不对称还原丙酮酸乙酯菌株的筛选及鉴定

以丙酮酸乙酯为底物,从成都某化工厂污水池及其附近土壤中分离到36株可将丙酮酸乙酯不对称还原成(S)-乳酸乙酯的菌株.经过多次复筛,最终获得了一株具有较高催化活性的酵母菌BTY18-6.在以该菌株静息细胞为催化剂,催化不对称还原丙酮酸乙酯合成(S)-乳酸乙酯的反应中,底物浓度为60 mmol/L时,底物转化率为86.9%,产物(S)-乳酸乙酯的ee值为88.7%.通过对其形态学、生理生化特征及其26S rDNA Dl/D2区域的分析表明,BTY18-6为胶红酵母.     

生态系统服务研究的问题与展望

生态系统服务的研究是当前资源经济学和生态经济学的研究热点之一。通过分析生态系统服务的概念辨析,认为从生态系统功能的定义过渡到生态系统服务定义的过程中,在关注生态系统整体性的同时忽略了生态系统要素之间的相互作用,导致生态系统服务的评估中可能存在着重复估值或者估值不全面等风险。针对目前的很多生态系统的评估对生态系统的耗损贬值和环境退化所造成的负效益的忽略,以及对人类活动的干扰和气候变化等对生态系统服务产生影响研究不足,提出在今后的研究中应该在深入理解生态系统的复杂生态学机制的基础上,结合数学模型模拟在不确定性下的各种风险损失,加强对生态系统服务的时空动态分析,重视在气候变化、经济发展、环境污染、城市化以及人类活动的过度放牧和过度开垦引起的水土流失、环境退化、荒漠化等土地利用变化的干扰时生态系统服务的变化和反馈,更进一步分析和预测生态系统服务的损益和响应研究;通过长期的试验监测揭示生物多样性和生态系统的关系,测度出土地利用和环境变化对生物多样性的影响和边际效益,及其对生态系统服务的影响的弹性值,实现生态系统服务的精确估值;关注生态系统服务对人类福利的影响,尤其重视贫困地区和生态脆弱区的生态系统服务对减小贫困的研究,建立科学的生态补偿机制,实现可持续发展。     

Microplastics in mangroves and coral reef ecosystems: a review

Microplastic pollution has recently been identified as a major issue for the health of ecosystems. Microplastics have typically sizes of less than 5 mm and occur in various forms, such as pellets, fibres, fragments, films, and granules. Mangroves and coral reefs are sensitive and restricted ecosystems that provide free ecological services such as coastal protection, maintaining natural cycles, hotspots of biodiversity and economically valuable goods. However, urbanization and industrial activities have started contaminating even these preserved ecosystems. Here we review sources, occurrence, and toxicity of microplastics in the trophic levels of mangrove and coral reef ecosystems. We present detection methods, such as microscopic identification and spectroscopy. We discuss mitigating measures that prevent the entry of microplastics into the marine environment.

     

Surfactants in sludge-amended agricultural soils: a review

Surfactants are included in different detergent formulations and are one of the most ubiquitous and important families of organic compounds. Although the generic term applies to a great number of products, 80% of their demand is covered by only ten types of compounds. The global surfactant market volume size is more than 18 million tons per year. Large quantities of surfactants are continuously released into the environment, where they can or cannot be degraded depending on their structure. The alkylbenzenesulphonate (LAS) is the most widely used surfactant. LAS can be degraded under aerobic conditions but is persistent in the environment under anaerobic conditions. Surfactants may enter the terrestrial environment through several routes, with the use of sewage sludge as fertiliser on agricultural land being by far the most important. High concentrations of surfactants and their degradation products may affect the biota. On the other hand, due to their amphiphilic nature, surfactants may interact both with inorganic as well as organic contaminants affecting their bioavailability.     

Redox-active ligands in artificial photosynthesis: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Given the rising socioeconomic issues of fossil fuels, efficient artificial photosynthesis would be an important milestone toward a sustainable world. A key step...     

Tetracycline antibiotics in the environment: a review

Tetracycline antibiotics are one of the primarily antibiotics groups used for veterinary purposes, for human therapy and for agricultural purposes. Amongst the different antibiotics used, more attention is paid to tetracycline’s as it exhibits serious environmental problems including ecological risks and human health damages. Due to their extensive usage, most of the actual evidence suggests that tetracycline antibiotics are omnipresent compounds found in different ecological compartments. After medication, more than 70 % of tetracycline antibiotics are excreted and released in active form into the environment via urine and feces from humans and animals. Their highly hydrophilic character and low volatility have resulted in significant persistence in the aquatic environment. Very few studies describe the fate and toxicity of tetracycline antibiotics in the environment. Here, we review several important issues with regard to: (1) the toxicity of these compounds on aquatic and terrestrial organisms; (2) their estrogenic effects; (3) their behavior in different ecological systems and; (4) the by-products generated during water treatment. These antibiotics residues promote the development of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, which can induce adverse effect to human health by increasing the risk of certain infections. Based on recent research results, the occurrence of tetracycline antibiotics in the environment inhibits the growth of some terrestrial and aquatic species. Besides, the residual concentrations of such drugs could affect steroidogenic pathway and consequently may cause endocrine disruption of aquatic species. Most of the wastewater treatment plants are not capable of removing effectively the tetracycline antibiotics. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative processes to remove them from waters. Advanced oxidation processes have been proposed as alternative methods to ensure higher degradation and mineralization of tetracycline antibiotics are present in waters.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis and environmental remediation: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Microwave irradiation has been intensively studied for environmental remediation, e.g., for wastewater treatment, and for synthesis, to take advantages of the...     

