Complex interplay between formation routes and natural organic matter modification controls capabilities of C60 nanoparticles (nC60) to accumulate organic contaminants

Accumulation of organic contaminants on fullerene nanoparticles (nC₆₀) may significantly affect the risks of C₆₀ in the environment. The objective of this study was to further understand how the interplay of nC₆₀ formation routes and humic acid modification affects contaminant adsorption of nC₆₀. Specifically, adsorption of 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (a model nonionic, hydrophobic organic contaminant) on nC₆₀ was greatly affected by nC₆₀ formation route – the formation route significantly affected the aggregation properties of nC₆₀, thus affecting the available surface area and the extent of adsorption via the pore-filling mechanism. Depending on whether nC₆₀ was formed via the “top-down” route (i.e., sonicating C₆₀ powder in aqueous solution) or “bottom-up” route (i.e., phase transfer from an organic solvent) and the type of solvent involved (toluene versus tetrahydrofuran), modification of nC₆₀ with Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) could either enhance or inhibit the adsorption affinity of nC₆₀. The net effect depended on the specific way in which SRHA interacted with C₆₀ monomers and/or C₆₀ aggregates of different sizes and morphology, which determined the relative importance of enhanced adsorption from SRHA modification via preventing C₆₀ aggregation and inhibited adsorption through blocking available adsorption sites. The findings further demonstrate the complex mechanisms controlling interactions between nC₆₀ and organic contaminants, and may have significant implications for the life-cycle analysis and risk assessment of C₆₀.     

A critical review on the application of biochar in environmental pollution remediation: Role of persistent free radicals (PFRs)

Biochar as an emerging carbonaceous material has exhibited a great potential in environmental application for its perfect adsorption ability. However, there are abundant persistent free radicals (PFRs) in biochar, so the direct and indirect PFRs-mediated removal of organic and inorganic contaminants by biochar was widely reported. In order to comprehend deeply the formation of PFRs in biochar and their interactions with contaminants, this paper reviews the formation mechanisms of PFRs in biochar and the PFRs-mediated environmental applications of biochar in recent years. Finally, future challenges in this field are also proposed. This review provides a more comprehensive understanding on the emerging applications of biochar from the viewpoint of the catalytic role of PFRs.     

New methods for identification of disinfection byproducts of toxicological relevance: Progress and future directions

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) represent a ubiquitous source of chemical exposure in disinfected water. While over 700 DBPs have been identified, the drivers of toxicity remain poorly understood. Additionally, ever evolving water treatment practices have led to a continually growing list of DBPs. Advancement of analytical technologies have enabled the identification of new classes of DBPs and the quantification of these chemically diverse sets of DBPs. Here we summarize advances in new workflows for DBP analysis, including sample preparation, chromatographic separation with mass spectrometry (MS) detection, and data processing. To aid in the selection of techniques for future studies, we discuss necessary considerations for each step in the strategy. This review focuses on how each step of a workflow can be optimized to capture diverse classes of DBPs within a single method. Additionally, we highlight new MS-based approaches that can be powerful for identifying novel DBPs of toxicological relevance. We discuss current challenges and provide perspectives on future research directions with respect to studying new DBPs of toxicological relevance. As analytical technologies continue to advance, new strategies will be increasingly used to analyze complex DBPs produced in different treatment processes with the aim to identify potential drivers of toxicity.     

环糊精在环境污染治理中的应用分析

环糊精独特的结构特征使其在环境污染治理领域表现出越来越广泛的应用前景。主要综述了环糊精促进水体中有机污染物去除的应用研究,对土壤中污染物的修复应用研究,以及在其他环境污染治理方面的应用。展望了环糊精及其衍生物在环境保护等领域的应用前景。     

山东省主要工业污染物排放特征研究

通过山东省近10年来工业主要污染物的统计数据,结合山东省经济的变化趋势,分析了山东省主要污染物排放区域、排放行业时空变化规律及原因,为"十二五"山东省工业污染治理形势和经济转型升级提出了建议。     

Advanced analytical determination of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and other major contaminants in water samples using GC-Ion Trap MS

ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＳｉｇｎｉｆｉｃａｎｔｗａｔｅｒｑｕａｌｉｔｙｍａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔｆｏｒｍｉｔｉｇａｔｉｏｎｏｆｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｐｏｌｌｕｔｉｏｎｃａｕｓｅｄｂｙｈａｚａｒｄｏｕｓｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｓｉｓｓｔｉｌｌａｍａｔｔｅｒｏｆｓｔｒｉｎｇｅｎｔｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒａｔｉｏｎｉｎＪａｐａｎ .Ｓｕｂｓｅｑｕｅｎｔｌｙ,ｒｅｇｕｌａｒｏｎ ｇｏｉｎｇｍｏｎｉｔｏｒｉｎｇａｒｅｉｍｐｌｅｍｅｎｔｅｄ ,ｅｓｐｅｃｉａｌｌｙｆｏｒｓｙｎｔｈｅｔｉｃｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｓ…     

Incidence of stress in benthic communities along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts within different ranges of sediment contamination from chemical mixtures

