Fipronil is a highly active, broad spectrum insecticide with increasing and wide use. The degradation of fipronil was studied in Brazilian soil under oxic and anoxic conditions. Under oxic conditions, the half-life of fipronil was 16.9 days, with fipronil sulfone as the main metabolite, and no further degradation during 30 days of incubation. This degradation was accompanied by an increase of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers, as well as denitrifiers, and microorganisms related to Sphingomonas. Under anoxic conditions, a half-life of 15.7 days for fipronil was obtained, with fipronil sulphide as the primary metabolite, and fipronil sulfone at lower concentrations, with no further degradation of these metabolites during 90 days of incubation. In these conditions, complete degradation of fipronil was accompanied by an increase of denitrifiers, iron-reducers and ammonia oxidizers and selection of microorganisms that are related to uncultured Clostridiales (family VIII). Sulphate reducers and methanogens and most of the microbial community were not affected by fipronil and its metabolites. Toxicity evaluation, using in vitro effect-based CALUX assays confirmed that the metabolites have a similar toxic potency as compared to the parent compound fipronil. Therefore, the potential (eco)toxicity of fipronil does not seem to decrease upon microbial degradation.

The marine environment is often affected by petroleum hydrocarbon pollution due to industrial activities and petroleum accidents. This pollution has recalcitrant and persistent compounds that pose a high risk to the ecological system and human health. For this reason, the world claims to seek to clean up these pollutants. Bioremediation is an attractive approach for removing petroleum pollution. It is considered a low-cost and highly effective approach with fewer side effects compared to chemical and physical techniques. This depends on the metabolic capability of microorganisms involved in the degradation of hydrocarbons through enzymatic reactions. Bioremediation activities mostly depend on environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, salinity, pressure, and nutrition availability. Understanding the effects of environmental conditions on microbial hydrocarbon degraders and microbial interactions with hydrocarbon compounds could be assessed for the successful degradation of petroleum pollution. The current review provides a critical view of petroleum pollution in seawater, the bioavailability of petroleum compounds, the contribution of microorganisms in petroleum degradation, and the mechanisms of degradation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. We consider different biodegradation approaches such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, and phytoremediation.

Functionalized ceramic microfilters can treat both particulate and ionic heavy metals via simultaneous sorption and filtration capabilities. This study investigated the reactivity of the raw material of the functionalized ceramic microfilter to heavy metal ions (Zn, Cu) by using a MgO-coated ceramic ball. The maximum removal capacities (Qₘ) of the ceramic ball were calculated using the Langmuir isotherm model, and found to be 4.53 (Zn) and 1.70 (Cu) mg/g. To evaluate the reactivity of the ceramic filter to heavy metals, batch experiments were conducted using artificial and real heavy metal-contaminated wastewater. The results showed that the functionalized ceramic filter had a higher removal efficiency for Zn and Cu than for As and Cr. In addition, the functionalized ceramic filter showed high removal efficiency even in heavy metal wastewater mixed with various heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, and Cr. Filtration experiments using real complex heavy metal wastewater containing various heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Pb, and As) demonstrated that the functionalized ceramic filter had better treatment performance compared to the raw ceramic filter. Functionalized ceramic microfilters that can sorb heavy metals simultaneously with filtration are expected to improve the removal efficiency of filtration processes, and to simplify the heavy metal treatment process.

Green credit policy is an innovative measure in the financial industry and can help enterprises reduce energy consumption, reverse the situation of environmental pollution and resource waste, and promote sustainable development of the economy and society based on guiding fund flows into the green environmental protection industry. This research thus uses panel data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2017 to examine the impact of a green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization. We establish the EBM (epsilon-based measure) super-efficiency model to measure the level of energy efficient utilization in China, apply the regression discontinuity design (RDD) model to empirically study the net effect of the green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization, and assess the policy’s regional heterogeneity. Finds present that the level of energy efficient utilization in China exhibits a fluctuating upward trend, and there are certain spatial heterogeneities across its regions. The overall level of the eastern region’s energy efficient utilization is the best, followed by the central and western regions in that order. The results of RDD based on the national perspective indicate that the green credit policy has a significantly positive effect on the level of energy efficient utilization, while subregional regression results reveal that improvement caused by implementation of the green credit policy varies across regions in China. The performance of improving energy efficiency in the eastern region is excellent, but the improvement effect in the central and western regions is so far not desirable.

This study provides new insight by introducing the role of fiscal decentralization and natural resources rent in affecting CO₂ emissions. For assessing this objective, this paper use panel data from seven highly fiscal decentralized Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries from 1990 to 2018. For empirical analysis, we use the Westerlund test and cross-sectional autoregressive distributive lag model. In order to ascertain the integration order of variables, the study utilizes the Pesaran second-generation unit-root test. The findings reveal that all the variables are stationary at first difference. The long-run results confirm that fiscal decentralization and natural resources rent improve the atmosphere by reducing CO₂ emissions. Moreover, gross domestic product and total natural resources rent increase, while improvement in institutional quality reduces CO₂ emissions. For policy implication, this study recommends that transferring the power to the local governments will further reduce CO₂ emissions and shift these countries to more environmentally friendly sources.

