太湖流域水环境保护目标责任考核机制研究

建立科学规范的环境保护目标责任考核机制是实现我国环境保护目标的重要手段之一。作为一个自上而下的制度典范,基层环境保护管理部门是环境管理目标的落实者也是被考核的对象。本研究以太湖流域水环境保护基层管理部门面临的水环境保护目标责任考核机制为研究对象,从水环境保护考核指标的设定、考核评价的实施以及考核结果的应用三个方面分析太湖流域水环境保护目标考核机制的实施现状。结果表明,现阶段的考核体系存在考核指标设置不合理、考核过程实施过程成本较高,以及考核结果缺乏对管理部门的激励性等问题。最后,本文从提高现阶段太湖流域水环境保护考核指标设定的科学性、协调不同部门之间的关系以及加强考核结果的公开与合理应用方面对太湖流域水环境保护目标责任考核机制提出了政策建议。     

Current status and historical variations of phthalate ester (PAE) contamination in the sediments from a large Chinese lake (Lake Chaohu)

The residual levels of phthalate esters (PAEs) in the surface and two core sediments from Lake Chaohu were measured with a gas chromatograph–mass spectrometer (GC–MS). The temporal–spatial distributions, compositions of PAEs, and their effecting factors were investigated. The results indicated that di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were three dominant PAE components in both the surface and core sediments. The residual level of total detected PAEs (∑PAEs) in the surface sediments (2.146?±?2.255 μg/g dw) was lower than that in the western core sediments (10.615?±?9.733 μg/g) and in the eastern core sediments (5.109?±?4.741 μg/g). The average content of ∑PAEs in the surface sediments from the inflow rivers (4.128?±?1.738 μg/g dw) was an order of magnitude higher than those from the lake (0.323?±?0.093 μg/g dw), and there were similar PAE compositions between the lake and inflow rivers. This finding means that there were important effects of PAE input from the inflow rivers on the compositions and distributions of PAEs in the surface sediments. An increasing trend was found for the residual levels of ΣPAEs, DnBP, and DIBP from the bottom to the surface in both the western and eastern core sediments. Increasing PAE usage with the population growth, urbanization, and industrial and agricultural development in Lake Chaohu watershed would result in the increasing production of PAEs and their resulting presence in the sediments. The significant positive relationships were also found between the PAE contents and the percentage of sand particles, as well as TOC contents in the sediment cores.     

Immobilization of fungal laccase onto a nonionic surfactant-modified clay material: application to PAH degradation

Nonionic surfactant-modified clay is a useful absorbent material that effectively removes hydrophobic organic compounds from soil/groundwater. We developed a novel material by applying an immobilized fungal laccase onto nonionic surfactant-modified clay. Low-water-solubility polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (naphthalene/phenanthrene) were degraded in the presence of this bioactive material. PAH degradation by free laccase was higher than degradation by immobilized laccase when the surfactant concentration was allowed to form micelles. PAH degradation by immobilized laccase on TX-100-modified clay was higher than on Brij35-modified clay. Strong laccase degradation of PAH can be maintained by adding surfactant monomers or micelles. The physical adsorption of nonionic surfactants onto clay plays an important role in PAH degradation by laccase, which can be explained by the structure and molecular interactions of the surfactant with the clay and enzyme. A system where laccase is immobilized onto TX-100-monomer-modified clay is a good candidate bioactive material for in situ PAHs bioremediation.     

Effect of alginate on the aggregation kinetics of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs): bridging interaction and hetero-aggregation induced by Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>

The stability of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) is expected to play a key role in the environmental risk assessment of nanotoxicity in aquatic systems. In this study, the effect of alginate (model polysaccharides) on the stability of CuO NPs in various environmentally relevant ionic strength conditions was investigated by using time-resolved dynamic light scattering. Significant aggregation of CuO NPs was observed in the presence of both monovalent and divalent cations. The critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) were 54.5 and 2.9 mM for NaNO₃ and Ca(NO₃)₂, respectively. The presence of alginate slowed nano-CuO aggregation rates over the entire NaNO₃ concentration range due to the combined electrostatic and steric effect. High concentrations of Ca²⁺ (>6 mM) resulted in stronger adsorption of alginate onto CuO NPs; however, enhanced aggregation of CuO NPs occurred simultaneously under the same conditions. Spectroscopic analysis revealed that the bridging interaction of alginate with Ca²⁺ might be an important mechanism for the enhanced aggregation. Furthermore, significant coagulation of the alginate molecules was observed in solutions of high Ca²⁺ concentrations, indicating a hetero-aggregation mechanism between the alginate-covered CuO NPs and the unabsorbed alginate. These results suggested a different aggregation mechanism of NPs might co-exist in aqueous systems enriched with natural organic matter, which should be taken into consideration in future studies.

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Graphical abstract Hetero-aggregation mechanism of CuO nanoparticles and alginate under high concentration of Ca²⁺

     

Drought-tolerant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces pactum</Emphasis> Act12 assist phytoremediation of cadmium-contaminated soil by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amaranthus hypochondriacus</Emphasis>: great potential application in arid/semi-arid areas

Microbe-assisted phytoremediation provides an effective approach to clean up heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, severe drought may affect the function of microbes in arid/semi-arid areas. Streptomyces pactum Act12 is a drought-tolerant soil actinomycete strain isolated from an extreme environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to assess the effect of Act12 on Cd tolerance, uptake, and accumulation in amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) under water deficit. Inoculated plants had higher Cd concentrations (root 8.7–33.9 %; shoot 53.2–102.1 %) and uptake (root 19.9–95.3 %; shoot 110.6–170.1 %) than non-inoculated controls in Cd-treated soil. The translocation factor of Cd from roots to shoots was increased by 14.2–75 % in inoculated plants, while the bioconcentration factor of Cd in roots and shoots was increased by 10.2–64.4 and 53.9–114.8 %, respectively. Moreover, inoculation with Act12 increased plant height, root length, and shoot biomass of amaranth in Cd-treated soil compared to non-inoculated controls. Physiochemical analysis revealed that Act12 enhanced Cd tolerance in the plants by increasing glutathione, elevating superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, as well as reducing malondialdehyde content in the leaves. The drought-tolerant actinomycete strain Act12 can enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of amaranth for Cd-contaminated soils under water deficit, exhibiting potential for application in arid and semi-arid areas.