Links between chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution and cardiovascular diseases: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Acute exposure to air pollution is associated with an increasing risk of death and cardiovascular disorders. Nonetheless, the impact of chronic exposure to air...     

Metal- and ionic liquid-based photocatalysts for biodiesel production: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Diminishing petroleum reserves, increasing carbon emissions, and the growing demand for fuels are calling for alternative fuels. Global diesel consumption...     

History of titanium dioxide regulation as a food additive: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Since its discovery in the late eighteenth century and mass production in the early twentieth century, titanium dioxide has been used in a wide range of...     

Nanotechnology applications in pollution sensing and degradation in agriculture: a review

With the rise in the global population, the demand for increased supply of food has motivated scientists and engineers to design new methods to boost agricultural production. With limited availability of land and water resources, growth in agriculture can be achieved only by increasing productivity through good agronomy and supporting it with an effective use of modern technology. Advanced agronomical methods lay stress not only on boosting agricultural produce through use of more effective fertilizers and pesticides, but also on the hygienic storage of agricultural produce. The detrimental effects of modern agricultural methods on the ecosystem have raised serious concerns amongst environmentalists. The widespread use of persistent pesticides globally over the last six decades has contaminated groundwater and soil, resulting in diseases and hardships in non-target species such as humans and animals. The first step in the removal of disease causing microbes from food products or harmful contaminants from soil and groundwater is the effective detection of these damaging elements. Nanotechnology offers a lot of promise in the area of pollution sensing and prevention, by exploiting novel properties of nanomaterials. Nanotechnology can augment agricultural production and boost food processing industry through applications of these unique properties. Nanosensors are capable of detecting microbes, humidity and toxic pollutants at very minute levels. Organic pesticides and industrial pollutants can be degraded into harmless and often useful components, through a process called photocatalysis using metal oxide semiconductor nanostructures. Nanotechnology is gradually moving out from the experimental into the practical regime and is making its presence felt in agriculture and the food processing industry. Here we review the contributions of nanotechnology to the sensing and degradation of pollutants for improved agricultural production with sustainable environmental protection.     

Health impacts of air pollution in China

•Impacts of air pollution on various body systems health in China were highlighted. •China’s actions to control air pollution and their effects were briefly introduced. •Challenges and perspectives of the health effects of air pollution are provided. The health effects of air pollution have attracted considerable attention in China. In this review, the status of air pollution in China is briefly presented. The impacts of air pollution on the health of the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the urinary system, pregnancy and life expectancy are highlighted. Additionally, China’s actions to control air pollution and their effects are briefly introduced. Finally, the challenges and perspectives of the health effects of air pollution are provided. We believe that this review will provide a promising perspective on the health impacts of air pollution in China, and further elicit more attention from governments and researchers worldwide.     

Using urban man-made ponds to reconstruct a 150-year history of air pollution in northwest England

A regional pollution history has been reconstructed for the borough of Halton (northwest England) from four urban ponds in north Cheshire and south Merseyside, using environmental analyses of lake sediment stratigraphies. Mineral magnetism, geochemistry and radiometric dating have produced profiles of pollution characteristics dating from the mid-nineteenth century to present day. These pollution profiles reflect the atmospheric deposition of a range of pollutants over 150 years of intensified industry. Distinct phases of pollution deposition and characteristics are identified reflecting: (1) intensification of industry in the nineteenth century; (2) expansion of industry during the twentieth century; (3) post 1956 Clean Air Acts. This work promotes the potential use of these pollution archives for use in epidemiology to better understand links between human health and environmental pollution, especially for diseases with long latency times, where retrospective pollution exposure assessments are important.     

Worldwide cases of water pollution by emerging contaminants: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Water contamination by emerging contaminants is increasing in the context of rising urbanization, industrialization, and agriculture production. Emerging...     

Methods to convert lignocellulosic waste into biohydrogen,biogas, bioethanol,biodiesel and value-added chemicals: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - In the context of climate change and the circular economy, there is an urgent need to develop biofuels and value-added chemicals from lignocellulosic waste such as...     

Atmospheric particulate matter and air quality in the Mediterranean: a review

This article synthesises the results obtained in several projects on atmospheric aerosol (particulate matter – PM) pollution developed during the last years in the Western Mediterranean. It focuses on particulate matter sources and the strategies for suitable monitoring in ambient air. The article has been structured in several sections that give response to the main questions that prompted these studies. After analysing the main PM features in the Mediterranean, a brief review of the main factors differentiating the particulate matter composition with respect to Central Europe is presented. Finally, the suitability of the different metrics or parameters for monitoring ambient air PM levels in different types of environments is discussed. Selected article from the 6th European Meeting on Environmental Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro organized by Prof. Dr. Branimir Jovancicevic (www.research.plymouth.ac.uk/ace).     

Using a non-homogeneous Poisson model with spatial anisotropy and change-points to study air pollution data

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - A non-homogeneous Poisson process is used to study the rate at which a pollutant’s concentration exceeds a given threshold of interest. An...     

