Water, Air, & Soil Pollution最新文献

In the presented study, agar-gelatin/poly(acrylic acid) (AG-GEL/PAAc) was proposed as an effective biopolymeric double network (DN) adsorbent synthesized using a simple one-pot heating and cooling method for the adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The changes in the adsorbent structure were revealed through analyses using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Initial concentration, temperature, and adsorbent dose were used as the adsorption parameters to optimize the adsorption capacity using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a Face-Central Centered Composite Design (FCCCD). The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 672.96 mg Pb(II)/g DN hydrogel under optimal conditions defined as an initial adsorbate concentration of 1500 mg/L, an adsorption temperature of 45 °C, and an adsorbent dose of 0.025 g. The kinetic studies and the equilibrium data were fitted to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. Additionally, the thermodynamic parameters revealed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption process. The results demonstrated that the DN adsorbent, which is easy to synthesize, has high adsorption efficiency, and good reusability, has the potential for effective application in environmental protection.

The photocatalytic degradation of erythromycin (ERY) was investigated using a Sn-doped Ti-Zr oxide photocatalyst in two water matrices: reverse osmosis (RO) water and real underground (UG) water. Two photon fluxes emitted by 9 W (low) and 18 W (high) UV-A lamps were evaluated to determine how the complexity of the water matrix affects photocatalytic performance. Although ERY removal was accelerated by a high photon flux, similar degradation was achieved using low photon flux with significantly lower energy consumption. Light penetration was reduced, and energy demands were increased by dissolved organic matter and inorganic compounds in UG water. Substantially more energy was required for ERY mineralization than for its degradation. In RO water, phenolic compounds and cyclic alcohol were produced during ERY degradation, whereas in UG water, aromatic compounds—likely reflecting aquifer contamination—were generated. Toxicity to A. cepa and L. sativa was observed in some treated samples, possibly due to the formation of harmful byproducts and the presence of fluorine ions. This work underscores the critical need to consider the impact of real-world water matrices on photocatalytic processes and highlights the importance of comprehensive risk assessments for effective water treatment.

Water contamination has become an increasingly critical issue, with growing concerns about its impact on public health and the safety of aquatic life. The need for effective innovations in water monitoring and management systems is crucial to address this challenge aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which emphasizes the need for clean water and sanitation. Traditional chromatographic and spectrometric methods although reliable and accurate are often inaccessible to the general public and offer no potential for onsite real-time monitoring. Electrochemical-based methods for detecting water pollutants, in particular, are highlighted as promising candidates for real-time analysis of water bodies owing to their high accuracy, selectivity, and potential point-of-care applications. Despite the advantages offered by these current technologies, there remain challenges such as regulatory compliance, scalability, chemical by-products, high complexity, and high cost that need to be addressed before global implementation. The review, therefore, aims to address this crucial mainstream research by providing a comprehensive outlook on the well-established state-of-the-art as well as electrochemical technologies along with exciting prospects and future directions for research and development of effective water monitoring technologies.

Flumioxazin and S-metolachlor are herbicides commonly used in soybean cultivation, often applied together or found concurrently in the environment due to their persistence. This study aimed to assess the toxicity of Flumioxazin, S-metolachlor, and their commercial mixture (Apresa®) on Eisenia fetida, an earthworm species used as a terrestrial bioindicator. Organisms were exposed for 7 and 14 days to different concentrations of the herbicides: Flumioxazin (half dose: 113.4 mg/350 g of soil; field dose: 226.8 mg; double dose: 453.6 mg), S-metolachlor (0.25, 340.2, and 680.4 mg/350 g of soil), and commercial mixture (113.4, 226.8, and 453.6 mg/350 g of soil). Lethality parameters (survival and biomass), behavioral responses (avoidance), and genotoxic effects (comet assay and micronucleus test) were evaluated. None of the tested herbicide concentrations caused significant mortality. No significant differences were detected in biomass across treatments. However, significant avoidance was noted at the field and double doses of S-metolachlor, as well as at all concentrations of the commercial mixture. The comet assay revealed DNA damage at field doses of Flumioxazine and S-metolachlor, as well as at field and double doses for the mixture. The micronucleus test indicated mutagenic effects at the lowest dose of Flumioxazin, at the field and double doses of S-metolachlor, and at both the half and double doses of the commercial mixture. These results suggest that herbicides, individually and in combination, pose genotoxic risks even at low concentrations, with the mixture potentially enhancing the observed effects compared to single compounds. The study underscores the importance of reassessing herbicide application strategies to safeguard soil organisms and environmental health.

