To understand the effect of reaction temperature on sulfur during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge (SS), seven group of temperature (180–300 °C) were chosen to investigate the distributions and evolution of sulfur-containing compounds in hydrochar and the liquid products. Elemental analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the distribution of sulfur in hydrochar. The concentrations of sulfate ions and sulfide were determined in the liquid sample. The experimental results showed that as the temperature increased, the O/C ratio decreased because of the improved carbonization degree of SS. After hydrothermal carbonization, 90% of the sulfur in SS remained in hydrochar. As the temperature increased, the amount of sulfur in the liquid, mainly in the form of sulfate ions, tended to decrease. However, the experimental results for the gas phase were the opposite of the liquid phase.

We investigated the influence of sulfate (SO₄²⁻) deposition and concentrations on the net formation and solubility of methylmercury (MeHg) in peat soils. We used data from a natural sulfate deposition gradient running 300 km across southern Sweden to test the hypothesis posed by results from an experimental field study in northern Sweden: that increased loading of SO₄²⁻ both increases net MeHg formation and redistributes methylmercury (MeHg) from the peat soil to its porewater. Sulfur concentrations in peat soils correlated positively with MeHg concentrations in peat porewater, along the deposition gradient similar to the response to added SO₄²⁻ in the experimental field study. The combined results from the experimental field study and deposition gradient accentuate the multiple, distinct and interacting roles of SO₄²⁻ deposition in the formation and redistribution of MeHg in the environment.

Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) is an emerging organic pollutant and a commonly used brominated flame retardant that has received much attention owing to its toxicity. Although TBBPA is ubiquitously detected in atmospheric particulate matter and dust, few studies have investigated the sub-chronic inhalation exposure to TBBPA. To further understand the excretion characteristics and tissue accumulation of TBBPA after inhalation exposure, we used the rat model to conduct a sub-chronic inhalation exposure study. Male rats were administered with different doses of aerosol TBBPA (12.9, 54.6, 121.6, and 455.0 mg/m³). TBBPA was found in the excretion (feces and urine) and all the target tissues (lung, liver, heart, thymus gland, spleen, testicles, muscles, kidneys, brain and serum). Feces were the main route of excretion, which contributed 19.18% to 72.54% (urine <0.10%). TBBPA excretion through feces following inhalation administration was much higher than that following oral and dermal exposure, thereby indicating lower bioavailability of TBBPA under inhalation exposure. Liver and serum showed higher levels of TBBPA compared with those of other tissues, thereby suggesting tissue-specific accumulation of TBBPA in rats. Owing to the relative non-invasiveness of serum sampling and greatest TBBPA concentration among the tissues, serum is a suitable matrix for estimation of TBBPA bioaccumulation after inhalation exposure.

The perdurability of plastics in the environment is one of the major concerns of plastic pollution and, as a consequence, oceans are accumulating large amounts of plastic. The degradation of conventional and biobased materials was evaluated through a laboratory experiment for a year simulating four different conditions in the marine environment. The water column environmental compartment was simulated under euphotic and aphotic (with and without light availability) conditions. The seafloor environmental compartment was simulated with sediment under non-polluted and polluted conditions. By combining weight loss (%), spectroscopic and thermal analyses, the degradation patterns regarding the polymer structure were assessed. The studied biobased materials were polylactic acid (PLA) based materials and showed higher degradability than conventional ones. The weight loss of conventional materials was not influenced by the water column or sediment, while in PLA-based materials, the degradation rates were ca. 5 times greater in the sediment than in the water column. The absorbance (Abs) value at 3400 cm⁻¹ for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and carbonyl (CO) index for PET and PLA could be useful to detect early signs of degradation. The crystallization index could be a useful parameter to discriminate degradation stages. The obtained results highlight the different degradability rates of materials depending on the specific environmental marine conditions.

With the high production and consumption of antibiotics in recent years due to increasing economic development and improving population health, China is facing serious antibiotic pollution in the environment, and it is becoming a significant threat to ecology and human health. This study explores the spatial distribution patterns of 65 antibiotics in soil, surface water and coastal water based on a systematic review. Potential emission sources of antibiotics are also analyzed using data extracted from the reviewed literature. The results suggest that China has very high antibiotic detection rates of 100%, 98.0% and 96.4% for soil, surface water and coastal water, respectively. Regions with high antibiotic levels are mainly located in Bohai Bay, including the Beijing‒Tianjin‒Hebei region, Liaoning and Shandong Provinces, and Yangtze River. Tetracyclines (TCs) and quinolones (QNs) are the dominant antibiotics observed in soil and are mainly attributed to the use of manure as fertilizer and the reuse of domestic wastewater. Sulfonamides (SAs), macrolides (MLs), TCs and QNs are the dominant antibiotics observed in surface water and are mainly attributed to aquaculture and the emission of domestic sewage. QNs are the dominant antibiotics observed in coastal water and are mainly attributed to marine cultivation. The detection frequencies and concentrations of TCs, QNs, SAs and MLs in both soil and water are much higher than those in other developed countries. Suggestions including restricting antibiotic usages in livestock farming and aquaculture, innovation of wastewater treatment technology to improve antibiotic removal rate, and establishing guidelines on antibiotic concentration for wastewater discharge and organic fertilizer are provided.

