Environmental Sciences Europe最新文献

Ecotoxicological evaluations focus on lethality and growth inhibition. when no inhibitory effect is observed, particularly for organisms considered “non-target” like algae, the lethality and growth inhibition metrics are often reported as “greater than” the highest tested concentration. However, this approach critically overlooks the phenomenon of growth stimulation, a direct biological effect that can pose an equal or even greater ecological risk than inhibition. This comment argues for a crucial paradigm shift in ecological risk assessment to explicitly acknowledge, quantify, and incorporate growth-promoting effects. Given that protocols already mandate the reporting of such stimulation, it is imperative to treat it with the same quantitative rigor as growth inhibition, thereby ensuring a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of chemical impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing and multifaceted environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, largely due to its pervasive environmental persistence, ecological impact, and systemic threat to planetary boundaries. Among the various forms of plastic contaminants, microplastics, minute plastic particles typically smaller than 5 mm, have gained prominence as particularly insidious pollutants. These particles originate from the degradation of larger plastic debris or are intentionally manufactured for use in consumer products. Their widespread environmental presence has raised significant concerns regarding ecological integrity, human health risks, and the adequacy of current regulatory systems. This article undertakes a detailed legal and policy-oriented analysis of the regulatory responses to microplastic pollution at national, European Union (EU), and international levels. It systematically traces the evolution of the legal frameworks governing microplastics, beginning with early non-binding soft law instruments and fragmented sectoral regulations. Particular emphasis is placed on the progression toward more comprehensive and enforceable legislation, culminating in the 2023 EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) restriction on synthetic polymer microparticles. The analysis highlights several critical legal and scientific challenges. These include definitional ambiguities regarding microplastics, the tension between fostering innovation and applying the precautionary principle, and the persistent difficulties in harmonizing enforcement mechanisms across jurisdictions. The paper also compares the EU’s regulatory developments with parallel international efforts, such as the amendments to the Basel Convention addressing plastic waste and the ongoing negotiations toward a binding global treaty on plastic pollution. In addition, the article scrutinizes the complexities of the international plastic trade and the policy dilemmas it presents, particularly in relation to regulatory coherence and compliance. The interplay between domestic legislation and transboundary environmental governance is critically assessed to reveal inconsistencies and legal vacuums that undermine regulatory efficacy. Finally, the paper identifies key opportunities for enhancing multilevel governance through improved legal design. By contextualizing legal instruments within broader policy frameworks, it offers strategic insights for strengthening regulatory responses to microplastic pollution in a globally interconnected and environmentally constrained world.

Background

Urease inhibitors and nitrification inhibitors delay nitrogen fertilizer transformations in soil to reduce nitrogen losses and increase nitrogen use efficiency. While new inhibitor compounds are constantly being developed, little is known about non-target effects on the soil microbiome. This is the first study to investigate non-target effects of the urease inhibitor 2-NPT and the nitrification inhibitor MPA on the soil microbiome. In addition, the more established nitrification inhibitor DMPP was investigated. Target effects and potential non-target effects on the function and composition of microbial communities in three soils from Germany were assessed.

Results

Soil microcosms were treated with practically relevant doses of inhibited and non-inhibited fertilizer products. Effects on soil nutrients and enzyme activities from nutrient cycling were analyzed. Gene abundances of bacterial and archaeal amoA as well as 16S rRNA and ITS marker genes were quantified using the QIAcuity nanoplate digital PCR. The bacterial and fungal community compositions were analyzed via amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS marker genes. Significant reductions of target enzyme activities were found for 2-NPT and DMPP but not MPA. Effect size of inhibition was soil-dependent. Ammonium and nitrate concentrations were significantly affected by the inhibitors in one of the three soils. The non-target enzyme activities of phosphatase, beta-glucosidase, and arylsulfatase were not affected by the inhibitors. Both nitrification inhibitors primarily targeted bacterial ammonia oxidizers, as bacterial but not archaeal amoA genes were reduced. Overall bacterial and fungal communities were not clearly affected. Observed abundance shifts of soil microorganisms were linked to indirect effects driven by nutrient availability rather than direct effects of the inhibitors.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that the newer inhibitors 2-NPT and MPA as well as DMPP do not directly affect the function and composition of the soil microbiome in the short-term. Significant target effects of the inhibitors change the availability of mineral N which causes indirect effects with minimal non-target microbial community shifts. Further tests involving other soil organisms and long-term field studies are required to further improve the environmental risk assessment of inhibitors.

