Chaohu Lake is the fifth largest freshwater lake in China, which tolerates substantial amount of anthropogenic discharge from surrounding cities that resulting in the degradation of water and damage of aquatic ecosystem. Metal analysis of sediment and aquatic organisms can provide important information on the environmental contamination and potential impact of aquatic food consumption. Thus, the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg in sediment and fish from Chaohu Lake were analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The mean content of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg in the sediment samples were 27.4 ± 6.3, 40.5 ± 12.3, 136.8 ± 65.5, 68.5 ± 9.1, 0.357 ± 0.141, 10.8 ± 1.7, and 0.117 ± 0.049 mg/kg, respectively. The results were compared with background values and evaluation methods, to characterize the potential ecological risk. The concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg in the fish muscle samples were 1.68–5.31, 0.078–0.31, 15.55–372.98, 0.31–0.93, 0.001–0.033, 0.29–1.03, and 0.04–0.197 mg kg⁻¹ of dry mass, respectively. Most of the concentrations of the studied metals in muscles were found to be below the safe limits; however, the concentration of inorganic As (10% of total As) in two specimens exceeded the maximum allowance in fish. The ecological risk evaluation showed that the metals in sediment posed low to medium risk. The health risk assessment suggested that the consumption of fish from Chaohu Lake is currently safe with respect to the metals.

Occurrence of diazepam and its metabolites, nordiazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam in the water environment in Beijing was investigated. Samples were collected from four rivers flowing through the city and from all the thirteen sewage treatment plants in the urban area. Average influent concentrations of diazepman, temazepam, and oxazepam in 2013 summer ranged from 0.9 to 7.1, 1.5 to 3.4, and 2.9 to 12.4 ng L⁻¹, respectively, whereas nordiazepam concentrations were below quantification limit on the majority of sampling dates. No significant seasonal variation in influent concentrations was observed. Removal during treatment was low for diazepman (<50%), temazepam (<20%), and oxazepam (<20%), consistent with previous findings reported in the literature. Wastewater-based epidemiology approach was applied to back-calculate population size-normalized diazepam consumption (using temazepam as biomarker) in Beijing, which was found to be at least 3.8 times more of the national average. Diazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam were widely detected in surface waters, with concentrations greater than concentrations in sewage influents at many sampling points, strongly indicating direct discharge of wastewater of high diazepam concentrations into the surface waters in the city.

The biogeochemical cycling of sulfur (S) in soil has an important impact on the bioavailability of heavy metals and affects the utilization of soil polluted by heavy metals. In addition, S-containing compounds are involved in heavy metal detoxification. This study investigated the effects of S on the toxicity and bioavailability of copper (Cu) in castor (Ricinus communis L.) grown in Cu-contaminated mine tailings. The results showed that the application of S reduced the accumulation of Cu in castor and promoted its growth. With the addition of S, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of castor leaves decreased significantly compared with control plants, indicating the alleviation of oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and glutathione (GSH) content decreased significantly with the alleviation of oxidative stress. The sequential extraction of Cu fractions showed that the application of S significantly reduced the reducible Cu fraction, and increased the oxidizable Cu fraction. It also increased the residual Cu fraction in the soil. The transformation of chemical speciation reduced the bioavailability of Cu in soil, which then reduced the accumulation of Cu in castor. Our results demonstrated that S application was effective at promoting castor growth by reducing the bioavailability and uptake of Cu in Cu-contaminated mine tailings.

Natural polymeric flocculant shows effectiveness in wastewater treatment without increasing the environmental burden. The extracellular substance produced by Paenibacillus mucilaginosus WL412 was identified as an anionic polysaccharide composed of five types of monosaccharides, namely, D-mannose, D-glucuronic acid, D-glucose, D-galactose, and L-fucose with the molar ratio of 2.8:1.2:2.0:1.8:0.8. The purified polysaccharide, POS412, presented high efficiency in flocculating coal washing wastewater and kaolin suspension without the assistance of inorganic coagulants. Addition of POS412 resulted in the polymer bridging phenomenon in suspensions, which was observed by means of scanning electron microscopic imaging, size grading, and ζ-potential analyses. More importantly, POS412 exhibited satisfactory stability after storage in various conditions. The flocculation rate was more than 91% for coal washing wastewater when POS412 was stored for 264 h in the wide range of pH (3–11) and temperature (20–50 °C) before use. Results indicate that POS412 is a competent bioflocculant for wastewater treatment.

