Monomethylmercury (MeHg) is one of the most toxic and the most commonly occurring organomercury compound and the wetlands are one of the main areas of generation of this Hg form. Concretely, it is in the macrophyte root system where better conditions are given for its generation. However, the knowledge of absorption and subsequent distribution of mercury (Hg) and monomethylmercury in aquatic plants is still limited. Mercury mining district such as Almadén (Ciudad Real, Spain) is a natural laboratory where different rivers flow and the species Typha domingensis Pers. is a common macrophyte which grows in their riverbanks. The aim of the present work is to apply a recently developed method specially designed to analyze Hg species in plant tissues to the different fractions of T. domingensis under real field conditions and to study the accumulation and distribution of Hg species (inorganic Hg and MeHg) within the plant. The results proved that whatever Hg species has preference to be accumulated in the belowground fractions and demonstrated a high efficiency in the accumulation of MeHg.

Gas pollutants emitted during wastewater transport contribute to atmospheric pollution, aggravated risks for utility workers, infrastructure corrosion, and odour nuisance. Field studies have shown that is difficult to effectively obtain reliable correlations between in-sewer air movement and gas pollutant concentrations. This study aimed at investigating the influence of different ventilation and operating conditions in H₂S and CH₄ horizontal and vertical movement in a section of a gravity sewer, downstream of a pumping station. Relevant liquid and gas phase quality parameters were monitored, and significant H₂S concentrations were measured (with lower contents of CH₄). Results evidenced that headspace temperature and ventilation played a key effect when analysing H₂S and CH₄ dynamics. Setups with a similar content of sulfide and chemical oxygen demand resulted in different H₂S and CH₄ headspace concentrations. It was also observed that an increase in ventilation resulted in a decrease of average headspace relative humidity of over 70%, with clear implications in corrosion potential estimates. Another interesting observation was that the wastewater drag induced by intermittent pumping, in absence of ingassing, originated pressure differences of up to 0.2 Pa m⁻¹ between studied manholes. This differential originated a wave pattern of gas moving upstream and downstream, thus resulting in several gas peaks per pumping event, at the same sections. In addition, in confined setups, full mixing was not observed along the manholes.

The lakes of the North Delta give a rich and imperative territory for marine fish and its regeneration, and have dependably been major areas of fish creation in Egypt, 75% of the production was collected from them. As of late, many difficulties are confronting these lakes and prompt the exhaustion of fish production from them. The aim of the present study is to evaluate different inorganic pollutants in Coleopterons aquatic insect (Cercyon unipunctatus) taken from both Lake Edku and Mariut and also, to estimate their effect on oxidative stress markers and chromosomal aberrations. The average concentrations of heavy metals differ in the two locations. The concentration of (Pb, Cd, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Mn) was significantly higher in water samples of Lake Mariut than those of Lake Edku. Also, the present work, showed the physical and chemical characters of the two lakes water. In the current study, the obtained results showed that there was a significant increase in (Pb, Cd, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, and Mn) concentrations in C. unipunctatus tissues which were collected from Lake Mariut. The biochemical parameters of oxidative stress have been affected by the pollution in Lake Mariut water. Significant increases in the activity level of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde concentration were recorded, while there were significant decreases in (total protein content, GSH content, and GPx activity). The result of chromosomal aberration test showed that there were different types of aberrations as binucleate cell, lagging chromosome, and abnormal distribution of chromosomes. The obtained data showed that C. unipunctatus highly affected by environmental stressors in water. So we suggest that these beetles could be a suitable monitor for ecotoxicological studies.

Water shortage leads farmers to use sewages for irrigation. Sewages contain a large amount of laundry detergent. In this study the impact of irrigation by contaminated water on shoot biomass and seed germination of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) was investigated. The research was conducted as laboratory and pot experiments. Iso-potentials (− 0.042, − 0.077, and − 0.415 MPa) of polyethylene glycol (PEG, water deficit treatment) and laundry detergent (contamination treatment) made the laboratory experiment treatments. The pot experiment included contamination factor (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 g L⁻¹ of laundry detergent) and deficit irrigation factor (irrigation interval of 1, 2, and 3 days). Results of this study showed that at the iso-potential, laundry detergent had more negative effect on seed germination traits when compared with PEG. There was no germination at − 0.415 MPa of laundry detergent. Both drought and contamination reduced dry forage yield, plant height, leaf number, leaf area, leaf dry and fresh weight, stem dry, and fresh weight. Detergent concentration of 10 g L⁻¹ with irrigation interval of 3 days had a forage yield reduction of 63% compared to control (laundry detergent concentration of 0 g L⁻¹ with irrigation interval of 1 day). Detergent concentration of 10 g L⁻¹ with irrigation interval of 1 day had a sodium increase of 1847% compared to control. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended not to irrigate foxtail millet farm by contaminated water with laundry detergent higher than 1 g L⁻¹.

