Blockage of ATPase-mediated energy supply inducing metabolic disturbances in algal cells under silver nanoparticles stress

Adenosine triphosphate(ATP) generation of aquatic organisms is often subject to nanoparticles(NPs) stress, involving extensive reprogramming of gene expression and changes in enzyme activity accompanied by metabolic disturbances. However, little is known about the mechanism of energy supply by ATP to regulate the metabolism of aquatic organisms under NPs stress. Here, we selected extensively existing silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) to investigate their implications on ATP generation and relevant met...     

Synergically regulated silver species and surface oxygen on manganese oxide for promoted activity of formaldehyde oxidation

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a common indoor pollutant that is detrimental to human health.Its efficient removal has become an urgent demand to reduce the public health risk.In this work,Ag-MnO_x-based catalysts were prepared and activated under different atmosphere(i.e.,air,hydrogen (H₂) and carbon monoxide (CO)) for efficient oxidation of HCHO.The catalyst activated with CO (Ag/Mn-CO) displayed the highest activity among the tested samples with 90%conversion at 100°C under a gas...     

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of silver nanoparticles in water using ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate

Using the ionic liquid(IL)1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate as the extractant and methanol as the dispersion solvent,a dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method was developed to extract silver nanoparticles(AgN Ps)from environmental water samples.Parameters that influenced the extraction efficiency such as IL concentration,pH and extraction time were optimized.Under the optimized conditions,the highest extraction efficiency for AgN Ps was above 90% with an enrichment factor of 90.The extracted AgN Ps in the IL phase were identified by transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy,and quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after microwave digestion,with a detection limit of 0.01 μg/L.The spiked recovery of AgN Ps was 84.4% with a relative standard deviation(RSD)of 3.8%(n = 6)at a spiked level of 5 μg/L,and 89.7% with a RSD of 2.2%(n = 6)at a spiked level of 300 μg/L,respectively.Commonly existed environmental ions had a very limited influence on the extraction efficiency.The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis of Ag NPs in river water,lake water,and the influent and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant,with recoveries in the range of 71.0%–90.9% at spiking levels of 0.11–4.7 μg/L.     

Effect of silver nanoparticles on an integrated fixed-film activated sludge–sequencing batch reactor: Performance and community structure

The effects of silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) on reactor performance, extracellular polymeric substances composition and microbial community structure and function in integrated fixed-film activated sludge–sequencing batch reactors(IFAS–SBRs) were investigated.Results showed that the addition of AgNPs from 0.1 to 10 mg/L exhibited no significant effects on nutrient removal. The average overall removal of COD, NH4+–N and PO43-–P was96.6%, 99.9% and 98.8%, respectively. The introduction of AgNPs caused an increase in extracellular polymeric substances content for the sludge and biofilm of IFAS–SBRs. The release of Ag+from Ag NPs and lactate dehydrogenase test implied the low toxicity of AgNPs to IFAS–SBRs. High-throughput sequencing revealed that microbial community structure showed significant shifts at phylum and genus levels after long-term exposure to AgNPs,but core functional groups responsible for nutrient removal remained at high abundance.Bacterial function prediction indicated that the metabolic categories showed no significant shifts under AgNPs stress, therefore good process performance could still be achieved.     

Effect of filter-feeding fish silver carp on phytoplankton species and size distribution in surface water： A field study in water works

Silver carp were introduced into the pre-sedimentation pond to control excessive phytoplankton in raw water.The effectiveness of the filter-feeding silver carp on phytoplankton control and the effect of silver carp on phytoplankton community were investigated.The results showed that Microcystis could be effectively removed by silver carp stocked in the pre-sedimentation pond,and simultaneously,the concentration of single-cell phytoplankton increased obviously.The difference in phytoplankton species and singlecell phytoplankton size between in the water and in the gut of silver carp indicated that phytoplankton smaller than 5 μm,such as Chamydomonas and Platymonas,were almost not be filtered by silver carp,phytoplankton with the size between 5 and 20 μm could be partly filtered,and large size phytoplankton,mainly colony-forming Microcystis could be filtered almost completely.These filterfeeding characteristics directly caused the phytoplankton size distribution biased toward miniaturization.Therefore,this biological treatment using silver carp could be applied only to deal with groups of Microcystis-dominated eutrophic water,and was not appropriate in water bodies where single-cell micro phytoplankton were dominant.Especially when silver carp are used in water treatment,a cautious attitude should be taken based on the evaluation of phytoplankton biomass and species structure features in raw water.