Antibiotic resistance genes in manure-amended paddy soils across eastern China: Occurrence and influencing factors

• Manure fertilization resulted in antibiotic residues and increased metal contents. • The tet and sul genes were significantly enhanced with manure fertilization. • Soil physicochemical properties contributed to 12% of the variations in ARGs. • Soil metals and antibiotics co-select for ARGs. Pig manure, rich in antibiotics and metals, is widely applied in paddy fields as a soil conditioner, triggering the proliferation of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil. However, comprehensive studies on the effects of manure fertilization on the abundance of ARGs and their influencing factors are still insufficient. Here, pig manure and manure-amended and inorganic-amended soils were collected from 11 rice-cropping regions in eastern China, and the accumulation of antibiotics, metals, and ARGs was assessed simultaneously. The results showed that manure fertilization led to antibiotic residues and increased the metal content (i.e., Zn, Cu, Ni, and Cr). Tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes (tetM, tetO, sul1, and sul2) were also significantly enhanced with manure fertilization. According to variance partitioning analysis, the most important factors that individually influenced ARGs were soil physicochemical properties, accounting for 12% of the variation. Significant correlations between soil nutrients and ARGs indicated that manure application enhanced the growth of resistant microorganisms by supplying more nutrients. Metals and antibiotics contributed 9% and 5% to the variations in ARGs, respectively. Their co-occurrence also increased the enrichment of ARGs, as their interactions accounted for 2% of the variation in ARGs. Interestingly, Cu was significantly related to most ARGs in the soil (r = 0.26–0.52, p<0.05). Sulfapyridine was significantly related to sul2, and tetracycline resistance genes were positively related to doxycycline. This study highlighted the risks of antibiotic and ARG accumulation with manure fertilization and shed light on the essential influencing factors of ARGs in paddy soils.     

Mechanistic insight into the biofilm formation and process performance of a passive aeration ditch (PAD) for decentralized wastewater treatment

• A Passive Aeration Ditch was developed to treat decentralized wastewater. • A model was developed to describe the process performance. • A high C/N ratio facilitates microbial growth but nitrification deteriorates. • A high salinity decreases both organic and nitrogen contaminants removal. Decentralized wastewater containing elevated salinity is an emerging threat to the local environment and sanitation in remote coastal communities. Regarding the cost and treatment efficiencies, we propose a passive aeration ditch (PAD) using non-woven polyester fabric as a feasible bubbleless aerator and biofilm carrier for wastewater treatment. Consideration has been first given to PAD’s efficacy in treating saline decentralized wastewater, and then to the impact of chemical oxygen demand-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio and salinity on biofilm formation. A multispecies model incorporating the salinity effect has been developed to depict the system performance and predict the microbial community. Results showed that the PAD system had great capacity for pollutants removal. The biofilm thickness increased at a higher C/N ratio because of the boost of aerobic heterotrophs and denitrifying bacteria, which consequently improved the COD and total nitrogen removal. However, this led to the deterioration of ammonia removal. Moreover, while a higher salinity benefited the biofilm growth, the contaminant removal efficiencies decreased because the salinity inhibited the activity of aerobic heterotrophs and reduced the abundance of nitrifying bacteria inside the biofilm. Based on the model simulation, feed water with salinity below 2% and C/N ratio in a range of 1 to 3 forms a biofilm that can reach relatively high organic matter and ammonia removal. These findings not only show the feasibility of PAD in treatment of saline decentralized wastewater, but also offer a systematic strategy to predict and optimize the process performance.     

Product identification and toxicity change during oxidation of methotrexate by ferrate and permanganate in water

