A previous study has demonstrated that Danshui River has almost the highest dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) yield in the world and exports most of the DIN in the form of ammonium unlike the world’s large rivers. However, the DIN sources are poorly constrained. In this study, the contributions of major sources in the Taipei metropolitan area to the DIN export in the Danshui River were investigated. It is observed that ammonium is the major DIN species in the downstream reaches, resulting from the ammonium-dominated inputs of the effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and rain water pumping stations (RWPS). DIN concentrations in the downstream (urban) reaches are substantially elevated. The upstream tributaries annually discharge ∼2709 t DIN to the downstream reaches. However, the DIN discharge off the downstream reaches rises to ∼17,918 t, resulting from the contribution of RWPS-collected water, i.e., ∼14,632 t, and the effluents of two WWTP, i.e., ∼577 t. RWPS-collected water inherently contains the contribution of atmospheric deposition, ∼2937 t DIN. This finding implies that ∼11,695 t (∼66 % of the downstream output) DIN flux off the Danshui River is from urban runoff and can be attributed to human activities in the Taipei metropolitan area. To improve the water quality in the Danshui River, water quality controls in urban runoff are important.

Magnetic biochar (M-BC) was derived from herbal medicine waste, Astragalus membranaceus residue, and was used as an adsorbent for ciprofloxacin removal from aqueous solutions. The M-BC was characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analyses, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray diffraction analysis, hysteresis loops, scanning electron microscopy energy-dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The BET surface area increased from 4.40 to 203.70 m²/g after pyrolysis/magnetic modification. Batch experiments were performed at different dosages, initial concentrations, contact times, and solution pHs. Adsorption performances were evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, and the results indicated that the Langmuir model appropriately described the adsorption process. The kinetic data were better fitted by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum ciprofloxacin removal was observed at pH 6 (adsorption capacity of 68.9 ± 3.23 mg/g). Studies demonstrated that magnetically modified biochar might be an attractive, cost-effective, and easily separated adsorbent for contaminated water. Graphical abstract

The wide use of ZnO nanoparticles in a number of products implies an increasing release into the marine environment, resulting in the need to evaluate the potential effects upon organisms, and particularly phytoplankton, being at the base of the throphic chain. To this aim, dose–response curves for the green alga Tetraselmis suecica and the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum derived from the exposure to nano ZnO (100 nm) were evaluated and compared with those obtained for bulk ZnO (200 nm) and ionic zinc. The toxic effects to both algae species were reported as no observable effect concentration (NOEC) of growth inhibition and as 1, 10, and 50% effect concentrations (EC1, EC10, and EC50). The toxicity decreased in the order nano ZnO > Zn²⁺ > bulk ZnO. EC50 values for nano ZnO were 3.91 [3.66–4.14] mg Zn/L towards the green microalgae and 1.09 [0.96–1.57] mg Zn/L towards the diatom, indicating a higher sensitivity of P. tricornutum. The observed diverse effects can be ascribed to the interaction occurring between different algae and ZnO particles. Due to algae motility, ZnO particles were intercepted in different phases of aggregation and sedimentation processes, while algae morphology and size can influence the level of entrapment by NP aggregates.This underlines the need to take into account the peculiarity of the biological system in the assessment of NP toxicity.

In this paper, Pt supports on carbon black powder (Vulcan XC-72) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with H₂ in the presence of 2 vol% O₂ over a wide temperature of 20–300 °C. The results showed that the 3 and 5 wt% Pt/C catalysts resulted in high NO conversion (>90 %) over a temperature range of 120 to 300 °C, and the maximum NO conversion of 98.6 % was achieved over 5 wt% Pt/C at 120 °C. Meanwhile, the influence of SO₂ and H₂O on the catalyst performance of 3 wt% Pt/C was investigated. The catalysts exhibited good SO₂ poisoning resistance when the SO₂ concentration was lower than 260 ppm. Moreover, a positive effect on NO conversion was detected with the addition of 3 and 5 vol% H₂O in the feed gas stream. Graphical abstract TEM image and good NO conversion performance of the Pt/C catalysts

