Neurotoxins β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and its isomer 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DAB) have been reported previously in diverse strains of cyanobacteria. In this study, BMAA and DAB were analyzed for two strains of Microcystis aeruginosa incubated with four different levels of phosphate, nitrate, illumination, and temperature, respectively, in order to explore the effects of growth factors on toxin-producing ability of cyanobacteria. Both toxins were also screened in 17 cyanobacterial strains cultured with BG-11 medium and conventional illumination and temperature conditions, and in three field phytoplankton samples collected from different lakes in China. All samples were analyzed using a liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system coupled with a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column. Results showed that no BMAA was detected in any of the cyanobacterial strains grown under our laboratory culture conditions, or in any of the field samples. Production of DAB in M. aeruginosa was significantly enhanced by extreme concentrations of nutrient and physical factors. Various concentrations of DAB were also present in most cultured samples (13 of 17) of cyanobacteria and were not species specific. This is the first time to report the production of DAB in M. aeruginosa cultured under alterative conditions in laboratory. Occurrence of DAB in most of the strains examined here means that consideration should be given to the presence of this compound in freshwater environment in China.

Effects of heavy metal on uptake of mineral nutrition elements in plants have attracted widespread interest and been widely explored. This paper reports the translocation and accumulation behaviors of Ni in the organs of mature wheat plants by means of pot experiment using the sierozem collected from northwestern China as experimental soil. Effect of Ni on accumulation of Cu, Mn, Ca, and Mg is also demonstrated. It was found that influence of Ni on wheat plants differed greatly at different Ni levels. Ni content in the organs of wheat plants increased with the increase in Ni level, and the increasing rate decreased when the Ni level was higher than 400 mg/kg. Ni was mainly accumulated in the roots and less distributed in the shoots, shells, and grains. When the Ni level was lower than 400 mg/kg, the bioconcentration factor (BCF) of the roots was higher than 1, suggesting that Ni was taken in against a concentration gradient. The average translocation factor (TF) of wheat plants was 0.221, indicating the weak ability of wheat plants in translocating Ni toward the aboveground parts. Since Ni is readily accumulated in the grains of wheat plants at lower Ni level, concerns in health risks might be raised. Excess Ni in wheat plants could inhibit the transfer of Cu, Mn, and Mg to grains, leading to the accumulation of Ca, Mg, and Mn in the shoots and shells of wheat plants. The increase in Ni content can disturb the uptake and distribution of mineral nutrition elements in the organs of plants, resulting in the toxic effect of Ni on wheat plants. Results from this study provide a scientific support to prevent or control heavy metal pollution in an arid region.

This study was carried out to investigate the physicochemical properties of compost from oil palm empty fruit bunches (EFB) inoculated with effective microorganisms (EM∙1™). The duration of microbial-assisted composting was shorter (∼7 days) than control samples (2 months) in a laboratory scale (2 kg) experiment. The temperature profile of EFB compost fluctuated between 26 and 52 °C without the presence of consistent thermophilic phase. The pH of compost changed from weak acidic (pH ∼5) to mild alkaline (pH ∼8) because of the formation of nitrogenous ions such as ammonium (NH₄ ⁺), nitrite (NO₂ ⁻), and nitrate (NO₃ ⁻) from organic substances during mineralization. The pH of the microbial-treated compost was less than 8.5 which is important to prevent the loss of nitrogen as ammonia gas in a strong alkaline condition. Similarly, carbon mineralization could be determined by measuring CO₂ emission. The microbial-treated compost could maintain longer period (∼13 days) of high CO₂ emission resulted from high microbial activity and reached the threshold value (120 mg CO₂-C kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) for compost maturity earlier (7 days). Microbial-treated compost slightly improved the content of minerals such as Mg, K, Ca, and B, as well as key metabolite, 5-aminolevulinic acid for plant growth at the maturity stage of compost.

