Heavy metal(loid) extraction from soils in overlapped areas of farmland and coal resources (OAFCR) is crucial in understanding heavy metal bioavailability in soil and the subsequent risks to crops and consumers. However, limited attention has been paid to the extraction procedure of heavy metal(loid)s in OAFCR soils in the research. This study therefore explored different single and mixed extraction procedures, such as acetic acid (HOAc), citric acid, ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA), ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid + ammonium acetate (EDTA+NH₄OAc), and total digestion (HNO₃-HClO₄-HF) to determine the bioavailability of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn in OAFCR soil in Xuzhou, China. The results showed the metal(loid) extraction capacity from soil of the different procedures could be ranked as AB-DTPA > EDTA+NH₄OAc > HOAC > citric acid. The transfer ability of heavy metal(loid)s from soil to wheat tissues and from wheat roots to aerial parts was analyzed by calculating the bioconcentration factor and transfer factor, respectively. Transfer factors of all metal(loid)s were < 1 except Cr whose transfer factor from root to shell and straw were > 1. It is suspected that foliar uptake plays a dominant role in Cr uptake. Correlation analysis between the bioavailability of heavy metal(loid)s in soil and uptake in respective wheat tissues was performed to recommend the best extraction procedures for different studies. The results show that AB-DTPA extraction is recommended for Cu uptake to wheat roots, straws, shells and grains, Zn uptake to roots, and Cd uptake to roots and straws.

Industrialization and urbanization process has brought both economic development and a series of environmental problems. Hebei Province is a high haze area and one of the key areas of China’s “Blue Sky Defense” policy. As carbon emission is one of the most important factors causing haze, it is necessary to screen the influencing factors effectively to make quantitative analysis and predict carbon emissions in different degrees of coordination. Faced with the new situation of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development and more environmental constraints, this paper designs a system for predicting carbon emissions in Hebei Province innovatively using the data during 1990–2016. In the first step, 7 influence factors are determined by “graded screening.” Then, this paper improved the traditional support vector machine (SVM) by improved gray wolf optimizer (IGWO), and established IGWO-SVM model. Finally, the carbon emissions in Hebei Province from 2017 to 2025 are predicted under three stages of different cooperative development speed of 7 influence factors by the improved intelligent algorithm model. Based on the forecasting results, this paper put forward some pertinent opinions to provide theoretical basis for formulating relevant policies on carbon emissions in Hebei Province to effectively control carbon emissions from the source.

Hydrogen can play a crucial role in increasing energy security and reducing greenhouse gases in Pakistan. Hydrogen can only be a clean and sustainable fuel if it is generated from renewable energy sources (RES). Thus, it is important to evaluate viability of RES for hydrogen production. This study developed a two-stage fuzzy MCDM (Multi-criteria decision-making) approach to select the most efficient RES. In the first stage, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) obtained the relative weights of four criteria for the selection of best RES. These criteria included commercial potential, environmental impacts, economic benefits, and social acceptance. In the second stage, data envelopment analysis (DEA) measured the relative efficiency of RES using weights of criteria as outputs, and the cost of RES-based electricity generation as input. The results indicated that wind and solar are the most efficient sources of hydrogen production in Pakistan. Municipal solid waste (MSW) and biomass can also be considered a feedstock for the hydrogen economy. Geothermal reported to be the less efficient source and thus is not recommended at present. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of results obtained using the developed framework.

Artificial bioretention system consisting of Ophiopogon japonicus infiltration medium was used to simulate an infiltration experiment of rainfall runoff. Continuous extraction method was used to detect contents of inorganic phosphorus (P) under exchangeable state (Ex-P) and aluminium phosphate (Al–P) and iron phosphate (Fe–P) at different depths (0, 5, 15 and 35 cm) of soil infiltration medium in bioretention system. Effluent total P (TP) concentration of the system was also monitored. Results indicated that the adsorption of inorganic P, Al–P and Fe–P by soil infiltration medium was implemented layer by layer from top to bottom and gradually weakened. Moreover, Ex-P was gradually transformed into Al–P and Fe–P, whereas Al–P was gradually transformed into Fe–P; thus, Ex-P content reduced layer by layer, whereas Al–P and Fe–P gradually accumulated. The TP removal rate in runoff rainwater by the system was more than 90%, where the TP that was not used by plants was under dynamic equilibrium in water–soil–root system/biological system.

The sorption/desorption behaviors of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) on soil organic matter (SOM) have a significant influence on their fate and bioavailability in soil. Humic acid (HA) is a major fraction of SOM. And due to its various structural properties and chemical composition, the sorption/desorption characteristics and mechanisms of HA are diverse for organic contaminants. In this study, batch experiments were conducted to investigate the sorption/desorption behavior of benzene on HA at different conditions (temperature, pH, and ionic strength). The particle size of HA increased at lower initial pH which promoted sorption capacity for benzene, illustrating that HA with larger particle size may develop preferential chemical conformation for benzene sorption at lower pH. Sorption isotherms indicated that the sorption of benzene on HA is an exothermic and spontaneous physical process. And kinetic studies showed that the sorption of benzene on HA is controlled by the diffusion process and the availability of sorption sites. Meanwhile, weak sorbent-sorbate interaction is presented in the desorption experiment. There was no obvious effect of ionic strength on benzene sorption, suggesting that the sorption process is not controlled by ion-exchange or electrostatic interaction. Combined with FTIR analysis, the hydrophobic partitioning and π-π conjugative interaction are the possible sorption mechanisms of benzene on HA.

