A chemical characterization of diesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) soot has been developed using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) before and after the reaction with different probe gases. Samples were generated under combustion conditions corresponding to an urban operation mode of a diesel engine and were reacted with probe gas-phase molecules in a Knudsen flow reactor. Specifically, NH₂OH, O₃ and NO₂ were used as reactants (probes) and selected according to their reactivities towards specific functional groups on the sample surface. Samples of previously ground soot were diluted with KBr and were introduced in a DRIFTS accessory. A comparison between unreacted and reacted soot samples was made in order to establish chemical changes on the soot surface upon reaction. It was concluded that the interface of diesel and HVO soot before reaction mainly consists polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitro and carbonyl compounds, as well as ether functionalities. The main difference between both soot samples was observed in the band of the C=O groups that in diesel soot was observed at 1719 cm⁻¹ but not in HVO soot. After reaction with probe gases, it was found that nitro compounds remain on the soot surface, that the degree of unsaturation decreases for reacted samples, and that new spectral bands such as hydroxyl groups are observed.

Biochars derived from Pinus massoniana and Cunninghamia lanceolata trunks (abbreviated as PB and CB, respectively) were used to investigate their potential capabilities to improve lead (Pb(II)) and antibiotic florfenicol (FLO) immobilization in soil. Results shows that, after incubation for 60 days, the maximum adsorption capacities (Q ₘ) of biochar-treated soils (soil-PB and soil-CB) for Pb(II) was increased by 27 and 14 %, respectively, compared with pristine soil sample. In the case of FLO, however, the Q ₘ of biochar-treated soils were enhanced by 266 and 206 % for soil-PB and soil-CB, respectively. The increased Pb(II) adsorption was mainly due to the enhanced interactions between Pb(II) and oxygen-containing functional groups and aromatic structures in biochars. Whereas, the improvement of FLO adsorption was achieved through electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals forces interactions between FLO molecule and biochars. Regardless of the similarities in chemical compositions between two biochars, significantly higher surface area and total pore volume of PB than CB biochar may be the key factors accounting for the differences in adsorption efficiencies for Pb(II) and FLO between Soil-PB and Soil-CB.

The aims of this study were to assess the energy requirements, carbon footprint, and water footprint of sunflower production in Kermanshah province, western Iran. Data were collected from 70 sunflower production agroecosystems which were selected based on random sampling method in summer 2012. Results indicated that total input and output energy in sunflower production were 26,973.87 and 64,833.92 MJha⁻¹, respectively. The highest share of total input energy in sunflower agroecosystems was recorded for electricity power, N fertilizer, and diesel fuel with 35, 19, and 17%, respectively. Also, energy use efficiency, water footprint, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and carbon footprint were calculated as 2.40, 3.41 m³ kg⁻¹, 2042.091 kg CO₂ₑqha⁻¹, and 0.875 kg CO₂ₑqkg⁻¹, respectively. 0.18 of sunflower water footprint was related to green water footprint and the remaining 82% was related to blue water footprint. Also, the highest share of carbon footprint was related to electricity power (nearby 80%). Due to the results of this study, reducing use of fossil fuel and non-renewable energy resource and application of sufficient irrigation systems by efficient use of water resource are essential in order to achieve low carbon footprint, environmental challenges, and also sustainability of agricultural production systems.

Currently in South Africa, online flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) is being utilized as one of the most effective methods for total sulphur reduction in coal samples during the combustion process. However, the main disadvantage associated with FGD is the formation of its by-products (FGD gypsum). The latter is mostly formed in low grade quality, thereby bringing secondary pollution problems and extra disposal costs. Therefore, the current study describes the development of total sulphur extraction in coal under microwave heating using different dilute alkaline solutions such as NaOH, NaOH-H₂O₂, NH₄OH, and NH₄OH-H₂O₂. The experimental conditions were as follows: 150 °C, 5 min and 10% (m/v or v/v) for temperature, extraction time and reagent concentration, respectively. The most effective alkaline reagent for coal desulphurisation was observed to be NaOH-H₂O₂ with total sulphur reduction of 55% (from the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) results). The NaOH-H₂O₂ reagent also showed significant morphological changes in coal as observed from the SEM images and effective demineralisation as revealed by the powder X-ray diffractometer (P-XRD) results. Additionally, desulphurisation results obtained from the developed microwave-assisted dilute alkaline extraction (MW-ADAE) method were quite comparable with the published work. The proposed total sulphur reduction method is advantageous as compared to some of the literature reported coal desulphurisation methods as it requires a short period (5 min) of time to reach its completion. Additionally, the proposed method shows excellent reproducibility (% RSD from 0.5 to 1); therefore, it can be utilized for routine analysis. Graphical abstract ᅟ

Considering the increasing incorporation of manufactured nano-material into consumer products, there is a concern about its potential impacts in biological wastewater treatment. In this study, the response of anaerobic sludge to the presence of Bi₂WO₆ nano-particles (NPs) was investigated in the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). As the concentration of Bi₂WO₆ in the reactor was controlled around 1 mg/L, there was no significant difference in effluent water quality or bacterial activities before and after NP exposure, partially due to the microbial-induced NP aggregation and stable complex formation. However, with the increasing dosage of Bi₂WO₆ from 5 to 40 mg/L, great influences on the AnMBR performance were observed, including the reduction of COD removal efficiency, inhibition of the mechanization step, increased production of soluble microbial products, and enhanced secretion of extracellular polymer substrates. Additional investigation with high-throughput sequencing was conducted, clearly demonstrating that Bi₂WO₆ NPs induced changes in the bacterial community.

