Due to anthropogenic activities and the advancement of industries, metal contamination is growing globally. Aluminum toxicity is seriously endangering plants, animals, and humans by rapidly rising in soil and water. Even though some fungi can tolerate aluminum, researchers are interested in finding bacteria that are resistant to aluminum. The current state of knowledge on bacteria resistant to aluminum is extremely limited. In the present study, bacterial isolates from soil near a metal electroplating and automobile industry in Punjab, India, were isolated and then screened for high aluminum metal tolerance. The aluminum tolerant bacterial isolate was identified as Cedecea davisae M1, a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family, using morphological, biochemical, and 16srRNA gene sequence analyses. The spectroscopic results indicate that the strain may tolerate up to 150 ppm of aluminum. Antibiotic resistance of Cedecea davisae M1 was determined using disks on Luria agar plates, and the bacteria were found to be resistant to vancomycin, ampicillin, carbenicillin, and rifampicin. The findings of the study indicated that the strain might be able to remove aluminum toxicity from the environment, which needs to be further explored.

The water resource is an important guarantee of social and economic sustainable development. The improvement of water’s ecological carbon sequestration ability is a direct response to the goal of “double carbon”. Water quality directly affects its carbon sequestration capacity. So it is necessary to understand the water quality of rivers. In view of the fuzziness and uncertainty in water quality evaluation, this paper uses the cloud model to realize the qualitative to quantitative transformation of water quality in Wenyu River. By combining moment estimation theory with critic weight, AHM weight, and variable weight theory. A water quality evaluation method integrating a variable weight cloud model is constructed. And the temporal and spatial changes in water quality in Wenyu River are studied. The results show that the combined weights balance the influence of each index while retaining the advantages of subjective and objective weights. The results of the water quality evaluation are consistent with the practice, which verifies the feasibility and applicability of the method.

As China’s natural resource governance has turned to high-quality management, establishing reasonable and ecological land-use patterns is an effective means of promoting natural resource utilization and improving the quality of the ecological environment. Therefore, this study used ecological land as the expansion source to construct an ecological land-use pattern with the minimum cumulative resistance model in Haixing County, China, based on regional food security, ecological security, and construction land expansion patterns. This work also involved designing ecological corridors, radiation channels, strategic nodes, and other ecological components. The results demonstrate that (1) the ecological land source is 7976.93 hm2, accounting for 9.19% of the total area. It is mainly distributed in the southeast of the county, mainly in the river system and woodland; (2) the food security situation of Haixing County can be divided into four zones, most of which are agricultural adjustment areas, indicating that the ecological security of cultivated land in this area needs to be improved; (3) the ecological security level of Haixing County is divided into four areas, and the ideal safety zone accounts for the smallest area, indicating that the regional ecological situation is very unstable; (4) construction land expansion zone is divided into four parts. A suitable construction zone occupies the largest area and is mainly distributed around the current construction land; (5) the expansion of the ecological land-use pattern of Haixing County includes four zones, 15 ecological corridors, 12 radiation channels, and 35 strategic nodes, which is conducive to optimal land allocation from an ecological security perspective. This paper puts forward some suggestions for ecological protection and intensive urban development.

The area around Qinghai Lake is one of the most serious desertification areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In this paper, combined with field investigation and indoor analysis, the classification and grading system of desertification around Qinghai Lake was established. On this basis, through remote sensing data processing and parameter inversion, the desertification monitoring index model was established. Based on the analysis of Landsat-5/TM remote sensing data from 1990 to 2020, the dynamic change characteristics of desertification land around Qinghai Lake in recent 30 years were obtained. The results show that the desertification area around Qinghai Lake was 1,359.62 km2, of which the light desertification land was the main one. The desertification spread in a belt around Qinghai Lake, concentrated in Ketu sandy area in the east, Ganzi River sandy area in the northeast, Bird Island sandy area in the northwest, and Langmashe sandy area in the southeast. From 1990 to 2000, the annual expansion rate of desertification around Qinghai Lake was 2.68%, the desertification spread rapidly, and light desertification land was the main part of desertification expansion. From 2000 to 2010, the annual expansion rate of desertification was only 0.83%, but severe desertification land and moderate desertification land developed more rapidly than in the previous period. From 2010 to 2020, the annual expansion rate of desertification was 2.66%, and the desertification was spreading rapidly, mainly with moderate desertification land and light desertification land. In the process of desertification land transfer around Qinghai Lake, the transfer of desertification land and non-desertification land was the main, accompanied by the mutual transformation of different levels of desertification land. The process of desertification around Qinghai Lake was essentially the result of natural and human factors. The special geographical location, climate changes, rodent damage, and human factors around Qinghai Lake were the main causes of desertification.

Accumulation of plastic litter in aquatic environments negatively impacts ecosystems and human livelihood. Urban areas are assumed to be the main source of plastic pollution in these environments because of high anthropogenic activity. Yet, the drivers of plastic emissions, abundance, and retention within these systems and subsequent transport to river systems are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that urban water systems function as major contributors to river plastic pollution, and explore the potential driving factors contributing to the transport dynamics. Monthly visual counting of floating litter at six outlets of the Amsterdam water system results in an estimated 2.7 million items entering the closely connected IJ river annually, ranking it among the most polluting systems measured in the Netherlands and Europe. Subsequent analyses of environmental drivers (including rainfall, sunlight, wind speed, and tidal regimes) and litter flux showed very weak and insignificant correlations (r = - 0.19–0.16), implying additional investigation of potential drivers is required. High-frequency observations at various locations within the urban water system and advanced monitoring using novel technologies could be explored to harmonize and automate monitoring. Once litter type and abundance are well-defined with a clear origin, communication of the results with local communities and stakeholders could help co-develop solutions and stimulate behavioral change geared to reduce plastic pollution in urban environments.

