Journal of hazardous materials最新文献

Polyionenes are polymers with antibacterial properties that hold great promise for the development of applications aiming to preserve against microbial surface contamination. In this study, the effect of 6-6 polyionene (PI 6-6) on a model Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli, was deciphered using next-generation, label-free shotgun proteomics. Cells were exposed to two sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the polymer before performing comprehensive proteomic analysis. Under these conditions, the abundance of up to 30 % of the proteins detected was significantly modulated compared to untreated controls. The most strongly impacted biological processes were central metabolism and cellular information processing. Exposure to PI 6-6 induced the production of reactive oxygen species depending on the PI 6-6 concentration. At 0.5x MIC, enzymes involved in hydrogen peroxide detoxification, polyamine and hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis, and sulfur metabolism, were up-modulated. At 0.75x MIC, a higher level of oxidized methionine was detected than in controls. Up-modulation of CspA RNA chaperone alongside other proteins linked to RNA metabolism and ribosome biogenesis was also observed. A large fraction of proteins was also down-modulated under both concentration conditions, with the majority of the top ten down-modulated proteins overlapping between the two treatments. These proteins primarily participate in the glyoxylate/dicarboxylate metabolism and propanoate metabolic pathways, which are both key routes for energy production and carbohydrate metabolism.

Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) solid-liquid partitioning is crucial for ecological risk assessment in large-scale rivers. However, the roles of microbial communities (generalists vs. specialists) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition in regulating HMs dynamics remain unclear. We investigated 77 aquatic sites across the Yangtze River (>1000 km), analyzed HMs distributions and DOM composition, as well as elucidated the mechanisms of HMs solid-liquid partitioning driven by microbial generalist-specialist. HMs primarily originated from natural sources, with limited anthropogenic influence. Community structures, diversity, and metabolic characteristics of bacteria and eukaryotes differed substantially between water and sediments. Bacterial specialists and eukaryotic generalists dominated their respective community formation. From sediments to water, changes in metabolic abundance of bacteria and eukaryotes are key drivers of HMs dynamics and DOM composition, and different taxa influence HMs distribution via distinct pathways. Bacterial specialists indirectly promote HMs retention in sediments through the mediation of protein-like substances. In contrast, eukaryotic generalists directly drive HMs migration into water. Although ecological risks in water were relatively low, most HMs still pose a migration risk from sediments to water, especially As, Cd, and Hg. This study highlights the key roles of microbes and DOM in regulating HMs dynamics, advancing riverine HMs fate understanding.

Thallium (Tl) pollution of natural water sources is one of the serious challenges to the water environment and human health in the country. Despite the low environmental background level, localized threats still exist in polluted areas. In this study, we applied an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) classification model using 1986 water source Tl data and 12 relevant environmental variables to predict whether the Tl concentration in China's natural waters exceeds 0.1 μg/L, and to identify known and uncollected pollution areas. The results show that the hotspot areas, indicated by the natural water Tl risk map, include several regions in southern and southwestern China. We also explored the influence of important environmental factors related to Tl pollution, revealing that climate, lithology, and human activities combined to form Tl risk patterns. By combining the predicted results with population density maps, we found that densely populated areas facing the impacts of Tl pollution highly overlap with high-risk pollution zones. These findings emphasize the need to pay close attention to water sources at high risk of Tl pollution to ensure the safety of water for residents.

Background: Indoor environmental factors during early life may influence susceptibility to respiratory infections, but their relationship with COVID-19 outcomes in children and parents remains unclear.

Objectives: This study investigates associations between early-life household exposures (fuel type, heating methods, ventilation patterns, redecoration, dampness/mold, incense, and mosquito coil use) and COVID-19 infection and sequelae in children and their parents.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter survey among 20,012 preschool children and their parents (total 60,036 participants) from nine cities in China between December 2019 and May 2023. Logistic regression models were applied, adjusting for sociodemographic and environmental covariates. Sensitivity analyses included adjustment for outdoor air pollutants and climatic factors.

Results: Household factors such as solid fuel use, insufficient ventilation, and indoor dampness/mold were associated with higher odds of COVID-19 infection among children and parents. Use of mechanical ventilation and clean heating systems were associated with lower odds. Associations with long COVID (n = 20 child cases) were exploratory and imprecise.

Conclusions: Indoor household exposures may influence COVID-19 outcomes in children and parents, independent of outdoor air pollution. These findings highlight the potential of improving indoor environments as a preventive measure, but longitudinal studies with clinical verification are needed.

