Research was carried out on the granulometric, mineral composition and fractional distribution of some elements in surface sediments of the Zeya River basin (Far East, Russia). The order of sediments’ pollution by heavy metals due to man-caused impact on the Zeya River’s ecosystem was determined. The compound forms of heavy metals in sediments were studied. It presented the most of the Fe, Ni, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu and Zn accumulated in bottom fraction; Pb and Cd—also in Fe and Mn hydroxides and bottom fractions. On average, 56% Pb, 83% Cd, 27–37% Cu, Co and Zn (of total amount) are held in geochemical moving forms.

Since the industrial revolution, the impact of effluents produced by human activities on ecosystems has been a major international environmental concern. This study was aimed at observing the changes in water and sediment qualities at a watershed level of two different river systems facing the same land use practices, but impacted to different degrees. Samples were collected at strategically selected sites within the mainstream of both rivers, the major tributaries draining into them, as well as a major impoundment in each system. A distinct difference between the two different rivers was observed. It was established that certain variables, for example pH, contributed to the differential water and sediment quality signatures in the upper Olifants and Mokolo rivers, having important considerations for the future management of both river ecosystems. Other abiotic factors, such as alkalinity and sulphate levels, were also found to be important. The tributaries were found to play an important role in the purification and/or pollution of the mainstream rivers. On the other hand, the present impoundments in the Mokolo River were observed to affect the water and sediment qualities downstream. Overall, through the use of comparative models, it was observed that the upper Olifants River was in a different state than the Mokolo River and the information from this study may aid in the future management of the Mokolo River to prevent a shift to an undesirable state.

dithiocarbamate-graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by simple method through reactions between poly3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized GO (PAS-GO) and CS₂. DTC-GO can capture Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ effectively to generate stable structures and then remove them from aqueous solutions. The properties of the DTC-GO are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions of DTC-GO was evaluated by the removal of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ from aqueous solution. The effect of several factors, including the pH, contact time, and temperature, was investigated by batch experiment. The results show that the DTC-GO exhibits excellent adsorption capacity for Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺. The adsorption kinetics study indicates that the adsorption kinetics of Cu²⁺and Cd²⁺ all could be well described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption isotherm was investigated by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models, and the adsorption process was well described by the Langmuir model. The effect of temperature shows that the process of DTC-GO for Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ is an endothermic process. The results indicated that the DTC-GO can be used as one of the promising candidate adsorbents with enhanced removal capacity for the adsorption of Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺.

Nitrogen pollution in ground and surface water significantly affects the environment and its organisms, thereby leading to an increasingly serious environmental problem. Such pollution is difficult to degrade because of the lack of carbon sources. Therefore, an electrochemical and biological coupling process (EBCP) was developed with a composite catalytic biological carrier (CCBC) and applied in a pilot-scale cylindrical reactor to treat wastewater with a carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 2. The startup process, coupling principle, and dynamic feature of the EBCP were examined along with the effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT), dissolved oxygen (DO), and initial pH on nitrogen removal. A stable coupling system was obtained after 51 days when plenty of biofilms were cultivated on the CCBC without inoculation sludge. Autotrophic denitrification, with [Fe²⁺] and [H] produced by iron–carbon galvanic cells in CCBC as electron donors, was confirmed by equity calculation of CODCᵣ and nitrogen removal. Nitrogen removal efficiency was significantly influenced by HRT, DO, and initial pH with optimal values of 3.5 h, 3.5 ± 0.1 mg L⁻¹, and 7.5 ± 0.1, respectively. The ammonia, nitrate, and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies of 90.1 to 95.3 %, 90.5 to 99.0 %, and 90.3 to 96.5 % were maintained with corresponding initial concentrations of 40 ± 2 mg L⁻¹ (NH₃–N load of 0.27 ± 0.01 kg NH₃–N m⁻³ d⁻¹), 20 ± 1 mg L⁻¹, and 60 ± 2 mg L⁻¹ (TN load of 0.41 ± 0.02 kg TN m⁻³ d⁻¹). Based on the Eckenfelder model, the kinetics equation of the nitrogen transformation along the reactor was N ₑ = N ₀ exp (−0.04368 h/L¹.⁸⁴³⁸). Hence, EBCP is a viable method for advanced low C/N ratio wastewater treatment.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) decomposition by non-thermal plasma (NTP) has been receiving increasing attention from the scientific communities due to its advantages of easy operation, high efficiency, energy saving, and non-secondary pollution. But most of the researches are doing experiments and existing experiment methods cannot observe the micro physical and chemical processes. In order to make up for the deficiency of the experiment, herein, a numerical method was developed to analyze the decomposition behavior of HCN, C₃H₃N, C₃H₈, C₃H₆, CO, and NO in the VOCs treatment by NTP. Results indicated that increasing electron density or energy was beneficial to VOCs decomposition, but when the electron density and energy was too high, the promotion would be weakened. The influences of initial concentration of O₂ and H₂O on different VOCs decomposition were totally different. The increase of initial concentration of oxygen was beneficial to the decomposition of HCN, C₃H₈, CO, and NO, but the high concentration of oxygen could promote to generate C₃H₆ at the initial reaction stage. The decomposition of HCN and C₃H₃N are not restricted by dry or wet conditions, but the increase of the concentration of water vapor is advantageous to the decomposition of C₃H₈, CO, and NO. Graphical Abstract ᅟ

