Metabolomic modulations in a freshwater microbial community exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin

An effective broad-spectrum fungicide, azoxystrobin (AZ), has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting the growth of aquatic microorganisms. In the present study, the eukaryotic alga Monoraphidium sp. and the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. were exposed to AZ for 7 days. Our results showed that 0.2–0.5 mg/L concentrations of AZ slightly inhibited the growth of Monoraphidium sp. but stimulated Pseudanabaena sp. growth. Meanwhile, AZ treatment effectively increased the secretion of total organic carbon (TOC) in the culture media of the two species, and this phenomenon was also found in a freshwater microcosm experiment (containing the natural microbial community). We attempted to assess the effect of AZ on the function of aquatic microbial communities through metabolomic analysis and further explore the potential risks of this compound. The metabonomic profiles of the microcosm indicated that the most varied metabolites after AZ treatment were related to the citrate cycle (TCA), fatty acid biosynthesis and purine metabolism. We thereby inferred that the microbial community increased extracellular secretions by adjusting metabolic pathways, which might be a stress response to reduce AZ toxicity. Our results provide an important theoretical basis for further study of fungicide stress responses in aquatic microcosm microbial communities, as well as a good start for further explorations of AZ detoxification mechanisms, which will be valuable for the evaluation of AZ environmental risk.     

Photodegradation of Hexafluoropropylene Oxide Trimer Acid under UV Irradiation

As a novel alternative to traditional perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), hexafluoroproplyene oxide trimer acid (HFPO-TA) has been detected worldwide in surface water. Moreover, recent researches have demonstrated that HFPO-TA has stronger bioaccumulation potential and higher hepatotoxicity than PFOA. To treat these contaminants e.g. PFOA and PFOS, some photochemical techniques by adding exogenous substances had been reported. However, there is still no report for the behavior of HFPO-TA itself under direct UV irradiation. The current study investigated the photo-transformation of HFPO-TA under UV irradiation in aqueous solution. After 72 hr photoreaction, 75% degradation ratio and 25% defluorination ratio were achieved under ambient condition. Reducing active species, i.e., hydrated electrons and active hydrogen atoms, generated from water splitting played dominant roles in degradation of HFPO-TA, which was confirmed by different effects of reaction atmospheres and quenching experiments. A possible degradation pathway was proposed based on the products identification and theoretical calculations. In general, HFPO-TA would be transformed into shorter-chain PFASs, including hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA), perfluoropropionic acid (PFA) and trifluoroacetate (TFA). This research provides basic information for HFPO-TA photodegradation process and is essential to develop novel remediation techniques for HFPO-TA and other alternatives with similar structures.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in benthos of the northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf

Eighteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in benthos collected onboard the ‘Snow Dragon’ in the Northern Bering Sea Shelf and Chukchi Sea Shelf during the 6^th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 2014). Σ₁₈PAHs for all biota samples ranged from 34.2 to 128.1 ng/g dry weight (dw), with the highest concentration observed in fish muscle (Boreogadus saida) samples close to St. Lawrence Island. The PAH composition pattern was dominated by the presence of lighter 3 ring (57%) and 2 ring (28%) PAHs, indicating oil-related or petrogenic sources as important origins of PAH contamination. Concentrations of alkyl-PAHs (1-methylnaphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene) were lower than their parent PAH (naphthalene) in all biological tissue, and their percentage also decreased significantly (p<0.05) compared with those in the corresponding sediment. There were no significant relationships between PAH concentrations and trophic levels, which is possibly due to the combined results of the complex benthic foodweb in the subarctic/Arctic shelf region, as well as a low assimilation/effective metabolism for PAHs. According to toxic potency evaluation results from TCDD toxic equivalents (TEQs) and BaP-equivalent (BaPE) values, whelk (Neptunea heros) and starfish (Ctenodiscus crispatus) are two macroinvertebrate species showing relatively higher dioxin-like toxicity and carcinogenic risk.     

