Current Pollution Reports最新文献

Purpose of Review

The ability to monitor soil moisture wirelessly can deliver immense benefits to annual crops. Real-time soil moisture monitoring allows for accurate and on-demand irrigation to achieve optimal growth and avoid overwatering. It is also an effective pollution prevention method, eliminating excessive run-off to prevent soil erosion, sediment discharge, and the dispersion of key water pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus to natural waterway. Current soil moisture sensors require constant a power supply or battery. Wiring can be used for soil moisture sensing of perennial crops but is also not suitable for annual crops that require significant tillage. This review aims to delineate the readiness of moisture sensors and wireless power transfer technology for developing a wireless soil moisture sensing network.

Recent Findings

Of the many types of soil moisture sensors, only a few are compatible to a wireless network. They either are too expensive, have unreliable measurement accuracy, or require too much power. This review shows that capacitive sensor is a potential candidate for underground sensor networks in terms of affordability, measurement reliability, and power consumption. In addition, among all currently available wireless power transfer technologies, inductive power transfer has the potential to supply adequate power for wirelessly charging underground sensors and meet other requirements of an underground sensing network.

Summary

This review evaluates available soil moisture sensing and wireless power transfer techniques for wireless underground moisture sensing. The combination of capacitive sensing and inductive power transfer technologies has been identified as a potential solution for wireless underground sensor networks. Future research should focus on improving the calibration and post-processing algorithm for capacitive sensor while the misalignment and impact of soil need to be considered to enhance the performance of the inductive power transfer system.

Purpose of Review

The article reviews the literature on soundscape studies to analyse (i) which of the methods included in the Technical Specification (TS) 12913-2:2018 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for collecting soundscape data from individuals are predominantly used in scientific research and (ii) what is the level of compliance with ISO recommendations of the methods employed in scientific research.

Recent Findings

The ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 provide three possible protocols for individuals’ soundscape data collection (Methods A, B, and C). Despite standardization efforts, a reference method has yet to be identified to improve comparability amongst studies and the formation of scientific evidence.

Summary

The analysis of 50 peer-reviewed papers published from 2018 (year of release of ISO/TS 12913-2) showed that Method A is the prevalent one, adopted by 94.4% of the identified studies. Full compliance with ISO technical specification recommendations is in any case quite limited, and almost no study is strictly adhering to them. Attributes are not always suitable to cover all the acoustic contexts (e.g. indoor environments). This is an indicator that the field is still developing, but it also signals that technical specification recommendations leave room for ambiguity or are not always implementable. This study is ultimately intended to offer recommendations on future development of the protocols in the standardization process.

Graphical Abstract

Purpose of Review

Urban green spaces provide benefits for human health and well-being, among other properties, thanks to their ability to attenuate environmental pollutants. The sound environment is not healthy in most cities, and this situation has not changed in recent decades. These green spaces are potential quiet areas with good acoustic quality if they are designed and planned properly from a multidisciplinary perspective. Although the mitigating effects of green infrastructure have been extensively studied, their application in green areas has been very limited. The objective of this study is to analyze those characteristics of green spaces that contribute to a healthy soundscape and, in turn, the benefits that this would give them to the characteristics of green areas, users, and their physical environment.

Recent Findings

Current studies show that to accurately determine the relationship between green spaces and health and well-being benefits, it is necessary to know the interaction with other environmental variables, including the soundscape. The development and application of ISO/TS 12913-2 have promoted the consideration of the soundscape and the use of appropriate procedures for its evaluation.

Summary

The inclusion of soundscape quality in epidemiological studies will improve the quantification of the effects of green spaces on the health and well-being of citizens. Only the consideration of global indicators, such as L_den (dB), show the importance of the sound environment in the interaction with other environmental variables and user activities for the determination of the effects of green spaces on health.

Purpose of Review

Phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural land to surface water is a leading cause of water quality deterioration. We reviewed the climate change impacts on sources and transport of P and how they can exacerbate P loss from agricultural soils to waterways.

Recent Findings

The effects of climate change include extreme precipitation events, increased temperature, elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO₂), and saltwater intrusion induced by sea level rise. Extreme precipitation (EP) events cause accelerated transport of dissolved and particulate P from soils, exacerbated after the application of fertilizers and manures or drought. The unpredictability of EP leads to greater incidental P losses as appropriately timing nutrient applications is more challenging. Increased soil and air temperatures influence soil microbial communities and P-solubilizing microbes, but their effects on P losses are uncertain. Likewise, eCO₂ may increase plant growth, P demand, and soil P cycling, but its impact on P losses is unclear. Saltwater intrusion caused by sea level rise can further mobilize P in high (legacy) P soils and enhance P loss from land to water.

