Spatial and temporal variability of natural surfactant sea surface film structural parameters were evaluated from force-area isotherms, film pressure-temperature isochors, dynamic surface tension-time relations performed on samples collected in Baltic Sea shallow coastal waters. The film structure state was postulated as a 10-D dimensionless vector created from the normalized thermodynamic, adsorptive, and viscoelastic film parameters. The normalization procedure is based on the concept of self-corresponding states known in thermodynamics. The values taken by all the reduced parameters indicated a significant deviation from the reference ideal-2D gas behavior. The exhibited deviations of the surface parameters from the background values of the same thermodynamic state of each film were independent on the film-collecting procedure, sample solvent treatment, and temperature. The structural similarity was expressed quantitatively as a (Cartesian, street, and Czebyszew) distance between two vectors of the analyzed film and the standard one from the database, and appeared to be related to environmental conditions, surface-active organic matter production, and migration in the studied coastal sea region. The most distinctive parameters differing the films were y, M w and E ᵢₛₒₜₕ, as established from Czebyszew function application. The proposed formalism is of universal concern and could be applied to any natural water surfactant system (seawater, inland water, rain water, and snowmelt water).

This work focuses on the chemical characterization of fine aerosol particles (PM₂.₅) collected from a rural remote island of the Bay of Bengal (Bhola, Bangladesh) from April to August, 2013. PM₂.₅ particle-loaded filters were analyzed for organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), water-soluble ions, and selected saccharides (levoglucosan, mannosan, galactosan, arabitol, and mannitol). The average PM₂.₅ mass was 15.0 ± 6.9 μg m⁻³. Organic carbon and elemental carbon comprised roughly half of the analyzed components. Organic carbon was the predominant contributor to total carbon (TC) and accounting for about 28% of PM₂.₅ mass. Secondary organic carbon (SOC) was inferred to be ~ 26% of OC. The sum of ions comprised ~ 27% of PM₂.₅ mass. The contribution of sea salt aerosol was smaller than expected for a sea-near site (17%), and very high chloride depletion was observed (78%). NssSO₄²⁻ was a dominant ionic component with an average concentration of 2.0 μg m⁻³ followed by Na⁺, NH₄⁺, and nssCa²⁺. The average concentration of arabitol and mannitol was 0.11 and 0.14 μg m⁻³, respectively, while levoglucosan and its stereoisomers (mannosan and galactosan) were bellow detection limit. NH₄⁺/SO₄²⁻ equivalent ratio was 0.30 ± 0.13 indicating that secondary inorganic aerosol is not the main source of SO₄²⁻. Enrichment factor (EF) analysis showed that SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻ were enriched in atmospheric particles compared to sea aerosol and soil indicating their anthropogenic origin. Higher OC/EC ratio (3.70 ± 0.88) was a good indicator of the secondary organic compounds formation. Other ratios (OC/EC, K⁺/EC, nssSO₄²⁻/EC) and correlation analysis suggested mixed sources for carbonaceous components. Arabitol and mannitol both showed strong correlation with EC having R ² value 0.89 and 0.95, respectively. Air mass trajectories analysis showed that concentrations of soil and anthropogenic species were lower for air masses originating from the sea (May–August) and were higher when air came from land (April).

Red cotton bug, Dysdercus koenigii (Hemiptera: Pyrrhocoridae), has become the major insect pest of various crops, including cotton, and thereby reducing the yield qualitatively and quantitatively and synthetic insecticides belonging to different groups are the major control agents for such insect pests. A laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of different conventional insecticides, i.e., imidacloprid, deltamethrin, lambda cyhalothrin, gamma cyhalothrin and cyfluthirn on haemocytes of D. koenigii. The individuals were exposed to insecticides separately and data was recorded after 30 and 60 min of the exposure. The findings of current study depicted chlorpyrifos to be more effective and significant alterations in total haemocyte counts and differential haemocyte counts were observed in the cyfluthirn treated D. koenigii. In addition to this, cell structure was also disrupted as an immune response. Similar studies would also be helpful to understand the defence mechanisms of insects against the xenobiotics which will help to device efficient management tools for D. koenigii.

