A rapid and sensitive immunoassay for the simultaneous detection of imidacloprid and thiacloprid was developed by using magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). The UCNPs of NaYF₄:Yb, Er and NaYF₄:Yb, Tm were synthesized and conjugated with anti-imidacloprid monoclonal antibody (mAb) and anti-thiacloprid mAb as signal labels, while the MNPs were conjugated with antigens of thiacloprid and imidacloprid as separation elements. The fluorescence intensities of Yb/Er- and Yb/Tm-doped UCNPs were detected simultaneously in 544 nm and 477 nm under the excitation of NIR light (980 nm). The amounts of mAb-conjugated UCNPs that were separated by antigen-conjugated MNPs were determined based on competitive immunoassays. Under the optimal conditions, the 50% inhibiting concentration (IC₅₀) and limit of detection (LOD, IC₁₀) were 5.80 and 0.32 ng/mL for imidacloprid and 6.45 and 0.61 ng/mL for thiacloprid, respectively. The immunoassay exhibited negligible cross-reactivity with analogs of imidacloprid and thiacloprid except imidaclothiz (86.2%). The average recoveries of imidacloprid and thiacloprid in environmental and agricultural samples, including paddy water, soil, pears, oranges, cucumbers, and wheat, ranged from 78.4 to 105.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.1–11.9% for imidacloprid and ranged from 82.5 to 102.3% with RSDs of 1.0–16.5% for thiacloprid. In addition, the results of the immunoassay correlated well with high-performance liquid chromatography for the detection of the authentic samples.

The continuous adsorption-desorption of methylene blue (MB) on an invasive macrophyte, Salvinia minima, was investigated in fixed-bed columns. The effects of bed depth (h) (9.30, 18.70, and 28 cm), inlet dye concentration (C₀) (51 ± 1.20, 154 ± 2.00, and 250 ± 1.50 mg L⁻¹), and flow rate (Q) (7 and 14 mL min⁻¹) on dye removal and breakthrough curves were assessed. Thomas, modified dose-response (MDR) and bed depth service time (BDST) models were fitted to the experimental data. Desorption and regeneration studies were also performed. The breakthrough time was affected by h, C₀, and Q. The dynamic bed capacity at the breakthrough point (qb) increased with increasing h but decreased with increasing C₀ and Q. Dynamic bed capacities (qₑ) from 318 to 322 mg g⁻¹ were achieved at h = 28 cm, C₀ = 154 ± 2.0, or 250 ± 1.50 mg L⁻¹, independently of the Q value. High MB removals were also observed (75–78%). FTIR analysis revealed that hydroxyl and carboxyl groups could be involved in dye adsorption. MDR and BDST models were both successfully used to predict the breakthrough curves of MB adsorption onto S. minima. A high regeneration efficiency (> 87%) was obtained after three adsorption-desorption cycles. These results confirm that the use of S. minima biomass could be a very efficient and eco-friendly alternative for MB adsorption in continuous mode.

Insecticidal applications may result to morphological deformations upon exposed insects or their offspring production. In the present study, we tested whether pirimiphos-methyl can induce deformities to wings of progeny production of the invasive khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) when its parental female adults have been treated with this organophosphorus active ingredient. For that purpose, we analysed both elytra and hindwings of both sexes of T. granarium progeny production by using the geometric morphometrics method. Our results showed that the wings of progeny of the pirimiphos-methyl-treated T. granarium parental female adult individuals suffered certain changes in their usual shape depending on size. Deformations occurred on both pairs of wings, but changes were more noticeable on the hindwings. A longer than 5-h exposure of parental female adults to pirimiphos-methyl, resulted in progeny with more deformed wings than in those individuals emerged after the exposure of their parental female adults in shorter periods on the toxicant. Generally, wings of both sexes were sensitive to pirimiphos-methyl, distinguishing the control group from the insecticidal treatments. The existence of deformed adults could be a useful indicator of earlier insecticidal applications as surface treatments and/or grain protectants in the storage facilities.

This paper examines the relationship between carbon emissions and international tourism growth through the channels of globalization, energy consumption, and real income via testing the environmental Kuznets curve over the periods of 1995 to 2014 for 15 selected tourism destination states that prioritized tourism as a means of maximizing economic growth. Using the panel data analysis, results confirm globalization-tourism-induced EKC hypothesis for tourist destination states. This implies international tourism growth and carbon emissions, through the channels of energy consumption, globalization, and real income, are in a long-term equilibrium relationship. International tourism and squared term of real income have an inverse significant effect on carbon emission level, while energy consumption, globalization, and real income without squared term exert positive and significant effects on carbon emission level in the long-run. Thus, globalization-tourism-induced EKC hypothesis is suggested with credible policy suggestions in the case of tourist destination states.

