The pH change and the release of organic matter and metals from sediment, due to the potential CO₂ acidified seawater leakages from a CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) site are presented. Column leaching test is used to simulate a scenario where a flow of acidified seawater is in contact with recent contaminated sediment. The behavior of pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, with liquid to solid (L/S) ratio and pH is analyzed. A stepwise strategy using empirical expressions and a geochemical model was conducted to fit experimental release concentrations. Despite the neutralization capacity of the seawater-carbonate rich sediment system, important acidification and releases are expected at local scale at lower pH. The obtained results would be relevant as a line of evidence input of CCS risk assessment, in an International context where strategies to mitigate the climate change would be applied.

While nano-Fe₂O₃(magnetic) is generally considered non-toxic, it could serve as a carrier of other toxic chemicals such as As(V) and enhance their toxicity. The bioaccumulation of nano-Fe₂O₃(m) with different exposure times, NP concentrations, and pH conditions was investigated using Ceriodaphnia dubia (C. dubia) as the model organism. Under natural pH conditions, C. dubia significantly accumulated nano-Fe₂O₃(m) in the gut, with the maximum accumulation being achieved after 6 h of exposure. The concentration of nano-Fe₂O₃ also impacted its accumulation, with the maximum uptake occurring at 20 mg/L or more. In addition, the highest bioaccumulation occurred in a pH range of 7–8 where the highest feeding rate was reported, confirming that the ingestion of NPs is the main route of nano-Fe₂O₃(m) bioaccumulation. In a clean environment without NPs, depuration of nano-Fe₂O₃(m) occurred, and food addition accelerated the depuration process.

Sorption of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is critical for understanding their subsequent transport and fate in aqueous environments, but the sorption mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, the sorption of six PFCs on CNTs increased with increasing C-F chain length when they had a same functional group, and the CNTs with hydroxyl and carboxyl groups had much lower adsorbed amount than the pristine CNTs, indicating that hydrophobic interaction dominated the sorption of PFCs on the CNTs. Electrostatic repulsion suppressed the sorption of PFCs on the CNTs, resulting in the lower sorption with increasing pH. Hydrogen bonding interaction was negligible. The hydrophobic C-F chains can be closely adsorbed on the CNTs surface in parallel to the axis or along the curvature, making it impossible to form micelles on the CNT surface, leading to the lower sorption than other adsorbents.

Adsorption of mercury (Hg) on lignin was studied at a range of pH values using a combination of batch adsorption experiments, a surface complexation model (SCM) and synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Surface complexation modeling indicates that three types of acid sites on lignin surfaces, namely aliphatic carboxylic-, aromatic carboxylic- and phenolic-type surface groups, contributed to Hg(II) adsorption. The bond distance and coordination number of Hg(II) adsorption samples at pH 3.0, 4.0 and 5.5 were obtained from extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy analysis. The results of SCM and XAS combined reveal that the predominant adsorption species of Hg(II) on lignin changes from HgCl₂ ⁰ to monodentate complex –C–O–HgCl and then bidentate complex –C–O–Hg–O–C– with increasing pH value from 2.0 to 6.0. The good agreement between SCM and XAS results provides new insight into understanding the mechanisms of Hg(II) adsorption on lignin.

The uptake and depuration of a range of pharmaceuticals in the freshwater shrimp (Gammarus pulex) and the water boatman (Notonecta glauca) was studied. For one compound, studies were also done using the freshwater snail Planobarius corneus. In G. pulex, bioconcentration factors (BCFs) ranged from 4.6 to 185,900 and increased in the order moclobemide < 5-fluoruracil < carbamazepine < diazepam < carvedilol < fluoxetine. In N. glauca BCFs ranged from 0.1 to 1.6 and increased in the order 5-fluorouracil < carbamazepine < moclobemide < diazepam < fluoxetine < carvedilol. For P. corneus, the BCF for carvedilol was 57.3. The differences in degree of uptake across the three organisms may be due to differences in mode of respiration, behaviour and the pH of the test system. BCFs of the pharmaceuticals for each organism were correlated to the pH-corrected liposome–water partition coefficient of the pharmaceuticals.

