A 100 year sedimentary record of heavy metal pollution in a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Chaohu, China

This study has worked on the evaluation of the temporal and spatial evolution of heavy metal contamination in sediment taken from a shallow eutrophic lake, Lake Chaohu, China, over the last 100 years, and thereby used (137)Cs and (210)Pb dating, a PIRLA procedure, statistical analysis, geochemical normalization and a enrichment factor calculation (EF). Concentrations of 5174, 29?325, 10.7, 36.4, 20.4, 386.0, 21.1 and 38.4 mg kg(-1) for Ti, Fe, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn, respectively, are proposed as natural background values for the Lake Chaohu based on a PIRLA procedure. The contamination history from the last 100 years can be divided into two periods. Before the 1960s, heavy metal contamination did not occur and there was no spatial difference for heavy metal distribution. Since the 1960s, heavy metal enrichment and contamination has occurred, and the west half of the lake region showed a higher degree of contamination than the east half to various intensified anthropogenic activities. In the east half of the lake region, the anthropogenic source of heavy metals mainly originated from agricultural intensification, whereas in the west half of the lake it originated from city runoff and industry as well as agriculture. In all anthropogenic heavy metals, Co is only from industry.     

Surface protection method for the magnetic core using covalent organic framework shells and its application in As(III) depth removal from acid wastewater

Fe₃O₄-based materials are widely used for magnetic separation from wastewater. However, they often suffer from Fe-leaching behavior under acidic conditions, decreasing their activity and limiting sustainable practical applications. In this study, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were used as the shell to protect the Fe₃O₄ core, and the Fe₃O₄@COF core-shell composites were synthesized for As(III) removal from acid wastewater. The imine-linked COFs can in situ grow on the surface of the Fe₃O₄ core layer by layer with [COFs/Fe₃O₄]_mol ratio of up to 2:1. The Fe-leaching behavior was weakened over a wide pH range of 1-13. Moreover, such composites keep their magnetic characteristic, making them favorable for nanomaterial separation. As(III) batch adsorption experiments results indicated that, when COFs are used as the shell for the Fe₃O₄ core, a balance between As(III) removal efficiencies and the thickness of the COF shell exists. Higher As(III) removal efficiencies are obtained when the [COFs/Fe₃O₄]_mol ratios were < 1.5:1, but thicker COF shells were not beneficial for As(III) removal. Such composites also exhibited better As(III) removal performances in the pH range of 1–7. Over a wide pH range, the zeta potential of Fe₃O₄@COF core-shell composites becomes more positive, which benefits the capture of negative arsenic ions. In addition, thinner surface COFs were favorable for mass transfer and facilitating the reaction of Fe and As elements. Our study highlights the promise of using COFs in nanomaterial surface protection and achieving As(III) depth removal under acidic conditions.     

Recovery of novel bacterial diversity from mangrove sediment

Bacteria in the surface sediments of a subtropical mangrove habitat were investigated using a cultivation-independent molecular approach. Phylogenetic analysis of nearly full-length 16S rRNA genes revealed a diversity of sequences that were mostly novel. Members from the five subdivisions of the Proteobacteria were detected, and they collectively represented the majority (67%) of the clone library. Sequence types affiliated with the Gammaproteobacteria constituted the largest portion (29%) of the library, and many of them were related to free-living and symbiotic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. The Epsilonproteobacteria were the second most abundant group (16%), including only one sequence type clustering with PCR-generated bacterial clones previously recovered from deep-sea sediments. A substantial portion (8%) of the clones grouped within the Deltaproteobacteria, a subdivision with anaerobic sulfate or metal reduction as the predominant metabolic trait of its members. In addition, minor portions were affiliated with the Cytophaga–Flexibacter–Bacteroides group (9%), Actinobacteria (6%), Chloroflexi (5%), Firmicutes (4%), Fusobacteria (1%), and the Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia group, Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria group and Planctomycetes (each < 1%). These results significantly expand our knowledge of the bacterial diversity of the unique mangrove environment.