Various inorganic and organic pollutants in industrial soils may adversely affect soil microorganisms and terrestrial ecosystem functioning. The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between the microbial activity, microbial biomass, and functional diversity of soil bacteria and the metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region (Poland). We collected soil samples in pine-dominated forest stands and analyzed them according to a range of soil physicochemical properties, including metal content (cadmium, lead, and zinc) and TPH content. Metal concentrations were normalized to their toxicity to soil microorganisms and integrated in a toxicity index (TI). Soil microbial activity measured as soil respiration rate, microbial biomass measured as substrate-induced respiration rate, and the bacterial catabolic activity (area under the curve, AUC) assessed using Biolog® ECO plates were negatively related to TPH pollution as shown in multiple regressions. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that both TPH and TI affected the community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs) of soil bacteria and the pollutants’ effects were much stronger than the effects of other soil properties, including nutrient content.

The effectiveness of adsorbent agent from agricultural wastes and biomass to remove dye from aqueous solution was investigated. In this study, solution of methylene blue (MB) and two adsorbents, bark of cengal tree (Neobalanocarpus hepmii) and seed of red chili (Capsicum annuum), were tested. Experiments were performed with testing MB solution at 3-h interval and also testing with different quantities of adsorbent. In addition, the further study on characterization of adsorbent by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was conducted in order to elucidate the properties and surface structure of the adsorbents. Analysis from UV-Vis spectroscopy showed that both adsorbents remove MB dye effectively and according to FESEM analysis due to the structure of the adsorbent were perforated and consist of polymer components. On the other hand, in FTIR perspective, the adsorption was successful because of the presence of carboxyl and carbonyl groups from both adsorbent that helps enhanced the process of adsorption.

This study proposes a factorial inexact stochastic fuzzy chance constraint programming framework for dealing with uncertainties in municipal solid waste management under consideration of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trading. It can reflect uncertainties expressed as fuzzy, interval, and random variables and generate desired management strategies for minimizing the integrated cost for solid waste disposal and purchasing GHG emission credit. Moreover, multilevel factorial analysis is conducted to reveal the main and interactive effects of uncertain parameters. The results show that effective waste allocation schemes can be obtained to meet the waste disposal demands and GHG emission requirements under different α-cut levels. The changes in the fuzzy confidence level have impacts on the waste allocation schemes, especially for the waste flow to the incinerator. The disposal cost differs across the three levels of 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 for incinerator capacity constraint when the fuzzy confidence level of composting capacity constraint is equal to 0.5, implying the existence of the interaction between uncertainties in the incinerator and composting facility. Comparison between the waste management practices with and without considering GHG emission requirements indicates that the purchase of GHG emission credits would contribute about 10 % to the total cost, which would not be influenced significantly by the α-cut level.

This study characterizes a biotensoactive produced by the bacterium Azospirillum lipoferum, which was isolated from the rhizospheres of contaminated plants with oil in the lower basin of the Tonala River, Villa Benito Juarez, municipality of Cardenas, Tabasco, Mexico. The following properties were analyzed: viscosity at 25 °C, elemental analysis (% mol) by scanning electron microscopy, density at different temperatures, molecular weight, acute toxicity, median lethal concentration (LC₅₀), and saponification and acidity indices. The effects of pH (6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0) and temperature (25, 30, 35, and 40 °C) on the production of the biotensoactive and the effect of NaCl on the surface tension, density, and emulsifying capacity were studied. The results showed that the viscosity remained stable between 1.0914 and 1.1276 mPa-s, so the biotensoactive was classified as low-molecular weight. Toxic effects on the population of Eisenia foetida began at surfactant concentrations above 55,000 ppm, and the LC₅₀ was 96,695 ppm. The highest yield of biotensoactive production was obtained 48 h after the beginning of the treatment at pH 8 and pH 9 and 25 °C. At 25 °C, the surface tension ranged from 44.60 mN/m at a 1 % concentration by weight of NaCl to 51.11 mN/m at 15 % NaCl, while at 60 °C, the surface tension ranged from 34.90 mN/m at 1 % NaCl to 40.22 mN/m at 15 % NaCl. The emulsifying capacity was 70 % (aqueous solution 15 % NaCl).

The spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern, high research priority being given to the environmental contamination, as the prevalence of organisms exhibiting AMR continues to increase. Multiresistant bacteria carrying different mobile genetic elements have been detected in sites with different degrees of urbanization, surface waters receiving insufficiently treated effluents being at high risk. The aim of the present study was to investigate the loads, antibiotic susceptibility, and class 1 integron carriage of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from surface waters and wastewaters around a large Romanian city. Searching for a valuable genetic marker of the displayed antibiotic resistance, the link between the AMR and the presence of int1I gene was explored in a total of 166 waterborne strains. Overall, amoxicillin-clavulanate resistance displayed the highest frequency (71.1 %), followed by ampicillin (63.9 %), cefuroxime (21.1 %), ciprofloxacin (17.5 %), cefotaxime (15.7 %), ceftriaxone (10.8 %), and gentamicin (6.6 %). The frequencies of isolates resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, ciprofloxacin, and gentamicin and also the prevalence of multiresistant strains were greater in surface waters, compared to wastewaters. The Int1I gene was detected in 21.7 % waterborne Enterobacteriaceae. A decrease in coliform counts and intI1-bearing cells, but a general increase in AMR and multiresistant bacteria, occurred during the wastewater treatment. A weak positive correlation was found between multidrug resistance int1I carriage in wastewater effluent but no sufficient evidence of a linkage between phenotypic AMR and int1I, overall. The presence of class 1 integron can be associated with anthropogenic influence, but the simple detection of intI1 gene cannot explain the complex antibiotic resistance phenotype.

