Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIVs) in Different Plant Communities in Subalpine Grasslands of the Giresun Mountains (Turkey)

Russian Journal of Ecology - In this paper, Ellenberg’s indicator values were estimated in order to soil nitrogen (N), pH (R) and soil moisture (M) in different subalpine grassland...     

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs)-associated protobiofilm: A neglected contributor to biofouling during membrane filtration

• Bacteria could easily and quickly attached onto TEP to form protobiofilms. • TEP-protobiofilm facilitate the transport of bacteria to membrane surface. • More significant flux decline was observed in the presence of TEP-protobiofilms. • Membrane fouling shows higher sensitivity to protobiofilm not to bacteria level. Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are a class of transparent gel-like polysaccharides, which have been widely detected in almost every kind of feed water to membrane systems, including freshwater, seawater and wastewater. Although TEP have been thought to be related to the membrane fouling, little information is currently available for their influential mechanisms and the pertinence to biofouling development. The present study, thus, aims to explore the impact of TEPs on biofouling development during ultrafiltration. TEP samples were inoculated with bacteria for several hours before filtration and the formation of “protobiofilm” (pre-colonized TEP by bacteria) was examined and its influence on biofouling was determined. It was observed that the bacteria can easily and quickly attach onto TEPs and form protobiofilms. Ultrafiltration experiments further revealed that TEP-protobiofilms served as carriers which facilitated and accelerated transport of bacteria to membrane surface, leading to rapid development of biofouling on the ultrafiltration membrane surfaces. Moreover, compared to the feed water containing independent bacteria and TEPs, more flux decline was observed with TEP-protobiofilms. Consequently, it appeared from this study that TEP-protobiofilms play a vital role in the development of membrane biofouling, but unfortunately, this phenomenon has been often overlooked in the literature. Obviously, these findings in turn may also challenge the current understanding of organic fouling and biofouling as membrane fouling caused by TEP-protobiofilm is a combination of both. It is expected that this study might promote further research in general membrane fouling mechanisms and the development of an effective mitigation strategy.     

The impact trilemma of energy prices,taxation, and population on industrial and residential greenhouse gas emissions in Europe

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - As a major source of pollution and the cause of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions are attracting the attention of scholars, policymakers, and...     

TiO2@palygorskite composite for the efficient remediation of oil spills via a dispersion-photodegradation synergy

• A novel and multi-functional clay-based oil spill remediation system was constructed. • TiO₂@PAL functions as a particulate dispersant to break oil slick into tiny droplets. • Effective dispersion leads to the direct contact of TiO₂ with oil pollutes directly. • TiO₂ loaded on PAL exhibits efficient photodegradation for oil pollutants. • TiO₂@PAL shows a typical dispersion-photocatalysis synergistic remediation. Removing spilled oil from the water surface is critically important given that oil spill accidents are a common occurrence. In this study, TiO₂@Palygorskite composite prepared by a simple coprecipitation method was used for oil spill remediation via a dispersion-photodegradation synergy. Diesel could be efficiently dispersed into small oil droplets by TiO₂@Palygorskite. These dispersed droplets had an average diameter of 20–30 mm and exhibited good time stability. The tight adsorption of TiO₂@Palygorskite on the surface of the droplets was observed in fluorescence and SEM images. As a particulate dispersant, the direct contact of TiO₂@Palygorskite with oil pollutants effectively enhanced the photodegradation efficiency of TiO₂ for oil. During the photodegradation process, •O₂⁻and •OH were detected by ESR and radical trapping experiments. The photodegradation efficiency of diesel by TiO₂@Palygorskite was enhanced by about 5 times compared with pure TiO₂ under simulated sunlight irradiation. The establishment of this new dispersion-photodegradation synergistic remediation system provides a new direction for the development of marine oil spill remediation.     

Less attention paid to waterborne SARS-CoV-2 spreading in Beijing urban communities

• A survey on individual’s perception of SARS-CoV-2 transmission was conducted. • Waterborne transmission risks are far less perceived by individuals. • Precautions of preventing wastewater mediated transmission are implemented. • The precautions for wastewater transmission are less favored by the public. • Education level differs the most regarding to waterborne transmission perception. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in various environmental media. Community and individual-engaged precautions are recommended to stop or slow environmentally-mediated transmission. To better understand the individual’s awareness of and precaution to environmental dissemination of SARS-CoV-2, an online survey was conducted in Beijing during March 14–25, 2020. It is found that the waterborne (especially wastewater mediated) spreading routes are far less perceived by urban communities. The precautions for wastewater transmission are less favored by the public than airborne and solid waste mediated spreading routes. Such risk communication asymmetry in waterborne transmission will be further enlarged in places with fragile water system. Furthermore, education level is the most significant attribution (Sig.<0.05) that causes the difference of awareness and precautions of the waterborne transmission among the respondents, according to the variance analysis results. Our survey results emphasize the urgent need for evidence-based, multifactorial precautions for current and future outbreaks of COVID-19.     

Analysis of the Shifts of Phenological Events in Birds as Indicators of Climatogenic Changes

Russian Journal of Ecology - A new method for assessing the response of biota to climatic changes in the ecosystem has been tested. In the Central Forest Natural Biosphere Reserve, the average...     

Prospects and challenges of conservation agriculture in Bangladesh for sustainable sugarcane cultivation

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Sugarcane is an industrial crop globally used for producing biofuels and bioproducts and is the only source of white sugar in Bangladesh. However,...     

Sublethal,sex-specific,osmotic, and metabolic impairments in embryonic and adult round stingrays from a location exposed to environmental contamination in southern California,USA

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Organic contaminants are known to affect a suite of physiological processes across vertebrate clades. However, despite their ancient lineage and...     

The performance of nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes under variable initial Fe/N ratios: The fate of nitrogen and iron species

•Bacterially-mediated coupled N and Fe processes examined in incubation experiments. •NO₃⁻ reduction was considerably inhibited as initial Fe/N ratio increased. •The maximum production of N₂ occurred at an initial Fe/N molar ratio of 6. •Fe minerals produced at Fe/N ratios of 1–2 were mainly easily reducible oxides. The Fe/N ratio is an important control on nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes that occur both in the aquatic environment and in wastewater treatment systems. The response of nitrate reduction, Fe oxidation, and mineral production to different initial Fe/N molar ratios in the presence of Paracoccus denitrificans was investigated in 132 h incubation experiments. A decrease in the nitrate reduction rate at 12 h occurred as the Fe/N ratio increased. Accumulated nitrite concentration at Fe/N ratios of 2–10 peaked at 12–84 h, and then decreased continuously to less than 0.1 mmol/L at the end of incubation. N₂O emission was promoted by high Fe/N ratios. Maximum production of N₂ occurred at a Fe/N ratio of 6, in parallel with the highest mole proportion of N₂ resulting from the reduction of nitrate (81.2%). XRD analysis and sequential extraction demonstrated that the main Fe minerals obtained from Fe(II) oxidation were easily reducible oxides such as ferrihydrite (at Fe/N ratios of 1–2), and easily reducible oxides and reducible oxides (at Fe/N ratios of 3–10). The results suggest that Fe/N ratio potentially plays a critical role in regulating N₂, N₂O emissions and Fe mineral formation in nitrate-reducing Fe(II) oxidation processes.