Although ecological restoration has increased the stability and diversity of regional ecosystem services, its effects on public perceptions of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) remain unclear. Therefore, this study conducted a questionnaire survey of 455 interviewees in Ansai County on the Loess Plateau and combined the structural equation model (SEM) to explore the characteristics and influencing factors of public perceptions of CESs. Moreover, we also calculated landscape importance to quantify the impact of landscape features on CESs. The results showed that ecological restoration increased the overall public perceptions of CESs. Regarding the different types of CESs, the public most strongly perceived esthetic services but had the lowest perception of cultural heritage after ecological restoration. Regarding demographic characteristics, gender and age were the most important factors affecting public perceptions. Men were more likely to perceive CESs than women, while older interviewees had higher perceptions of the value of physical and mental health services, education and science than young interviewees. In addition, forestlands were perceived as playing more important roles than other landscape types in providing CESs. This study demonstrates that ecological restoration will improve public perceptions of CESs. Managers should incorporate public perceptions of CESs into the formulation of ecological management policies.

This study examines the effect of finance on energy efficiency in Africa, addressing two fundamental empirical issues in the energy-finance literature: (1) simultaneous modelling of efficiency estimates and determinants of efficiency and (2) two-way endogeneity problem with income and financial depth. I apply the endogenous stochastic frontier method. Life expectancy at birth instruments for income while religion, latitude of capital city and legal system origin instrument for financial depth. Estimated efficiency in electricity consumption is between 9 and 16%, which is quite low, suggesting greater potential to improve electricity consumption efficiency. Without considering the level of development, the result shows that finding a statistically significant negative effect of financial depth on energy inefficiency depends on the choice of instrument and not the indicator of financial depth. Using country latitude and legal system origin as instruments produce robust statistically significant negative effect for all the indicators of financial depth, but high monetisation of the economy and supply of loanable funds exert the greatest effect, recommending between 0.069 and 0.096% reduction in inefficiency for every 1% increase in these indicators. However, both the choice of instruments and indicator of financial depth matter, when I consider income level. I discuss the policy implications.

Green building incentives are widely adopted in the world to promote green building construction. However, the incentives from the government are usually predetermined, which cannot obtain a stable effect in green construction practice. To better promote green building construction, this paper studies dynamic government’s reward and penalty evolution during the construction process. Based on the prospect theory, the decision of government reward and penalty is formulated as evolutionary game model under four different scenarios: static reward and static penalty, dynamic reward and static penalty, static reward and dynamic penalty, and dynamic reward and dynamic penalty. Through theoretical analysis, our results revealed that the dynamic reward and static penalty is the best strategy to promote green building construction. More specifically, if the intensity of subsidy and penalty increases, contractors tend to green construction; while the probability of active supervision by government is inversely proportional to subsidy and positively proportional to penalty. This study can provide a useful insight for the policy makers to formulate effective reward and penalty policy, thereby standardizing the behavior of contractors, and reducing the negative impact of the construction industry on the environment.

Among the parabens, methylparaben (MeP) is the most commonly found in personal care products. Due to the continuous use of MeP and low removal efficiency by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), it reaches aquatic environments, where it is incorporated by organisms inhabiting these waters. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of MeP on the zebrafish Danio rerio larvae and adults through toxicity tests and physiological and biochemical biomarkers in order to assess possible harmful effects of MeP. For biomarker measurements, fish were exposed to the environmental concentration of 30 μg/L of MeP and the non-effect concentration (NOEC) estimated for larvae (60 mg/L) and adult (50 mg/L) in toxicity tests. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of MeP was 105.09 mg/L for adults and 211.12 mg/L for larvae. These values unexpectedly indicated that adults were more sensitive to MeP compared to larvae. In adult fish, exposure to 50 mg/L MeP induced a significant decrease in phase 1 biotransformation (ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity) and an increase in lipoperoxidation (LPO) in gills, as well as an increase in frequency of micronuclei in erythrocytes of these fish. Biomarkers results were integrated (integrated biomarker response [IBR] index), and it observed lower IBR scores in tissues of fish exposed to MeP, suggesting a suppression of biological responses. In addition, LPO contributed mostly to the IBR score estimated for gills of fish exposed to 50 mg/L MeP. Based on LPO quantity, sublethal exposure of MeP (30 μg/L and 60 mg/L) did not cause toxicity to larvae. Hence, we investigated whether the difference in sensitivity between adults and larvae could be associated with the antimicrobial action of MeP that could affect the intestinal microbiota of adults. We only found an increase in the number of carbon sources consumed by them without effects on diversity and abundance. This outcome can be considered an adaptation to environmental stress, but not a negative effect. However, the LPO and genotoxicity caused by MeP to zebrafish adults call direct attention to the importance of regulating the presence of this compound in the environment and improve cleaning processes adopted by WWTP.

This research analyzes the behavior of different diatomite from Peru, and their potential use for the removal of heavy metals from contaminated effluents. Seven different diatomites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area, and cation exchange capacity. The absolute removal and the removal efficiency of Cu, Pb, and Zn were assessed by stirring the diatomite in solutions of known concentration of the contaminant, and then analyzing the solutions by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA). The results were finally correlated with microstructural, chemical, and physicochemical characteristics of the diatomites. It was found that Peruvian diatomites have potential use for decontamination of heavy metals from contaminated effluents even with their low SiO₂ content. Affinity for the studied metals was as follows: Zn > Pb > Cu, with removal percentages as higher than 98% for Zn. No one-to-one relationships were found between the removal efficiency of the studied metals with properties of diatomites. Different parameters must be taken into account at the same time to understand the efficiency of metal removal in polluted waters. In this case, the specific surface area and minor oxides have the greatest effect on the removal efficiency of all metals.