A field survey and greenhouse experiments were conducted using Physalis alkekengi L. to investigate strategies of phytoremediation. In addition, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using P. alkekengi. P. alkekengi plants grew healthily at Zn levels from 50 to 5000mgkg⁻¹ in soils. The plants incorporated Zn into their aerial parts (with mean dry weight values of 235–10,980mgkg⁻¹) and accumulated biomass (with a mean dry weight of 25.7gplant⁻¹) during 12 weeks. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles showed a polydisperse behavior and had a mean size of 72.5nm. The results indicate that P. alkekengi could be used for the remediation of zinc-contaminated soils. Moreover, the synthetic method of synthesizing ZnO nanoparticles from Zn hyperaccumulator plants constitutes a new insight into the recycling of metals in plant sources.

PCN congeners were analyzed in marine and riverine sediments of the Laizhou Bay area, North China. Concentrations of PCNs ranged from 0.12 to 5.1 ng g⁻ ¹ dry weight (dw) with a mean value of 1.1 ng g⁻ ¹ dw. The levels of PCNs varied largely, with industrial group approximately ten folds higher than those of the rural in riverine sediment. A strong impact by direct discharge from local factories was suggested. Similar compositional profiles were found within groups. High resemblance of compositional profiles between industrial samples and Halowax 1014 was observed. It was indicated that PCNs in riverine sediments were mainly from release of industrial usage, with additional contributions from industrial thermal process at certain sites. In marine sediments, it was suggested that PCNs along the coast of Laizhou Bay were mainly controlled by riverine input. While in the central bay, PCN distributions were possibly impacted by combined multiple factors.

Effectiveness and mechanism of cadmium (Cd) sorption on original, acidified and ball milling nano-particle red muds were investigated using batch sorption experiments, sequential extraction analysis and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The maximum sorption capacity of Cd was 0.16, 0.19, and 0.21mol/kg for the original, acidified, and nano-particle red muds at pH 6.5, respectively. Both acidification and ball-milling treatments significantly enhanced Cd sorption and facilitated transformation of Cd into less extractable fractions. The Cd LIII-edge XANES analysis indicated the formation of inner-sphere complexes of Cd similar to XCdOH (X represents surface groups on red mud) on the red mud surfaces although outer-sphere complexes of Cd were the primary species. This work shed light on the potential application of red mud to remediate Cd-contaminated soils and illustrated the promising tool of XANES spectroscopy for speciation of multicomponent systems of environmental relevance.

The effects and associated toxicological mechanisms of five phthalate esters (PAEs) on abalone embryonic development were investigated by exposing the embryos to a range of PAEs concentrations (0.05, 0.2, 2 and 10μg/mL). The results showed that PAEs could significantly reduce embryo hatchability, increase developmental malformations, and suppress the metamorphosis of abalone larvae. The possible toxicological mechanisms of PAEs to abalone embryos included, affecting the Na⁺–K⁺-pump and Ca²⁺–Mg²⁺-pump activities, altering the peroxidase (POD) level and the malondialdehyde (MDA) production, damaging the extraembryonic membranes structure, as well as disrupting endocrine-related genes (gpx, cyp3a, and 17β-hsd 12) expression properties. Taken together, this work showed that PAEs adversely affected the embryonic ontogeny of abalone. The abilities of PAEs affecting the osmoregulation, inducing oxidative stress, damaging embryo envelope structure, and causing physiological homeostasis disorder, are likely to be a part of the common mechanisms responsible for their embryonic toxicity.

The concentration of dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in influent, effluent, and within a detention pond system was measured. The "soluble fraction" was operationally defined as the PAHs in solution that passed through a 1.2 μm filter. The results show that influent and effluent PAH concentrations were similar, indicating that dissolved PAH moved essentially unhindered through the detention pond system. In general, low molecular weight PAH were present at the highest concentrations and the highest PAH concentrations were measured in Summer. Also, year-to-year variations in PAH concentration were observed. At the end of sufficiently large storms, the pond was comparably unpolluted. During dry periods, the dissolved PAH concentration rose, possibly due to evapoconcentration and by partitioning of PAH from trapped contaminated sediment in the detention pond system. This study provides evidence that aqueous-phase PAH concentrations in runoff water were relatively unaffected by the passage through a conventional detention pond system.

