In this study, we have investigated UV-B-induced alterations including chloroplast ultrastructure, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, physiological metabolism, and chloroplast proteome profile. Comparison of seedling phenotypic characterization and physiological status revealed that the low level of 1.08 KJ m⁻² of UV-B irradiation had no obvious effects on seedling phenotype and growth and maintained better chloroplast ultrastructure and higher photosynthetic efficiency. Nevertheless, the high dose of 12.6 KJ m⁻² of UV-B stress caused significant inhibitory effects on the growth and development of wheat seedlings. Proteomic analysis of chloroplasts with or without 1.08 KJ m⁻² of UV-B irradiation identified 50 differentially expressed protein spots, of which 35 were further analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry. These proteins were found to be involved in multiple cellular metabolic processes including ATP synthesis, light reaction, Calvin cycle, detoxifying and antioxidant reactions, protein metabolism, malate and tetrapyrrole biosynthesis, and signal transduction pathway. We also identified 3 novel UV-B-responsive proteins, spots 8801, 8802, and 9201, and predicted three new proteins might be UV-B protective proteins. Our results imply chloroplasts play a central protective role in UV-B resistance of wheat seedlings and also provide novel evidences that UV-B stress directly affects on the structure and function of chloroplasts and explore molecular mechanisms associated with plant UV-B tolerance from chloroplast perspective.

A magnesia–pullulan (MgOP) composite has been developed to remove phosphate from a synthetic solution. In the present study, the removal of phosphate by MgOP was evaluated in both a batch and dynamic system. The batch experiments investigated the initial pH effect on the phosphate removal efficiency from pH 3 to 12 and the effect of co-existing anions. In addition, the adsorption isotherms, thermodynamics, and kinetics were also investigated. The results from the batch experiments indicate that MgOP has encouraging performance for the adsorption of phosphate, while the initial pH value (3–12) had a negligible influence on the phosphate removal efficiency. Analysis of the adsorption thermodynamics demonstrated that the phosphate removal process was endothermic and spontaneous. Investigations into the dynamics of the phosphate removal process were carried out using a fixed bed of MgOP, and the resulting breakthrough curves were used to describe the column phosphate adsorption process at various bed masses, volumetric flow rates, influent phosphate concentrations, reaction temperatures, and inlet pH values. The results suggest that the adsorption of phosphate on MgOP was improved using an increased bed mass, while the reaction temperature did not significantly affect the performance of the MgOP bed during the phosphate removal process. Furthermore, higher influent phosphate concentrations were beneficial towards increasing the column adsorption capacity for phosphate. Several mathematic models, including the Adams–Bohart, Wolboska, Yoon–Nelson, and Thomas models, were employed to fit the fixed-bed data. In addition, the effluent concentration of magnesium ions was measured and the regeneration of MgOP investigated.

The low-low temperature electrostatic precipitator (LLT-ESP), a combination of a traditional temperature electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and a non-leakage media gas-gas exchange (MGGH), could reduce the inlet flue gas temperature below the dew point and improved the performance of the ESP. Particulate matter (PM) from the stationary sources contains filterable particulate matter (FPM) and condensable particulate matter (CPM). In this study, coal with a high ash content (coal-HA) was burned, and the emission characteristics and removal efficiencies of the particulate matter in an LLT-ESP were investigated. The standards used to test filterable and condensable PM were ISO standard 23210-2009 and U.S. EPA Method 202, respectively. The LLT-ESP was efficient in removing filterable PM, with a total filterable PM removal efficiency as high as 99.6%. The removal efficiency of filterable PM increased with increasing particulate size and decreasing imported flue gas temperature. The LLT-ESP also provided excellent removal of condensable PM with a condensable PM removal efficiency exceeding 77%. Upstream of the LLT-ESP, the concentrations of filterable PM were much higher than those of condensable PM. Downstream of the LLT-ESP, the relationship between the quantities of condensable and filterable PM reversed. To reduce the emissions of PM from coal-fired power plants, more attention should be paid to controlling condensable PM. The temperature of the flue gas upstream of the LLT-ESP played an important role in eliminating condensable PM. At lower imported flue gas temperature operation conditions, the removal efficiency of the LLT-ESP for the condensable PM and the escaping mass concentration of condensable PM increased. Among the organic fraction of the condensable PM, hydrocarbons and esters were dominant. Meanwhile, SO₄²⁻ was the primary component, followed by Cl⁻ in anions. Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺ were the main components in metal ions. Particles with diameters ≥ 10 μm, which contained most of the Si and Al, were dominant in the fly ash collected from sections 1 and 2 of the LLT-ESP. The main particles in sections 3 and 4 were PM₁₀, which contained the highest concentrations of Ca and Fe.

