This study aims at describing and interpreting concentrations of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg) and vanadium (V) in seven species of fish, three species of shellfish, one species of crab and two species of shrimp from the typical estuary-bay ecosystem. Arsenic, Hg and V differed among species, and the highest As, Hg and V were observed in shellfish. The stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotopes were determined to investigate the trophic interactions between fluctuating environment and aquatic species. Arsenic concentrations in samples were found negatively correlated with δ15N, implying biodilution effect of As through the food web, while Hg concentrations in samples were positively correlated with δ15N, indicating their biomagnification effect. The estimated daily intake values of Hg and V in this study were all below the oral reference dose. However, elevated As intakes of some aquatic organisms suggested a potential risk for frequent consumers.

Colour change in Acropora tenuis, a representative species of Indo-Pacific hard coral, in response to low concentrations of Irgarol 1051 was examined in the laboratory. Branches of A. tenuis were exposed to 0, 1, and 10μgIrgarol1051/L for 14days, and photographed daily using digital camera. These Irgarol 1051 concentrations were similar to those recorded at a number of sea ports. Red, green and blue (RGB) coral colour values were quantified from the photographs, with black represented by R=G=B=0 and white as R=G=B=255. Exposure to Irgarol 1051 caused RGB values to increase, moving towards the ‘white’ end of the spectrum as Irgarol 1051 concentration increased. These results suggest that the ambient levels of Irgarol 1051 recorded from port environments could be implicated in coral bleaching, if concentrations over nearby reef ecosystems are similar.

Sewage effluent input and population were chosen as predictors of microplastic presence in sediments at four sites in the River Thames basin (UK). Large microplastic particles (1mm–4mm) were extracted using a stepwise approach to include visual extraction, flotation and identification using Raman spectroscopy. Microplastics were found at all four sites. One site had significantly higher numbers of microplastics than other sites, average 66 particles 100g−1, 91% of which were fragments. This site was downstream of a storm drain outfall receiving urban runoff; many of the fragments at this site were determined to be derived of thermoplastic road-surface marking paints. At the remaining three sites, fibres were the dominant particle type. The most common polymers identified included polypropylene, polyester and polyarylsulphone. This study describes two major new findings: presence of microplastic particles in a UK freshwater system and identification of road marking paints as a source of microplastics.This study is the first to quantify microplastics of any size in river sediments in the UK and links their presence to terrestrial sources including sewage and road marking paints.

This paper studied the kinetics, isotherm and thermodynamics of phosphorus sorption onto the sediments of the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters, as well as the sediments' compositions and physicochemical properties. The process could be described well by a two-compartment first order equation. The sorbed phosphorus mainly consisted of Ex-P and Fe-P, with Ex-P being the dominant. The equilibrium isotherms could be fitted well with a modified Langmuir equation. The calculations of the thermodynamic parameters indicated that the process was spontaneous and exothermic. The CEC and the fractions of clay, calcite and organic matter were correlated with the sorption parameters, while the surface proton charge of the sediments was significantly negatively correlated with them. Considering the kinetics and phosphorus forms changes during the process, the sorption in our study could be considered that the physical process plays an important role.

The major objectives of the study were to test the hypothesis of the Zarrin-Gol River as a reference site for ecotoxicological studies and to assess the contamination degree of heavy metals and metalloids in the river using four contamination indices. For these purposes, eleven heavy metal and metalloid concentrations were analyzed. The average concentrations (mgkg−1) in the sediments were: 37.67 (chromium) 286.28 (manganese), 13,751.04 (iron), 8.79 (cobalt), 12.39 (nickel), 32.68 (zinc), 21.91 (arsenic), 40.59 (selenium), 2923.86 (aluminum), ND (silver) and 785.96 (magnesium). Contamination factor, enrichment factor, pollution load index, and geoaccumulation index were calculated to evaluate the contamination degree and influence of human activities on heavy metal levels. The contamination indices of the sediment samples showed that arsenic and selenium were the highest pollutants. The results indicated that the Zarrin-Gol River could not be used as a reference site at least for arsenic and selenium.

Membrane photocatalytic ozonization coupled with wet absorption offers potential for elemental mercury (Hg0) removal. This study reports on a novel FeTiO2-coated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) wet photocatalytic membrane reactor (WPCMR) for mercury removal in flue gas. Hg0 removal efficiency in the WPCMR reached up to 93.3%. Ozone could enhance mercury oxidation in WPCMR. Wet absorption helps to increases mercury removal efficiency. FeTiO2 catalyst was synthesized by sol-gel method and characterized by XRD, FTIR, UV–Vis, XPS and SEM. XPS analysis confirmed Hg0 oxidation to divalent mercury (Hg (II)). Elemental mercury was oxidized to mercuric oxide followed by wet absorption in the presence of OH free radical and ozone. Wet photocatalytic membrane reactor and photocatalytic membrane reactor (PCMR) of elemental mercury reaction with the FeTiO2/PVDF catalyst all follow Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics.

