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The concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, Pb, Cr, and Cd in soil were analyzed in a mining area in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The average metal concentrations in the soil samples were 204.07 mg/kg, 88.15 mg/kg, 14.47 mg/kg 88.52 mg/kg, 56.45 mg/kg, and 0.235 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the evaluation standards, background values of the soil heavy metals, multiple soil pollution assessment indices, such as the single factor index (Pi), the geological accumulation index (Igeo), the Nemerow index (Pn), the ecological risk index (ER), and the health risk index (HI) were applied to evaluate the soil environmental risks in the study area. It was found that in different soil layer depths (0–10 cm, 10–30 cm, and 30–50 cm), the evaluation result of each index showed that there were significant spatial differences in soil pollution levels, and the focus of different indices differed greatly from each other. The Pi put 18.14% of the area at high risk of soil contamination levels, due to the fact that this index highlights the Cu pollution factor more than other indices and relatively amplifies hazards in some high-risk areas. While the Pn indicated that 61.36% of the study area was at a safe level of soil contamination, it can underestimate the regional soil heavy metal pollution risk. In order to scientifically carry out soil-pollution-risk prevention and control, it is necessary to comprehensively compare and analyze the information disclosed by different indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field trial was conducted in Inner Mongolia to evaluate the stabilization effects of phyto-stabilization, biochar-stabilization, and their coupled stabilization for As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in soil. Stabilization plants (Achnatherum splendens, Puccinellia chinampoensis, and Chinese small iris) and biochar (wood charcoals and chelator-modified biochar) were introduced in the field trial. The acid-extractable fraction and residual fraction of the elements were extracted following a three-stage modified procedure to assess the stabilization effect. The results after 60 days showed that the coupled stabilization produced a better stabilization effect than biochar-/phyto- stabilization alone. Achnatherum splendens and Puccinellia chinampoensis were found to activate the target elements: the residual fraction proportion of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn decreased while the acid-extractable fraction proportion of Cu and Zn increased in the corresponding planting area. Neither type of biochar produced a notable stabilization effect. The residual fraction proportion of As (20.8–84.0%, 29.2–82%), Pb (31.6–39.3%, 32.1–48.9%), and Zn (30.0–36.2%, 30.1–41.4%) increased, while the acid-extractable fraction proportion remained nearly unchanged after treatment using Chinese small iris-straw biochar or Achnatherum splendens-straw biochar, respectively. The results indicate that phyto-stabilization or biochar-stabilization alone are not suitable, whereas the coupled stabilization approach is a more efficient choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of permeable reactive bio-barriers (Bio-PRBs) is a developing method for remediation of uranium groundwater pollution. However, some remediation effects are difficult to estimate when because of the subsurface environment. Advanced knowledge of uranium migration and reactions in Bio-PRBs is crucial for successful practical application. In this study, a bidirectional kinetic reaction model was developed for predicting uranium reduction in a Bio-PRB system. The research demonstrates that the model is able to predict the uranium migration and rapidly evaluate the Bio-PRBs performance. The results show that contact period and microbial growth are the key factors that affect the remediation performance of Bio-PRBs. Microbial growth could lead to a decrease in hydraulic conductivity (K). The hydraulic conductivity loss in the free microorganisms (FM) group was 0.8–2.3 m/d, which was significantly smaller than the immobilized microorganism (IM) group (0.8–5.2 m/d). Compared to the IM group, the simulation results reveal that longer contact reaction period improves the remediation performance of SO 4 2− and uranium by 32.6% and 21.7%, respectively. The bidirectional reaction between microorganisms and pollutants leads to a decrease in the remediation efficiency. In addition, the model can be used to design standard Bio-PRBs for real field of uranium contanminated groundwater. To meet the remediation goal of groundwater, the width of IM group needs to be increased to 250 cm while 500 cm for FM group. Therefore, IM-PRBs save costs significantly. The model has successfully optimized Bio-PRBs and predicted uranium contaminant-plume evolution and microbial growth inhibition in different Bio-PRBs. [Display omitted] • The reaction model could quickly evaluate the performance of different Bio-PRBs. • Sulfate affected the uranium remediation by controlling microbial growth. • The reaction contact time was the key point to improve Bio-PRBs performance. • Bidirectional reaction model could be as a tool to develop Bio-PRBs for real field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), a kind of effective insecticide, have attracted extensive attention of researchers because of the high toxicity and refractory character of their degradation products. Given the ubiquity of manganese dioxide (MnO 2) and bisulfite (HSO 3 −) in environmental media, the abiotic degradation of several typical OPPs by the MnO 2 -HSO 3 - reaction system was investigated in batch experiments. As a representative OPP, methyl parathion (MP) was chosen to be the focus of the study. The removal rate of MP was remarkably improved by adding bisulfite (HSO 3 −) to the MnO 2 single-reaction system, and the oxidation product methyl paraoxon was below the detection limit. The primary active substances generated from the reaction system were determined to be Mn(III) species by adding excess radical scavengers or complexants (methanol and pyrophosphate) to the reaction system. On the basis of the metabolic products of MP identified by liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the transformation pathway of MP in the MnO 2 -HSO 3 - reaction system was elicited, which included the predominant processes of hydrolysis and oxidation. Furthermore, the typical OPPs with different structures were also degraded efficiently by the reaction system because of the oxidative degradation of Mn(III). This study offers significative information related to the abiotic oxidation of manganese minerals and the fate and dissipation of OPPs in the actual environment. Image 1 • HSO 3 − significantly enhanced the abiotic degradation of methyl parathion by MnO 2. • The primary active substance was determined to be Mn(III) in the MnO 2 -HSO 3 - reaction system. • Transformation pathway of MP was elicited according to the identified products. • Many OPPs with different structures were also degraded efficiently by the reaction system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverbank filtration is a natural water treatment technology that consists of extracting water from rivers by pumping wells located in the adjacent alluvial aquifer. It is vital to choose the most appropriate from multiple potential candidate sites, which is a complex procedure and seldom paid attention to. In this study, a method system including multicriteria evaluation indexes was developed with which the suitability of bank filtration along the Songhua River of China for developing riverside groundwater sources was assessed. The system was comprised of main suitability indexes for water quantity, water quality, interaction intensity between surface water and groundwater, and the exploitation condition of aquifer condition, weights of which were determined by specialist marking methods. Based on this assessment system, the suitability of the study area was divided into five grades. Results show that riversides along Lalin River, Hulan River, and the middle part of Songhua River are suitable for developing riverside groundwater sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the commercially available secnidazole was successfully converted to secnidazole xanthate (SNXT), in which the xanthate group can act as a bifunctional chelator to coordinate with 99m Tc. 99m Tc-nitrido complex of SNXT( 99m TcN-SNXT) and 99m Tc-oxo complex of SNXT( 99m TcO-SNXT) were prepared with high radiochemical purity. Both of the complexes were found to be stable in vitro and to exhibit similar hydrophilicity. In addition, comparative in vitro cell uptake studies under anoxic and normoxic conditions demonstrated that both agents were preferentially taken up by hypoxic cells. Biodistribution studies in mice bearing S180 tumor