The first continuous measurements of the hourly surface ozone (O3), nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations at 7 rural and 15 urban sites in Marmara Region of Turkey during the period from March 2013 to April 2016. The results indicate that surface O3 is an extensive problem throughout the Marmara Region. O3 levels have similar seasonal pattern in rural and urban sites by following the order of summer, spring, fall, and winter. The seasonal results showed an opposite behaviour among O3 and NOx (NO + NO2) in both rural and urban sites, marked by maximums (minimum NOx) of O3 in summer and minimums (maximum NOx) in fall and winter. The summer concentrations vary between 91.5 and 123.6 μg/m³ and 74.6–112.4 μg/m³ at rural and urban sites respectively. Furthermore, O3 peak concentration time in rural areas in O3 seasons (April–September) occurred at around 17:00–18:00 LST while in urban areas at around 15:00–16:00 LST, respectively. Air quality standards for O3 concentrations in Sile and Yalova rural sites were significantly exceeded during O3 season. This exceedance made a linkage between back trajectories and air masses with respect to the O3 levels. 72-hr back trajectories at an altitude of 500 m agl were computed by HYSPLIT model to assess the type of air masses which reach the area. AOT40 (accumulated exposure over a threshold of 40 ppb) index was performed for both vegetation and forestry standards and EU Directive were significantly exceeded at all rural stations.

Current patterns of agricultural expansion and intensification are bringing unprecedented environmental externalities, including impacts on water quality. While water pollution is slowly starting to receive the attention it deserves, the contribution of agriculture to this problem has not yet received sufficient consideration. We need a much better understanding of the causes and effects of agricultural water pollution as well as effective means to prevent and remedy the problem. In the existing literature, information on water pollution from agriculture is highly dispersed. This repost is a comprehensive review and covers different agricultural sectors (including crops, livestock and aquaculture), and examines the drivers of water pollution in these sectors as well as the resulting pressures and changes in water bodies, the associated impacts on human health and the environment, and the responses needed to prevent pollution and mitigate its risks.

Aquatic system contamination is a subject of concern due to the high number of contaminants with the potential to be hazardous for plant and animal species, including humans. A large number of analytical methods have been developed to evaluate the extension of water resource pollution, most of them focused on target residue analysis. Screening methods for potential target and non-target compounds are a potential alternative and could be used for a comprehensive evaluation of samples composition. Liquid chromatography coupled to time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-qTOF-MS/MS) was developed to provide full-spectrum data and high mass resolution with appropriate selectivity and sensitivity for monitoring of 300 pharmaceuticals and pesticides in environmental water samples. The validation was based on anti-doping analysis validation protocols, using three different concentration levels (0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 μg L⁻¹). Confirmation analysis was achieved using two fragment ions monitoring for each analyte. Samples were extracted by solid-phase extraction and analyzed by LC-qTOF-MS/MS. The final method was able to detect 170 chemicals in wastewater treatment plant effluent and 198 chemicals in surface water. The advantage of using post-acquisition data processing provided by a qTOF-MS/MS system allowed for non-target analysis for an illicit drug metabolite determination. The method was successfully applied to real samples of wastewater and surface water.

The degradation and transformation of p-nitrophenol (PNP) was evaluated with as-prepared iron oxides (γ-FeOOH, Fe₃O₄, and α-Fe₂O₃) as catalyst. Results showed that α-Fe₂O₃ exhibited higher catalytic activity than the other two samples for reduction transformation and oxidative degradation of PNP. α-Fe₂O₃ showed higher surface-bound Fe(II) contents in the presence of oxalic acid and stronger affinity to PNP, leading to an increase in PNP reductive transformation. And α-Fe₂O₃ could effectively adsorb visible light and hinder the recombination of charge carriers, resulting in higher oxidative degradation activity. p-Aminophenol (PAP), as the main reduction transformation product of PNP, could be removed further by oxidative degradation in the reaction system itself. A possible mechanism was suggested for the comprehensive effect of PNP degradation during the reaction process.

