Utilization as dry mycelial fertilizer (DMF) produced from penicillin fermentation fungi mycelium (PFFM) with an acid-heating pretreatment is a potential way. To study the transformation and stability of water-extractable organic matter in DMF-amended soil via fluorescence regional integration (FRI) of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM), a soil experiment in pot was carried out. The results showed that residual penicillin (about 32 mg/kg) was almost degraded in the first 5 days, indicating that the drug pollution was in control. The pH value, DOC, DON, and DOC/DON presented a classical profile, but germination index (GI) leveled off about 0.13 till day 13 in DMF-12% treatment due to the severe phytotoxicity. The addition of DMF significantly increased the soil microbial populations in contrast to the CON treatment. The EEM showed that the protein-like and microbial byproduct-like matters vanished on the 25th and 33rd days, whereas the fulvic-like substances appeared on the 7th day. The humic-like substances existed in original samples but their content greatly enhanced finally. The FRI results showed that P V, ₙ/P III, ₙ reached the highest value of 1.84 on the 25th day, suggesting that DMF maintained stable in amended soil. Because of its consistency with the results of GI and DOC/DON, the EEM-FRI has a potential to evaluate the stability of DMF in soil.

The removal of Cr(III) ions and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions by xanthated corn cob (xCC) in batch conditions was investigated. The sorption capacity of xCC strongly depended of the pH, and increase when the pH rises. The kinetics was well fitted by pseudo-second-order and Chrastil’s model. Sorption of Cr(III) ions and MB on xCC was rapid during the first 20 min of contact time and, thereafter, the biosorption rate decrease gradually until reaching equilibrium. The maximum sorption capacity of 17.13 and 83.89 mg g⁻¹ for Cr(III) ions and MB, respectively, was obtained at 40 °C, pH 5, and sorbent dose 4 g dm⁻³ for removal of Cr(III) ions and 1 g dm⁻³ for removal of MB. The prediction of purification process was successfully carried out, and the verification of theoretically calculated amounts of sorbent was confirmed by using packed-bed column laboratory system with recirculation of the aqueous phase. The wastewater from chrome plating industry was successfully purified, i.e., after 40 min concentration of Cr(III) ions was decreased lower than 0.1 mg dm⁻³. Also, removal of MB from the river water was successfully carried out and after 40 min, removal efficiency was about 94%.

Air pollution due to vehicular emissions has become one of the most serious problems in the whole world and has resulted in huge threat to both the environment and the health of living organisms (plants, humans, animals, microorganisms). Plants growing along the roadsides get affected at the maximum as they are the primary recipients to different air pollutants and show varied levels of tolerance and sensitivity. Taking this into account, the present work was based on assessment of seasonal variation in air pollution tolerance index (APTI) and anticipated performance index (API) of four roadside plants, namely, Alstonia scholaris, Nerium oleander, Tabernaemontana coronaria, and Thevetia peruviana belonging to family Apocynaceae. APTI was calculated by the determination of four important biochemical parameters, viz., pH, relative water content (RWC), total chlorophyll (TChl), and ascorbic acid (AsA) content of leaves. The leaf samples were collected from plants growing at seven different sites of Amritsar (Punjab), India, for pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Highest APTI (82.14) was reported in N. oleander during the pre-monsoon season while the lowest was recorded in T. coronaria (18.59) in the post-monsoon season. On the basis of API score, A. scholaris was anticipated to be an excellent performer during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons followed by N. oleander, T. coronaria, and T. peruviana. Linear regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient depicted significant positive correlation between APTI and ascorbic acid content during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons.

This study investigates the effects of copper and mercury on growth rate, chlorophyll a content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, SOD mRNA gene expression, and frustule morphology of the benthic freshwater diatom Halamphora veneta (Kützing) Levkov and the potential utility of each for toxicity assessment in aquatic habitats. Results showed the following: (1) Compared to mercury, exposure to copper resulted in greater growth inhibition of H. veneta even at low concentrations and after short durations of exposure; (2) high accumulation of chlorophyll a in H. veneta is a stress response to the presence of heavy metals; (3) SOD activity and SOD gene expression varied in H. veneta according to the concentration, exposure time, and type of heavy metal; and (4) exposure to mercury resulted in deformity in the shape and an increase in size of the frustule of H. veneta. Growth rate, chlorophyll a content, SOD activity and gene expression, and frustule morphology of H. veneta are all potential candidates for the toxicological assessment of copper and mercury in aquatic habitats.

A comprehensive screening method for 311 organic compounds with a wide range of physicochemical properties (log Pow −2.2–8.53) in water samples was developed by combining solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography–high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Method optimization using 128 pesticides revealed that tandem extraction with styrene-divinylbenzene polymer and activated carbon solid-phase extraction cartridges at pH 7.0 was optimal. The developed screening method was able to extract 190 model compounds with average recovery of 80.8% and average relative standard deviations (RSD) of 13.5% from spiked reagent water at 0.20 μg L⁻¹, and 87.1% recovery and 10.8% RSD at 0.05 μg L⁻¹. Spike-recovery testing (0.20 μg L⁻¹) using real sewage treatment plant effluents resulted in an average recovery and average RSD of 190 model compounds of 77.4 and 13.1%, respectively. The method was applied to the influent and effluent of five sewage treatment plants in Kitakyushu, Japan, with 29 out of 311 analytes being observed at least once. The results showed that this method can screen for a large number of chemicals with a wide range of physicochemical properties quickly and at low operational cost, something that is difficult to achieve using conventional analytical methods. This method will find utility in target screening of hazardous chemicals with a high risk in environmental waters, and for confirming the safety of water after environmental incidents.