The research included the study of influence of ultrafine particle preparations (nanoparticles of copper, zinc, iron, CuZn alloy) and metal salts (iron pyrophosphate, copper asparginate, zinc asparginate) on the composition of cecal microbiota of broiler chickens. Before adding the studied nanoparticles and metal salts to the diet, cecal microbiota of broiler chickens was represented by 76% Firmicutes taxon and 16% Bacteroidetes. Numerous among them were the bacteria of the taxa Anaerotruncus spp., Lactobacillus spp., Blautia spp., Alistipes spp., and Bacteroides spp.; they constituted 18, 17, 11, and 6%, respectively. A peculiarity of action of the most analyzed metals in nanoform and in the form of salts was a decrease in the number of phylum Firmicutes bacteria and an increase in the number of microorganisms of the phylum Bacteroidetes. The number of bacteria belonging to the families Ruminococcaceae (III, IV, V, VII, and VIII groups), Bacteroidaceae (in all experimental groups), and Lachnospiraceae (I, IV, V, and VII groups) was registered within the taxa of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. At the same time, in some experimental groups, the number of bacteria of the family Lachnospiraceae (II, III, and VIII) decreased in the intestine. The data obtained can be used to assess the possibility of using metal nanoparticles in the poultry diet, as a micronutrient preparation, to correct dysbiosis and to improve the utilization of fodder energy.

Particulate-bound aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs and PAHs) were investigated in the surface waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, southern Mediterranean Sea). Samples were collected off the Sfax and Gabès-Ghannouch coasts. Concentrations in total resolved n-alkanes ranged from 0.03 to 3.2 μg L⁻¹, and concentrations in total parents + alkylated PAHs ranged from bdl to 108.6 ng L⁻¹. The highest concentrations were recorded in the southern Sfax. AHs were mainly of biogenic origin with odd n-alkane predominance, although an anthropogenic contribution was also detected. The PAH molecular patterns revealed a mixed origin with the presence of low molecular weight and alkylated compounds, characteristic of uncombusted oil-derived products, and the presence of high molecular weight compounds, typical of combustion residues. Rainfall events induced an increase in PAH concentrations by a factor 1.5–23.5. The particle-water partition coefficients (Kₒc) suggest that the partitioning of PAHs between the particulate and dissolved phases is driven by hydrophobicity and organic matter composition.

Biochar is a potential amendment for improving soil fertility due to its richness of nutrients, P, K, Ca, and Mg. However, soil amended with metal-rich biochars may pose a risk of heavy metal release to the environment. Biochars derived from pig manure and sewage sludge (PM-biochar and SS-biochar) were investigated for their nutrient and heavy metal release in two soils (acidic and alkaline soil) under simulated landfill and acid rain conditions. Results showed that under both environmental conditions, adding PM-biochar into the soil increased K, P, and Mg release significantly by about 40–50 times, while only 2–4 times increase of the nutrients was observed in the SS-biochar-amended soil. The Ca release was higher in the SS-biochar-amended soil than in the PM-biochar-amended soil. Higher P, Ca, and Mg nutrient release was observed in alkaline soil than in acidic soil under the two environmental conditions though K release was not significant in both soils. A kinetic study in solution illustrated that the release of nutrients from biochar was initially via desorption and diffusion under environmental conditions and then through slow dissolution of insoluble species. More release of nutrients and heavy metals was observed in the biochar-amended soil under the landfill condition than under the acid rain condition. Although this release was limited under the acid rain condition, leaching of Fe and Mn exceeded the limitations of the groundwater standard value of China. Overall, biochar could be utilized as a prospective soil fertilizer by supplying nutrients such as P, K, Ca, and Mg, while the release of Fe and Mn should be paid more attention due to the risk of these metals impacting groundwater.

