Bottom sediments in coastal regions have been considered the ultimate sink for a number of contaminants, e.g., toxic metals. In this current study, speciation of metals in contaminated sediments of Oskarshamn harbor in the southeast of Sweden was performed in order to evaluate metal contents and their potential mobility and bioavailability. Sediment speciation was carried out by the sequential extraction BCR procedure for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn and the exchangeable (F1), reducible (F2), oxidizable (F3), and residual (R) fractions were determined. The results have shown that Zn and Cd were highly associated with the exchangeable fraction (F1) with 42–58 % and 43–46 %, respectively, of their total concentrations in the mobile phase. The assessment of sediment contamination on the basis of quality guidelines established by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Italian Ministry of Environment (Venice protocol for dredged sediments) has shown that sediments from Oskarshamn harbor are highly contaminated with toxic metals, especially Cu, Cd, Pb, Hg, As, and Zn posing potential ecological risks. Therefore, it is of crucial importance the implementation of adequate strategies to tackle contaminated sediments in coastal regions all over the world.

Brazilian soybean cultivars (Glycine max Sambaíba and Tracajá) routinely grown in Amazonian areas were exposed to filtered air (FA) and filtered air enriched with ozone (40 and 80 ppb, 6 h/day for 5 days) to assess their level of tolerance to this pollutant by measuring changes in key biochemical, physiological, and morphological indicators of injury and in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Sambaíba plants were more sensitive to ozone than Tracajá plants, as revealed by comparing indicator injury responses and antioxidant stimulations. Sambaíba exhibited higher visible leaf injury, higher stomatal conductance, and a severe decrease in the carbon assimilation rate. Higher ozone level (80 ppb) caused an increase in cell death in both cultivars. Levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide also increased in Tracajá exposed under 80 ppb. Sambaíba plants exhibited decreases in ascorbate and glutathione levels and in enzymatic activities associated with these antioxidants. The higher tolerance of the Tracajá soybean appeared to be indicated by reduced physiological injuries and lower stomatal conductance, which might decrease the influx of ozone and enhance oxidation-reduction reactions involving catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, ascorbate, and glutathione, most likely stimulated by higher hydrogen peroxide.

Since primary environmental concept for long storage of nuclear waste involved assessment of water in uranium complexes depending on migration processes, the paper emphasized solid-state matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometric (MS) and IR spectroscopic determination of UO₂(NO₃)₂·6H₂O; UO₂(NO₃)₂·3H₂O, α-, β-, and γ-UO₃ modifications; UO₃·xH₂O (x = 1 or 2); UO₃·H₂O, described chemically as UO₂(OH)₂, β- and γ-UO₂(OH)₂ modifications; and UO₄·2H₂O, respectively. Advantages and limitation of vibrational spectroscopic approach are discussed, comparing optical spectroscopic data and crystallographic ones. Structural similarities occurred in α–γ modifications of UO₃, and UO₂(OH)₂ compositions are analyzed. Selective speciation achieved by solid-state mass spectrometry is discussed both in terms of its analytical contribution for environmental quality assurance and assessment of radionuclides, and fundamental methodological interest related the mechanistic complex water exchange of UO₃·H₂O forms in the gas phase. In addition to high selectivity and precision, UV-MALDI-MS, employing an Orbitrap analyzer, was a method that provided fast steps that limited sample pretreatment techniques for direct analysis including imaging. Therefore, random and systematic errors altering metrology and originating from the sample pretreatment stages in the widely implemented analytical protocols for environmental sampling determination of actinides are significantly reduced involving the UV-MALDI-Orbitrap-MS method. The method of quantum chemistry is utilized as well to predict reliably the thermodynamics and nature of U–O bonds in uranium species in gas and condensed phases.

Quinestrol has shown potential for use in the fertility control of the plateau pika population of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. However, the environmental safety and fate of this compound are still obscure. Our study investigated degradation of quinestrol in a local soil and aquatic system for the first time. The results indicate that the degradation of quinestrol follows first-order kinetics in both soil and water, with a dissipation half-life of approximately 16.0 days in local soil. Microbial activity heavily influenced the degradation of quinestrol, with 41.2 % removal in non-sterile soil comparing to 4.8 % removal in sterile soil after incubation of 10 days. The half-lives in neutral water (pH 7.4) were 0.75 h when exposed to UV light (λ = 365 nm) whereas they became 2.63 h when exposed to visible light (λ > 400 nm). Acidic conditions facilitated quinestrol degradation in water with shorter half-lives of 1.04 and 1.47 h in pH 4.0 and pH 5.0 solutions, respectively. Moreover, both the soil and water treatment systems efficiently eliminated the estrogenic activity of quinestrol. Results presented herein clarify the complete degradation of quinestrol in a relatively short time. The ecological and environmental safety of this compound needs further investigation.

