Emission of hazardous trace elements (HTEs) from energy production is receiving much attention due to concerns about the toxicity to the ecosystem and human health. This study presented new field measurement data on the HTEs partitioning behavior and size-segregated elemental compositions of gaseous particular matter (PM) generated from a commercial circulating fluidized bed (CFB) power plant. Mineralogical and morphological characteristics of combustion ash and PM2.5 (particle diameter less than 2.5 μm) were determined by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Functional groups alteration during CFB combustion was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The presence of aliphatic hydrogen at 2910 cm−1 and 2847 cm−1 in the PM2.5 suggested that the aliphatic carbon-rich volatiles were absorbed on the fine particles with large surface area. Fine fly ash (PM2.5) occurred as irregular glass particles or/and as unburned carbon. The typical irregular particles were mainly composed of Al-Si-Ca or Al-Si-Fe phases. The enrichment behavior of HTEs was determined for the airborne size-segregated particular matter. Elemental occurrences, combustion temperature, unburnt carbon, and limestone additives during CFB combustion were critical in the transformation behavior of HTEs. The total potentially mobile pollutants that exit the CFB power plant every year were estimated as follows: 0.22 tons of Cr, 0.12 tons of Co, 0.73 tons of Ni, 0.04 tons of As, 0.07 tons of Se, 3.95 kg of Cd, and 3.34 kg of Sb.

Plastic polymers act as passive samplers in air system and concentrate hydrophobic organic contaminants by sorption or specific interactions, which can be transported to other systems such as the marine environment. In this study plastic debris was sampled in the surrounding area of a Mediterranean lagoon in order to determine the concentration of persistent and emerging organic contaminants. More specifically, desorption of 91 regulated and emerging organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorinated pesticides, current-use pesticides, personal care products, other pesticides and plastic additives) was characterized for the first 24 h from different polymers to seawater and the remaining content of these contaminants was also extracted by ultrasonic extraction with methanol. All samples were analyzed by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction coupled to GC/MS. A significant fraction of sorbed contaminants in polymers was desorbed in the first 24 h, particularly for triazines and organophosphorus pesticides due to their lower hydrophobicity than other considered analytes. The remaining contaminants contained in plastics can be also transferred to seawater, sediments or biota. Considering 24 h desorbed fraction plus the remaining methanol extracted fraction, the highest transfer levels corresponded to personal care products, plastic additives, current-use pesticides and PAHs. This is the first study to show the relevance of the transport of organic contaminants on plastic debris from littoral areas to the marine environment.

Herein, we utilize sequential extraction and high-throughput sequencing to investigate the effects of nanomaterial additives on As volatilization from flooded soils. We reveal that maximum volatilization is achieved in the fourth week and is followed by stabilization. The extent of volatilization decreased in the order of control > nano-zerovalent iron >40-nm hydroxyapatite > nano-Fe₃O₄ > 20-nm hydroxyapatite > multilayer graphene oxide > high-quality graphene oxide. The most abundant forms of As in soil corresponded to As-Fe and Al oxides. In soil with low levels of As pollution, the contents of these species increased after treatment with graphene oxides but decreased after treatment with other nanomaterials, with an opposite trend observed for soil with high levels of As pollution. The addition of nanomaterials influenced the activity of soil enzymes, e.g., hydroxyapatites affected the activities of urease and alkaline phosphatase, whereas graphene oxides significantly impacted that of peroxidase (P < 0.05). The addition of nanomaterials (which can potentially inhibit microbial growth) affected As levels by influencing the amount of As volatilized from polluted soil. Moreover, As volatilization, enzyme activity, and As speciation were observed to be mutually correlated (e.g., volatilization was negatively correlated to peroxidase activity and the contents of amorphous crystalline hydrous oxides of As-Fe and Al).

