The objective of this study was to determine the potential environmental risks associated with the Kirkpavli (Old Gümüşhane in northern Turkey) alteration area by quantifying pollution in soil. The Kirkpavli (Old Gümüşhane) alteration area is situated at the south of the deposit with the same name of gold-silver-bearing lead, zinc, and copper in the southern part of the Black Sea Tectonic Unit (Eastern Pontides). In this study, 28 soil samples acquired from the alteration area were analyzed for contents of some main elements including lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As). Contents of the elements in the area were determined, and high values were obtained such as 1,171 mg/kg for As, 12.4 mg/kg for Cd, 77.3 mg/kg for Co, 341 mg/kg for Cu, 1,172 mg/kg for Mn, 51.9 mg/kg for Ni, 3,725 mg/kg for Pb, and 880 mg/kg for Zn. Soil contamination was appraised on the basis of Geoaccumulation Index (Igₑₒ), Enrichment Factor (EF), Pollution Index, and Integrated Pollution Index. The calculated results of Igₑₒ, EF, and PI of the elements can be shown in descending order of parameters as As > Pb > Cd > Zn > Cu > Co > Mn. The parameters for some of these elements indicated extremely high contamination (Igₑₒ > 5), extremely high enrichment (EF > 40), and high pollution (PI > 3). High Igₑₒ, EF, and PI values of As, Pb, and Cd in the soil samples mean that soil pollution is typically associated with alteration area. Considering its location and the results of this study, the Kirkpavli alteration area is a significant source of pollution and may have ecotoxicological effects on terrestrial, groundwater, and aquatic ecosystems in the region.

River sediments may contain a huge variety of environmental contaminants and play a key role in the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. Contaminants adsorbed to sediments and suspended solids may contribute directly or after remobilization to an adverse ecological and chemical status of surface water. In this subproject of the joint research project DanTox, acetonic Soxhlet extracts from three German river sediments from the River Rhine (Altrip and Ehrenbreitstein with moderate contamination) and River Elbe (Veringkanal Hamburg heavily contaminated) were prepared and redissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). These extracts were analyzed with a standard bioassay battery with organisms from different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, Daphnia, fish) as well as in the Ames test and the umuC test for bacterial mutagenicity and genotoxicity according to the respective OECD and ISO guidelines. In total, 0.01 % (standard) up to 0.25 % (only fish embryo test) of the DMSO sediment extract was dosed to the test systems resulting in maximum sediment equivalent concentrations (SEQ) of 2 up to 50 g l⁻¹. The sediment of Veringkanal near Hamburg harbor was significantly more toxic in most tests compared to the sediment extracts from Altrip and Ehrenbreitstein from the River Rhine. The most toxic effect found for Veringkanal was in the algae test with an EᵣC₅₀ (72 h) of 0.00226 g l⁻¹ SEQ. Ehrenbreitstein and Altrip samples were about factor 1,000 less toxic. In the Daphnia, Lemna, and acute fish toxicity tests, no toxicity at all was found at 2 g l⁻¹ SEQ. corresponding to 0.01 % DMSO. Only when increasing the DMSO concentration the fish embryo test showed a 22-fold higher toxicity for Veringkanal than for Ehrenbreitstein and Altrip samples, while the toxicity difference was less evident for the Daphnia test due to the overlaying solvent toxicity above 0.05 % dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The higher toxicities observed with the Veringkanal sample are supported by the PAH and PCB concentrations analyzed in the sediments. The sediment extracts of Altrip and Veringkanal were mutagenic in the Ames tester strain TA98 with metabolic activation (S9-mix). The findings allow a better ecotoxicological characterization of the sediments extensively analyzed in all subprojects of the DanTox project (e.g., Garcia-Kaeufer et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res. doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-3894-4 , 2014; Schiwy et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res. doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-3185-0 , 2014; Hollert and Keiter 2015). In the absence of agreed limit values for sediment extracts in standard tests, further data with unpolluted reference sediments are required for a quantitative risk assessment of the investigated polluted sediments.

In the present study, the coupling of adsorption capacity and photocatalytic efficiency of two different industrially produced titania catalysts was investigated and compared. The azo dye Reactive Red 195 was selected as a model compound. The tested catalysts, PK-10 and PK-180, exhibited different adsorption capacities due to their significant difference in their specific surface, but both have proven to be effective photocatalysts for photodegradation of the studied dye. PK-10 exhibited strong adsorption of the studied dye due to its high specific surface area, while the second studied catalyst, PK-180, demonstrated negligible adsorption of Reactive Red 195. The effect of the pH, the concentration of the catalyst and the initial concentration of the dye appear to affect the photocatalytic rate. The effect of the presence of humic acids and inorganic ions was also examined, while the contribution of various reactive species was indirectly evaluated through the addition of various scavengers. To evaluate the extent of mineralisation of the studied dye, total organic carbon (TOC) measurements during the experiment were also conducted. Besides total colour removal, evident reduction of TOC was also achieved using both catalysts.

