed low threats to algae and low ecological risks were predominantly observed from the mixture of OPEs. This work provides a basis for further investigation into the environmental behavior, toxicity, and risk of OPEs in the SCS and facilitates a better implementation of effective management actions.

Benzene, a common volatile organic compound (VOC) detected in indoor environments, poses challenges for its removal because of its stable molecular structure and low-concentration. In this study, we successfully synthesized tin-doped titanium dioxide (Sn-TiO₂) using a simple hydrothermal method. Various characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET) and molecular probes were employed to analyze the phase composition, structure and morphology, as well as photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ and Sn-TiO₂. The characterization results showed that moderate addition of tin doping not only effectively enhanced the capture ability of benzene molecules but also promoted hydroxyl radicals (·OH) generation, which was further validated by in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectra and density function theory (DFT) calculations. Degradation experiments on gaseous benzene revealed that under 15 W ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation in humid and closed conditions for 60 min, 1 % Sn-TiO₂ achieved a benzene degradation efficiency of 93.14 %, with almost complete mineralization. Furthermore, flow system experiments demonstrated efficient decomposition of trace amounts of benzene (∼10 mg/m³) in the air to satisfy emission standards when employing 1 % Sn-TiO₂ at a flow rate of 100 L/min.

Investigating the heavy metal content and migration behavior in the soil and plant system of Epimedium origin is crucial for ensuring the safety and sustainable development of this valuable medicinal plant. The concentration of heavy metals in the soil of Epimedium was found to be highest in the residuel form (RS) and lowest in the water-soluble form (WS). Among the different parts of the Epimedium plant, leaves showed the highest content of Cr, Ni, Cu, As, and Pb with average contents of 0.02 mg.kg⁻¹, 0.01 mg.kg⁻¹, 0.11 mg.kg⁻¹, 0.16 mg.kg⁻¹, and 0.01 mg.kg⁻¹, respectively, and roots showed the highest content of Zn with average contents of 0.30 mg.kg⁻¹. The results of correlation analysis and linear fitting showed significant correlation and better linear fitting results between different parts of Epimedium (roots, stems and leaves) and various forms of heavy metals in soil. Among them, Zn (ion-exchange form) and Zn (leaf) showed the best fit with R² reaching 0.74. Results from random forest modeling indicated that the forms of heavy metals in soil, such as bound form, ion exchange form, and strong organic bound form, significantly influenced the distribution of heavy metals in roots, stems, and leaves of Epimedium. Overall, besides the readily available heavy metals in soil, other forms of heavy metals also play a critical role in the soil-plant migration system.

Air pollution stands out as one of the most alarming environmental challenges. It poses significant risks to human health and the environment. Accurate forecasting of air pollutant concentration levels is crucial for effective air quality management and timely implementation of mitigation strategies. In this paper, the transfer learning technique is investigated using the artificial neural network (ANN), also called multi-layer perception (MLP), to transfer knowledge across different air pollutants forecasting, and therefore, to generalize over a large set of air pollutants in the same air monitoring station. By leveraging the knowledge learned from a source forecasting task, transfer learning allows us to reduce the data requirements, speed up the training of the models, and enhance the predictive performance for different air pollutants for the target forecasting task. We present a comprehensive analysis of the transfer learning across different air pollutants in the same air monitoring station on a large dataset of air quality measurements. Our results demonstrate that transfer learning significantly improves forecasting accuracy with fewer fine-tuning data, particularly when limited labeled data is available for the target task. The findings of this study contribute to the advancement of air pollution forecasting methodologies, facilitating better decision-making processes and proactive air quality management.

A significant amount of tailings rich in heavy metals is left behind after mining, causing environmental pollution due to long-term storage. In recent years, microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) has shown potential to solidify and stabilize heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, high concentrations and complex mixtures of heavy metals have toxic effects on microorganisms, resulting in decreased carbonate yield. Additionally, tailings sand often has a small particle size and poor permeability, which significantly reduces the solidification uniformity when using traditional grouting methods. To address these challenges, a low pH treatment method using PEG-MICP was proposed. This method increased the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of tailings sand by 2.5 times and significantly improved soil uniformity while substantially reducing exchangeable heavy metal ions. Microscopic analysis showed that the introduction of PEG modifies the morphology of calcium carbonate, transforming calcite from a mineral to sheet-like and faceted forms, thus enhancing solidification efficiency. This study suggests that PEG-MICP has broad application prospects for solidifying heavy metal-contaminated tailings sand.