With the intensification of global climate change and the increasing prevalence of eutrophication, harmful algal blooms (HABs) have caused severe environmental damage. Current research predominantly focuses on algal inactivation and remediation, while secondary pollutants such as microcystins (MCs) and algal organic matter (AOM) released after algal lysis also pose significant threats to aquatic ecological security and human health. This review systematically summarizes recent advancements in removal technologies for microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and AOM, emphasizing the mechanisms and efficiencies of coagulation-sedimentation, photocatalysis, Fenton reaction, ultrasonic cavitation, and ozonation. Analysis indicates that integrated coagulation-sedimentation with electrochemical or bio-flocculants achieves high-efficiency algal cell removal and toxin release suppression. Modified photocatalysts enhance carrier separation capacity, enabling rapid MC-LR degradation. Synergistic Fenton and ultrasonic technologies inactivate algal cells and degrade intra/extracellular toxins through interfacial confinement effects and radical chain reactions. Ozone microbubble technology, combining coagulation and oxidation, demonstrates excellent performance in removing cyanobacterial cells and their derivatives as well as eliminating MC-LR. Previous studies and toxicity assessment software have confirmed that hydroxylation of Adda side chains and ring-opening reactions can significantly reduce MC-LR toxicity, though some intermediates may exhibit certain toxicity. This review further highlights the need for future research to prioritize the development of cost-effective integrated technologies with low secondary pollution, improve engineering applicability under complex aquatic conditions, and deepen the analysis of toxicological mechanisms of degradation products, thereby providing theoretical and technical references for the efficient control of MC-LR and AOM.

Graphical Abstract

Excessive nitrogen (N) fertiliser application in agriculture, coupled with heightened weather variability and frequent intense rainfall, has resulted in diminished N use efficiency and nitrate leaching into drinking water resources. In this study, a 4-year N fertilisation gradient experiment was carried out at two experimental sites in the Czech Republic. The objective was to evaluate the effect of N fertilisation and weather patterns on the leaching of mineral forms of N, as well as on grain N uptake in winter wheat. Zero-tension lysimetric probes were installed in each treatment plot to collect soil water percolating freely from the soil above. The results showed that the leaching of different mineral forms of N was influenced in an opposite way by mean air temperature. While higher leaching of NH₄⁺ -N was found at lower air temperatures, the highest NO₃⁻ -N leaching was observed under higher air temperatures. NO₃⁻ -N leaching was closely positively correlated to rainfall. The relationship was exponential with a substantial increase in NO₃⁻ -N leaching occurring during vegetation season with rainfall above 400 mm. N uptake / N leaching ratio showed a positive correlation with mean air temperature and a negative correlation with rainfall. N fertilisation dose significantly increased grain N uptake in winter wheat. However, it did not significantly affect NO₃⁻ -N and NH₄⁺ -N leaching from the soil. The use of multiple regression and an artificial neural network models with input data rainfall, mean air temperature, and N dose in fertilisers led to an increase in prediction reliability to 62% and 94% in the case of NO₃⁻ -N leaching and 47% and 93% in the case of NH₄⁺ -N leaching, respectively. The results illustrate the importance of accounting for the effects of changes in mean climatic factors and climatic variability on both wheat N uptake and N leaching.

Chlorination is widely employed in medical and water treatment systems; however, its impact on polymer aging and the coupled release of microplastics (MPs) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) remains poorly understood. Existing studies have primarily focused on polymer degradation under UV irradiation or thermal conditions, largely overlooking the roles of active chlorine species and unique oxidative pathways present in practical disinfection environments. Here, we directly simulated representative chlorination conditions to investigate the degradation kinetics of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide 6 (PA6), and a model blended textile (PU–PA6). A multi-scale analytical framework combining field-emission SEM (FESEM), attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (3D-EEM–PARAFAC) was established to elucidate the mechanistic links among surface oxidation, chain scission, and DOM optical property evolution. Our results reveal a previously unreported, material-dependent “two-stage degradation” mechanism in the blended system: the PU soft segments undergo rapid hydrolytic cleavage, triggering accelerated MPs release, followed by progressive PA6 hard-segment fragmentation that drives DOM evolution from low-molecular-weight amine-like species toward humic-like, high-molecular-weight components. This interfacial degradation process governs MPs size distribution and generates abundant submicron fragments. Unlike UV photochlorination mechanisms, which involve ¹O₂-mediated aromatic rearrangements, chlorination in this study is characterized by Cl•/ClO•-initiated chain scission and enrichment of oxygen-containing functional groups, without observable surface reconstruction. Importantly, our findings demonstrate that even in the absence of light or thermal input, chlorination alone can substantially induce secondary MPs formation and produce DOM with high aromaticity and strong potential as disinfection byproduct (DBPs) precursors. This study extends the paradigm of polymer aging research by proposing a chlorination-driven, interface-mediated mechanism for coupled MPs-derived DOM (MPs–DOM) release, offering critical insights for DBPs risk assessment and control in medical and drinking water disinfection scenarios.

