Ecological risk assessment of contaminated sediment has become a fundamental component of water quality management programs, supporting decision-making for management actions or prompting additional investigations. In this study, we proposed a machine learning (ML)-based approach to assess the ecological risk of contaminated sediment as an alternative to existing index-based methods and costly toxicity testing. The performance of three widely used index-based methods (the pollution load index, potential ecological risk index, and mean probable effect concentration) and three ML algorithms (random forest, support vector machine, and extreme gradient boosting [XGB]) were compared in their prediction of sediment toxicity using 327 nationwide data sets from Korea consisting of 14 sediment quality parameters and sediment toxicity testing data. We also compared the performances of classifiers and regressors in predicting the toxicity for each of RF, SVM, and XGB algorithms. For all algorithms, the classifiers poorly classified toxic and non-toxic samples due to limited information on the sediment composition and the small training dataset. The regressors with a given classification threshold provided better classification, with the XGB regressor outperforming the other models in the classification. A permutation feature importance analysis revealed that Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were major contributors to toxicity prediction. The ML-based approach has the potential to be even more useful in the future with the expected increase in available sediment data.

Arsenic (As) toxicity is a problem that needs to be solved in terms of both human health and agricultural production in the vast majority of the world. The presence of As causes biomass loss by disrupting the balance of biochemical processes in plants and preventing growth/water absorption in the roots and accumulating in the edible parts of the plant and entering the food chain. A critical method of combating As toxicity is the use of biosafe, natural, bioactive compounds such as hesperidin (HP) or chlorogenic acid (CA). To this end, in this study, the physiological and biochemical effects of HP (100 μM) and CA (50 μM) were investigated in Zea mays under arsenate stress (100 μM). Relative water content, osmotic potential, photosynthesis-related parameters were suppressed under stress. It was determined that stress decreased the activities of the antioxidant system and increased the level of saturated fatty acids and, gene expression of PHT transporters involved in the uptake and translocation of arsenate. After being exposed to stress, HP and CA improved the capacity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and then ROS accumulation (H₂O₂) and lipid peroxidation (TBARS) were effectively removed. These phenolic compounds contributed to maintaining the cellular redox status by regulating enzyme/non-enzyme activity/contents involved in the AsA-GSH cycle. HP and CA reversed the adverse effects of excessive metal ion accumulation by re-regulated expression of the PHT1.1 and PHT1.3 genes in response to stress. Exogenously applied HP and CA effectively maintained membrane integrity by regulating saturated/unsaturated fatty acid content. However, the combined application of HP and CA did not show a synergistic protective activity against As stress and had a negative effect on the antioxidant capacity of maize leaves. As a result, HP and CA have great potentials to provide tolerance to maize under As stress by reducing oxidative injury and preserving the biochemical reactions of photosynthesis.

Single-chemical thresholds cannot comprehensively evaluate the risk of chemical mixture exposure in indoor air. Moreover, a large number of researches have focused on short-term and high-concentration co-exposure scenarios related to different species, based on diverse endpoints, which hampers the application and improvement of existing risk evaluation models of chemical mixture exposures. More importantly, current risk evaluation models are not user-friendly for construction practitioners who do not have sufficient toxicological knowledge. Therefore, in this study, an inhalation experiment system and a hazard index (HI) were developed to investigate the risks associated with low-concentration and long-term inhalation exposure scenarios of formaldehyde and benzene, individually and combined, based on Drosophila melanogaster mortality. The results showed that the system exhibited good reproducibility in providing stable exposure concentrations during D. melanogaster life cycle. Furthermore, in a range of experimental concentrations, the interaction between formaldehyde and benzene was additive or synergistic, which was concentration- and ratio-dependent. This study is of great significance in harmonising and providing toxicity data under long-term and low-concentration exposure scenarios, which is beneficial for establishing a new user-friendly risk evaluation model for indoor chemical mixture exposures. It should be noted that the proposed HI value could indicate the hazard degrees of long-term inhalation exposures of formaldehyde and benzene, individually and combined, to D. melanogaster. However, the applicability of this index requires further experiments to evaluate the exposure risks of other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to D. melanogaster.

According to fire accident statistics, fires in buildings are increasing. The flame-retardant performance of insulation materials is considered an important factor for preventing the spread of fire and ensuring evacuation. This study evaluated the flame-retardant performance and combustion characteristics of four types of organic thermal insulation used as core materials in sandwich panels. The flame-retardant performance evaluation based on total heat release and heat release rate revealed that phenolic foam (PF) satisfied the criteria for non-combustible grade insulation. An analysis of the hazardous gases released while combustion of the four insulation materials indicated that a significant amount of CO was released—an average of 19,000 ppm or higher—in the rigid urethan foam (PIR) and spray-type polyurethane foam (SPU). The fractional effective dose (FED) value was derived from the gas analysis results according to ISO 13344. PIR and SPU had an average FED value of 2.0 or higher and were identified as very dangerous in the case of fire accidents. Moreover, the evacuation time in the case of a fire in a warehouse-type building was comprehensively analyzed considering the material, size, and height for the four types of insulation. PIR was the most vulnerable to fire, and for PF, the danger limit was not reached until the end of the simulation.