Mercury (Hg) contamination is an issue of concern in the Amazon region due to potential health effects associated with Hg exposure in artisanal gold mining areas. The study presents a human health risk assessment associated with Hg vapor inhalation and MeHg-contaminated fish ingestion, as well as Hg determination in urine, blood, and hair, of human populations (about 325 miners and 321 non-miners) from two gold mining areas in the Brazilian Amazon (São Chico and Creporizinho, Pará State). In São Chico and Creporizinho, 73 fish specimens of 13 freshwater species, and 161 specimens of 11 species, were collected for total Hg determination, respectively. The hazard quotient (HQ) is a risk indicator which defines the ratio of the exposure level and the toxicological reference dose and was applied to determine the threat of MeHg exposure. The mean Hg concentrations in fish from São Chico and Creporizinho were 0.83 ± 0.43 and 0.36 ± 0.33 μg/g, respectively. More than 60 and 22 % of fish collected in São Chico and Creporizinho, respectively, were above the Hg limit (0.5 μg/g) recommended by WHO for human consumption. For all sampling sites, HQ resulted from 1.5 to 28.5, except for the reference area. In Creporizinho, the values of HQ are close to 2 for most sites, whereas in São Chico, there is a hot spot of MeHg contamination in fish (A2—São Chico Reservoir) with the highest risk level (HQ = 28) associated with its human consumption. Mean Hg concentrations in urine, blood, and hair samples indicated that the miners group (in São Chico: urine = 17.37 μg/L; blood = 27.74 μg/L; hair = 4.50 μg/g and in Creporizinho: urine = 13.75 μg/L; blood = 25.23 μg/L; hair: 4.58 μg/g) was more exposed to mercury compared to non-miners (in São Chico: urine = 5.73 μg/L; blood = 16.50 μg/L; hair = 3.16 μg/g and in Creporizinho: urine = 3.91 μg/L; blood = 21.04 μg/L, hair = 1.88 μg/g). These high Hg levels (found not only in miners but also in non-miners who live near the mining areas) are likely to be related to a potential hazard due to exposure to both Hg vapor by inhalation and to MeHg-contaminated fish ingestion.

Extensive use of recalcitrant azo dyes in textile and paper industries poses a direct threat to the environment due to the carcinogenicity of their degradation products. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of Curvularia clavata NZ2 in decolorization of azo dyes. The ability of the fungus to decolorize azo dyes can be evaluated as an important outcome as existing effluent treatment is unable to remove the dyes effectively. C. clavata has the ability to decolorize Reactive Black 5 (RB5), Acid Orange 7 (AO7), and Congo Red azo dyes, utilizing these as sole sources of carbon and nitrogen. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy and Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis of the extracted RB5’s metabolites along with desorption tests confirmed that the decolorization process occurred due to degradation and not merely by adsorption. Enzyme activities of extracellular enzymes such as carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase), xylanase, laccase, and manganese peroxidase (MnP) were also detected during the decolorization process. Toxicity expressed as inhibition of germination was reduced significantly in fungal-treated azo dye solution when compared with the control. The cultivation of C. clavata under sequential batch system also recorded a decolorization efficiency of above 90 %. The crude enzyme secreted by C. clavata also showed excellent ability to decolorize RB5 solutions with concentrations of 100 ppm (88–92 %) and 1000 ppm (70–77 %) without redox mediator. This proved that extracellular enzymes produced by C. clavata played a major role in decolorization of RB5.

Two eddy covariance systems were installed in a high-severity burned zone (BZ) and an adjacent unburned (UNB) zone to monitor water vapour and carbon dioxide fluxes for 21 months (from June 2011 to February 2013) at a Spanish black pine forest affected by a stand-replacing wildfire and located in a mountainous area of central-eastern Spain. The differences between both sites were significant especially during the growing season, affecting gross primary productivity (GPP) more than ecosystem respiration (Reco). Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) for 2012 was −3.97 and 1.80 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹for the unburned and burned sites, respectively, the GPP being 64 % lower for the BZ than the UNB zone. Evapotranspiration (ET) at the UNB was 18 % greater than at the BZ. Difference between sites was 160 mm during the whole studied period. This study reflects the effect of one of the major disturbances that can affect Mediterranean ecosystems, showing that carbon fluxes are more dramatically concerned than water vapour fluxes.