The objective of the investigation is comparative analysis of hair trace element content in workers of different departments of petrochemical plant. A total of 75 men working in office (engineers), and departments 1 (D₁), 3 (D₃), and 4 (D₄) of the petrochemical plant, as well as occupationally non-exposed persons, were examined. Hair trace element levels were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The office workers were characterized by the highest hair As, Hg, Sn, I, and Si content as compared to the workers of other departments, whereas the level of those elements did not differ significantly from the control values. It is notable that hair Be levels in all employees of petrochemical plant were significantly lower, whereas Se content was significantly higher than that in unexposed controls. Hair toxic trace element content in workers directly involved in industrial processes did not differ significantly or was lower than that in the control group. At the same time, the highest levels of essential trace elements (Cr, Fe, and I) were observed in employees working in primary oil refining (D₁). Hair levels of Co, I, and Li were maximal in persons of sulfur and bitumen-producing division (D₄). The lowest levels of both essential and toxic trace elements in hair were detected in employees involved in production of liquefied gas, kerosene, and diesel fuel (D₃). The obtained data demonstrate that involvement in different technological processes in petrochemical complex differentially affect hair trace element content in workers.

A polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) made of cellulose triacetate as a polymer and the task specific ionic liquid (IL) trioctylmethylammonium thiosalicylate (TOMATS) was assembled as a new Diffusive Gradients in Thin film (DGT) device to test its efficiency as a binding phase for mercury (Hg) monitoring. The effect of IL content was assessed, showing that higher TOMATS percentage is better for short deployment studies (up to hours), whereas for long-term exposure (up to days), a lower content can be more suitable. Different configurations of PIM-DGT samplers have been tested under controlled conditions and compared with in-house DGT conventional ones, manufactured with thiol groups as resin layer, for the determination of labile Hg. According to our results, a nonlinear accumulation profile of Hg with deployment time for the different designs of PIM-DGT was observed, limiting the range of applicability of the DGT technique. Promising results for the efficient removal of Hg from aqueous solutions and/or environmental monitoring studies were obtained with TOMATS.

Diabetes is a common metabolic disease, which might influence susceptibility of the kidney to arsenic toxicity. However, relative report is limited. In this study, we compared the influence of inorganic arsenic (iAs) on renal oxidative damage and urinary metabolic profiles of normal and diabetic mice. Results showed that iAs exposure increased renal lipid peroxidation in diabetic mice and oxidative DNA damage in normal mice, meaning different effects of iAs exposure on normal and diabetic individuals. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolome analyses found that diabetes significantly changed urinary metabolic profiles of mice. Oxidative stress-related metabolites, such as arginine, glutamine, methionine, and β-hydroxybutyrate, were found to be changed in diabetic mice. The iAs exposure altered amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism in normal and diabetic mice, but had higher influence on metabolic profiles of diabetic mice than normal mice, especially for oxidative stress-related metabolites and metabolisms. Above results indicate that diabetes increased susceptibility to iAs exposure. This study provides basic information on differential toxicity of iAs on renal toxicity and urinary metabolic profiles in normal and diabetic mice and suggests that diabetic individuals should be considered as susceptible population in toxicity assessment of arsenic.

In this paper, we investigated whether growth form and substrate in lichens influence their physiological responses along an aridity gradient. Thalli of the foliose lichen Parmotrema perlatum and the fruticose lichen Ramalina canariensis were transplanted in selected rural/forested sites of Southern Portugal characterized by a different aridity index. Physiological parameters including photosynthetic performances, assimilation pigments, ergosterol content and sample viability were measured prior to exposure (winter) and after 6-month exposure (summer). Photosynthetic performances were also investigated in common native foliose and fruticose epiphytic lichens and in fruticose terricolous species. Both transplanted and native lichens showed a decrease in photosynthetic performances in summer and lower performances in sites classified as drier and higher performances in humid forested sites. No relevant differences occurred between epiphytic foliose and fruticose growth forms. However, terricolous fruticose samples showed a significant difference in humid and drier sites and between winter and summer, probably due to microclimatic conditions similarly to other biological crusts.

Socioeconomic development in lake watersheds is closely related with lake nutrient pollution. As the second largest freshwater lake in China, the Dongting Lake has been experiencing an increase in nutrient loading and a growing risk of eutrophication. This study aimed to reveal the likely impacts of the socioeconomic development of the Dongting Lake watershed on the phosphorous pollution in the lake. We estimated the contributions from different sources and sub-watersheds to the total phosphorous (TP) export and loading from the Dongting Lake watershed under two most likely socioeconomic development scenarios. Moreover, we predicted the likely permissible and actual TP loadings to the Dongting Lake. Under both two scenarios, three secondary sub-watersheds—the upper and lower reaches of the Xiang River watershed and the Dongting Lake Area—are expected to dominate the contribution to the TP export from the Dongting Lake watershed in 2020. Three primary sub-watersheds—the Dongting Lake Area, the Xiang River, and the Yuan River watersheds—are predicted to be the major contributors to the TP loading from the entire watershed. The two scenarios are expected to have a slight difference in TP export and lake TP loading. Livestock husbandry is expected to be the predominant anthropogenic TP source in each of the sub-watersheds under both scenarios. Compared to 2010, permissible TP loading is not expected to increase but actual TP loading is predicted to grow significantly in 2020. Our study provides methodologies to identify the key sources and regions of lake nutrient loading from watersheds with complex socioeconomic context, and to reveal the potential influences of socioeconomic development on nutrient pollution in lake watersheds.