Long-term mining activities reshape the hydraulic and hydrochemical field, and threaten the safe use of groundwater and ecosystem balance. Here, we concluded the evolution characteristics and processes of karst groundwater system based on the water level and hydrochemistry data of the Carboniferous and Devonian aquifer in Maoping lead-zinc deposit, a representative in southwestern China. After concentrated mining lasting for nearly three decades, this mining area has generated a huge depression cone coupled with decreased level, changed flowpath, massive drainage, and direct hydraulic connection across the aquiclude. However, these two sets of karst aquifers exhibited distinct hydrochemical evolution patterns in particular with respect to sulfate. SO₄²⁻ and the total dissolved solids (TDS) increased slightly in the Carboniferous aquifer and maintained the hydrochemical type of HCO₃ and HCO₃·SO₄. While, SO₄²⁻ and TDS in the Devonian aquifer decreased drastically, and the hydrochemical type was converted from SO₄ and SO₄·HCO₃ to HCO₃ and HCO₃·SO₄. Before concentrated mining, pyrite oxidation and dissolution of carbonate minerals mutually promoted each other in sluggish groundwater flow, then generated abnormally high concentrations of SO₄²⁻, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ in Devonian karst aquifer, causing an illusion of saturation state of gypsum dissolution. At present, SO₄²⁻ is mainly derived from pyrite oxidation indicated by sulfur isotope except deep groundwater contributed by gypsum dissolution. Groundwater quality in the Devonian aquifer was improved together by the dilution of northern shallow groundwater from the external Carboniferous aquifer and upward recharge of southern deep groundwater itself. Results of principal component analysis (PCA) verified the different recharge resources and mixing process resulted from continuous mining activities, which were the driving forces of hydrochemical evolution. Qualitatively speaking, the disturbing degree of the hydrodynamic field was consistent with the variation degree of hydrochemical filed. This research shed light upon the groundwater system and its evolution induced by intensive mining, which will benefit the future mining project.

Although the role that renewable energy consumption plays on economic growth and emissions has been widely studied, there are relatively few papers focusing on the determinants of renewable energy consumption, and only one study focuses on the factors related to the share of renewables in the energy consumption in Africa. This paper contributes to the literature by filling the gap in knowledge by exploring the nexus between the share of renewables in energy consumption and social and economic variables, for a panel consisting of 21 African countries for the period between 1990 and 2013, extending the set of variables and the time span used by a previous study. Estimating a random-effects generalized least squares regression, we find that countries with a higher Human Development Index and a higher gross domestic product per capita have a lower share of renewable energy in the national grid. On the other hand, an increase in foreign direct investment has been found to be related to higher renewable energy integration. The level of democracy, measured by the Freedom House political rights and civil liberties ratings, does not directly affect the integration level of renewable energy sources. The negative relationship between gross domestic product per capita and the share of renewables contradicts previous findings for developed countries. This contradiction and policy implications are discussed in the light of the review of the energy mix of the selected countries.

This paper reviews the recent achievements in the enhanced production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from waste activated sludge (WAS). The enhanced strategies are divided into two approaches. The first strategy focuses on the regulation of carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio by co-digestion of WAS with carbon-rich substrates, including municipal solid wastes (MSW), marine algae, agricultural residues, and animal manures. The other strategy is to enhance the solubilization and hydrolysis of WAS or inhibit the methanogenesis by applying various pretreatments, such as mechanical, chemical, enzymatic, and thermal pretreatment. Finally, the applications of WAS-derived VFAs are discussed. The future researches in enhancing VFAs production and wide application of the VFAs from both technical and economic perspectives are proposed.

