Environmental science. Advances最新文献

Common adsorbents studied to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air can release previously adsorbed VOCs back into the indoor space when the adsorbent is saturated or if the VOC concentration fluctuates. A durable adsorbent with a continuous regeneration strategy could prevent this recontamination of the indoor air and reduce adsorbent disposal waste. A deeper understanding of the adsorption and desorption behavior of VOC adsorbents is needed to create an efficient regeneration strategy. This study investigated the adsorption and thermal desorption behavior of toluene on two different adsorbents, (1) a zeolite-based adsorbent and (2) an activated carbon fiber (ACF) felt. Consistent adsorption behavior across a series of toluene concentrations was used to experimentally determine effective adsorption capacity. When the cumulative adsorption between thermal regeneration steps was maintained below the maximum effective capacity with 0% breakthrough, the zeolite-based adsorbent was found to effectively minimize passive desorption. The impact of regeneration feed conditions, such as inert, oxidizing, humidified air, on thermal desorption was examined. These conditions influenced desorption of the zeolite-based adsorbent but had minimal impact on the ACF felt adsorbent, which would lead to different regeneration schedules and methods for applications in buildings' heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

Risk-based land management emphasises remediation to manage risks from land contamination, aiming to reduce human and environmental risks while enabling site reuse and redevelopment. Since the mid-2000s, sustainable remediation has gained prominence, driven by global sustainability agendas such as the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the European Green Deal. These frameworks encourage integrated approaches that maximise remediation benefits and minimise negative impacts. Low-input remediation techniques (LIRT) represent a family of approaches characterised by lower energy and resource demands, often leveraging natural processes, renewable resources, or energy sources. Examples include methods using biochar, photosynthesis, or renewable energy systems. LIRT overlap with concepts like gentle remediation options (GRO) and nature-based solutions (NBS), which employ natural processes to address contamination while delivering environmental and societal benefits. While LIRT are typically effective for pathway management rather than source control, they offer sustainable outcomes such as stabilisation, containment, and destruction of biodegradable contaminants. They also contribute to broader sustainability goals, such as reducing carbon footprints and preserving soil functionality, and can support site reuse for biofeedstocks, habitats, or amenity spaces. LIRT are particularly valuable for stalled or economically unviable sites, offering cost-effective and flexible solutions. However, achieving sustainable outcomes depends on site-specific factors, and LIRT often work best when integrated into a broader remedial strategy combining intensive and low-input methods. This paper explores LIRT's potential applications, technical characteristics, and challenges, alongside their benefits for sustainable land management and the restoration of underutilised sites.

The management of radioactive waste presents formidable environmental and health challenges, necessitating the development of effective remediation technologies. Magnetic nanocomposites (NCs) derived from iron oxide (Fe₃O₄) and graphene derivatives have emerged as highly promising materials for the sorptive removal of radionuclides from contaminated aqueous streams. This comprehensive review critically examines the synthesis, characterization, and application of these NCs. The key physicochemical properties—including structural, magnetic, and surface characteristics—that underpin their high sorption capacities have been explored. The discussion covers various synthesis methodologies and the analytical techniques used to validate the properties of the materials. A central focus is placed on the sorption mechanisms, performance efficiency, and the operational factors influencing the sequestration of radioactive ions. Despite their significant potential, several challenges related to scalability, long-term stability, selective sorption in complex matrices, and potential environmental impacts have been identified and discussed. Finally, future research directions to advance the practical application of Fe₃O₄@graphene NCs in radioactive waste management have been discussed. This review provides a foundational understanding of the capabilities and limitations of these materials, aiming to guide future research toward their practical implementation in mitigating the hazards of radioactive contamination.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are found throughout the environment and can adversely affect human health. In this study, we monitored PFAS on cell phones to understand whether cell phones contribute to human PFAS exposure through dermal adsorption and hand-to-mouth exposure. Cell phone (n = 118) and hand wipes (n = 50) were collected in Ontario, Canada and each sample was paired with a participant lifestyle survey. Wipes were analyzed for 25 PFAS using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The analytes included perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs), perfluorinated sulfonic acids (PFSAs) and polyfluorinated phosphate esters (PAPs). PFAS were detected on 99.2% of cell phones and 100% of hand wipes. The 6 : 2 disubstituted polyfluorinated phosphate ester (6 : 2 diPAP) was detected most frequently on both cell phone and hand wipes. The range of ∑PFAS was <MDL to 65.5 ng on cell phones and 0.1 to 259 ng on hands. The median estimated dermal adsorption was 15.3 and 3.1 ng per day from hands and cell phones, respectively. The median estimated hand-to-mouth exposure was 0.93 and 0.49 ng per day from hands and cell phones, respectively. While cell phone wipes may offer supplementary information, the findings suggest that hand wipes remain the preferred matrix for accurate exposure assessment. Cell phones were demonstrated to be an additional source of exposure to perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), 8 : 2 monoPAP, 6 : 2 diPAP, and 6 : 2/8 : 2 diPAP. PFAS exposure was also correlated with age (14–65+), education, race, and continent of birth, based on lifestyle survey findings. Our results point towards diverse and multi-factor exposure pathways for the examined PFAS.

A new way of reductive amination of furfural (extracted from lignocellulosic biowastes) is presented, using an electrochemical approach, where in situ formed imines are directly reduced on a carbon electrode in basic buffers to (furyl)-substituted vicinal diamines identified by NMR spectroscopy. This is a “one-pot” process, avoiding isolation of intermediates, without the use of organic solvents and metal catalysts.