Background

Iodinated contrast media (ICM) are pharmaceuticals widely used in X-ray diagnostics to improve image contrast. Due to their high dosage and minimal metabolism, ICM are excreted almost unchanged and can enter aquatic environments, appearing in surface water used for drinking water production. Although ICM are chemically stable, under certain conditions, they can release iodine and be transformed in iodinated by-products (I-DBPs) during the disinfection processes occurred in water treatment plants. Previous studies on this phenomenon have relied on experimental conditions that poorly reflect real-world drinking water treatment practices, in terms of ICM and disinfectants concentrations and contact times. Rather than challenging established literature, this study aimed to investigate whether chlorination can lead to the formation of iodinated trihalomethanes (I-THMs) from ICM dissolved in water samples, when disinfection is performed under real-world conditions. The evaluation focused on Germany, where high attention is posed on the environmental impact of ICM and their potential role in the formation of I-DBPs. Therefore, the experimental setup was designed to be aligned with the German Drinking Water Directive (TrinkwV 2023), reflecting realistic conditions for disinfectant dosage (chlorine < 1.2 mg/L) and contact time. Four ICM (iohexol, iomeprol, iopamidol, iopromide) were tested in two different raw waters, commonly used in Germany for drinking water production. Concentrations of ICM 10 µg/L (typical environmental level) and 100 µg/L (worst-case scenario) were applied, with additional tests for iopamidol at a maximum concentration of 3900 µg/L. The study also examined the role of free iodide in I-THMs formation.

Results

Results indicated no correlation between I-DBPs formation and the presence of ICM, even at the highest tested concentrations. I-DBPs were detected only in one raw water type, specifically the water samples with the highest dissolved organic carbon (DOC), suggesting that the composition of water, rather than ICM, modulate the formation of I-DBPs. Conversely, free iodide was confirmed as a significant contributor to I-DBPs generation when chlorinated.

Conclusions

Under standard German drinking water treatment conditions, ICM do not promote I-DBP formation. Instead, water matrix characteristics and iodides play a decisive role in I-DBPs formation.

Agricultural soils in China’s rice-producing regions face significant contamination from both cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As), posing serious ecological and health risks. This study aimed to address the challenge of immobilizing both contaminants simultaneously using iron-modified biochars derived from rice straw (SIBC), pig manure (MIBC), and pine wood (PIBC). Characterization showed successful iron impregnation, with Fe content in SIBC, MIBC, and PIBC reaching 35.19%, 35.26%, and 35.79%, respectively. The modification also increased the specific surface area and porosity of the biochars, with PIBC showing a 10.46-fold increase. Incubation experiments demonstrated that iron-modified biochars were effective in reducing bioavailable Cd and As. PIBC reduced available Cd by 70.1%, while SIBC reduced available As by 29.2%. Sequential extraction analyses revealed that iron-modified biochars promoted the transformation of Cd into more stable, residual forms, and As into less available oxidizable and residual phases. Additionally, pore water chemistry showed a shift towards low-toxicity As(V), with SIBC and PIBC increasing As(V) content by 84.8% and 91.1%, respectively. Microbial analyses indicated that biochar amendments improved soil ecological health, increasing microbial α-diversity and the abundance of beneficial bacterial phyla like Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Gemmatimonadota. Among the biochars, SIBC was the most cost-effective and efficient amendment for the remediation of co-contaminated paddy soils, showing significant potential for reducing both Cd and As contamination.

The offshore wind energy sector is experiencing rapid and large-scale expansion in Europe, driven by increasingly ambitious renewable energy targets that position it as a central component of global climate mitigation efforts. The increasing number of offshore wind projects in the North Sea requires comprehensive regulations to monitor and minimize the impacts on the marine environment during construction, operation and decommissioning. This policy brief aims to summarize current regulations for chemical emissions in the North Sea area by reviewing available national documents and websites for guidance in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway in combination with information received from respective authorities. Based on the collected information, the policy brief will give recommendations for potential harmonization to increase the protection of the environment and facilitate procedures. The comparative analysis of national and transnational regulations for chemical emissions from offshore wind farms in North Sea bordering countries revealed that these are incomplete and differ between countries in terms of their specifications and level of detail. For example, specific rules for the application of galvanic anodes including the ban of zinc-based anodes are only available in Germany while several but not all countries prohibit the use of antifouling or other toxic paints. Incompleteness and differences may also be related to a lack of information on substances and their environmental effects. To achieve harmonization and more efficient protection of the marine environment, more data and minimum requirements on a regional level will be necessary, while at the same time, innovation may not be hampered and design and techniques should be further optimized and adapted based on latest available information.