Transfer station, incineration plant, and landfill site made up the major parts of municipal solid waste disposal system of S city in Eastern China. Characteristics of volatile compounds (VCs) and odor pollution of each facility were investigated from a systematic perspective. Also major index related to odor pollution, i.e., species and concentration of VCs, olfactory odor concentration, and theoretic odor concentration, was quantified. Oxygenated compounds and hydrocarbons were the most abundant VCs in the three facilities. Different chemical species were quantified, and the following average concentrations were obtained: transfer station, 54 VCs, 2472.47 μg/m³; incineration plant, 75 VCs, 33,129.25 μg/m³; and landfill site, 71 VCs, 1694.33 μg/m³. Furthermore, the average olfactory odor concentrations were 20,388.80; 50,677.50; and 4951.17, respectively. The highest odor nuisance was detected in the waste tipping port of the incineration plant. A positive correlation between the olfactory and chemical odor concentrations was found with R ² = 0.918 (n = 15, P < 0.01). The result shows odor pollution risk transfer from landfill to incineration plant when adopting thermal technology to deal with the non-source-separated waste. Strong attention thus needs to be paid on the enclosed systems in incineration plant to avoid any accidental odor emission.

Ethiopia and South Africa are among the few countries to still implement indoor residual spraying with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) for malaria vector control. In this study, we investigated the levels and ecological risks of DDT and its metabolites in liver tissues of house rat, as a sentinel animal, for providing an early warning system for public health and wildlife intervention from Ethiopia and South Africa. The results showed that ΣDDT concentration ranged from 127 to 9155 μg/kg wet weight, and the distribution order of DDT and its metabolites in the analyzed liver samples was p,p′-DDD > p,p′-DDE >> p,p′-DDT, o,p′-DDT, and o,p′-DDD. The risk assessment indicated a potential adverse impact on humans, especially for pregnant women and children, because they spend majority of their time in a DDT-sprayed house. The ecological assessment also showed a concern for birds of prey and amphibians like frogs. This study is the first report on DDT contamination in liver tissues of house rats from Ethiopia and South Africa, and henceforth, the data will serve as a reference data for future studies.

Opportunistic pathogens (OPs) in drinking water, like Legionella spp., mycobacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and free-living amobae (FLA) are a risk to human health, due to their post-treatment growth in water systems. To assess and manage these risks, it is necessary to understand their variations and environmental conditions for the water routinely used. We sampled premise tap (N cₒₗd = 26, N ₕₒₜ = 26) and shower (N ₛₕₒwₑᵣ = 26) waters in a bathroom and compared water temperatures to levels of OPs via qPCR and identified Legionella spp. by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. The overall occurrence and cell equivalent quantities (CE L⁻¹) of Mycobacterium spp. were highest (100 %, 1.4 × 10⁵), followed by Vermamoeba vermiformis (91 %, 493), Legionella spp. (59 %, 146), P. aeruginosa (14 %, 10), and Acanthamoeba spp. (5 %, 6). There were significant variations of OP’s occurrence and quantities, and water temperatures were associated with their variations, especially for Mycobacterium spp., Legionella spp., and V. vermiformis. The peaks observed for Legionella, mainly consisted of Legionella pneumophila sg1 or Legionella anisa, occurred in the temperature ranged from 19 to 49 °C, while Mycobacterium spp. and V. vermiformis not only co-occurred with Legionella spp. but also trended to increase with increasing temperatures. There were higher densities of Mycobacterium in first than second draw water samples, indicating their release from faucet/showerhead biofilm. Legionella spp. were mostly at detectable levels and mainly consisted of L. pneumophila, L. anisa, Legionella donaldsonii, Legionella tunisiensis, and an unknown drinking water isolate based on sequence analysis. Results from this study suggested potential health risks caused by opportunistic pathogens when exposed to warm shower water with low chlorine residue and the use of Mycobacterium spp. as an indicator of premise pipe biofilm and the control management of those potential pathogens.