Summary

Climate change is likely to increase P losses due primarily to increases in extreme precipitation and saltwater intrusion in coastal areas. These impacts will be geographically variable. Current P loss models could be improved by including climate change effects on P sources and transport, the inclusion of legacy P soil data, and accounting for P losses from legacy P soils.

Graphical Abstract

Climate change effects on phosphorus loss

Biowaste is a major source of organic material that can be converted into energy through various processes such as anaerobic digestion, composting, and pyrolysis. However, emerging pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, and personal and household products, are a growing concern in wastewater treatment that can be effectively removed by biowaste-to-energy processes. While these contaminants pose significant challenges, the development and implementation of effective monitoring programs and risk assessment tools help to mitigate their impact on human health and the environment. Likewise, monitoring programs, challenges, legislations, and risk assessment tools are essential for understanding and managing the risks associated with emerging pollutants. Biowaste recycling is an important aspect of a biocircular economy perspective as it involves the conversion of organic waste into valuable resources that can be reused sustainably. The review discusses the modern approaches that offer several advantages, including reducing the waste disposal and generating renewable energy while addressing emerging wastewater treatment pollutants. To achieve the goal of a circular economy, modern biotechnological approaches including anaerobic digestion, composting, bioleaching, bioremediation, and microbial fuel cells offer a sustainable and effective way to convert waste into valuable products. These bioproducts alongside energy generation using waste-to-energy technologies can provide economic benefits through revenue generation, reduced waste disposal costs, and improved resource efficiency. To achieve a biocircular economy for biowaste valorization, several stakeholders, including waste collectors, waste management companies, policymakers, and consumers need to be involved. The sustainable conversion of biowaste to energy is an essential and instrumental technology in environmental sustainability.

Graphical Abstract

Purpose of Review

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are engineered systems that have been proven as an alternative option to traditional wastewater treatment technologies because of their ability to provide cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions. This technology depends on natural microbial/biological, physical, and chemical processes to treat wastewater. Processes removing impurities in constructed wetlands are based on the combination of interactive systems such as selected plant species, the nature of substrate used for constructed wetlands, biofilm growth, microbial diversity, and several biogeochemically affected reaction cycles in wetland systems. Microorganisms play a vital role in these processes such as the degradation of pollutants and the transformation of nutrients. Microorganisms remove the pollutants from CWs by catalyzing chemical reactions, biodegrading, biosorbing, and supporting plant growth. An in-depth analysis of the function of microorganisms in CWs is important to understand. This review deals with the recent developments in constructed wetland systems from a microbiological perspective to treat impurities present in wastewater. It focuses on the studies of microbial diversity in CWs and the role of enzymes produced by microbes, the influence of the substrates of CWs on microbial diversity, the influence of the hydraulic design of CWs on the growth of microorganisms, the role of specific microbes in the removal of pollutants and the different software, analytical equipment, tools, and techniques used to measure/quantify the parameters of interest or to design and operate a wetland.

Recent Findings

The combination of different types of substrates in constructed wetlands can form different types of zones such as anaerobic and aerobic zones which can allow to form a diversity of microorganisms. In addition, plant diversity plays a vital role in microbial growth by providing O₂ and increasing plant biomass production which influences the soil microbial community. Moreover, the influent carbon source influences the biomass as for example when the COD/N ratio is increased by 80%, the phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) concentration of microbial biofilm in glucose constructed wetlands is increased by 50%. At the same time, the biomass of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi increased significantly. In addition, different microorganisms are responsible in removing different types of heavy metals and micropollutants.

Summary

This article provides useful information on the understanding of the diversity of microbes, influencing factors on the growth of microorganisms, and the efficiency of pollutant removal process in CWs. Overall, this review provides new ideas and directions for the improvement of constructed wetlands from a microbiological perspective.

In this review article, a comprehensive meta-analysis based on available literature information has been undertaken to make a relative comparison of total arsenic in rice grain. This involves analyzing the findings of various peer-reviewed studies that examined arsenic-contaminated Asian regions. Also, this article highlights the regional-level human health risks caused by the consumption of arsenic-contaminated rice in the three regions of Asia. Deriving such information at the continental level is of major importance in view of the need for proper monitoring and alleviating serious and continually emerging human health issues in arsenic-contaminated areas. One aim of this paper is to highlight the potential of a viable modeling approach for appraising the danger posed by arsenic in soil-plant-human system. There is an urgent need to fix the safe limit of bioavailable arsenic in soil because total arsenic in soil is not a good index of the arsenic hazard. Our hypothesis is finding out whether the modeling approach can be used in establishing a safe limit of bioavailable arsenic in soils with reference to human health. To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, we have selected reported rice grain arsenic content data from Asian countries following the PRISMA guidelines. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk was calculated following the US EPA’s guidelines. It emerged that adults in Asian countries are prone to a high risk of cancer due to their consumption of arsenic-contaminated rice. South Asia (SA), South East Asia (SEA), and East Asia (EA) exceeded the US EPA-prescribed safe limit for cancer risk with ~ 100 times higher probability of cancer due to rice consumption. The hazard quotient for the ingestion of arsenic containing rice was 4.526 ± 5.118 for SA, 2.599 ± 0.801 for SEA, and 2.954 ± 2.088 for EA. These figures are all above the permissible limit of HQ of 1. The solubility free ion activity model can predict arsenic transfer from soil to rice grain based on easily measurable soil properties and be used to fix the safe limit of bioavailable arsenic in paddy soils. The methods and findings of this review are expected to be useful for regional-level policymaking and mobilizing resources to alleviate public health issues caused by arsenic.

