Effects of Cu2+ and humic acids on degradation and fate of TBBPA in pure culture of Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT

Soil contamination with tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA) has caused great concerns;however, the presence of heavy metals and soil organic matter on the biodegradation of TBBPA is still unclear. We isolated Pseudomonas sp. strain CDT, a TBBPA-degrading bacterium, from activated sludge and incubated it with ~(14)C-labeled TBBPA for 87 days in the absence and presence of Cu~(2+)and humic acids(HA). TBBPA was degraded to organic-solvent extractable(59.4% ± 2.2%) and non-extractable(25.1% ± 1.3%) metabolites,mineralized to CO_2(4.8% ± 0.8%), and assimilated into cells(10.6% ± 0.9%) at the end of incubation. When Cu~(2+)was present, the transformation of extractable metabolites into non-extractable metabolites and mineralization were inhibited, possibly due to the toxicity of Cu~(2+)to cells. HA significantly inhibited both dissipation and mineralization of TBBPA and altered the fate of TBBPA in the culture by formation of HA-bound residues that amounted to 22.1% ± 3.7% of the transformed TBBPA. The inhibition from HA was attributed to adsorption of TBBPA and formation of bound residues with HA via reaction of reactive metabolites with HA molecules, which decreased bioavailability of TBBPA and metabolites in the culture. When Cu~(2+)and HA were both present, Cu~(2+)significantly promoted the HA inhibition on TBBPA dissipation but not on metabolite degradation. The results provide insights into individual and interactive effects of Cu~(2+)and soil organic matter on the biotransformation of TBBPA and indicate that soil organic matter plays an essential role in determining the fate of organic pollutants in soil and mitigating heavy metal toxicity.     

Study of cyanide removal from contaminated water using zinc peroxide nanomaterial

The present study highlights the potential application of zinc peroxide(ZnO_2)nanomaterial as an efficient material for the decontamination of cyanide from contaminated water. A process patent for ZnO_2 synthesis has been granted in United States of America(US Patent number 8,715,612; May 2014),South Africa,Bangladesh,and India. The ZnO_2 nanomaterial was capped with polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP)to control the particle size. The PVP capped ZnO_2nanomaterial(PVP-ZnO_2)before and after adsorption of cyanide was characterized by scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscope,X-ray diffractometer,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry. The remaining concentration of cyanide after adsorption by PVP-ZnO_2 was determined using ion chromatograph. The adsorption of cyanide over PVP-ZnO_2 was also studied as a function of p H,adsorbent dose,time and concentration of cyanide. The maximum removal of cyanide was observed in p H range 5.8–7.8 within 15 min. The adsorption data was fitted to Langmuir and Fruendlich isotherm and it has been observed that data follows both the isotherms and also follows second order kinetics.     

Construction of vesicle CdSe nano-semiconductors photocatalysts with improved photocatalytic activity: Enhanced photo induced carriers separation efficiency and mechanism insight

Visible-light-driven photocatalysis as a green technology has attracted a lot of attention due to its potential applications in environmental remediation. Vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor photocatalyst are successfully prepared by a gas template method and characterized by a variety of methods. The vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductors display enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride, the photodegradation rate of78.824% was achieved by vesicle Cd Se, which exhibited an increase of 31.779% compared to granular Cd Se. Such an exceptional photocatalytic capability can be attributed to the unique structure of the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor with enhanced light absorption ability and excellent carrier transport capability. Meanwhile, the large surface area of the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor can increase the contact probability between catalyst and target and provide more surface-active centers. The photocatalytic mechanisms are analyzed by active species quenching. It indicates that h+and UO_2~-are the main active species which play a major role in catalyzing environmental toxic pollutants. Simultaneously, the vesicle Cd Se nano-semiconductor had high efficiency and stability.     