The growth and cadmium (Cd) accumulation of emergent plant Nasturtium officinale R. Br. cuttings taken from plants grafted onto rootstocks of four terrestrial Cruciferae species were studied in a pot experiment. Scions from N. officinale seedlings were grafted onto rootstocks of Brassica chinensis L., Raphanus sativus L., Brassica napus L., and Rorippa dubia (Pers.) H. Hara. Cuttings were taken after 1 month and grown in Cd-contaminated soil (10 mg Cd kg⁻¹) for 60 days. Compared with non-grafted N. officinale, grafting onto R. sativus and B. napus rootstocks increased the root, shoot, and whole plant biomasses of N. officinale cuttings. Brassica napus rootstock was more effective than R. sativus rootstock for increasing the biomass of N. officinale cuttings. The four rootstocks decreased or had no significant effect on photosynthetic pigment contents in N. officinale cuttings compared with non-grafted N. officinale. Only grafting onto B. napus rootstock enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities. Compared with non-grafted N. officinale, R. sativus and B. napus rootstocks decreased the Cd contents in roots and shoots of N. officinale cuttings, whereas the other rootstocks had no significant effect on the shoot Cd content. The four rootstocks had no increase effects on Cd extraction by N. officinale cuttings. Therefore, cutting after grafting did not enhance the phytoremediation ability of N. officinale for growth in Cd-contaminated soil. However, R. sativus and B. napus rootstocks decreased the Cd content in N. officinale cuttings, which offers a potential approach for N. officinale safety production as a wild vegetable in Cd-contaminated soils.

Surveys of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-pE) in stream water and untreated wastewater were carried out in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Thirty-six samples of water were collected from 18 streams in Okinawa Prefecture, as well as ten samples of wastewater flowing into four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). We investigated bacterial species, Escherichia coli O antigen, ESBL phenotype, ESBL genotype, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) type of isolates, and total viable count and fecal coliforms as indicator organisms. The relation between indicator organisms and ESBL-pE was also validated using the same samples. A total of 141 ESBL-pE including 107 E. coli, 15 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2 Proteus mirabilis, and 17 other species was isolated from stream water and wastewater. Of the 141 ESBL-pE, 14.9% and 54.6% were found to be blaCTX-M-15 and blaCTX-M-14-like types, respectively, which have been found in hospital isolates in Okinawa. Two pairs of possibly related patterns according to PFGE criteria were isolated from stream water and wastewater in two districts. When ESBL-pE was significantly isolated, total viable count and fecal coliform boundaries were ≥ 6.0 × 10³ CFU/ml and ≥ 4.3 × 10² most probable number/100 ml, respectively. These results suggested that ESBL-pE isolated from stream water is human derived, and that total viable count and fecal coliforms will be useful as indicators for confirming the spread of ESBL-pE to the environment by means of simple hygiene surveys.

Climate change has become a real threat, and its impacts are being felt throughout the world. Temperature is considered one of the significant elements by the recent consequences of climate change and global warming, specially the salinity which is increased at higher temperature. Turfgrasses are adversely affected due to an increasing trend in salinity. The main aim of this investigation was to find out salt-tolerant ecotypes from native species of UAE to mitigate the salinity problem. Performance of a native grass, Aeluropus lagopoides, was investigated under high saline conditions during the year 2014 under the UAE climatic conditions. The experiment was planned under randomised complete block design (RCBD) with two factors and four replications. During the experiment, 50 ecotypes of Aeluropus lagopoides, alongside Paspalum vaginatum (as control), were tested at different salt levels, i.e. 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 dSm⁻¹. Significant differences were found among various ecotypes as well as salinity levels for different agronomic traits including green cover, canopy stiffness, leaf colour and salinity of leaf rinseates. Most of the ecotypes tolerated salinity up to 30 dSm⁻¹, maintaining the quality, but beyond this level the quality declined. However, some of the ecotypes survived under high salinity, even beyond sea level (75 dSm⁻¹). All the ecotypes, except RUA2, RUA3 and RUA1, showed better performance than P. vaginatum, the prevailing commercial turfgrass in the UAE. Based on their performance, the ecotypes RUDA7, FA5, RA3, RUDA2 and RA2 could be used for turf purposes under saline conditions.

We investigated the treatment efficiency of micro-polluted NO₃⁻-dominated river water with low C/N ratio by five parallel pilot-scale IVCWs with different plant and substrate collocation. When the mean concentration was 2.24 and 0.193 mg L⁻¹ in influent, IVCWs achieved an average (mass) removal rate of (0.09 g m⁻² day⁻¹) 46.8% and (0.77 g m⁻² day⁻¹) 62.3% for TN and TP, respectively, during 1 year of operation. Water quality was significantly improved from grade V to meet the criterion of grade IV of surface water. Through the comparison of removal rate by different IVCWs, we found that lack of carbon sources in influent limited the denitrification in the middle and bottom layers (ML, BL) of IVCW. Zeolites deployed in the upper layer (UL) of IVCW reduced the overall N removal efficiency compared with gravels, due to a stronger nitrification but weaker denitrification. Canna indica (C. indica) was superior to Arundo donax (A. donax) and Thalia dealbata (T. dealbata) for N removal in the UL of IVCW due to higher aboveground biomass accumulation and microbial removal during the first 10 months. Stronger nitrification and denitrification were simultaneously facilitated near the rhizosphere of C. indica. When entered into Dec., A. donax performed higher N removal efficiency than the other two species. The internal replenishment of peats in the ML as carbon sources significantly improved N and P removal efficiency. Zeolites with stronger capacity of ammonium (NH₄⁺) adsorption was more in favor of anammox in the BL, when compared with roseites, but both of them were not conducive to the growth of denitrifiers. However, the deployment of shale ceramisites obtained an opposite result. Gemmata and Pirellula as anammox bacteria were more enriched in the zeolite layer, whereas some anaerobic denitrifiers (Corynebacterium and Paludibacter) and heterotrophic denitrifiers including Bacillus, Geobacter, Pseudomonas, and Lactococcus were more found in shale ceramisite. Supply of peats as carbon sources in the ML was beneficial for the adhesion of anammox bacteria and denitrifiers in the BL of shale ceramisites. An ideal model composed of C. indica + A. donax (DFU)-gravel (UL)-anthracite+peat (ML)-zeolite+shale ceramsite (BL)-Acorus calamus (UFU) was proposed for treating this type of river water to achieve high efficiency.