Purpose of Review

Chronic inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure affects over 220 million people throughout the world. Given that iAs is ubiquitous in the environment, it is important to understand the human health consequences of chronic iAs exposure. The purpose of this review is to highlight and evaluate research findings within the past 5 years that address the molecular mechanisms responsible for cancers caused by chronic iAs exposure. We also propose new research directions for the iAs research field based on the newest uncovered mechanisms for how this age-old poison promotes cancer.

Recent Findings

Within the past 5 years, studies provide evidence that chronic iAs exposure promotes kidney, prostate, liver, and breast cancer in humans. New molecular mechanisms that promote cancer development by iAs exposure in skin, lung, bladder, kidney, prostate, liver, and breast include histone modifications, DNA and RNA methylation, non-coding RNA expression, disruption of alternative splicing, and inhibition of the DNA damage response.

Summary

Recent studies highlight disruption of epigenetic and epitranscriptomic modifications and/or the DNA damage response by chronic iAs exposure across many models of iAs-induced carcinogenesis, including cancers that are not classically defined as being caused by chronic iAs exposure. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying initiation and metastasis of iAs-induced cancers is essential for improving detection and targeted treatment of iAs-induced cancers.

Graphical Abstract

Purpose of Review

Microplastics in the environment enter the human body through diet, drinking water, and air inhalation. The widespread detection of microplastics in several human tissues was conducted. However, limited knowledge exists on the number of microplastics that can be ingested by humans and the potential adverse effects on various organs. To address these issues, we reviewed the types and abundance of microplastics through different pathways and summarized the average annual intake in humans.

Recent Findings

An adult can ingest about (4.88–5.77) × 10⁵ microplastics/year through the dietary route [including salt (5.00–7.00) × 10³, fish (0.50–1.20)×10⁴, fruits (4.48–4.62) × 10⁵, and vegetables (2.96–9.55)×10⁴]. The amount of microplastics ingested via drinking water route was approximately (0.22–1.2)×10⁶ microplastics/year. Inhalation of microplastics via atmospheric environment was nearly (0.21–2.51) × 10⁶ microplastics/year [including indoor (0.16–2.30) × 10⁶ and outdoor (0.46–2.10)×10⁵].

Summary

In conclusion, we found that the human body ingests microplastics most through inhalation, followed by drinking water and diet. We also summarized the types and abundance of microplastics that were enriched in different organs after microplastics entered the human body. Microplastics entering the body would cross the barrier into the target effector organs and cause adverse health effects, mainly including induction of intracellular oxidative stress, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, and inflammatory responses. In conclusion, exposure to microplastics can cause many adverse effects on the health of the organism. Thus, an increased awareness of the crisis, urgent discussion, and practical actions are needed to mitigate microplastics contaminants in the environment.

Graphical Abstract

Purpose of Review

The issue of improper wastewater treatment disposal from various sources is a global issue that needs immediate tackling. The increase in global population, sustainable agricultural practice, and heightened energy production demand has increased the need for clean water supply to multiple fold. It is therefore a continuous challenge to develop technique that could treat the wastewater as efficient but at a lower production cost with sustainable supply of raw materials.

Recent Findings

Apart from the extensively studied forest and forest industry residues, date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) offers an exciting future as a sustainable raw material to produce biochar and/or activated carbon that can be employed as a green adsorbent in wastewater treatment application. Various carbonization and activation techniques have been reported for date palm waste biomass as well as its potential applications. Nevertheless, there are very few literatures available on the benchmarking of each date palm biomass type for its characteristics, production methods, and pollutant removal capabilities.

Summary

This review highlights some of the carbonization and activation methods available to manufacture biochar and activated carbon from date palm followed by some examples of its applications. Even though date palm biomass can be found in huge volume in date palm-growing area such as the Arab region, few reports are available on its utilization in actual industrial processes, pollutant removal from water system, for example. This review offers new insight into the conversion techniques of date palm biomass, its characterization, and evaluation of its pollutant removal capacity, among others. This work is envisaged to shed insight into a comprehensive outlook on the promising applications of date palm biomass to produce potent green adsorbents as well as its potential applications in other economic sectors.