Vehicle emission certification is evaluated under laboratorial conditions, where vehicles perform a standard driving cycle in controlled conditions leading to several critics, which have resulted in the implementation of the Worldwide harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) testing procedure, as a complementary certification procedure. RDE is still under debate since boundary conditions; evaluation and trip selection methods are still being studied to allow test reproducibility. Currently, the official data analysis method uses the moving average window (MAW_EC), based on the WLTP CO₂ emissions for trip validity evaluation (RDE package 4) and emissions (RDE package 3). However, this does not consider the impact of vehicle dynamics. Consequently, this work focuses on developing a novel method to relate certification driving cycle dynamics and on-road test vehicle dynamics, to evaluate RDE tests fuel use and exhaust emissions in a comparable way to certification driving cycles, indicating how close, or far, real-world driving is from the laboratorial certification test. For this, a new method was developed called road vehicle evaluation method (ROVET), which relies on the cycle vehicle dynamic and on-road trip dynamics for assessing if both tests are comparable. Results from 5 measured vehicles with a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) through reproducibility tests and 2 case studies, show that the ROVET provides results closer to the certification calculated reference than the most commonly used method in Europe (1% avg. difference for ROVET while 8% avg. difference for MAW_EC, regarding CO₂ emission, for example). The use of vehicle dynamics on construction and references of a method could be used to incentivize the regulators to review the references used by the current used methods, which suffers several criticisms since their release. As the regulated methods are in constant update, this study could be useful for helping to improve or to be used as additional method for future vehicle certification procedures. Graphical abstract

Phthalate esters (PAEs) can interfere with the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of a composite for remediating marine sediments contaminated with PAEs. The composite was synthesized with magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) and rice husk biochar (RHB) by using chemical co-precipitation. Fe₃O₄, RHB, and Fe₃O₄–RHB substantially activated sodium persulfate (Na₂S₂O₈, PS) oxidation to form SO₄⁻• and thus degrade PAEs in marine sediments in a slurry system. The morphology and structural composition of the magnetic composites were examined using XRD, FTIR, environmental scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, and superconducting quantum interference device. The Fe₃O₄–RHB composites were confirmed to be prepared successfully. The influences of various parameters, including the PS concentration, composite loading, and initial pH, were investigated. The concentration of high-molecular-weight PAEs (HPAEs) in sediment was much higher than that of low-molecular-weight PAEs (LPAEs); di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was an especially salient marker of PAE contamination in sediments. Furthermore, increasing the PS and Fe₃O₄–RHB doses accelerated PAE oxidation at pH 3.0; 83% degradation of PAEs was achieved when the PS and Fe₃O₄–RHB concentrations were increased to 2.3 × 10⁻² mM and 1.67 g/L, respectively. LPAEs such as dibutyl phthalate (DnBP) are easier to degrade than HPAEs such as DEHP, diisononyl phthalate (DINP), and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). In addition, possible activation mechanisms of the interactions between S₂O₈²⁻ and Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ on the Fe₃O₄ surface, which involve an efficient electron transfer mediator of the RHB oxygen functional groups promoting the generation of SO₄⁻• in the Fe₃O₄–RHB/PS system, were clarified. Thus, the Fe₃O₄–RHB/PS oxidation process is expected to be a viable method for remediating PAE-contaminated marine sediment.

The removal of three over-the-counter pharmaceuticals from aqueous solution using four different adsorbents was analyzed. To study the effect of infused pharmaceutical and adsorbent on the adsorption system, both the concentration of drug and adsorbent dosage were varied, with constant temperature and pressure at different contact time. Adsorption kinetics, isotherm models, and ANOVA allegorized a generic trend for pharmaceutical removal efficiency of the adsorbents that varied as follows: activated carbon > fly ash > bentonite > sugar cane bagasse ash. The Tempkin model appears to fit the isotherm data better than Freundlich and Langmuir. Correspondingly, the kinetic studies implied a pseudo-second-order fit, to understand the mechanism by which the solute accumulates on the surface of a solid and gets adsorbed to the surface via intra-particle diffusion. Furthermore, some special cases of removal tendencies were noted based on sorbate-sorbent interaction. Effectively, it was observed that at an adsorbent loading of 2 g and initial concentration of 0.2 mmol L⁻¹, bentonite, fly ash, and activated carbon were able to strip more than 80% of all pharmaceuticals from urine. A framework for the highest significance of the experiments was obtained using response surface methodology by the combination of ciprofloxacin-bentonite followed by paracetamol-activated carbon and ibuprofen-activated carbon. Quasi-Newton and Bayesian regression methods were implemented on Langmuir isotherm by designing the neural network for the batch adsorption experiments. Based on the numerical calculations and graphical representations, the proposed model leads to the result that error is minimized and the values are optimized for different pharmaceuticals such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, ciprofloxacin that can be removed from wastewater streams by locally available adsorbents. Graphical abstract