Efficient air pollution abatement for regions in China

This paper computes the efficient air pollution abatement ratios of 30 regions in China during the period 1996–2002. Three air emissions (SO₂, soot and dust) are considered. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) with a single output (real GDP) and five inputs (labour, real capital stock, SO₂, dust and soot emissions) is used to compute the target emissions of each region for each year. The efficient abatement ratios of each region in each year are then obtained by dividing the target emission by the actual emission of an air pollutant. Our major findings are: 1. The eastern area is the most efficient region with respect to SO₂, soot and dust emissions in every year during the research period. 2. The eastern, central and western areas have the lowest, medium and highest 1996–2002 average target abatement ratios of SO₂ (22.09%, 42.23% and 57.58%), soot (26.19%, 56.34% and 66.37%) and dust (15.20%, 29.09% and 40.59%), respectively. 3. These results are consistent with the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory, whereby a more developed area will use environmental goods more efficiently than a less developed area. 4. Compared to dust emission, the average target abatement ratios for SO₂ and soot emissions (as direct outcomes of burning coal) are relatively much higher for all three areas.     

Highway toll and air pollution: Evidence from Chinese cities

Most highways in urban China are tolled to finance their construction. During the eight-day National Day holiday in 2012, highway tolls were waived nationwide for passenger vehicles. We use this to identify the effects of highway tolls on air pollution. Using daily pollution and weather data for 98 Chinese cities in 2011 and 2012 and employing both a regression discontinuity design and differences-in-differences method with the 2011 National Day holiday as a control, we find that eliminating tolls increases pollution by 20% and decreases visibility by one kilometer. We also estimate that the toll elasticity of air pollution is −0.15. These findings complement the scant literature on the environmental impact of road pricing.     

北京市空气污染季节变化规律研究及污染控制建议

北京市的空气质量问题直接关系到首都的经济发展和生态环境建设,也影响着北京在世界大都市的地位.近几年,中央政府和北京市对首都空气质量的改善也越来越重视.根据北京市环保局下设的27个测站点从2005年末到2008年初的观测资料,借助SPSS统计软件,通过对北京市各区域不同时间段的空气污染指数进行对比分析和研究,旨在探索北京市空气污染的季节性变化规律及其污染控制埘策.研究结果表明:北京的首要污染物为可吸入颗粒物;在一年当中,6-8月份的气象条件有利于大气污染物的稀释和扩散,大气环境质量相对最好:冬季受气象条件和采暖的影响.春季季风段受西北部沙尘暴的影响,大气环境质量相对较差.根据这个规律,为确保北京市中长期大气环境保护工作目标的实现,进一步降低污染排放、改善城市空气质量提出了具体的对策和建议.     

水生维管束植物在水污染中的应用

随着水污染的加剧，高效低耗的水污染处理技术逐渐受到人们的重视，水生维管束植物以其特有的组织和生态功能及易于人工操纵等原因而在净化水体污染、防治富营养化方面发挥了重要的作用。文章对水生维管束植物在水质净化中的作用、影响因素、水生植物的综合利用及其在水污染监测中的作用等方面进行了系统分析，提出多种植物组合比单种植物能更好地实现对水体的净化，通过温度、水深的调控措施可以加强水生维管束植物对水质的净化效果，温度、水深、水质状况以及水生植物的经济价值等是水生植物选择的重要因素。指出了当前水生维管束植物研究中存在的一些问题，认为在人为操纵下，对于水生植物的长效管理是其在水污染应用中的一个重要内容。     

大气化学污染的植物净化研究进展

大气污染是人类面临的严重环境问题之一,植物除了可以监测大气的化学污染外,在近地表大气污染物的清除中起着重要作用。利用植物净化大气化学污染是一种经济、有效、非破坏型的环境污染修复方式,植物净化污染大气的思想及其技术对城市园林绿化、环境规划和生态环境建设等具有直接的指导意义和应用价值。文章简要介绍了大气化学污染植物净化的机理,综述了近年来利用植物净化大气无机污染物和有机污染物的研究成果,并展望了今后需要进一步研究的领域。植物净化化学性大气污染的主要过程是持留和去除:持留过程涉及植物截获、吸附和滞留等,去除过程包括植物吸收、降解、转化、同化和超同化等。利用生物学、化学、农学、土壤科学和环境科学等多学科交叉,筛选高效的净化植物、研究污染物在植物体内的转化机理和影响净化效果的因素、开发联合修复技术、培育转基因净化植物等是未来研究的主要方向。     

农业磷素流失途径及控制方法研究进展

综合评述了农业磷素面源污染产生的原因及其控制方法方面的国内外研究进展。在控制磷污染源方面要注意磷肥用量和磷肥有效性的提高,减少磷素在土壤中的积累;在控制磷素流失方面要针对磷素地表和土体内迁移流失采取有效措施,减少磷素对地表水和地下水污染。磷素污染的治理关键是切断磷源和流失途径的联系,根据磷污染源的等级划分因地制宜地采取治理措施;要将磷和氮综合治理,制定适合我国国情的BMP管理模式。     

Remediation of tetracycline pollution using MXene and nano-zero-valent iron materials: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Antibiotic resistance is a major health issue partly caused by the diffusion of antibiotic pollution in the natural environment, thus calling for advanced methods...     

Spatio-temporal analysis of air pollution in North China Plain

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Accompanying China’s rapid industrialization, a vast area of the country, particularly the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region, has...