Characterization and sources of PAHs in an urban river system in Beijing,China

Water samples from 20 locations on rivers in the Tongzhou District of Beijing were collected four times from July 2005 to March 2006. In addition, sediment samples were collected in July 2005. All samples were analyzed for 16 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) priority pollutants polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The concentration, distribution, seasonal variation, and sources of the 16 PAH compounds identified in the water samples, suspended particles, and surface sediments were then evaluated. The concentrations of PAHs in the water and suspended particle and surface sediment samples ranged from 87.3 to 1,890 ng l⁻¹, 1,330 to 27,700 ng g⁻¹, and 156 to 8,650 ng g⁻¹, respectively. These results demonstrated that rivers in the Tongzhou District of Beijing had a high level of PAH pollution, especially in the suspended particles. The highest and lowest concentrations of PAHs in the water samples were observed in summer and spring. However, the seasonal variations in the concentration of PAHs in the suspended particles were more complicated. The dominant compounds in the water, suspended particle, and surface sediment samples were two-, three- and four-ring PAH compounds, respectively. Ratio analysis illustrated that fuel-burning was the primary source of PAHs in the study area. Gasoline, diesel, coal, and coke oven sources were identified and the contributions of the different fuel-burning sources were then calculated using factor analysis and multiple linear regression. These analyses revealed that coal combustion, gasoline combustion plus coke oven emission, and diesel combustion accounted for 38.8%, 38.5%, and 22.7% of the PAHs in suspended particles, respectively.     

A system dynamics model for the management of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850) in the Bay of Arcachon (France)

The Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850) is one of the mollusc species that, driven mainly by the shellfish market industry, has extended throughout the world, far beyond the limits of its original habitat. The Manila clam was introduced into France for aquaculture purposes, between 1972 and 1975. In France, this venerid culture became increasingly widespread and, since 1988, this species has colonised most of the embayments along the French Atlantic coast. In 2004, this development resulted in a fishery of ca. 520 t in Arcachon Bay.     

Validation of a digestion procedure for ICP-AES and dynamic reaction cell ICP-MS for trace elemental analysis in environmental samples

Due to chloride polyatomic interferences, hydrochloric acid is not recommended for preparation of samples analysed by ICP-MS and separate digestion procedures are used for ICP-MS and ICP-AES. Here we demonstrate that a single digestion procedure using a mixture of HNO₃ and HCl can be used for ICP-AES and dynamic reaction cell (DRC)-ICP-MS. Hotplate, block digester and microwave digestion were investigated. For a quantitative recovery of 26 elements including Ag, Sb and Ti from waters, soils and sediments, the final concentration of 10% (v/v) HCl in the digest is required regardless of the digestion techniques. The method detection limits of 0.3–1.2 μg/L were obtained for chloride-interfering elements As, V, Cr and Se by DRC-ICP-MS using ammonia and oxygen as the DRC gas.     

Influence of iron plaque on chromium accumulation and translocation in three rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars grown in solution culture

Hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the role of iron plaque on root surface in chromium accumulation and translocation in three rice cultivars (90-68-2, CDR22 and Jin 23A). Rice seedlings were grown under 1.0 mg L^?1 trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) stress with and without phosphorus (P) treatments. P addition significantly increased the shoot and root biomass in all three rice cultivars. In the absence of P, the amounts of iron plaque (DCB-extractable Fe) on the root surface increased resulting in the increase of Cr accumulation in iron plaque. Compared to that with P treatment, Cr concentrations in iron plaque without P treatment were enhanced by 2–3 folds in the three rice cultivars. There was a significantly positive correlation between DCB-extractable Cr and DCB-extractable Fe on the root surface of the three rice cultivars. There were no significant effects on Cr concentration in roots and shoots between P treatments, but significant differences among cultivars were observed. Cultivar Jin 23A had the lowest Cr concentration both in roots and shoots regardless of P treatment. The results suggest that iron plaque could be a trap for immobilising Cr from environment but may not affect Cr uptake and translocation. Screening and breeding the cultivars with low Cr accumulation is considered as the most effective approach in Cr contaminated areas.     