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.     

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

The degradation of plastic debris may result in the generation of nanoplastics (NPs). Their high specific surface area for the sorption of organic pollutions and toxic heavy metals and possible transfer between organisms at different nutrient levels make the study of NPs an urgent priority. However, there is very limited understanding on the occurrence, distribution, abundant, and fate of NPs in the environment, partially due to the lack of suitable techniques for the separation and identification of NPs from complex environmental matrices. In this review, we first overviewed the state-of-the-art methods for the extraction, separation, identification and quantification of NPs in the environment. Some of them have been successfully applied for the field determination of NPs, while some are borrowed from the detection of microplastics or engineered nanomaterials. Then the possible fate and transport of NPs in the environment are thoroughly described. Although great efforts have been made during the recent years, large knowledge gaps still exist, such as the relatively high detection limit of existing method failing to detect ultralow masses of NPs in the environment, and spherical polystyrene NP models failing to represent the various compositions of NPs with different irregular shapes, which needs further investigation.     

Reviews of emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in Asia

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the atmosphere play important roles in the formation of ground-level ozone and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in global scale and also in regional scale under some condition due to their large amount and relatively higher reactivity. In places with high plant cover in the tropics and in China where air pollution is serious, the effect of BVOCs on ozone and secondary organic aerosols is strong. The present research aims to provide a comprehensive review about the emission rate, emission inventory, research methods, the influencing factors of BVOCs emissions, as well as their impacts on atmospheric environment quality and human health in recent years in Asia based on the summary and analysis of literatures. It is suggested to use field direct measurement method to obtain the emission rate and model method to calculate the emission amount. Several recommendations are given for future investigation and policy development on BVOCs emission.     

北京市典型汽修企业VOCs排放特征与臭氧影响分析

对北京地区27家汽修企业进行调研,选取2家典型汽修企业进行气袋采样-GC-MS-FID采集及分析,定量分析其VOCs的排放特征,并计算其臭氧生成潜势（OFP）。结果表明:使用不同漆料的汽修企业排放特征不同,水性漆企业非甲烷总烃的排放浓度为0.62~36.49 mg/m3,油性漆企业的排放浓度为0~100.39 mg/m3;水性漆排放的VOCs以烷烃为主,占比高达57.16%,丙烷（39.65%）和甲苯（11.41%）是首要污染物;卤代烃（55.51%）是油性漆企业的主要VOCs排放物种,主要组分为1,2-二氯丙烷和1,2-二氯乙烷;水性漆企业的OFP值为144.78 mg/m3,油性漆企业的OFP值为664.43 mg/m3,大气反应活性最大的物种多为芳香烃,芳香烃对OFP的贡献率分别为52.18%和88.44%。     