Over the past decade, microscopic plastic debris, known as microplastics, emerged as a contaminant of concern in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Although regularly detected in aquatic environments, the toxicity of those synthetic particles is not well understood. To address this, we investigated whether the exposure to microplastics adversely affects the amphipod Gammarus pulex, a key freshwater invertebrate.Juvenile (6–9 mm) and adult (12–17 mm) individuals were exposed to irregular, fluorescent polyethylene terephthalate fragments (PET, 10–150 μm; 0.8–4,000 particles mL⁻¹) for 24 h. Results show that body burden after 24 h depends on the dose and age of G. pulex with juveniles ingesting more microplastics than adults. After chronic exposure over 48 d, microplastics did not significantly affect survival, development (molting), metabolism (glycogen, lipid storage) and feeding activity of G. pulex.This demonstrates that even high concentrations of PET particles did not negatively interfere with the analyzed endpoints. These results contradict previous research on marine crustaceans. Differences may result from variations in the exposure regimes (e.g., duration, particle concentrations), plastic characteristics (e.g., type, size, shape, additives) as well as the species-specific morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. As a detritivorous shredder G. pulex is adapted to feed on non-digestible materials and might, therefore, be less sensitive towards exposure to synthetic particles. Accordingly, we argue that the autecology needs to be taken into account and that research should focus on identifying traits that render species susceptible to microplastic exposure.

At present, coal is considered one of the main components for the production of cheap, high-energy and environmentally attractive slurry fuels. The latter can be produced on the basis of low-grade coal dust or coal processing wastes. Thus, coal-water slurries and coal-water slurries containing petrochemicals are produced. The involvement of coal and oil processing wastes expands the scope of raw materials, reduces the fuel costs from traditional energy sources and modifies the main economic characteristics of power plant performance. However, it also increases the impact of coal-fired thermal power stations on the environment. In the last 30–50 years, many efforts have been made to decrease the negative impact of human industrial activity on climate. Involving plant-based components in the process of energy generation to save energy and material resources looks very promising nowadays. This research studies the influence of adding typical bioliquids (bioethanol, turpentine, glycerol) on the concentration of anthropogenic emissions from coal-water slurry combustion. Relative mass concentrations of bioliquids varied in a small range below 20%. We focused on the concentration of the most hazardous sulfur and nitrogen oxides from the combustion of typical filter cakes, as well as plant-containing slurries. It was established that the concentration of sulfur oxides can be decreased (as compared to coal) by 75%, whereas that of nitrogen oxides by almost 30%. Using a generalizing criteria expression, we illustrated the main benefits of adding bioliquids to slurry fuels in comparison with coal. Adding 20% of glycerol was found to provide maximum advantages.

Ultrafine (<100 nm) particles related to traffic are of high environmental and human health concern, as they are supposed to be more toxic than larger particles. In the present study transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is applied to obtain a concrete picture on the nature, morphology and chemical composition of non-volatile ultrafine particles in the exhaust of state-of-the-art, Euro 6b, Gasoline and Diesel vehicles. The particles were collected directly on TEM grids, at the tailpipe, downstream of the after-treatment system, during the entire duration of typical driving cycles on the chassis dynamometer. Based on TEM imaging coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, numerous ultrafine particles could be identified, imaged and analyzed chemically. Particles <10 nm were rarely detected. The ultrafine particles can be distinguished into the following types: soot, ash-bearing soot and ash. Ash consists of Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Fe, S, and minor Sn compounds. Most elements originate from lubricating oil additives; Sn and at least part of Fe are products of engine wear; minor W ± Si-bearing nearly spherical particles in Diesel exhaust derive from catalytic coating material. Ultrafine ash particles predominate over ultrafine soot or are nearly equal in amount, in contrast to emissions of larger sizes where soot is by far the prevalent particle type. This is probably due to the low ash amount per volume fraction in the total emissions, which does not favor formation of large ash agglomerates, opposite to soot, which is abundant and thus easily forms agglomerates of sizes larger than those of the ultrafine range. No significant differences of ultrafine particle characteristics were identified among the tested Gasoline and Diesel vehicles and driving cycles. The present TEM study gives information also on the imaging and chemical composition of the solid fraction of the unregulated sub-23 nm size category particles.