Ecotoxicological assessment of sediment from Texcalac River and agricultural soil of riverside area,in Tlaxcala,Mexico

This study assesses the potential risk of Texcalac River and riparian area. The p,p′ DDT and ∑DDTs levels in agricultural soils (3.9–208.0?µg/kg) and in surface sediments (0.6–137?µg/kg) surpassing the guidelines for protection of aquatic life (75% > TEC). The ∑PCBs concentration oscillated from 135 to 93941?µg/kg; the half of sediments exceeded the international guidelines (PEL, PEC), as well as two soils (SQGE?=?500?µg/kg). The TEQ concentration of four PCB-DL varied between 0.1 and 24.9?µg TEQ/kg, chiefly affected by PCB 169. Five sediments were lethal for E. foetida, two resulted to be cytotoxic and the 58% produced genotoxicity higher than negative control (A?=?0.28?±?0.05; DICA?=?72.5?±?16.9 au). Likewise, 31.6% of samples increased the micronuclei frequency in V. faba in comparison with negative control. The analytical data and the bioassays results suggest a significant and immediate risk to exposed biota of this region, highlighting a specific area in Texcalac River and other one in Sambrano Ravine. It is necessity assess the dispersion of pollutants and perform biomonitoring studies that display the exposure levels in biota with the goal to characterise the ecotoxicological risk.     

Feasibility of weeds-based compost-cultivated Agaricus bisporus北大核心CSCD

Making full use of local weed resources to produce Agaricus bisporus is of great importance in reducing production costs and protecting the environment. In this paper, three trial experiments were conducted on the basis of weed diversity investigation around the Miyun Reservoir and the adjustment of formulation and technology in the industrial production of A. bisporus. Compost samples from different phases of the composting process and at various cultivation stages were collected for the determination of their physical-chemical properties, lignocellulose content, lignocellulolytic enzyme activities, and bacterial communities enrichment by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The yield of mushrooms in each different trial was also calculated. The results showed several types of reservoir weeds with high, thick and hard stems. The saturated moisture of weeds was 76.78% after baling. The water content, carbon content, and C/N ratio of the samples decreased gradually during composting, but had little change during cultivation. The nitrogen content decreased at the end of phase I and increased at the end of phase II. During composting, the loss rates of hemicellulose and cellulose were both between 40% and 60%, and the loss rate of lignin was between 20% and 30%. During cultivation, instead, the loss rate of lignin was between 16% and 21%. The changes in the content of cellulose and hemicellulose of compost were consistent with that of the activity of the related degradation enzymes. A total of 432 595 valid sequences were obtained by Illumina sequencing for the samples derived from the three composting trials, and the average length of the sequences was 441 bp. Taxonomic analysis showed that the dominant bacteria were Prevotella (phylum Bacteroidetes), Bacillus (phylum Firmicutes), Thermus, Truepera, and Caldicoprobacter (phylum Deinococcus-Thermus), Thermopolyspora (phylum Actinobacteria), and Pseudoxanthomonas (phylum Proteobacteria). The yield of the three trials was in the range of 17.1-19.7 kg/m2. It is thus feasible to use reservoir weeds compost instead of wheat straw compost for the cultivation of A. bisporus. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Effects of glucose dehydrogenase gene knock-out in Acetobacter sp. On the metabolism of carbon sources and the synthesis of 3-hydroxypropionic acid北大核心CSCD

3-Hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) is an emerging platform chemical with a high added-value. Resting cells of Acetobacter sp. can efficiently catalyze 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) to 3-HP. Glucose is oxidized by the membrane-bound dehydrogenase, resulting in an acidic environment that inhibits cell growth and reduces the biomass. We deleted the gdh gene for glucose dehydrogenase (GDH), and investigated the effects on cell growth, carbon metabolism, and 3-HP production. The gdh gene knocked-out showed a 1.72-fold increase in biomass in the mixed medium containing glucose and glycerol. A carbon flux analysis showed that glucose was converted to gluconic acid by GDH, followed by an oxidation to 2-ketogluconic acid. In addition, a small percentage of the gluconic acid was degraded via the pentose phosphate pathway. Glycerol was phosphorylated and entered the central pathway (gluconeogenesis). Results indicate that the deletion of gdh can effectively promote higher cell densities and improve the catalytic performance for the production of 3-HP, and thus provide a theoretical reference for improving the carbon source utilization and the catalytic performance of acetic acid bacteria. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Spatial distribution and risk assessment of soil heavy metal contamination along roadsides of the northwestern Sichuan Plateau,China北大核心CSCD

