Dynamic nano-Ag colloids cytotoxicity to and accumulation by Escherichia coli: Effects of Fe3+, ionic strength and humic acid

Released Ag ions or/and Ag particles are believed to contribute to the cytotoxicity of Ag nanomaterials, and thus, the cytotoxicity and mechanism of Ag nanomaterials should be dynamic in water due to unfixed Ag particle:Ag⁺ ratios. Our recent research found that the cytotoxicity of PVP-Ag nanoparticles is attributable to Ag particles alone in 3 hr bioassays, and shifts to both Ag particles and released Ag⁺ in 48 hr bioassays. Herein, as a continued study, the cytotoxicity and accumulation of 50 and 100 nm Ag colloids in Escherichia coli were determined dynamically. The cytotoxicity and mechanisms of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic throughout exposure and are derived from both Ag ions and particles. Ag accumulation by E. coli is derived mainly from extracellular Ag particles during the initial 12 hr of exposure, and thereafter mainly from intracellular Ag ions. Fe³⁺ accelerates the oxidative dissolution of nano-Ag colloids, which results in decreasing amounts of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Na⁺ stabilizes nano-Ag colloids, thereby decreasing the bioavailability of Ag particles and particle-related toxicity. Humic acid (HA) binds Ag⁺ to form Ag⁺-HA, decreasing ion-related toxicity and binding to the E. coli surface, decreasing particle-related toxicity. HA in complex conditions showed a stronger relative contribution to toxicity and accumulation than Na⁺ or Fe³⁺. The results highlighted the cytotoxicity and mechanism of nano-Ag colloids are dynamic and affected by environmental factors, and therefore exposure duration and water chemistry should be seriously considered in environmental and health risk assessments.     

Cytotoxicity of the soluble and insoluble fractions of atmospheric fine particulate matter

Inhaled atmospheric fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)) includes soluble and insoluble fractions,and each fraction can interact with cells and cause adverse effects.PM_(2.5) samples were collected in Jinan,China,and the soluble and insoluble fractions were separated.According to physiochemical characterization,the soluble fraction mainly contains watersoluble ions and organic acids,and the insoluble fraction mainly contains kaolinite,calcium carbonate and some organic carbon.The interaction between PM_(2.5) and model cell membranes was examined with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation(QCM-D) to quantify PM_(2.5) attachment on membranes and membrane disruption.The cytotoxicity of the total PM_(2.5) and the soluble and insoluble fractions,was investigated.Negatively charged PM_(2.5) can adhere to the positively charged membranes and disrupt them.PM_(2.5)also adheres to negatively charged membranes but does not cause membrane rupture.Therefore,electrostatic repulsion does not prevent PM_(2.5) attachment,but electrostatic attraction induces remarkable membrane rupture.The human lung epithelial cell line A549 was used for cytotoxicity assessment.The detected membrane leakage,cellular swelling and blebbing indicated a cell necrosis process.Moreover,the insoluble PM_(2.5) fraction caused a higher cell mortality and more serious cell membrane damage than the soluble fraction.The levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS) enhanced by the two fractions were not significantly different.The findings provide more information to better understand the mechanism of PM_(2.5) cytotoxicity and the effect of PM_(2.5) solubility on cytotoxicity.     

An investigation of changes in water quality throughout the drinking water production/distribution chain using toxicological and fluorescence analyses