The “resource curse” phenomenon has been the subject of extensive research, with its causes and transmission mechanisms primarily examined from the perspectives of economic development and rent seeking. Education is a major factor contributing to economically sustainable development, owing to its potential for improving cognition and skill levels and thereby enhancing worker productivity. The crowding-out or crowding-in effect of natural resource dependence on public education spending has been identified as one of the key mechanisms of the resource curse or blessing. Using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces, this empirical study revealed a positive correlation between natural resource dependence and public education expenditure, demonstrating the impact of the crowding-in effect, exerted by natural resource dependence, on public education expenditure. Abundant natural resources can provide funds for education expenditure. The sample was further divided into eastern and central and western regions. The results indicate that the crowding-out effect of natural resource dependence only affects public education expenditure in the Eastern region, while the crowding-in effect of natural resource dependence on public education expenditure in the central and western regions. Research shows that the regional differences of crowding-out or crowding-in effect are very obvious, so the government should adopt transfer payment to promote balanced regional development. Better economic and social policies will help to translate wealth from natural resources into economic growth. Thus, a “resource blessing” may emerge to replace the “resource curse.” Fairly distributed and higher quality education will enhance human capital, thereby promoting economic growth from its current resource-driven pattern to a knowledge-driven pattern.

In this study, hydrothermal carbonization of arecanut husk and its potential application as an alternate solid fuel and heavy metal sorption (adsorbent) was attempted. Arecanut husk (AH) treated with citric acid for 9 h resulted in the hydrochar yield of 58.7% with increased fixed carbon from 17 to 39.7% and HHV from 16.98 to 21.14 MJ kg⁻¹ compared to the parent biomass. The arecanut husk hydrochar (AHH) had H/C of 1.27, O/C ratio of 0.59 with an energy yield of 72.81%, and energy densification ratio of 1.24, and the values have the similar fuel characteristics of lignite. The pH, zeta potential, and surface of the hydrochar were 5.56, − 22.60 mV, and 0.98 m² g⁻¹ respectively. Hydrochar with a dosage of 0.1% showed a maximum rate of adsorption for Pb²⁺ (79.86 mg g⁻¹) at the initial concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹ in the aqueous solution compared to Zn²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, and Ni²⁺. SEM with EDAX and FT-IR spectroscopy results confirmed the presence of Pb²⁺ and changes in functional groups in arecanut husk hydrochar after adsorption of heavy metals in the aqueous solution.

Cellulose from bamboo shavings (BC) separated and modified by grafting triphenylphosphine, which was used as an adsorbent for the removal of Acid Black 24 from aqueous solution. The quaternary phosphonium-based bamboo cellulose (PBC) was characterized by FTIR and SEM measurements. The FTIR studies showed that the quaternary phosphonium group was successfully grafted onto the BC molecular structure. The effects of PBC dosage, contact time, initial dye concentration, temperature, and pH on the adsorption performance were studied. The nonlinear fitting kinetics and isotherms models were also conducted. The pseudo-second-order, intra-particle diffusion and Langmuir models were more suitable for analyzing the adsorption behavior of PBC for Acid Black 24 dye. The adsorption activation energy was lower than 40 kJ mol⁻¹, and the ΔH⁰ value was in the range of 20~80 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating that PBC played a dominant role in the physical purification of dye. The results of thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous endothermic purification process. Adsorbents had a good reusability and high adsorption performance for dye removal. The adsorbents PBC had a good reusability and could effectively remove residual Acid Black 24 dye with good development prospects in the field of biomass adsorbent materials.