showed 99m TcO-SNXT exhibited a higher tumor uptake and tumor-to-muscle ratio than 99m TcN-SNXT. Furthermore, in SPECT imaging study, 99m TcO-SNXT exhibited a clear accumulation in tumor at 2 h post-injection, suggesting its potential to be a novel hypoxia imaging agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed assessment of vanadium contamination characteristics in China was conducted based on the first national soil pollution survey. The map overlay analysis was used to evaluate the contamination level of vanadium and the non-carcinogenic risk assessment model was calculated to quantify the vanadium exposure risks to human health. The results showed that, due to the drastically increased mining and smelting activities, 26.49% of soils were contaminated by vanadium scattered in southwest of China. According to Canadian soil quality guidelines, about 8.6% of the national soil pollution survey samples were polluted, and pose high non-carcinogenic risks to the public, especially to children living in the vicinity of heavily polluted mining areas. We propose the area near the boundary of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, and Sichuan provinces as priority control areas due to their higher geochemical background or higher health risks posed to the public. Finally, recommendations for management are proposed, including minimization of contaminant inputs, establishing stringent monitoring program, using phytoremediation, and strengthening the enforcement of relevant laws. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive assessment of soil vanadium contamination in China, and the results will provide valuable information for China’s soil vanadium management and risk avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverbank filtration (RBF) constitutes an important part of the water cycle, which involves active natural filtration leading to pollution of river water being intercepted and retained. The RBF has the function of water purification, but retention of exogenous pollutants in the RBF system complicates biogeochemical processes due to the presence of primary active components. In this study, we verified the essential role of microbial mediation during the interactions between primary Fe minerals in the RBF system and dissolved organic matter (DOM) in river water based on lab-scale experiments. The results demonstrated that DOM from infiltration of river water increased the amount of iron (Fe) released from the sediment in RBF, leading to an increase in Fe concentration in groundwater by higher than one order of magnitude. In particular, the existence of Fe bacteria even made this effect more thorough and more complex. Abiotic reduction was shown to play a more significant role in increasing Fe release than microbe-mediated reduction. Increasing the amount of Fe released could change the distribution of Fe minerals at the sediment surface, thereby affecting the structure of the microbial community in the RBF system and decreasing the DOM concentration in the groundwater. Moreover, As and Mn were found to behave in a similar manner as Fe due to their close biochemical properties when interacting with primary minerals in sediment. This study not only provides mechanistic insight into the higher Fe concentrations encountered in the groundwater of nearby rivers but also has important practical implications for developing nature-based technologies for water pollution control and environmental remediation. • DOM markedly increases Fe/Mn/As release to the aquatic environment through RBF. • DOM affects Fe morphological changes and microbe community structure in RBF. • Fe cycling between sediment and water involves complex biogeochemical processes. • DOM strongly affects Fe biogeochemical process in RBF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road and foliar dust samples from four land-use districts of Panzhihua City, a famous V-Ti magnetite production area of China, were collected to investigate the sources and distribution characteristics of 9 heavy metals (V, Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, and Mn). The results suggest that foliar samples had smaller particle size and higher heavy metal contents than road dusts. The contamination assessments of heavy metals were as follows: Pb and V (significant enrichment) > Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, and Mn (moderate enrichment) > Cd and Ni (minimal enrichment). Statistical analyses showed Pb, as the primary pollution element, originated from waste incineration and lead-fuel combustion. The sources of Zn, Ni, Cr, Fe, V, and Mn were fugitive dust and traffic activities. Potential origins of Cu were corrosion of alloys used in vehicle components, vehicle covers, or other metallic surfaces and materials. The sources of Cd were different from any other heavy metals. Traffic and industrial activities were the main anthropogenic origins of heavy metals in dusts of Panzhihua, and more attention should be paid to heavy metal pollution in agricultural area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riverbank filtration (RBF) for water supplies is used widely throughout the world because it guarantees a sustainable quantity and improves water quality. In this study, the development history and the technical overview of RBF in China are reviewed and summarized. Most RBF systems in China were constructed using vertical wells, horizontal wells, and infiltration galleries in flood plains, alluvial fans, and intermountain basins. Typical pollutants such as NH 4 + , pathogens, metals, and organic materials were removed or diluted by most RBF investigated. There have recently been many investigations of the interaction between groundwater and surface water and biogeochemical processes in RBF. Comprehensive RBF applications should include not only the positive but also negative effects. Based on a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages, the perspectives of China’s RBF technology development were proposed. To protect the security of water supply, China’s RBF systems should establish a management system, monitoring system and forecasting system of risk. Guidelines of RBF construction and management should also be issued on the basic of relevant fundamental investigations such as climate influence, clogging, and purification mechanism of water-quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metals are known to have adverse effects on soil ecosystems, while soil enzyme activities are sensitive to soil pollution. This study investigated the combined effects of Cu, Zn and Pb on the activities of invertase (IN), urease (U) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in soil obtained from the vicinity of a wellhead protection area via an orthogonal array (OA) design method. The experimental results showed the following: (1) Cu showed higher inhibition on the activities of all three enzymes than Zn and Pb when three metals were all present in the soil sample. IN activity, U activity and ALP activity decreased as the levels of Cu increased, and ranged from 15.9% to 55.7%, 3.57% to 78.6%, and 3.23% to 75.3%, respectively. Their lowest values were found in samples at 35 days with 400 mg/kg Cu. (2) Zn and Pb had different influences on the activities of the three enzymes. The lowest IN activity (the highest reduction 58.0%) and U activity (76.8%) were observed when Zn was at the concentration of 100 mg/kg after 35 days, whereas the highest inhibitory function of Zn on ALP activity (75.3%) was at 300 mg/kg after 7 days. When the concentration of Pb increased from 35 to 350 mg/kg, the activities of IN (62.5%) and U (69.6%) were most inhibited at 35 days and 14 days, respectively. However, when Pb was at the concentration of 500 mg/kg after 14 days, ALP activity (72.0%) showed the lowest value. (3) With respect to the three hydrolases in this study, ALP was the most sensitive to the two-variable interactive effects of Cu, Zn and Pb, especially Cu × Pb. It is concluded that the soil ALP activity may be a sensitive tool for assessing additive toxic effect on soil biochemical parameters. To provide more information about the potential ecological risk of chemicals on soil ecosystems, much more should be done to clearly determine the mechanisms of the combined effects of heavy metals in soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the exposure risks of trace metals in contamination soils and apportioning their sources are the basic preconditions for soil pollution prevention and control. In this study, a detailed investigation was conducted to assess the health risks of trace metals in surface soils of Beijing which is one of the most populated cities in the world and to apportion their potential sources. The data set of metals for 12 elements in 240 soil samples was collected. Pollution index and enrichment factor were used to identify the general contamination characteristic of soil metals. The