Chicken manure, corn straw and oyster shell powder (OSP) were used as raw materials for organic-inorganic combined composting. Experiments were designed by adding different amounts of OSP (0 %, 20 %, and 40 %), designed as CK, T1, and T2, respectively. In final composts, the pH value increased to 8.72–9.08, and the electrical conductivity ranged from 2.08–3.82 mS·cm⁻¹. The co-composting could effectively reduce ammonia emissions by 54.65 % and could activate the calcium component by 37.5 %. Addition of OSP promoted the humification and the humic acid could increased 86.1 %. This calcium-based compost of oyster shells (OSs) activated by composting was used to plant Brassica napus by pot experiment. Compared with the addition of OSP after composting, the calcium-based compost activated by composting significantly promoted the growth of Brassica napus because of more nitrogen, humus and available calcium in the calcium-based compost. In addition, this calcium-based compost significantly increased pH, organic matter (OM) and exchangeable calcium content in the acidic soil. In general, composting is an effective method to realize the fertilizer utilization of OSs. This composting process could make full use of calcium in oyster shells to achieve nitrogen retention and humification enhancement during composting, meanwhile calcium morphology in oyster shells can be activated and high-quality acidic soil conditioner can be obtained.

The persistence and slow rate of natural attenuation of genotoxic and endocrine-disrupting aromatic pollutants has impacted the soil heath of agro-ecologies leading to various health and environmental issues. Ecotoxic-xenobiotic compounds degradation property along with plant growth promoting traits of microbes are beneficial for devising strategies for improved agricultural soil health and its clean-up. Present study assessed the multipartite plant growth promoting-, biocontrol- and niche adaptive- traits of five aromatic degrading soil bacteria viz. Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86^T, Pseudomonas sp. C5pp, Pseudomonas sp. PP4, Pseudomonas sp. PPD and Acinetobacter sp. ISP4. Solubilization of rock phosphate (P) and feldspar (K), production of plant growth hormone (auxin; IAA), ammonia, siderophores and ACC deaminase by strain CSV86^T, C5pp and PP4 were observed. Similarly, high fusaric acid resistance (MIC: 1–1.2 mg mL⁻¹) and tolerance to salinity (5–7.5 %) was observed. In vitro application of CSV86^T, C5pp, PP4 and ISP4 as consortium resulted in significant increase (P < 0.05) in the seedling shoot length (15–37 %), root length (65–150 %) and biomass (30–40 %) of wheat, mung bean and fenugreek. In-soil microcosm assay confirmed the plant growth promoting and phytoprotective ability of this consortium against toxicity of aromatics in contaminated soil. Antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi Magnaporthe oryzae and Aspergillus spp., ability to produce lytic enzymes and HCN suggests their biocontrol potential. Four aromatic degrading bacteria (as a consortium) exhibiting plant growth promotion and biocontrol activity could be used as an eco-friendly bioremediator-biofertilizer-biocontrol agent (bioformulation) for restoration of agricultural soil with improved crop productivity.

Soil contamination with cadmium (Cd) and chromium (Cr) pose serious threats to food safety and ecosystem stability. In current study, pristine biochar (BC) and iron-modified biochar (Fe-BC) were prepared, and the potential of BC and Fe-BC to reduce the bioavailability of Cd and Cr in soil, their uptake, toxicity in rapeseed (Brassica napus L) and the mechanisms involved were examined. In a pot experiment varying levels of BC and Fe-BC were applied to Cd and Cr-contaminated soil. The results indicated that soil supplementation with the highest level of Fe-BC (2 %) incremented the dry weights of roots, shoots, and seeds by 65 %, 33 %, and 149 %, respectively. Additionally, Fe-BC (2 %) treated rapeseed plants showed highest increase in photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO₂ emissions, and chlorophyll contents by 43.2 %, 39.5 %, 33.5, 36.9 % and 28 %, respectively. Plants treated with Fe-BC (2 %) showed amplified superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities. The results regarding saturated and unsaturated fatty acid contents of seeds showed that Fe-BC (2 %) treatment exhibited the greatest increase in linolenic acid, oleic acid, erucic acid, and linoleic acid contents, increasing these acids by 21 %, 6.5 %, 53 %, and 14.5 %, respectively. Moreover, Fe-BC (2 %) treated seeds depicted increased oil and protein contents by 14 % and 29 %, respectively. Soil application of Fe-BC (2 %) dramatically decreased Cd and Cr levels in the roots, shoots, and seeds by 21 %, 44 %, 88 %, 16 %, 38 %, and 57 %, respectively. The addition of Fe-BC significantly lowered the concentration of exchangeable (Exc) and bound to carbonate (B-C) fractions of Cd and Cr in the soil, while increasing that of iron-manganese (B-Fe-Mn) bounded and residual (Res) fractions. In conclusion, soil application of the Fe-BC amendment could be used as a sustainable approach to reduce the ecological and environmental risks associated with soils contaminated with Cd and Cr, and ensure safer crop production.