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.     

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.     

Plasmonic silver/silver oxide nanoparticles anchored bismuth vanadate as a novel visible-light ternary photocatalyst for degrading pharmaceutical micropollutants

The degradation of pharmaceutical micropollutants is an intensifying environmental problem and synthesis of efficient photocatalysts for this purpose is one of the foremost challenges worldwide. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop novel plasmonic Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposite photocatalysts by simple precipitation and thermal decomposition methods, which could exhibit higher photocatalytic activity for mineralized pharmaceutical micropollutants. Among the different treatments, the best performance was observed for the Ag/Ag₂O/BiVO₄ nanocomposites (5 wt.%; 10 min's visible light irradiation) which exhibited 6.57 times higher photodegradation rate than the pure BiVO₄. Further, the effects of different influencing factors on the photodegradation system of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl) were investigated and the feasibility for its practical application was explored through the specific light sources, water source and cycle experiments. The mechanistic study demonstrated that the photogenerated holes (h⁺), superoxide radicals (?O₂^?) and hydroxyl radicals (?OH) participated in TC-HCl removal process, which is different from the pure BiVO₄ reaction system. Hence, the present work can provide a new approach for the formation of novel plasmonic photocatalysts with high photoactivity and can act as effective practical application for environmental remediation.     

Algal toxicity induced by effluents from textile-dyeing wastewater treatment plants

This research aimed to evaluate the alga Scenedesmus obliquus toxicity induced by textiledyeing effluents(TDE).The toxicity indicator of TDE in alga at the physiological(algal growyth),biochemical(chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) synthesis and superoxide dismutase(SOD) activity) and structural(cell membrane integrity) level were investigated.Then we further study the relationship among toxicity indicators at physiological and biochemical level,and supplemented by research on algal biomacromolecules.According to the analysis of various endpoints of the alga,the general sensitivity sequence of toxicity endpoints of Scenedesmus obliquus was:SOD activity Chl-a synthesis algal growth.The stimulation rate of SOD activity increased from day 3(57.25%～83.02%) to day 6(57.25%～103.81%),and then decreased on day 15(-4.23%～-32.96%),which indicated that the antioxidant balance system of the algal cells was destroyed.The rate of Chl-a synthesis inhibition increased gradually,reaching19.70%～79.39% on day 15,while the rate of growth inhibition increased from day 3(-12.90%～10.16%) to day 15(-21.27%～72.46%).Moreover,the algal growth inhibition rate was positively correlated with the inhibition rate of SOD activity or Chl-a synthesis,with the correlation coefficients were 0.6713 and 0.5217,respectively.Algal cells would be stimulating to produce excessive reactive oxygen species,which would cause peroxidation in the cells,thereby destroying chloroplasts,inhibiting chlorophyll synthesis and reducing photosynthesis.With increasing exposure time,irreversible damage to algae can lead to death.This study is expected to enhance our understanding of the ecological risks through algal tests caused by TDE.     

新冠肺炎疫情期间我国居民佩戴口罩防护行为研究

口罩作为阻隔病毒传染的物理方式之一,其能阻断病原体经飞沫传播,同时具有双向隔离保护作用.佩戴口罩对于公众防范新型冠状病毒（2019-nCoV）感染的风险和维持人体基本健康具有重要意义.为了解新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19,简称“新冠肺炎”）疫情期间我国居民佩戴口罩的行为模式特征,基于新冠肺炎疫情期间我国人群环境暴露行为模式调查,分析全国31个省（自治区、直辖市）居民在新冠肺炎疫情期间佩戴口罩的行为特征,并探讨不同潜在风险人群佩戴口罩行为模式的差异性.结果表明:①在新冠肺炎疫情期间,我国人群外出佩戴口罩的比例在99%以上,显著高于非疫情期间的口罩佩戴率（16.05%）,其中,医务人员以及与人群广泛接触群体的口罩佩戴率最高（100%）.②居民以仅佩戴医用外科口罩、仅佩戴一次性使用医用口罩以及佩戴医用外科口罩和一次性使用医用口罩3种模式为主,占31种口罩佩戴模式的60%以上.③新冠肺炎疫情期间,不同职业人群、不同所属人群以及不同疫情地区人群佩戴口罩的比例均存在显著差异.④新冠肺炎疫情期间,我国居民佩戴口罩的更换频次多为累计使用时长4 h更换一次和累计使用时长24 h更换一次.⑤人群外出佩戴口罩的比例随新冠肺炎疫情严重程度的升高而增加.尽管新冠肺炎疫情分布特征和管控措施存在差异,但居民佩戴口罩行为均表现良好,其中居住地不存在疑似病例的人群比居住地存在疑似病例的人群的口罩佩戴率更高,说明人群佩戴口罩行为与疫情的发展可能存在一定的相互作用.研究显示,新冠肺炎疫情期间我国人群佩戴口罩这一防护行为总体执行较好.      

