With the development of marine oil industry, oil spill accidents will inevitably occur, further polluting the intertidal zone and causing biological poisoning. The muddy intertidal zone and Boleophthalmus pectinirostris were selected as the research objects to conduct indoor acute exposure experiments within 48 h of crude oil pollution. Statistical analysis was used to reveal the activity changes of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the gills and liver of mudskipper. Then, integrated biomarker response (IBR) indicators were established to comprehensively evaluate the biological toxicity. The results showed that the activities of SOD, CAT and GST in livers were higher than those in gills, and the maximum induction multipliers of SOD, CAT and GPx in livers appeared earlier than those in gills. Both SOD and GPx activities were induced at low pollutant concentrations and inhibited at high pollutant concentrations. For the dose-effect, the change trends of CAT and SOD were roughly inversed. There was substrate competition between GPx and CAT, with opposite trends over time. The activating mechanism of GST was similar to that of GPx, and the activation time was earlier than that of GPx. In terms of dose-effect trends, the IBR showed that the antioxidant enzymes activities in biological tissues were induced by low and inhibited by high pollutant concentrations. Overall, SOD and GPx in gills and CAT and GST in livers of the mudskippers were suitable as representative markers to comprehensively analyze and evaluate the biotoxicity effects of oil pollution in the intertidal zone. The star plots and IBR values obtained after data standardization were consistent with the enzyme activity differences, which can be used as valid supplementary indexes for biotoxicity evaluation. These research findings provide theoretical support for early indicators of biological toxicity after crude oil pollution in intertidal zones.

Metal oxide-modified biochar showed excellent adsorption performance in wastewater treatment. Iron nitrate and potassium permanganate were oxidative modifiers through which oxygen-containing groups and iron–manganese oxides could be introduced into biochar. In this study, iron–manganese (Fe–Mn) oxide-modified biochar (BC-FM) was synthesized using rice straw biochar, and the adsorption process, removal effect, and the mechanism of cadmium (Cd) adsorption on BC-FM in wastewater treatment were explored through batch adsorption experiments and characterization (SEM, BET, FTIR, XRD, and XPS). Adsorption kinetics showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of BC-FM for Cd(II) was 120.77 mg/g at 298 K, which was approximately 1.5–10 times the amount of adsorption capacity for Cd(II) by potassium-modified or manganese-modified biochar as mentioned in the literature. The Cd(II) adsorption of BC-FM was well fit by the pseudo-second-order adsorption and Langmuir models, and it was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Adsorption was mainly controlled via a chemical adsorption mechanism. Moreover, BC-FM could maintain a Cd removal rate of approximately 50% even when reused three times. Cd(II) capture by BC-FM was facilitated by coprecipitation, surface complexation, electrostatic attraction, and cation-π interaction. Additionally, the loaded Fe–Mn oxides also played an important role in the removal of Cd(II) by redox reaction and ion exchange in BC-FM. The results suggested that BC-FM could be used as an efficient adsorbent for treating Cd-contaminated wastewater.

In recent years, slagging-gasification technology has received increasing attention in treating municipal solid waste (MSW). Compared with conventional incineration, the higher temperature in the slagging-gasification process optimizes its residue composition, and gasification fly ash (GFA) is the only unreused solid residue. Although GFA is a potential civil engineering material, its high content of heavy metals, chlorides, and sulfates hinders its practical use. Moreover, although carbonation has proven to immobilize heavy metals in incineration fly ash, the conventional gas carbonation method cannot remove chlorides and sulfates. In this study, sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) treatment was studied to treat GFA for the first time, and sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) was used for comparison. Different concentrations of NaHCO₃ and Na₂CO₃ solutions were used to treat the GFA, and comprehensive tests were conducted on the treated samples. The results indicated that NaHCO₃ treatment was effective in immobilizing Pb, Zn, Cu, and Ni in GFA, while Na₂CO₃ treatment could not effectively immobilize Pb and Zn. Both NaHCO₃ and Na₂CO₃ promoted the removal of chlorides and sulfates in GFA. The wastewater from the NaHCO₃ treatment contained fewer heavy metals compared with those from water washing or Na₂CO₃ treatment, benefitting its treatment or reuse.

Ambient air pollutants are well-known risk factors for childhood asthma and asthma exacerbation. It is unknown whether different air pollutants individually or jointly affect pathophysiological mechanisms of asthma. In this study, we aim to integrate transcriptome and untargeted metabolome to identify dysregulated genetic and metabolic pathways that are associated with exposures to a mixture of ambient and traffic-related air pollutants among adults with asthma history. In this cross-sectional study, 102 young adults with childhood asthma history were enrolled from southern California in 2012. Whole blood transcriptome was measured with 20,869 expression signatures, and serum untargeted metabolomics including 937 metabolites were analyzed by Metabolon, Inc. Participants’ exposures to regional air pollutants (NO₂, O₃, PM₁₀, PM₂.₅) and near-roadway air pollutants averaged at one month and one year before study visit were estimated based on residential addresses. xMWAS network analysis and joint-pathway analysis were performed to identify subnetworks and genetic and metabolic pathways that were associated with exposure to air pollutants adjusted for socio-characteristic covariates. Network analysis found that exposures to air pollutants mixture were connected to 357 gene markers and 92 metabolites. One-year and one-month averaged PM₂.₅ and NO₂ were associated with several amino acids related to serine, glycine, and beta-alanine metabolism. Lower serum levels of carnosine and aspartate, which are involved in the beta-alanine metabolic pathway, as well as choline were also associated with worse asthma control (p < 0.05). One-year and one-month averaged PM₁₀ and one-month averaged O₃ were associated with higher gene expression levels of HSPA5, LGMN, CTSL and HLA-DPB1, which are involved in antigen processing and presentation. These results indicate that exposures to various air pollutants are associated with altered genetic and metabolic pathways that affect anti-oxidative capacity and immune response and can potentially contribute to asthma-related pathophysiology.