Amoxicillin effects on functional microbial community and spread of antibiotic resistance genes in amoxicillin manufacture wastewater treatment system

This study aimed to reveal how amoxicillin(AMX) affected the microbial community and the spread mechanism of antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs) in the AMX manufacture wastewater treatment system. For this purpose, a 1.47 L expanded granular sludge bed(EGSB) reactor was designed and run for 241 days treating artificial AMX manufacture wastewater. 454 pyrosequencing was applied to analyze functional microorganisms in the system. The antibiotic genes OXA_(-1), OXA_(-2), OXA_(-10), TEM_(-1), CTX-M_(-1), class I integrons(intI1) and 16 SrRNA genes were also examined in sludge samples. The results showed that the genera Ignavibacterium, Phocoenobacter,Spirochaeta, Aminobacterium and Cloacibacillus contributed to the degradation of different organic compounds(such as various sugars and amines). And the relative quantification of eachβ-lactam resistance gene in the study was changed with the increasing of AMX concentration.Furthermore the vertical gene transfer was the main driver for the spread of ARGs rather than horizontal transfer pathways in the system.     

Mesoporous carbon nanomaterials induced pulmonary surfactant inhibition, cytotoxicity, inflammation and lung fibrosis

Environmental exposure and health risk upon engineered nanomaterials are increasingly concerned. The family of mesoporous carbon nanomaterials(MCNs) is a rising star in nanotechnology for multidisciplinary research with versatile applications in electronics,energy and gas storage, and biomedicine. Meanwhile, there is mounting concern on their environmental health risks due to the growing production and usage of MCNs. The lung is the primary site for particle invasion under environmental exposure to nanomaterials. Here, we studied the comprehensive toxicological profile of MCNs in the lung under the scenario of moderate environmental exposure. It was found that at a low concentration of 10 μg/mL MCNs induced biophysical inhibition of natural pulmonary surfactant. Moreover, MCNs at similar concentrations reduced viability of J774 A.1 macrophages and lung epithelial A549 cells.Incubating with nature pulmonary surfactant effectively reduced the cytotoxicity of MCNs.Regarding the pro-inflammatory responses, MCNs activated macrophages in vitro, and stimulated lung inflammation in mice after inhalation exposure, associated with lung fibrosis.Moreover, we found that the size of MCNs played a significant role in regulating cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory potential of this nanomaterial. In general, larger MCNs induced more pronounced cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects than their smaller counterparts. Our results provided valuable information on the toxicological profile and environmental health risks of MCNs, and suggested that fine-tuning the size of MCNs could be a practical precautionary design strategy to increase safety and biocompatibility of this nanomaterial.     

Tissue distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids and health status in wild Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) from Loskop Dam, Mpumalanga, South Africa

This study examined concentrations of 15 perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in tissues from male Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) collected at Loskop Dam, Mpumalanga, South Africa in 2014 and 2016. Nine of the 15 PFAAs were detected frequently and were included in statistical analysis and included two of the most commonly known PFAAs, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (median, 41.6 ng/g) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) (median, 0.0825 ng/g). Of the tissues measured, plasma (2016 and 2014 median, 22.2 ng/g) contained the highest PFAA burden followed by (in descending order): liver (median, 11.6 ng/g), kidney (median, 9.04 ng/g), spleen (median, 5.92 ng/g), adipose (median, 2.54 ng/g), and muscle (median, 1.11 ng/g). Loskop Dam tilapia have been affected by an inflammatory disease of the adipose tissue known as pansteatitis, so this study also aimed to investigate relationships between PFAA tissue concentrations and incidence of pansteatitis or fish health status. Results revealed that healthy tilapia exhibited an overall higher (p-value < 0.05) PFAA burden than pansteatitis-affected tilapia across all tissues. Further analysis showed that organs previously noted in the literature to contain the highest PFAA concentrations, such as kidney, liver, and plasma, were the organs driving the difference in PFAA burden between the two tilapia groups. Care must be taken in the interpretations we draw from not only the results of our study, but also other PFAA measurements made on populations (human and wildlife alike) under differing health status.     

