Recent droughts in the southwestern United States have heightened the interest in using more reclaimed water for agricultural irrigation. Treated wastewater effluent is a source of irrigation water and contains many pharmaceutical microcontaminants. Currently, there is little knowledge on if these microconstituents will enter food crops and if so where they will be found within the plant. For this experiment, the uptake of 17α-ethynylestradiol, fluoxetine HCl (Prozac®), and ibuprofen within different sections of a celery stalk over a 24-h time period was examined. Results found that all of these pharmaceuticals were taken up into the celery stalks within 24 h. Ibuprofen was found to have reached concentrations of 1 μg/g within the leaves in just 1 h. Metabolites of the ibuprofen were also detected at all locations within the stalk for all time periods. The concentration of EE2 in the submerged section of the stalk was found to increase from 0.031 to 0.911 μg/g of celery in just 23 h. The EE2 began to rise higher within the stalk to reach a concentration of 8.94 ng/g about 6 in above the base after 24 h. Fluoxetine HCl concentrations rose to 0.832 μg/g of celery within the submerged section of the stalk during the 24 h. After 12 h, fluoxetine HCl was detected within the bottom 4 in of the stalk. EE2, fluoxetine HCl, and ibuprofen all exhibit potential for uptake within food crops. Further studies on additional food crops and pharmaceuticals would be required to assess the full risk posed to human eating food crops irrigated with treated wastewater effluent.

One of the most widely used carbon nanomaterials is fullerene (C₆₀), a lipophilic organic compound that potentially can behave as a carrier of toxic molecules, enhancing the entry of environmental contaminants in specific organs. Microcystins (MC) are cyanotoxins very toxic for human and environmental health. Several studies showed that exposure to MC or C₆₀generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and changes in antioxidant levels. Also, another factor that can come to enhance the toxic potential of both MC and C₆₀is UVA radiation. Therefore, it was evaluated the effects on oxidative stress parameters of ex vivo co-exposure of MC and C₆₀(5 mg/l) in gills of the fish Cyprinus carpio under UVA radiation incidence. The results showed that (a) there was a loss of antioxidant capacity after low MC concentration (L, 50 μg/l) + C₆₀co-exposure under UVA, (b) C₆₀under UVA decreased glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity, (c) high MC concentration (H, 200 μg/l) + C₆₀co-exposure decreased the concentrations of glutathione (GSH) under UVA or in the dark, (d) L under UVA increased lipid peroxidation, and (e) C₆₀did not cause a higher bioaccumulation of MC in gills. The lowering of GSH in H + C₆₀co-exposure should compromise MC detoxification mediated by GST, although toxin accumulation is not influenced by C₆₀.

A serial enrichment culture has been grown in an alkaline Fe(III)-citrate-containing medium from an initial inoculum from a soil layer beneath a chromium ore processing residue (COPR) disposal site where Cr(III) is accumulating from Cr(VI) containing leachate. This culture is dominated by two bacterial genera in the order Clostridiales, Tissierella, and an unnamed Clostridium XI subgroup. This paper investigates the growth characteristics of the culture when Cr(VI) is added to the growth medium and when aquifer sand is substituted for Fe(III)-citrate. The aim is to determine how the availability and chemical form of Fe(III) affects the growth of the bacterial consortium, to determine the impact of Cr(VI) on growth, and thus attempt to understand the factors that are controlling Cr(III) accumulation beneath the COPR site. The culture can grow fermentatively at pH 9.2, but growth is stronger when it is associated with Fe(III) reduction. It can withstand Cr(VI) in the medium, but growth only occurs once Cr(VI) is removed from solution. Cr(VI) reduced the abundance of Tissierella sp. in the culture, whereas the Clostridium XI sp. was Cr(VI) tolerant. In contrast, growth with solid phase Fe(III)-oxyhydroxides (present as coatings on aquifer sand) favoured the Tissierella C sp., possibly because it produces riboflavin as an extracellular electron shuttling compound allowing more efficient electron transfer to solid Fe(III) phases. Thus, it is suggested that bacterially mediated Cr(III) reduction in the soil beneath the COPR site is dependent on Fe(III) reduction to sustain the bacterial community.

