In this study, an iron oxide-coated zeolite (IOCZ) nanocomposite was synthesized and used for the removal of U(VI) and As(III) from aqueous solutions using a batch system. Parameters such as various contact times, pH, competing ions (Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, and Cr³⁺), temperature, and initial concentrations of uranium(VI) and arsenic(III) were investigated. The experimental results were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherms to obtain the characteristic parameters of each model. Results suggested that adsorption of U(VI) and As(III) by IOCZ was best modeled with the Freundlich isotherm. The kinetic experimental data fitted the pseudo second-order model better than the pseudo first-order model for both elements. Using the thermodynamic equilibrium constants obtained at different temperatures, various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG ᵒ, ΔH ᵒ, and ΔS ᵒ, were calculated. These parameters indicated that the process is spontaneous and exothermic in nature. It was noted that an increase in temperature resulted in a decrease of 8.5 and 27.5% for U and As removal, respectively. An increase in initial concentrations of U(VI) and As(III) from 10 to 100 mg L⁻¹ at pH 3 resulted in increased adsorption capacities (q ₑ) for both elements. The increases were from 1.247 to 20.10 mg g⁻¹ for U(VI) and from 3.115 to 54.18 mg g⁻¹ for As(V). The presence of competing ions such as Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, and Cr³⁺ enhanced the removal of As by 9.2% whereas the adsorption capacity of uranium decreased by 13.8%. This research demonstrated that IOCZ is a potential adsorbent for the removal of U(VI) and As(III) from aqueous solutions.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical, is receiving increasing concerns regarding its adverse effects on the endocrine system in wildlife and humans. This study was designed to investigate BPA pollution in environmental media in plastics industry areas and to explore the relationship between BPA pollution and the characteristic of different plastics industry. A total of 66 river water samples, 6 aquatic animal samples, and 64 surface soil samples were collected from three cities with different characteristics of plastics industry in southeast China. BPA concentrations in river water (240–5680 ng L⁻¹), aquatic animals (116.13–477.42 ng g⁻¹), and surface soil (38.70–2960.86 ng g⁻¹) were highest in Yuyao City where the plastics industry mainly involved in the production of plastic raw materials. BPA concentrations in Taizhou City were modest and comparable to those reported elsewhere though Taizhou is characterized by its massive production of plastic products. BPA concentrations in Wenzhou City were the lowest where relatively low activities are involved in the plastics industry. Our data indicate that the plastics industry involved the use of BPA as an intermediate in production of raw plastics such as polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins was the dominant cause of BPA pollution in the surrounding environments. Graphical Abstract Production of raw plastic is the dominant cause of BPA pollution in the environment

Phytoremediation of organic pollutant and heavy metal (HM) co-contaminated soils shows many advantages and can be improved by adding chemical reagents or inoculating with degrading bacteria. In this study, pot culture experiments were performed to explore the effects of chemical reagents (nitrilotriacetic acid and alkyl polyglucoside), pyrene degrading bacteria HD-1, and their combination on phytoremediation efficiency for pyrene and nickel (Ni) co-contaminated soil by Scirpus triqueter. After a 60-day culture, plant biomass, pyrene dissipation from soil, Ni accumulation in plant, and Ni accessibility in co-contaminated soil were determined. Results showed that although the application of chemical reagents alone had no apparent effect on plant growth, their combination with the introduced HD-1 alleviated the inhibition effects on plant growth in co-contaminated soil. The dissipation of pyrene in the soil with plant (P), soil with bacteria (NPB), soil with chemical reagents (NPC) and soil with both of them (PBC) were 35.49, 51.36, 42.89, and 59.78%, respectively, and were higher than NP (19.52%) with neither of them. The Ni concentration in Scirpus triqueter of group with bacteria (PB), group with chemical reagents (PC) and group PBC increased to 100.40, 80.97 and 87.77 mg kg⁻¹ respectively when compared with that of group P (46.04 mg kg⁻¹) without bacteria or chemical reagents. Besides, inoculation with HD-1 or/and adding chemical reagents caused Ni to shift from less bioavailable forms to more bioavailable forms. This study suggested the contribution of pyrene degrading bacteria and chemical reagents to Scirpus triqueter phytoremediation of pyrene and Ni co-contaminated soil.

