A sensitive and reliable analytical method was developed for simultaneous determination of amicarbazone (AMZ) and its two major metabolites including desamino amicarbazone (DA) and isopropyl-2-hydroxy-DA-amicarbazone (Ipr-2-OH-DA-AMZ) in soil for the first time. Targeted analytes were extracted and purified using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) procedure, and then analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with a total run time of 9 min. The established approach was extensively validated by determining the linearity (R ² ≥ 0.99), recovery (84–96), sensitivity (limits of quantification at 5–10 μg kg⁻¹), and precision (RSDs ≤12 %). Based on the methodological advances, the subsequent dissipation kinetics and degradation mechanism of amicarbazone in soil were thoroughly investigated in an illumination incubator. As revealed, AMZ was easily degraded with the half-lives of 13.9–19.7 days in soil. Field trial results of AMZ (40 g a.i. ha⁻¹) in Shanghai showed that the residues of AMZ and its metabolite Ipr-2-OH-DA-AMZ decreased from 0.505 mg kg⁻¹ (day 50) to 0.038 mg kg⁻¹ (day 365) and from 0.099 mg kg⁻¹ (day 50) to 0.028 mg kg⁻¹ (day 365), respectively, while the content of DA increased from 0.097 mg kg⁻¹ (day 50) to 0.245 mg kg⁻¹ (day 365). This study provided valuable data to understand the toxicity of AMZ and substantially promote its safe application to protect environment and human health.

Thermal treatments are the primary technologies used to remove persistent organic pollutants from contaminated solids. The high energy consumption during continuous heating, required cost for treating the exhaust gas, and potential formation of secondary pollutants during combustion have prevented their implementation. A novel successive self-propagated sintering process was proposed for removing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) from contaminated solids in a low-cost and environmentally friendly way. Nine laboratory-scale experiments involving different initial concentrations of pollutants and solid compositions were performed. Almost all PCBs (>99 %) and HCB (>97 %) were removed from solids under constant experimental conditions. Varying initial concentrations of PCBs and HCB in the contaminated solids did not influence the removal efficiency of the pollutants; however, the degradation efficiency of pollutants increased as their initial concentrations increased. Although varying levels of PCDD/Fs were detected in the effluent gas, they were all within the emission standard limit.

This paper examines whether attitudes towards electric vehicles (ATEVs), subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioural control (PBC) have significant associations with consumer purchase intention (PI) and the purchase behaviour of environmentally friendly vehicles (EFVs). The results from the survey questionnaires are analysed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings of this paper indicate that ATEV, SN and PBC significantly influence PI. This finding also indicates that environmental consequence and individual preferences do not influence the PI of the respondents. We found that Malaysian car owners are largely unaware of the greenhouse effects on the environment or attach to it little importance, which is reflected in their PI towards EFVs. The outcomes of this study could help policymakers design programmes to influence attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and purchase behaviour to prevent further air pollution and reduce CO₂ emissions from the transportation sector.

To offer scientific data support for remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soils under reasonable water condition, pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of moisture management and amendments on Cd immobilization in a paddy soil. Application of biochar combined with organic fertilizer reduced the exchangeable Cd by 20.4, 15.7, and 13.0 % and brown rice Cd by 43.8, 35.5, and 42.1 % under continuous flooding, conventional irrigation, and wetting irrigation, respectively, compared to the controls. Under no amendments, the content of Fe(II) in root coating in the continuous flooding treatment was 2.3 and 3.6 times of that in the conventional and wetting irrigation treatments, but Cd in root coating in the continuous flooding treatment was only 82.6 and 73.8 % of that in the conventional and wetting irrigation treatments. Applying amendments increased the Fe(II) in root coating by 27.3, 59.1, and 65.0 % but reduced the Cd in root coating by 33.6, 26.5, and 25.1 % under continuous flooding, conventional irrigation, and wetting irrigation, respectively. The lower bioavailability of Cd in paddy soil and the competition for adsorption sites in root coating of rice plant between Cd²⁺and Fe²⁺reduced from bivalent ions jointly caused the lower brown rice Cd in amended soils.