• Oxidation of methotrexate by high-valent metal-oxo species was first explored. • Fe(VI) presented a higher reactivity to MTX than Mn(VII) at pH 8.0. • Ketonization and cleavage of peptide bond were two initial reaction pathways. • Products of MTX were not genotoxic, neurotoxic, or endocrine-disrupting chemicals. • The less biodegradable products exhibited developmental and acute/chronic toxicity. Accompanying an annual increase in cancer incidence, the global use of anticancer drugs has remarkably increased with their worldwide environmental prevalence and ecological risks. In this study, the oxidation of methotrexate (MTX), a typical anticancer drug with ubiquitous occurrence and multi-endpoint toxicity, by ferrate(VI) (Fe(VI)) and permanganate (Mn(VII))) was investigated in water. Fe(VI) exhibited a higher reactivity with MTX (93.34 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) than Mn(VII) (3.01 M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 8.0. The introduction of Cu(II) and Fe(III) at 1.0 mM improved the removal efficiency of 5.0 μM MTX by 100.0 μM Fe(VI) from 80% to 95% and 100% after 4 min, respectively. Seven oxidized products (OPs) were identified during oxidative treatments, while OP-191 and OP-205 were characterized as specific products for Fe(VI) oxidation. Initial ketonization of the L-glutamic acid moiety and cleavage of the peptide bond of MTX were proposed. Additionally, a multi-endpoint toxicity evaluation indicated no genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, or endocrine-disrupting effects of MTX and its OPs. Particularly, serious developmental toxicity in zebrafish larvae was observed in the treated MTX solutions. Based on the acute and chronic aquatic toxicity prediction, OP-190, OP-192, OP-206, and OP-208 were deemed toxic or very toxic compared to harmful MTX. Furthermore, the reduced biodegradability index from 0.15 (MTX) to −0.5 to −0.2 (OP-192, OP-206, and OP-468) indicated the formation of lower biodegradable OPs. Overall, this study suggests that Fe(VI) and Mn(VII) oxidation are promising treatments for remediating anticancer drug-contaminated water. However, the environmental risks associated with these treatments should be considered in the evaluation of water safety.     

Multi-factor principle for electrolyte additive molecule design for facilitating the development of electrolyte chemistry

When I read the paper"Electrolytes enriched by potassium perfluorinated sulfonates for lithium metal batteries"from Prof. Jianmin Ma's group, which was published in Science Bulletin (doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2020.09.018), I felt excited as presented a multi-factor principle for applying potassium perfluorinated sulfonates to suppress the dendrite growth and protect the cathode from the viewpoint of electrolyte additives. The effects of these additives are revealed through experimental results, molecular dynamics simulations and first-principle calculations. Specifically, it involves the influence of additives on Li+ solvation structure, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), Li growth and nucleation. Following the guidance of the multi-factor principle, every part of the additive molecule should be utilized to regulate electrolytes. This multi-factor principle for electrolyte additive molecule design (EAMD) offers a unique insight on understanding the electrochemical behavior of ion-type electrolyte additives on both the Li metal anode and high-voltage cathode. In these regards, I would be delighted to write a highlight for this innovative work and, hopefully, it may raise more interest in the areas of electrolyte additives.     

Semi-closed synthesis of nitrogen and oxygen Co-doped mesoporous carbon for selective aqueous oxidation

Heteroatom-doped meso/micro-porous carbon materials are conventionally produced by harsh carbonization under an inert atmosphere involving specific precursors, hard/soft templates, and heteroatom-containing agents. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of N and O co-doped meso/micro-porous carbon (NOMC) by template-free carbonization of a small-molecule precursor in a semi-closed system. The semi-closed carbonizaiton process yields hydrophilic NOMCs with large surface area in a high yield. The porous structure as well as the elemental composition of NOMCs can be modulated by changing the holding time at a particular temperature. NOMCs as metal-free heterogeneous catalysts can selectively oxidize benzyl alcohol and its derivatives into aldehydes/ketones with>85％conversion in aqueous solution, which is much higher than that of the control sample obtained in tube furnace (21％conversion), mainly due to their high N content, high percentage of pyridinic N, and large surface area. The presence of O-containing moieties also helps to improve the hydrophilicity and dispersion ability of catalysts and thus facilitates the mass transfer process during aqueous oxidation. The NOMC catalysts also dispayed excellent activity for a wide range of substrates with a selectivity of>99％.     

Effects of ambient temperature on outpatient visits for dermatitis in Xinxiang,China: a time-series analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Previous studies have reported regional variations in the relationship between ambient temperature and dermatitis, which therefore remain...     

CdS and Ag synergistically improved the performance of g-C3N4 on visible-light photocatalytic degradation of pollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - CdS-AgO@g-C3N4 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized and characterized by XRD, N2 physical adsorption, XPS, SEM, TEM, EDX, and UV–Vis DRS...     

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies between short-term exposure to ambient carbon monoxide and non-accidental,cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Although a growing number of original epidemiological studies imply a link between ambient pollution exposure and mortality risk, the findings...     

Spatial–temporal evolution of the relationship between agricultural material inputs and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions: experience from China 2003–2018

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Agricultural materials input (fertilizer and pesticide, etc.), together with straw burning, rice planting, and livestock breeding, constitute the...     

Degradation of the typical herbicide atrazine by UV/persulfate: kinetics and mechanisms

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Atrazine (ATZ), a widely used herbicide, had received a significant amount of attention due to its widespread detection in aquatic environments as...