Conservation agriculture through no-till based on cropping systems with high biomass-C input, is a strategy to restoring the carbon (C) lost from natural capital by conversion to agricultural land. We hypothesize that cropping systems based on quantity, diversity and frequency of biomass-C input above soil C dynamic equilibrium level can recover the natural capital. The objectives of this study were to: i) assess the C-budget of land use change for two contrasting climatic environments, ii) estimate the C turnover time of the natural capital through no-till cropping systems, and iii) determine the C pathway since soil under native vegetation to no-till cropping systems. In a subtropical and tropical environment, three types of land use were used: a) undisturbed soil under native vegetation as the reference of pristine level; b) degraded soil through continuous tillage; and c) soil under continuous no-till cropping system with high biomass-C input. At the subtropical environment, the soil under continuous tillage caused loss of 25.4 Mg C ha⁻¹ in the 0–40 cm layer over 29 years. Of this, 17 Mg C ha⁻¹ was transferred into the 40–100 cm layers, resulting in the net negative C balance for 0–100 cm layer of 8.4 Mg C ha⁻¹ with an environmental cost of USD 1968 ha⁻¹. The 0.59 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ sequestration rate by no-till cropping system promote the C turnover time (soil and vegetation) of 77 years. For tropical environment, the soil C losses reached 27.0 Mg C ha⁻¹ in the 0–100 cm layer over 8 years, with the environmental cost of USD 6155 ha⁻¹, and the natural capital turnover time through C sequestration rate of 2.15 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ was 49 years. The results indicated that the particulate organic C and mineral associate organic C fractions are the indicators of losses and restoration of C and leading C pathway to recover natural capital through no-till cropping systems.

Microplastic beads are an emerging contaminant that can cause serious environmental and public health problems. Potential bypass of microplastic beads from wastewater to sludge treatment systems is a key challenge in the conventional wastewater treatment process. Moreover, there are no systematic studies on microplastic bead degradation by hydrolytic enzymes that are rich in concentration within wastewater and sludge treatment processes (e.g., anaerobic digestion (AD)). In this study, lab-scale experiments were conducted to investigate the degradation of high-density polyethylene beads by hydrolytic enzymes (e.g., lipase) under various experimental conditions (e.g., temperature). In a 3-day batch experiment, protease was most effective in polyethylene bead degradation as 4.0% of the initial bead mass was removed at an enzyme concentration of 88 mg/L under thermophilic temperature (55 °C). It was also found that the increasing enzyme concentration and high temperature enhanced the polyethylene bead degradation. In a separate 7-day experiment with repeated doses of protease, 23.3% of the initial mass of beads was removed at thermophilic temperature, indicating that AD with a long retention time (e.g., 20 days) and heated temperature has a significant potential for polyethylene bead degradation. A mathematical model was developed and calibrated using the experimental results to estimate the kinetic constant of the high-density polyethylene bead reduction by an enzyme (k1,i) and enzyme self-decay constant (k2,ii). The calibrated k1,i ranged from 5.0 to 8.1× 10⁻⁴ L/mg/hr while k2,ii was 0.44–1.10 L/mg/hr. Using the calibrated model, degradation of polyethylene beads using a mixture of cellulase and protease was simulated, considering an interactive-decay reaction between the two enzymes. The calibrated model was used to simulate the polyethylene bead degradation in AD where 70–95% of the initial bead mass was removed at typical retention time under mesophilic digestion (37.5 °C). Based on the experimental and simulation results, it can be concluded that hydrolytic enzymes can be an efficient technology for large-scale high-density polyethylene bead removal applications.

It is of great significance to explore the remediation pattern in actual heavy metal (HM) contaminated sites. The field trial was carried out to research the remediation effect of biochar near a lead-zinc smelter in Feng County, China, under the rotation condition of different crops. This kind of cultivation mode is very representative in northern of China. And the pattern of production and restoration is suitable for scarce land resources and large food demand in China. The changes of soil physiochemical properties with the biochar addition, crop growth and the accumulated HMs by crops were focused on. The results showed the biochar application was excellent in improving soil nutrient elements and crop growth. The contents of TK were more obvious than those of TN and TP, with an increase of 2.6%–28.2% compared with the controls (without the addition of biochar). The yield of first season crops, i.e., soybean and corn, increased by 30%–42% and 34%–61%, respectively, and the second season crops, i.e., rape and wheat, with the increment of 25%–41% and 9%–29%, respectively. The availability forms of Cd and Pb decreased by 1.07–10.0% and 2.92–8.35%, respectively. While the improvement on the status of the HMs accumulated by crops was disappointing. The contents of HMs accumulated by crops increased to varying degrees (e.g., Pb and Zn in root, Cu and Pb in grain, and Cd in stems and leaves). Moreover, the concentrations of HMs in seeds of crops were higher than the limited levels given by the Chinese directive. Considering the results of the study and food safety, it is suggested to change the nature of the land around the smelter into woodland or construction land to prohibit the cultivation of food crops in this area.

