Effects of surfactants on the combined toxicity of TiO2 nanoparticles and cadmium to Escherichia coli

The combined ecological toxicity of TiO₂ nanoparticles (nano-TiO₂) and heavy metals has been paid more attention. As the common pollutants in water environment, surfactants could affect the properties of nanoparticles and heavy metals, and thus further influence the combined toxicity of nano-TiO₂ and heavy metals. In this study, the effects of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and Tween 80 on the single and combined toxicities of Cd^2 + and nano-TiO₂ to Escherichia coli (E. coli) were examined, and the underlying influence mechanism was further discussed. The results showed both SDBS and Tween 80 enhanced the toxicity of Cd^2 + to E. coli in varying degrees. The reaction of SDBS and Cd^2 + could increase the outer membrane permeability and the bioavailability of Cd, while Tween 80 itself could enhance the outer membrane permeability. The combined toxicity of nano-TiO₂ and Cd^2 + to E. coli in absence of surfactant was antagonistic because of the adsorption of Cd^2 + to nano-TiO₂ particles. However, in the presence of SDBS, both SDBS and nano-TiO₂ influenced the toxicity of Cd^2 +, and also SDBS could adsorb to nano-TiO₂ by binding to Cd^2 +. The combined toxicity was reduced at Cd^2 + lower than 4 mg/L and enhanced at Cd^2 + higher than 4 mg/L under multiple interactions. Tween 80 enhanced the combined toxicity of nano-TiO₂ and Cd^2 + by increasing the outer membrane permeability. Our study firstly elucidated the effects of surfactants on the combined toxicity of nano-TiO₂ and Cd^2 + to bacteria, and the underlying influencing mechanism was proposed.     

Sunlight-driven reduction of silver ion to silver nanoparticle by organic matter mitigates the acute toxicity of silver to Daphnia magna

Due to the unique antibacterial activities, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively used in commercial products. Anthropogenic activities have released considerable AgNPs as well as highly toxic silver ion (Ag⁺) into the aquatic environment. Our recent study revealed that ubiquitous natural organic matter (NOM) could reduce Ag⁺ to AgNP under natural sunlight. However, the toxic effect of this process is not well understood. In this work, we prepared mixture solution of Ag⁺ and AgNPs with varied Ag⁺% through the sunlight-driven reduction of Ag⁺ by NOM and investigated the acute toxicity of the solutions on Daphnia magna. Formation of AgNPs was demonstrated and characterized by comprehensive techniques and the fraction of unconverted Ag⁺ was determined by ultrafiltration-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination. The formation of AgNPs enhanced significantly with the increasing of solution pH and cumulative photosynthetically active radiation of sunlight. The toxicity of the resulting solution was further investigated by using freshwater crustacean D. magna as a model and an 8 hr-median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) demonstrated that the reduction of Ag⁺ by NOM to AgNPs significantly mitigated the acute toxicity of silver. These results highlight the importance of sunlight and NOM in the fate, transformation and toxicity of Ag⁺ and AgNPs, and further indicate that the acute toxicity of AgNPs should be mainly ascribed to the dissolved Ag⁺ from AgNPs.     

Comparative cytotoxicity of nanoparticles and ions to Escherichia coli in binary mixtures

The objective of this study was to understand toxicity of mixture of nanoparticles (NPs) (ZnO and TiO₂) and their ions to Escherichia coli. Results indicated the decrease in percentage growth of E. coli with the increase in concentration of NPs both in single and mixture setups. Even a small concentration of 1 mg/L was observed to be significantly toxic to E. coli in binary mixture setup (exposure concentration: 1 mg/L ZnO and 1 mg/L TiO₂; 21.15% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control). Exposure of E. coli to mixture of NPs at 1000 mg/L (i.e., 1000 mg/L ZnO and 1000 mg/L TiO₂) resulted in 99.63% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control. Toxic effects of ions to E. coli were found to be lesser than their corresponding NPs. The percentage growth reduction was found to be 36% for binary mixture of zinc and titanium ions at the highest concentration (i.e., 803.0 mg/L Zn and 593.3 mg/L Ti where ion concentrations are equal to the Zn ions present in 1000 mg/L ZnO NP solution and Ti^+ 4 ions present in 1000 mg/L TiO₂ NP solution). Nature of mixture toxicity of the two NPs to E. coli was found to be antagonistic. The alkaline phosphatase (Alp) assay indicated that the maximum damage was observed when E. coli was exposed to 1000 mg/L of mixture of NPs. This study tries to fill the knowledge gap on information of toxicity of mixture of NPs to bacteria which has not been reported earlier.     