The fluorescence and ultraviolet spectroscopic characteristics of dissolved organic matter extracted from sediments in an anthropogenic-impacted river (Hao River) in Southeastern China were analyzed in the current study. Excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) was conducted to analyze the sources and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The average dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of all samples at depths of 0–10, 10–20, and 20–30 cm were 317, 319, and 319 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight, respectively. Four components were identified from the fluorescence spectra that consisted of three humic-like components (C1, C2, and C3) and one protein-like component (C4). Component C1 was derived from terrestrial plants and soils. Component C2 in the anthropogenic-impacted Hao River was derived from anthropogenic pollution such as wastewater. Component C3 comprised refractory particles derived from terrestrial plants. Component C4 was autochthonous and produced by the aquatic ecosystem. With the exception of site 4, all sites could be assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 consisted of sites 1, 2, 3, and 5, and group 2 consisted of sites 6, 7, and 8. Our result showed that the sediment in group 2 was more anaerobic than in group 1. Consequently, it could be concluded that this river was polluted by both point and non-point pollution. The terrain slopes cause that water flows from the Yangzi River into group 1. The dilution effect in group 1 resulted in less accumulation of DOM in the sediment of group 1 than group 2.

Yearly, huge amounts of sock refuse are discarded into the environment. Socks contain many molecules, and worn ones, which are rich in smell-causing bacteria, have a strong influence on animals’ behaviors. But the impacts of sock odor on the oviposition behavior of dengue vectors are unknown. We assessed whether Aedes albopictus changes its oviposition activity in response to the presence of used socks extract (USEx) in potential breeding grounds, using choice and no-choice bioassays (NCB). When furnished even chances to oviposit in two sites holding USEx and two others containing water (control), Ae. albopictus deposited significantly less eggs in USEx than in water sites. A similar pattern of oviposition preference was also observed when there were more oviposition options in water. When there were greater oviposition opportunities in USEx sites, Ae. albopictus oviposited preferentially in water. Females laid significantly more eggs during the NCB involving water than USEx. Also, significantly more mature eggs were retained by females in the NCB with USEx than in that with water. These observations strongly suggest the presence of molecules with either repellent or deterrent activities against Ae. albopictus females and provide an impetus to advocate the integration of used socks in dengue control programs. Such applications could be a realistic end-of-life recourse to reroute this waste from landfills.

With the rising concern about climate change, there has been an increased public awareness that has resulted in new government policies to support scientific research for mitigating these problems. Malaysia is among the major energy-intense countries and is under an excessive burden to advance its energy efficiency and to also work towards the reduction of its carbon emission. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to lessen the carbon emission and gasoline consumption in order to alleviate environmental problems. Most of the energy problems linked to the increasing transportation pollution are now being reduced with the solution of the adoption of PHEVs. PHEVs are seen as a solution to cut carbon emission, which prevents environmental damages. Furthermore, PHEVs’ driving range and performance can be comparable to the other hybrid vehicles as well as the conventional IC engines that have gasoline and diesel tanks. Thus, many efforts are being initiated to promote the use of PHEVs as an innovative and affordable transportation system. In order to achieve making the consumers aware of the adoption of PHEVs, we used a model which is based on the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). This review is based on the factors affecting the adoption of PHEVs among Malaysian consumers. The model takes into account the ten key features that influence the adoption of PHEVs, such as environmental concern, personal norm, attitude, vehicle ownership costs, driving range, charging time, intention, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and personal norm. All these constructs are drivers towards the adoption of PHEVs. These factors affect the relationship between the adoption of PHEVs and how consumers intend to protect the environment. This review is based on improving how the “attitude-action” gap is understood as it is an important element for further studies on PHEVs. The aim of the research is to come up with a framework that examines how to modify the consumer’s environmental concerns in acquiring PHEVs. This will pave the way for more academic research and future works that can emphasize how to obtain empirical results. The authors’ recommendation is that, before a consumer’s behavior is assessed and considered, an observation of the current technology is needed with methods and knowledge of the existing technology adoption aspect.