Contamination of phthalate ester plasticizers threatens the wildlife as well as human health. To evaluate the developmental toxicity of commonly used phthalate esters and emerging alternatives, the frog embryo teratogenesis assay-Xenopus (FETAX) was conducted for dibutyl-phthalate (DBP), benzyl-butyl-phthalate (BBP), dioctyl-terephthalate (DOTP), di(2-propylheptyl)-phthalate (DPHP), diisononyl-phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl-phthalate (DIDP), diethyl hexyl cyclohexane (DEHCH), and diisononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate (DINCH). The 96-hrs LC₅₀ for DBP, BBP, DOTP, DIDP, DINCH, DINP, DPHP, and DEHCH were 18.3, 20.1, 588.7, 718.0, 837.5, 859.3, 899.0, and 899.0 mg/L, respectively. The 96-hrs EC₅₀ of developmental abnormality of DBP, BBP, DPHP, DOTP, DINP, DEHCH, DINCH, and DIDP were 7.5, 18.2, 645.1, 653.6, 664.4, 745.6, 813.7, and 944.5 mg/L, respectively. The lowest observed effective concentration for embryonic survival, malformation, and growth was DINP, DBP, BBP, DIDP, DPHP, DINCH, DEHCH, and DOTP in increasing order. In tadpoles, DBP, BBP, DEHCH, DINP, and DIDP caused inositol-requiring enzyme 1 or protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase pathway endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in order, and BBP, DBP, DOTP, DPHP, DINP, and DIDP caused long term ERS-related apoptosis or mitochondrial apoptosis in order. Together, in Xenopus embryos, the developmental toxicity and the cellular stress-inducing potential of tested plasticizers were DEHCH, DINCH, DPHP, DIDP, DINP, DOTP, BBP, and DBP in increasing order. In consideration of public as well as environmental health this information would be helpful for industrial choice of phthalate ester plasticizers and their alternatives.

Imazalil (IMZ) is an imidazole fungicide commonly used by fruit-packaging plants (FPPs) to control fungal infections during storage. Its application leads to the production of pesticide-contaminated wastewaters, which, according to the European Commission, need to be treated on site. Considering the lack of efficient treatment methods, biodepuration systems inoculated with tailored-made inocula specialized on the removal of such persistent fungicides appear as an appropriate solution. However, nothing is known about the biodegradation of IMZ. We aimed to isolate and characterize microorganisms able to degrade the recalcitrant fungicide IMZ and eventually to test their removal efficiency under near practical bioengineering conditions. Enrichment cultures from a soil receiving regular discharges of effluents from a FPP, led to the isolation of a Cladosporium herbarum strain, which showed no pathogenicity on fruits, a trait essential for its biotechnological exploitation in FPPs. The fungus was able to degrade up to 100 mg L⁻¹ of IMZ. However, its degrading capacity and growth was reduced at increasing IMZ concentrations in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting the involvement of a detoxification rather than an energy-gain mechanism in the dissipation of IMZ. The isolate could tolerate and gradually degrade the fungicides fludioxonil (FLD) and thiabendazole (TBZ), also used in FPPs and expected to coincide alongside IMZ in FPP effluents. The capacity of the isolate to remove IMZ in a practical context was evaluated in a benchtop immobilized-cell bioreactor fed with artificial IMZ-contaminated wastewater (200 mg L⁻¹). The fungal strain established in the reactor, completely dominated the fungal community and effectively removed >96% of IMZ. The bioreactor also supported a diverse bacterial community composed of Sphingomonadales, Burkholderiales and Pseudomonadales. Our study reports the isolation of the first IMZ-degrading microorganism with high efficiency to remove IMZ from agro-industrial effluents under bioengineering conditions.