Jing-Jin-Ji region (i.e., Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei) is China’s key development region, but it is also the leading and most serious air pollution region in China. High fossil fuel consumption is the major source of both carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and air pollutants. Therefore, it is important to reveal the source of CO₂ emissions to control the air pollution in the Jing-Jin-Ji region. In this study, an interregional input-output model was applied to quantitatively estimate the embodied CO₂ transfer between Jing-Jin-Ji region and other region in China using China’s interregional input-output data in 2010. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in the production-based CO₂ emissions in China, and furthermore, the Jing-Jin-Ji region and its surrounding regions were the main regions of the production-based CO₂ emissions in China. Hebei Province exported a large amount of embodied CO₂ to meet the investment, consumption, and export demands of Beijing and Tianjin. The Jing-Jin-Ji regions exported a great deal of embodied CO₂ to the coastal provinces of southeast China and imported it from neighboring provinces.

Bacterial systems have drawn an increasing amount of attention on lignin valorization due to their rapid growth and powerful environmental adaptability. In this study, Klebsiella pneumoniae NX-1, Pseudomonas putida NX-1, and Ochrobactrum tritici NX-1 with ligninolytic potential were isolated from leaf mold samples. Their ligninolytic capabilities were determined by measuring (1) the cell growth on kraft lignin as the sole carbon source, (2) the decolorization of kraft lignin and lignin-mimicking dyes, (3) the micro-morphology changes and transformations of chemical groups in kraft lignin, and (4) the ligninolytic enzyme activities of these three isolates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that Ochrobactrum tritici species can depolymerize and metabolize lignin. Moreover, laccase, lignin peroxidase, and Mn-peroxidase showed high activities in P. putida NX-1. Due to their excellent ligninolytic capabilities, these three bacteria are important supplements to ligninolytic bacteria library and could be valuable in lignin valorization.

In this work, an environmental friendly industrial regeneration approach has been proposed to remove the surface poisoning and recover the catalytic activity of waste V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂ catalyst. Alkaline treatment and acid wash are combined for the waste catalyst regeneration process, which is applied for the arsenic and alkali metal removal, respectively. The crystal structure was well maintained as anatase phase and the surface area was increased during the regeneration, which is favorable for the following active component addition step and regenerated process. The XPS results illustrated that the surface contaminants (arsenic and sodium) were removed and V(IV) was loaded on the regenerated catalyst. Based on the deNOₓ evaluations, the catalytic activity of the regenerated sample is increased to the level of commercial fresh catalyst. The present industrial regeneration process provides a promising method for the comprehensive recovery of waste catalyst and further understanding in the field of secondary resource recycle.

Summer fallow is very common in dryland agriculture to conserve rainwater and replenish soil fertility. However, bare land and intensive rainfall during summer fallow might result in a potential risk of N loss. We used a ¹⁵N-labelling method to study the loss of residual N fertilizer during summer fallow and its use by next wheat in the Loess Plateau. Our study included three treatments: without the addition of N (N₀W₀), with the addition of 50 kg ha⁻¹ N (NW₀) and with the addition of 50 kg ha⁻¹ N plus 35% more water (NW). The N fertilizer (K¹⁵NO₃) in solution was injected into the soil at a depth of 35 cm of the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) columns in field. The fates of ¹⁵N were followed after summer fallow and in the next season’s wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The summer fallow of this study was a dry summer; however, fertilizer ¹⁵N was still leached down to 40-cm depth for the NW₀ treatment; and for the NW treatment, the peak of ¹⁵N fertilizer was approximately 20 cm deeper. After summer fallow, the loss of the initially applied ¹⁵N was 26% in the soil profile for the NW₀ treatment; and for the NW treatment, it increased to 37%. Soil ¹⁵N abundance in 0–20 cm of the NW₀ and NW treatments was higher than the N₀W₀ treatment, indicating the upward movement of ¹⁵N in summer fallow. After the next wheat harvest, ¹⁵N uptake by wheat in the NW treatment decreased from 21.0 to 18.6% compared to the NW₀ treatment. High rainfall during summer fallow increased residual N loss during summer fallow but decreased its use by the next crop.