The pace of species extinction and the destruction of nature may be even more dramatic than the speed of the climate crisis itself. The EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL), adopted in the summer of 2024, is intended to partially remedy damage to nature in EU member states by 2050. This study analyses whether the NRL is sufficiently effective in stopping biodiversity loss and preserving biodiversity. Methodologically, this investigation was conducted using qualitative governance analysis and legal interpretation of the NRL. Although the NRL is a step forward for various reasons, it is still not sufficient, measured against the obligation to preserve biodiversity and stop its loss, as stated in Art. 1 of the UN Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD), which entered into force in 1993. The NRL gives the EU Member States a further time extension, mostly until 2050, which is too long to wait, considering the planetary boundaries that have already been exceeded. Furthermore, the NRL primarily presents (not very clear) targets. Whether appropriate measures will be taken remains to be seen. Therefore, it depends heavily on the goodwill of the EU Member States. However, in view of the ongoing loss of biodiversity and earlier experiences with EU environmental law, there are major doubts about this. In addition, the targets are weakened by several exemptions. The targets are inadequate for conservation, that is, the protection and restoration of biodiversity. The NRL also does not specify the percentage of the total area of an EU Member State that must be covered by the protected areas. Furthermore, the NRL shows serious governance problems, such as problems of depicting, enforcement problems, or lack of ambition. The NRL (and nature conservation law as a whole) fails to take the essential step towards preserving biodiversity: addressing the drivers of destruction, such as livestock farming and pesticides, by means of quantity governance. Against this backdrop, current attempts to further weaken the NRL appear to be highly problematic from an ecological perspective.

Green synthesized Ag-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles (Ag-FeBNPs) offer a promising candidate for heavy metal removal thanks to their exceptional properties, efficiency in adsorption processes, stability, enhanced catalytic activity, and eco-friendliness. The current work uses the red alga; Laurencia Papillosa for a novel synthesis of the Ag-FeBNPs, which has been prepared in two different forms; bare and immobilized to test the efficiency of the Ag-FeBNPs at the first stage and to compare the potentiality of both forms for the bioremediation process. This study introduces a novel bio-inspired synthesis route using L. Papillosa, which has not been previously reported for Ag-FeBNPs, highlighting the distinctive phycochemical reduction mechanism as a key element of novelty. The optimal parameters for this bimetallic synthesis were established via the central composite design (CCD), which set the pH at 10 and employed 10.5 g of algae/100 mL water for 95 min. The alginate beads were used to immobilize the optimized Ag-FeBNPs (Ag-FeBNPs@Alg beads) as a strategy to mitigate the potential toxicity of bare nanoparticles. Bare and immobilized phyco-synthesized Ag-FeBNPs were investigated for Fe and Zn removal from aquaculture wastewater. Results indicated significant removal ratios for Fe and Zn with 94.8% and 76.0% when using the bare Ag-FeBNPs and 78.0% and 45.5% when using Ag-FeBNPs@Alg beads, respectively. Qualitative observations further revealed improved particle dispersion, high adsorption affinity, and enhanced surface functional group interactions in the bare form, whereas the immobilized form showed greater operational handling, safety, and reusability. Various characterization approaches, including Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, were employed to confirm the synthesis of Ag-FeBNPs forms and their role in metal removal. The results proved that Ag-FeBNPs@Alg beads are simply prepared, practically utilized, and relatively low in cost. These characteristics reveal their potential as a promising adsorbent for heavy metals removal from wastewater not only at small or bench-scale but also with potential for large-scale and commercial applications in aquaculture and industrial wastewater treatment systems.

Graphical abstract

This conference summary proposes general goals and associated actions for a collaborative effort amongst European countries to address the problem of soil contamination by perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). It reflects the discussions during the international conference “PFAS in soil – forever pollution, forever concern?” taking place in Berlin/Germany on 25th and 26th of March 2025. The five general goals derived from the discussions suggest to: (i) Strictly prevent future PFAS immissions into soils, (ii) Systematically identify PFAS-contaminated sites, (iii) Provide a powerful fit-for-routine chemical analysis of PFAS in soil, (iv) Establish effective management strategies for PFAS-contaminated sites and (v) Minimize human PFAS exposure via soil (food, feed, drinking water, direct contact).