Peroxymonosulfate enhanced photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of organic contaminants and simultaneously cathodic recycling of silver

Degradation of organic contaminants with simultaneous recycling of Ag⁺ from silver-containing organic wastewater such as photographic effluents is desired. Although photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) technology is a good candidate for this type of wastewater, its reaction kinetics still needs to be improved. Herein, peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was employed to enhance the PEC kinetics for oxidation of phenol (PhOH) at the anode and reduction of Ag⁺ at the cathode. The degradation efficiency of phenol (PhOH, 0.1 mmol/L) was increased from 42.8% to 96.9% by adding 5 mmol/L PMS at a potential of 0.25 V. Meanwhile, the Ag (by wt%) deposited on the cathode was 28.1% (Ag₂O) in PEC process, while that of Ag (by wt%) was 69.7% (Ag⁰) by adding PMS. According to the electrochemistry analysis, PMS, as photoelectrons acceptor, enhances the separation efficiency of charges and the direct h⁺ oxidation of PhOH at the photoanode. Meantime, the increasing cathode potential avoided H₂ evolution and strongly alkaline at the surface of cathode, thus enabling the deposition of Ag⁺ in the form of metallic silver with the help of PMS. In addition, PMS combined with PEC process was effective in treating photographic effluents.     

Phosphogypsum stabilization of bauxite residue: Conversion of its alkaline characteristics

Reduction of the high alkalinity of bauxite residue is a key problem to solve to make it suitable for plant growth and comprehensive utilization. In this study, phosphogypsum, a waste product from the phosphate fertilizer industry, was used to drive the alkaline transformation of the bauxite residue. Under optimal water washing conditions(liquid/solid ratio of 2 mL/g, 30°C, 24 hr), the impact of quantity added, reaction time and reaction mechanism during phosphogypsum application were investigated. Phosphogypsum addition effectively lowered p H levels and reduced the soluble alkalinity by 92.2%. It was found that the concentration of soluble Na and Ca ions in the supernatant increased gradually, whilst the exchangeable Na+and Ca~(2+)in solid phase changed 112 mg/kg and 259 mg/kg, respectively. Ca~(2+)became the dominant element in the solid phase(phosphogypsum addition of 2%, liquid/solid ratio of 2 mL/g, 30°C, 12 hr). X-ray diffraction data indicated that cancrinite and hydrogarnet were the primary alkaline minerals. SEM images suggested that phosphogypsum could promote the formation of stable macroaggregates, whilst the content of Ca~(2+)increased from 5.6% to 18.2% and Na reduced from 6.8% to 2.4%. Treatment with phosphogypsum could significantly promote the transformation of alkalinity cations by neutralization, precipitation and replacement reactions.This research provided a feasible method to promote soil formation of bauxite residue by phosphogypsum amendment.     

红纺锤水蚤(Acartia erythraea)对Cu2+和Ag+的吸收

通过对桡足类动物红纺锤水蚤(Acartia erythraea)分别在Cu2 、Ag 、Cu2 Ag 混合溶液中的暴露实验,测定了其对Cu2 、Ag 的吸收速率常数、排出速率常数,并对Cu2 和Ag 在动物体内的分布状况进行了分析.结果表明,在单金属暴露的条件下,红纺锤水蚤对Cu2 、Ag 的吸收速度分别为1.09×104L·g-1·d-1、3.31×104L·g-1·d-1,排出速率常数分别为0.096 d-1、0.1056 d-1.而在Cu2 Ag 的混合暴露体系中,红纺锤水蚤对Cu2 、Ag 的吸收速率分别下降到9.17×103 L·g-1·d-1、2.87×104L·g-1-d-1,Cu2 和Ag 的排出速度常数则分别降到0.084 d-1和0.1008 d-1.动态模型的模拟结果表明,Cu2 和Ag 存在一定程度的拮抗作用.与暴露在单金属溶液中的红纺锤水蚤相比较,在暴露于Cu2 、Ag 混合体系中动物体内的非极性部分所占的比重明显增加,说明其在食物链中对于上一营养级的生物有效性将明显增加.     