Ibuprofen is one of the most commonly detected pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent; however, the effects of ibuprofen on aquatic organisms are poorly understood. This study presents the transcriptome-wide response of the inland silverside, Menidia beryllina, to chronic exposure to ibuprofen. At the lowest exposure concentration (0.0115 mg/L), we detected a downregulation of many genes involved in skeletal development, aerobic respiration, and immune function. At the highest exposure concentration (1.15 mg/L), we detected increased expression of regulatory genes in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway and several immune genes involved in an inflammatory response. Additionally, there was differential expression of genes involved in oxidative stress responses and a downregulation of genes involved in osmoregulation. This study provides useful information for monitoring the effects of this common wastewater effluent contaminant in the environment and for the generation of biomarkers of exposure to ibuprofen that may be transferable to other fish species.

This paper is focused on the selection of cosolvents in the remediation of contaminated soils. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of Triton X-100 (TX-100) and different cosolvents on the solubilization behavior of 4,4′-dibromodiphenyl ether (BDE-15) and the washing of BDE-15 from a contaminated soil.¹H NMR spectroscopies were used to elucidate the interactions among TX-100, cosolvents, and BDE-15 in aqueous micellar solution. Results showed that the solubility of BDE-15 was enhanced by the observed synergism among TX-100, BDE-15, and cosolvents, and the TX-100/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) system exhibited the best performance in the solubilization of BDE-15. Similar synergism was further evidenced in the washing of BDE-15 from a contaminated soil. With 10 % (v/v) DMSO and 6.4 mM TX-100 solution added, considerable synergistic effect was achieved in TX-100/DMSO system, leading to the highest removal efficiency (92.9 %) of BDE-15 from the soil, relative to that of 67.3 % with TX-100 alone at the same concentration.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is a persistent pollutant and a suspected human carcinogen. It can be found in the air, water, and soil and enters the environment through evaporation from treated wood surfaces, industrial spills, and disposal at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. Ecotoxicity of PCP necessitates the development of rapid and reliable remediation techniques. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis (ECH) has been proven as a promising method for detoxification of halogenated wastes, due to its rapid reaction rate, low apparatus cost, mild reaction conditions, and absence of secondary contaminants. Challenge for the application of ECH is to prepare a Pd-coated cathode with high stability, high catalytic activity, and low Pd loading level. In this work, Pd/polypyrrole–sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate/meshed Ti (Pd/PPy–SDBS/Ti) electrode was prepared and was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Electrochemically reductive dechlorination of PCP on the Pd/PPy–SDBS/Ti electrode in aqueous solution was investigated. Pd microparticles were uniformly dispersed on PPy–SDBS film which was previously electrodeposited on the meshed Ti supporting electrode. The loading of Pd on the electrode was 0.72 mg cm⁻². Electrocatalytic dechlorination of PCP was performed in a two-compartment cell separated by cation-exchange membrane. The PCP removal on the Pd/PPy–SDBS/Ti electrode could reach 100 % within 70 min with dechlorination current 3 mA when PCP initial concentration was 10 mg L⁻¹and initial pH was 2.4. Conversion of PCP on the Pd/PPy–SDBS/Ti electrode followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the apparent activation energy was 13.0 kJ mol⁻¹. The removal of PCP still kept 100 % after 70 min dechlorination when the Pd/PPy–SDBS/Ti cathode was reused ten times. The electrode exhibited promising dechlorination potential with high electrocatalytic activity, good stability, and low cost.

