The effect of different sewage concentrations (0, 20, 60 and 100%), vegetation (Bare, Avicennia marina or Rhizophora mucronata) and immersion periods (immersion/emersion period of 12/12 h or 3/3 days just for 100%) conditions were studied for 6 months on survival and growth rates of Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767). Gastropods' activity and ecosystem engineering preformed at bare and A. marina planted cells and 3 sewage conditions (0, 20 and 60%) were determined. Survival rates were higher than 70% in all treatments. Growth rate decreased significantly with increasing sewage concentrations (mainly at unplanted conditions) and longer immersion periods. A complete shift (from immersion to emersion periods) and a significant decrease in mobility and consequently its engineer potential, due to sewage contamination, lead to a 3–4 fold decrease in the amount of sediment disturbed. Sewage contamination, primary producers' abundance and environmental conditions may have influenced the gastropods survival, growth and its ecosystem engineering potential. Terebralia palustris high ecosystem engineering potential in constructed mangrove wetlands.

The São Domingos mine (Portugal) is, potentially, a good site for ecotoxicological studies, due to a pH and metal gradient of acid mine drainage. In this study, the toxicity of several mine sediments was evaluated using the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus as a test organism. Our hypothesis was that exposure to contaminated sediments would cause behavioural early warning responses in L. variegatus. Five sites, with pH ranging from 2.5 to 6.5, and with associated metals, were investigated. The results showed poor sediment quality in most of the collected sediments and Fe, S and As were the dominant elements in the samples. High mortalities were observed, ranging from 32.6 to 100%, indicating severe contamination. The collected sediments did not support good L. variegatus growth and significantly changed its behaviour. Early warning responses consisted of decreased locomotion and decreased peristaltic movements. A behaviour inhibition will affect the ecosystem balance by limiting the organisms' ability to avoid capture, which leads to a higher risk of predation. Behavioural responses of the aquatic oligochaeta Lumbriculus variegatus may be used to detect early warning responses.

There is currently a lack of ecotoxicity tests adapted to earthworm species of higher ecological relevance and whose endpoints could be directly related to their ecological role in the soil. We propose a new and relatively simple ecotoxicity test based on the estimation of cast production (CP) by Lumbricus terrestris under laboratory conditions. CP was found to be linearly correlated to earthworm biomass and to be greatly influenced by soil water content. Azinphos-methyl had no effect on CP at all the concentrations tested. Significant decreases were observed at the normal application rate for other pesticides with (imidacloprid, carbaryl, methomyl) or without (ethyl-parathion and chlorpyrifos-ethyl) a clear concentration–effect response. For the highest concentration tested, reduction in CP varied between 35 and 67%. CP is straightforward and rapidly measured and ecologically meaningful. We thus believe it to be of great use as an endpoint in ecotoxicity testing. Cast production of Lumbricus terrestris is affected by pesticides under laboratory conditions.

Blue crabs from a contaminated estuary (Hackensack Meadowlands-HM) and a cleaner reference site (Tuckerton-TK) were analyzed for Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn in muscle and hepatopancreas. Crabs from each site were taken into the laboratory and fed food from the other site, or in another experiment, transplanted to the other site for eight weeks. All crabs were analyzed for metals. Overall, tissue concentrations reflected environmental conditions. Tissue differences were found for Cu, Pb and Zn (all higher in hepatopancreas), and Hg (higher in muscle). HM muscle had more Hg than TK muscle, but did not decrease after transplanting or consuming clean food. HM crabs lost Cu, Pb and Zn in hepatopancreas after being fed clean food or transplanted. TK crabs increased Hg in muscle and Cr and Zn in hepatopancreas after transplantation or being fed contaminated (HM) food. Concentrations were variable, suggesting that blue crabs may not be fully reliable bioindicators of polluted systems. The accumulation of metals within the muscle and hepatopancreas of blue crabs was highly variable, but often followed environmental concentrations.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are recurrent in the NW Patagonia fjords system and their frequency has increased over the last few decades. Outbreaks of HAB species such as Alexandrium catenella, a causal agent of paralytic shellfish poisoning, and Protoceratium reticulatum, a yessotoxins producer, have raised considerable concern due to their adverse socioeconomic consequences. Monitoring programs have mainly focused on their planktonic stages, but since these species produce benthic resting cysts, the factors influencing cyst distributions are increasingly gaining recognition as potentially important to HAB recurrence in some regions. Still, a holistic understanding of the physico-chemical conditions influencing cyst distribution in this region is lacking, especially as it relates to seasonal changes in drivers of cyst distributions, as the characteristics that favor cyst preservation in the sediment may change through the seasons. In this study, we analyzed the physico–chemical properties of the sediment (temperature, pH, redox potential) and measured the bottom dissolved oxygen levels in a “hotspot” area of southern Chile, sampling during the spring and summer as well as the fall and winter, to determine the role these factors may play as modulators of dinoflagellate cyst distribution, and specifically for the cysts of A. catenella and P. reticulatum. A permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) showed the significant effect of sediment redox conditions in explaining the differences in the cyst assemblages between spring-summer and fall-winter periods (seasonality). In a generalized linear model (GLM), sediment redox potential and pH were associated with the highest abundances of A. catenella resting cysts in the spring-summer, however it was sediment temperature that most explained the distribution of A. catenella in the fall-winter. For P. reticulatum, only spring-summer sediment redox potential and temperature explained the variation in cyst abundances. The implications of environmental (physico-chemical) seasonality for the resting cysts dynamics of both species are discussed.

