Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management最新文献

Microplastics, defined as synthetic polymer particles smaller than 5 mm, have become pervasive contaminants in aquatic sediments worldwide, where they function as long-term repositories that integrate multiple environmental stressors. Sediment concentrations are commonly three to five orders of magnitude higher than those measured in overlying water, reflecting continuous inputs from both primary microplastics intentionally produced at small sizes and secondary microplastics formed through fragmentation of larger plastic debris. This review synthesizes a current understanding of microplastic sources, transport processes, and ecological implications in sedimentary environments, while highlighting key barriers to effective management. Microplastics reach sediments through point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and industrial discharges, as well as diffuse pathways including atmospheric deposition and stormwater runoff. Their transport and accumulation are governed by polymer density, particle size, biofilm development, and hydrodynamic conditions. Once deposited, microplastics interact with surrounding sediments by sorbing persistent organic pollutants and trace metals, thereby modifying contaminant partitioning and potential bioavailability. Benthic deposit-feeding organisms are directly exposed through sediment ingestion, although field evidence linking sediment contamination to bioaccumulation and trophic transfer remains limited. Despite growing recognition of risk, major knowledge gaps persist. Methodological inconsistency in sampling, extraction, and polymer identification limits comparability among studies, while limited temporal monitoring constrains understanding of disturbance-driven redistribution. These scientific challenges are compounded by unequal monitoring capacity and regulatory development across regions, creating data-poor areas where contamination burdens may be substantial. Addressing sediment microplastic contamination requires coordinated progress in analytical standardization, advanced monitoring technologies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and integrated mitigation strategies that prioritize source reduction alongside technological and nature-based solutions.

There is a growing recognition that sediments dredged to maintain navigation and port infrastructure are valuable resources that can be placed in the aquatic environment to achieve ecological benefits if managed appropriately. However, specific interactions and long-term influences of placement on local aquatic ecosystems, particularly fisheries, remain to be fully explored. Therefore, the aim of this review was to identify and synthesize key factors influencing the outcomes of stable underwater features (e.g., berms, reefs, mounds) created from open water placement (OWP) of dredged sediments on fish habitat. Emphasizing ecological, biological, and artificial habitat perspectives, the review explored historical OWP techniques and features and their habitat alterations and identified reported physical, biological, and chemical factors that influence fish. Results from this review suggest that underwater features can influence fish habitat by changing benthic relief, voids, and rugosity while altering hydrology through upwelling, velocity shelters, and lee waves. Additionally, as short-term disturbances to resident benthic fauna and flora can occur, recolonization rate and successional stages are important biological factors to consider at OWP sites aimed at ecological improvement. Collectively, these data provide insight into integrating intentional design features to improve locally diversified and enhanced aquatic habitats beneficial to fish and other organisms, through attributes such as height, shape, side slope, sediment grain size, microeffects on hydrodynamics, and benthic prey resources.

Wastewater treatment plants are recognized as major sources of organic micropollutants (OMPs) for aquatic environments. Yet, chemical monitoring alone may underestimate the ecological risks posed by complex OMP mixtures. Here, we combined an effect-based monitoring approach with targeted chemical analysis to assess environmental risks of OMP mixtures in effluents from 16 wastewater treatment plants in Flanders, Belgium. Effluent sites were selected from a five-year regional monitoring dataset, prioritizing locations with high cumulative risk quotients. Bioassays using Microcystis aeruginosa (cyanobacteria growth inhibition) and Danio rerio (zebrafish larvae, dark-light locomotive assay) were conducted on effluent extracts. High-resolution mass spectrometry identified 130 compounds, with 26 OMPs quantified across classes, including pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, herbicides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Median and 10% effective concentrations for cyanobacteria inhibition ranged in relative enrichment factors of 4.1 to 38 and 1.1 to 4.7, respectively. Iceberg modeling identified azithromycin and clarithromycin as the main drivers of cyanobacterial inhibition. Zebrafish behavioral responses were significantly affected in 8 of 16 samples (relative enrichment factors, 1.25-20), but these differences could not be explained by the available chemical data. Only some suspect compounds were identified, including antidepressants and pesticides; therefore, this remains an interesting aspect for future investigations. Risk characterization for receiving surface waters using chemical-based risk quotients, margin of safety, and effect-based trigger values revealed ecological risk (risk quotient >1) in 13 of 16 sites. This study highlights the added value of integrating effect-based monitoring with chemical monitoring to explain mixture effects, identify key toxicants, and support improved regulatory frameworks for environmental management.