Changes in water quality from source water to finished water and tap water at two conventional drinking water treatment plants(DWTPs) were monitored.Beside the routine water quality testing,Caenorhabditis elegans-based toxicity assays and the fluorescence excitation–emission matrices technique were also applied.Both DWTPs supplied drinking water that met government standards.Under current test conditions,both the investigated finished water and tap water samples exhibited stronger lethal,genotoxic and reprotoxic potential than the relative source water sample,and the tap water sample was more lethal but tended to be less genotoxic than the corresponding finished water sample.Meanwhile,the nearly complete removal of tryptophan-like substances and newly generated tyrosine-like substances were observed after the treatment of drinking water,and humic-like substances were identified in the tap water.Based on these findings,toxic pollutants,including genotoxic/reproductive toxicants,are produced in the drinking water treatment and/or distribution processes.Moreover,further studies are needed to clarify the potentially important roles of tyrosine-like and humic-like substances in mediating drinking water toxicity and to identify the potential sources of these contaminants.Additionally,tryptophan-like fluorescence may be adopted as a useful parameter to monitor the treatment performance of DWTPs.Our observations provided insights into the importance of utilizing biotoxicity assays and fluorescence spectroscopy as tools to complement the routine evaluation of drinking water.     

Will polycentric cities cause more CO2 emissions? A case study of 232 Chinese cities

From 2000 to 2010 China experienced rapid economic development and urbanization. Many cities in economically developed areas have developed from a single-center status to polycentricity. In this study, we used exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) to identify the population centers, which identified 232 cities in China as having urban centers. COMP was used to represent urban agglomeration, and POLYD (representing how far is the city's sub-centers to the main center), POLYC (representing the number of a city's centers), and POLYP (representing the population distributed between the main center and the sub-centers) were used to indicate urban polycentricity. Night light data were used to determine the CO₂ emissions from various cities in China. A mixed model was used to study the impact of urban aggregation and polycentric data on the CO₂ emission efficiency in 2000 and 2010. The study found that cities with higher compactness were distributed in coastal areas, and the cities with higher multicentricity were distributed in the Yangtze River Delta and Shandong Province. The more compact the city was, the less conducive it was to improving CO₂ emission efficiency. Polycentric development of the city was conducive to improving the CO₂ emission efficiency, but the number of urban centers had no significant relationship with the CO₂ emission efficiency. Our research showed that the compactness and multicentricity of the city had an impact on the CO₂ emission efficiency and provided some planning suggestions for the low carbon development of the city.     

Ozone pollution characteristics and sensitivity analysis using an observation-based model in Nanjing, Yangtze River Delta Region of China

Ground-level ozone (O₃) has become a critical pollutant impeding air quality improvement in Yangtze River Delta region of China. In this study, we present O₃ pollution characteristics based on one-year online measurements during 2016 at an urban site in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Then, the sensitivity of O₃ to its precursors during 2 O₃ pollution episodes in August was analyzed using a box model based on observation (OBM). The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) of hydrocarbons was larger than other precursors, suggesting that hydrocarbons played the dominant role in O₃ formation. The RIR values for NO_X ranged from –0.41%/% to 0.19%/%. The O₃ sensitivity was also analyzed based on relationship of simulated O₃ production rates with reductions of VOC and NO_X derived from scenario analyses. Simulation results illustrate that O₃ formation was between VOCs-limited and transition regime. Xylenes and light alkenes were found to be key species in O₃ formation according to RIR values, and their sources were determined using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model. Paints and solvent use was the largest contributor to xylenes (54%), while petrochemical industry was the most important source to propene (82%). Discussions on VOCs and NO_X reduction schemes suggest that the 5% O₃ control goal can be achieved by reducing VOCs by 20%. To obtain 10% O₃ control goal, VOCs need to be reduced by 30% with VOCs/NO_X larger than 3:1.     