Production of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora) in greenhouses often requires intensive pesticide use, which raises serious concerns over food safety and human health. This study investigated uptake, translocation and residue dissipation of typical fungicides (metalaxyl-M and fludioxonil) and insecticides (cyantraniliprole and thiamethoxam) in greenhouse chrysanthemum when applied in soils. Chrysanthemum plants could absorb these pesticides from soils via roots to various degrees, and bioconcentration factors (BCFLS) were positively correlated with lipophilicity (log Kₒw) of pesticides. Highly lipophilic fludioxonil (log Kₒw = 4.12) had the greatest BCFLS (2.96 ± 0.41 g g⁻¹), whereas hydrophilic thiamethoxam (log Kₒw = −0.13) had the lowest (0.09 ± 0.03 g g⁻¹). Translocation factors (TF) from roots to shoots followed the order of TFₗₑₐf > TFₛₜₑₘ > TFfₗₒwₑᵣ. Metalaxyl-M and cyantraniliprole with medium lipophilicity (log Kₒw of 1.71 and 2.02, respectively) and hydrophilic thiamethoxam showed relatively strong translocation potentials with TF values in the range of 0.29–0.81, 0.36–2.74 and 0.30–1.03, respectively. Dissipation kinetics in chrysanthemum flowers followed the first-order with a half-life of 21.7, 5.5, 10.0 or 8.2 days for metalaxyl-M, fludioxonil, cyantraniliprole and thiamethoxam, respectively. Final residues of these four pesticides, including clothianidin (a primary toxic metabolite of thiamethoxam), in all chrysanthemum flower samples were below the maximum residue limit (MRL) values 21 days after two soil applications each at the recommended dose (i.e., 3.2, 2.1, 4.3 and 4.3 kg ha⁻¹, respectively). However, when doubling the recommended dose, the metabolite clothianidin remained at concentrations greater than the MRL, despite that thiamethoxam concentration was lower than the MRL value. This study provided valuable insights on the uptake and residues of metalaxyl-M, fludioxonil, cyantraniliprole and thiamethoxam (including its metabolite clothianidin) in greenhouse chrysanthemum production, and could help better assess food safety risks of chrysanthemum contamination by parent pesticides and their metabolites.

Rice intake is a major route of oral exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs), a known human carcinogen. The recent risk assessment on iAs in rice conducted by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) didn’t propose an action level for iAs in rice mainly because of the relatively low consumption rate in the general US population. However, this decision may not be applicable to high rice-intake populations, such as the Chinese population.The objective of this study was to probabilistically characterize the exposure of iAs via rice intake in Chinese population with a focus on the urban population.With the consideration of bioaccessibility of iAs in rice, iAs exposure is mainly determined by rice intake rate and iAs concentration in rice. To estimate the daily rice consumption, a dietary survey consisting of 1873 subjects was conducted in three major Chinese cities (Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou). Speciated As concentration in rice was measured using 480 rice samples collected from markets in these three cities. Monte Carlo simulation approach was applied to distributionally estimate the average daily dose (ADD) of iAs through rice intake.The estimated distribution of daily iAs exposure of the study population has a mean of 10.5 μg/day with a 95th percentile interval from 0.1 to 75.3 μg/day. The estimated distribution of ADD has a mean of 0.179 μg/kg/day with a 95th percentile interval from 0.001 to 1.224 μg/kg/day. Greater level of iAs exposure (due to higher rice intake) was observed in males than females, and in summer than other seasons with lower temperature. Geographically, the ADD of iAs exposure from rice intake reduces from south to north.About 13% of the Chinese urban population are exposed to iAs via rice intake higher than the Reference Dose (RfD) level.

