Dissolution behavior of nutrient elements from dephosphorization slag in the weakly acidic solution

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Dephosphorization slag is primarily composed of CaO–SiO2–FeO–P2O5 slag system. As it contains abundant valuable components,...     

Improving protected area effectiveness through consideration of different human-pressure baselines

Previous assessments of the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) focused primarily on changes in human pressure over time and did not consider the different human-pressure baselines of PAs, thereby potentially over- or underestimating PA effectiveness. We developed a framework that considers both human-pressure baseline and change in human pressure over time and assessed the effectiveness of 338 PAs in China from 2010 to 2020. The initial state of human pressure on PAs was taken as the baseline, and changes in human pressure index (HPI) were further analyzed under different baselines. We used the random forest models to identify the management measures that most improved effectiveness in resisting human pressure for the PAs with different baselines. Finally, the relationships between the changes in the HPI and the changes in natural ecosystems in PAs were analyzed with different baselines. Of PAs with low HPI baselines, medium HPI baselines, and high HPI baselines, 76.92% (n=150), 11.11% (n=12), and 22.86% (n=8) , respectively, showed positive effects in resisting human pressure. Overall, ignoring human-pressure baselines somewhat underestimated the positive effects of PAs, especially for those with low initial human pressure. For PAs with different initial human pressures, different management measures should be taken to improve effectiveness and reduce threats to natural ecosystems. We believe our framework is useful for assessing the effectiveness of PAs globally, and we recommend it be included in the Convention on Biological Diversity Post-2020 Strategy.     

An antibiotic composite electrode for improving the sensitivity of electrochemically active biofilm biosensor

• Antibiotic azithromycin employed in graphite electrode for EAB biosensor. • Azithromycin at 0.5% dosage increased the sensitivity for toxic formaldehyde. • Azithromycin increased the relative abundance of Geobacter. • Azithromycin regulated thickness of electroactive biofilm. Extensive research has been carried out for improved sensitivity of electroactive biofilm-based sensor (EAB-sensor), which is recognized as a useful tool in water quality early-warning. Antibiotic that is employed widely to treat infection has been proved feasible in this study to regulate the EAB and to increase the EAB-biosensor’s sensitivity. A novel composite electrode was prepared using azithromycin (AZM) and graphite powder (GP), namely AZM@GP electrode, and was employed as the anode in EAB-biosensor. Different dosages of AZM, i.e., 2 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg, referred to as 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% AZM@GP were under examination. Results showed that EAB-biosensor was greatly benefited from appropriate dosage of AZM (0.5% AZM@GP) with reduced start-up time period, comparatively higher voltage output, more readable electrical signal and increased inhibition rate (30%-65% higher than control sensor with GP electrode) when exposing to toxic formaldehyde. This may be attributed to the fact that AZM inhibited the growth of non-EAM without much influence on the physiologic or metabolism activities of EAM under proper dosage. Further investigation of the biofilm morphology and microbial community analysis suggested that the biofilm formation was optimized with reduced thickness and enriched Geobacter with 0.5% AZM@GP dosage. This novel electrode is easily fabricated and equipped, and therefore would be a promising way to facilitate the practical application of EAB-sensors.     

Spatiotemporal variations of dissolved organic matter in a typical multi-source watershed in northern China: a fluorescent evidence

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The amount of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a multi-source watershed is important for complete management and assessing the river basin’s...     

Blockchain technology-based sustainable management research: the status quo and a general framework for future application

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The problems of data leakage and unreliable information transfer in the management process make sustainability management an inevitable need for...     

Prefabrication decisions of the construction supply chain under government subsidies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Prefabrication has been generating increasing interest as a cleaner production strategy to promote sustainable development. Alongside this trend,...     

A review of antibiotic removal from domestic wastewater using the activated sludge process: removal routes,kinetics and operational parameters

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Many advanced technologies have shown encouraging results in removing antibiotics from domestic wastewater. However, as activated sludge treatment is...     

Human health risk assessment of heavy metals from PM2.5 in China’s 29 provincial capital cities

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - After years of governance, China’s PM2.5 pollution has improved significantly, but some problems remain. PM2.5 is the carrier of many heavy...     

Influence of different inoculation densities of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) on heavy metal immobilization in swine manure

The disposal of organic waste by the biocomposting of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) has drawn broad attention. However, the discrepancies in heavy metal immobilization between BSFL biocomposting with different inoculation densities and aerobic composting need to be further researched. In this study, BSFL with inoculation densities of 0.08%, 0.24% and 0.40% was added to swine manure to investigate its influence on heavy metal bioaccumulation and bioavailability. The physicochemical properties, BSFL growth performance and amino acid contents were measured. The results showed that the germination index, total prepupal yield and bioavailable fraction removal rate (%) of Cr and Pb at an inoculation density of 0.40% of BSFL were the highest among all of the BSFL biocomposting groups. Although the bioaccumulation factor and heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn) concentrations of the BSFL body from swine manure with inoculation densities of 0.24% and 0.40% of BSFL were similar, the BSFL inoculation density of 0.40% had the best absorption effect on these heavy metals in terms of total prepupal yield. Therefore, this study provides a basis for exploring the optimal inoculation density of BSFL biocomposting to reduce the harmful effects of heavy metals in swine manure.

     

Constructing 3D magnetic flower-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl heterojunction photocatalyst for degrading rhodamine B

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this work, the 3D magnetic flower-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Co3O4@BiOCl heterojunction photocatalyst was successfully prepared. The combination of BiOCl with...