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) include a vast range of largely unregulated, recently detected, and potentially harmful substances that vary substantially in terms of their physicochemical properties. Despite more than two decades of research, much uncertainty remains regarding their detection, behaviour, impacts, and treatment. This systematic meta-review draws from dozens of published review articles and collates their reported findings to establish current scientific consensus on the subject. It begins by providing an overview of the classes and characteristics of known CECs. It then discusses their typical sources, occurrence, and fate in various aquatic environments. Further treatment is given to (i) the potential impacts of CECs on both humans and natural ecosystems; (ii) the need for extensive monitoring and surveillance programmes; (iii) the importance (and current lack) of effective regulation, management, and mitigation strategies; and (iv) current and emerging treatment technologies. Finally, critical knowledge gaps and future research directions are identified and discussed.

Climate change is considered as one of the most important environmental issues, which is posing a threat to the food and nutritional security of the world. Rising concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a globally consistent and important contributor to climate change. Crops are sensitive to future climate changes and show variable responses to rising atmospheric CO₂. It is necessary to evaluate response of crops to elevated CO₂ to understand the adaptive capabilities of plants to climate change for formulation of strategies towards sustainable agriculture and development of climate-resilient crops in the future. The present study is the first to explore effects of high CO₂ on seed composition of mustard grown under realistic field conditions in Free Air CO₂ Enrichment Facility (FACE). Also, it is the first to report impact of elevated CO₂ on glucosinolates and ultrastructure of seeds of B. juncea. In this study, mustard plants (Brassica juncea) were grown under ambient CO₂ (390 µmol mol^-1), or elevated CO₂ (550 µmol mol^-1) in FACE. Elevated CO₂ significantly increased the concentration of total soluble sugars, oil content and C:N ratio in seeds. The study reports, for the first time, a statistically significant decrease in concentration of nitrogenous compounds such as aliphatic glucosinolates and their precursor, methionine, in seeds of B. juncea grown in FACE facility. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) further revealed reduction in protein bodies in cotyledonary cell of mustard seeds at high CO₂. The findings of the study suggest that an increase in atmospheric CO₂ will significantly affect the nutritional quality, medicinal properties, and defense ability of the oilseed. Such changes are likely to affect global oilseed trade, commerce, and supply chains dependent on this crop. Therefore, this study highlights the need to develop climate-resilient mustard crop to ensure the maintenance of nutritional quality in its seeds under future climate change scenarios.

Urban areas are affected by anthropogenic activities that cause pollutant load on receiving water bodies. Stormwater bioretention are popular and effective in removing pollutants. The main water quality treatment processes are filtration and adsorption in the top layer (0-10 cm) of the filters. So far, few in-field studies have evaluated effects of cold climate and de-icing salt on bioretention for treating metals. Thus, a comprehensive study of total and dissolved metal removal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in a bioretention system for management of road runoff from the European highway E4 was carried out. Three different filter configurations were examined: a sand filter (SF), a vegetated sand filter (BF) and a vegetated sand filter with chalk additive (BFC). The results show a general trend of significant metal removal in all three filters, BFC, BF and SF, both under impact of high (Cl⁻ > 210 mg/l) and low (Cl⁻ ≤ 98.2 mg/l) chloride concentrations. For total metal concentrations, the results show that removal was most efficient in filter BFC, then BF and least efficient in filter SF. For metals such as Cu, Ni and Pb, this may indicate that better removal could be achieved using vegetated filters with chalk additives that affect pH. For dissolved metals, there is a tendence of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn removal in filter BFC when lower chloride impact. With higher chlorides concentrations, there tended to be a release of metals from the filters.