Eco-Environment & Health最新文献

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely recognized as state-of-the-art catalysts in environment remediation because of their exceptional performance, 100% metal atomic utilization, almost no secondary pollution, and robust structures. Most recently, the activation of persulfate with carbon-based SACs in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) raises tremendous interest in the degradation of emerging contaminants in wastewater, owning to its efficient and versatile reactive oxidant species (ROS) generation. However, the comprehensive and critical review unraveling the underlying relationship between structures of carbon-based SACs and the corresponding generated ROS is still rare. Herein, we systematically summarize the fundamental understandings and intrinsic mechanisms between single metal atom active sites and produced ROS during AOPs. The types of emerging contaminants are firstly elaborated, presenting the prior pollutants that need to be degraded. Then, the preparation and characterization methods of carbon-based SACs are overviewed. The underlying material structure–ROS type relationship in persulfate-based AOPs is discussed in depth to expound the catalytic mechanisms. Finally, we briefly conclude the current development of carbon-based SACs in AOPs and propose the prospects for rational design and synthesis of carbon-based SACs with on-demand catalytic performances in AOPs in future research.

The wide application of nanomaterials and plastic products generates a substantial number of nanoparticulate pollutants in the environment. Nanoparticulate pollutants are quite different from their bulk counterparts because of their unique physicochemical properties, which may pose a threat to environmental organisms and human beings. To accurately predict the environmental risks of nanoparticulate pollutants, great efforts have been devoted to developing reliable methods to define their occurrence and track their fate and transformation in the environment. Herein, we summarized representative studies on the preconcentration, separation, formation, and transformation of nanoparticulate pollutants in environmental samples. Finally, some perspectives on future research directions are proposed.

Water pollution seriously threatens the sustainable development of fisheries in China. To inform effective pollution control policies, a comprehensive understanding of the fishery environment status is needed. However, nationwide data on the temporal changes of major pollutants in the fishery waters of China are scarce. This study collected data on the major water pollutants, including total nitrogen, total phosphorus, heavy metals, and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), from 2003 to 2017 to evaluate dynamic changes in the inland fishery water environment across China. We discovered that the levels of four heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) and TPH decreased during the 15-year period, corresponding to the reduced national discharge of pollution sources from 2003 to 2015. However, nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the inland fishery waters showed no significant changes during this period. A comparative analysis of water quality in different periods indicated that these improvements were highly associated with effective measures for water pollution control in China. In addition, the decline in pollution was consistent among the three regions of China (north, west, and southeast) from 2003 to 2017, while southeast China exhibited the weakest pollution mitigation among the three regions. These findings suggest that the inland fishery water quality improved during 2003–2017, but still faced eutrophication risk.

The world’s climate, particularly in Africa, has changed substantially during the past few decades, contributed by several human activities. Africa is one of the continents that is most vulnerable to climate change globally. Since the beginning of 2022, extreme weather events in Africa have affected about 19 million people and killed at least 4,000 individuals. Cyclones, floods, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and famine were among the severe weather occurrences. Natural disasters and extreme weather events brought on by climate change may compromise access to clean water, sanitation systems, and healthcare facilities, making people more vulnerable to a number of illnesses. Floods and drought can lead to both communicable and non-communicable diseases. The African population is more likely to experience more mental health disorders than before because of natural disasters, which result in the loss of property and sometimes loss of lives more frequently. We, therefore, call for an improved implementation of strategies to prevent the health effects of climate change so that the health of the people in Africa can be maintained.

Forests are highly productive ecosystems that contribute to biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen, through which it regulates climate and global change. Forests are also spatially highly heterogeneous ecosystems that comprise a multitude of microbial-mediated reactive interfaces. These are mainly the root–soil interface, litter–soil interface, root–root interface, and plant–atmosphere interface. Each of these interfaces has its own unique characteristics, e.g., specific drivers that affect the microbial abundance, nutrient availability, microbial community, and the dominance of certain microbial taxa. Here, we review the microbial-mediated reactive interfaces in forests, focusing on interrelation and dynamics of fungi and bacteria on a broad temporal scale with ecosystem processes ranging from short-term events (e.g., seasonal changes) to long-term stand development suffering a global climate change (e.g., global warming or nitrogen deposition). We argue that in-depth knowledge of forest microbiology can only be obtained by exploring the complex forest microbiome and its ecosystem functions. Underpinning the basis for individual forest variation would ultimately facilitate the formulation of microbiome-based strategies in the future.