Current Pollution Reports最新文献

Purpose of Review

Noise is penetrating urban life pervasively and is imperative for demonstrating the factors behind it regarding built environment, aka buildings and urban form. So, this review aims to provide a better understanding of the association between building acoustics and urban form characteristics.

Recent Findings

There is a growing attention for building acoustics, including materials and simulation aspects with various increasing urban form attributes, i.e., the built and natural environment and transportation.

Summary

Building acoustics is a key aspect of urban life and falls within the interface of various urban form characteristics. While these two main attributes are not sufficiently addressed, they may adversely affect individuals; thus, all the more reason to explore this nexus. This study has evaluated 67 peer-reviewed journal articles after systematically reviewing the triple resources in assessing building acoustics and urban form between 2016 and 2022. This review separates the indoor and outdoor categories within the simulation, theory, building materials, facade, and the built environment sub-categories. The study does not only review the overall scope of present studies but also direct future directions of their associations.

In the present study, a systematic review along with a meta-analysis was conducted based on relevant studies from 11 Asian countries (1999–2022, Scopus, PubMed, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar) to evaluate the crop-wise differences in the accumulation of trace element (TE) in the edible part of different crops (vegetables: leafy (LV), root (RV), fruit (FV); cereal crops: rice (RIC), wheat (WHE), maize (MAZ)). Based on the median concentration of the compiled data, the TE accumulation in different vegetable crops was ranked in the decreasing order of Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Pb > Co > Se > Cd > As, and in cereal crops, this is followed as Fe > Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Co > Pb > As > Se > Cd > Hg. A clear difference was found between vegetable categories, with a higher accumulation of most of the elements in LV, especially spinach, coriander, radish leaves, mustard, amaranthus, and pakchoi than other vegetable types. Root vegetables displayed higher bioconcentration factors (BCF) than the other two vegetable types. For cereal crops, higher metal contents were found in WHE followed by RIC and MAZ, but RIC had relatively higher BCF for certain metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni) and WHE dominated for the remaining metals. When compared with the prescribed safe limits of the non-essential metals (As, Cd, and Pb), this study revealed that the majority of the vegetable and cereal crop contaminations were from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, and Pakistan.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a sustainable approach for the treatment of challenging saline water by effective removal of non-volatile compounds at high water recovery, offering near-to-zero liquid discharge to environment. Progressive efforts have been made in recent literature to mitigate membrane fouling and enhance the wetting resistance of MD for long-term stable operation; however, extensive energy consumption is the key constraint that hinders MD to become an economically sustainable solution for industrialization. This review represents the evaluation of energy consumption in MD in comparison with other existing advanced water treatment technologies (e.g., reverse osmosis). An up-to-date review of low-energy MD utilization to minimize energy consumption is provided in this work. High energy consumption in MD can be compensated by the effective utilization of renewable energy sources such as solar energy, geothermal energy, or waste heat. However, due to the sporadically unequal distribution and unstable availability of these low-grade sources, the dependence on the abundance of these energy sources may limit the flexibility in commercial MD applications. A recent approach to reduce specific thermal energy through direct heating of the membrane or spacer is also discussed in this review. The development of the membrane materials/configurations was highlighted for mitigating the effects of temperature polarization and improving energy efficiency by localized heating at/near the membrane surface by using photothermal, electrothermal, or induction materials.

Purpose of Review

In the context of COVID-19 sweeping the world, the development of microbial disinfection methods in gas, liquid, and solid media has received widespread attention from researchers. As a disinfection technology that can adapt to different environmental media, microwave-assisted disinfection has the advantages of strong permeability, no secondary pollution, etc. The purpose of this review is to put forward new development requirements for future microwave disinfection strategies by summarizing current microwave disinfection methods and effects. From the perspective of the interaction mechanism of microwave and microorganisms, this review provides a development direction for more accurate and microscopic disinfection mechanism research.

Recent Findings

Compared to other traditional environmental disinfection techniques, microwave-assisted disinfection means have the advantages of being more destructive, free of secondary contamination, and thorough. Currently, researchers generally agree that the efficiency of microwave disinfection is the result of a combination of thermal and non-thermal effects. However, the performance of microwave disinfection shows the differences in the face of different environmental media as well as different types of microorganisms.

Summary

This review highlights the inactivation mechanism of microwave-assisted disinfection techniques used in different scenarios. Suggestions for promoting the efficiency and overcoming the limitations of low energy utilization, complex reactor design, and inaccurate monitoring methods are proposed.

Purpose of Review

Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) is a huge environmental challenge in China. Based on field studies, secondary organic aerosols (SOA) contribute greatly to PM_2.5 formation in many locations. Modeling SOA is a frontier research field in air quality and a rapidly developing field internationally. This review intends to provide a state-of-the-art understanding of the current status of SOA modeling in China and recommendations for future research.

