Cytotoxicity of the soluble and insoluble fractions of atmospheric fine particulate matter

Inhaled atmospheric fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)) includes soluble and insoluble fractions,and each fraction can interact with cells and cause adverse effects.PM_(2.5) samples were collected in Jinan,China,and the soluble and insoluble fractions were separated.According to physiochemical characterization,the soluble fraction mainly contains watersoluble ions and organic acids,and the insoluble fraction mainly contains kaolinite,calcium carbonate and some organic carbon.The interaction between PM_(2.5) and model cell membranes was examined with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation(QCM-D) to quantify PM_(2.5) attachment on membranes and membrane disruption.The cytotoxicity of the total PM_(2.5) and the soluble and insoluble fractions,was investigated.Negatively charged PM_(2.5) can adhere to the positively charged membranes and disrupt them.PM_(2.5)also adheres to negatively charged membranes but does not cause membrane rupture.Therefore,electrostatic repulsion does not prevent PM_(2.5) attachment,but electrostatic attraction induces remarkable membrane rupture.The human lung epithelial cell line A549 was used for cytotoxicity assessment.The detected membrane leakage,cellular swelling and blebbing indicated a cell necrosis process.Moreover,the insoluble PM_(2.5) fraction caused a higher cell mortality and more serious cell membrane damage than the soluble fraction.The levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS) enhanced by the two fractions were not significantly different.The findings provide more information to better understand the mechanism of PM_(2.5) cytotoxicity and the effect of PM_(2.5) solubility on cytotoxicity.     

Molecular behavior and interactions with microbes during anaerobic degradation of bio-derived DOM in waste leachate

It is the key to control bio-derived dissolved organic matters (DOM) in order to reduce the effluent concentration of wastewater treatment, especially for waste leachate with high organic contaminants. In the present study, the anaerobic degradation of aerobically stabilized DOM was investigated with DOM substrate isolated through electrodialysis. The degradation of bio-derived DOM was confirmed by reduction of 15% of total organic carbon in 100 days. We characterized the molecular behavior of bio-derived DOM by coupling molecular and biological information analysis. Venn based Sankey diagram of mass features showed the transformation of bio-derived DOM mass features. Occurrence frequency analysis divided mass features into six categories so as to distinguish the fates of intermediate metabolites and persistent compounds. Reactivity continuum model and machine learning technologies realized the semi-quantitative determination on the kinetics of DOM mass features in the form of pseudo-first order, and confirmed the reduction of inert mass features. Furthermore, network analysis statistically establish relationship between DOM mass features and microbes to identify the active microbes that are able to utilize bio-derived DOM. This work confirmed the biological technology is still effective in controlling recalcitrant bio-derived DOM during wastewater treatment.     

Effects of simulated acid rain on cation release in soils of South China

This paper deals with the release of base cations and Al3+ at the treatment with simulated acid rain (SAR) in main soil types collected from South China. Results showed that the amounts of base cations increased obviously when the pH value of simulated acid rain was lower than 3.0 or 3.5. Compared with the leaching of K+ and Na+, the leaching of Ca2+ and Mg2+ was affected by the pH value of SAR. Only when the amounts of base cations leached from soils exceeded the cation exchange capacity, the pH value of leaching solutions decreased sharply and the amounts of released Al3+ increased. The H+ buffering mechanisms, which were affected notonly by the pH values of SAR, but also by the types and solid components of soils, were proposed for the main soils studied.     

水体中常见无机阳离子对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的影响

选择了6种水体中常见的阳离子（Na^＋、Mg^2＋、Ca^2＋、Al^3＋、Cu^2＋、Ni^2＋）,分别考查了其对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的影响;从光吸收、无机离子本身的性质对光生电子的捕获及传递等讨论了上述离子影响TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的反应速率的原因。结果表明：由于其不能捕获光生电子,Na^＋、Mg^2＋、Ca^2＋本身对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的反应速率影响不大;Al^3＋吸引电子能力较强,成为光生电子和Cr（Ⅵ）之间的桥梁,促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的还原;浓度为1 mmmol/L时,Cu^2＋显著地促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的光催化还原,其主要原因是Cu^2＋捕获光生电子的能力很强,起到了催化剂的作用,而浓度大于10 mmol/L时,Cu^2＋形成单质Cu以及对紫外光的吸收都使促进作用降低;Ni^2＋未充满的d轨道具有获得并传递光生电子的能力,也促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的还原;在浓度同为1mmol/L时,对Cr（Ⅵ）光催化还原的促进作用依次为：Cu^2＋〉Al^3＋〉Ni^2＋〉Na^＋、Ca^2＋、Mg^2＋。     