Photochemical advanced oxidation processes have been considered for the treatment of water and wastewater containing the herbicide atrazine (ATZ), a possible human carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. In this study, we investigated the effects of the photon emission rate and initial concentration on ATZ photolysis at 254 nm, an issue not usually detailed in literature. Moreover, the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is discussed. Photon emission rates in the range 0.87 × 10¹⁸–3.6 × 10¹⁸ photons L⁻¹ s⁻¹ and [ATZ]₀ = 5 and 20 mg L⁻¹ were used. The results showed more than 65 % of ATZ removal after 30 min. ATZ photolysis followed apparent first-order kinetics with k values and percent removals decreasing with increasing herbicide initial concentration. A fivefold linear increase in specific degradation rate constants with photon emission rate was observed. Also, regardless the presence of persistent degradation products, toxicity was efficiently removed after 60-min exposure to UV radiation. Experiments confirmed a noticeable contribution of singlet oxygen and radical species to atrazine degradation during photolysis. These results may help understand the behavior of atrazine in different UV-driven photochemical degradation treatment processes.

Chlorophyll plays a pivotal role in the plant physiology and its productivity. Cultivation of plants in crude oil contaminated soil has a great impact on the synthesis of chlorophyll pigment. Morpho-anatomy of the experimental plant also shows structural deformation in higher concentrations. Keeping this in mind, a laboratory investigation has been carried out to study the effect of crude oil on chlorophyll content and morpho-anatomy of Cyperus brevifolius plant. Fifteen-day-old seedling of the plant was planted in different concentrations of the crude oil mixed soil (i.e., 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 40,000, and 50,000 ppm). A control setup was also maintained without adding crude oil. Results were recorded after 6 months of plantation. Investigation revealed that there is a great impact of crude oil contamination on chlorophyll content of the leaves of the experimental plant. It also showed that chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll content of leaves grown in different concentrations of crude oil were found to be lower than those of the control plant. Further, results also demonstrated that chlorophyll content was lowest in the treatment that received maximum dose of crude oil. It also showed that chlorophyll content was decreased with increased concentration of crude oil. Results also demonstrated that there was a reduction in plant shoot and root biomass with the increase of crude oil concentration. Results also revealed that the shoot biomass is higher than root biomass. Morphology and anatomy of the experimental plant also show structural deformation in higher concentrations. Accumulation of crude oil on the cuticle of the transverse section of the leaves and shoot forms a thick dark layer. Estimation of the level of pollution in an environment due to oil spill is possible by the in-depth study of the harmful effects of oil on the morphology and anatomy and chlorophyll content of the plants grown in that particular environment.

The efficiency of the anaerobic treatment of cheese whey (CW) at mesophilic conditions was investigated. In addition, the applicability of electrochemical oxidation as an advanced post-treatment for the complete removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the anaerobically treated cheese whey was evaluated. The diluted cheese whey, having a pH of 6.5 and a total COD of 6 g/L, was first treated in a 600-L, pilot-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The UASB process, which was operated for 87 days at mesophilic conditions (32 ± 2 °C) at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 days, led to a COD removal efficiency between 66 and 97 %, while the particulate matter of the wastewater was effectively removed by entrapment in the sludge blanket of the reactor. When the anaerobic reactor effluent was post-treated over a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode at 9 and 18 A and in the presence of NaCl as the supporting electrolyte, complete removal of COD was attained after 3–4 h of reaction. During electrochemical experiments, three groups of organochlorinated compounds, namely trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetonitriles (HANs), and haloketons (HKs), as well as 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) and chloropicrin were identified as by-products of the process; these, alongside free chlorine, are thought to increase the matrix ecotoxicity to Artemia salina.