probabilistic risk model was employed for health risk assessment, and a chemometrics technique, multivariate curve resolution-weighted alternating least squares (MCR-WALS), was applied to apportion sources. Results suggested that the soils in Beijing metropolitan region were contaminated by Hg, Cd, Cu, As, and Pb in varying degree, lying in the moderate pollution level. As a whole, the health risks posed by soil metals were acceptable or close to tolerable. Comparatively speaking, children and adult females were the relatively vulnerable populations for the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, respectively. Atmospheric deposition, fertilizers and agrochemicals, and natural source were apportioned as the potential sources determining the contents of trace metals in soils of Beijing area with contributions of 15.5%–16.4%, 5.9%–7.7% and 76.0%–78.6%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil pollution by heavy metals was characterized in the mine tailings and surrounding soils of an old Pb-Zn mine in Huize County. Three hundred and ninety-six samples of agricultural and non-agricultural soil were analyzed for the total metal concentration by acid digestion and sixty-eight selected soil samples were used to determine the chemical fractionation of heavy metals with the modified BCR sequential extraction method. The pollution index of the heavy metals indices for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn of non-agricultural soil and agricultural soils in the study area indicated the spreading of heavy metal pollution. Sequential extraction showed that most of Cd existed in an exchangeable form (31.2 %). The available content of Pb, Cu and Zn was mainly distributed in acid extractable fractions and Fe/Mn oxide fractions (27.9, 30 and 27.2 %), and Hg, As and Cr were mainly associated with residual fractions (90.4, 72.9 and 76.8 %). The risks of heavy metals were also evaluated by the risk assessment code (RAC) and potential ecological risk index, respectively. The results of RAC showed a medium and high risk of Cd (45.6 and 54.4 %), medium risk of Zn (100 %), low and medium risk of Cu (41.2 and 58.8 %), largely no risk of Hg (97.1 %), and mainly low risk of As and Pb (92.6 and 91.8 %). The range of the potential ecological risk of soil was 58.2-1839.3, revealing a considerably high ecological risk in the study area, most likely related to acid mine drainage and the mining complexes located in the area. The results can be used during the ecological risk screening stage, in conjunction with the total concentrations and metal fractionation values, to better estimate ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The groundwater in many aquifers contains elevated concentrations of iron (Fe). Although much of this Fe is from its release from water-bearing sediments under natural environmental conditions, sufficient evidence is lacking to clarify whether anthropogenic pollutants, such as dissolved organic matter (DOM), can increase this natural release. In this time series and comparative analysis study, an Fe increasing effect was verified through laboratory leaching tests. The influences of the aqueous environmental conditions, such as pH, were also investigated. DOM can promote the release of Fe from sediments and increase the concentration of Fe in groundwater. In addition, lower or higher pH and temperature can enhance the release of Fe to some extent. Higher concentrations of DOM provided a more thorough release of Fe from the sediment; additional ions such as Cu also affected Fe release. It is possible that complexation between DOM and Fe occurs through ligand dissolution and reduction, thus promoting the release of Fe. The findings indicate that DOM imported through anthropogenic activities can increase the release of Fe from aquifer sediments into groundwater, thus worsening Fe pollution in groundwater. This study explored the mechanism by which different types of DOM release Fe from aquifer sediments and investigated the factors that influence this process. The findings provide insights into the geochemical processes of Fe in the groundwater. [Display omitted] • DOM in groundwater increases Fe release from aquifer sediment. • Physicochemical conditions of groundwater and sediment determine Fe leaching. • The mechanism by which DOM releases Fe has multiple synergistic aspects. • Fe leaching in aquifers involves complex geochemical processes. • Anthropogenic organic pollution strongly affects Fe geochemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the soil heavy metal pollution characteristics and ecological risk factors, 42 samples and six typical soil profiles were collected from the Shenyang industrial district in northeast China and were analyzed for contents of titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As). Through statistical analysis, it was found that the mean concentrations were higher than their background values (Ti = 4.77>3.8g/kg, Cu = 33.75>22.6 mg/kg, Pb = 45.95>26 mg/kg, Zn = 81.54>74.2 mg/kg, Co = 12.91>12.7 mg/kg, Ni = 32.26>26.9 mg/kg, Cr = 83.36>61 mg/kg and As = 13.69>11.2 mg/kg) but did not exceed their corresponding pollution limits for the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils (State Environmental Protection Administration of China, 1995). There were contamination hotspots that may be caused by human activities such as smelting plants and sewage irrigation. The Enrichment Factor and Ecological Risk Index were used to identify the anthropogenic contamination and ecological risks of heavy metals. Soil in the study area could be considered lightly or partially polluted by heavy metals. According to clustering analysis, distinct groups of heavy metals were discriminated between natural or anthropogenic sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China faces a big challenge of environmental deterioration amid its rapid economic development. To comprehensively identify the contamination characteristics of heavy metals in Chinese soils on a national scale, data set of the first national soil pollution survey was employed to evaluate the pollution levels using several pollution indicators (pollution index, geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor) and to quantify their exposure risks posed to human health with the risk assessment model recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The results showed that, due to the drastically increased industrial operations and fast urban expansion, Chinese soils were contaminated by heavy metals in varying degrees. As a whole, the exposure risk levels of soil metals in China were tolerable or close to acceptable. Comparatively speaking, children and adult females were the relatively vulnerable populations for the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks, respectively. Cadmium and mercury have been identified as the priority control metals due to their higher concentrations in soils or higher health risks posed to the public, as well as, arsenic, lead, chromium and nickel. Spatial distribution pattern analysis implied that the soil metal pollutions in southern provinces of China were relatively higher than that in other provinces, which would be related to the higher geochemical background in southwest regions and the increasing human activities in southeast areas. Meanwhile, it should be noticed that Beijing, the capital of China, also has been labeled as the priority control province for its higher mercury concentration. These results will provide basic information for the improvement of soil environment management and heavy metal pollution prevention and control in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently a wide variety of methods used to evaluate soil contamination. We present a discussion of the advantages and limitations of different soil contamination assessment methods. In this study, we analyzed seven trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) that are indicators of soil contamination in Dexing, a city in China that is famous for its vast nonferrous mineral resources in China, using enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index (PI), and principal component analysis (PCA). The three contamination indices and PCA were then mapped to understand the status and trends of soil contamination in this region. The entire study area is strongly enriched in Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn, especially in areas near mine sites. As and Hg were also present in high concentrations in urban areas. Results indicated that Cr in this area originated from both anthropogenic and natural sources. PCA combined with Geographic Information System (GIS) was successfully used to discriminate between natural and anthropogenic trace metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Over the past few decades, numerous concerns have been raised in China over the issue of environmental sustainability. Various soil survey and monitoring programs have been carried out in China to study soil quality, and to provide a scientific basis for environment policy making. This paper provides an overview of past and current soil quality surveys and monitoring activities in China. This paper includes a summary of concerns over background concentrations of elements in soil, and soil environmental standards and guidelines in China. Levels of pollution in urban soil, agricultural soil, and soil in mining and smelting areas were compared using the concentrations and pollution indexes. In addition to soil surveys, soil monitoring is essential to study the data and to examine the effects of contaminants in soils. However, the current soil quality monitoring system was insufficient to accurately determine the soil quality status of soils across China. For accurate soil monitoring in China, it will be necessary to set up routine monitoring systems at various scales (national, provincial, and local scales), taking into consideration monitoring indicators and quality assurance. This is currently an important priority for the environmental protection administration of China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

