Brown mud is a waste by-product of alumina production by Bayer process. Due to extensive sodium hydroxide use in the process, brown mud disposal site near Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region, Slovakia) and drainage water are ones of the greatest environmental burdens in Slovakia. Drainage water from this landfills has pH value higher than 13, and it contains many heavy metals and elevated salt content. In our experiments, relatively numerous bacterial population was detected in the drainage water with frequency of about 80 cfu/ml using cultivation approach. The alkalitolerant heterotrophic isolates were identified by combination of MALDI-TOF and 16S rDNA analysis. Drainage water population was dominated by Actinobacteria (Microbacterium spp. and Micrococcus spp.) followed by low G + C-content gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus spp.). Two isolates belonged to gram-negative bacteria only, identified as Brevundimonas spp. Phylogenetic and biochemical analyses indicate that nearly half of the bacteria isolated are probably representatives of a new species. Brown mud disposal site is proposed as a source of new bacterial taxa possibly used in bioremediation processes.

The response of soil respiration (Rs) to nitrogen (N) addition is one of the uncertainties in modelling ecosystem carbon (C). We reported on a long-term nitrogen (N) addition experiment using urea (CO(NH₂)₂) fertilizer in which Rs was continuously measured after N addition during the growing season in a Chinese pine forest. Four levels of N addition, i.e. no added N (N0: 0 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), low-N (N1: 5 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), medium-N (N2: 10 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), and high-N (N3: 15 g N m⁻² year⁻¹), and three organic matter treatments, i.e. both aboveground litter and belowground root removal (LRE), only aboveground litter removal (LE), and intact soil (CK), were examined. The Rs was measured continuously for 3 days following each N addition application and was measured approximately 3–5 times during the rest of each month from July to October 2012. N addition inhibited microbial heterotrophic respiration by suppressing soil microbial biomass, but stimulated root respiration and CO₂ release from litter decomposition by increasing either root biomass or microbial biomass. When litter and/or root were removed, the “priming” effect of N addition on the Rs disappeared more quickly than intact soil. This is likely to provide a point of view for why Rs varies so much in response to exogenous N and also has implications for future determination of sampling interval of Rs measurement.

In most developing countries, especially in Southern Africa, little is known about the presence of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) pathotypes in riverbed sediments. The present study sought to investigate the presence of DEC virulence genes in riverbed sediments of the Apies River, a river used by many communities in Gauteng, South Africa. Water and sediment samples were collected from the river between July and August 2013 (dry season) and also between January and February 2014 (wet season) following standard procedures. Isolation of E. coli was done using the Colilert®-18 Quanti-Tray® 2000 system. DNA was extracted from E. coli isolates using the InstaGene™ matrix from Bio-Rad and used as template DNA for real-time PCR. Water pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity and turbidity were measured in situ. Over 59 % of 180 samples analysed were positive for at least one of the seven DEC virulence genes investigated. The eaeA gene was the most isolated gene (29.44 %) while the ipaH gene the least isolated (8.33 %). The ipaH gene (p = 0.012) and the ST gene (stIa, p = 0.0001, and stIb, p = 0.019) were positively correlated with temperature. The detection of diarrhoeagenic E. coli virulence genes in the sediments of the Apies River shows that the sediments of this river might not only be a reservoir of faecal indicator bacteria like E. coli but also pathogenic strains of this bacterium. These organisms could represent a public health risk for poor communities relying on this water source for various purposes such as drinking and recreational use. There is therefore an urgent need to monitor these DEC pathotypes especially in areas without adequate water supplies.

The concentrations and gas-particle partitioning of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were intensively measured in the Hengchun Peninsula of southern Taiwan. The concentrations of total PAH (Σ₃₈PAH), including gas and particle phases, ranged from 0.85 to 4.40 ng m⁻³. No significant differences in the PAH levels and patterns were found between the samples taken at day and at night. The gas phase PAH concentrations were constant year-round, but the highest levels of particle-associated PAHs were found during the northeast monsoon season. Long-range transport and rainfall scavenging mechanisms contributed to the elevated levels in aerosols andΣ₃₈PAH concentrations. Results from principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the major sources of PAHs in this study were vehicular emissions. The back trajectories demonstrated that air mass movement driven by the monsoon system was the main influence on atmospheric PAH profiles and concentrations in the rural region of southern Taiwan. Gas-particle partition coefficients (K ₚ) of PAHs were well-correlated with sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures (P ᵒ L) and demonstrated significant seasonal variation between the northeast (NE) and the southwest (SW) monsoon seasons. This study sheds light on the role of Asian monsoons regarding the atmospheric transport of PAHs.