The rate of weathering of Cold Lake Blend diluted bitumen in floating microcosms in an experimental flume tank was monitored over time (0, 6, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 168 hours) under controlled temperature conditions (4, 10, 15 and 25 °C). At all temperatures, the most rapid change in the physical properties (density and viscosity) and chemical composition (saturates and aromatics) of the oil occurred within the first 48 hours. Correlation analyses showed that seawater temperature and the uncontrolled factors (wind speed and air temperature) were significantly correlated on the rate of change in the physical properties of the oil. Gas chromatography mass/spectrometry analyses of the composite samples of weathered oil showed similar results for changes in its chemical composition. At 168 hours of weathering, the relative decrease of the saturates (C₁₀ to C₁₇ normalized to 17α, 21β-hopane) increased with the temperature. The percent decrease was 16, 24, 42, and 57 at 4, 10, 15 and 25 °C respectively. A similar trend was observed for the aromatics. From these, the percent decrease of naphthalene and its alkylated homologues was largest at 15 °C and above. These changes in the chemical composition and physical properties of the oil most likely resulted from the loss of the diluent. The data from this study on the weathering of diluted bitumen over a range of seawater temperatures, is the first of its kind, and thus may be used in predictive models to improve recommendations for responding and/or to improve contingency planning to oil spills.

Sanitation remains a critical development and public-health challenge, particularly in rural Ethiopia, where only 7% of the population has access to safely managed sanitation. This study models the spatial distribution and resource-recovery potential of human feces in rural Oromia, integrating high-resolution population data with experimentally validated methane yields and nutrient contents. Model-based estimates suggest annual feces production of ∼2 million tonnes, corresponding to ∼27.9 PJ of biomethane energy and 7309 t N, 2206 t P, and 4511 t K—equivalent to over 2.6 billion Birr in synthetic fertilizer. Resource potential is spatially uneven, with northeastern and central highlands offering the greatest opportunities for biogas and nutrient recovery. Biogas digesters are best suited to livestock-rich highlands, urine-diverting dry toilets to peri-urban areas, and composting or container-based systems to low-income, nutrient-depleted communities. Adoption, however, is hindered by socio-cultural perceptions, financial constraints, and institutional gaps. Coordinated action across health, water-energy, agriculture, environmental protection, and infrastructure sectors—supported by strong regulation, targeted financing, community engagement, and public-private partnerships—is essential for scaling. With context-specific deployment and institutional support, resource- oriented sanitation technologies can convert human waste into a circular resource that enhances rural energy access, soil fertility, and environmental sustainability; improves public health; and advances progress toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Despite being a hot topic for environmental management, heavy metal contamination in urban derelict industrial lands still lacks sufficient research into its kinetic parameters. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the contamination characteristics, labile fractions, lability, and solid-phase resupply kinetics of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in various industrial soils using the Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) technique and to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of key soil physicochemical properties. The results indicated that the heavy metal pollution risk in the soils of different types of derelict industrial sites exhibited significant industry-specific differences. Non-ferrous metal smelting (NMS) and steel coking (SC) sites not only showed severe exceedances in total heavy metal concentrations but also displayed characteristics of high lability (high C_DGT and high R) and rapid kinetic release (low T_c and high R). These areas are classified as high potential risk zones requiring priority control. Specifically, the acidic environment at the SC2 site exacerbated the active release of Cd. In contrast, chemical industry (CI) and coal mining (CM) sites primarily faced As pollution risk, but their release kinetic processes were relatively slow. This research identified priority sites with high environmental risks from heavy metals and confirmed the unique advantage of the DGT technique for potential risk assessment. The findings provide a critical scientific basis for developing availability-based remediation and management strategies.

PFAS are a class of emerging contaminants widely used in industrial processes and consumer products, often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment. Their long-term bioaccumulation, particularly for long-chain PFAAs, is driven by their low water solubility, strong chemical stability, and resistance to degradation. In contrast, shorter-chain PFAAs, such as PFBA, PFHxA, and PFBS, tend to be more mobile and less bioaccumulative, although they still pose environmental concerns. In Nigeria and many other African countries, research on PFAS remains limited, resulting in critical gaps in baseline data, exposure pathways, and risk assessment. These gaps hinder effective scientific evaluation and policy development. This article reviews the distribution, fate, and behaviour of PFAS across environmental media, examining their persistence, mobility, transformation, and degradation processes. It also highlights ecological and human health risks associated with PFAS exposure through water, soil, and food-chain transfer, and summarizes current global trends in their occurrence. Given recent international findings, there is an urgent need for localized monitoring programs and enhanced analytical capacity to better understand PFAS behaviour under tropical environmental conditions. Addressing these knowledge gaps is essential for advancing environmental health equity and guiding evidence-based national regulation.

Production and pollution data and information for United States critical mineral mines are heavily fragmented across numerous databases and sources, such as government emissions reports and company documents. These disintegrated data complicate fair and consistent analyses and communities' understanding of mine operations and impacts. For 19 active critical mineral mines in the United States, we aggregated location, production, and emissions data and developed an interactive data compendium map and data set. We calculated the ecotoxicity, human health cancer, and human health non-cancer life-cycle impacts of the emissions from these mines. Further, we analyzed the proximity of these mines to disadvantaged community tracts identified by the Justice40 initiative and found all mines are within 29 miles of a disadvantaged tract. We defined a methodology to develop probability distribution functions for mining pollution data to support robust mining life cycle inventory data. Finally, we discussed next steps to expand the data compendium to additional critical minerals and other countries like Australia and Chile. Reducing fragmentation in mine emissions data is important because aggregated or old data masks unique features of individual mines including geology, hydrology, and geography. Furthermore, given changes in time in ore grade and mining technology, recent data best capture the contemporary impacts of an individual mine.