Ageing of various plastics in marine environment was monitored after immersion of two synthetic (polyvinylchloride, PVC, and polyethylene terephthalate, PET) and one biodegradable (poly(butylene adipate co-terephtalate), PBAT) plastics for 502days in the bay of Lorient (Brittany, France). Data analysis indicates that aged PVC rapidly releases estrogenic compounds in seawater with a later adsorption of heavy metals; PET undergoes a low weakening of the surface whereas no estrogenic activity is detected; PBAT ages faster in marine environment than PVC. Aged PBAT exhibits heterogeneous surface with some cavities likely containing clay minerals from the chlorite group. Besides, this degraded material occasionally shows a high estrogenic activity. Overall, this study reports, for the first time, that some aged plastics, without being cytotoxic, can release estrogenic compounds in marine environment.

Recent studies have demonstrated the negative impacts of microplastics on wildlife. Therefore, the presence of microplastics in marine species for human consumption and the high intake of seafood (fish and shellfish) in some countries cause concern about the potential effects of microplastics on human health. In this brief review, the evidence of seafood contamination by microplastics is reviewed, and the potential consequences of the presence of microplastics in the marine environment for human food security, food safety and health are discussed. Furthermore, challenges and gaps in knowledge are identified. The knowledge on the adverse effects on human health due to the consumption of marine organisms containing microplastics is very limited, difficult to assess and still controversial. Thus, assessment of the risk posed to humans is challenging. Research is urgently needed, especially regarding the potential exposure and associated health risk to micro- and nano-sized plastics.

Oestrogen-like compounds with biological activities are commonly chemical additives, which have been added into chicken feed for years. Large amount of oestrogen and oestrogen-like compounds were also found in chicken faeces. We believe that such compounds are incorporated into agricultural products as faeces are used in food production process as fertilizer, and they will influence human health. Biodegradation is an environment-friendly, economical way to reduce environmental disruption by oestrogen. In order to degrade oestrogen, we chose 11 bacterial strains that could exhibit high degradation activity against steroid compounds. Oestradiol (E2) and ethynyloestradiol (an artificial oestradiol-like compound; EE2) in chicken faeces were degraded by the bacteria and were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results show that a mixture of oestrogen-degrading bacteria exhibited higher rate of degradation than each of the 11 bacteria did individually. Therefore, we cultured the mixture of 11 bacteria with chicken faeces. An oestrogen-like compound found in chicken feed and faeces could be also degraded by the bacteria.

The use of soil additives for toxic metals chemical stabilization aims to decrease in situ the pollutants’ mobility and availability. In this study, the effectiveness of rinsed red mud (RBRM) and annealed animal bones (B400) was compared in terms of Cu, Pb and Ni stabilization in two contaminated soils with contrasting properties Dystric Cambisol (CM dy) and Rendzic Leptosol (LP rz). The mobility of metals in unamended soil samples (control) and samples amended with 1% and 5% of selected additives were compared using sequential extraction protocol. The relative content of metals in readily and potentially available fractions was higher in CM dy (62% Pb, 13% Cu, and 31% Ni in exchangeable fraction) than in LP rz (< 5% of Pb, Cu, Ni in exchangeable fraction). In CM dy, both additives have caused a decrease in metal mobility with an increase of their doses. The effect of 5% sorbent addition was most pronounced related to Pb immobilization, provoking decrease of exchangeable Pb content to < 10%. Furthermore, B400 addition has redistributed investigated metals from the exchangeable to the residual phase more effectively than RBRM, and its effect on metal mobility decreased in the order Pb > Cu > Ni. Amending of LP rz soil had limited effects with no apparent decrease in exchangeable metal content. The effects of soil type variation, the type of additive and the additive dose onto metal mobility were compared according to ANOVA results. The content of readily and potentially available forms of metals was found to be (i) significantly correlated with all investigated variables for Pb, (ii) significantly correlated with soil type for Cu, and (iii) not in significant correlation with selected variables for Ni. Complex impacts of soil properties and treatment conditions on the mobility of co-contaminants emphasize the need for an individual approach to each case of contamination.