The environmental persistence of a substance plays a key role in determining its exposure to humans and other organisms, making this an important component in the risk assessment and management of chemicals. Regulatory persistence assessments generally involve a comparison of degradation half-lives against threshold criteria for different environmental compartments, typically water, sediment, and soil. Half-lives are commonly determined using OECD guideline biodegradation simulation tests. Other information may be considered relevant to persistence assessments, such as results from biodegradation screening tests, quantitative structure-activity relationships, field studies, monitoring data, and nonstandard laboratory experiments. All available relevant information should be considered together in a weight-of-evidence approach, but clear guidance is currently lacking both for evaluating the quality of individual studies and for combining these in a single weight-of-evidence determination. Here, we propose a systematic methodology to collate, evaluate, and integrate relevant information to reach robust, transparent, and consistent conclusions for persistence assessments. First, the quality (reliability and relevance) of individual studies within each information category, or "line of evidence," is evaluated using a novel scoring methodology. Then, information from different studies is combined to determine outcomes for each line of evidence. Finally, a stepwise weight-of-evidence approach is applied to integrate outcomes from different lines of evidence to reach an overall conclusion for the persistence assessment. Consistency of information is evaluated at various stages in line with weight-of-evidence best practice. The methodology has been developed in accordance with principles of the European Union Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulatory framework, test guidelines, and guidance, while being flexible to accommodate different regulatory practices. The methodology has been implemented in a freely available Excel-based software tool, the Persistence Assessment Tool (PAT), and is demonstrated using a case study substance hexabromocyclododecane.

Driven by the high content of organic materials in municipal solid waste (MSW) of 70% in Iran and the growing demand for mineral fertilizer, refinement of composting technology is imperative. In the pursuit of environmental sustainability, further investigation into the life cycle assessment of the composting process and end-of-life waste management must be conducted. Hence, this study scrutinizes the environmental burdens of the composting plant operation from cradle to gate. Because 50% of raw MSW was not converted to compost, its final disposal was evaluated based on incineration, landfill, and integrated approaches. The results indicated marine and freshwater ecotoxicity of the composting process (>50.4 kg 1,4-DB eq). Heavy metal and gas emissions during the MSW decomposition were the pivotal parameters for most impact categories. Carbon dioxide emission intensified climate change by 3,523 kg CO2 eq; however, waste incineration led to emission savings of 98.75%. The environmental benefits of incineration were observed in 13 impact categories alongside a net-negative value for natural land transformation. Landfilling also induced savings in freshwater eutrophication and metal depletion by 98.67% and 99.08%, respectively. Unlike previous studies relying on generalized data, this study uses detailed plant-level operational data and scenario-based modeling from Sistan and Baluchistan province. This approach provides realistic impact estimates and decision-relevant insights.

Developing countries are implementing strategies to mitigate the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste (MSW) in sustainable ways. Therefore, a holistic approach has emerged as municipal solid waste management (MSWM) to handle sustainable development goals (SDGs)-in particular, SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption). Increased MSW generation rates compel policy makers to develop feasible MSWM strategies to meet SDGs. This study aims to assess the environmental and exergetic impacts of an integrated MSWM system by considering MSW collection and transportation, landfill site construction and operation, a piping process, a landfill gas system, and electricity generation. Hotspots and major contributors within the system's subprocesses have been identified from the life cycle assessment perspective. Results were normalized by 1 ton of disposed MSW and 1 kWh of electricity generated by a landfill gas power plant. Global warming potential and exergy consumption for 1 ton of disposed MSW were calculated as 1.60E + 02 kg CO2-eq/ton and 2.45E + 3 MJ/ton, respectively. Furthermore, the landfill gas power plant's impacts were calculated as 1.56E + 00 kg CO2-eq/kWh and 2.40E + 01 MJ/kWh. Results showed that hotspots of environmental and exergy impacts on the overall system accumulated in the MSW collecting and transportation processes at 97.80% and 93.50%. This study highlighted that optimizing waste truck routes, constructing transfer stations, and decreasing diesel use in waste trucks substantially influence the total life cycle performance of integrated MSWM systems.

Understanding the spatial variability of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is critical for informed urban planning and sustainable waste management. This study examines the relationship between land use patterns and MSW generation across the urban ecosystem of Kota city, India, to identify spatial clusters and assess the influence of urban form and density. An integrated geospatial-statistical approach was applied to 146 urban wards using hotspot analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*), global and local Moran's I, overlay analysis, and zonal statistics. Waste generation data were spatially linked with land use typologies and population density to detect statistically significant patterns. Daily waste generation ranged from 0.43 to 11.13 metric tons per day (t/day) across wards. High-intensity hotspots were found in densely populated and mixed use zones, such as Ward 15 (0.61 kg/person/day) and Ward 5 (0.88 kg/person/day). Spatial autocorrelation analysis confirmed significant clustering (global Moran's I = 0.056, z = 2.59, p = .009), with prominent hotspots identified in Wards 12 and 13 (Kota-North) and Wards 16 and 17 (Kota-South) at 99% confidence. Residential zones contributed the highest MSW load (541.97 t/day), followed by industrial (55.69 t/day) and commercial areas (50.20 t/day). Urban land use, population density, and mixed use zoning significantly influence waste generation patterns. The spatial-statistical framework developed herein provides a scalable decision support tool for waste planning, zoning policy, and sustainable resource management in rapidly urbanizing cities.