用TTC与INT-电子传递体系活性表征重金属对污泥活性的影响

研究了不同浓度的Cu²⁺、Zn²⁺、Cd²⁺、Hg²⁺、Ni²⁺、Pb²⁺和Ag⁺对污泥TTC和INT 电子传递体系活性产生的影响 ,比较了这 2个参数在表征污泥活性受重金属抑制时的灵敏性 .结果表明 ,各种重金属抑制污泥TTC 电子传递体系活性的IC₅₀小于抑制INT 电子传递体系活性的IC₅₀,TTC 电子传递体系活性反映重金属毒性作用的灵敏性大于INT 电子传递体系活性 .实验的重金属离子呈现出不同的毒性作用 ,以TTC 电子传递体系活性为评价参数 ,毒性顺序为 :Hg²⁺>Cd²⁺>Cu²⁺>Ag⁺>Zn²⁺>Ni²⁺>Pb²⁺,以INT 电子传递体系活性为评价参数 ,毒性顺序为 :Hg²⁺>Ag⁺>Cu²⁺>Cd²⁺>Zn²⁺>Ni²⁺>Pb²⁺.     

硫杂冠醚的合成及其对废水中Ag(I)的选择性萃取研究

针对当前含银废液综合回收利用率低,以及不当排放造成严重环境污染等问题.本研究以邻苯二酚为原料,经亲核取代、酰氯酰化、缩合反应制得一种全新结构硫杂冠醚7,10-二硫杂苯并-18-冠-6(硫杂冠醚3,Thia18C6),产物经核磁共振氢谱(~1H NMR)、X-射线衍射单晶进行了结构表征,进而采用溶剂萃取的方法考察了其对不同金属离子的选择性萃取能力.结果表明,在单一体系下,Thia18C6对银离子表现出较为优异的萃取能力,萃取率可达97.68%,而在多种杂质离子(Cu~(2+)、Pb~(2+)、Zn~(2+)和Ni~(2+))共存的复杂体系中,Thia18C6对银离子表现出了较强的选择性.     

Relationships between chemical elements of PM2.5 and O3 in Shanghai atmosphere based on the 1-year monitoring observation

Mass level of fine particles (PM_2.5) in main cities in China has decreased significantly in recent years due to implementation of Chinese Clean Air Action Plan since 2013, however, O₃ pollution is getting worse than before, especially in megacities such as in Shanghai. In this work, O₃ and PM_2.5 were continuously monitored from May 27, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Our data showed that the annual average concentration of PM_2.5 and O₃ (O₃-8 hr, maximum 8-hour moving average of ozone days) was 39.35 ± 35.74 and 86.49 ± 41.65 µg/m³, respectively. The concentrations of PM_2.5 showed clear seasonal trends, with higher concentrations in winter (83.36 ± 18.66 µg/m³) and lower concentrations in summer (19.85 ± 7.23 µg/m³), however, the seasonal trends of O₃ were different with 103.75 ± 41.77 µg/m³ in summer and 58.59 ± 21.40 µg/m³ in winter. Air mass backward trajectory, analyzing results of potential source contribution function model and concentration weighted trajectory model implied that pollutants from northwestern China contributed significantly to the mass concentration of Shanghai PM_2.5, while pollutants from areas of eastern coastal provinces and South China Sea contributed significantly to the mass level of ozone in Shanghai atmosphere. Mass concentration of twenty-one elements in the PM_2.5 were investigated, and their relationships with O₃ were analyzed. Mass level of ozone had good correlation with that of Ba (r = 0.64, p < 0.05) and V (r = 0.30, p > 0.05), suggesting vehicle emission pollutants contribute to the increasing concentration of ozone in Shanghai atmosphere.     

Modeling of acute cadmium toxicity in solution to barley root elongation using biotic ligand model theory

Protons（H⁺）as well as different major and trace elements may inhibit cadmium（Cd）uptake in aquatic organisms and thus alleviate Cd toxicity.However,little is known about such interactions in soil organisms.In this study,the independent effects of the cations calcium(Ca²⁺),magnesium(Mg²⁺),potassium（K⁺）,H+and zinc(Zn²⁺)on Cd toxicity were investigated with 5-day long barley root elongation tests in nutrient solutions.The tested concentrations of selected cations and trace metal ions were based on the ranges that occur naturally in soil pore water.The toxicity of Cd decreased with increasing activity of Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺,H⁺and Zn²⁺,but not K⁺.Accordingly,conditional binding constants were obtained for the binding of Cd²⁺,Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺,H⁺,and Zn²⁺ with the binding ligand:log K_CdBL5.19,logK_CaBL2.87,logK_MgBL2.98,logK_HBL5.13 and logK_ZnBL5.42,respectively.Furthermore,it was calculated that on average 29% of the biotic ligand sites needed to be occupied by Cd to induce a 50% decrease in root elongation.Using the estimated constants,a biotic ligand model was successfully developed to predict the Cd toxicity to barley root elongation as a function of solution characteristics.The feasibility and accuracy of its application for predicting Cd toxicity in soils were discussed.     