This research aims to study the wet torrefaction (WT) and saccharification of sorghum distillery residue (SDR) towards hydrochar and bioethanol production. The experiments are designed by Box-Behnken design from response surface methodology where the operating conditions include sulfuric acid concentration (0, 0.01, and 0.02 M), amyloglucosidase concentration (36, 51, and 66 IU), and saccharification time (120, 180, and 240 min). Compared to conventional dry torrefaction, the hydrochar yield is between 13.24 and 14.73%, which is much lower than dry torrefaction biochar (yield >50%). The calorific value of the raw SDR is 17.15 MJ/kg, which is significantly enhanced to 22.36–23.37 MJ/kg after WT. When the sulfuric acid concentration increases from 0 to 0.02 M, the glucose concentration in the product increases from 5.59 g/L to 13.05 g/L. The prediction of analysis of variance suggests that the best combination to maximum glucose production is 0.02 M H₂SO₄, 66 IU enzyme concentration, and 120 min saccharification time, and the glucose concentration is 30.85 g/L. The maximum bioethanol concentration of 19.21 g/L is obtained, which is higher than those from wheat straw (18.1 g/L) and sweet sorghum residue (16.2 g/L). A large amount of SDR is generated in the kaoliang liquor production process, which may cause environmental problems if it is not appropriately treated. This study fulfills SDR valorization for hydrochar and bioenergy to lower environmental pollution and even achieve a circular economy.

Doping of nitrogen and sulfur on biochar (NS-B) was investigated by a novel and improved method for diethyl phthalate (DEP) removal. The preparation parameters including pyrolysis temperature and size of peanut shell biochar as well as thiourea/biochar mass ratio were selected as independent variables at three levels by applying the Box-Behnken design. The ANOVA results indicated that thiourea/biochar mass ratio exhibited the most significant effect. The comprehensive effects of the three factors on DEP removal efficiency were further elaborated, combining with the characterization results of the obtained NS-B materials. The formation of the pyridinic N and oxidized S groups examined by XPS was responsible for enhancing the DEP removal efficiency. The adsorption kinetic model fitting illustrated that large micropores and numerous adsorption sites improved the adsorption capacity of NS-B. According to the adsorption isotherm model fitting, NS-B (temperature 375 °C, size 300 mesh and thiourea/biochar mass ratio 0.1) possessed much higher maximum adsorption capacity for DEP (14.34 mg g⁻¹) than biochar (6.57 mg g⁻¹). NS-B exhibited excellent reusability towards DEP removal after five times recycling. Moreover, NS-B also had the potential in peroxydisulfate activation. These findings provide new insights into the environmental implications of NS-B.