Aluminum/iodine pentoxide (Al/I₂O₅) composites are currently receiving much attention for their capabilities as potential anthrax combatants. Their high halogen gas release, coupled with high temperature evolution from combustion, renders them effective in bacterial deactivation. Despite extensive research on the energetic capacities of these compounds, limited information is currently available in relation to their potential environmental (non-target) effects. We evaluated the effects of Al/I₂O₅ on aquatic (Daphnia magna) and terrestrial (Eisenia fetida, Acheta domesticus) invertebrates, as well as alfalfa (Medicago sativa) seed germination. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, or DuPont Teflon® MP1150) was examined concurrently to assess whether observations were general to halogen, or element specific. Our observations were based on mortality and reproduction (hatchability) for the terrestrial and aquatic assays. In all Al/I₂O₅ assays, mortality was concentration dependent, ranging from 0% mortality in the control samples to partial and complete mortality in the contaminated cases. The PTFE assays showed no mortality at all contaminant concentrations. At a maximum Al/I₂O₅ contaminant concentration of 1000 μg/g (ppm), 100% mortality was observed in cricket assay conducted in sand within 72 h exposure and earthworm assay conducted in soil within 4 days exposure. In the aquatic assay, a water concentration of 200 μg/mL (ppm) caused 100% mortality to D. magna in less than 12 h. The effect of aluminum/iodine pentoxide on earthworm cocoon hatching success was also determined. At soil concentrations ≤ 400 μg/g, hatching success for earthworm cocoons was equivalent to control (un-contaminated) soil; above this concentration, hatching success was reduced by a factor of 2. Alfalfa germination tests were performed at a single contaminant concentration of 1000 μg/g. This soil concentration was completely inhibitory to seed germination.

Biomass-derived biochar is considered as a promising heavy metal adsorbent, due to its favorable physicochemical properties, from aqueous solution as compared with other adsorbents. However, there is a limited number of studies on the effects of biochar produced from different feedstocks and pyrolytic temperatures on metal removal from metal-contaminated water. So in this study, the removal of the most prevalent heavy metals [(lead (Pb(II)), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr)] by green waste biochar (GWB) and popular twigs biochar (PTB), produced at different pyrolytic temperatures, i.e., low 350 and high 650 °C, has been investigated, following the determination of physical and chemical properties of biochar. The efficiency of heavy metals removal of biochar was studied at different concentrations of heavy metals (10 and 100 μg mL⁻¹), biochar types and treatment duration (3, 6, 9, and 12 h) at isothermic condition of aqueous solution. Results revealed that both feedstock type and pyrolytic temperature to produce biochar significantly affected its metal sorption capacity. The maximum sorption capacities of all three metals, i.e., Pb (II), Cd, and Cr were determined in the GWB produced at low pyrolytic temperature 350 °C after 9 h of treatment duration at both high and low metal concentrations. This highest sorption capacity of all metals by low pyrolytic temperature produced GWB was due to its better physicochemical properties especially high surface area, cation exchange capacity, and oxygen-containing functional groups as compared with woody feedstock based high pyrolytic temperature produced PTB. Conclusively, low pyrolytic temperature produced GWB was evaluated as a potential adsorbent to efficiently reduced heavy metal concentration in metal-contaminated water.

Groundwater composition may have a pronounced impact on long-term performance of permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). Here, batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of humic acid (HA) on Cr(VI) removal by pyrite in systems containing cations such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. HA was observed to have inhibitory effect on Cr(VI) uptake by pyrite under the experimental conditions studied (e.g., pH 3 to 8). HA sorbed onto pyrite surface and thus (1) competed against Cr(VI) for pyritic surface sites and/or (2) increased electrostatic repulsion between Cr(VI) and pyrite. In systems with HA and Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺, the Cr(VI) uptake by pyrite decreased drastically relative to HA alone due to the aggregation of HA with Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺. The formation of such HA aggregates/precipitates blocked Cr(VI) ions to reach its binding sites, thereby resulting in a substantial decrease in Cr(VI) uptake. Overall, the results have major implications for proper design and operation of PRBs with pyrite as the reactive material.