90 groundwater samples and 14 surface water samples were collected in wet season (summer) and dry season (winter) in the North China Plain (NCP), and analyzed for 11 organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs). The results showed that the main types of OPPs in surface water and groundwater were dimethoate, dichlorvos, methyl-parathion, malathion in both summer and winter. The OPP concentrations in groundwater and surface water were higher in summer than in winter. In the vertical direction, the distribution characteristics of different four types of groundwater sampling points are different. In the horizontal direction: farmland adjacent to a river (FAR) > central farmland (CF) > nonfarm area adjacent to a river (NFAR) > central nonfarm area (CNF). The OPPs concentrations in surface water adjacent to farmland were higher than that in surface water adjacent to nonfarm area. The main factors influencing the distribution of OPPs in the groundwater and surface water were the interaction process between them, the groundwater flow field and the OPPs used in agricultural activities. The ecological risk of OPPs to surface water was greater in summer than in winter. Water Flea was at medium risk, and malathion had the greatest influence on Water Flea in both summer and winter. The non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of the four main OPPs in surface water were higher than in groundwater, and were higher in summer than in winter, but they would not lead to adverse health effects on local residents. • Dimethoate, dichlorvos, methyl-parathion, malathion were the main types of OPPs in the water samples. • OPPs in groundwater and surface water had obvious spatiotemporal distribution characteristics. • The distributions of OPPs in groundwater and surface water were affected by many factors. • The water ecology in the study area was less affected by OPPs. • Detected OPPs in water would not lead to adverse health effects on local residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the impact of urbanization and industrialization on surface water quality, a pilot study of Panzhihua (攀枝花) mining town was carried out. The urbanization of Panzhihua region was dominated by industry development and population growth. The level of urbanization showed that it was 18.44% in 1965, and reached 45.99% in 1983. Then, it reached 53.71% in 2005, so the urbanization process was very rapid in Panzhihua region. In the process of industrialization, the level of industrialization was fluctuated at around 70% from 1965 to 2005, which was influenced by mining, extracting, and smelting production. In the processes of urbanization, population growth caused an increase in life pollution sources, and an amount of effluents bearing coliform, COD (chemical oxygen demand), NH-N, and BOD (five-day biological oxygen demand) were released into Jinsha (金沙) River, which could cause decline in the surface water quality. While in the processes of industrialization (especially industrial scale expansion), more effluent bearing heavy metals could cause degradation of surface water quality. Thus, the measures, such as adjusting industry structure, optimizing the cleaning technology, and controlling pollution sources, should be enhanced to alleviate the current state of water quality exacerbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bacteria and plants were associated to remove diesel oil pollutants from soil. Three efficiently degrading bacteria (named strains Q10, Q14 and Q18, respectively) were isolated. Two plants (alfalfa and Indian mustard) were selected to form the association. Biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil was accelerated by bacteria-plants association. The main results are summarized as follows. The plants-bacteria association was more effective in biodegradation of diesel oil pollutants in soil than in respective experiments carried out with plants or bacteria alone. Strain Q18-Indian mustard association resulted in the maximum diesel oil reduction (69.18%). The activities of catalase and polyphenol oxidase in soil were enhanced and microbial populations in soil, especially in rhizosphere, were also stimulated in the treatment of bacteria-plant association. Overall, the soil conditions might be improved by alfalfa or Indian mustard to benefit the growth of bacteria, which resulted in degradation of diesel oil pollutants more effective by the bacteria-plant association. The bacteria-plants association may be a better approach to the removal of diesel oil pollutants from soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to measure groundwater age and design nuclear waste disposal sites, it is important to understand the sorption behavior of tritium on soils. In this study, batch tests were carried out using four soils from China: silty clays from An County and Jiangyou County in Sichuan Province, both of which could be considered candidate sites for Very Low Level Waste disposal; silty sand from Beijing; and loess from Yuci County in Shanxi Province, a typical Chinese loess region. The experimental results indicated that in these soil media, the distribution coefficient of tritium is slightly influenced by adsorption time, water/solid ratio, initial tritium specific activity, pH, and the content of humic and fulvic acids. The average distribution coefficient from all of these influencing factors was about 0.1–0.2 mL/g for the four types of soil samples. This relatively modest sorption of tritium in soils needs to be considered in fate and transport studies of tritium in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The research utilized Bidens maximowicziana along with pyrene-degrading bacteria to evaluate their potential in cleaning up pyrene contamination. The removal of pyrene from the planted soil was obviously higher than that from the unplanted soils. After 50d of B. maximowicziana growth, the average removal ratio of pyrene in planted soil was 79%, which was 28% higher than that of pyrene in unplanted soil. In contrast to other plants, both roots and shoots of B. maximowicziana could accumulate a large amount of pyrene from the soil and pyrene uptake increased with the soil pyrene concentration. Through analysis of pathways of pyrene removal, this enhanced removal of pyrene by plant–microbial association might be mainly the result of B. maximowicziana-promoted microbial degradation. Both the catalase and polyphenol oxidase activities in soil were higher in planted soil than those in unplanted soil. And the bacteria populations in soil, especially in rhizosphere, were also inspired by the growth of B. maximowicziana. These could be explained by the rhizosphere effect. Therefore, bio-removal of pyrene in the contaminated soils was feasible using B. maximowicziana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In China, soil pollution is very serious, which has jeopardized the ecology, food safety, the people''s health, and even the sustainable development of agriculture. In order to investigate the soil pollution situation, a total of 874 agricultural and non-agricultural topsoil samples were collected from Dexing area, northeast of Jiangxi Province, China. The total elemental concentrations of 17 elements (As, Hg, Mo, Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ti, Pb, Fe, Ca, K, Si, Al, Mg, and Na) were determined. The geochemical background and threshold was predicted with the method of the median±median absolute deviation (MAD). The agricultural soil median concentration of trace elements was similar to that of the non-agricultural soil. In contrast to Jiangxi soil background of trace elements, the geochemical background of the study area was obviously higher. The maps of