Driven by rapid industrial development, manganese (Mn²⁺) and microplastic pollution pose serious threats to aquatic ecosystems and human neurological health, highlighting the urgent need for effective control strategies. Bioremediation has gained increasing attention in recent years owing to its high efficiency and environmentally friendly nature. In this study, we isolated a Mn²⁺-resistant strain, Bacillus sp. A260, from deep-sea cold seep sediments. This strain displayed exceptional tolerance to 300 mM Mn²⁺ and produced significant quantities of manganese carbonate (MnCO₃). Notably, elevated Mn²⁺ concentrations promoted biofilm formation by strain A260. Further mechanistic investigations revealed a coordinated regulatory network in Bacillus sp. A260, involving MntR-mediated Mn²⁺ homeostasis, YkoY/YceF-dependent Mn²⁺ efflux, and PerR/Fur-regulated Fe/Mn uptake. This network was accompanied by changes in energy metabolism, activation of oxidative stress response, and Spo0A-mediated biofilm synthesis, all of which contributed to the resilience of the strain under Mn²⁺ stress. In addition, Mn²⁺ induced biofilm formation enhanced the microplastic adsorption capacity of strain A260, enabling the simultaneous removal of Mn²⁺ and microplastics. Strain A260 achieved 97 % Mn²⁺ and 96 % microplastic removal at pH 7 and 37 ℃ within 14 days, and exhibited strong adaptability to pH and temperature variations. Thus, Bacillus sp. A260 serves as a robust model for studying microbial metal resistance and is a promising candidate for the simultaneous bioremediation of Mn²⁺ and microplastic contaminants in aquatic environments.

Succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors (SDHIs) have been increasingly used as fungicides in agriculture for decades. Penflufen (PEN) is a widely used chiral fungicide and the acute toxic concentration of S-(+)-PEN was 54 times higher than R-(-)-PEN in zebrafish. However, the toxic effects of rac-PEN and its enantiomers on mammals remain unclear. Here, 7-week-old C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 30 mg/kg bw/d or 100 mg/kg bw/d of rac-PEN and enantiomers for 28 days. Compared with R-(-)-PEN, S-(+)- and rac-PEN significantly decreased the relative weights of the kidney, spleen and testis. The integrated hepatic transcriptomic and non-target metabolomic results suggested that PEN exposure induced oxidation stress, caused glucose metabolism disorder, and disrupted steroid hormones. The specific binding modes in CYP450s might be related to the higher residue and toxic effects of S-(+)-PEN than R-(-)-PEN. Moreover, PEN exposure disrupted hepatic hormones including fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) and steroid hormone. The changed levels of hepatic pregnenolone, cortisol, and cortisone might be also associated with kidney function. Overall, these results indicated that S-(+)-PEN caused more toxic effects on different endpoints than R-(-)-PEN. These findings would be significant in providing novel insights for understanding the potential health risk of rac-PEN and its enantiomers in mammals.

Surface Water Foam (SWF) and underlying Surface Water (SW) were collected from six distinct sites across Michigan using a novel sampling device. PFAS were detected in all SWF samples (Σ41 compounds, n = 14; Avg total PFAS=54,895 ng/L). SWF samples were enriched in high and intermediate molecular volume PFAS relative to SW samples (n = 10) which were dominated by low molecular volume, short-chain PFAS (Avg total PFAS=21 ng/L). Ultra-long-chain and rarely detected PFAS were quantified in SWF that were not detected in SW. Wet and dry SWFs were distinguished by appearance, liquid content, and PFAS composition. Dry SWFs had higher total PFAS concentrations than wet SWFs (Avg total PFAS difference =158,330 ng/L). Intermediate molecular volume PFAS constituted a greater percentage of total PFAS concentrations in wet SWFs, whereas dry SWFs were dominated by high molecular volume PFAS. Principal component and cluster analyses show distinct compositional differences between SW, wet SWF, and dry SWF. A conceptual model is proposed to describe changes in PFAS composition during the evolution and aging of SWFs. Bubbles created from turbulence in surface waters initially accumulate to form wet SWFs. Liquid drains as wet SWFs evolve towards dry SWFs and lower molecular weight PFAS with lower air-water interface (AWI) adsorption drain with the liquid. This enriches dry SWFs with higher molecular volume PFAS that have higher AWI adsorption (up to five orders of magnitude). This study demonstrates the value of SWFs as a complementary sampling matrix for quantifying high and intermediate volume PFAS in natural surface water systems.

