Spatial cost–benefit analysis of blue restoration and factors driving net benefits globally

Marine coastal ecosystems, commonly referred to as blue ecosystems, provide valuable services to society but are under increasing threat worldwide due to a variety of drivers, including eutrophication, development, land-use change, land reclamation, and climate change. Ecological restoration is sometimes necessary to facilitate recovery in coastal ecosystems. Blue restoration (i.e., in marine coastal systems) is a developing field, and projects to date have been small scale and expensive, leading to the perception that restoration may not be economically viable. We conducted a global cost–benefit analysis to determine the net benefits of restoring coral reef, mangrove, saltmarsh, and seagrass ecosystems, where the benefit is defined as the monetary value of ecosystem services. We estimated costs from published restoration case studies and used an adjusted-value-transfer method to assign benefit values to these case studies. Benefit values were estimated as the monetary value provided by ecosystem services of the restored habitats. Benefits outweighed costs (i.e., there were positive net benefits) for restoration of all blue ecosystems. Mean benefit:cost ratios for ecosystem restoration were eight to 10 times higher than prior studies of coral reef and seagrass restoration, most likely due to the more recent lower cost estimates we used. Among ecosystems, saltmarsh had the greatest net benefits followed by mangrove; coral reef and seagrass ecosystems had lower net benefits. In general, restoration in nations with middle incomes had higher (eight times higher in coral reefs and 40 times higher in mangroves) net benefits than those with high incomes. Within an ecosystem type, net benefit varied with restoration technique (coral reef and saltmarsh), ecosystem service produced (mangrove and saltmarsh), and project duration (seagrass). These results challenge the perceptions of the low economic viability of blue restoration and should encourage further targeted investment in this field.     

Combination with catalyzed Fe(0)-carbon microelectrolysis and activated carbon adsorption for advanced reclaimed water treatment: simultaneous nitrate and biorefractory organics removal

A process combining catalyzed Fe(0)-carbon microelectrolysis (IC-ME) with activated carbon (AC) adsorption was developed for advanced reclaimed water treatment. Simultaneous nitrate reduction and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal were achieved, and the effects of composite catalyst (CC) addition, AC addition, and initial pH were investigated. The reaction kinetics and reaction mechanisms were calculated and analyzed. The results showed that CC addition could enhance the reduction rate of nitrate and effectively inhibit the production of ammonia. Moreover, AC addition increased the adsorption capacity of biorefractory organic compounds (BROs) and enhanced the degradation of BRO. The reduction of NO₃^?–N at different pH values was consistently greater than 96.9%, and NH₄⁺–N was suppressed by high pH. The presence of CC ensured the reaction rate of IC-ME at high pH. The reaction kinetics orders and constants were calculated. Catalyzed iron scrap (IS)-AC showed much better nitrate reduction and BRO degradation performances than IS-AC and AC. The IC-ME showed great potential for application to nitrate and BRO reduction in reclaimed water.

     

Probabilistic health risk assessment of nitrosamines in drinking water of Shaoxing,Zhejiang, China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrosamines (NAms) are potent genotoxic and carcinogenic but widely detected in drinking water. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of...     

Control of NOx emissions by air staging in small- and medium-scale biomass pellet boilers

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The effect of air staging strategies on NOx control was investigated on a 210-kW small-scale biomass boiler (SBB) and a 1.4-MW medium-scale biomass...     

Characteristic and mechanism of sorption and desorption of benzene on humic acid

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The sorption/desorption behaviors of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) on soil organic matter (SOM) have a significant influence on...     

Environmental decentralization,environmental public service,and public health: evidence from 289 cities in China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Effective supply of environmental public services (EPS) is important to guarantee the mitigation of residential pollution exposure risk. This study analyzes...     

Physiological responses involved in cadmium tolerance in a high-cadmium-accumulating rice (Oryza sativa L.) line

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The disparity of tolerance in plants in response to Cd stress is associated with multiple physiological processes. A pot experiment was conducted to...     

Photochemical degradation kinetics and mechanisms of norfloxacin and oxytetracycline

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The photochemical degradation of norfloxacin (NOR) and oxytetracycline (OTC) was investigated under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The results...     

Removal of ammonia nitrogen from water by mesoporous carbon electrode–based membrane capacitance deionization

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater is always a focus in current water treatment. In this study, a combination of mesoporous carbon...     

Toxic cyanobacteria and microcystin dynamics in a tropical reservoir: assessing the influence of environmental variables

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Toxic cyanobacterial blooms (TCBs) have become a growing concern worldwide. The present study investigated the dynamic of toxic cyanobacteria and...