Environmental Science and Pollution Research最新文献

Coal occupies an absolute advantage in the primary energy structure of China. However, the production of coal poses a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. In order to quantify the environmental impact of coal mining, this study used the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to analyse the life cycle of coal mining from the cradle-to-gate. Midpoint results based on ReCiPe 2016 indicated that coal mining had a remarkable impact on human carcinogenic toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, fossil resource scarcity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The contribution analysis revealed that material production was identified as the main cause of environmental impacts, followed by energy consumption and process emissions. Steel consumption, electricity production, and wastewater discharge were identified as key environmental pollution processes. In addition, specific environmental pollution substances and their contributions were recognized from the source, and a sensitivity analysis between key processes and key impact categories was carried out. At the endpoint level, coal mining led to the most damage to human health, followed by ecosystems and resources. This study is of reference significance in guiding the construction of green mines and achieving sustainable development of coal resources.

Sulfa drugs are a broad family of antibiotics widely used in the treatment of a range of infections. They have been found in surface and groundwater, as well as in sewage and effluent (treated sewage and sludge) of municipal or industrial wastewater treatment plants in concentrations of ng/L to >g/L. The continued presence of these so-called emerging contaminants (ECs) and their metabolites can cause adverse ecological effects, including bacterial resistance, even at very low concentrations. In this study, the first aim was to explore the feasibility of oxidation processes catalyzed by soybean peroxidase as an eco-friendly and economically advantageous alternative method for the conversion of the sulfonamides, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfamerazine. Optimum conditions were determined for 0.2 and 0.1 mM of the respective substrates. Optimum pHs were 1.6 and 3.6, respectively. Optimum molar peroxide ratios were 3.0 and 2.5 for the respective substrates. Enzyme activities of 4 and 2 U/mL showed 83 and 76% removal. With the redox mediator hydroxybenzotriazole, optimum pH was 3.6 for both substrates, optimum peroxide ratios were 1.5 and 1.25, and the optimum enzyme requirement decreased 40-fold. A time course study was conducted under optimal mediated conditions to determine the initial first-order rate constant and half-life of each substrate, from which half-lives were 0.0804 and 0.0608 min, normalized for substrate concentration. These two values were among the lowest when compared to 25 other compounds studied with the same enzyme. Finally, the oligomerization products of enzymatic treatment were characterized by mass spectrometry and showed the formation of oxidative dimers and azo compounds.

Being able to cause eutrophication, a severe ecological problem that leads to the demise of aquatic animals, excessive phosphate in water bodies, has been a threat to the environment. Aiming to remove phosphate from wastewater in rural areas, adsorption is a promising method. In this study, a novel phosphate adsorbent, SEP-La, was synthesized by doping lanthanum into sepiolite. Characterization and batch adsorption experiments were performed. Lanthanum was loaded on sepiolite through hydrogen bond as forms of peroxides, and it greatly enhanced the adsorption capacity of sepiolite, reaching 135.78 mg/g. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the adsorption kinetics the best, indicating a chemisorption process. An endothermic yet spontaneous adsorption process was revealed by the fitting of the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorbent exhibited great tolerance to pH change and interference ions. The remaining 67.82% of the original performance after 6 cycles of adsorption-desorption demonstrated its robust recyclability. Its real application potential was also manifested through column experiments using locally collected real wastewater and was able to treat 2072 mL of water per gram of adsorbent, which represents a significant milestone in translating theory into practice. FT-IR, XRD, and XPS were performed to prove that its mechanism involved electrostatic interaction and ligand exchange. This work provides an affordable while auspicious phosphate adsorptive material with the potential to effectively address the issue of excessive phosphate in water at a low cost.

Recently, reverse osmosis (RO) has become the most widely used process in membrane technology. It has aroused great interest in water desalination through membranes. According to recent studies, the surface properties of support layers in thin film membranes are crucial for improving reverse osmosis performance. Surface polymerization was used to produce the membranes in this work, with the polyamide acting as a selective layer on the polysulfone support film. Three membranes were produced with different proportions of molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) nanopowder. The effectiveness of the membranes was improved by increasing water permeability while maintaining excellent salt retention. All membranes produced were tested using various characterization methods including scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett plate, and zeta potential. The water permeability of the polyamide membrane with PA-MoS₂ (0.015% w/v) was 29.79 L/m² h bar, more than the PA-MoS₂ membranes (0.005% w/v, 19.36 L/m² h) and PA-MoS₂ (0.01% w/v, 3.63 L/m² h bar). Under the same conditions, salt rejection of more than 96.0% for NaCl and 97.0% for MgSO₄ was also observed. According to the SEM, the 0.015% PA-MoS₂ membrane exhibited lower surface roughness, greater hydrophobicity, and a higher water contact angle. Due to the hydrophobic nature of MoS₂, these properties resulted in the lowest salt rejection.