Field trials contribute practical information towards the development of phytoremediation strategies that cannot be provided by laboratory tests. We conducted field experiments utilizing the Cd hyperaccumulator plant Solanum nigrum L., on farmland contaminated with 1.91 mg kg⁻¹ Cd in the soil. Our study showed that S. nigrum has a relatively high biomass. Planting density had a significant effect on the plant biomass and thus on overall Cd accumulation. For double harvesting, an optimal cutting position influenced the amount of Cd extracted from soils. Double cropping was found to significantly increase the amount of Cd extracted by S. nigrum. Fertilizing had no significant effect on plant biomass or on the Cd remediation of the soil over the short-term period. Our study indicates that S. nigrum can accumulate Cd from soils where the concentrations are relatively low, and thus has application for use in decontamination of slightly to moderately Cd-contaminated soil.

The effect of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the species richness of acid grasslands was investigated by combining data from a large Danish monitoring program with a large European data set, where a significant non-linear negative effect of nitrogen deposition had been demonstrated (Stevens et al., 2010). The nitrogen deposition range in Denmark is relatively small and when only considering the Danish data a non-significant decrease in the species richness with nitrogen deposition was observed. However, when both data sets were combined, then the conclusion of the European survey was further corroborated by the results of the Danish monitoring. Furthermore, by combining the two data sets a more comprehensive picture of the threats to the biodiversity of acid grasslands emerge; i.e., species richness in remnant patches of acid grassland in intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes is under influence not only from nitrogen deposition, but also from current and historical land use.

We investigated the variation of N:P and N:K ratio in ombrotrophic Sphagnum plants along a gradient of atmospheric N deposition from 1 to 2.5 g m⁻² year⁻¹ in Central-East Europe. The N:P and N:K ratio in Sphagnum capitula increased significantly along the N deposition gradient. Sphagnum species from the Cuspidata section were characterised by significantly lower ratios at low N deposition. When we compared the observed N:P ratios in Sphagnum plants with the values reported in a previous European-wide study, we found a correspondence in nutrient stoichiometry only for a few bogs: higher P concentration in Sphagnum capitula caused a lower N:P ratio in most of the study bogs so that Sphagnum plants still seem N-limited despite their N saturation. Interaction between summer water table decrease and aerial liming of surrounding forests is proposed as an explanation for this discrepancy. Local forestry practice interacting with climate thus alter N:P stoichiometry of Sphagnum along the N deposition gradient.

The influence of pH (6.0–9.0), natural organic matter (NOM) (0–10 mg C/L) and ionic strength (IS) (1.7–40 mM) on 14 nm CeO₂ NP aggregation and ecotoxicity towards the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata was assessed following a central composite design. Mean NP aggregate sizes ranged between 200 and 10000 nm. Increasing pH and IS enhanced aggregation, while increasing NOM decreased mean aggregate sizes. The 48 h-EᵣC20s ranged between 4.7 and 395.8 mg CeO₂/L. An equation for predicting the 48 h-EᵣC20 (48 h-EᵣC20 = −1626.4 × (pH) + 109.45 × (pH)² + 116.49 × ([NOM]) − 14.317 × (pH) × ([NOM]) + 6007.2) was developed. In a validation study with natural waters the predicted 48 h-EᵣC20 was a factor 1.08–2.57 lower compared to the experimental values.

The paper addresses the wear particles released from commercially available “low-metallic” automotive brake pads subjected to brake dynamometer tests. Particle size distribution was measured in situ and the generated particles were collected. The collected fractions and the original bulk material were analyzed using several chemical and microscopic techniques. The experiments demonstrated that airborne wear particles with sizes between 10nm and 20μm were released into the air. The numbers of nanoparticles (<100nm) were by three orders of magnitude larger when compared to the microparticles. A significant release of nanoparticles was measured when the average temperature of the rotor reached 300°C, the combustion initiation temperature of organics present in brakes. In contrast to particle size distribution data, the microscopic analysis revealed the presence of nanoparticles, mostly in the form of agglomerates, in all captured fractions. The majority of elements present in the bulk material were also detected in the ultra-fine fraction of the wear particles.