Gatifloxacin, an antimicrobial drug belonging to the fluoroquinolone family, is active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and is extensively used for the control of infections in humans. The presence of the drug in environmental matrices has already been reported. This study investigated the degradation of gatifloxacin in water by hydroxyl radicals generated by the UV₂₅₄ ₙₘ/H₂O₂ process ([Formula: see text] 0.4–2.4 mmol L⁻¹) and evaluated the capacity of the radicals to reduce the antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Acute toxicity assays were performed with Vibrio fischeri, and the degradation products were proposed. The hydroxyl radicals formed in the processes were able to degrade the fluoroquinolone and remove the antimicrobial activity from the aqueous solution. Approximately 97 % gatifloxacin degradation was observed after applying 2.4 mmol L⁻¹ of initial H₂O₂ concentration and 20 min of UVC₂₅₄ₙₘ irradiation (130 J s⁻¹). The acute toxicity assays showed that the toxicity of the treated solution for V. fischeri increased as the gatifloxacin concentration in the solution decreased.

Petroleum is not only an important energy resource but is also a major soil pollutant. To gain better insight into the adaptability mechanism of Mirabilis jalapa to petroleum-contaminated soil, the protein profiles of M. jalapa root were investigated using label-free quantitative proteomics technique. After exposing to petroleum-contaminated soil for 24 h, 34 proteins significantly changed their protein abundance and most of the proteins increased in protein abundance (91.18%). Combined with gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses as well as data from previous studies, our results revealed that M. jalapa enhanced tolerance to petroleum by changing antioxidation and detoxification, cell wall organization, amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism, transportation and protein process, and so on. These metabolism alterations could result in the production and secretion of low molecular carbohydrate, amino acid, and functional protein, which enhanced the bioavailability of petroleum and reducing the toxicity of the petroleum. Taken together, these results provided novel information for better understanding of the tolerance of M. jalapa to petroleum stress.

In this study, the effectiveness of controlling the eutrophication using purple parent rock to cap the sediments was evaluated in the laboratory scale. Sediments were collected from Sanxikou reservoir (China) in July 2013. Then, three types of purple parent rock (T₁f, J₃p, and J₂s) which are distributed widely in southwest China were used to cap the sediments. Limestone and calcite were used as the contrast group, because they had been reported as effective controls on eutrophication. Then, they were incubated at 20 °C for 46 days. The results indicated that the application of purple parent rock as a barrier material can effectively inhibit the release of nutrient elements in sediments, and the inhibition rates of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH₄–N), and nitrate (NO₃–N) were much better than that of limestone and calcite. Among the three types of purple parent rock, J₃p exhibited the best inhibitory effect on the release of nitrogen in sediments, and the inhibition efficiency of TN, NH₄–N, and NO₃–N was 59.7, 77.6, and 45.1%, respectively. As for T₁f, it exhibited the best inhibitory effect on the release of TP in sediments with the inhibition rate of 94.4%. Whereas all these capping materials showed weak inhibition on release of organic matter in sediments, and the inhibition efficiencies were less than 20%. Moreover, these treatments could also cause distinct changes in the microbial community in sediments and overlying water, and the contents of TN and TP in all capping materials increased. All results demonstrated that purple parent rock could inhibit the release of nutrient in sediments through mechanical interception, physical adsorption, and chemical absorption as well as changing the microbial activity in the covering layer, sediments, or overlying water.