Cadmium (Cd)-polluted soils were collected from wasteland, farmland, and slopeland surrounding a lead–zinc mine in Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Maize plants (the host) were inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in a dual-compartment cultivation system that included mycorrhizal and hyphal compartments as part of an AMF inoculation treatment and root and soil compartments as part of a the non-inoculation treatment. The effects of AMF on maize biomass and Cd uptake, soil aggregate composition, and Cd concentration in the interflow within two soil layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm) as well as the Cd leaching from these three Cd-polluted soils under simulated heavy rainfall (40 and 80 mm/h) were investigated. The results demonstrated that AMF led to increased maize biomass and Cd uptake. There were greater contents of total glomalin-related soil protein (T-GRSP) and >2.0 mm aggregates and lower Cd concentrations in the interflow and lower dissolved Cd leaching in the mycorrhizal and hyphal compartments than in the soil compartment. A two-way analysis of variance revealed that AMF significantly increased the contents of T-GRSP and >2.0 mm aggregates and reduced both Cd concentrations in the interflow and dissolved Cd leaching. Moreover, AMF interacted extensively with the roots and affected soil aggregate composition and Cd concentrations in the interflow. Under 40 mm/h of rainfall, the contents of T-GRSP and >2.0 mm aggregates were significantly negatively correlated with both Cd concentrations in the interflow and dissolved Cd leaching. In addition, the Cd concentrations in the interflow were significantly positively correlated with the amount of dissolved Cd leaching. Therefore, both AMF-reduced Cd concentrations in the interflow and Cd leaching from Cd-polluted soils were closely related to increased T-GRSP contents and macroaggregate proportion in the soils.

Petroleum biomarkers (hopanes, terpanes and steranes) are frequently assessed in estuarine sediments as tracers of oil input. In order to compare distinct patterns of hydrocarbon accumulation in mudflats, salt marsh and mangrove, sediments from two transects (control and impacted areas) were sampled in Paranaguá Bay, SW Atlantic. Concentrations of n-alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and petroleum biomarkers (hopanes, terpanes and steranes) were determined, as well as bulk parameters (TOC, grain size and δ13C). N-alkanes concentrations were similar between control and impacted sites (respectively, 3.03 ± 1.20 μg g−1 and 4.11 ± 3.02 μg g−1) and reflected a high biogenic input. Conversely, PAHs and petroleum biomarker concentrations were three to six times higher in impacted site than the control site (respectively, 60.4 ± 23.3 ng g−1 and 22.0 ± 25.0 ng g−1 for PAHs and 197.7 ± 51.8 ng g−1 and 40.2 ± 32. ng g−1 for hopanes). Despite these differences, concentrations were lower than those reported for highly impacted areas worldwide. Diagnostic ratios and hydrocarbon parameters (e.g. total PAHs and total petroleum biomarkers) helped to distinguish human impact in the ecological zones, suggesting different sources and/or levels of weathering, confirmed by ANOVA tests. TOC played a fundamental role to the concentration of hydrocarbons, showing similar distributions along the transects. Petroleum biomarkers could clearly indicate the preferential sites of deposition and assign different levels of anthropic contamination by hydrocarbons, thus providing clear information about the chronic petroleum pollution in coastal sediments.

Glyphosate (GLY) is one of the most used herbicide worldwide. Considering that information concerning the impact of GLY on bivalves is scarce, in this study we evaluated for the first time the effects of environmentally realistic concentrations of GLY (10, 100 and 1000 μg/L) to the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. Mussels were exposed for 7, 14 and 21 days and several biomarkers were measured in haemocytes/haemolymph (total haemocyte counts, haemocyte diameter and volume, haemolymph pH, haemolymph lactate dehydrogenase activity, haemocyte lysate lysozyme and acid phosphatase activities), as well as in gills and digestive gland (antioxidant enzyme and acetylcholinesterase activities). The concentrations of GLY and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid in the experimental tanks were also measured. The MANOVA analysis demonstrated that the experimental variables considered (exposure concentration, exposure duration, and their interaction) affected significantly biomarker responses. In addition, the two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that GLY was able to affect most of the cellular parameters measured, whereas antioxidant enzyme activities resulted to be influenced moderately. Interestingly, exposure to GLY reduced significantly acetylcholinesterase activity in gills. Although preliminary, the results of this study demonstrated that GLY can affect both cellular and biochemical parameters in mussels, highlighting a potential risk for aquatic invertebrates.