Wetlands represent a crucial category of aquatic ecosystems that face numerous threats, such as increasing population density, alterations in land-use, climate change, excessive extraction of water resources, and inadequate construction of reservoirs. As a result of these challenges, wetlands cannot perform their essential functions, which include meeting human demands, supporting tourism, mitigating dust storms, and maintaining the biodiversity of flora and fauna. Accordingly, assessing their health and service performance is essential. However, studies on the health and security assessment of the wetland are scant. Therefore, an attempt has been made to evaluate the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed health using the cause-effect pressure (P), state (S), and response (R) conceptual approach. To this end, the problem-oriented variables were obtained through field surveying and data augmentation. Some 12 independent input variables were finalized using principal component analysis (PCA) to assess the watershed health and security at the sub-watershed scale. The study's results elucidated that P = 0.564, S = 0.368, and R = 0.643 were classified in moderate class with negative orientation, relatively desirable with negative inclination, and high with negative tendency, respectively. The overall weighted health and security indices for the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed were 0.504 and 0.446, classifying in moderate conditions with a slight positive tendency. Accordingly, an insight focused on controlling the most influential variables in the P and S indices and pertaining existing conditions on the R index-related factors in priority sub-watersheds is a vital task to take toward ecosystem sustainability. Considering the fragile health and security of the Jazmurian Wetland Watershed, management actions need to be incorporated to prevent further decline and perpetuation of situations in the region.

Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary arthropod vector responsible for the transmission of dengue, which is present in more than one hundred countries. The application of synthetic larvicides is one of the most common strategies used for dengue control, but their prolonged use can cause larvicide resistance or tolerance, environmental damage, and have toxic effects on human and animal health. Thus, faced with this problem, there have been increasing efforts to find alternative larvicides against Ae. Aegypti. This search has been mainly focused on naturally occurring chemical compounds, driven by the evidence of their potential effectiveness, and by a desire to find more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and safe alternatives to synthetic larvicides. Thus, the present study aimed to review the effects of terpenes and their derivatives on mortality of the Ae. aegypti larvae, focusing mainly on a lethal concentration of 50% (LC₅₀), in addition to summarizing information on its mechanisms of action and effects on non-target organisms. We searched the main databases for studies published up to April 2024 using relevant keywords, and data were extracted and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Twenty-one articles describing 69 different terpenes and derivatives met the criteria of the review and meta-analysis. Among them, 76.8% were terpenoids and 23.2% terpenes. The LC₅₀ ranged from 0.4 to 1628.2 ppm. The present review and meta-analysis showed that the terpenes and terpenoids can be promising chemical templates for use in eco-friendly larvicides against Ae. aegypti.

Plants are sensitive to environmental pollutants and are excellent organisms for genetic and physiological testing. Plant-based test systems are often used to study aquatic, aerial, and terrestrial pollution, especially Allium cepa, but studies with Tradescatia pallida specimens have gained prominence due to their sensitivity and applicability. Among the biomarkers, cytogenetic damage and chlorophyll levels are used in stress studies due to their responses to single or combined factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytogenetic and photosynthetic responses in T. pallida, and cytogenetic responses in A. cepa exposed to water from three sampling stations in the Juara lagoon (Municipality of Serra, ES, Brazil), collected in two sampling campaigns. The cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potentials were analyzed using the T. pallida root tip mitosis assay and the Allium cepa test. Chloroplast pigment levels were measured in T. pallida leaves after chronic exposure to the lagoon water. The cytogenetic tests showed cytogenetic alterations at two sampling stations in at least one sampling campaign, suggesting the presence of potential pollutants, the effects of which were maximized during the rainy season. The study of photosynthetic metabolism in T. pallida showed a relationship between the levels of chloroplast pigments and the amount of nutrients present in the water.

