Adsorption of 17β-estradiol from aqueous solution by raw and direct/pre/post-KOH treated lotus seedpod biochar

Five biochars derived from lotus seedpod(LSP) were applied to examine and compare the adsorption capacity of 17β-estradiol(E2) from aqueous solution.The effect of KOH activation and the order of activation steps on material properties were discussed.The effect of contact time,initial concentration,p H,ionic strength and humic acid on E2 adsorption were investigated in a batch adsorption process.Experimental results demonstrated that the pseudo second-order model fitted the experimental data best and that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 20 hr.The efficiency of E2 removal increased with increasing E2 concentration and decreased with the increase of ionic strength.E2 adsorption on LSP-derived biochar(BCs) was influenced little by humic acid,and slightly affected by the solution p H when its value ranged from 4.0 to 9.0,but considerably affected at p H 10.0.Low environmental temperature is favorable for E2 adsorption.Chemisorption,π–π interactions,monolayer adsorption and electrostatic interaction are the possible adsorption mechanisms.Comparative studies indicated that KOH activation and the order of activation steps had significant impacts on the material.Post-treated biochar exhibited better adsorption capacity for E2 than direct treated,pretreated,and raw LSP biochar.Pyrolyzed biochar at higher temperature improved E2 removal.The excellent performance of BCs in removing E2 suggested that BCs have potential in E2 treatment and that the biochar directly treated by KOH would be a good choice for the treatment of E2 in aqueous solution,with its advantages of good efficiency and simple technology.     

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.     

Effect of NOx and SO2 on the photooxidation of methylglyoxal: Implications in secondary aerosol formation

Methylglyoxal(CH_3COCHO,MG),which is one of the most abundant α-dicarbonyl compounds in the atmosphere,has been reported as a major source of secondary organic aerosol(SOA).In this work,the reaction of MG with hydroxyl radicals was studied in a 500 L smog chamber at(293±3) K,atmospheric pressure,(18±2)% relative humidity,and under different NOx and SO_2.Particle size distribution was measured by using a scanning mobility particle sizer(SMPS) and the results showed that the addition of SO_2 can promote SOA formation,while different NOx concentrations have different influences on SOA production.High NOx suppressed the SOA formation,whereas the particle mass concentration,particle number concentration and particle geometric mean diameter increased with the increasing NOx concentration at low NOx concentration in the presence of SO_2.In addition,the products of the OH-initiated oxidation of MG and the functional groups of the particle phase in the MG/OH/SO_2 and MG/OH/NOx/SO_2 reaction systems were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS) and attenuated total reflection fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR) analysis.Two products,glyoxylic acid and oxalic acid,were detected by GC-MS.The mechanism of the reaction of MG and OH radicals that follows two main pathways,H atom abstraction and hydration,is proposed.Evidence is provided for the formation of organic nitrates and organic sulfate in particle phase from IR spectra.Incorporation of NOx and SO_2 influence suggested that SOA formation from anthropogenic hydrocarbons may be more efficient in polluted environment.     

贵州农村污水典型抗生素污染水平及生态风险

抗生素残留物是一种新兴的微污染物,广泛存在于各种环境介质及生物样品中,长期暴露在抗生素环境会对人体健康、生态环境产生一定的潜在威胁。由于农村污水排放量逐渐增大、农村地区对抗生素的不合理使用以及受经济、地理地形的限制大部分农村地区都缺乏完整的污水收集管网和污水治理设施,进而导致抗生素通过多种途径进入农村环境,可能会对农村生态环境产生一定的环境风险。为了解贵州农村污水中抗生素的污染水平及处理后污水对环境的影响,作者采用固相萃取—液相色谱—串联质谱(SPE-LC-MS)联用技术,选取贵州省3处典型农村地区,对农村污水治理设施进出水中典型抗生素(包括6种磺胺类、3种四环素类、1种喹诺酮类抗生素)的浓度水平进行分析。结果表明,3处农村污水治理设施进水和出水中均检出不同程度的抗生素,浓度范围分别在ND～417.57 ng/L和ND～253.68 ng/L,其中土霉素浓度最高,进出水的浓度分别为417.57、253.68 ng/L;其次是氧氟沙星,在进出水中的最高浓度分别为278.75、183.73 ng/L。3处农村污水治理设施对抗生素的去除率在-58.32%～45.52%,对目标抗生素的去除率较低。与国内外其他地区农村污水相比,所选地区的进出水中抗生素的浓度较高。通过生态风险评估发现,经处理后的污水中均含有一种RQ≥1的抗生素物质,并且发现氧氟沙星为处理后污水中的高风险污染物,污水的排放会对环境造成一定的生态风险。     

A view from the countryside

Guest Editorial

A view from the countryside