Contents and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and organochlorine pesticides in vegetable soils of Guangzhou, China

We investigated contents, distribution and possible sources of PAHs and organochlorine pesticides (Ops) in 43 surface and subsurface soils around the urban Guangzhou where variable kinds of vegetables are grown. The results indicate that the contents of PAHs (16 US EPA priority PAHs) range from 42 to 3077 microg/kg and the pollution extent is classified as a moderate level in comparison with other investigations and soil quality standards. The ratios of methylphenanthrenes to phenanthrene(MP/P), anthracene to anthracene plus phenanthrene (An/178), benz[a]anthracene to benz[a]anthracene plus chrysene (BaA/228), indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene to indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene plus benzo[ghi]perylene (In/In+BP) suggest that the sources of PAHs in the soil samples are mixed with a dominant contribution from petroleum and combustion of fossil fuel. The correlation analysis shows that the PAHs contents are significantly related to total organic carbon contents (TOC) (R2=0.75) and black carbon contents (BC) (R2=0.62) in the soil samples. Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and metabolites (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes and metabolites (HCHs) account largely for the contaminants of OPs. The concentrations of DDTs range from 3.58 to 831 microg/kg and the ratios for DDT/(DDD+DDE) are higher than 2 in some soil samples, suggesting that DDT contamination still exists and may be caused by its persistence in soils and/or impurity in the pesticide dicofol. The concentrations of HCHs are 0.19-42.3 microg/kg.     

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...     

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...     

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...