Being signaling molecules, nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) can mediate a wide range of physiological processes caused by plant metal toxicity. Moreover, legume-rhizobium symbiosis has gained increasing attention in mitigating heavy metal stress. However, systematic regulatory mechanisms used for the exogenous application of signaling molecules to alter the resistance of legume-rhizobium symbiosis under metal stress are currently unknown. In this study, we examined the exogenous effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as an NO donor additive and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) as a H₂S donor additive on the phytotoxicity and soil quality of alfalfa (Medicago sativa)-rhizobium symbiosis in lead/cadmium (Pb/Cd)-contaminated soils. Results showed that rhizobia inoculation markedly promoted alfalfa growth by increasing chlorophyll content, fresh weight, and plant height and biomass. Compared to the inoculated rhizobia treatment alone, the addition of NO and H₂S significantly reduced the bioaccumulation of Pb and Cd in alfalfa-rhizobium symbiosis, respectively, thus avoiding the phytotoxicity caused by the excessive presence of metals. The addition of signaling molecules also alleviated metal-induced phytotoxicity by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity and inhibiting the level of lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in legume-rhizobium symbiosis. Also, signaling molecules improved soil nutrient cycling, increased soil enzyme activities, and promoted rhizosphere bacterial community diversity. Both partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) and variation partitioning analysis (VPA) identified that using signaling molecules can improve plant growth by regulating major controlling variables (i.e., soil enzymes, soil nutrients, and microbial diversity/plant oxidative damage) in legume-rhizobium symbiosis. This study offers integrated insight that confirms that the exogenous application of signaling molecules can enhance the resistance of legume-rhizobium symbiosis under metal toxicity by regulating the biochemical response of the plant-soil system, thereby minimizing potential health risks.

Remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils remains a global challenge. Here, low-molecular-weight organic acids were used to extract Cu and Zn from polluted soils, and the extracted heavy metals were subsequently adsorbed by activated carbon electrodes. The electrochemical adsorption mechanism as well as the influence of pH, organic acid type and voltage were investigated, and the soil remediation effect was further evaluated by the cultivation of rape. After extraction by citrate at initial pH 8.3 and electrochemical adsorption at 0.9 V for 7 d, the concentrations of total and bioavailable Cu in soils decreased from 1090 to 281 to 391 and 52 mg kg⁻¹, and those of Zn decreased from 262 to 39 to 208 and 30 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Cu and Zn ions were mainly electrochemically adsorbed on the carbon cathode and anode, respectively, resulting in decreases of their concentrations to below 1 mg L⁻¹ in the leachate. The presence of organic acids improved the remediation performance in the order of citrate > oxalate > acetate. The decrease in the initial pH of citrate solution enhanced the removal rate of Zn, while seemed to have no effect on that of Cu. The removal capacity for heavy metals decreased with decreasing cell voltage from 0.9 to 0.3 V. In the rape cultivation experiment, the Cu and Zn contents in shoot and root were decreased by more than 50%, validating the soil remediation effect. The present work proposes a facile method for heavy metal removal from contaminated soils.

Current swine industry practice is to house animals in confinement facilities which capture and store feces and urine as slurry in pits below the production area. Additives and disinfectants may be introduced into the manure pits. This study was conducted to measure the effects of additives and disinfectants on temporal changes in swine slurry characteristics. Slurry from a commercial swine production facility in southeast Nebraska, USA was collected and transferred to 57 L reactors located within a greenhouse. Selected additives and disinfectants were added to the reactors and physical properties, chemical characteristics, and antibiotic concentrations were monitored for 40 days. Concentrations of dry matter (DM), total nitrogen (TN), phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) were significantly greater than the Control in each of the reactors containing additives. The reactors in which the additives MOC-7, More Than Manure®, Sludge Away, and Sulfi-Doxx were introduced had significantly greater values of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total volatile solids (TVS), total suspended solids (TSS), total solids (TS), dry matter (DM), TN, P₂O₅, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu and chlortetracycline than the other additive treatments. Concentrations of TVS and TSS were significantly lower in the reactors containing Clorox® and Virkon™ than the other disinfectant treatments. The total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 26,500 mg L⁻¹ and pH value of 7.27 obtained for the reactors containing Tek-Trol were significantly greater than measurements obtained for the other treatments. Concentrations of chlortetracycline and tiamulin of 8840 and 28.8 ng g⁻¹, respectively, were significantly lower for the treatments containing Tek-Trol. The sodium (Na) concentration of 1070 mg L⁻¹ measured in the reactors containing Clorox® was significantly greater than values for the other disinfectant treatments. The introduction of selected additives and disinfectants may influence certain physical properties, chemical characteristics, and antibiotic concentrations of swine slurry.