The Xiangjiang River is the mother river of the Hunan Province; also, it is a stream receiving effluents from wastewater treatment plants and even sewage, providing raw water for drinking water and habitat for various kinds of aquatic organisms. Thus, the occurrence and distribution of personal care products (PCPs) in the Xiangjiang River, including seven preservatives, four anticorrosion agents, two antimicrobials, and six UV filters, were detected to evaluate their environmental risk. Of 13 detected PCPs, methyl paraben, propyl paraben, 1H-benzotriazole, 5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzotriazole, triclosan, and triclocarban were detected with a high frequency (81.4–100%), and their concentrations were up to 3173.9, 1040.4, 520.5, 15.6, 20.0, and 13.3 ng/L, respectively. Seasonal and spatial differences of the PCP distributions were observed with p < 0.05. Compared with other 37 rivers around the world, the overall pollution level of the Xiangjiang River was moderate, characterized with higher preservatives, lower anticorrosion agents and UV filters in concentration. The risk assessment revealed that methyl paraben, propyl paraben, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, triclosan, and triclocarban were likely to have ecotoxicological effects on the fish, daphnias, and algae.

Wastewater, containing vanadium, uranium, and lanthanum are produced by mining, nuclear, and other industries. Bacteria Pseudomonas putida, Halomonas mono, and cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis were used for lanthanum, vanadium, and uranium, removal from aqueous solutions by means of biosorption and bioreduction processes. A rapid rate of metal adsorption was observed within the first 5–15 min of the reaction. The pseudo-first-order model was found to correlate well with the experimental data. Bacteria show higher metal biosorption in comparison with cyanobacteria. The strong involvement of carboxyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amide groups in studied metal binding was ascertained by FT-IR spectroscopy. Bioreduction studies carried out with Pseudomonas putida and Halomonas mono cells showed highness of metal reduction in alkaline conditions, resulting in the bioreduction of 69 and 85% of vanadate ions and 48 and 64% of uranyl ions, respectively. Using geochemical modeling, the insoluble metal phases were determined.

Water table depth manipulations as implemented in sugarcane fields of Southwestern Florida, USA, were hypothesized to influence the nutrient concentrations below the water table. Concentrations of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), nitrogen (N), and bromide (Br⁻) were monitored above and below the water table using a column leaching experiment. Three columns were packed with Immokalee soil (A, E, and Bh horizons) classified as a spodosol and fertilizers (NPK) were applied on the soil surface as solids using rates of 11 kg P ha⁻¹, 166 kg K ha⁻¹, and 200 kg N ha⁻¹. A fourth column where fertilizer mixture and bromide were not added acted as a blank. Potassium was also applied as KBr with bromide used as tracer for water movement. Water table was maintained at 30 cm for 6 weeks and lowered to 50 cm deep for another 6 weeks. Samplers were placed in A, E, and Bh horizons and outlets were placed at 30 and 50 cm deep to obtain solutions for monitoring nutrients and tracer. Solution samplers placed in E and Bh horizons were located below the water table. Slightly elevated P, N, and K concentrations in E horizon for a 50-cm water table depth treatment were observed. For both water table treatments, minimal loss of applied N, P, and K below the water table was observed. The results of the study have shown that movement of nutrients below the water table is slow, and depends on the type of nutrients applied and the water table depth.

Environmentally friendly ionic solvents such as (a) ionic liquids (ILs) formulated with hydroxyl ammonium cations and various carboxylic acid anions and (b) choline chloride or ethyl ammonium chloride-based deep eutectic solvents (DES) were tested as media for hydrolytic and synthetic reactions catalysed by lipase-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers. The nature of ionic solvents used has a significant effect on the hydrolytic and synthetic activity of the immobilized lipase, as well as on its stability and reusability. In choline chloride-based DES, the activity and especially the operational stability of the biocatalyst are significantly increased compared to those observed in buffer, indicating the potential application of these solvents as green media for various biocatalytic processes of industrial interest.