The remediation of multicomponent wastewater containing high-valent heavy metals and organic pollutants remains a significant environmental challenge. Visible-light-driven photocatalysis holds promise for concurrent pollutants decontamination, but is often hindered by sluggish interfacial charge transfer, rapid electron-hole recombination, and inadequate redox-active carriers. In this work, we present a dual-vacancy-incorporated Bi₂WO₆ (V-BWO) photocatalyst, featuring strategically introduced oxygen vacancies (OVs) and bismuth vacancies (BiVs), to overcome these constraints. Integrated theoretical and experimental investigations uncover a defect-mediated charge dynamics mechanism: OVs function as shallow electron traps enabling ultrafast charge capture, while BiVs function as deep relaxation sites that-under Cr(VI)-induced electron quenching-synergistically stabilize holes and extend their lifetime. This synergistic vacancy modulation achieves exceptional performance: a ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation rate constant of 3.3 × 10^-2 min^-1 with concurrent Cr(VI)-to-Cr(III) conversion (0.036 mmol/L reduced after 60 min). Notably, the catalyst sustains robust > 80.6 % contaminant removal efficiency in continuous-flow operation across diverse pollutants including CIP, bisphenol A (BPA), and rhodamine B (RhB). These findings elucidate the pivotal role of dual-defect states in tuning carrier dynamics and establishes a robust platform for integrated photocatalytic detoxification of multicomponent wastewater streams.

Green electrospinning of fully bio-based nanofibrous membranes holds significant promise for sustainable development. However, the complex molecular structures and functional groups inherent in bio-based materials often lead to strong intermolecular interactions. It may cause nozzle clogging and hinder the stretching and thinning of electrospinning jets, thereby adversely affecting performance optimization and scalable manufacturing of fibers. This study proposes an innovative "small-molecule barrier" strategy by introducing small molecules with controlled hydrogen bonds to shield strong polymer interactions. It reduced the jetting resistance of the microjet, significantly improving the electrospinning efficiency and the fiber formation quality. Resveratrol (RV) and naringin (NRG) were selected as the most suitable small molecules, which increased the jetting continuity of zein solution by 5.75 times and also achieved multifunctional integration. Furthermore, a sheath gas-assisted 8-nozzle electrospinning device was used to significantly increase production efficiency by 11.2 times. Most importantly, high-efficiency electrospinning of bio-based materials using water and ethanol as green solvents has become possible. The zein/RV/NRG membrane showed better filtration performance than the N95 mask core layer, with antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus over 97 %, and a ultraviolet protection factor of 107.51. This study advances the green manufacturing of high-performance multifunctional composite nanofibers.

The co-occurrence of fluoride (F⁻) and nutrient pollutants in wastewater poses a significant challenge for treatment processes due to their distinct physicochemical behaviors. Constructed wetlands (CWs), as ecologically adaptive systems, offer nature-based solutions for the integrated attenuation of multifaceted contaminant mixtures. This study evaluated five types of CWs with varying substrates under micro-oxygen regulation, focusing on iron-carbon (Fe-C) micro-electrolysis for enhanced removal and the microbial response of F⁻, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) under continuous flow conditions. The Fe-C CWs (CW-E) achieved the highest F⁻ removal efficiency (40.14 ± 15.81 %) and sustained total phosphorus (TP) removal (up to 99 %) under F^- stress, while maintaining moderate total nitrogen (TN) removal (72 %). Comparative analysis showed that CW-E outperformed other configurations in simultaneous multi-pollutant removal. However, CW with separately filled Fe-C substrates (CW-D) showed more stable nitrogen removal, indicating that substrate combination affects specific pollutant behavior. Fe-C micro-electrolysis CW under F^- and nutrient stress reduced microbial diversity but enriched key electroactive and functional bacteria (Bacillus, Desulfomicrobium) associated with extracellular electron transfer, N transformation, and P accumulation. Functional genes related to electron transfer (e.g., cyt c, pili, NADH dehydrogenase) and quorum sensing (QS) were upregulated, indicating that micro-electrolysis reshaped microbial community structure and function. Moreover, QS was significantly positive (P < 0.001) with the direct electron transfer (DET) process, indicating the role of DET in microbial cooperation. This work demonstrated that Fe-C micro-electrolysis CWs enhanced microbial function toward pollutant stress, providing a potential intensification strategy for multi-pollutant treatment in decentralized wastewater systems.