This work aimed to quantify the transport and sorption behavior of four individual phthalate esters (PAEs) in sandy aquifer using column experiments so as to provide important parameters for the prediction and control of PAEs pollution plume in groundwater system. The transport curves of four individual PAEs were simulated with HYDRUS-1D through fitting linear and nonlinear equilibrium (LE/NO), linear and nonlinear, first-order, one-site non-equilibrium (LO/NO), linear and nonlinear, first-order, two-site non-equilibrium (LFO/NFO) sorption models. Simulation results showed that two-site models (LFO and NFO) displayed similar best fittings. The results from LFO model simulation showed that when water flowed 1000 m in sandy aquifer, PAEs with shorter carbon chains (DMP and DEP) transport 31.6 and 22.2 m, respectively. Unexpectedly for the same water transport distance, PAEs with longer carbon chains (DBP and DiBP) transported 40.2 and 60.7 m, respectively, which were faster than DMP and DEP, mainly due to the limited accessibility of type-2 sorption sites. The retardations were mainly caused by the sorption of PAEs on the time-dependent type-2 sites. DBP and DiBP exhibited higher mass transfer speed to and fro type-2 sites but showed lower total sorption coefficient (K) due to the limited accessibility of sorption sites. Coexistence of PAEs and smaller sorbent particles increased total K values of DBP and DiBP due to synergic development of more sorption sites with DMP and DEP.

Agricultural production enhancement has been realized by more consumption of fossil energy such as fertilizer and agrochemicals. However, the production provides the present human with sufficient and diversified commodities, but at the same time, deprives in some extent the resources from the future human as well. In the other hand, it is known that synthetic herbicides face worldwide threats to human’s health and environment as well. Therefore, it is a great challenge for agricultural sustainable development. The current review has been focussed on various oilseed crop species which launch efficient allelopathic intervention, either with weeds or other crops. Crop allelopathic properties can make one species more persistent to a native species. Therefore, these crops are potentially harmful to both naturalized as well as agricultural settings. On the other side, allelopathic crops provide strong potential for the development of cultivars that are more highly weed suppressive in managed settings. It is possible to utilize companion plants that have no deleterious effect on neighbor crops and can be included in intercropping system, thus, a mean of contributing to agricultural sustainable development. In mixed culture, replacement method, wherein differing densities of a neighbor species are planted, has been used to study phytotoxic/competitive effects. So, to use alternative ways for weed suppression has become very crucial. Allelochemicals have the ability to create eco-friendly products for weed management, which is beneficial for agricultural sustainable development. Our present study assessed the potential of four oilseed crops for allelopathy on other crops and associated weeds.

Bioaccessibility to assess potential risks resulting from exposure to Pb-contaminated soils is commonly estimated using various in vitro methods. However, existing in vitro methods yield different results depending on the composition of the extractant as well as the contaminated soils. For this reason, the relationships between the five commonly used in vitro methods, the Relative Bioavailability Leaching Procedure (RBALP), the unified BioAccessibility Research Group Europe (BARGE) method (UBM), the Solubility Bioaccessibility Research Consortium assay (SBRC), a Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET), and the in vitro Digestion Model (RIVM) were quantified statistically using 10 soils from long-term Pb-contaminated mining and smelter sites located in Western Australia and South Australia. For all 10 soils, the measured Pb bioaccessibility regarding all in vitro methods varied from 1.9 to 106 % for gastric phase, which is higher than that for intestinal phase: 0.2 ∼ 78.6 %. The variations in Pb bioaccessibility depend on the in vitro models being used, suggesting that the method chosen for bioaccessibility assessment must be validated against in vivo studies prior to use for predicting risk. Regression studies between RBALP and SRBC, RBALP and RIVM (0.06) (0.06 g of soil in each tube, S:L ratios for gastric phase and intestinal phase are 1:375 and 1:958, respectively) showed that Pb bioaccessibility based on the three methods were comparable. Meanwhile, the slopes between RBALP and UBM, RBALP and RIVM (0.6) (0.6 g soil in each tube, S:L ratios for gastric phase and intestinal phase are 1:37.5 and 1:96, respectively) were 1.21 and 1.02, respectively. The findings presented in this study could help standardize in vitro bioaccessibility measurements and provide a scientific basis for further relating Pb bioavailability and soil properties.

