Environmental Research最新文献

High greenhouse gas emissions and soil deterioration are caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers. To improve soil quality and crop productivity, it is necessary to utilize fewer chemical fertilizers to achieve sustainable agriculture. Organic substitution is a scientific fertilization strategy that will benefit future agricultural productivity development, little is known about how it affects the heavy metal content and trace gas emissions in rice grains. A field experiment using straw return to the field (SRF), organic fertilizer application (OFA), and their combination (SRF/OFA) fertilization strategies. The results demonstrated that SRF, OFA, and SRF/OFA increased the yield by 19.40%, 22.39%, and 28.36% than the natural growth control group (NG). The OFA has the highest STN stock and SRF/OFA has the highest STN sequestration rate, while SRF achieved the highest SOC stock and sequestration rate. The OFA reduced CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions by 17.73%, 71.87%, and 86.06%, resulting in a minimum global warming potential and greenhouse gas intensity yield among these strategies. Cumulative seasonal CO₂ and CH₄ emissions were negatively correlated with soil paddy soil C/N and C/P (P < 0.05). Moreover, Cu, Cd, and Pb contents in grain were reduced by 66.18%-70.31%, 35.45%-40.91%, and 76.62%-77.92%, respectively. The health risk evaluation revealed that all metals had a target hazard quotient of <1, except for NG. The hazard index (0.42-0.53), which measures the additive effects of contaminants, exceeded the threshold. The implementation of the organic alternative strategy can reduce the trend of increasing surface pollution, slow down the excessive utilization intensity of agricultural resources, and encourage the development of a greener, more sustainable agricultural way.

Antimony (Sb) is a toxic heavy metal that endangers both the environment and human health. In response to the growing need for efficient Sb removal from printing and dyeing wastewater (PDW), this study introduces a novel titanium-manganese binary oxide adsorbent (T2M1BO) synthesized via precipitation. Experimental results show that T2M1BO exhibited higher absorption efficiency for Sb(III) compared to Sb(V), with maximum adsorption capacities recorded at 323.19 mg/g for Sb(III) and 273.65 mg/g for Sb(V) at pH 5. The findings emphasize the synergistic interaction between titanium and manganese oxides, which enhances the adsorption of antimony. Adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, consistent with the Freundlich isotherm model. While Sb(V) adsorption involved surface metal hydroxyl group replacement and inner-sphere complex formation, Sb(III) removal required a more complex approach, incorporating adsorption and oxidation processes. The straightforward synthesis, high efficiency, and recyclability of T2M1BO position it as a cpromising candidate for antimony removal in recyclability wastewater treatment.

Background: Outdoor artificial light at night (ALAN) has emerged as a significant source of environmental pollution, however its association with antenatal depression and anxiety symptoms has been rarely explored before.

Methods: This study was based on a cohort study conducted at the Maternal and Child Health Care Center in Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province, China, which ultimately included 1047 pregnant women. Depression and anxiety symptoms were evaluated utilizing the self-administered Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7), respectively. Exposure levels to outdoor ALAN were calculated utilizing satellite data and the participants' usual addresses. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline were used to assess the association between exposure to outdoor ALAN and depression and anxiety symptoms in pregnant women.

Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, high ALAN exposure during the pre-pregnancy period (OR_depression = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.14-8.75; OR_anxiety = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.51-6.28) and first trimester (OR_depression = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.13-7.45; OR_anxiety = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.55-6.25) were associated with increased risks of antenatal depression and anxiety symptoms. Restricted cubic spline analyses showed the above associations were not nonlinear.

Conclusion: Our study is the first to propose that exposure to high levels of outdoor ALAN three months before pregnancy and during the first trimester of pregnancy is a risk factor for antenatal depression and anxiety symptoms.

The widespread use of organophosphorus pesticide dimethoate (DMT) in agriculture poses a threat to human health. In this work, the perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI) modified NH₂-MIL-101(Fe) (PDI/MIL) with strong covalent bond C(=O)-N were designed and prepared by a step solvothermal method. The synergistic effect between photocatalytic and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for the DMT elimination over PDI/MIL was gained. Interestingly, PDI/MIL(1:10)/PMS showed boosting degradation efficiency (95.6%) for DMT under 18 min simulated sunlight irradiation. Its apparent reaction rate constant was 24.7 times higher than that of NH₂-MIL-101(Fe)/PMS. Moreover, its reusability, stability and mineralization ability were evaluated, and a remarkable mineralization rate of 95.3% with 90 min was achieved. The enhanced activity were attributed to the formation of amide bond that exhibited superior charger transport ability and amount of produced active species. Combined the results obtained from the HPLC-MS and molecular structure characteristics of DMT analyzed by Fukui index, the degradation pathways were proposed. The toxicity of intermediates were predicted by Ecological Structure Activity Relationship (ECOSAR), Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.), and Vibrio fischeri experiments. Our work provided deep insights into the mechanisms of DMT degradation via photocatalysis-activated PMS over organic semiconductor modified metal organic frameworks.

