This article discusses bioaccumulation and temporal variation of heavy metals in three edible lagoon fish species with references to gender. Cd and As were undetected in the three fish species (i.e., below the method detection limits of 1 μg Cd/kg wet weight and 2 μg As/kg wet weight) irrespective of the periods, and Cd was undetected in the water too (i.e., below the detection limit of 0.0003 mg/L). Except for Zn (which was mainly available as Zn²⁺ in the water), Pb was present largely as low labile metal-chloride complexes and As as HAsO₄ ²⁻ as per Visual MINTEQ, version 3.1. Bio-transfer factors of Sn (which was also undetected in the water; below the detection limit of 0.05 mg/L), Hg, Pb, and Zn were <1 in both sexes, justifying that bioaccumulation was largely attributed to food rather than uptake from the water. Metal accumulation patterns differed drastically between the fish species. Arius maculatus (a carnivore) exhibited higher Zn, Hg, and Sn accumulations during the drier periods (June–September) compared with Mugil cephalus (a detritivore/herbivore) and Etroplus suratensis (an omnivore). Pb was detected only in A. maculatus (July–August) possibly due to biomagnification. Zn was present in higher levels in all species (irrespective of sex) compared with the other metals, but levels were below admissible limits. However, the relationship between temporal variation of Zn and gender in all species was insignificant. In M. cephalus, the temporal variation of Sn and Hg between the sexes was also insignificant. Female A. maculatus and E. suratensis showed higher Hg concentrations, while males showed higher Sn concentrations. Temporal variation patterns of Pb were unclear.

The spatio-temporal variability of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) and its relationships with physical (temperature, salinity) and chemical (nutrients, chlorophyll a, dissolved and particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) parameters were investigated in inland waters of the Rhône River delta and the Fos-Marseille marine area (northwestern Mediterranean, France). Samples were taken approximately twice per month in two inland sites and three marine sites from February 2011 to January 2012. FDOM was analysed using fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). In inland waters, humic-like components C1 (λEₓ/λEₘ: 250 (330)/394 nm) and C3 (λEₓ/λEₘ: 250 (350)/454 nm) dominated over one tryptophan-like component C2 (λEₓ/λEₘ: 230 (280)/340 nm), reflecting a background contribution of terrigenous material (~67% of total fluorescence intensity, in quinine sulphate unit (QSU)) throughout the year. In marine waters, protein-like material, with tyrosine-like C4 (λEₓ/λEₘ: <220 (275)/<300 nm) and tryptophan-like C5 (λEₓ/λEₘ: 230 (280)/342 nm), dominated (~71% of total fluorescence intensity, in QSU) over a single humic-like component C6 (λEₓ/λEₘ: 245 (300)/450 nm). In inland waters of the Rhône River delta, humic-like components C1 and C3 were more abundant in autumn-winter, very likely due to inputs of terrestrial organic matter from rainfalls, runoffs and wind-induced sediment resuspension. In marine sites, intrusions of the Berre Lagoon and Rhône River waters had a significant impact on the local biogeochemistry, leading to higher fluorescence intensities of humic- and protein-like components in spring-summer. On average, the fluorescence intensities of FDOM components C4, C5 and C6 increased by 33–81% under lower salinity. This work highlights the complex dynamics of FDOM in coastal waters and confirms the link between marine FDOM and the Rhône River freshwater intrusions on larger spatial and temporal scales in the Fos-Marseille marine area.

Combustion of residual forest biomass (RFB) derived from eucalypt (Eucalyptus globulus), pine (Pinus pinaster) and golden wattle (Acacia longifolia) was evaluated in a pilot-scale bubbling fluidised bed reactor (BFBR). During the combustion experiments, monitoring of temperature, pressure and exhaust gas composition has been made. Ash samples were collected at several locations along the furnace and flue gas treatment devices (cyclone and bag filter) after each combustion experiment and were analysed for their unburnt carbon content and chemical composition. Total suspended particles (TSP) in the combustion flue gas were evaluated at the inlet and outlet of cyclone and baghouse filter and further analysed for organic and elemental carbon, carbonates and 57 chemical elements. High particulate matter collection efficiencies in the range of 94–99% were observed for the baghouse, while removal rates of only 1.4–17% were registered for the cyclone. Due to the sand bed, Si was the major element in bottom ashes. Fly ashes, in particular those from eucalypt combustion, were especially rich in CaO, followed by relevant amounts of SiO₂, MgO and K₂O. Ash characteristics varied among experiments, showing that their inorganic composition strongly depends on both the biomass composition and combustion conditions. Inorganic constituents accounted for TSP mass fractions up to 40 wt%. Elemental carbon, organic matter and carbonates contributed to TSP mass fractions in the ranges 0.58–44%, 0.79–78% and 0.01–1.7%, respectively.