This study aims to evaluate possible toxic effects of oil and other contaminants from oilfield-produced water from oil exploration and production, on seed germination, and seedling development of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). In comparison, as treated by electroflocculation, oilfield-produced water, with lower oil and organic matter content, was also used. Electroflocculation treatment of oilfield-produced water achieved significant removals of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (94 %), oil and grease (O&G) (96 %), color (97 %), and turbidity (99 %). Different O&G, COD, and salt levels of untreated and treated oilfield-produced water did not influence germination process and seedling biomass production. Normal seedlings percentage and vigor tended to decrease more intensely in O&G and COD levels, higher than 337.5 mg L⁻¹ and 1321 mg O₂ L⁻¹, respectively, using untreated oilfield-produced water. These results indicate that this industrial effluent must be treated, in order to not affect adversely seedling development. This way, electroflocculation treatment appears as an interesting alternative to removing oil and soluble organic matter in excess from oilfield-produced water improving sunflower’s seedling development and providing a friendly environmental destination for this wastewater, reducing its potential to harm water resources, soil, and biota.

Temporal and spatial variations in the phytoplankton community and environmental variables were investigated from February to July 2014, in the upper lake of Shengjin Lake, China. We identified 192 species of phytoplankton belonging to 8 phyla and 84 genera, of which 46.4 % of Chlorophyta, 29.2 % of Bacillariophyta, and 12.5 % of Cyanophyta. There were 14 predominant species. Marked temporal and spatial variations were observed in the phytoplankton community. The total abundance of phytoplankton ranged from 3.66 × 10⁵ to 867.93 × 10⁵ cells/L and total biomass ranging from 0.40 to 20.89 mg/L. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index varied from 3.50 to 8.35 with an average of 5.58, revealing high biodiversity in the phytoplankton community. There were substantial temporal changes in the dominant species, from Bacillariophyta and Cryptophyta to Cyanophyta and Chlorophyta. Phytoplankton biomass and abundance showed a similar increasing trend from February to July. Pearson correlations and Redundancy analysis revealed that the most significant environmental factors influencing phytoplankton community were water temperature (T), transparency (SD), and nutrient concentration. The positive correlation between the key water bird areas and phytoplankton biomass indicated that the droppings of wintering water birds had an important influence on the phytoplankton community in the upper lake of Shengjin Lake.

Water quality is a public health concern that calls for relevant biomonitoring programs. Molecular tools such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are progressively becoming more sensitive and more specific than conventional techniques to detect pathogens in environmental samples such as water and organisms. The zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) has already been demonstrated to accumulate and concentrate various human waterborne pathogens. In this study, first, a spiking experiment to evaluate detection levels of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in zebra mussel organs using real-time PCR was conducted. Overall, lower DNA levels in the hemolymph, digestive gland, and remaining tissues (gonad and foot) were detected compared to mantle, muscle, and gills. Second, an in vivo experiment with 1000 T. gondii oocysts per mussel and per day for 21 consecutive days, followed by 14 days of depuration time in protozoa-free water was performed. T. gondii DNA was detected in all organs, but greatest concentrations were observed in hemolymph and mantle tissues compared to the others organs at the end of the depuration period. These results suggest that (i) the zebra mussel is a potential new tool for measuring T. gondii concentrations and (ii) real-time PCR is a suitable method for pathogen detection in complex matrices such as tissues.

We measured levels of VOCs and determined the distributions of benzene concentrations over the area of two petrol stations in all three seasons. Using the concentrations and sampling positions, we created isoconcentration contour maps. The average concentrations ranged 18–1288 μg m⁻³ for benzene and 12–81 μg m⁻³ for toluene. The contour maps indicate that high-level contours of benzene were found not only at the fuel dispenser areas but also at the storage tank refilling points, open drainage areas where gasoline-polluted wastewater was flowing, and the auto service center located within the station area. An assessment of the benzene to toluene ratio contour plots implicates that airborne benzene and toluene near the fuel dispenser area were attributed to gasoline evaporation although one of the studied stations may be influenced by other VOC sources besides gasoline evaporation. Additionally, during the routine refilling of the underground fuel storage tanks by a tank truck, the ambient levels of benzene and toluene increased tremendously. The implementation of source control by replacing old dispensers with new fuel dispensers that have an efficient cutoff feature and increased delivery speed can reduce spatial benzene concentrations by 77 %. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey among 63 service attendants in ten stations revealed that headache was the most reported health complaint with a response rate of 32 %, followed by fatigue with 20 %. These prominent symptoms could be related to an exposure to high benzene concentrations.