Application of internal standard method in recombinant luminescent bacteria test

Mercury and its organic compounds have been of severe concern worldwide due to their damage to the ecosystem and human health. The development of effective and affordable technology to monitor and signal the presence of bioavailable mercury is an urgent need. The Mer gene is a mercury-responsive resistant gene, and a mercury-sensing recombinant luminescent bacterium using the Mer gene was constructed in this study. The mer operon from marine Pseudomonas putida strain SP1 was amplified and fused with prompterless luxCDABE in the pUCD615 plasmid within Escherichia coli cells, resulting in pTHE30–E. coli. The recombinant strain showed high sensitivity and specificity. The detection limit of Hg^2 + was 5 nmol/L, and distinct luminescence could be detected in 30 min. Cd^2 +, Cu^2 +, Zn^2 +, Ca^2 +, Pb^2 +, Mg^2 +, Mn^2 +, and Al^3 + did not interfere with the detection over a range of 10^− 5–1 mM. Application of recombinant luminescent bacteria testing in environmental samples has been a controversial issue: especially for metal-sensing recombinant strains, false negatives caused by high cytotoxicity are one of the most important issues when applying recombinant luminescent bacteria in biomonitoring of heavy metals. In this study, by establishing an internal standard approach, the false negative problem was overcome; furthermore, the method can also help to estimate the suspected mercury concentration, which ensures high detection sensitivity of bioavailable Hg^2 +.     

Variations in traffic-related polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in PM2.5 in Kanazawa, Japan, after the implementation of a new vehicle emission regulation

A three-year sampling campaign was conducted at a roadside air pollution monitoring station in the urban area of Kanazawa, Japan. Due to a new emission regulation, PAHs levels decreased over the sampling campaign, exhibiting values of 706 ± 413 pg/m³ in 2017, 559 ± 384 pg/m³ in 2018, and 473 ± 234 pg/m³ in 2019. In each year, similar seasonal variations in PAHs levels were observed, with higher levels observed in winter and lower levels in summer. Among the PAHs isomer ratios, we observed that the ratio of benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF) and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF), [BbF]/([BbF] + [BkF]), and the ratio of indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IDP) and benzo[ghi]perylene (BgPe), [IDP]/([BgPe] + [IDP]), showed stability over the sampling campaign and were less affected by the new emission regulation, seasonal variations, and regional characteristics. When using the combined ratio ranges of 0.66 - 0.80 ([BbF]/([BbF] + [BkF]) and 0.26-0.49 ([IDP]/([BgPe] + [IDP]), traffic emissions were clearly distinguished from other PAHs emission sources. Principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were also performed to further analyse the characteristics of traffic-related PAHs. Overall, this study affirmed the effectiveness of the new emission regulation in the reduction of PAHs emissions and provided a combined range for identifying PAHs traffic emission sources.     

Rapid degradation of hexachlorobenzene by micron Ag/Fe bimetal particles

The feasibility of the rapid degradation of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) by micron-size silver (Ag)/iron (Fe) particles was investigated.Ag/Fe particles with different ratios (0,0.05%,0.09%,0.20%,and 0.45%) were prepared by electroless silver plating on 300 mesh Fe powder,and were used to degrade HCB at different pH values and temperatures.The dechlorination ability of Fe greatly increased with small Ag addition,whereas too much added Ag would cover the Fe surface and reduce the effective reaction surface,thereby decreasing the extent of dechlorination.The optimal Ag/Fe ratio was 0.09%.Tafel polarization curves showed that HCB was rapidly degraded at neutral or acidic pH,whereas low pH levels severely intensified H2 production,which consumed the reducing electrons needed for the HCB degradation.HCB degradation was more sensitive to temperature than pH.The rate constant of HCB dechlorination was 0.452 min-1 at 85℃,50 times higher than that at 31℃.HCB was degraded in a successive dechlorination pathway,yielding the main products 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene within 2 hr.     

Investigation of the common intermediates over Fe-ZSM-5 in NH3-SCR reaction at low temperature by in situ DRIFTS

The surface species formed in the reaction of NO and NO₂ with pre-adsorbed NH₃ over a Fe-ZSM-5 catalyst (1.27 wt.% Fe, SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 25) at low temperature (140°C) were studied by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Through using a background spectrum of NH₃-saturated Fe-ZSM-5, we clearly observed the formation of common intermediates resulting from the reaction of NO₂ or NO + O₂ with pre-adsorbed NH₃. This presents strong evidence that the oxidation of NO to form surface nitrates and nitrites is the key step for standard SCR at low temperature. In addition, the results suggest that in the SCR reaction at low temperature, the NH₄⁺ ions absorbed on Brønsted acid sites are less active than NH₃ adsorbed on Lewis acid sites related to Fe species.     