Low-cost tubular macroporous supports for ceramic membranes were elaborated using the extrusion method, followed by curing, debinding, and sintering processes, from a powder mixture containing kaolin, starch, and sand. The obtained substrates were characterized using mercury intrusion porosimetry, water absorption test, water permeability, scanning electron microscopy, and three-point bending test to evaluate the effects of the additives on the relevant characteristics. According to experimental results, adding the starch ratio to the kaolin powder shows a notable impact on the membrane porosity and consequently on the water permeability of the tubular supports, whereas their mechanical strength decreased compared to those prepared from kaolin alone. It has been shown that the addition of an appropriate amount of starch to the ceramic paste leads to obtaining membrane supports with the desired porosity. Indeed, the water permeability increased significantly from 20 to 612 L h⁻¹ m⁻² bar⁻¹ for samples without and with 20 wt% of starch, respectively, as well as the open porosity, the apparent porosity, and the pore size distribution. The bending strength decreased slightly and reached about 4 MPa for samples with the highest starch amounts. On the other hand, the incorporation of sand in a mixture of kaolin + 10 wt% starch increased the mechanical strength and the water permeability. The samples containing 3 wt% of sand exhibited a bending strength four times higher than the supports without sand; the water permeability measured was about 221 L h⁻¹ m⁻² bar⁻¹. These elaborated tubular supports for membrane are found to be suitable for solution concentration; they were applied for algal solution and are also easily cleaned by water.

The association between urinary cadmium and diabetes risk remains controversial. PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data updated on 21 June 2016 were searched for eligible publications. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) of diabetes for highest versus lowest level of urinary cadmium was calculated by using fixed-effect model or random-effect model. Dose-response relationship between urinary cadmium and diabetes was estimated by restricted cubic spline. A total of nine studies with 28,691 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled OR of diabetes for the highest versus lowest level of urinary cadmium was 1.02 (95% CI, 1.00, 1.05; I ² = 42.3%). In subgroup analysis, the ORs were 1.02 (95% CI 1.00, 1.05; I ² = 0.9%) for studies conducted in Asia and 1.11 (95% CI 0.88, 1.41; I ² = 86.3%) in America. For dose-response analysis, a linear relationship was found between urinary cadmium and the risk of diabetes (P fₒᵣ ₙₒₙₗᵢₙₑₐᵣ = 0.5856). For every l μg/g creatinine increment of urinary cadmium, the risk of diabetes increased by 16% (1.16, 95% CI 1.08, 1.25). This meta-analysis suggests that cadmium exposure might be significantly associated with prevalence of diabetes, but large prospective studies are needed to confirm this finding.

It is important to analyze the influence mechanism of energy-related carbon emissions from a regional perspective to effectively achieve reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions in China. Based on the “energy-economy-carbon emissions” hybrid input-output analysis framework, this study conducted structural decomposition analysis (SDA) on carbon emissions influencing factors in Guangdong Province. Systems-based examination of direct and indirect drivers for regional emission is presented. (1) Direct effects analysis of influencing factors indicated that the main driving factors of increasing carbon emissions were economic and population growth. Carbon emission intensity was the main contributing factor restraining carbon emissions growth. (2) Indirect effects analysis of influencing factors showed that international and interprovincial trades significantly affected the total carbon emissions. (3) Analysis of the effects of different final demands on the carbon emissions of industrial sector indicated that the increase in carbon emission arising from international and interprovincial trades is mainly concentrated in energy- and carbon-intensive industries. (4) Guangdong had to compromise a certain amount of carbon emissions during the development of its export-oriented economy because of industry transfer arising from the economic globalization, thereby pointing to the existence of the “carbon leakage” problem. At the same time, interprovincial export and import resulted in Guangdong transferring a part of its carbon emissions to other provinces, thereby leading to the occurrence of “carbon transfer.”

Cemeteries and crematoria are the main funeral ways used in the world nowadays. It is a little-studied segment in the present days, mainly as for the possible environmental impacts in the environment, such as those derived from dental amalgam, prostheses, and dioxins, among other. This article aimed to identify the environmental impacts caused by cemeteries and crematoria and to point out new trends in funeral processes such as freeze-drying and alkaline hydrolysis. The study is justified due to the large part of the Brazilian population that do not know the environmental impacts caused by cemeteries and crematoria, as well as to bring information about the new processes. For that, a research was carried out with 400 people. The main results show that among all the funeral processes, the new freeze-drying process was opted by 33% of the sample. We also identified that the main reasons for choosing the funeral process were less environmental impact (28%), no after-death expenses (grave payment) (16.1%), and the possibility of putting away or throwing away the remains wherever you want (14.9%). Finally, new funeral processes were well accepted by the Brazilian population—those who were interviewed—due to their benefits.