the pollution indices for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Ti and Zn of non-agricultural soil and agricultural soils in the study area, showed that the highest level of pollution is distributed near and along the Lean River, especially in the neighboring and surrounding Dexing and Leping mining area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Vanadium is a trace element, which may be biologically beneficial and possibly essential but certainly harmful to human beings and some living organisms if excessive. After over 40 years of development, the mining industry has caused serious environmental problems in the Panzhihua mining area. Vanadium is significantly accumulated in the soil of the Panzhihua area. Human activities have intensified the pollution and release of vanadium and caused serious damages to the ecological system there. In the past few years, the authors have made investigations into and assessments on the geochemical distribution, chemical speciation, adsorption characteristics and transfer behavior of vanadium in the topsoil in the Panzhihua mining area. The results showed that: (1) the difference in the contents of vanadium in soil between premonsoon and monsoon is insignificant; (2) the adsorption isotherms of vanadium on soil in the Panzhihua mining area are well described by the Langmuir type; (3) the transfer ability of vanadium in soil is interrelated to soil properties; and (4) the chemical speciation of vanadium shows an order of insoluble residue > oxidizable=reducible > soluble component. According to the above results, some countermeasures to control pollution of vanadium in soil should be put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium is a trace element widely distributed in the Earth’s crust. Naturally high levels of vanadium are recognized mainly in basic rocks and minerals, particularly in titaniferous magnetite. And the anthropogenic sources of vanadium include fossil fuel combustion and wastes including steel-industry slags. In the last few years, the authors have made investigations and assessments on the environmental geochemistry and ecological risk of vanadium in the Panzhihua mining and smelting area. In the study area, anthropogenic vanadium resulted from mining, extracting and smelting of V-Ti magnetite; vanadium pollution of topsoil and sediments occurs mainly in the mining and extracting area, smelting area, slag dumping area, tailing dam and coal mining area. In the soil, the chemical speciation of vanadium shows: insoluble residue > organically bound > Fe (amorphous) oxide-bound > Mn oxide-bound > soluble component. Vanadium pollution can cause potential harmful effects on ecological systems, and lead to animal poisoning and human disease. So vanadiam pollution should be monitored on a regular basis in the Panzhihua area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eco-environmental geochemical investigation was carried out in and around the Dexing mining area to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in the surface water, sediments, soils and plants. The main objective of this study is to assess the environmental situation and evaluate the transferring of heavy metals from mining activities into the food chain. Some samples of water, sediment, topsoil and plant were collected along the Lean River in the Dexing mining area. The total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, and As were determined by AAS, and Hg was analyzed by cold-vapor AAS. Some indices such as 'contamination degree', 'geo-accumulation index', and 'biological absorption coefficient' were used to assess eco-environmental quality. The investigation indicated a highly localized distribution pattern closely associated with the two pollution sources along the Le'an River bank: one is strong acidity and a large amount of Cu in the drainage from the Dexing Cu mining area; and the other is the high concentrations of Pb and Zn in the effluents released from many smelters and mining, processing and extracting activities in the riparian zone. Results from the investigated localities indicated, at least in part, that some problems associated with environmental quality deterioration should be solved in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining and smelting activities are the main causes for the increasing pollution of heavy metals in soil, water body and stream sediment. An environmental geochemical investigation was carried out in and around the Panzhihua mining and smelting area to determine the extent of chemical contamination in soil and sediment. The main objective of this study was to investigate the environmental geochemistry of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Cu, Pb, Zn and As in soil and sediment and to assess the degree of pollution in the study are. The data of heavy metal concentrations reveal that soils and sediments in the area have been slightly contaminated. Geochemical maps of I[subgeo] of each heavy metal show that the contaminated sites are located in V-Ti-magnetite sloping and smelting, gangues dam. The pollution sources of the selected elements come mainly from dusts resultant from mining activities and other three-waste-effluents. The are needs to be monitored regularly for trace metal, especially heavy metal enrichment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that determined geochemical baseline models and assessed the contributions of trace elements from natural and anthropogenic sources in the Panzhihua mining area in China. Background on Panzhihua; Adoption of a normalization procedure to establish geochemical baselines; Analytical results and relevant parameters for trace metals in topsoil samples from the area.

Contaminated sites have been recognized as posing serious comprehensive social and environmental issues and have earned worldwide attention. China is becoming one of the largest contaminated sites remediation markets in the world and the contaminated sites in northeastern China need to rehabilitate urgently. However, remediation planning is often hindered by high financial costs resulting from incomplete assessments of pollution and inappropriate remediation plans. In-depth contaminated site assessments can provide the necessary baseline data for remediation alternatives screening. Therefore, risk assessments and remediation decisions will play crucial roles in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of contaminated sites in China. The main objectives of this study were to present a novel method for health risk assessment (HRA) and to demonstrate a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) based on this method to select the most suitable remediation alternatives of groundwater and to prioritize management of contaminated site. To demonstrate the HRA and MCDA processes, a typical contaminated site in Longtan, Jilin province, China, was used. The results of this research indicated that Benzene (PhH) and 1,2-Dichloroethylene (1,2-DCE) were the main organic pollutants and the vanillin plant in the north of the site was main pollution source. Pollution migrated from the north to the south and the health risk range in winter was significantly greater than in summer. Four remediation alternatives were proposed on the basis of the HRA results. The MCDA results showed that PRB was the most suitable technology for integrating the relevant environmental, social, economic, and technical aspects required for remediation. This study may help responsible agencies to strengthen local risk-based program screening frameworks for contaminated sites, to promote reconstruction projects, and to increase local public confidence of contaminated sites remediation. ga1 • Health risk assessment was combined with groundwater remediation alternatives screening. • Health risk zones in contaminated site were delineated. • Screening of groundwater remediation alternatives was executed using MCDA with Monte Carlo simulation. • PRB were identified as the optimal technology for low-level groundwater contamination remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a novel optical signal that has been successfully used to track plant dynamics with the influence of soil water deficit. However, the effect of atmospheric water deficit on SIF under the impact of soil water deficit still remains unclear. Here, continuous measurements of SIF (at 760 nm, F760) of winter wheat under different soil water deficit were collected with a self-developed system. Additionally, soil moisture and atmosphere parameters [including air temperature (Ta), relative air humidity (Rh), and photosynthetically active radiation at 400–700 nm (PAR)] were also synchronously collected by common commercial devices. