Water, Air, & Soil Pollution最新文献

Microplastic (MP) pollution has become a significant environmental concern, particularly in freshwater systems. However, little is known about the occurrence and characteristics of MPs in groundwater-fed freshwater sources such as natural springs. In this study, the presence, abundance and characteristics of MPs were investigated in freshwater natural springs across South Africa, representing different land-use types (i.e. rural and peri-urbanl) and spring type (i.e. modified and unmodified). On average, 6 particles per L (± 1.2 SD) of MPs were recorded, ranging between 2 (limit of quantification; LOQ) to 38 particles per L. Land-use and spring type did not show any significant influence on MPs abundance (p > 0.05). Overall, MPs exhibited diverse characteristics. Fibres (67.8%) were the predominant shape, while blue (28.8%) was the most common colour. The dominant size class was 100–250 µm across all springs, while the dominant polymer was polyethylene (PE; 46.8%). Our findings suggests that groundwater-fed water sources like natural springs, regardless of their limited exposure to above ground environment, are equally at risk of MPs contamination, similar to surface freshwater systems. This research provides empirical evidence on MPs contamination and monitoring of remote ecosystems, highlighting the ecological and social risk of MPs pollution in important freshwater resources. The study contributes valuable data for understanding MP dynamics including their densities and sources from groundwater-fed freshwater resources, offering insights into broader environmental pollution to African systems.

Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in general, and benzene contamination of marine environments in particular, have had devastating effects on human health and bio-ecology. Furthermore, due to the insensitivity of conventional chemical methods in determining the early effects of harmful substance bioactivity at sublethal doses, there is a significant gap in the process of environmental protection and comprehensive planning in dangerous situations. This study systematically evaluates marine algae-based biomonitoring procedures for producing quantitative estimates of benzene-induced genotoxicity in coastal tropical seas and generating environmental health risk assessment models and early-warning systems. Four important macroalgae species (Gracilaria verrucosa, Chaetomorpha crassa, Caulerpa racemosa var. corynephora, and Caulerpa lentillifera) were tested as environmental health bio-sentinels under three environmentally relevant levels of benzene concentrations (83.10–983.49 µg/L) found in Asian coastal waters using exposure tests of 96 h. Alkaline comets were utilized as sensitive molecular sensors for assessing the genotoxic effects, resulting in hypersensitivity and species specificity. G. verrucosa was found to have the highest sensitivity (EC₅₀ = 83.7 µg/L). Probit regression modeling revealed strong dose–response associations (R² > 0.92), enabling the identification of no-effect and biomonitoring protection limits. The bioassay detected early genotoxic signals at concentrations below established aquatic life protection thresholds, reinforcing its value as a sensitive biomonitoring tool for coastal environments. Its 96-h turnaround time enhances operational efficiency for continuous environmental health surveillance, enabling early-warning detection, supporting regulatory compliance in coastal water-quality management, and contributing to global environmental quality standards and marine health security initiatives.

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Comprehensive overview of the marine algae-based biomonitoring protocol for benzene genotoxicity assessment. The workflow illustrates: (1) Selection of four tropical macroalgal species as bio-sentinels, (2) 96-h controlled exposure to environmentally relevant benzene concentrations, (3) DNA damage assessment using alkaline comet assay, (4) Species-specific dose–response relationships with G. verrucosa as the most sensitive indicator (EC₅₀ = 83.7 μg/L), and (5) Application in a four-tier environmental risk framework for coastal water-quality management. This protocol provides a cost-effective early-warning system for petroleum pollution monitoring in tropical marine ecosystems.

Hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) compounds, including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimeric acid (HFPO-DA) and its ammonium salt (GenX), hexafluoropropylene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA), and hexafluoropropylene oxide tetrameric acid (HFPO-TeA), have been used as substitutes for phased-out legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Due to their extreme chemical stability, high water solubility, and persistence, these compounds have increasingly been detected in various water bodies, raising significant environmental and public health concerns. This review focuses on studies published between 2021 and 2025, summarizing the current knowledge on the removal efficiencies of various treatment technologies, including adsorption, ion exchange resins, membrane filtration, electrochemical oxidation, and advanced oxidation processes specifically targeting HFPO compounds. The main mechanisms governing their removal are hydrophobic interactions, ion exchange, and radical-induced degradation. However, the short-chain length and ether-linked structures of HFPOs limit the effectiveness of many conventional treatment methods. Recent research has placed particular emphasis on degradation-based approaches, which can achieve high removal or partial defluorination under optimized laboratory or pilot conditions. However, such outcomes often require high energy input and may generate transformation products, limiting their direct field applicability. At the same time, several engineered adsorbents and ion-exchange materials have demonstrated removal rates of 99% or higher in clean matrices, highlighting that no single strategy is universally superior. Overall, integrated treatment approaches that combine adsorption, separation, and degradation are increasingly recognized as necessary to achieve effective and sustainable remediation of HFPO-contaminated water,