In this research, magnetite and ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid (EDDS) are used in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton system in order to find a new way to remove organic contaminants from water. Influence of different parameters including magnetite dosage, EDDS concentration, H₂O₂ concentration, and pH value were evaluated. The effect of different radical species including HO· and HO₂ ·/O₂ ·⁻ was investigated by addition of different scavengers into the system. The addition of EDDS improved the heterogeneous photo-Fenton degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) through the formation of photochemically efficient Fe-EDDS complex. This effect is dependent on the H₂O₂ and EDDS concentrations and pH value. The high performance observed at pH 6.2 could be explained by the ability of O₂ ·⁻ to generate Fe(II) from Fe(III) species reduction. GC-MS analysis suggested that the cleavage of the two benzene rings is the first degradation step followed by oxidation leading to the formation of the benzene derivatives. Then, the benzene ring was opened due to the attack of HO· radicals producing short-chain organic compounds of low molecular weight like glycerol and ethylene glycol. These findings regarding the capability of EDDS/magnetite system to promote heterogeneous photo-Fenton oxidation have important practical implications for water treatment technologies.

Dissipations of three insecticides: chlorantraniliprole, chlorpyrifos-methyl and indoxacarb in apples were studied following their foliar application on apples intended for production of baby food. The apples were sprayed with formulations for control of codling moth (Cydia Pomonella L.) and leafrollers (Tortricidae). Six experiments were conducted; each insecticide was applied individually on dessert apples. A validated gas chromatography-based method with simultaneous electron capture and nitrogen–phosphorus detection (GC-ECD/NPD) was used for the residue analysis. The analytical performance of the method was satisfactory, with expanded uncertainties ≤36% (a coverage factor, k = 2, and a confidence level of 95%). The dissipations of insecticides were studied in pseudo-first-order kinetic models (for which the coefficient of determination, R ² , ranged between 0.9188 and 0.9897). Residues of studied insecticides were below their maximum residue limits of 0.5 mg/kg at an early stage of growth of the fruit. The half-lives of chlorantraniliprole, chlorpyrifos-methyl and indoxacarb were 16–17, 4–6 and 20–24 days, respectively. The initial residue levels declined gradually and reached the level of 0.01 mg/kg in 1 month for chlorpyrifos-methyl, 2 months for chlorantraniliprole and 2.5 months for indoxacarb. To obtain the insecticide residue levels below 0.01 mg/kg, which is the default MRL for food intended for infants and young children, the application of the studied insecticides should be carried out at recommended doses not later then: 1 month before harvest for chlorpyrifos-methyl, 2 months for chlorantraniliprole and 2.5 months for indoxacarb.

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed pollutant trace metal that has been increasing in terrestrial environments due to rising anthropogenic emissions. Vegetation plays an important role in Hg sequestration in forested environments, but increasing tree removal for biofuels and wood products may affect this process. The long-term effect of clear-cutting on forest soil Hg remains uncertain, since most studies are limited to measuring changes for < 10 years following a single harvest event. The chronosequence approach, which substitutes space for time using forest stands of different ages since clear-cutting, allows for investigation of processes occurring over decades to centuries. Here, we utilized three clear-cut forest soil chronosequences across the northeastern USA to understand Hg accumulation and retention over several decades. Total Hg concentrations and pools were quantified for five soil depth increments along three chronosequences. Our results showed Hg concentrations and pools decreased in the initial 20 years following clear-cutting. Mineral soil Hg pools decreased 21–53% (7–14 mg m⁻²) between 1–5-year-old stands and 15–25-year-old stands but mineral soil Hg pools recovered in 55–140-year-old stands to similar values as measured in 1–5-year-old stands. Our study is one of the first to demonstrate a decrease and recovery in Hg pool size. These changes in Hg did not correspond with changes in bulk density, soil C, or pH. We utilized a simple two-box model to determine how different Hg fluxes affected organic and mineral soil horizon Hg pools. Our simple model suggests that changes in litterfall and volatilization rates could have caused the observed changes in organic horizon Hg pools. However, only increases in leaching could reproduce observed decreases to mineral soil Hg pools. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of Hg loss from forest soils following clear-cutting.