As the result of biogenic and anthropogenic activities, large quantities of chemical compounds are emitted into the troposphere. Alkanes, in general, and cycloalkanes are an important chemical class of hydrocarbons found in diesel, jet and gasoline, vehicle exhaust emissions, and ambient air in urban areas. In general, the primary atmospheric fate of organic compounds in the gas phase is the reaction with hydroxyl radicals (OH). The oxidation by Cl atoms has gained importance in the study of atmospheric reactions because they may exert some influence in the boundary layer, particularly in marine and coastal environments, and in the Arctic troposphere. The aim of this paper is to study of the atmospheric reactivity of methylcylohexanes with Cl atoms and OH radicals under atmospheric conditions (in air at room temperature and pressure). Relative kinetic techniques have been used to determine the rate coefficients for the reaction of Cl atoms and OH radicals with methylcyclohexane, cis-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane, trans-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane, and 1,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane at 298 ± 2 K and 720 ± 5 Torr of air by Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in two atmospheric simulation chambers. The products formed in the reaction under atmospheric conditions were investigated using a 200-L Teflon bag and employing the technique of solid-phase microextraction coupled to a GC-MS. The rate coefficients obtained for the reaction of Cl atoms with the studied compounds are the following ones (in units of 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): (3.11 ± 0.16), (2.89 ± 0.16), (2.89 ± 0.26), and (2.61 ± 0.42), respectively. For the reactions with OH radicals the determined rate coefficients are (in units of 10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): (1.18 ± 0.12), (1.49 ± 0.16), (1.41 ± 0.15), and (1.77 ± 0.23), respectively. The reported error is twice the standard deviation. A detailed mechanism for ring-retaining product channels is proposed to justify the observed reaction products. The global tropospheric lifetimes estimated from the reported OH- and Cl-rate coefficients show that the main removal path for the investigated methylcyclohexanes is the reaction with OH radicals. But in marine environments, after sunrise, Cl reactions become more important in the tropospheric degradation. Thus, the estimated lifetimes range from 16 to 24 h for the reactions of the OH radical (calculated with [OH] = 10⁶ atoms cm⁻³) and around 7–8 h in the reactions with Cl atoms in marine environments (calculated with [Cl] = 1.3 × 10⁵ atoms cm⁻³). The reaction of Cl atoms and OH radicals and methylcylohexanes can proceed by H abstraction from the different positions.

Heavy metals, which have severe toxic effects on plants, animals, and human health, are serious pollutants of the modern world. Remediation of heavy metal pollution is utmost necessary. Among different approaches used for such remediation, phytoremediation is an emerging technology. Research is in progress to enhance the efficiency of this plant-based technology. In this regard, the role of rhizospheric and symbiotic microorganisms is important. It was assessed by enumeration of data from the current studies that efficiency of phytoremediation can be enhanced by assisting with diazotrophs. These bacteria are very beneficial because they bring metals to more bioavailable form by the processes of methylation, chelation, leaching, and redox reactions and the production of siderophores. Diazotrophs also posses growth-promoting traits including nitrogen fixation, phosphorous solubilization, phytohormones synthesis, siderophore production, and synthesis of ACC-deaminase which may facilitate plant growth and increase plant biomass, in turn facilitating phytoremediation technology. Thus, the aim of this review is to highlight the potential of diazotrophs in assisting phytoremediation of heavy metals in contaminated soils. The novel current assessment of literature suggests the winning combination of diazotroph with phytoremediation technology.

Identifying nitrogen (N) pollution sources is the fundamental work of non-point source pollution load reduction from watersheds, but is hard due to complex N transport and transformation within spatially heterogenized huge areas. During September 2011, we measured water characteristics and sediment N stable isotope in four tributaries of the upper reach of the Hun River, an important water source of the Dahuofang Reservoir, a large drinking water source in Northeast China. Results showed that spatial changes in SO₄²⁻and Cl⁻contents in the tributaries were consisted with the changes in density of the population living along the tributaries. Sediment δ¹⁵N from all tributaries showed a downstream increasing trend in line with the land use change, which is characterized as more farmlands and more people around the outlet area of each tributary. Principal component analysis indicated the population density had a strong impact on N in these tributaries in the low-flow period. Tributaries and villages close to the Dahuofang Reservoir should be the major N load control objects in reduction of non-point source nitrogen load from the upper reach of the Hun River.

Beijing is a megacity, where atmospheric dust fall amount is great, and its resultant air pollution is serious. So, analyzing the chemical elements in atmospheric dust fall and revealing its various sources can provide a scientific basis for taking effective measures to improve atmospheric environmental quality. In this paper, we investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of dust fall in Beijing, based on the dust samples collected in the spring of 2008 and 2009 at 18 observation sites laid out in Beijing and then analyzed the sources of atmospheric dust fall based on the test of samples, adopting enrichment factor and factor analysis methods. Our results found that the dust fall quantity in the observation periods was respectively 33.6230 t km⁻²and 28.7130 t km⁻²; the dust fall quantity varied significantly in different months in the spring, but the variation trend was similar at the sites. There were two centers of large quantity in Beijing; one was in the southwest of downtown, and the other was in the northeast of downtown. The spatial distribution of dust fall generally showed a structural feature of three loops; the northwestern mountainous area was a small quantity belt; the plain area around the downtown was a large quantity belt, and the central downtown was a center of small quantity. Soil dust, construction dust, coal dust, and vehicle exhaust were the four major sources of dust fall in spring of Beijing, respectively, accounting for 38.50, 22.25, 14.06, and 20.82 % of the total dust fall quantity.