Selected trace elements (As, Cr, Zn, Cu, Cd, Co, Pb and Ni) in 76 surface sediment samples collected from the rivers and the intertidal zone of Jiaozhou Bay (JZB) were evaluated to assess their environmental background values in the JZB catchment. Overall, the sediment quality in the area meets the China Marine Sediment Quality criteria. The background values (ranges) of the elements As, Cr, Zn, Cu, Cd, Co, Pb and Ni were, respectively, 8.28 (4.10–12.46), 67.96 (38.40–97.52), 56.80 (16.42–196.51), 19.13 (5.71–64.06), 0.10 (0.02–0.42), 6.51 (2.08–20.40), 17.97 (12.26–55.84) and 20.69 (10.43–30.95)mg/kg. The background values of most of the trace elements were lower than those in Chinese soil, the upper continental crust, global shales and global preindustrial sediments. The results may assist in defining future coastal and river management measures specifically targeted at monitoring trace element contamination in the JZB catchment.

Resting stages of plankton were sampled in the surficial sediments in the port of Haifa, Israel, on the eve of a major port enlargement project. We recorded the structure of the assemblages and examined their relationship with different environments within the port. Our findings reveal a remarkably high diversity coupled with low density and the highest number of oligotrich ciliate cyst types recorded from marine sediments. Near the eutrophic and highly polluted zone of the Kishon estuary ciliates were more abundant than elsewhere in the port, whereas dinoflagellates' abundance was reduced, and these trends held true both for full and empty cysts. Some harmful or potentially toxic species, such as Scrippsiella acuminata, were widespread in the port. The toxigenic species include Alexandrium minutum, Gymnodinium uncatenatum and Lingulodinium polyedrum. Active cells of the unarmoured, bloom-forming Akashiwo sanguinea were identified in the cultures obtained from the incubated sediments.

This study investigated Enterobacteriales and their antimicrobial resistance in green sea turtles captured adjacent to the central Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and proximate to urban development. Cloacal swabs were taken from 73 green turtles between 2015 and 2016. A total of 154 out of 341 Gram-negative bacterial isolates were identified as Enterobacteriales that represent 16 different species from 9 different genera. The dominant isolates were Citrobacter (30.52%), Edwardsiella (21.43%) and Escherichia (12.34%). The resistance against 12 antibiotics belonging to 6 different classes was determined. The isolates showed highest resistance to β-lactam antibiotics (78.57%) followed by quinolone (50%) and tetracycline classes (46.1%). Approximately one-third (37.7%) of the isolates identified exhibited multidrug-resistance. Isolates recovered from rehabilitated turtles were significantly multidrug resistant (p<0.009) compared to isolates from other study sites. These results provide baseline information on antimicrobial resistance while revealing gaps for further research to evaluate the level of pollution in the GBR.

In tropical countries, food and agricultural crops need to be kept cool to reduce spoilage and quality losses. Airborne psychrotrophic bacteria and fungi can cause adverse effects on food quality and consumers' health safety. The present study aimed to present a facile and cost-effective approach to remove airborne microbes from indoor air by employing silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) to decorate fibrous air filters. A water-based anti-germ solution containing Ag/ZnO nanoparticles was first prepared using high-speed homogenization. Second, a commercially available washable non-woven air filter (thickness 50 mm) was coated by aerosol generated from the mixture using spray coating process. This facile method successfully led to homogeneous coating of active nanomaterials on the filter's surface as unveiled by scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). On laboratory scale, the Ag/ZnO air filter was shown to exhibit antibacterial effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli under contact mode following an antibacterial standard method (AATCC 147-2011). Finally, the Ag/ZnO filter was assembled into a commercial air filtration system (670 × 820 × 1420 mm) containing two UVA light lamps (365 nm). The Ag/ZnO air-filtration unit was placed in a 45-m3 cold storage room (4–5 °C) for evaluation of airborne psychrotrophic microbial reduction efficiency. The developed Ag/ZnO air filter reduced the airborne psychrotrophic germs concentrations by ∼50% and its efficiency increased to ∼70% when combined with UVA illumination. Based on these results, a simple and low-cost ZnO/Ag air filter was successfully introduced as an effective strategy for removal of psychrotrophic microbes from indoor air.