纤维填料SBBR处理制药废水深度脱氮的启动与实现

针对制药废水总氮去除难的问题,采用纤维填料SBBR工艺处理实际制药废水。启动和驯化实验共进行了99 d,在制药废水NH₃-N浓度（200±20） mg/L的条件下,最终系统的TN去除率稳定在97%以上,且未添加任何碳源。废水C/N是影响深度脱氮的关键条件,在进水C/N为3的条件下,系统无法实现废水的深度脱氮。通过提高废水的C/N,可以提高废水的脱氮效率。当废水C/N为5时,系统实现了深度脱氮。得益于纤维填料上大量的生物膜,SBBR在曝气结束后即实现了深度脱氮,脱氮的途径由同步硝化反硝化+内源反硝化逐渐转变成同步硝化反硝化。操作模式也最终确定为进水-搅拌-曝气-沉淀-排水。     

2019年10~12月京津冀及周边“2+26”城市重污染减排效果评估

为评估京津冀及周边区域重污染过程期间应急减排措施的效果,基于情景模拟的方法,采用NAQPMS模式和多种观测资料,分析了2019年10~12月期间京津冀及周边区域环境空气质量、重污染过程和气象条件概况,评估了模式24、72和144 h的PM_2.5预报效果,并对应急减排措施的效果和不确定性进行了讨论.结果表明,2019年10~12月京津冀及周边"2+26"城市PM_2.5平均浓度64 μg ·m^-3,同比降低了10 μg ·m^-3;区域性重污染过程4次,受影响城市重污染过程期间PM_2.5平均浓度156 μg ·m^-3."2+26"城市PM_2.5气象条件评估指数（EMI）变化值范围为-15.6%~16.8%,EMI显示北京、天津和石家庄等12个城市气象条件与同期相比变差,变差程度范围为3.2%~16.8%.减排情景模拟分析显示应急减排措施有效减少了区域性重污染过程的发生,污染物峰值浓度降幅明显,未出现区域性严重污染过程.典型重污染期间,北京、石家庄、保定和唐山等城市PM_2.5日均浓度削减2%~9%.区域应急减排措施促使"2+26"城市PM_2.5季度均值分别降低1~3 μg ·m^-3左右,区域性减排效果明显.     

微塑料对黑麦草吸收和累积水体中环丙沙星的影响

微塑料（microplastics,MPs）和抗生素作为新型环境污染物,引起了国内外学者对其生态风险的关注.以黑麦草（Lolium perenne L.）为供试植物,以聚苯乙烯微塑料和环丙沙星（ciprofloxacin,CIP）为研究对象,探讨微塑料对水培黑麦草吸收和富集抗生素的影响及MPs-CIP复合污染对植物生长的毒性作用.结果表明:黑麦草对单一CIP和MPs-CIP复合污染中的CIP均有吸收去除能力,底物中微塑料的存在会促进黑麦草对低浓度CIP的吸收去除,去除率最高可达100%,但对高浓度（1.0、2.0 mg/L）CIP吸收的影响不显著（P>0.05）.同时,微塑料可促进黑麦草根部积累的CIP向地上部转运,当CIP浓度分别为0.1、2.0 mg/L时,投加微塑料后根部积累的CIP含量与单一CIP处理组相比分别降低了44.0%、21.2%,叶片中CIP的积累量分别增加了2.9、3.0倍.微塑料的加入显著加重了CIP对黑麦草生长和叶绿素含量的抑制作用.与2.0 mg/L CIP处理组相比,50.0 mg/L MPs-2.0 mg/L CIP复合污染处理组对黑麦草根长和鲜质量的抑制率分别增加了53.7%和79.6%,而叶绿素a、b含量则分别降低了38.5%和44.4%.研究显示,水体中微塑料与CIP的共存会影响黑麦草吸收和体内积累CIP,并加重CIP对植物生长的毒性作用.      

Mercury flows in large-scale gold production and implications for Hg pollution control

Large-scale gold production(LSGP) is one of the five convention-related atmospheric mercury(Hg) emission sources in the Minamata Convention on Mercury. However, field experiments on Hg flows of the whole process of LSGP are limited. To identify the atmospheric Hg emission points and understand Hg emission characteristics of LSGP, Hg flows in two gold smelters were studied. Overall atmospheric Hg emissions accounted for 10%–17% of total Hg outputs and the Hg emission factors for all processes were 7.6–9.6 kg/ton. There were three dominant atmospheric Hg emission points in the studied gold smelters, including the exhaust gas of the roasting process, exhaust gas from the environmental fog collection stack and exhaust gas from the converter of the refining process. Atmospheric Hg emissions from the roasting process only accounted for 16%–29% of total emissions and the rest were emitted from the refining process. The overall Hg speciation profile(gaseous elemental Hg/gaseous oxidized Hg/particulate-bound Hg) for LSGP was 34.1/57.1/8.8. The dominant Hg output byproducts included waste acid, sulfuric acid and cyanide leaching residue. Total Hg outputs from these three byproducts were 80% in smelter A and 84% in smelter B. Our study indicated that previous atmospheric Hg emissions from large-scale gold production might have been overestimated.Hg emission control in LSGP is not especially urgent in China compared to other significant emission sources(e.g., cement plants). Instead, LSGP is a potential Hg release source due to the high Hg output proportions to acid and sludge.