Grass from municipal roadside verges is a potential yet largely unused resource for bioenergy recovery, which is mainly due to its unknown elemental composition. Therefore, we measured the concentration of 16 elements (Ca, K, Mg, N, Na, P, S, Al, Cd, Cl, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, Si and Zn) in a material from the city of Kassel harvested in different management intensities. The element concentrations were mainly close to reference values of agricultural or nature conservation grassland and usually within the range of literature data. Concentrations of most elements, including heavy metals, were below limiting values. Only N and Cl concentrations in the raw material exceeded the limiting values for combustion, but washing and dewatering of the biomass with the “integrated generation of solid fuel and biogas from biomass” technique resulted in concentrations in the press cake well below the limiting values. Considering the element concentrations of grass from urban roadside verges, utilisation for energy recovery may be possible, provided an appropriate technology is applied.

Sorption of four ionizable organic amines, n-hexylamine, trimethylamine, 1-naphthylamine, and phenylamine, on a soil sample were measured, and their effects on the sorption of phenanthrene (PHE) to the same adsorbent were studied. The aim of this study was to better clarify sorption mechanisms of chemicals with different polarity and ionization characteristics in a single-solute system and in a polar/nonpolar binary system. In the single system, cationic organic amines exhibited greater sorption than those in a neutral form, and the sorption increased with hydrophobicity for amines with the same form. In the binary system, the sorption of PHE was promoted in the presence of n-hexylamine and the solid-water distribution coefficient (K d) increased with increasing amine concentrations. This may be explained by the elevated amount of hydrophobic organic sites provided by the head-on adsorption of cationic n-hexylamine to the negatively charged sorbent surface, which are probably more favorable for the sorption of PHE compared with natural organic matters. Contrarily, the neutral amine, 1-naphthylamine, might compete with PHE for the mutually available hydrophobic sites and hence inhibited PHE sorption. On the other hand, both trimethylamine and phenylamine had little effects on PHE sorption due to their relatively high solubility and weak hydrophobicity. Therefore, either in single or binary system, both the form and the solubility/hydrophobicity of the compound play important roles in the sorption of ionizable organic amines and their effects on the sorption of nonpolar co-solute.

The aims of this study were to investigate the presence of mercury (Hg) contamination in shrimp ponds in the south of Thailand and to isolate Hg-resistant purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB). Contamination by total mercury (HgT) in water and sediment samples ranged from <0.0002 to 0.037 μg/L and from 30.73 to 398.84 μg/kg dry weight. In all water and sediment samples, the concentration of HgTwas less than the Thai, Hong Kong, and Canadian standard guidelines. Of the Hg-resistant PNSB, six strains detoxified Hg²⁺by volatilization to Hg⁰using their mercuric reductase enzyme. The ability of PNSB to resist Hg²⁺in aerobic dark conditions was better than in microaerobic light, and this corresponded with their Hg reductase activities (dark condition 15.75, 12.62, and 12.16 U/mg protein for strains SSW15-1, SRW1-5, and SSS2-1, respectively). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values were the same under both incubating conditions at 2.40 mg/L for SRW1-5 and 1.60 mg/L for SSW15-1. However, both values under light condition of SSS2-1 were 3.20 mg/L while under dark-condition MIC and MBC values were 3.20 and 4.00 mg/L. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of Hg²⁺on strains SSS2-1, SRW1-5, and SSW15-1 under dark and light conditions were 2.16, 1.23, and 0.90; and 1.66, 1.11, and 0.80 mg/L, respectively. They were identified using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes establishing that SSS2-1 and SSW15-1 were Afifella marina, while SRW1-5 was Rhodovulum sulfidophilum. These strains can potentially be used to treat Hg-contaminated shrimp ponds.