Characterization of particle size distribution of mainstream cigarette smoke generated by smoking machine with an electrical low pressure impactor

Cigarette smoking is a particle-related exposure. Studying the characteristics of the particle size distribution of cigarette smoke can aid in providing knowledge of smoke aerosol attributes. We used an electrical low pressure impactor （ELPI） to measure the particle size distribution of mainstream cigarette smoke generated by a smoking machine and provided a continuum of particle sizes of cigarette smoke from a whole cigarette. The results showed that the aerodynamic diameters （D, geometric mean of a channel） of particles ranged from 0.021 to 1.956 ~m, and the number concentrations were on the order of 105-109 cm-3 for different sizes of particles. The particle number of the size category below 0.1 p,m approximated that of the category 0.1-2.0 Ixm, and the particles in the size category of 0.1-2.0 μm contributed extremely heavily to total particulate mass. In addition, the results with small samples indicated that the tar yields normalized per milligram of nicotine showed an approximately linear increase with increasing concentration of total particles.     

Effects of Al3+ on the microstructure and bioflocculation of anoxic sludge

The aluminum ions generated from mining aluminum,electrolytic aluminum and the industrial production of aluminum-based coagulants(such as AlCl_3 and Al_2(SO_4)_3) enter sewage treatment plants and interact with activated sludges.An anaerobic/anoxic/oxic(A~2 O) process was used to reveal the effects of Al~(3+) on the pollutant removal efficiencies,bioflocculation and the micro structure of sludge.The results showed that a low concentration of Al~(3+) improved the pollutant removal efficiencies and increased the sludge particle size.However,a high concentration of Al~(3+) hindered microbial flocculation and reduced the pollutant removal efficiencies.With a 10 mg/L Al~(3+) addition,the chemical oxygen demand(COD),total nitrogen(TN) and NH_4~+-N increased by 3%,16% and 27%,and reached as high as 68%,60% and 87%,respectively.At the same time,the dehydrogenase activity,flocculation ability(FA) and contact angle of the sludge reached their maximum levels at 41.3 mg/L/hr,45% and 79.63°,respectively.The specific surface area of the sludge decreased to 7.084 m2/g and the sludge pore size distribution shifted to concentrate in the me soporous range.Most of Al~(3+) was adsorbed on the surface of sludge,changing the physicochemical properties and physical structure of the sludge.     

Detection and Characterization of Hepatitis A Virus and Norovirus in Mussels from Galicia (NW Spain)

Shellfish are recognized as a potential vehicle of viral disease and despite the control measures for shellfish safety there is periodic emergence of viral outbreaks associated with shellfish consumption. In this study a total of 81 mussel samples from Ría do Burgo, A Coruña (NW Spain) were analysed. Samples were collected in seven different harvesting areas with the aim to establish a correlation between the prevalence of norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in mussel samples and the water quality. In addition, the genogroup of the detected HAV and NoV strains was also determined. The HAV presence was detected in 18.5 % of the samples. Contamination levels for this virus ranged from 1.1 × 10² to 4.1 × 10⁶ RNA copies/g digestive tissue. NoV were detected in 49.4 % of the cases reaching contamination levels from 5.9 × 10³ to 1.6 × 10⁹ RNA copies/g digestive tissue for NoV GI and from 6.1 × 10³ to 5.4 × 10⁶ RNA copies/g digestive tissue for NoV GII. The χ²-test showed no statistical correlation between the number of positive samples and the classification of molluscan harvesting area based on the E. coli number. All the detected HAV strains belong to genogroup IB. NoV strains were assigned to genotype I.4, II.4 and II.6.     

Hydrothermal fabrication of selectively doped organic assisted advanced ZnO nanomaterial for solar driven photocatalysis

Hydrothermal fabrication of selectively doped (Ag⁺ + Pd^3 +) advanced ZnO nanomaterial has been carried out under mild pressure temperature conditions (autogeneous; 150°C). Gluconic acid has been used as a surface modifier to effectively control the particle size and morphology of these ZnO nanoparticles. The experimental parameters were tuned to achieve optimum conditions for the synthesis of selectively doped ZnO nanomaterials with an experimental duration of 4 hr. These selectively doped ZnO nanoparticles were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–Vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The solar driven photocatalytic studies have been carried out for organic dyes, i.e., Procion MX-5B dye, Cibacron Brilliant Yellow dye, Indigo Carmine dye, separately and all three mixed, by using gluconic acid modified selectively doped advanced ZnO nanomaterial. The influence of catalyst, its concentration and initial dye concentration resulted in the photocatalytic efficiency of 89% under daylight.