NaY and Na13X zeolites were modified by different modification manners including H⁺ modification, metal ion modification (Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, or Ce³⁺), and H⁺ modification followed by metal ion modification to investigate their deep desulfurization behavior in gasoline. The sorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR of chemisorbed pyridine, N₂ adsorption, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The desulfurization performance of these sorbents was evaluated in model gasoline containing thiophene and cyclohexane with thiophene concentration of 500 mg/L, and the results were analyzed to investigate the effect of preparation methods on adsorption desulfurization behavior. The result indicates that H⁺ modification or metal ion modification could all improve the desulfurization performance of both NaY and Na13X zeolites, except for Na13X modified by Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺. For Cu²⁺ or Ni²⁺ ion exchanging, the crystal structure of Na13X would be destroyed, resulting in a much lower desulfurization efficiency than that of the parent Na13X. The desulfurization efficiency of sorbents prepared via H⁺ modification followed by metal ion modification is higher than that of sorbents prepared by single H⁺ modification or single metal ion modification, because the former is more conducive to improve the content of metal elements on the sorbents than the latter. In addition, the increase of the specific surface area and pore volume of the sorbents would directly lead to the improvement of desulfurization performance of the sorbents. Compared with Na13X, the H⁺ modification on NaY zeolite can significantly enhance the desulfurization performance of the sorbents. Among those prepared sorbents, the CuHY has the highest desulfurization efficiency. The influence of thiophene concentration (100–1000 mg/L) on desulfurization efficiency of CuHY sorbent was evaluated. The results indicate that the desulfurization efficiency of CuHY sorbent is nearly 100% at room temperature, when the thiophene concentration is lower than 300 mg/L. Moreover, its desulfurization behavior could be described by Langmuir isothermal equation. Graphic abstract .

Production of Scenedesmus sp. biomass in chicken slaughterhouse wastewater (CSWW) is a promising alternative technique for commercial culture medium due to the high nutritional content of the generated biomass to be used as fish feeds. The current work deals with optimising of biomass production in CSWW using response surface methodology (RSM) as a function of two independent variables, namely temperature (10–30 °C) and photoperiod (6–24 h). The potential application of biomass yield as fish feeds was evaluated based on carbohydrate, protein and lipid contents. The results revealed that the best operating parameters for Scenedesmus sp. biomass production with high contents of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids were determined at 30 °C and after 24 h. The actual and predicted values were 2.47 vs. 3.09 g, 1.44 vs. 1.27 μg/mL, 29.9 vs. 31.60% and 25.75 vs. 28.44%, respectively. Moreover, the produced biomass has a high concentration of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) as follows: 35.91% of C15:1; 17.58% of C24:1 and 14.11% of C18:1N9T. The biomass yields have 7.98% of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5N3) which is more appropriate as fish feeds. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of biomass revealed that the main functional groups included hydroxyl (OH), aldehyde (=C–H), alkanes and acyl chain groups. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis (EDS) indicated that the surface morphology and element distribution in biomass produced in BBM and CSWW were varied. The findings have indicated that the biomass produced in CSWW has high potential as fish feeds.

The successful establishment of China’s emission trading scheme (ETS) could lead the next generation of global climate carbon markets in industrializing and developing countries. The allocation of ETS revenue from auctioning carbon emission allowance is important for the achievement of China’s joint targets of economic growth, mitigation, and welfare improvement. This study develops a dynamic CGE model to evaluate the effects of different ETS revenue allocation mechanisms and identifies the proper mechanism for China’s ETS design. Ten scenarios including business as usual (BAU), no ETS revenue allocation incentive (NA) and other eight ETS revenue allocation scenarios are designed. Simulation results indicate that the tradeoff between economic cost and environmental benefit exists under different ETS revenue allocation mechanisms. ETS revenue is suggested to allocate to household sector through reducing indirect tax and, after 2020, a certain proportion of ETS revenue could be allocated to production sector for improving energy-saving technology (i.e., STP mechanism). This study provides references for policymakers in China to design effective and realistic ETS-related policies. A similar study could be conducted to explore the proper ETS and the revenue allocation policies in other countries that have similar national conditions to China, such as other BRICS countries.