Radionuclides were determined in streams and rivers receiving mine drainage from old uranium mines at the center of Portugal. Results showed enhanced radioactivity levels in some areas impacted by uranium mining and milling wastes, but levels were lower than several years ago due to current water treatment of mine drainage. In some areas, such as at the village of Cunha Baixa, water from wells was contaminated by acid mine drainage, and it is not suitable anymore for human consumption and irrigation of horticulture plots. In the present, villages and towns near those old uranium mines have tap water from public networks supplied from artificial lakes built in major rivers of the region. This tap water showed compliance with the recommended limits of total alpha and total beta radioactivity, and it is suitable for human consumption. Radiation exposure of the population was therefore controlled, but current water supply is much more costly than it was with local water sources.

In the presented in vitro experiment, the effect of selenite treatment (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 50 mg L⁻¹ Se(IV)) on Berula erecta was investigated with respect to growth, photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic pigments, anthocyanins and low molecular weight thiols. Lower Se(IV) concentrations (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg L⁻¹) promoted growth, while higher Se(IV) concentrations (10 and 50 mg L⁻¹) negatively affected it. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem II decreased significantly in plants treated with higher Se(IV) concentrations, compared to that in the control plants. The content of pigments decreased in all the Se(IV) treatments. Both cysteine and glutathione showed alterations in their content and redox state depending on the Se concentration. By evaluating the glutathione/cysteine system and their redox, it was possible to identify a threshold Se content (1-mg Se(IV) L⁻¹ treatment), above which the nature of the effects induced changes from antioxidant to pro-oxidant.

The recent rapid expansion of nanotechnologies has increased concern over the impact of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) on the environment and biota. Although the toxicity of ENPs has received considerable attention in the recent years, there are still gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for their effects. In this study, we tested the toxicity of various metal oxide ENPs (Al₂O₃, CuO, Fe₃O₄, MnO, TiO₂, and ZnO), including nanowires together with their bulk counter particles and soluble metal salts, on germinating seeds of Sinapis alba L. Fe₃O₄, TiO₂, MnO₂, and Al₂O₃ ENPs did not negatively affected seed germination at any tested concentrations. However, CuO and ZnO ENPs showed a dose-dependent inhibition of germination. Metal ions were more toxic than metal oxide particles at corresponding concentrations. The highest toxicity was exhibited by Cu, followed by Zn, Fe, Al, and Mn ions. A comparison of ENPs with bulk materials did not reveal significantly higher ENP toxicity. Similarly, nanowires showed effects similar to other nanoparticles and bulk materials. Our results indicate that the nanosize or shape of particles did not play a crucial role, whereas metal ions released into cultivation media and accumulated in seedlings contributed significantly to the phytotoxicity of metal oxides.

This research investigated the efficiency of South African sands and a type of zero-valent iron (ZVI) to remove nitrate from contaminated water. Batch experiments were carried out using soils widely available in the region of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa (Berea red Sand (BRS) and Umgeni Sand (US), a type of ZVI and two mixes of BRS-ZVI (75–25 and 50–50 % w/w). The experiments were conducted in semi-anoxic conditions to investigate the nitrate removal potentials of the substrates. Batch tests revealed 100 % of nitrate removal by ZVI at lower concentrations (10–25 mg/L), while at higher concentrations (up to 100 mg/L), the removal efficiency decreased. The BRS, as sole material, showed the highest removal (70 %) at 25-mg/L nitrate solution, while at higher concentrations (50 and 100 mg/L), the nitrate removal was 36.7 and 42.9 %, respectively. The ZVI-BRS 50 % mix showed the best performance in terms of both rates and percentage of removal for most of the nitrate concentrations investigated indicating that a higher amount of BRS in the mixes improves the adsorption capacity. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to experimental data, and Langmuir described better the nitrate removal process. According with our findings, the BRS could represent a viable alternative to the ZVI to reduce the cost of the treatment and to increase the nitrate removal capacity.

The Songhua River (SHR) is one of the seven major rivers in China. It feeds into Heilongjiang River, which is the natural border river between China and Russia. The water quality and security of the border river plays an important role in relations of two countries and the economic development for border region. This article collects the papers about researches on organic pollutant in SHR of recent 40 years. With the research study result, this article analyses organic pollutant change trend in terms of detected category, amount and distribution. It shows that the organic pollution is severe and caused negative impact on ecological environment because of industrial development near river bank during 1970–2000. The water quality of SHR has been improved and changed to slight pollution due to the implementation of basin pollution prevention planning in 21st century. The pollutant categories have decreased with lower concentration trend. This study suggests the research orientation for organic pollution of SHR in the future.