Free refill drinking water kiosks are an essential sustainable water supply system for people in metropolitan areas worldwide. Despite their importance in urban settings, the impact of microplastic contamination remains elusive. Here, we investigated the occurrence and characteristics of microplastics in drinking-water samples collected from 22 self-distributed refill kiosks located in 14 multiuse urban parks spread across nine municipalities in Mexico City (Mexico). The results showed that microplastics were detected in all the samples, with an overall mean concentration of 74.18 ± 48.76 microplastics L⁻¹. The abundance of microplastics was significantly different between sampled kiosks, ranging from 23 ± 11.31 to 202 ± 28.39 microplastics L⁻¹. There were more fibrous microplastics (88%) than fragments (9%) and films (3%), with the majority (56%) being <200 μm in length. They were predominantly transparent (85%), with only a few being colored (15%; blue, red, green, and brown). Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy further revealed microplastics of various polymer types, including polyvinyl alcohol, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene vinyl alcohol, acrylic, alkyd resin, and viscose. Based on our findings, drinking water from urban refill kiosks exposes children more than adults to microplastics. Furthermore, the steps that should be taken at urban refill kiosks to prevent microplastic pollution while offering recreational services to people have been highlighted. Therefore, this first study serves as a wake-up call to urban water management to improve the safety of water from emerging pollutants like microplastics in the infrastructure of refill kiosks.

Once in the aquatic ecosystems, nanoplastics (NPls) can interact with other contaminants acting as vectors of transport and altering their toxicological effects towards organisms. Thus, the present study aims to investigate how polystyrene NPls (44 nm) interact with the herbicide phenmedipham (PHE) and affect its toxicity to zebrafish embryos. Single exposures to 0, 0.015, 0.15, 1.5, 15 and 150 mg/L NPls and 0.02, 0.2, 2 and 20 mg/L PHE were performed. Embryos were also exposed to the binominal combinations: 0.015 mg/L NPls + 2 mg/L PHE, 0.015 mg/L NPls + 20 mg/L PHE, 1.5 mg/L NPls + 2 mg/L PHE and 1.5 mg/L NPls + 20 mg/L PHE. Due to the low solubility of PHE in water, a solvent control was performed (0.01% acetone). PHE was quantified. Mortality, heartbeat and hatching rate, malformations appearance, locomotor behavior and biomarkers related to oxidative stress, neurotransmission and energy budgets were analyzed. During 96 h, NPls and PHE single and combined exposures did not affect embryos development. After 120 h, NPls induced hyperactivity and PHE induced hypoactivity. After 96 h, NPls increased catalase activity and PHE increased glutathione S-transferases activity. On the combination 0.015 mg/L NPls + 20 mg/L PHE, hyperactivity behavior was found, similar to 0.015 mg/L NPls, and cholinesterase activity was inhibited. Additionally, the combination 1.5 mg/L NPls + 20 mg/L PHE increased both catalase and glutathione S-transferases activities. The combination NPls with PHE affected more biochemical endpoints than the single exposures, showing the higher effect of the binominal combinations. Dissimilar interactions effects – no interaction, synergism and antagonism – between NPls and PHE were found. The current study shows that the effects of NPls on bioavailability and toxicity of other contaminants (e.g. PHE) cannot be ignored during the assessment of NPls environmental behavior and risks.

The high antibiotic resistance gene (ARGs) contents in livestock manure pose a potential risk to environment and human health. The heap composting with an ambient temperature and thermophilic composting are two methods for converting livestock manure into fertilizer. This study investigated the variations in ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and revealed potential mechanisms for ARGs removal using the two composting methods. The ARGs abundance were enriched by 44-fold in heap composting, among them, the macrolide-resistance genes increased significantly. On the contrary, the ARGs were removed by 92% in thermophilic composting, among them, tetracycline-resistance genes decreased by 97%. The bacterial hosts of ARGs were associated with the variations of ARGs and MGEs. The tetO was correlated with the most diverse bacteria in heap composting, and Bacteroidetes was the major host bacteria. While tetT was correlated with the most diverse bacteria in thermophilic composting, and Proteobacteria was the major host bacteria. Structural equation models showed that the enrichment of ARGs in heap composting was mainly correlated with bacterial communities, whereas, the removal of ARGs in thermophilic composting was directly affect by MGEs. Composting temperature directly affected the variations in ARGs. Higher and lower temperatures significantly decreased and increased, respectively, ARGs and MGEs abundance levels.