Traffic activities in roadways are the major source of heavy metal contamination on the northwestern Sichuan Plateau, China. To characterize the spatial pattern of heavy metal distribution, we collected soil samples and measured the concentrations of five heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) from nine sites in Hongyuan County, Sichuan Province, including three transects that reflected typical gradients of traffic density. Each transect consisted of three levels of traffic density sites. We calculated single pollution index, Nemerow multi-factor index, and potential ecological risk index, to assess the ecological risk of the heavy metal contamination. Results showed that the soils were contaminated by Cd and Zn, with higher concentrations than that of the natural soil background values in all sampling sites. Moreover, Cd and Zn concentrations increased with increasing traffic density, suggesting that traffic activities were potentially responsible for the metal contaminations. The single pollution index indicated that the study sites were heavily contaminated by Cd and slightly polluted by Ni, Pb, and Zn, and the Nemerow multi-factor and potential ecological risk indexes indicated moderate potential ecological risks at the study sites. Specifically, the sites with high traffic density were moderately contaminated and the sites with low traffic density were mildly contaminated. In general, Cd and Zn were highly accumulated in soils of the study region; therefore focus should be on the high ecological hazard associated with soil heavy metal contamination, even in undeveloped regions. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Using T-RFLP technology to analyze bacterial diversity in the rhizospheric soils of tea tree at different ages北大核心CSCD

The rhizospheric soils of Tieguanyin at different ages were used as the study materials, and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) was used to analyze the changes in bacterial diversity. The results showed that the number of T-RFs, Simpson index, and Shannon index decreased significantly with the age of the tea tree. Results of correlation analysis showed that 9 T-RFs from the bacterial community were significantly and positively correlated with the age of the tea tree, and included 34 species of microbes belonging to 10 classes. The 34 microbes were divided into 6 types according to their functional attributes, and included pathogenic bacteria, bacteria that improved soil texture or inhibited pathogenic bacteria, and bacteria associated with the carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur cycles, in which the percentage of pathogenic bacteria was 58.82%. Seventeen T-RFs were significantly and negatively correlated with the age of the tea tree, and included 38 species of bacteria belonging to 12 classes. The 38 bacterial species were divided into 5 types according to their functional attributes, and included pathogenic bacteria, bacteria that improved soil quality or inhibited pathogenic bacteria, and bacteria associated with the carbon cycle or nitrogen cycle, in which all the others, barring the pathogenic bacteria, accounted for 78.95% of the bacterial population. In brief, the diversity and function of bacteria in the rhizospheric soil of tea tree changed significantly with the age of the tea tree, which provides a theoretical basis for studying the interactions of bacterial communities. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.     

Isolation,identification, and the degradation characteristics of a BDE-47 degrading strain北大核心CSCD

In an effort to remove BDE-47 residues from the environment, a bacterial strain that is capable of utilizing BDE-47 as the sole carbon source was isolated and screened from soil collected from an e-waste recycling area in Tianjin to analyze the degradation properties. The strain was preliminarily identified as Enterobacter sp. according to a 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis. The strain degraded 35.8% of 525 μg/L of BDE-47 in 35 d when the initial concentration of bacteria was 7.1 × 105 cells/ mL. The product of the biodegradation of BDE-47 was BDE-28. The biodegradation of BDE-47 fit well with first-order kinetics, and its degradation kinetics was ln Ct = - 0.104t + 6.22. With the addition of an electron acceptor, such as Fe3+, SO4 2- and NO3 -, the BDE-47 degradation rate was significantly increased to 49.8%, 59.1%, and 67.3%, respectively. The above results revealed that the strain could degrade BDE-47, which is of importance in the application of environmental bioremediation of BDE-47. © 2018 Science Press. All rights reserved.