Chemical and sulfate-sulfur isotopic compositions of water-soluble inorganic ions were analyzed for aerosol sample particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀) collected during 17–28 December 2012 at Yichang City, Hubei Province, central China. Most water-soluble inorganic ions, except for NO₃ ⁻ and NH₄ ⁺, showed slightly higher concentration in daytime than in nighttime, and the major detected ions followed the order of SO₄ ²⁻ > NO₃ ⁻ > Ca²⁺ > Na⁺ > NH₄ ⁺ > Cl⁻ in daytime and nighttime, of which SO₄ ²⁻ is the most abundant ionic component that accounted for about 49.1 and 49.3 % of the total mass of analyzed ions in daytime and nighttime, respectively. According to the correlation coefficients among the mass concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions, there may mainly exist in forms of (NH₄)₂SO₄ and NH₄NO₃ in daytime and NH₄NO₃ in nighttime. The δ³⁴S values of sulfate ranged from +2.82 to +4.63 ‰ (average +3.97 ‰) in daytime and from +2.90 to +5.39 ‰ (average +4.08 ‰) in nighttime, indicating that the source of sulfate in PM₁₀ was mainly derived from coal burning (δ³⁴S, +3.68 ‰) in Yichang City. The [NO₃ ⁻]/[SO₄ ²⁻] mass ratio varied between 0.2 and 0.6 with an average of 0.4 in daytime and 0.1 to 0.8 with an average of 0.4 in nighttime, which implying that the stationary source emissions would be more important than the vehicle emissions in the studied area. As a whole, the mixture of coal burning, vehicle exhaust, and resuspended road dust would be responsible for the sources of PM₁₀ in Yichang City during wintertime.

The effects of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) transfer to bacteria attached on phytodetritus were investigated under laboratory-controlled conditions. For this purpose, a nonaxenic culture of Emiliania huxleyi in late stationary phase was studied for bacterial viability. Our results indicated that only 9 ± 3 % of attached bacteria were alive compared to 46 ± 23 % for free bacteria in the E. huxleyi culture. Apparently, under conditions of low irradiance (36 W m⁻²), during the culture, the cumulative dose received (22,000 kJ m⁻²) was sufficiently important to induce an efficient ¹O₂ transfer to attached bacteria during the senescence of E. huxleyi cells. At this stage, attached bacteria appeared to be dominated by pigmented bacteria (Maribacter, Roseobacter, Roseovarius), which should resist to ¹O₂ stress probably due to their high contents of carotenoids. After subsequent irradiation of the culture until fully photodegradation of chlorophyll, DGGE analyses showed that the diversity of bacteria attached to E. huxleyi cells is modified by light. Photooxidative alterations of bacteria were confirmed by the increasing amounts of cis-vaccenic photoproducts (bacterial marker) per bacteria observed during irradiation time. Interestingly, preliminary chemotaxis experiments showed that Shewanella oneidensis considered here as a model of motile bacteria was attracted by phytodetritus producing or not ¹O₂. This lack of repulsive effects could explain the high mortality rate of bacteria measured on E. huxleyi cells.

Eighty-seven soil samples collected from North China were analyzed for decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE). The concentrations of DBDPE ranged from undetectable to 1612 ng/g, with the highest concentration present in Shandong. Additionally, the mean concentration of DBDPE in Shandong was found to be onefold higher than those found in Hebei and Shanxi, likely due to DBDPE production in Shandong. Relatively high concentrations of DBDPE in soils were also present in the south of Tianjin, where e-waste recycling may provide a source in this region. The fractions of DBDPE [DBDPE/(DBDPE + BDE209)] were lower than 0.5 in most soil samples, in agreement with the fact that deca-BDE is currently the main additive in brominated flame retardants (BFR) used in China. An obvious decreasing trend in DBDPE concentrations from east to west in North China was noted, with relatively higher DBDPE concentrations present in Shandong. A soil ingestion exposure assessment showed that for most sites, soil ingestion EDI was slightly lower than inhalation EDI; exceptions were found in several polluted sites, where soil ingestion was a more significant exposure route.