In this study, Extran (biodegradable surfactant) was used for the preparation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles by microemulsion process to improve removal efficiency of As(III) from aqueous solution. Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FTIR, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, and VSM instrumental techniques. The effect of different parameters such as adsorbent dose, initial As(III) concentration, and solution pH were studied by response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimized condition for adsorption of As(III) from aqueous solution was obtained as adsorbent dose of 0.70 mg/g, solution pH of 7.7, and initial As(III) concentration of 33.32 mg/L. In this optimum condition, about 90.5% of As(III) was removed from the aqueous solution. Isotherm studies have been done at optimal condition, and it was observed that the Langmuir isotherm models were fitted well with experimental data having a high correlation coefficient of 0.993. From the Langmuir isotherm data, the maximum adsorption capacity of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles was found to be 7.18 mg/g at pH 7.7 in room temperature. This study revealed that Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles can be used as an efficient, eco-friendly, and effective material for the adsorptive removal of As(III) from aqueous system.

The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) extraction potential of organic solvents including dichloromethane (DCM), pentane, hexane, methanol, ethanol, propanol, and acetone was investigated along with the effect of water content in solvents for their efficiency of extraction. The extent of TPH extraction was analyzed using various extraction schemes (i.e., solvent/solid ratio, treatment time, extraction method, solvent/water ratio) to better understand the physical and chemical factors controlling TPH release from contaminated soils. More TPH was extracted with increasing solvent/solid ratio and increasing time. The extent of TPH extracted also varied depending on the extraction method, solvent type, and solvent/water ratio, but was highest when using the total extraction method and 100% DCM. However, the efficiency of TPH extraction decreased dramatically with the increase in the water content in organic solvents. The results also showed that TPH extraction using DCM was the best option for achieving cost-effective, eco-friendly outcomes along with remediation goals. DCM used in solvent extraction to remediate diesel-contaminated soils showed low toxicity, low cost, high recycling potential, and high efficiency compared to the other solvents tested in this study.

In this study, the adsorption kinetic of cesium, strontium, and rubidium radionuclides was investigated using ferritin magnetic molecules. Kinetic investigation of synthetic and natural wastes was carried out and the results were compared. Pseudo first-order, pseudo second-order, Elovich, double-exponential, and intraparticle diffusion models were the kinetic models used in the fitting of experimental data. The kinetic study of synthetic waste revealed that the double-exponential model demonstrated excellent fitting. Coefficient of determination resulting from fitting of cesium, strontium, and rubidium radionuclide’s adsorption results via the double-exponential model are 0.9938, 0.9905, and 0.9863, respectively. In the experiments conducted on natural wastes, too, all of the five kinetic models were investigated. Results indicated that the double-exponential model matched greatly with the experimental data, and cesium, strontium, and rubidium radionuclide’s coefficients of determination were 0.9742, 0.9613, and 0.9442, respectively. Comparison of the results of natural and synthetic wastes showed that matching with the model and recovery of target elements were more prominent in experiments with synthetic waste (unicomponent) rather than natural waste (multicomponent).

Carbon sequestration is an indispensable ecosystem service provided by soil and vegetation, so mapping and valuing the carbon budget by considering both ecological and social factors is an important trend in evaluating ecosystem services. In this work, we established multiple scenarios to evaluate the impacts of land use change, population growth, carbon emission per capita, and carbon markets on carbon budget. We quantified carbon sinks (aboveground and belowground) under different scenarios, using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA) model and an improved carbon cycle process model, and studied carbon sources caused by human activities by analyzing the spatial distribution of human population and carbon emission per capita. We also assessed the net present value (NPV) for carbon budgets under different carbon price and discount rate scenarios using NPV model. Our results indicate that the carbon budget of Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Region is surplus: Carbon sinks range from 1.50 × 10¹⁰ to 1.54 × 10¹⁰ t, while carbon sources caused by human activities range from 2.76 × 10⁵ to 7.60 × 10⁵ t. And the NPV for carbon deficits range from 3.20 × 10¹¹ RMB to 1.52 × 10¹² RMB. From the perspective of ecological management, deforestation, urban sprawl, population growth, and excessive carbon consumption are considered as the main challenges in balancing carbon sources and sinks. Levying carbon tax would be a considerable option when decision maker develops carbon emission reduction policies. Our results provide a scientific and credible reference for harmonious and sustainable development in the Guanzhong-Tianshui Economic Region of China.