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) was calculated based on the measurements of Ta and Rh. The results showed that the driving effect of PAR on F760 was obvious as we expected. Additionally, such effects of PAR on AF760 (F760/PAR) and Fy760 (F760/L685, L685 was canopy radiance at 685 nm) still existed when the PAR influences were partially removed by the calculation of F760/PAR and F760/L685. Furthermore, the relationship of PAR with AF760 or Fy760 was observed to be strengthened under the situation of water deficit through the analysis of Pearson correlations. With the influence of PAR, the accelerative effect of VPD on SIF under soil water deficit was not always observed in our study. Nevertheless, when the effect of PAR was removed by using partial correlation, VPD showed much stronger correlation with SIF in soil water stressed plot than that in unstressed one both at diurnal and seasonal scales. These results revealed that soil water deficit might promote the effect of atmospheric water deficit on SIF. This study has great significance for the application of SIF in drought monitoring and health assessments in terrestrial ecosystem. Unlabelled Image • The relationship between SIF and PAR is affected by soil water deficit. • The relationship between VPD and SIF is affected by PAR. • Soil water deficit promotes the effect of VPD on SIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate pollution in groundwater is now one of the most important environmental problems all over the world. For this purpose, a new framework for risk screening and assessment of groundwater nitrate was proposed according to source-pathway-receptor-response model to provide basic for defining environmental management strategies. The framework is composed of groundwater relative risk model (RRM), groundwater contamination risk assessment (CRA), and human health risk assessment (HHRA). The framework is applied in the lower Liaohe river basin plain, northeast of China. The results showed that the priority area with high groundwater relative risk in study area was successfully screened by RRM. Furthermore, the sites with high human health risk for public by groundwater nitrate were selected as hazardous areas. This framework promotes systematic integration of risk assessment of groundwater nitrate and expands traditional research on groundwater management from a scale-based approach to crucial insights into pollution. Unlabelled Image • A new framework for groundwater risk screening and assessment was proposed. • The optimal method for groundwater risk assessment was discussed. • Risk screening was applied for groundwater management at regional scale in China. • Combining different risk assessment methods was a useful approach for systematic management of groundwater quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing anthropogenic contamination poses a significant threat to groundwater security. Identifying potential contamination sources and apportioning their corresponding contributions are of vital importance for the prevention of contamination and management of groundwater resources. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA), modified grey relational analysis (MGRA), absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR), and positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor modeling technologies were employed to evaluate the groundwater quality and apportion the potential contamination sources in the Lalin river basin, a main grain production district in the northeast of China. The contamination assessment with PCA and MGRA suggested that the groundwater in Lalin river basin was polluted due to human activities. The PCA method identified five and four potential contamination sources in wet and dry seasons, respectively, and the main sources were basically same. The APCS-MLR and PMF methods apportioned the source contributions to each groundwater quality variable. The final results showed that agricultural sources including waste water, agrochemicals and fertilizers were identified as the main sources of groundwater contamination both in wet and dry seasons. In addition, groundwater management strategies learned from the advanced experiences were discussed to protect the groundwater system in that region. Unlabelled Image • Groundwater contamination, risk and sources in Lain River Basin were studied in wet and dry seasons. • Agricultural activities was recognized as the significant pollution sources in the groundwater of Lalin River Basin. • The contributions of potential contamination sources of groundwater were comparative studied by APCS-MLR and PMF. • Some suggestions are presented to promote groundwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium percarbonate (SPC) and peroxymonocarbonate (PMC) have been widely used in modified Fenton reactions because of their multiple superior features, such as a wide pH range and environmental friendliness. This broad review is intended to provide the fundamental information, status and progress of SPC and PMC based decontamination technologies according to the peer-reviewed papers in the last two decades. Both SPC and PMC can directly decompose various pollutants. The degradation efficiency will be enhanced and the target contaminants will be expanded after the activation of SPC and PMC. The most commonly used catalysts for SPC activation are iron compounds while cobalt compositions are applied to activate PMC in homogenous and heterogeneous catalytical systems. The generation and participation of hydroxyl, superoxide and/or carbonate radicals are involved in the activated SPC and PMC system. The reductive radicals, such as carbon dioxide and hydroxyethyl radicals, can be generated when formic acid or methanol is added in the Fe(II)/SPC system, which can reduce target contaminants. SPC can also be activated by energy, tetraacetylethylenediamine, ozone and buffered alkaline to generate different reactive radicals for pollutant decomposition. The SPC and activated SPC have been assessed for application in-situ chemical oxidation and sludge dewatering treatment. The challenges and prospects of SPC and PMC based decontamination technologies are also addressed in the last section. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed a screening method for highly accurate and sensitive analysis of 12 illicit drugs and metabolites in fish tissues. The approach was based on ultrasonic-assisted extraction and solid phase extraction, followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The homogenized samples were ultrasonic-assisted extracted with 1% acetic acid in methanol followed by SPE cleanup with Oasis MCX cartridge. The method was validated in accordance with the European Medicines Agency guidelines by evaluating the following required parameters: the limits of detection and limits of quantification, linearity, accuracy, repeatability, recovery of extraction, and matrix effect. For the tissues involved in this study, the recoveries ranged from 60% to 127%, and the matrix effect ranged from −19% to 83% with the inter- and intra-day variability below 12%. The method has been successfully applied to wild fish caught from six sampling sites of four urban rivers in Beijing, China. The analysis showed that the target compounds, including amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, codeine and heroin were detected with high detection frequencies. Codeine exhibited the highest bioaccumulation factor (up to 73,986) in the muscle of Crucian carp, while ketamine tended to accumulate in the skin, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and heroin tended to accumulate in gastrointestinal tract, respectively. • A method for sensitive analysis of 12 illicit drugs in fish tissues was established. • Recoveries from 61 to 127% were obtained in different fish tissues. • The uptake of 12 illicit drugs in fish of 4 urban rivers in Beijing was studied. • Bioaccumulation of illicit drugs was tissue specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt – carbon nanofiber composites (Co-CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning and subsequent carbonization and their performance for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation was evaluated. Co-CNFs have a large aspect ratio (150 nm in diameter and several millimeters in length) to avoid aggregation and large specific surface area (1304 m 2 /g) to provide more reaction sites for enhancing catalytic activities. Zero valence cobalt was proved to be the main cobalt species of axis or core of the fiber, which might account for its excellent magnetic response, and Co 3 O 4 was the main cobalt species of sheath or coat according to XRD and XPS results. The Co-CNFs exhibited higher catalytic performances than Co 3 O 4 or CNFs for PMS activation and dyes were completely removed in a short time in the Co-CNFs/PMS system. The Co-CNFs derived from cobalt acetate demonstrated the highest catalytic performance and their Co leaking was similar to that of catalysts derived from other cobalt salts. The degradation efficiency increased with the carbonization temperature, cobalt