Synoptic data on concentrations of sediment-associated chemical contaminants and benthic macroinfaunal community structure were collected from 1,389 stations in estuaries along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts as part of the nationwide Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). These data were used to develop an empirical framework for evaluating risks of benthic community-level effects within different ranges of sediment contamination from mixtures of multiple chemicals present at varying concentrations. Sediment contamination was expressed as the mean ratio of individual chemical concentrations relative to corresponding sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), including Effects Range-Median (ERM) and Probable Effects Level (PEL) values. Benthic condition was assessed using diagnostic, multi-metric indices developed for each of three EMAP provinces (Virginian, Carolinian, and Louisianian). Cumulative percentages of stations with a degraded benthic community were plotted against ascending values of the mean ERM and PEL quotients. Based on the observed relationships, mean SQG quotients were divided into four ranges corresponding to either a low, moderate, high, or very high incidence of degraded benthic condition. Results showed that condition of the ambient benthic community provides a reliable and sensitive indicator for evaluating the biological significance of sediment-associated stressors. Mean SQG quotients marking the beginning of the contaminant range associated with the highest incidence of benthic impacts (73–100% of samples, depending on the province and type of SQG) were well below those linked to high risks of sediment toxicity as determined by short-term toxicity tests with single species. Measures of the ambient benthic community reflect the sensitivities of multiple species and life stages to persistent exposures under actual field conditions. Similar results were obtained with preliminary data from the west coast (Puget Sound).     

北天堂垃圾污染场地氧化还原分带及污染物自然衰减研究

通过对北京市北天堂垃圾填埋场周围实际监测数据资料的分析,研究了垃圾填埋污染场地的氧化还原分带和污染物的自然衰减作用.结果表明,北天堂垃圾填埋污染场地存在氧化还原分带现象,依据各氧化还原带标志性物质浓度的分布规律和特点划分了5个氧化还原带,即产甲烷带、硫酸盐还原带、铁还原带、硝酸盐还原带和氧还原带.不同有机污染物在不同的氧化还原带中的衰减不同;挥发酚和氰化物在硫酸盐还原带中的含量相对较高,分别为0.005和0.019 μg/L;Cr、Pb、Ni、As、Cu、Cd、Zn和Mn等重金属在产甲烷带中的含量相对较高,分别为25.11、 33.82、 29.93、 3.18、 2.3、 0.1、 283.1、 1 220　μg/L.因此,氧化还原带对污染物的衰减起重要作用.     

大型丝状绿藻去除城市水体污染物质的研究

在实验室条件下,研究分析了以大型丝状绿藻为主的周丛藻类水质处理系统对城市景观河道劣Ⅴ类水质水体中污染物质的去除作用,以及其他不同胁迫条件下的水质处理效果.结果表明,该处理系统具有显著的N、P等污染物质去除效果,TP及TSS的去除率分别保持在50%和72%以上,同时PO3-4-与NH4 -N的去除率也分别可达90%和85%以上.在高污染物质浓度(TP＞3.0 mg·L-1、TN＞22.0 mg·L-1)条件下,TP平均去除率为89%,TN为45%,而低浓度污染物(TP＜0.50 mg·L-1、TN＜10.0mg·L-1)条件下,出水PO3-4浓度低于0.1 mg·L-1,NH4 -N低于2.0 mg·L-1.试验期间,大型丝状藻类生物量增长了38.78%,同时大量单细胞的蓝、绿藻类出现在水槽壁表面.出水DO浓度随着大型丝状绿藻生物量的增加而呈上升趋势.     

Use of Small Forage Fish for Regional Streams Wildlife Risk Assessment: Relative Bioaccumulation of Contaminants

Selection of fish species for sampling to assess extent and potential effects of fish tissue contaminants is a criticalconsideration in the design of regional probability-designsurveys. The ideal species would be ubiquitous, bioaccumulatetoxic chemicals, and be prey of consumers of concern(piscivorous wildlife, humans). In first to third order streams,small short-lived forage fish (minnows (F. Cyprinidae), darters (F. Percidae), and sculpins (F. Cottidae), are more frequently found and therefore likely to be prey to more species ofwildlife than those of sportfish whose adults grow to a largesize (suckers (F. Catostomidae), trout (F. Salmonidae), bass, andsunfish (F. Centrarchidae), and carp). Targeting smaller foragefish should also produce a larger number of individuals persample on average than may be achieved with the larger species.An analysis of fish collected in 1993 and 1994 as part of theMid-Atlantic Highlands Assessment (MAHA) showed that, asexpected, forage fish were more ubiquitous than sportfishspecies. Analysis also revealed that, on a regional basis, forage fish bioaccumulated comparable levels to sportfish, ofsome widely occurring contaminants such as DDT, MeHg, and PCBs.Results indicated that smaller forage fish can be used asindicator species for a regional assessment for mostcontaminants (Zn being the one clear exception), that was notsignificantly different from one based on the larger species.Forage fish may therefore be an excellent choice as indicatorspecies for regional streams ecological risk assessment studies.