生物炭复合青霉菌修复砷污染土壤对其微生物群落功能多样性的影响

真菌修复砷污染土壤是一种能够有效吸附固化环境中砷的重要措施.生物炭作为目前修复重金属的热点,其多空疏松的结构、较高的离子交换量、丰富的有机碳含量等都说明了其在土壤修复中的地位.为了探究生物炭与青霉菌在修复砷污染土壤的同时对土壤中微生物活性及其多样性的影响,在室内孵育条件下,运用Biolog法研究了3×3随机区组试验（3个生物炭梯度分别为0%、2%、4%,3个青霉菌梯度分别为0%、10%、20%）下土壤微生物对不同类型碳源的利用能力以及多种功能性指数的影响.结果表明:①添加青霉菌与生物炭后,土壤中有效砷含量较对照组显著下降,从而影响其微生物群落功能多样性.②砷污染土壤中微生物群落功能多样性、碳源利用丰富度随生物炭浓度梯度的升高呈先升后降的趋势.③高接菌量（20%）与低接菌量（10%）对砷污染土壤中微生物群落功能多样性的影响没有显著性差异.④2%生物炭与10%青霉菌处理土壤中微生物群落功能多样性、碳源利用丰度最高.⑤青霉菌对胺类及少部分酸类碳源的利用能力较弱（AWCD < 0.5,AWCD为Biolog微平板孔中溶液吸光值平均颜色变化率）,对氨基酸类中大部分碳源以及脂类碳源的代谢能力较强（AWCD>1.0）,对糖类、酚酸类的代谢能力稍弱（AWCD为0.3~1.0）,青霉菌对D-半乳糖醛酸、L-天冬酰胺酸、L-丝氨酸、L-精氨酸、r-羟基丁酸这5种碳源的利用率最高（AWCD>1.2）.研究显示,低浓度生物炭可增加砷污染土壤中微生物群落多样性,生物炭含量的继续增加会对微生物产生抑制作用;青霉菌添加到砷污染土壤后,会显著提升砷污染土壤中微生物的群落功能多样性,改善砷污染土壤中微生的物群落结构;青霉菌的优势碳源大多为植物根系分泌物,可为后续青霉菌与超积累植物复合修复砷污染土壤提供参考.      

贵州草海湿地溶解性有机物的光谱特征及其与PFASs的相关性分析

为描述草海湿地DOM（dissolved organic matter,溶解性有机物）荧光特征,探究其对PFASs（per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances,全氟及多氟化合物）环境行为造成的影响,利用超高效液相色谱-质谱联用技术和三维荧光光谱技术,结合平行因子分析,开展DOM光谱学特性研究,分析ρ（DOM）与ρ（PFASs）的相关关系.结果表明:①草海湿地中共解析出3类4种荧光组分,分别为类腐殖酸[λ_Ex（360 nm）/λ_Em（450 nm）]、长波段腐殖质[λ_Ex（400 nm）/λ_Em（510 nm）]、类富里酸[λ_Ex（330 nm）/λ_Em（400 nm）]和类色氨酸[λ_Ex（280 nm）/λ_Em（350 nm）],贡献率分别为48.6%、23.6%、22.9%和4.9%,其中类腐殖质总贡献率高达72.2%.在农业生产和人类活动的影响下,总荧光强度大致呈现从入湖区向出湖区逐渐降低、湖心区略高的趋势.②在草海湿地表层水中共检出了12种PFASs,ρ（PFASs）为233.18 ng/L,每种平均值为19.43 ng/L,PFBA（perfluorobutanoic acid,全氟丁酸）是主要污染物;草海湿地入湖区点源影响特征明显,生活污水和农业生产用水是主要的潜在污染源.③相关性分析结果显示,各荧光组分含量均与ρ（PFBS）（potassium perfluorobutanesulfonate,全氟丁烷磺酸）负相关;类色氨酸含量与ρ（PFHpA）（perfluororoheptanoic acid,全氟庚酸）负相关,与ρ（PFTriDA）（perfluorotrideanoic acid,全氟十三酸）则显著正相关.研究显示,草海湿地水体腐殖化程度高,外源特征明显,共检出12种PFASs,初步揭示了草海湿地水环境中ρ（DOM）与ρ（PFASs）的相关关系,其受水体性质及化合物结构等差异的影响,有待进一步开展深入研究.      

基于模糊PI控制的瞬态高温控制策略研究

目的通过地面环境试验研究气动热引起的瞬态高温环境对飞行器结构的影响。方法设计基于石英灯和离心机的瞬态高温-加速度复合试验系统,研究温度和加速度同步控制系统的结构和原理,分析无制冷装置环境下瞬态高温控制的难点,提出基于模糊PI控制器的温度控制策略。结果通过MATLAB仿真验证,设计的模糊PI控制器相比传统的PI控制器能够有效提高温度控制的动态性能与精确性。结论将基于模糊PI控制的瞬态加热控制策略应用于瞬态高温控制是可行、有效的,能为地面气动热模拟环境试验提供技术保障。