High concentration of surface ozone (O3) will cause health risks to people. In order to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics of O3 and assess O3 exposure and health risks for different age groups in China, we applied multiple methods including standard deviation ellipse, spatial autocorrelation, and exposure–response functions. Results show that O3 concentrations increased in 64.5% of areas in China from 2013 to 2018. The central plain urban agglomeration (CPU), Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), and Yangtze River Delta (YRD) witnessed the greatest incremental rates of O3 by 16.7%, 14.3%, and 13.1%. Spatially, the trend of O3 shows a significant positive autocorrelation, and high trend values primarily in central and east China. The proportion of the total population exposed to high O3 (above 160 μg/m3) increased annually. Compared to 2013, the proportion of the young, adult, and old populations exposed to high O3 increased to different extents in 2018 by 26.8%, 29.6%, and 27.2%, respectively. The extent of population exposure risk areas in China expanded in size, particularly in north and east China. The total premature respiratory mortalities attributable to long-term O3 exposure in six urban agglomerations were about 177,000 in 2018 which has increased by 16.4% compared to that in 2013. Among different age groups, old people are more vulnerable to O3 pollution, so we need to strengthen their relevant health protection of them.

Minute plastic subdivisions like microplastics and nanoplastics have recently gained considerable attention because of their toxic effects on the environment and human health. Many plastics have been consumed worldwide regularly, and most are thrown away after a single use. They all end up in the sea and ocean, leading to a large debris of plastic garbage in the marine environment. Different physical and chemical processes occur in the marine ecosystem to degrade the macroplastics into micro- and nano-level plastics. Owing to their small size and large surface area, nanoplastics can easily be ingested into the tissues and organs of various marine species (both vertebrates and invertebrates) and accumulate more toxic materials in them than micro and macroplastics. Several reports have been obtained on the toxicity of plastics and microplastics on marine organisms. Still, till now, a cursory report has been found on the potential risk of nanoplastics in connection with marine life. This review highlights the origins of nanoplastics (NPs), their properties, characterization, and impact on marine ecosystems, along with their remediation and future aspects. The review will also untangle and specify the area of nanoplastics on which further research is urgently needed to better understand its toxic effect and eco-friendly restoration on the environment, especially on marine life.

This work aims to explore the impact of fulvic acid (FA) on denitrification within the purification process of sewage in the deep subsurface wastewater infiltration system (DSWIS). In the system, an organic glass column (height = 2.40 m; radius = 0.30 m) was filled with several layers of soil. Simulated domestic wastewater and extracted FA from landfill leachate were used in the experiments. It was found that before and after the addition of FA, COD, and NH4+-N were efficiently removed when a hydraulic load was 8 cm·d-1. Moreover, after FA addition, the removal efficiency of TN was enhanced from 67.74% to 78.01%. Organic matter transformation analysis indicated that in the under part, the shortage of carbon sources limited the denitrification prior to FA addition, resulting in a low TN removal efficiency. However, after adding FA, more FA-like substances were transferred into protein-like matters than before the addition of FA, which has helped produce more easily biodegradable organics for denitrification. So, the addition of FA could enhance the denitrification process in the system of DSWIS.

In this study, three promising yeast isolates were isolated from the sap of the Indian date palm tree (Phoenix sylvestris) and characterized by biochemical tests and 18S rRNA gene sequencing. They were confirmed as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and were designated as strains PYS-1, PYS-2, and PYS-3. These confirmed strains were used for the preparation of bioinoculants. Bioinoculant was prepared and applied to wheat crops, and the effect of Bioinoculant. Statistical analysis is carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and it is found that the absorbance of chlorophyll, protein, and Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) content is significantly increased. The treatment of bioinoculant showed that crops significantly increased chlorophyll, protein, and IAA content. Further, we applied bioinoculant on the soil and measured the soil’s humus content before and after the treatment of bioinoculant. Then, a paired t-test was applied to check the effectiveness of the treatment, and it was found to significantly increase humus content in the soil. The use of bioinoculants is an economically feasible and eco-friendly method.

Countries all over the world are paying attention to the growth of the new energy vehicle industry and implementing various subsidy policies to stimulate industry development to enhance the new energy vehicle industry’s innovative capability. This study uses a network DEA model to analyze China’s new energy vehicle industry’s technological innovation capability, decomposing it into two stages: technology development and innovation transformation, and calculating the innovation capability level of China’s new energy vehicle industry from 2012 to 2017. The findings show that due to a disconnect between the efficiency of the technology development stage and the efficiency of the innovation transformation stage, innovation technology cannot serve business operations, resulting in China’s new energy vehicle industry’s overall low level of innovation capability. Based on this, an IT3SLS analysis of the factors influencing innovation capability and phase-by-phase efficiency reveals that while China’s new energy vehicle industry’s subsidy policy has historically failed to significantly improve innovation capability, there is a complementary/substitution effect between labor input, corporate capital, and government subsidies. Based on the findings of this study, important policy recommendations are made to further develop the technological capabilities of the new energy vehicle industry in the context of China’s present new energy policy.