小黑山岛海域网采大型浮游动物群落特征季节变化及其与环境因素关系研究

海岛生态系统是一类特殊的海洋生态系统,本研究关注了小黑山岛海域网采大型浮游动物群落特征季节变化及其与环境因子之间的相互关系。小黑山岛位于山东省的庙岛群岛之中,处于黄渤海分界线之上,本研究基于小黑山岛海域2013~2015年8个航次的现场调查数据,鉴定出浮游动物36种,其中桡足类13种,浮游动物丰度变化范围为1.5~287.5 ind/m3,平均68.4 ind/m3,生物量变化范围为0.3~346.9 mg/m3,平均51.9 mg/m3,Shannon多样性指数变化范围为0.64~2.15,平均1.22,Pielou均匀度指数变化范围为0.41~1.00,平均0.76。主要优势种有中华哲水蚤、强壮滨箭虫等,典范对应分析（CCA）结果显示环境因子中水温（WT）、透明度（Tra）和盐度（Sal）等对浮游动物群落分布影响较大,冬季强壮滨箭虫对桡足类群落特征可能有重要影响。     

深圳近岸海域表层沉积物中多环芳烃(PAHs)的风险评估研究

以2015年8月对深圳近岸海域沉积物中PAHs的含量调查资料为基础,采用毒性及致畸性当量和效应区间低、中值法、平均效应区间中值商法等分别进行PAHs的健康风险和生态风险评估。研究表明,深圳近岸海域沉积物中PAHs的含量（干重）范围为（227.51~3897.42）×10-9。PAHs的毒性当量和致畸性当量相对于世界范围内沉积物来说,处于较低的毒性水平和致畸风险状态。深圳湾海域大沙河口附近的表层沉积物对海洋生物可能产生中低毒性,整体生态风险处于中低水平。     

三峡水库对长江江汉平原河段水文过程及临江地下水动态的影响

基于1965—2015年长江江汉平原河段4个水文站实测水文资料,利用Mann-Kendall趋势检验法、突变检验法、小波分析法和数值模拟法,系统分析了三峡水库对长江江汉平原河段水文过程及临江地下水动态的影响。结果表明:1965—2015年宜昌站、监利站、螺山站和汉口站径流量均呈下降趋势,三峡水库运行前后4个水文站点径流量变化分别为-9.1%、-4.3%、-7.6%和-6.1%;4个水文站点径流的突变特征均与三峡水库工程建设和不同蓄水调度模式有关;长江江汉平原河段年径流量在时域中存在多层次的时间尺度结构,变化周期以11~13a和24~27a最为显著;在7~8a尺度下径流小波系数变化过程曲线显示,三峡水库运行是长江江汉平原河段径流振荡变化的主导因素;长江与临江地下水的补排关系取决于三峡水库的调度模式,水库调控改变了汛期和枯水期水位,使临江地下水排泄方式从以向长江排泄和蒸发排泄为主转变为以向附近河流侧向排泄、越流排泄和蒸发排泄为主。     

艰险地区地质调查作业人员安全装备保障体系的构建

为有效提升艰险地区地质调查作业人员安全装备保障水平,结合艰险地区作业环境特点和地质调查作业人员安全装备配备现状,从气象和气候条件、地理环境、自然灾害、人文地理四个方面进行了安全风险分析,并依据事故发生的可能性和严重性将风险划分为5个等级,最终按照"立足实际、重点优先、优化配置"原则提出了由个体防护、应急自救、人员定位、野外生存4类系统组成的地质调查作业人员安全装备保障体系以及安全装备配备建议,以期能够最大限度地降低安全风险对作业人员的影响,从根本上解决艰险地区地质调查作业人员个体防护用品配备标准适用性差、安全装备系统化程度低、个体防护用品整体质量不高、安全装备更新不及时不到位等突出问题,可为今后地质调查作业人员安全装备保障体系建设以及安全装备配备提供指导和参考。