Recent Findings

SOA has been shown to exhibit significant spatial and seasonal variations in China. The traditional pathway of SOA from the condensation of semi-volatile products by the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) tends to significantly underestimate the observations. This gap has been greatly improved by considering new pathways such as the heterogeneous reactions of dicarbonyls and epoxides, the aging of primary organic aerosols and SOA, the oxidation of semi- and intermediate VOCs from emissions, and the aqueous-phase reactions of water-soluble organic species. In addition to these mechanisms, the contributions of specific precursors and sources also depend on the emission inventory of precursors, which has significant uncertainties. The interactions between anthropogenic and biogenic sources and meteorological facteros affect SOA formation. Overall, SOA plays an essential role in the budget of solar radiative forcing and the new particle formation.

Summary

This review focuses on the advances in modeling SOA in China since 2000. Parameterization of SOA mechanisms and properties and the emission and meteorology inputs should be improved to understand the characteristics and influences of SOA in China.

Purpose of Review

Packaged reverse osmosis (RO) systems are often synonymous with industrial water supply and high quality water reuse. These RO systems can satisfy specific industries with stringent water quality specifications. They are also compact for deployment in basement of commercial buildings for sewer mining. Increasing applications of packaged RO systems opens the door for digital transformation of their design, operation, and maintenance for a quantum leap in system performance (energy consumption, treatment efficiency, and cost). This review summarises opportunities and challenges associated with the digitalisation of packaged RO systems and guide the industry to take advantage of these opportunities.

Recent Findings

Digital connectivity and machine learning offer a game changing capability to packaged RO systems. With digital capability, it is more cost-effective to design, operate, and manage these RO systems. Performance can be optimised via a range of approaches that are not possible with traditional human intervention. For example, hybrid systems that require sophistication control and prediction can benefit from big data analytics. On the other hand, other system that needs less intervention can work autonomously with little human intervention.

Summary

Automatic high-quality water treatment systems have attracted significant attention in recent years. This review identified a gap in understanding variable possibilities that machine learning and prediction can be successfully utilized by RO systems. This review confirms that artificial intelligence and machine learning can improve the way these systems work. Future research should strive to achieve a better way to apply these applications in packaged RO systems.

Abstract

Algae, as a low-impact aquatic feedstock, is regarded as a promising biomass for producing valuable biofuel, syngas, and biochar. Algae, on the other hand, are mostly composed of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, as opposed to lignocellulosic biomass. Algal species have a faster growth rate and higher photosynthetic efficiency than terrestrial plants, making them an excellent alternative for a sustainable environment. Algal biomass has shown great promise as a raw material for biochar production in recent years. Algae biochar has a high potential for use as a material for contamination remediation and energy application. This review paper summarizes the applicability of algal biochar, algal biochar modification strategies, fabrication methods, and algal biochar properties. Carbon sequestration, sediment and water treatment, and energy applications are all thoroughly discussed. More emphasis should be placed on practical applications, and more research should be conducted to address existing problems.

Purpose of Review

Global warming and pollution are among the five major causes of global biodiversity loss, particularly in aquatic invertebrates which are highly diverse but understudied. In this review, we highlight advancements in current environmental studies investigating the interactive effects between warming and contaminants in freshwater and marine invertebrates. We not only focused on temperate regions but also synthesized information on the less studied Arctic/Antarctic and tropical regions.

Recent Findings

In general, the same combination of warming and contaminants may result in either additive or non-additive interactive effects depending on taxa, the response variable, life stage, genotype, exposure level, duration and order of exposure, and the number of exposed generations. For traditional contaminants such as metals and pesticides, combined effects with warming at the individual level were generally synergistic. Growing evidence suggests that multigenerational exposure can shift the interaction between warming and contaminants toward antagonism, while contemporary evolution may change the interaction type.

Summary

Our synthesis highlights the importance of temporal aspects in shaping interaction type, including order of exposure, ontogenetic effects, transgenerational effects, and evolution. The combination of laboratory experiments (to advance mechanistic understanding) and outdoor mesocosm studies or field observations (to increase realism) is needed to obtain comprehensive assessments of interactive effects of warming and pollutants from genes to ecosystems.

Purpose of Review

Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts composed of organic cations and organic/inorganic anions that are liquid at room temperature. ILs are considered “green” solvents; however, with the widespread application of ILs in the chemical industry, research has determined that ILs may persist in the soil environment and exert toxicological impact on ecological receptors. This paper reviews the status of ILs residues in soil, their effect on soil biota, limitations of current studies, and emerging research areas for ILs.

Recent Findings

The ILs change the physical and chemical properties of soil by reducing pH and improving electrical conductivity. Ionic liquids may be absorbed by plants and animals, causing oxidative stress and DNA damage. Exposure to ILs may also impact soil microorganisms, changing the structure of soil microbial community, and impacting their functionality.

Summary

This review highlights that IL fate and transport are influenced by the size of the alkyl chain. Those with longer carbon chains with the same anion, normally have smaller median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) to earthworms, which indicates that IL toxicity increases with increasing carbon chain length. As such, the relationship between structure, mobility, and toxicity should be considered in the development and application of ILs. In the future, long-term monitoring of ILs residues and distribution in the environment will be required. Degradation products and the toxicity of degradation products should also be further identified.

Graphical Abstract

This paper summarized the ways in which ILs enter the soil environment, identified methods for the detection of ILs in environmental matrices, and detailed the environmental behavior (absorption, transfer/biological uptake, and degradation) of ILs in soil including ecological impacts on invetebrates, plants, and microorganisms.