The effects of chlorpyrifos, a frequently detected organophosphate in aquatic ecosystems, on biochemical (protein and glycogen) contents and oxidative enzyme activities (catalase and lipid peroxidation) in liver, muscle and gill tissues of three freshwater fish Trichogaster fasciata, Mystus vittatus and Heteropneustes fossilis were evaluated after 21-day exposure to 1 and 10% of 96 h LC₅₀ of this pesticide, which were 1.63 and 16.3 µg L^-1; 5.87 and 58.7 µg L^-1 and 2.12 and 21.2 µg L^-1, respectively. On comparing with control, significant reductions in protein concentration were found in liver, muscle and gill of the three fishes treated with both higher as well as lower concentrations of the pesticide except in gill of M. vittatus and liver of H. fossilis treated with the lower concentrations. Glycogen content reductions were significant in the liver and muscle of the fishes, as well as gill tissue of T. fasciata treated with the two pesticide concentrations. Significant elevations of catalase activity were found in liver of the three fishes treated with the higher concentrations, in muscle tissues of both T. fasciata and M. vittatus treated with both the concentrations and in gills of the three fishes except H. fossilis treated with the lower concentration of the pesticide. Significant elevations of lipid peroxidation level were also found in liver of all the three fish species treated with the higher concentrations, in the muscle tissue of M. vittatus as well as in the gill of T. fasciata and H. fossilis treated with both the concentrations of the pesticide. Chlorpyrifos exposed gill ultrastructure of T. fasciata, M. vittatus and H. fossilis revealed concentration-dependent effects of the pesticide on gill surface ultrastructure which include distortion of primary and secondary lamellae, deterioration of pavement cell and microridge structures, extrusion of red blood cells (RBCs), secretion of mucous layer on filament, sloughing of primary lamellae and clumping of secondary lamellae. The present study parameters could serve as useful biomarkers for evaluating the risk of pesticide toxicity to fish. These findings also point out the possible health risks to the consumers of these fish captured from contaminated water bodies.

Cost-effective and environmentally friendly sorbents were created for capturing CO₂ by incorporating monoethanolamine (MEA) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) onto a microporous activated carbon (AC) material. The application of a KOH reagent enhanced the surface area and pore volume of the carbon material. The BET, SEM, EDX, and FTIR techniques were employed to analyze the structural and surface properties of the developed samples. Raw AC possessed the highest surface area and largest micropore volume equal to 786 m²/g and 0.33 cm³/g, respectively. The amine impregnation increased the nitrogen content of the carbon material, but it also significantly reduced the BET surface area and total pore volume, which are primarily responsible for physically adsorbing CO₂ towards ACs. The CO₂ adsorption performance of the raw and impregnated ACs was experimentally evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) at different adsorption temperatures (25 and 50 °C) and CO₂ concentrations (10 and 90 vol.%). The findings demonstrated that the raw AC exhibited the highest capacity for CO₂ adsorption. Specifically, at a temperature of 25 °C and pressure of 1 bar (10 vol.% CO₂, N₂ balance), the raw AC achieved an uptake of 1.2 mmol/g, which was 60.3% and 79.3% higher compared to the CO₂ uptake of MEA-AC (0.5 mmol/g) and TEPA-AC (0.3 mmol/g), respectively. It is surprising that the combined uptake of CO₂ + H₂O increased by 12.5 and 23.4 wt.% (equivalent to 7 and 13 mmol/g) for MEA-AC and TEPA-AC, respectively, when humid flue gas was taken into account under the conditions of 50 °C, with 10 vol.% CO₂, 4 vol.% H₂O, and N₂ balance. These results indicate that the presence of H₂O facilitates the chemisorption of CO₂ by the novel and highly promising carbon-based sorbent prepared in this study, leading to an increased capacity for adsorbing CO₂ under water vapor containing flue gases.

The textile mill is one of the most water-consuming industries. Wastewater production is very high, and among the main generated pollutants are dyes. In particular, jeans finishing, which is performed all over the world, generates wastewater with indigo dye that has to be eliminated before discharge. This work studies the biological treatment of this type of wastewater using native microorganisms, i.e., without the need for external seed sludge to start-up the process. Two strategies for starting up the biological treatment using laboratory sequencing batch reactors have been compared: the addition of seed sludge from a biological reactor of a wastewater treatment plant and the non-addition of seed sludge, which means that native microorganisms (those in wastewater coming from the industry facilities) are responsible for COD and color degradation. Special attention is paid to biomass shift in both reactors, analyzing both bacterial and fungal populations. Results yielded more than 90% of COD and color removal after 25 days in both reactors. MLSS increased in both reactors during the operation, reaching very similar values (around 1840 mg/L). Rozellomycota was the predominant phylum in the reactors. Concerning bacteria, Planctomycetota abundance increased considerably in both reactors, which shows the important role of these bacteria in the treatment. It can be concluded that the lower bacterial diversity in the native population in comparison with the seeded sludge was shifting to a higher microbial diversity during the process, achieving a similar microbial population in reactors. It implies that it is not necessary to either work with isolated cultures or seeded sludge, which leads to a simpler and more sustainable solution for textile wastewater treatment in areas all over the world.