Crop germplasms substantially vary in their tolerance for and accumulation of heavy metals, and assessment of this variability plays a significant role in selecting species to use in phytoremediation projects. Here, we examined germplasm-variations in cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) tolerance and accumulation in ramie (Boehmeria nivea), a fiber crop native to China, which has received little attention. In an 8-week greenhouse test, fourteen germplasms of ramie, among and within deep, middle, and shallow rooted-types, were compared for growth and metal accumulation traits. Results showed that both tolerance and accumulation traits varied across germplasms and rooted-types. The deep rooted-type germplasms produced more biomass and had higher tolerance to metals than the two others. In addition, considerable variations in metal accumulation were observed among plant organs (root, stem, and leaf), rooted-types, germplasms, and metal supply. However, the observed variations in metal tolerance and accumulation among both germplasms and rooted-types were not significant in most cases. In addition to supporting the idea of a certain degree of constitutional metal tolerance for ramie, our results also contribute to deep-rooted germplasms of ramie as a good candidate, rather than middle-/shallow- ones as a least-bad option, for the remediation of multi metal-contaminated soils.

This study utilises a range of scientific approaches, including lead isotopic compositions, to differentiate unknown sources of ongoing lead contamination of a drinking water supply in north-eastern Tasmania, Australia. Drinking water lead concentrations are elevated above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline (10 μg/L), reaching 540 μg/L in the supply network. Water lead isotopic compositions from the town of Pioneer (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 2.406, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 1.144 to ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 2.360, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 1.094) and Ringarooma (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 2.398, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 1.117) are markedly different from the local bedrock (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 2.496, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb 1.237). The data show that the lead in the local waters is sourced from a combination of dilapidated drinking water infrastructure, including lead jointed pipelines, end-of-life polyvinyl chloride pipes and household plumbing. Drinking water is being inadvertently contaminated by aging infrastructure, and it is an issue that warrants investigation to limit the burden of disease from lead exposure.

Polyacrylamides (PAMs) are used in sand and gravel quarries as water purification flocculants for recycling process water in a recycling loop system where the flocculants remove fine particles in the form of sludge. The PAM-based flocculants, however, contain residual amounts of acrylamide (AMD) that did not react during the polymerization process. This acrylamide is released into the environment when the sludge is discharged into a settling basin. Here, we explore the microbial diversity and the potential for AMD biodegradation in water and sludge samples collected in a quarry site submitted to low AMD concentrations. The microbial diversity, analyzed by culture-dependent methods and the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis approach, reveals the presence of Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria, among which some species are known to have an AMD biodegradation activity. Results also show that the two main parts of the water recycling loop—the washing process and the settling basin—display significantly different bacterial profiles. The exposure time with residual AMD could, thus, be one of the parameters that lead to a selection of specific bacterial species. AMD degradation experiments with 0.5 g L⁻¹AMD showed a high potential for biodegradation in all parts of the washing process, except the make-up water. The AMD biodegradation potential in samples collected from the washing process and settling basin was also analyzed taking into account on-site conditions: low (12 °C) and high (25 °C) temperatures reflecting the winter and summer seasons, and AMD concentrations of 50 μg L⁻¹. Batch tests showed rapid (as little as 18 h) AMD biodegradation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at both the winter and summer temperatures, although there was a greater lag time before activity started with the AMD biodegradation at 12 °C. This study, thus, demonstrates that bacteria present in sludge and water samples exert an in situ and rapid biodegradation of AMD at low concentration, whatever the season, and in both the aerobic and anaerobic parts of the water recycling system.