The heavy metals transfer from the soil, where they accumulate, to the edible parts of the plants, and then, their entrance in the food chain can represent a source of concern for human health. Among heavy metals, arsenic is one of the most widespread in the soil of Lazio (central region of Italy), where the phytoavailable geogenic arsenic enters the food chain, with a dangerous exposition of the local population. In the first part of this work, plants of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were grown in protected culture in the experimental farm of CREA-AA, where they were daily treated with different concentrations of sodium arsenate dibasic heptahydrate in order to investigate differences in their arsenic accumulation capacities. In order to confirm the results achieved, in the second part of this study, the arsenic concentration was determined in commercial products obtained from contaminated areas of Lazio, and the potential exposition risk for human health through consumption of these widely consumed vegetables was estimated. The highest arsenic concentrations were found in the samples of lettuce. To evaluate the potential health risk from consumption of L. sativa and R. sativus, the estimated daily intake (EDI) for adults, adolescents, and elderly was calculated, finding that HRI (health risk index) index value for arsenic was low (< 1) in the case of chronic consumptions for all samples of radishes, and for the lettuces grown in the area of Viterbo. On the contrary, the lettuces obtained from Tuscania and Tarquinia presented very high concentrations of arsenic and a worrying HRI value. In order to reduce the risk of As toxicity in the people through consumption of the vegetables, the irrigation water should contain less than 0.1 mg As L⁻¹. For this reason, the authors tested the application of red mud (RM) to remove As from groundwater before using it for the irrigation of radish and lettuce in greenhouse production.

Particulate matter (PM) contains different chemical substances that have been associated with health effects and an increased risk of mortality due to their toxicity. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM₂.₅) samples were collected in a region with rural characteristics (Seropédica (Se)) and another with some industries (Duque de Caxias (DC)) (Brazil, RJ). Rats were exposed to PM₂.₅ extracts daily for 25 days at different dilutions: 10×, 5×, and a concentrated solution (CS). Biochemical analyses were investigated for total antioxidant capacity (ACAP), lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels, reduced glutathione (GSH) concentration, activity of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL), and activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST). The liver showed a significant increase in GCL (DC-5×, DC-CS and Se-CS) and GST activities (DC-CS and Se-CS) in both regions when compared to the control group. In the renal cortex, GCL activity decreased in most of the tested groups while GST activity increased only in the 5× groups of both regions (DC and Se). In the renal medulla, GCL activity decreased for Se-10× and DC-CS but increased for Se-5×, and GST activity increased in the Se-10×, DC-5×, and DC-CS groups. Lung GCL increased in all groups for both regions. Moreover, this organ also showed an increase in GST activity when higher metal concentrations were present (5× and CS). TBARS levels were increased for all tissues in most tested concentrations. These data indicate that soluble compounds (e.g., metals) from PM₂.₅ sampled in areas with different pollution indexes can change the redox status and cause damage to different tissues.

The method of indoor artificial rainfall simulations was applied to compare the characteristics of runoff and sediment yield under different slope gradients (5°, 8°, 15°, and 25°) and rainfall intensities (30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 mm/h) for two kinds of different hillslopes with weathered granite and with exposed soils respectively from the laterite layer (L-soil) and sand layer (S-soil). The results show that the distribution of runoff yield significantly varied with soil types as the surface flow was predominant for L-soil while interflow was the main runoff form for S-soil. Both surface flow and sediment yield of L-soil was more than that of S-soil, and the changing trends for L-soil were more regular. The relationships between surface flow, sediment yield, and rainfall intensity can be expressed by power functions (R² > 0.68). Interflow was positively related to slope gradient and displayed a single peak curve with the prolongation of runoff time. For S-soil, the surface flow increased with increasing slope gradient under light rainfall intensities but showed a decreasing trend under heavy rainfall intensities. Surface flow for L-soil showed a decreasing trend with increasing slope gradient under all rainfall intensities. The combined effects of slope gradient and rainfall intensity on runoff and sediment yield could be accurately described by linear correlation equations (R² > 0.59). The impact of rainfall intensity on surface flow and sediment yield was much greater than that of slope gradient. Slope gradient presented a more significant effect on interflow. The eroded sediment consisted of a relatively higher content of clay, silt, and fine sand, which was approximately 1.26 times greater than the original soils. There was a grading limit of particle size (0.25 mm) for sediment transport. These results not only demonstrate the effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on sloping runoff and sediment yield but also provide valuable information for loss prediction and conservation of soil and water.