杭州湾北岸36种挥发性有机物污染特征及来源解析

为研究杭州湾北岸VOCs（挥发性有机物）的浓度水平、组成特征、反应活性和潜在来源,采用GC-FID在线监测系统对杭州湾北岸环境大气中的36种VOCs开展了为期1 a（2017年12月-2018年11月）的连续观测,采用LOH（VOCs的·OH消耗速率）和OFP（O₃生成潜势）2种方法估算了大气VOCs的反应活性,并利用PMF（正定矩阵因子分解）和CPF（条件概率函数）模型分析其来源.结果表明:①φ（VOCs）小时平均值在冬季（26.47×10-9）最高,夏季（9.76×10-9）最低;全年φ（VOCs）小时平均值为21.24×10-9,其中烷烃、烯烃+炔烃、芳香烃、卤代烃的贡献率分别为33.24%、34.13%、15.63%、17.00%;φ（烷烃）、φ（芳香烃）和φ（卤代烃）呈较明显的昼夜变化特征,φ（烯烃）和φ（炔烃）无明显昼夜变化趋势.②大气VOCs的总LOH和OFP分别为9.39 s-1和220.57 μg/m3,KOH（·OH反应速率常数）和MIR（最大增量反应活性）系数的平均值分别为17.34×10-12 cm3/（molecule·s）和3.31;KOH和MIR系数的平均值分别与间/对-二甲苯的KOH和乙苯的MIR系数接近,表明大气VOCs的化学反应活性较强;VOCs关键活性物种为异戊二烯、乙烯、丙烯、甲苯、二甲苯和顺-2-丁烯.③特征物种相关性分析表明,杭州湾北岸大气存在老化现象,异戊烷和正戊烷受煤燃烧源影响较大,二甲苯和乙苯受溶剂排放源影响较大,甲苯和苯除受机动车尾气影响外,还受其他排放源影响.④PMF和CPF模型来源分析表明,大气VOCs主要来自石化工业源、燃料挥发源、生物质燃烧和煤燃烧源、机动车排放源和溶剂使用源,其中,机动车排放源主要来自西北方向,其他源主要来自西北、西和西南方向.研究显示,杭州湾北岸大气VOCs来源复杂,受周边工业区的影响较大.      

Particulate matter exchange between atmosphere and roads surfaces in urban areas

The deposition and the re-suspension of particulate matter (PM) in urban areas are the key processes that contribute not only to stormwater pollution, but also to air pollution. However, investigation of the deposition and the re-suspension of PM is challenging because of the difficulties in distinguishing between the resuspended and the deposited PM. This study created two Bayesian Networks (BN) models to explore the deposition and the re-suspension of PM as well as the important influential factors. The outcomes of BN modelling revealed that deposition and re-suspension of PM10 occurred under both, high-traffic and low-traffic conditions, and the re-suspension of PM2.5 occurred under low-traffic conditions. The deposition of PM10 under low-volume traffic condition is 1.6 times higher than under high-volume traffic condition, which is attributed to the decrease in PM10 caused by relatively higher turbulence under high-volume traffic conditions. PM10 is more easily resuspended from road surfaces compared to PM2.5 as the particles which larger than the thickness of the laminar airflow over the road surface are more easily removed from road surfaces. The increase in wind speed contributes to the increase in PM build-up by transporting particulates from roadside areas to the road surfaces and the airborne PM2.5 and PM10 increases with the increase in relative humidity. The study outcomes provide a step improvement in the understanding of the transfer processes of PM2.5 and PM10 between atmosphere and urban road surfaces, which in turn will contribute to the effective design of mitigation measures for urban stormwater and air pollution.     