The aim of this work is to increase the information on trace metals in seabirds and coastal soils in the Antarctica. Concentrations (mg kg⁻¹dry weight) of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Mn, Zn and Pb were determined by ICP-MS in fresh excreta and feathers of Gentoo penguins as well as in soils around the nesting sites where this species inhabits. Samples were collected in four locations throughout the Antarctic Peninsula (January 2014): O’Higgins Base, Stranger Point, Neko Harbor and Doumer Island. The highest levels of elements were found in excreta from O’Higgins Base (2.92, 266.83, 2.99, 44.75, 18.15, 1.68 and 317.92 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively) and Stranger Point (1.97, 222.51, 2.98, 36.62, 13.41, 1.46 and 201.18 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. Similarly, the highest levels were found in feathers from O’Higgins Base (0.21, 20.89, 1.44, 1.19, 5.90, 0.63 and 64.07 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively) and Stranger Point (0.14, 19.65, 1.47, 1.23, 3.85, 0.60 and 64.19 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively). In soils, the highest levels were found in O’Higgins Base (4.31, 421.94, 64.75, 404.76, 28.13, 281.54 and 484.99 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively), whereas the lowest levels were found in Neko Harbor and Doumer Island. These results observed could be related to the major human presence in the northern area of the Antarctic Peninsula and large-scale transport of pollutants. The metals detected in the excreta of the Gentoo penguin can contribute to increase the contamination of coastal terrestrial ecosystems, which could also affect other living organisms.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly used, and concerns about their possible adverse effects are being voiced as well. However, little is known about the fates of NPs released to the environment. The aim of the study was to (i) evaluate the ability of Sinapis alba and Lepidium sativum plants to take up platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) and translocate them to aboveground organs, (ii) compare the accumulation efficiency of different forms of platinum and (iii) identify the forms in which platinum is stored in plant tissues. Plants were cultivated on medium supplemented with different concentrations of Pt-NPs and [Pt(NH₃)₄](NO₃)₂. Platinum content in plants was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. For the identification of the presence of Pt-NPs in plant tissues, gamma spectrometry following iron irradiation was applied. It was found that L. sativum and S. alba are tolerant to applied concentrations of Pt-NPs and have an ability to take up platinum from the medium and translocate it to aboveground organs. The highest concentration of platinum was observed in plant roots (reaching 8.7 g kg⁻¹for S. alba). We tentatively conclude that platinum is accumulated as nanoparticles. The obtained results suggest future application of plants for phytoremediation and recovery of noble metal nanoparticles.

The aim of this study was to investigate the synergistic effects of the process of iron-carbon microelectrolysis (ICME) followed by struvite (MAP) crystallization on treating antibiotic wastewater. Characteristics of ICME effluent depended mainly on the iron to carbon mass ratio (Fe/C). The optimum reaction conditions of Fe/C ratio of 2:1 and reaction time of 90 min were observed. The ICME effluent was further treated by MAP crystallization using Na₂HPO₄·12H₂O and MgCl₂·6H₂O as precipitation agents. The results showed that, the Mg²⁺/NH₄ ⁺-N/PO₄ ³⁻-P molar ratio of 1:1:1 and pH 8.5, were suitable for the crystallization process, which could obtain high-quality MAP containing 5.18 % N,10.23 % Mg, and 13.83 % P. Optimal total removal rate of COD and NH₄ ⁺-N removal rate achieved 84.6 and 89.9 %, respectively. The economic evaluation of NH₄ ⁺-N recovery by the synergistic process was also conducted, indicating that the synergistic process had the potential to benefit COD emission reduction and nitrogen recovery. Graphical Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of treating antibiotic wastewater using iron and carbon combined process of microelectrolysis and struvite (MAP) crystallization. The MAP was of high purity and good crystal morphology, which could be used as a slow-release fertilizer.

Nitrogen (N) deposition is predicted to impact on the structure and functioning of Mediterranean ecosystems. In this study, we measured plant species composition, production and root phosphatase activity in a field experiment in which N (0, 10, 20 and 50 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) was added since October 2007 to a semiarid shrubland in central Spain. The characteristically dominant annual forb element responded negatively to N after ~2.5 and ~3.5 years. In contrast, the nitrophilous element (mainly crucifers) increased with N after ~2.5 and ~5.5 years, a response controlled by between-year variations in rainfall and the heterogeneous distribution of P availability. We also described a hierarchy of factors driving the structure and composition of the plant community: soil fertility was the most important driver, whereas calcareousness/acidity of soils and shrub cover played a secondary role; finally, N deposition contributed to explain a smaller fraction of the total variance, and its effects were predominantly negative, which was attributed to ammonium toxicity. Root phosphatase activity of three species was not responsive to N after ~2.5 years but there was a negative relationship with soil P in two of them. We conclude that increased N deposition in semiarid Mediterranean ecosystems of Europe can contribute to cause a shift in plant communities associated with an increase in the nitrophilous element and with a decline in abundance of various forb species adapted to the local conditions.