Sediment phosphorus (P) release and retention are important in controlling whole-system P dynamics and budget in eutrophic lakes. Here we combine short- (seasonal) and long-term (years to decades) studies to quantify the internal P loading and P release potential in the sediments of Lake Chaohu and explore their controlling mechanisms. In the west region of the lake, short-term P diffusive fluxes ranged from 0.2 mg/m²·d⁻¹ to 6.69 mg/m²·d⁻¹ (averaged 2.76 mg/m²·d⁻¹) and long-term net P release ranged from 2.25 mg/m²·d⁻¹ to 8.94 mg/m²·d⁻¹ (averaged 5.34 mg/m²·d⁻¹); in the east region, short-term P diffusive fluxes varied from 0.73 mg/m²·d⁻¹ to 1.76 mg/m²·d⁻¹ (averaged 1.05 mg/m²·d⁻¹) and long-term P release ranged from 0.13 mg/m²·d⁻¹ to 4.15 mg/m²·d⁻¹ (averaged 1.3 mg/m²·d⁻¹). Both short- and long-term P releases were in the same order of magnitudes as the external P inputs (3.56 mg/m²·d⁻¹). Comparison of the long-term and short-term sediment P release indicates that while the high summer P release in the east might only represent a snapshot value, the sediments in the west contribute to large P release for years or even decades, impeding water quality recovery under lake management. Mobilization of surface sediment legacy P accounted for 81% of short-term P release. The long-term release was dominated by remobilization of iron bond P (BD-P) (average 52.1%) at all sites, while Aluminium-bound P (NaOH-rP) exhibited partly reactive and potentially mobile, releasing P to the water column in most sites in the west. Our study demonstrates the importance of sediments as P sources in lake Chaohu. The combination of short- and long-term P release studies can help understand the roles of sediments in regulating the water quality and eutrophication.

We quantify for the first time marine aerosol properties and their differences in the offshore and remote ocean in the mid-latitude South Asian waters, low-latitude South Asian waters, and equatorial waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, based on shipboard cruise observations conducted by the Western Pacific Ocean Scientific Observation Network in winter 2018, and further investigate the effects of long-range transport of continental aerosols on the marine environment. During the overall observation period, the average number concentration of particle matter which aerodynamic diameters<2.5 μm (PM₂.₅N) was 35.1 ± 87.4 cm⁻³ and the mass concentration (PM₂.₅M) was 12.3 ± 9.1 μg/m³. The PM₂.₅N and PM₂.₅M during the continental air mass transport period were 7.2 and 1.3 times higher than those during the non-transport period (109.2 ± 169.3 cm⁻³, 15.9 ± 14.9 μg/m³), respectively. Excluding transport period, the average PM₂.₅N and PM₂.₅M are reduced by 120% and 7%. Coarse mode particle number concentration (PM₂.₅–₁₀N) and mass concentration (PM₂.₅–₁₀M) are not significantly influenced by continental air masses (only a reduction of 7% and 2%). The variation of marine aerosol concentrations in different latitudes zones is greatly influenced by continental aerosol transport. The offshore PM₂.₅M/PM₁₀M was 30%, 21%, and 22% in the mid-latitude sea of South Asia, a low-latitude sea of South Asia, and the equatorial sea, respectively. In comparison, in the remote ocean, the distribution ratio of PM₂.₅M/PM₁₀M tended to be steady (22%–23%), and the background characteristics of marine aerosols were clearly represented. The aerosol concentration decreases with the increase of wind speed during the transport period, and the wind speed reflects the scavenging effect on aerosol. In the non-transport period, the wind speed at the sea surface promotes the generation of marine aerosols, and the impact in wind speed is strongest in the PM₂.₅–PM₅ particle size range.

Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic metalloid adversely affecting the environment, human health, and crop productivity. The present study assessed the synergistic effects of salinity and As on photosynthetic attributes, stomatal regulations, and metabolomics responses of the xero-halophyte Salvadora persica to decipher the As-salinity cross-tolerance mechanisms and to identify the potential metabolites/metabolic pathways involved in cross-tolerance of As with salinity. Salinity and As stress-induced significant stomatal closure in S. persica suggests an adaptive response to decrease water loss through transpiration. NaCl supplementation improved the net photosynthetic rate (by +39%), stomatal conductance (by +190%), water use efficiency (by +55%), photochemical quenching (by +37%), and electron transfer rate (54%) under As stress as compared to solitary As treatment. Our results imply that both stomatal and non-stomatal factors account for a reduction in photosynthesis under high salinity and As stress conditions. A total of 64 metabolites were identified in S. persica under salinity and/or As stress, and up-regulation of various metabolites support early As-salinity stress tolerance in S. persica by improving antioxidative defense and ROS detoxification. The primary metabolites such as polyphenols (caffeic acid, catechin, gallic acid, coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and cinnamic acid), amino acids (glutamic acid, cysteine, glycine, lysine, phenylalanine, and tyrosine), citrate cycle intermediates (malic acid, oxalic acid, and α-ketoglutaric acid), and most of the phytohormones accumulated at higher levels under combined treatment of As + NaCl compared to solitary treatment of As. Moreover, exogenous salinity increased glutamate, glycine, and cysteine, which may induce higher synthesis of GSH-PCs in S. persica. The metabolic pathways that were significantly affected in response to salinity and/or As include inositol phosphate metabolism, citrate cycle, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. Our findings indicate that inflections of various metabolites and metabolic pathways facilitate S. persica to withstand and grow optimally even under high salinity and As conditions. Moreover, the addition of salt enhanced the arsenic tolerance proficiency of this halophyte.