保定市大气污染特征和潜在输送源分析

保定市是京津冀地区重要城市之一.为了解保定市大气污染物质量浓度特征和潜在输送源,对保定市国控点2017年1月1日-12月31日PM₁₀、PM_2.5、SO₂、NO₂、O₃、CO等常规大气污染物数据进行分析,并利用TrajStat后向轨迹模型进行区域传输研究.结果表明:①ρ（PM₁₀）、ρ（PM_2.5）、ρ（SO₂）、ρ（NO₂）分别为（138±96）（84±66）（29±23）和（50±24）μg/m3,与2016年相比分别下降5.9%、9.1%、25.5%和13.1%;ρ（CO）较2016年下降了14.0%;ρ（O₃）较2016年增长了25.2%.ρ（PM₁₀）、ρ（PM_2.5）、ρ（NO₂）和ρ（O₃）分别超过GB 3095-2012《环境空气质量标准》二级标准限值的0.97、1.40、0.25和0.34倍,ρ（SO₂）和ρ（CO）未超标.②除ρ（O₃）外,其他污染物质量浓度均呈冬季最高、夏季最低的季节性特征,其中,冬季PM_2.5污染最为严重,春季PM_2.5~10（粗颗粒物）污染严重.③空气质量模型源解析结果显示,保定市ρ（PM_2.5）约60.0%~70.0%来自本地污染源排放.后向轨迹结果表明,在外来区域传输影响中,保定市主要受到西北方向气团（占比为21.7%~60.0%）远距离传输和正南方向气团（占比为34.8%~50.5%）近距离传输的影响.④PSCF（潜在源贡献因子分析法）和CWT（浓度权重轨迹分析法）分析表明,除保定市及周边区县本地污染贡献外,位于太行山东麓沿线西南传输通道的邯郸市、邢台市、石家庄市是影响保定市PM_2.5的主要潜在源区.研究显示,PM_2.5为保定市大气中的主要污染物,并呈冬季高、夏季低的变化特征,其主要来自西北远距离输送和南部近距离传输.      

达里诺尔湖水体DOM荧光特征及其来源解析

达里诺尔湖（简称“达里湖”）是内蒙古自治区高原地区重要的生态屏障,探究达里湖水质状况及污染来源,对加强流域水环境治理、改善水环境质量具有十分重要的意义.于2018年9月及2019年6月对湖水进行采样,并通过三维荧光光谱结合PARAFAC（平行因子分析）模型,探究达里湖水体DOM（溶解性有机质）来源及其与水质的关系.结果表明:①达里湖水体中pH较高,ρ（DOC）（DOC为溶解性有机碳）、ρ（NH₄+-N）、ρ（TP）相对较高,均超过GB 3838—2002《地表水环境质量标准》Ⅴ类水质标准限值.②水体中DOM含4种荧光组分.夏季水体DOM主要分布于河流入湖口附近,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分（紫外区类富里酸和可见区类富里酸）占总组分的62.93%,类蛋白类荧光组分（类色氨酸和类酪氨酸）占总组分的36.07%;秋季水体DOM主要分布于东南侧,其中,类腐殖质荧光组分占总组分的40.52%,类蛋白类荧光组分占总组分的59.48%.③达里湖采样点荧光参数表明,达里湖DOM自生源特征较强,腐殖化程度较低.类腐殖质荧光组分与ρ（DOC）、ρ（Chla）均呈正相关,类色氨酸荧光组分与pH呈正相关,类络氨酸与ρ（DTN）、ρ（NH4+-N）、ρ（DTP）均呈正相关.研究显示,达里湖DOM具有陆源与生物源双重特性,DOM的形成与微生物、细菌、浮游生物的生命活动密切相关.      

嘉兴地区农村生活污水时空分布及处理设施现状分析

研究选取嘉兴市下辖农村的160座生活污水处理设施进出水为研究对象,分析了区域农村生活污水污染物时空分布特征及其处理设施现状,以期提高处理设施效率。结果表明:嘉兴市农村生活污水中氮、磷污染较有机污染更严重,ρ（COD）、ρ（TP）、ρ（TN）、ρ（NH₄+-N）年均值分别为142.23,4.02,44.19,27.74 mg/L,各污水处理设施处理效果有很大优化空间,COD、TP、TN、NH₄+-N年均去除率分别为50.5%、29.7%、36.8%、51.7%。农村生活污水空间上呈自西向东、由北至南逐渐减小的分布特征,时间上表现为冬季 > 春季 > 秋季 > 夏季。相关性分析表明,COD、TP、TN、NH₄+-N之间呈极显著正相关（P<0.01）,相关系数为0.688±0.946。设施进水C/N、NH₄+-N/TN年均值分别为3.21、68.9%,传统的单一A2/O处理工艺对低碳源污水处理效果不理想,可通过组合工艺设计、规范运营管理、加强后期监测等有效措施来进一步加强污水处理设施处理效果。