Effects of metal cations on sorption-desorption of p-nitrophenol onto wheat ash

The mutual e ects of metal cations (Cu2+, Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+) and p-nitrophenol (NP) on their adsorption desorption behavior onto wheat ash were studied. Results suggested that Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ diminished the adsorption and increased the desorption of NP remarkably, while Cd2+ had no such e ect. In contrast, NP diminished the adsorption of Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ onto ash, however, this suppression e ect depended on the initial concentrations of metal cations. NP had no e ect on Cd2+ adsorption on ash. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray absorption spectroscopic (XAS) studies suggested the following mechanisms responsible for the metal suppression e ect on NP adsorption: (1) large hydrated Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ shells occupied the surface of ash and prevent nonspecific adsorption of NP onto ash surface; (2) Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ may block the micropores of ash, resulting in decreased adsorption of NP; (3) complexation of Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ was likely via carboxyl, hydroxylic and phenolic groups of wheat ash and these same groups may also react with NP during adsorption. As a “soft acid”, Cd2+ is less e cient in the complexation of oxygencontaining acid groups than Cu2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+. Thus, Cd2+ had no e ect on the adsorption of NP on wheat ash.     

常规金属离子对Fe3O4磁性纳米颗粒悬浮和沉降的影响

水体中的有机质、无机盐及酸碱度是影响纳米材料迁移转化的主要因素.考察了Na~+、Mg~(2+)、Ca~(2+)、Sr~(2+)和Ba~(2+)对Fe_3O_4磁性纳米材料(Magnetic Nanoparticles,MNPs)的沉降作用.结果表明,Fe_3O_4MNPs的沉降作用是水体pH、金属离子化合价、离子强度共同影响的结果.整体上,碱土金属离子较Na~+更能加速Fe_3O_4MNPs的沉降.当pH为5.0时,浓度低于1.0 mmol·L~(-1)的Na~+、Mg~(2+)和Ca~(2+)有助于Fe_3O_4MNPs的悬浮;当浓度大于1.0 mmol·L~(-1)时,较强的离子强度促使Fe_3O_4MNPs团聚,发生沉降.当pH为9.0时,碱土金属离子较Na~+更能促使Fe_3O_4MNPs聚沉.因此,纳米颗粒在水体中的扩散和聚沉需要综合考虑金属离子种类和浓度.     

Assessment of Uncertainty in Long-Term Mass Balances for Acidification Assessments: A MAGIC Model Exercise

Long-term (1860–2010) catchment mass balance calculations rely on models and assumptions which are sources of uncertainty in acidification assessments. In this article, we report on an application of MAGIC to model acidification at the four Swedish IM forested catchments that have been subject to differing degrees of acidification stress. Uncertainties in the modeled mass balances were mainly associated with the deposition scenario and assumptions about sulfate adsorption and soil mass. Estimated base cation (BC) release rates (weathering) varied in a relatively narrow range of 47–62 or 42–47 meq m⁻² year⁻¹, depending on assumptions made about soil cation exchange capacity and base saturation. By varying aluminum solubility or introducing a dynamic weathering feedback that allowed BC release to increase at more acidic pHs, a systematic effect on predicted changes in acid neutralizing capacity (ΔANC ca. 10–41 μeq l⁻¹) and pH (ca. ΔpH = 0.1–0.6) at all sites was observed. More robust projections of future changes in pH and ANC are dependent on reducing uncertainties in BC release rates, the timing, and extent of natural acidification through BC uptake by plants, temporal changes in soil element pools, and fluxes of Al between compartments.     

Evidence for Acidification-Driven Ecosystem Collapse of Danish Erica tetralix Wet Heathland

We report observations of disappearance of Erica tetralix in wet heathland, which is unlikely to be caused by competition, as E. tetralix is dying before its place is taken up by other species. To investigate the causes, we used both old and new data. Results showed that presence of Molinia caerulea and Calluna vulgaris were substantial in the former E. tetralix dominated areas. Measurements of the C/N ratio in the morlayer were between 21 and 26 under the E. tetralix stands. As the expected C/N ratio in a healthy nutrient poor ecosystem like the E. tetralix wet heathland is around 30, this indicates that the ratio is probably decreasing and, correspondingly, the probability of nitrogen leaching from the ecosystem is increasing. The morlayer pH was extremely low—between 3.03 and 3.78. This represents a pH decline since the 1960s, where pH values generally were above 4. This supports the hypothesis that the decrease in morlayer pH is the major factor explaining the disappearance of E. tetralix and that measures to increase pH should be considered as part of the recommendations for relevant future management.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0251-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

南方土壤酸沉降敏感性研究Ⅷ.盐基离子淋溶的多因素分析

在模拟酸雨条件下土壤盐基离子淋溶特性研究的基础上，采用生成分分析及多元回归分析方法研究了土壤盐基淋溶的影响因子．结果表明，通过主成分分析方法可将选取的15个原始变量综合成为2个主成分，为进一步分析盐基释放量与土壤理化性质之间的关系提供了方便．影响盐基释放量的主要因子有土壤原始pH值、可交换性盐基含量、蒙脱石含量、活性氧化物、1.4nm矿物等，它们表现出效应，而高岭石和可交换性铝含量表现出负效应．利用主成分分析的结果进行多元回归分析，可得到土壤累积盐基释放量与2个主成分之间的回归方程．