Rusty blackbirds are undergoing rapid population decline and have elevated Hg concentrations while breeding in the Acadian ecoregion of North America. Factors regulating the bioavailability of methyl-Hg (MeHg) within this population's habitat were determined using water, invertebrates, and blood from adult rusty blackbirds collected for Hg-speciation, along with additional water column parameters: MeHg and THg, dissolved organic carbon, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, redox potential, and temperature. Both DO₂ and pH were negatively related to biota MeHg, while water MeHg concentrations were positively related. Both invertebrate MeHg concentration and %MeHg increased with trophic level. Invertebrate MeHg concentrations were among the greatest reported when compared with those reported elsewhere for wetlands and waterbodies—often several times greater for similar taxa—while percent MeHg of THg were similar. An environment with high bioavailability of MeHg in combination with a high trophic position best explains elevated Hg concentrations for this species regional population.

Solid humic acid (HA) particles were dissolved and subsequently coated on a type of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Pb²⁺ sorption from water by the solid HA, the MWCNTs and the obtained HA-MWCNT complexes was compared. The underlying mechanism of the difference in the sorption was discussed with the data at different pHs, results of desorption in the presence and absence of Ca²⁺ and the characterizations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray energy dispersion spectroscopy and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The effect of MWCNT-contained impurities on the sorption was also examined. It was shown that the surface-bound HA introduced oxygen-containing functional groups and negative charges on the MWCNTs, thus greatly increasing Pb²⁺ sorption on the MWCNTs. Pb²⁺ could be electrostatically attracted into outer-sphere of the electric double layer of the HA-MWCNT complexes, a fraction of which would form coordination complexes with carboxyl groups in the inner- and/or outer-sphere.

The formation of regulated and emerging halogenated carbonaceous (C-) and nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) from the chlor(am)ination and UV irradiation of tyrosine (Tyr) was investigated. Increased chlorine contact time and/or Cl₂/Tyr ratio increased the formation of most C-DBPs, with the exception of 4-chlorophenol, dichloroacetonitrile, and dichloroacetamideChloroform and dichloroacetic acid increased with increasing pH, dichloroacetonitrile first increased and then decreased, and other DBPs had maximum yields at pH 7 or 8. The addition of ammonia significantly reduced the formation of most C-DBPs but increased 4-chlorophenol, dichloroacetonitrile, dichloroacetamide, and trichloroacetonitrile yields for short prechlorination contact times before dosing ammonia. When UV irradiation and chlorination were performed simultaneously, the concentrations of the relatively stable C-DBPs increased, and the concentrations of dichloroacetonitrile, dichloroacetamide, and 4-chlorophenol decreased with increasing UV dose. This information was used to develop a mechanistic model for the formation of intermediate DBPs and end products from the interaction of disinfectants with tyrosine.

The objective of the study reported in this paper was to assess the quality of harvested rainwater on the basis of the roofing materials used and the presence of lichens/mosses on the roofing surface. Four pilot structures with different roofing materials (i.e., wooden shingle tiles, concrete tiles, clay tiles [Gi-Wa] and galvanized steel) were installed in a field. The galvanized steel was found to be the most suitable for rainwater harvesting applications, with their resulting physical and chemical water quality parameters meeting the Korean guidelines for drinking water quality (e.g., pH (5.8–8.5), TSS <500 mg/L, NO₃ ⁻ < 10 mg/L, SO₄ ²⁻ < 200 mg/L, Al < 0.2 mg/L, Cu < 1 mg/L, Fe < 0.3 mg/L, Pb < 0.05 mg/L, Zn < 1 mg/L, and E. coli (No detection)). In the galvanized steel case, the relatively high water quality was probably due to ultraviolet light and the high temperature effectively disinfecting the harvested rainwater. It was also found that the presence of lichens and mosses may adversely affect the physical, chemical and microbiological quality of rainwater.

The coexistence of heavy metals and antibiotics is common in the environment, and their interactions may mutually alter their environmental behaviors and risks. This study investigated ofloxacin (OFL)–Cu(II) interaction using fluorescence quenching experiments. The possible artifacts were excluded and OFL quenching was attributed to static quenching as suggested by the linear Stern–Volmer plot and decreased quenching with increased temperature. The OFL–Cu(II) interaction was quantitatively described using a stoichiometry equation. The calculation suggested that OFL–Cu(II) association was the mixture of 1:1 and 1:2 complexes. The negative ΔG values and the negative ΔH values suggested that the complexation is a spontaneous and exothermic process. Cation-π binding and electrostatic interaction were excluded and the complexation of Cu(II) with OFL ketonic and carboxyl groups was proposed through UV–visible spectrum characterization, pH dependent complexation, and thermodynamic analysis.