The safe disposal of post-methanated distillery sludge (PMDS) in the environment is challenging due to high concentrations of heavy metals along with other complex organic pollutants. The study has revealed that PMDS contained high amounts of Fe (2403), Zn (210), Mn (126), Cu (73.62), Cr (21.825), Pb (16.33) and Ni (13.425 mg kg⁻¹) along with melanoidins and other co-pollutants. The phytoextraction pattern in 15 potential native plants growing on sludge showed that the Blumea lacera, Parthenium hysterophorous, Setaria viridis, Chenopodium album, Cannabis sativa, Basella alba, Tricosanthes dioica, Amaranthus spinosus L., Achyranthes sp., Dhatura stramonium, Sacchrum munja and Croton bonplandianum were noted as root accumulator for Fe, Zn and Mn, while S. munja, P. hysterophorous, C. sativa, C. album, T. dioica, D. stramonium, B. lacera, B. alba, Kalanchoe pinnata and Achyranthes sp. were found as shoot accumulator for Fe. In addition, A. spinosus L. was found as shoot accumulator for Zn and Mn. Similarly, all plants found as leaf accumulator for Fe, Zn and Mn except A. spinosus L. and Ricinus communis. Further, the BCF of all tested plants were noted <1, while the TF showed >1. This revealed that metal bioavailability to plant is poor due to strong complexation of heavy metals with organic pollutants. This gives a strong evidence of hyperaccumulation for the tested metals from complex distillery waste. Furthermore, the TEM observations of root of P. hysterophorous, C. sativa, Solanum nigrum and R. communis showed formation of multi-nucleolus, multi-vacuoles and deposition of metal granules in cellular component of roots as a plant adaptation mechanism for phytoextraction of heavy metal-rich polluted site. Hence, these native plants may be used as a tool for in situ phytoremediation and eco-restoration of industrial waste-contaminated site.

Spatial interpolation methods have been applied in many environmental research studies. However, it is still a controversial issue to select an appropriate interpolation method for the conversion of discrete sampling sites into continuous maps. This study aimed at selecting an optimal interpolation method to analyze the spatial pattern of atmospheric N deposition in South China. N deposition was calculated by 259 moss sample data. Four spatial interpolation methods, including inverse distance weighting (IDW), radial basis function (RBF), ordinary kriging (OK), and universal kriging (UK), were utilized for modeling the spatial distribution of N deposition. It is the first time that these methods were applied to analyze N deposition in South China. Validation method was used to evaluate the interpolation precision of the various methods, and the cross-validation method was used to evaluate their interpolation accuracy. Comparison of predicted values with measured values indicated that OK was the optimal method for analyzing the spatial distribution of N deposition in this study; it had the highest precision (mean error (ME) = −0.059, root-mean-square error (RMSE) = 5.240, mean relative error (MRE) = 0.129, mean absolute error (MAE) = 4.007) and the lowest uncertainties (standard deviation (SD) = 5.47, coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.15). RBF produced similar results as good as OK, while the worst performed interpolation method was UK. By using the OK method for analyzing N deposition, this work revealed systematic temporal and spatial variations in atmospheric N deposition in South China.

Phthalates are plasticizers and are concerned environmental endocrine-disrupting compounds. Due to their extensive usage in plastic manufacturing and personal care products as well as the potential to leach out from these products, phthalates have been detected in various aquatic environments including drinking water, groundwater, surface water, and wastewater. The primary source of their environmental occurrence is the discharge of phthalate-laden wastewater and sludge. This review focuses on recent knowledge on the occurrence of phthalate in different aquatic environments and their fate in conventional and advanced wastewater treatment processes. This review also summarizes recent advances in biological removal and degradation mechanisms of phthalates, identifies knowledge gaps, and suggests future research directions.