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This study aimed to use functionalized peach stone as an agricultural waste and use it as a novel selective green sorbent for removal of nitrate ions. The modification process included the functionalization of peach stone powder with amine groups using triethylamine. The synthesized sorbent was characterized with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller techniques to confirm the amine groups immobilization on the surface of the biosorbent. The sorption of nitrate ions on the unmodified peach stone and amine functionalized peach stone was explored as a function of pH, temperature, contact time, initial nitrate concentration, and amount of sorbent in a batch sorption process. The obtained results indicated that sorption of nitrate ions under the optimum conditions was strikingly improved onto Amine@PS compared to PS in which the nitrate removal (%) of 100 and 72.5 were obtained for the Amine@PS after passing 5 min at ambient temperature and for PS after passing 20 min. These results highlight the role of amine functional groups in efficiently increasing the adsorption of nitrate ions and removal (%). Kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption process attained equilibrium after an extra short time of 5 min and followed the pseudo-second-order rate equation. The isothermal data fitted better with the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model. Moreover, the maximum adsorption capacity of 476.19 mg g⁻¹ was achieved via Langmuir model at optimum conditions. The obtained thermodynamic parameters (ΔHº, ΔSº and ΔGº) clarified that adsorption of nitrate onto Amine@PS was spontaneous and exothermic. Application of Amine@PS for treatment of various water samples including industrial effluents containing nitrate ions showed significant potential of the proposed method.

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This study investigates, the photocatalytic potential of hydrothermally synthesised magnesium borate hydrate (Admontite, MgO·3B₂O₃·7H₂O) for the removal of Congo Red (CR), a persistent azo dye, from aqueous solutions under UV irradiation. The photocatalyst was synthesised via a simplified hydrothermal route and comprehensively characterised by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transmission Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses, confirming the formation of a single-phase admontite structure with submicron, multi-angular morphology. The effects of photocatalyst dosage, irradiation time, and initial dye concentration on CR removal efficiency were systematically evaluated using a Box–Behnken response surface methodology. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the reduced quadratic model described the experimental data (R² = 0.9985, p < 0.0001). The maximum CR removal efficiency of 58.74% was achieved under optimal conditions of 0.10 g photocatalyst dosage, 60 min irradiation time, and 50 ppm initial dye concentration. Radical scavenging experiments revealed that superoxide radicals (O₂⁻·) played a dominant role in the photodegradation mechanism. These findings highlight magnesium borate hydrate as a cost-effective, environmentally benign, and structurally stable photocatalyst, offering a promising alternative for dye-contaminated wastewater treatment.

Nitrifying sludge system is a promising alternative for the removal of numerous antibiotics, however the impacts of combined exposure of antibiotics on nitrifying sludge system remain poorly understood. In this study, the impacts of individual and combined exposure of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and cephalexin (CFX) on nitrifying sludge performance were investigated. Nine sequencing batch reactors were operated for 21 days under three concentration gradients (0.2, 2, and 10 mg/L). The results demonstrated a significant, dose-dependent decline in nitrification efficiency: ammonium nitrogen (NH4⁺–N) removal rates decreased to 73% and 61.2% under 10 mg/L individual and combined exposures, respectively (p < 0.01), resulting from a 90% reduction in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) abundance and a > 92% reduction in amoA relative abundance. Antibiotic degradation efficiency also declined dramatically under the combined exposure of high antibiotic concentrations due to the inhibition of AOB, although resistant heterotrophs known to efficiently degrade antibiotics were enriched. The propagation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) was caused by both horizontal gene transfer and the enrichment of potential hosts. Overall, this study elucidates the influence mechanism of combined antibiotic stress on nitrifying sludge systems.