loading, degradation temperature, PMS and catalyst dosage. The dye degradation processes followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The activation energy of Co-CNFs/PMS/orange G system was derived as 29.8 kJ/mol by the Arrhenius equation. The Co-CNFs exhibited high catalytic performances and excellent stability for five repetitive usage. The possible orange G degradation pathway was proposed based on intermediate detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An assessment of the presence and health risks of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) of Wu Chang was performed. A recombinant yeast assay was used to assess the endocrine disrupting activity of the effluents of the DWTP. Agonistic activities of the estrogen receptor and androgen receptor were not detected in any of the effluent samples. However, anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic activities were observed. In addition, the removal rates of the DWTP for the anti-androgenic activities were limited. A health risk assessment was performed on the basis of the results of the recombinant yeast assay, and the total daily production of hormones was used to evaluate the health risks of these types of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The predicted effects of the anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic disrupting activities were below 1.5%. This study suggested that the combined toxicity bioassays with health risk assessment could provide an available method to assess endocrine-disrupting chemicals and to evaluate the potential adverse effects on human health for aquatic environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of the widespread use of antibiotics, a large amount of excretion from human and animals containing antibiotic residues was discharged into the environment with wastewaters and manures, leading to potential adverse effects on ecosystem health. To understand the environmental fate of antibiotics, a dynamic level IV fugacity model was established here by introducing the novel process of nondiffusive wastewater irrigation from water to soil, and applied to a large-scale water-scarce region, the megacity Beijing. Furthermore, a Monte-Carlo based risk assessment approach was employed to evaluate the potential risks posed by antibiotics in water, sediment and soil, combined with the soil-water equilibrium partitioning method. Model validation, sensitivity and uncertainty analysis suggests that the fugacity model can successfully simulate the reported concentration data within an average difference of 0.2 logarithmic units. Results showed that more than one hundred tonnes of antibiotics were estimated to be discharged into the environment of Beijing in 2013, and, resulted in high antibiotics levels and posed high potential risks on the aquatic environment. On the other hand, although wastewater irrigation increased the antibiotics concentrations in soil and even dominated the total transfer fluxes, the overall risk levels of antibiotics in the soil were acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in the river system have received growing attention in recent years due to their potential threat to aquatic ecosystems and public health. Recognizing the occurrence and distribution of antibiotics in river environment and assessing their ecological risks are of important precondition for proposing effective strategies to protect basin safety. In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to identify the contamination and risk characteristics of antibiotics in the aquatic environment of Hai River system (HRS) which is the largest water system in northern China. To attain this objective, several tools and methods were considered on the data set of water and sediment samples collected in the past ten years. The occurrence pattern, concentration levels and spatiotemporal distribution of antibiotics in the HRS were characterized utilizing statistical and comparative analysis. Risk quotients were employed to assess the adverse ecology effects caused by single antibiotic or their mixtures. Screening tool with priority factor and accumulation growth factor was used auxiliarily to prioritize antibiotics that should be of highly concern. Results indicated that the occurrence frequencies and concentration levels of 16 representative antibiotics in HRS were generally higher than those reported in global waters. Most antibiotics showed significant seasonal and spatial variations. Comparatively speaking, sulfamethoxazole, norfloxacin, erythromycin and roxithromycin posed higher risks to aquatic organisms in the HRS individually, and the combination of tetracycline and enrofloxacin indicated synergistical actions. Overall, due to their potential risks, considerable levels or quick increasing trends, 13 antibiotics were identified as priority contaminants in the HRS and should be paid special attention to be strictly regulated in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TDCPP could induce behavioral abnormalities in zebrafish. • Neurodevelopment might be a crucial toxic target for TDCPP exposure to zebrafish. • Nongenomic pathways might be vital in neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by TDCPP. Tri(1,3-dichloropropyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is widespread in the environment as a typical thyroid hormone-disrupting chemical. Here, we aimed to explore the toxicological mechanisms of the thyroid hormone-disrupting effects induced by TDCPP in zebrafish embryos/larvae using multi-omics analysis. The results showed that TDCPP (400 and 600 µg/L) induced phenotypic alteration and thyroid hormone imbalance in zebrafish larvae. It resulted in behavioral abnormalities during zebrafish embryonic development, suggesting that this chemical might exhibit neurodevelopmental toxicity. Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis provided consistent evidence at the gene and protein levels that neurodevelopmental disorders were significantly enhanced by TDCPP exposure (p < 0.05). Additionally, multi-omics data indicated that membrane thyroid hormone receptor (mTR)-mediated non-genomic pathways, including cell communication (ECM–receptor interactions, focal adhesion, etc.) and signal transduction pathways (MAPK signaling pathway, calcium signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction pathway, etc.), were significantly disturbed (p < 0.05) and might contribute to the neurodevelopmental toxicity induced by TDCPP. Therefore, behavioral abnormalities and neurodevelopmental disorders might be important phenotypic characteristics of TDCPP-induced thyroid hormone disruption, and mTR-mediated non-genomic networks might participate in the disruptive effects of this chemical. This study provides new insights into the toxicological mechanisms of TDCPP-induced thyroid hormone disruption and proposes a theoretical basis for risk management of this chemical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl parathion (MP) is a typical organophosphorus pesticide that is widely used worldwide, and hydrolysis, oxidation and reduction are the main abiotic degradation processes. Manganese dioxide (MnO 2) and organic acid can participate in various geochemical processes of pollutants, a reaction system was constructed to degrade MP using δ-MnO 2 and oxalic acid. The δ-MnO 2 /oxalic acid reaction system could efficiently degrade MP, and the removal rate of MP (20 μM) reached 67.83% within 30 h under the optimized conditions (pH 5, [δ-MnO 2 ] = 2 mM, [oxalic acid] = 100 mM). MP was hydrolyzed by substitution reactions of S N @P and S N @C, and reduced by conversion of the nitro groups (-NO 2) in MP and its hydrolysates to amino groups (-NH 2). The primary active substance produced in the reaction system was the complexes dominated by Mn(III)-oxalic acid. This study provides a scientific basis for the degradation of organophosphorus pesticides using MnO 2 and an organic acid. The results have important theoretical significance and application value for pollution control and remediation of organophosphorus pesticides. [Display omitted] • δ-MnO 2 /oxalic acid can effectively degrade methyl parathion. • The optimum reaction conditions were obtained by analyzing the factors influencing the reaction system. • The transformation pathway of methyl parathion was determined from the identified products. • Methyl parathion was degraded mainly by hydrolysis and reduction. • The primary active substance was determined to be Mn(III)-oxalic acid active complexes in the reaction system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes act as one of the reservoirs and dispersal routes of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and pathogenic resistant bacteria in aquatic environments. Previous studies reported the occurrence and distribution of ARGs in lakes worldwide; however, few investigated the biogeography and diversity patterns of