Organophosphorous compounds and oxidative stress: a review

Organophosphorous compounds (OP) have largely been used as pesticides globally. These chemicals induce oxidative stress as a possible mechanism of action, which has been a focus of toxicological research for the last decade. This review evaluated the presence of oxidative stress, balance between total antioxidant capacity, and oxygen free radicals associated with OP compound exposure. Oxidative stress induced by OP leads to disturbances in function of different organs and tissues. Evidence indicates that stimulation of free radical production, induction of lipid peroxidation, and disturbance of the total antioxidant capacity are mechanisms of toxicity induced by most OP. Thus, use of antioxidants may be beneficial in treatment of OP poisoning, which remains to be elucidated with further clinical trials.     

Synthesis and application of graphene-based sensors in biology: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Biosensors are gaining interest in biomedical and environmental sciences. In particular, graphene-based biosensors are promising due to the unique properties of...     

Proteomics of mercury-induced responses and resilience in plants: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Excessive levels of heavy metals in the environment induce toxic effects on food crops and human health. For instance, mercury (Hg) disrupts global plant...     

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.     

Microbial degradation of two carbamate insecticides and their main metabolites in soil

Degradation studies in soil of the insecticides aldicarb and carbofuran and their metabolites (aldicarb sulfoxide, aldicarb sulfone; 3-ketocarbofuran and 3-hydroxycarbofuran) were carried out using laboratory systems under controlled conditions (temperature, water content, light). The insecticides were added to soil samples and subsamples of the soil were analyzed at different times to assess both the bacterial abundance and the concentration of the different chemicals. The epifluorescence direct count method was applied to the subsamples to estimate microorganism numbers (N/g soil). Untreated samples of soil were used as controls for evaluating the effects of the application of the insecticides on microbial abundance. Subsamples treated with the pesticides were analyzed using HPLC and the DT 50 s of the different compounds studied were calculated. The DT 50 values show that neither the parent compounds nor the transformation products have a high persistence in soil and there is a general increase in the concentration of microorganisms as the pesticides diminish.     

Innovations in applications and prospects of bioplastics and biopolymers: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Non-biodegradable plastics are continually amassing landfills and oceans worldwide while creating severe environmental issues and hazards to animal and human...     

Phosphates for Pb immobilization in soils: a review

In its soluble ionic forms, lead (Pb) is a toxic element occurring in waters and soils mainly as the result of human activities. The bioavailability of lead ions can be decreased by complexation with various materials in order to decrease their toxicity. Pb chemical immobilization using phosphate addition is a widely accepted technique to immobilize Pb from aqueous solution and contaminated soils. The application of different P amendments cause Pb in soils to shift from forms with high availability to the most strongly bound Pb fractions. The increase of Pb in the residual or insoluble fraction results from formation of pyromorphite Pb₅(PO₄)₃X where X = F, Cl, Br, OH, the most stable environmental Pb compounds under a wide range of pH and Eh natural conditions. Accidental pyromorphite ingestion does not yield bioavailable lead, because pyromorphite is insoluble in the intestinal tract. Numerous natural and synthetic phosphates materials have been used to immobilize Pb: apatite and hydroxyapatite, biological apatite, rock phosphate, soluble phosphate fertilizers such as monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, phosphoric acid, biosolids rich in P, phosphatic clay and mixtures. The identification of pyromorphite in phosphate amended soils has been carried out by different non destructive techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray absorption fine structure, transmission electron microscopy and electron microprobe analysis. The effectiveness of in situ Pb immobilization has also been evaluated by selective sequential extraction, by the toxicity leaching procedure and by a physiologically based extraction procedure simulating metal ingestion and gastrointestinal bioavailability to humans. Efficient Pb immobilization using P amendments requires increasing the solubility of the phosphate phase and of the Pb species phase by inducing acid conditions. Although phosphorus addition seems to be highly effective, excess P in soil and its potential effect on eutrophication of surface water, and the possibility of As enhanced leaching remains a concern. The use of mixed treatments may be a useful strategy to improve their effectiveness in reducing lead phyto- and bioavailability.     

Remediation and toxicity of endocrine disruptors: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Endocrine disruptors are hazardous chemicals with chronic health effects for most living organisms, inducing homeostasis, hormonal imbalances, cancer, reproductive...     

Role of mushrooms in soil mycoremediation:a review

Bioremediation is an innovative and promising technology available for the removal and recovery of heavy metals from contaminated media. Bioremediation uses organisms to absorb heavy metals at low cost and with no secondary pollution. Bioremediation by macrofungi that degrade pollutants or wastes is referred to as mycoremediation. Macrofungi, like mushrooms, can produce enzymes and have the ability to degrade and accumulate a wide range of toxic metals. In this paper, the research status and advances in the field of mycoremediation using different mushroom species are reviewed. Generally mushrooms use three effective strategies to recover contaminated or polluted soils: biodegradation, bioconversion, and biosorption. Mushrooms can degrade and recycle wastes and pollutants to their mineral constituents and convert wastes, sludge, and pollutants into useful forms. In addition, they can uptake heavy metals from substrates via biosorption, which is a very effective method to reclaim polluted lands. Different wild and cultivated mushroom species are used in mycoremediation, which can degrade large quantities of organic and inorganic pollutants and produce vendible products. Mycoremediation is still in its infancy, but it has notable remediation potential for pollutants or metals in soil. Mushroom species that can biodegrade, bioconvert, or absorb pollutants and metals effectively should be given the highest preference. Further research is needed to verify that this method is an easy, cost effective,and eco-friendly tool.     

COVID-19 drugs in aquatic systems: a review

Environmental Chemistry Letters - The outbreak of the human coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has induced an unprecedented increase in the use of several old and repurposed therapeutic...