This study explored the association between particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM₁₀) and the cause-specific respiratory mortality. We used the ordinary kriging method to estimate the spatial characteristics of ambient PM₁₀ at 1-km × 1-km resolution across Beijing during 2008–2009 and subsequently fit the exposure-response relationship between the estimated PM₁₀ and the mortality due to total respiratory disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia at the street or township area levels using the generalized additive mixed model (GAMM). We also examined the effects of age, gender, and season in the stratified analysis. The effects of ambient PM₁₀ on the cause-specific respiratory mortality were the strongest at lag0-5 except for pneumonia, and an inter-quantile range increase in PM₁₀ was associated with an 8.04 % (95 % CI 4.00, 12.63) increase in mortality for total respiratory disease, a 6.63 % (95 % CI 1.65, 11.86) increase for chronic lower respiratory disease, and a 5.68 % (95 % CI 0.54, 11.09) increase for COPD, respectively. Higher risks due to the PM₁₀ exposure were observed for females and elderly individuals. Seasonal stratification analysis showed that the effects of PM₁₀ on mortality due to pneumonia were stronger during spring and autumn. While for COPD, the effect of PM₁₀ in winter was statistically significant (15.54 %, 95 % CI 5.64, 26.35) and the greatest among the seasons. The GAMM model evaluated stronger associations between concentration of PM₁₀. There were significant associations between PM₁₀ and mortality due to respiratory disease at the street or township area levels. The GAMM model using high-resolution PM₁₀ could better capture the association between PM₁₀ and respiratory mortality. Gender, age, and season also acted as effect modifiers for the relationship between PM₁₀ and respiratory mortality.

Coal production negatively affects the environment by the emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Two soils (KOK and KB) from a coking plant area was investigated and their total PAH concentration was 40 and 17 mg/kg for the sum (∑) 16 US EPA PAHs, respectively. A third soil was sampled from a bitumen plant area and was characterized by 9 mg/kg ∑16 US EPA PAHs. To reduce the freely dissolved concentration (Cfᵣₑₑ) of the PAHs in the soil pore water, active carbon (AC) and two biochars pyrolysed from wheat straw (biochar-S) and willow (biochar-W) were added to the soils at 0.5–5 % (w/w), each. The AC performed best and reduced the Cfᵣₑₑ by 51–98 % already at the lowest dose. The biochars needed doses up to 2.5 % to significantly reduce the Cfᵣₑₑ by 44–86 % in the biochar-S and by 37–68 % in the biochar-W amended soils. The high black carbon (BC) content of up to 2.3 % in the Silesian soils competed with the sorption sites of the carbon amendments and the performance of the remediation was a consequence of the contaminant’s source and the distribution between the BC and the AC/biochars. In contrast, the carbon amendment could best reduce the Cfᵣₑₑ in the Lublin soil where the BC content was normal (0.05 %). It is therefore crucial to know the contaminant’s source and history of a sample/site to choose the appropriate carbon amendment not only for remediation success but also for economic reasons.

In situ sediment remediation using Ca(NO₃)₂ or CaO₂ for odor mitigation and acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and organic pollutant (such as TPH and PAHs) removal was reported in many studies and fieldwork. Yet, the associated effects on metal mobilization and potential distortion in bioavailability were not well documented. In this study, contaminated river sediment was treated by Ca(NO₃)₂ and CaO₂ in bench studies. Through the investigation of AVS removal, organic matter removal, the changes in sediment oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), microbial activity, and other indigenous parameters, the effects on metal bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and fraction redistribution in sediment were evaluated. The major mechanisms for sediment treated by Ca(NO₃)₂ and CaO₂ are biostimulation with indigenous denitrifying bacteria and chemical oxidation, respectively. After applying Ca(NO₃)₂ and CaO₂, the decreases of metal concentrations in the treated sediment were insignificant within a 35-day incubation period. However, the [SEMₜₒₜ-AVS]/f OC increased near to the effective boundary of toxicity (100 μmol g⁻¹ organic carbon (OC)), indicating that both bioavailability and bioaccessibility of metals (Cu, Zn, and Ni) to benthic organisms are enhanced after remediation. Metals were found redistributed from relatively stable fractions (oxidizable and residual fractions) to weakly bound fractions (exchangeable and reducible fractions), and the results are in line with the enhanced metal bioavailability. Compared with Ca(NO₃)₂, CaO₂ led to higher enhancement in metal bioavailability and bioaccessibility, and more significant metal redistribution, probably due to its stronger chemical reactive capacity to AVS and sediment organic matter. The reactions in CaO₂-treated sediment would probably shift from physicochemical to biochemical heterotrophic oxidation for sediment organic matter degradation. Therefore, further investigation on the long-term metal redistribution and associated mobility as well as bioavailability is recommended.