antibiotic resistome in the environment. To fill this gap, a large-scale data set of sediment metagenomes was collected from globally distributed lakes and characterized comprehensively using metagenomic assembly-based analysis, aiming to shed light on the biogeography and diversity patterns of ARGs in lake ecosystems from a global perspective. Our analyses showed that abundant and diverse ARGs were found in the global lake sediments, including a set of emerging ARGs such as mcr-type and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae related genes. Most of the identified ARGs were generally associated with the commonly used antibiotics, suggesting the role of increasing antibiotic consumptions on the resistome prevalence. Spatially, the composition and diversity of ARGs varied across geographical distances and exhibited a scale-dependent distance-decay relationship. Notably, the composition of ARGs was largely shaped by bacterial community structure, and their diversities were co-governed by stochastic process (∼48%) and deterministic process (∼52%). Findings provide a valuable insight to better understand ecological mechanisms of ARGs in lake ecosystems and have important implication for the prevention and control of resistome risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid derivative of 4-nitroimidazole (EDTA-4-EtNHNM) was successfully synthesized as a carrier molecule and it was radiolabeled with Tc in high yield to obtain Tc-EDTA-4-EtNHNM, which was hydrophilic and had good in vitro stability. The tumor cell experiment and the biodistribution study in mice bearing S180 tumor showed that this complex exhibited a hypoxic selectivity and had high accumulation in tumor tissue with major clearance through urinary tract. High tumor uptake and tumor/muscle ratio of the complex suggests promise towards further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erodibility, which is difficult to estimate and upscaling, was determined in this study using multiple spectral models of soil properties (soil organic matter (SOM), water-stable aggregates (WSA) > 0.25 mm, the geometric mean radius (D g )). Herein, the soil erodibility indicators were calculated, and soil properties were quantitatively analyzed based on laboratory simulation experiments involving two selected contrasting soils. In addition, continuous wavelet transformation was applied to the reflectance spectra (350–2500 nm) of 65 soil samples from the study area. To build the relationship, the soil properties that control erodibility were identified prior to the spectral analysis. In this study, the SOM, D g and WSA >0.25 mm were selected to represent the most significant soil properties controlling erodibility and describe the erodibility indicator based on a logarithmic regression model as a function of SOM or WSA > 0.25 mm. Five, six and three wavelet features were observed to calibrate the estimated soil properties model, and the best performance was obtained with a combination feature regression model for SOM (R 2 = 0.86, p < 0.01), D g (R 2 = 0.79, p < 0.01) and WSA >0.25 mm (R 2 = 0.61, p < 0.01), respectively. One part of the wavelet features captured amplitude variations in the broad shape of the reflectance spectra, and another part captured variations in the shape and depth of the soil dry substances. The wavelet features for the validated dataset used to predict the SOM, WSA >0.25 mm and D g were not significantly different compared with the calibrated dataset. The synthesized spectral models of soil properties, and the formation of a new equation for soil erodibility transformed from the spectral models of soil properties are presented in this study. These results show that a spectral analytical approach can be applied to complex datasets and provide new insights into emerging dynamic variation with erodibility estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article gives a broad overview about the status and progress of the sulfate radical-based decontamination technologies. Peroxymonosulfate or persulfate can be activated by energy or a catalyzer to form sulfate radical for rapid and effective degradation of contaminants in homogenous systems. Sulfate radical-based heterogeneous catalysis oxidation has been a major research focus since 2005 because solid catalysts are stable, cost-effective, and easy to recover. The application of sulfate radical in other decontamination technologies and the mechanisms involved are also described and discussed. The main points are summarized and the directions of future researches are suggested in the last section. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lead exposure via ingestion of soil and dust generally occurs at lead-acid battery manufacturing and recycling sites. Screening solidification/stabilization (S/S) amendments suitable for lead contaminated soil in an abandoned lead-acid battery factory site was conducted based on its chemical forms and environmental risks. Twelve amendments were used to immobilize the Pb in soil and assess the solidification/stabilization efficiency by toxicity leaching tests. The results indicated that three amendments, KH 2 PO 4 (KP), KH 2 PO 4 :oyster shell power = 1:1 (by mass ratio; SPP), and KH 2 PO 4 :sintered magnesia = 1:1 (by mass ratio; KPM) had higher remediation efficiencies that led to a 92% reduction in leachable Pb with the addition of 5% amendments, while the acid soluble fraction of Pb (AS-Pb) decreased by 41–46% and the residual fraction (RS-Pb) increased by 16–25%. The S/S costs of the three selected amendments KP, SPP, and KPM could be controlled to $22.3 per ton of soil when the Pb concentration in soil ranged from 2000 to 3000 mg/kg. The results of this study demonstrated that KP, SPP, and KPM can effectively decrease bioavailability of Pb. These findings could provide basis for decision-making of S/S remediation of lead-acid battery contaminated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing pressure on water supply worldwide, especially in arid areas, has resulted in groundwater overexploitation and contamination, and subsequent deterioration of the groundwater quality and threats to public health. Environmental risk assessment of regional groundwater is an important tool for groundwater protection. This study presents a new approach for assessing the environmental risk assessment of regional groundwater. It was carried out with a relative risk model (RRM) coupled with a series of indices, such as a groundwater vulnerability index, which includes receptor analysis, risk source analysis, risk exposure and hazard analysis, risk characterization, and management of groundwater. The risk map is a product of the probability of environmental contamination and impact. The reliability of the RRM was verified using Monte Carlo analysis. This approach was applied to the lower Liaohe River Plain (LLRP), northeastern China, which covers 23604 km2. A spatial analysis tool within GIS which was used to interpolate and manipulate the data to develop environmental risk maps of regional groundwater, divided the level of risk from high to low into five ranks (V, IV, III, II, I). The results indicate that areas of relative risk rank (RRR) V cover 2324 km2, covering 9.8% of the area; RRR IV covers 3986 km2, accounting for 16.9% of the area. It is a new and appropriate method for regional groundwater resource management and land use planning, and is a rapid and effective tool for improving strategic decision making to protect groundwater and reduce environmental risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought and shortages of soil water are becoming extremely severe due to global climate change. A better understanding of the relationship between vegetation type and soil-moisture conditions is crucial for conserving soil water in forests and for maintaining a favorable hydrological balance in semiarid areas, such as the Saihanwula National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, China. We investigated the temporal dynamics of soil moisture in this reserve to a depth of 40 cm under three types of vegetation during a period of rainwater recharge. Rainwater from most rainfalls recharged the soil water poorly below 40 cm, and the rainfall threshold for increasing the moisture content of surface soil for the three vegetations was in the order: artificial Larix spp. (AL) > Quercus mongolica (QM) > unused grassland (UG). QM had the highest mean soil moisture content (21.13%) during the monitoring period, followed by UG (16.52%) and AL (14.55%); and the lowest coefficient of variation (CV 9.6-12.5%), followed by UG (CV 10.9-18.7%) and AL (CV 13.9-21.0%). QM soil had a higher nutrient content and higher soil porosities, which were likely responsible for the higher ability of this cover to retain soil water. The relatively smaller QM trees were able to maintain soil moisture better in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]