The rising prevalence of biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) in soils has raised concerns about their impacts on soil ecosystems and carbon cycling. This study investigates the effects of different BMPs on soil carbon cycling, focusing on soil respiration, enzyme activities, and carbon use efficiency (CUE) from ¹³C-labeled dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in an upland soil. The BMPs tested were polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and polylactic acid (PLA), at high (H, 1% w/w) and low (L, 0.1% w/w) concentrations. Over a 64-day incubation, cumulative CO₂ emissions increased in the PHA_L, PHA_H, and PLA_H treatments, with the highest rise of 665% PHA_H treatment. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) ranged from 97.73 ± 3.03 mg C kg⁻¹ in the control to 223.09 ± 7.91 mg C kg⁻¹ in PHA_H, with microbial CUE peaking at 0.26 in PHA_H. Enzymatic activities were notably affected: β-glucosidase (BG) increased by 50% in PLA_H, while cellobiohydrolase (CBH) activity decreased by up to 62% in PBAT_H and PLA_L. N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAG) and phosphatase (AP) activities were highest in PHA_H, indicating enhanced nutrient cycling. Microbial community structure based on PLFAs was significantly altered, with total PLFA content increasing by 191% in PHA_H. Correlation analysis and partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) revealed that BMP concentration, DOC content, and microbial diversity were positively correlated with microbial CUE. This study highlights the significant role of BMPs in influencing soil carbon cycling, primarily through their effects on microbial diversity and soil enzyme activities.

Microalgae-based DeNOx technology, as an emerging approach for flue gas denitrification, is suitable for the deep treatment of NOx at medium to low concentrations. To address the ambiguity surrounding the removal pathways and mechanisms in the development of microalgae DeNOx technology, the pathways and mechanisms of NO removal within a microalgae cultivation system was investigated. By investigating the gas-liquid and liquid-solid nitrogen transfer pathways facilitated by algal cells, algal cells were found to play a pivotal role in NO removal by the T. obliquus PF3 cultivation system. Microalgae cells enhance NO transfer across gas-liquid phases via extracellular substance secretion, exogenous iron reduction, NO adsorption, and NO molecular absorption. During this process, NO is transformed in the liquid phase into molecular NO, ionic nitrate, and nitrite, as well as organically complexed NO. The soluble extracellular substances of T. obliquus PF3 are primarily composed of humic-like acids and fulvic-like acids, while bound extracellular substances are dominated by tryptophan and tryptophan-like proteins, both of which possess reductive properties conducive to iron reduction and NO adsorption/complexation. By employing ATP hydrolysis inhibitor HgCl₂ and analyzing nitrogen balance in the system, It was revealed that the primary NO removal pathway involves NO dissolution and oxidation within the algal culture broth, with ionic nitrogen being the predominant form assimilated and utilized by algal cells from the solution. This study clarifies the NO removal pathways and mechanisms within the microalgae cultivation system, thereby providing a theoretical foundation for the advancement and process design of microalgae-based DeNOx technology.

Oily sludge, characterized by its high organic pollution, poses significant challenges for treatment and disposal due to its high proportion of bound water and elevated viscosity from petroleum hydrocarbons. This study focuses on the deep dewatering of oily sludge, examining the role of internal bound water and the pretreatment mechanisms involved. The deep dewatering process is categorized into two main areas: liberation of bound water and modification of physicochemical properties. (1) Bound water is primarily found in two major categories: water bound within proteins, EPS, and cells through hydrophilic interactions, and water within an oil-water emulsion structure facilitated by inorganic particles. (2) Physicochemical properties: The formation of flocs in oily sludge is crucial for effective dewatering, while creating dewatering channels in later stages enhances efficiency. Advanced oxidation and emerging demulsification technologies are also discussed, summarizing the latest research. The significant potential of electric fields in the deep dewatering of oily sludge is emphasized, offering valuable insights for future advancements.