Contemporary research on microplastics primarily focuses on aquatic and atmospheric systems, thereby leaving the understanding of microplastic pollution in soils relatively underdeveloped. Conventional detection techniques often require labor-intensive preparation, costly instrumentation, and lack real-time capability. To address these limitations, we develop a laser ablation–proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (LA-PTR-MS) method for rapid, sensitive detection of microplastics in soil. Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and polystyrene (PS) serve as representative biodegradable and conventional microplastics. Thermal degradation analysis identifies diagnostic volatile markers: PBAT generates propene (C₃H₆) and nonanal (C₉H₁₈O), while PS produces styrene (C₈H₈). These ions are accurately detected and show less interference from soil background. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models using these targeted markers achieve superior small-sample accuracy (n = 21) — PS: R² = 0.994, RMSE = 0.0729‰; PBAT: R² = 0.997, RMSE = 0.0527‰ — outperforming machine learning models built on full-spectrum signals because they reduce noise, focus on chemically specific features, and avoid overfitting. Field validation finds PBAT and PS concentrations of ~ 1 ‰ in plots with prior application, while other areas remain below detection limits. These results indicate that targeted-feature analysis not only enhances robustness and interpretability but also minimizes noise and overfitting in small-sample conditions. Nevertheless, full-spectrum data mining retains importance for leveraging microplastic fingerprint information. Together, these insights demonstrate, for the first time, that a laser-based PTR-MS platform integrated with chemo selective targeted regression can achieve reliable, preparation-efficient quantification, establishing a new paradigm for rapid soil microplastic monitoring.

Groundwater contamination by emerging contaminants is an increasing concern, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions like northeastern Tunisia, where aquifers are vital for water supply. This study investigates the influence of hydrogeological characteristics specifically lithology and groundwater flow dynamics on the fate, mobility, and retention of emerging contaminants (CECs) and pesticides within the Grombalia aquifer system. By integrating geological, hydrogeochemical, and spatial analyses, the study reveals that lithological heterogeneity plays a decisive role in shaping contaminant behavior. Clay-rich layers act as natural barriers that retard the migration of pollutants, while sandy formations enhance infiltration and transport. Variations in contaminant concentrations particularly the attenuation of pharmaceuticals such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and sulfamethoxazole, as well as pesticides like mexacarbate and atrazine-desethyl highlight the impact of subsurface composition. Moreover, zones with converging groundwater flow paths and high-permeability sediments are shown to promote localized contaminant accumulation. These findings underscore the importance of coupling lithological assessments with hydrogeological data to better understand contaminant transport processes.

Podophthalmus vigil (P vigil) is a marine crab which is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region which is commonly known as sentinel crab or long-eyed swimming crab. P. vigil is commercially important crab available in all the coastal areas of Peninsular India having good amount of protein, minerals and fatty acids. However, no work has been done on the Microplastic (MPs) contamination globally on this crab. The present study is the maiden study in documenting the presence of MPs in P. vigil (male, female and female carrying eggs). Fibres were the dominant consisting about 54.8%, followed by fragments (32.7%), Granule (9.7%), Foam (1.8%) and pellet (1.02%). Black colour being the dominant (27.82%) followed by Red (25.21%), Blue (24.20%), Transparent (16.54%) and White (5.29%). Mean Microplastic in gills is found to be higher than gut and muscle tissue. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) show 88% of variance in MPs contamination in different body parts of crab. Polypropylene (PP), Polystyrene (PS), Polyethylene (PE), (Polyethylene tetraphene (PET) and Polyamide (PA) were the polymer composition of microplastic found in the crab. For this study we collected the wild P.vigil from three landing areas of Ganjam, Odisha situated in the East coast of India. Our study aims to give a baseline data about the abundance, characteristics and distribution of MPS in gut, gill and muscle tissue of wild caught P.vigil (Fabricius, 1798).

This review is the only one that compiles data from Argentina (2010 to early 2025) on human and veterinary pharmaceuticals (HVPs) in aquatic environments and compares them with international findings. HVPs were detected in 25% of the territory, in biota, water, and sediments, at concentrations up to 652 μg kg⁻¹, 217 μg L⁻¹, and 34 μg kg⁻¹ (d.w.), respectively. Ecotoxicological studies revealed adverse effects on algae, cladocerans, fish, crabs, and amphibians, including reduced survival and morphological, physiological, and behavioral alterations. This study provides an HC5 (hazardous concentration for 5% of species) value of 1.6 mg L⁻¹ was estimated using species sensitivity distributions (SSD), with sensitivity increasing from cladocerans < green algae < amphibians. The review highlights the scarcity of long-term studies, risk assessments, and regulatory thresholds, while stressing that Argentina’s situation reflects broader challenges in Latin American countries and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, which share comparable economic, social, and public health challenges. These findings support a One Health perspective, emphasizing the role of environmental quality as a factor potentially influencing human and animal health.

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