Noble metal Ag-decorated, monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates were successfully synthesized by an ionic strength-assisted, simple sol–gel method and were used for the photocatalytic degradation of the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) under both UV and visible light (UV–visible light) irradiation. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD); UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM); micro-Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS); and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The results showed that the uniformity of TiO₂ aggregates was finely tuned by the sol–gel method, and Ag was well decorated on the monodisperse TiO₂ aggregates. The absorption of the samples in the visible light region increased with increasing Ag loading that was proportional to the amount of Ag precursor added in the solution over the tested concentration range. The Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (The BET) surface area slightly decreased with increasing Ag loading on the TiO₂ aggregates. Ag-decorated TiO₂ samples demonstrated enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under UV–visible light illumination compared to that of pure TiO₂. The sample containing 1.9 wt% Ag showed the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of OTC under both UV–visible light and visible light illumination. During the experiments, the detected Ag leaching for the best TiO₂-Ag photocatalyst was much lower than the National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation for Ag limit (0.1 mg L⁻¹) issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Nano-silver is increasingly used in consumer products from washing machines and refrigerators to devices marketed for the disinfection of drinking water or recreational water. The nano-silver in these products may be released, ending up in surface water bodies which may be used as drinking water sources. Little information is available about the stability of the nano-silver in sources of drinking water, its fate during drinking water disinfection processes, and its interaction with disinfection agents and disinfection by-products (DBPs). This study aims to investigate the stability of nano-silver in drinking water sources and in the finished drinking water when chlorine and chloramines are used for disinfection and to observe changes in the composition of DBPs formed when nano-silver is present in the source water. A dispersion of nano-silver particles (10 nm; PVP-coated) was used to spike untreated Ottawa River water, treated Ottawa River water, organic-free water, and a groundwater at concentrations of 5 mg/L. The diluted dispersions were kept under stirred and non-stirred conditions for up to 9 months and analyzed weekly using UV absorption to assess the stability of the nano-silver particles. In a separate experiment, Ottawa River water containing nano-silver particles (at 0.1 and 1 mg/L concentration, respectively) was disinfected by adding sodium hypochlorite (a chlorinating agent) in sufficient amounts to maintain a free chlorine residual of approximately 0.4 mg/L after 24 h. The disinfected drinking water was then quenched with ascorbic acid and analyzed for 34 neutral DBPs (trihalomethanes, haloacetonitriles, haloacetaldehydes, 1,1 dichloro-2-propanone, 1,1,1 trichloro-2-propanone, chloropicrin, and cyanogen chloride). The results were compared to the profile of DBPs obtained under the same conditions in the absence of nano-silver and in the presence of an equivalent concentration of Ag⁺ ions (as AgNO₃). The stability of the nano-silver dispersions in untreated Ottawa River water, with a dissolved organic carbon concentration of 6 mg/L, was significantly higher than the stability of the nano-silver dispersions in distilled, organic-free water. Nano-silver particles suspended in the groundwater agglomerated and were quickly and quantitatively removed from the solution. Our data confirm previous observations that natural dissolved organic matter stabilizes nano-silver particles, while the high-ionic strength of groundwater appears to favor their agglomeration and precipitation. As expected, nano-silver was not stable in Ottawa River water through the chlorination process, but survived for many days when added to the Ottawa River water after treatment with chlorine or chloramines. Stirring appeared to have minimal effect on nano-silver stability in untreated and treated Ottawa River water. The profile of DBPs formed in the presence of nAg differed significantly from the profile of DBPs formed in the absence of nAg only at the 1 mg/L nAg concentration. The differences observed consisted mainly in reduced formation of some brominated DBPs and a small increase in the formation of cyanogen chloride. The reduced formation of brominated congeners may be explained by the decrease in available bromide due to the presence of Ag⁺ ions. It should be noted that a concentration of 1 mg/L is significantly higher than nAg concentrations that would be expected to be present in surface waters, but these results could be significant for the disinfection of some wastewaters with comparably high nano-silver concentrations.

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are one kind of persistent organic pollutants. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of diethylphthalate (DEP) and di(2-ethyl)hexylphthalate (DEHP) with different concentrations (0, 30, 50, 100, and 200 mg L⁻¹) on early seedling growth of Cucumis sativus L. Physiological, biochemical, and ultrastructure of seedling leaves were examined for 7-day exposure. The three antioxidant enzymes’ activities was stimulated at low-DEP treatments and decreased under higher levels (>200 mg L⁻¹) compared to the controls. Furthermore, MDA and H₂O₂gradually enhanced with the elevation of DEP and DEHP concentration. Significant impact on the chloroplast and mitochondrion was visible, possibly as a consequence of free radical generation. DEP induced bigger and more starch grains in chloroplasts than DEHP. This study concluded that the effects of DEP and DEHP on cucumber seedlings represented the adverse impacts of DEP and DEHP on the ecosystem and agricultural production. The environmental harm caused by DEP was severer than DEHP.