Pesticides might increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dicamba (DIC) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are auxinic herbicides commonly applied in agroecosystems to control unwanted weeds. We analysed the oxidative damage exerted on the fish Cnesterodon decemmaculatus by an acute exposure to DIC- and 2,4-D-based herbicides formulations Banvel® and DMA®, respectively. The Endo III- and Fpg-modified alkaline comet assay was employed for detecting DNA damage caused by oxidative stress, whereas enzymatic and non-enzymatic biomarkers such as the activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and glutathione content (GSH) were used to assess antioxidant response to these two herbicides. At the DNA level, results demonstrate that both auxinic herbicides induce oxidative damage at purines level. An increase on CAT and GST activities were detected in 48 h- and 96 h-treated specimens with both auxinics. GSH content decreased in fish exposed to DIC during 48 h and to 2,4-D after 96 h of exposure. Additionally, a diminished AChE activity in specimens treated with DIC and 2,4-D was observed only after 96 h. Total protein content decreased in fish exposed to both auxinics during 96 h. These results represent the first evaluation of oxidative damage related to DIC and 2,4-D exposure on a fish species as the Neotropical freshwater teleost C. decemmaculatus.

The corresponding Author of this paper transferred to another institution. The correct affiliation is shown in this paper.

Due to global warming and increasing price of fossil fuel, scientists all over the world have been trying to find reliable alternative fuels. One of the most potential candidates is renewable energy from biomass. The race for renewable energy from biomass has long begun and focused on to combat the deteriorating condition of the environment. Palm oil has been in the spotlight as an alternative of bioenergy sources to resolve fossil fuel problem due to its environment-friendly nature. This review will look deep into the origins of palm oil and how it is processed, bioproducts from this biomass, and oil palm biomass-based power plant in Malaysia. Palm oil is usually processed from oil palm fruits and other parts of the oil palm plant are candidates for raw material of bioproduct generation. Oil palm biomass can be turned into three subcategories: bioproduct, biofuels, and biopower. Focusing on biofuel, the biodiesel from palm oil will be explored in detail and its implication in Malaysia as one of the biggest producers of oil palm in the world will also be emphasized comprehensively. The paper presents the detail of a schematic flow diagram of a palm oil mill process of transforming oil palm into crude palm oil and it wastes. This paper will also discuss the current oil palm biomass power plants in Malaysia. Palm oil has been proven itself as a potential alternative to reduce negative environmental impact of global warming.

Currently, the quantitative assessment of the public excess risk for the update of the air quality guidelines only considered the mortality and morbidity without disease burden indicators. To provide evidences for the update of air quality guidelines and the policy analysis of air control, a simple framework to identify the excess disease burden of PM₁₀ was used in this study. Daily data on PM₁₀, meteorological factors, and deaths were collected in this 10-year (2001–2010) time series study in Tianjin, China. The excess disease burden advanced by PM₁₀ was assessed when the PM₁₀ levels exceeded the expected levels. Generalized additive model was used to estimate the associations of PM₁₀ with mortality and years of life lost (YLL). Our study found that the exposure of PM₁₀ was associated with the increasing of mortality and YLL in different diseases. The excess deaths and YLL of different diseases advanced by PM₁₀ when the PM₁₀ levels exceeded the expected levels were high and showed a decreasing trend from 2001 to 2010. The annual deaths and YLL standardized per million population advanced by PM₁₀ when the annual PM₁₀ levels exceeded the China national ambient air quality secondary standard targets (70 μg/m³) and WHO guideline (20 μg/m³) were 126 persons, 2670 person years and 260 persons, 5449 person years, respectively. This study may provide a simple framework to identify the excess disease burden of PM and provide basic and intuitive evidences to update the air quality guidelines. Furthermore, these findings may also provide decisionmakers with intuitive quantitative information for policymaking and emphasize health considerations in air quality policy discussions.

Wetlands act as kidneys of land and facilitate remediation of metals and other harmful pollutants through uptake by aquatic macrophytes. The aim of the present study was to investigate metal concentrations in sediments and plants, sources of metal origin, and contamination level in Uchalli Wetland Complex. Sediment samples were collected from 15 randomly selected sites. Metal concentrations (Cd, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, As, Mn) in sediments and macrophytes were determined during summer and winter seasons using the inductively coupled plasma technique. Metal concentrations in sediments during summer and winter seasons were in the order as follows: As > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Cd > Pb > Cu and As > Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Pb > Cd >Cu respectively. All analyzed metals were within European Union (EU) limits. In macrophytes, these metals were in the order as follows: Mn > As > Ni > Zn > Cr > Cd > Cu > Pb and As > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cd > Pb during summer and winter seasons respectively. Contamination degree (Cd) (1.023–5.309) for these lakes showed low contamination during both seasons; mCd values (below 1.5) showed very little contamination degree, while the pollution load index (0.012 to 0.0386) indicated no metal pollution in these lakes. PCA applied on sediment showed that Pb, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Cd had anthropogenic sources of origin. As and Mn were due to natural processes while Ni could be resultant of both anthropogenic and natural sources. PCA on macrophytes showed that Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu; Cd, As; Mn had anthropogenic, natural, and anthropogenic + natural sources of origin. The study concluded that metal concentrations in sediments were not up to dangerous level.