Most of the chemicals containing non-biodegradable metal pollutants from anthropogenic sources are highly mobile in nature. The only way to contain or limit their movement is through sorption and entrapment in the soil matrices. In this study, the sorptive response of the three most commonly found divalent metal contaminants, copper (Cu⁺²), lead (Pb⁺²), and zinc (Zn⁺²), are studied using two locally available semi-arid soils from Saudi Arabia. To enhance their retention capacity, these soils are amended with lime. The response to sorption at varying initial contaminant concentrations, pH conditions, temperature levels, and dilution ratios are investigated. Relying on empirical models (Langmuir and Freundlich), the nature of sorption (monolayer or heterogeneous) is ascertained. Further, kinetic models are employed to validate the type and nature of sorption that occurs (whether pseudo first-order or second-order). It is found that the experimental results correlate well with these empirical models for both the Al-Ghat and Al-Qatif soils when amended with lime and attenuate Cu, Pb, and Zn to satisfactory levels. The R ² values are close to 1 for all the tested models. The order of sorption was Pb > Cu > Zn for these heavy metals, and also for soils and soil mixtures that were considered: Al-Qatif soil amended with 6 % lime > Al-Ghat soil with 6 % lime > Al-Qatif > Al-Ghat. Lime-treated soils sorbed 73, 65, and 60 % more than the untreated soils for Pb, Cu, and Zn, respectively.

This study successfully applied an improved valvometry technique to measure waterborne copper (Cu), based on valve activity dynamics of the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea. The improved valvometry technique allows the use of free-range bivalves and avoids causing stresses from experimental artifacts. The proposed daily valve rhythm models and a toxicodynamics-based Hill model were linked to predict valve dynamic responses under different Cu exposures with a circadian valve rhythm endpoint. Cu-specific detection threshold was 5.6 (95 % CI 2.1–9.3) and 19.5 (14.6–24.3) μg L⁻¹ for C. fluminea, based on response times of 300 and 30 min, respectively. Upon exposure to Cu concentrations in excess of 50 μg L⁻¹, the alteration of valve rhythm behavior was correlated with Cu concentration within 30 min, indicating notable sensing ability. This study outlines the feasibility of an in situ early warning dynamic biomonitoring system for detection of waterborne Cu based on circadian valve activities of C. fluminea.

Photolysis is a major transformation pathway for triclosan, an antibacterial agent frequently detected in aquatic environment. Though many studies have been conducted on the influence of dissolved organic matter on the photolysis of triclosan, there are still controversies and the mechanism involved is still not clear. In the present study, influence of humic acid on the photolysis of triclosan in molecular form and anionic form was investigated. Reactive substances involved were identified and photolysis pathways were proposed. The addition of humic acid significantly enhanced the photolysis of triclosan in molecular form and inhibited that of triclosan in anionic form. •OH and intra-humic acid ¹O₂ played the dorminant role in the enhanced photolysis of triclosan. Different photolysis pathways of triclosan in different forms in the presence of humic acid were proposed, and dioxin products were not found during the indirect photolysis. Here, we show that humic acid has the opposing effects on the photolysis of triclosan in different forms. These findings will help us better understand the photolysis process of triclosan in natural waters.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are classified as re-emerging pollutants, and studies on their environmental fate, e.g., sorption behavior on soil are still limited. In this paper, three OPEs, triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCP), and tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) were selected, and their sorption characteristics on peat soil with high organic matter were investigated by direct immersion solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS). The sorption kinetics of TPP, TDCP, and TCPP was found to confirm to the pseudo-second-order model, and intra-particle diffusion was not the only rate-controlling step for the sorption process. Linear, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models were used to analyze the sorption equilibrium data, and the best correlation was achieved by the linear isotherm model. The organic carbon normalized distribution coefficients (logK ₒc) were calculated to be 3.45 for TPP, 2.83 for TDCP, and 2.23 for TCPP. Thermodynamics showed that the sorption of TPP, TDCP, and TCPP on Peat soil was spontaneous, exothermic, and physical in nature.

The effectiveness of gemini-modified palygorskite (PGS) as the novel remediation material in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-contaminated water remediation was revealed and examined. The sorption behavior of gemini surfactants at the PGS/aqueous interface was addressed using a developed two-step adsorption and partition model (TAPM). The characterizations of gemini-modified PGS were investigated using infrared spectroscopy, cationic exchange capacity, and surface area analysis. The effects of pH, ionic strength, humic acid, and temperature on sorption of phenanthrene (PHE) to untreated and modified PGS were systematically studied. Analysis of the equilibrium data indicated that the sorption isotherms of gemini fitted TAPM well. The modification of PGS with gemini surfactants provided a favorable partition medium for PHE and enhanced PHE retention in solid particles. The solution parameters played significant effects on PHE sorption to the modified PGS. The sorption isotherms of PHE on PGS at different temperatures well fitted the Freundlich equation. Thermodynamic calculations confirmed that the sorption process of PHE on modified PGS was spontaneous and exothermic from 293 to 303 K. It is revealed that the modification with gemini surfactants probably offered some unique surface characteristics to the clay mineral as a new type of remediation material. This can provide a reference to the potential application of PGS in PAH-contaminated water remediation process.