The main objective of the study was an assessment of the pollution level of agricultural land located close to dumps of industrial waste remaining after former Zn and Pb ore processing in Poland. The integrated geophysical-geochemical methods were applied for assessment of soil quality with respect to trace element pollution. Additionally, human health risk induced by the contaminated arable soil and dusting slag heap was estimated. The investigations pointed out that soils in the vicinity of the metallurgical slag dump in Piekary were heavily polluted. Spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility corresponding well with distribution of the content of potentially toxic elements indicated the local “pollution hotspots.” Proper geophysical and geochemical data interpretation supported by statistical factor analysis enabled identification of three different sources of pollution including metallurgical slug dump as a main source, but also traffic pollution influencing the area located along the busy road and relatively strong influence of the geochemical background. Computed health hazard index revealed no adverse health effect to the farmers cultivating arable soil, but in the direct vicinity of dusting, slag dump health risk occurred, caused mostly by very toxic elements as As and Tl. In the future, investigation should be focused on contribution of different sources to the heavy metal pollution in soil-crop system in this area. It should be highlighted that a site-specific approach should be taken in order to redevelop this kind of area in order to reduce ecological and human health threat. The study proved the integrated two-stage geophysical-geochemical method to be a feasible, reliable, and cost-effective tool for identification of the extent of soil pollution and areas at risk.

The present paper is the first documentation of distribution and contamination status of environmentally important elements of superficial sediments in the Batticaloa lagoon that is connected to the largest bay of the world. Surface sediment samples were collected from 34 sites covering all over the lagoon. Concentrations of elements such as As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Nb, Ni, Pb, Sc, Sr, Th, V, Y, Zn, and Zr were measured by X-ray florescence analysis. Geochemically, the lagoon has three different zones that were influenced mainly by fresh water sources, marine fronts, and intermediate mixing zones. The marine sediment quality standards indicate that Zr and Th values are exceeded throughout the lagoon. According to the freshwater sediment quality standards, Cr levels of all sampling sites exceed the threshold effect level (TEL) and 17 % of them are even above the probable effect level (PEL). Most sampling sites of the channel discharging areas show minor enrichment of Cu, Ni, and Zn with respect to the TEL. Contamination indices show that the lagoon mouth area is enriched with As. Statistical analysis implies that discharges from agricultural channel and marine fluxes of the lagoon effects on the spatial distribution of measured elements. Further research is required to understand the rate of contamination in the studied marine system.

The production of sewage sludge with the presence of various contaminants has been a serious issue for the operation of wastewater treatment plants on both the economical and environmental sides. To minimize the sludge volume to be handled and limit the potential environmental risk, this study developed a novel oxidative leaching process for enhanced sewage sludge dewatering and simultaneous removal of heavy metals based on nano-CaO₂. Response surface methodology determined the following optimal conditioning parameters in terms of capillary suction time reduction: 0.0906 g/g dry solid (DS) nano-CaO₂, 0.9969 mmol/g DS Fe²⁺, and pH of 5.59. The speciation partitioning analysis of the heavy metals pre and post nano-CaO₂ peroxidation indicated that the content of organically bound metals decreased and the percentage of soluble fraction increased substantially, which was beneficial for the removal of heavy metals through the dewatering unit. Nano-CaO₂ peroxidation could also induce the transformation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from the tightly bound layers to the loosely bound layers of sewage sludge flocs. Through the decline of the Ryan–Weber constant of fluorescence titration and the pseudo-first-order kinetic constant of complexation, it was verified that the binding capacity of EPS with metal ions could be damaged by nano-CaO₂ peroxidation, which was the primary mechanism behind the substantial reduction of organically bound metals. This study is believed to provide novel insights into the application of nanotechnology in terms of the simultaneous volume and toxicity reduction of sewage sludge. Graphical abstract

Wet flue gas desulfurization technologies have received much concern for their superior performance on co-controlling the acid gases and mercury. However, high concentrations of mercury-containing desulfurization wastewater, which discharge from wet flue gas desulfurization system regularly, have received researchers’ attention since it might generate the risk of secondary pollution. In this paper, the species of mercuric complexes in the desulfurization wastewater was investigated. It speculated that ClHgSO₃ ⁻ might determine the residual rate of Hg²⁺ in the desulfurization wastewater. Besides, the stability of ClHgSO₃ ⁻ on the condition of various wastewater features was also evaluated. The experiment revealed that the high temperature and high pH level promoted the decomposition of ClHgSO₃ ⁻. SO₃ ²⁻ could restrain the decomposition of ClHgSO₃ ⁻ gently; the Hg²⁺ residual rate was determined by the new mercury complexes which compounded by Hg²⁺ and SO₃ ²⁻. The decrease of SO₄ ²⁻ and increase of Ca²⁺ concentrations could also stimulate the stability of ClHgSO₃ ⁻ in wastewater. Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ disturbed the stability of complexes for their catalysis and reduction activities. The study proposed that the ClHgSO₃ ⁻ probably decomposes and releases Hg⁰ in two pathways. Furthermore, changes of the water’s features could disturb the balance of Hg²⁺–Cl⁻–SO₃ ²⁻ systems, which might stimulate the decomposition of ClHgSO₃.

By using Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies in heavy polluting industry as research object from 2009 to 2014, this paper examines the relationship between media reporting, carbon information disclosure, and the cost of equity financing. The results show that media reporting can improve the quality of carbon information disclosure, and carbon information disclosure level is negatively associated with the cost of equity financing. This study also finds that financial carbon information disclosure and non-financial carbon information disclosure have significant negative relationship with the cost of equity financing respectively. Moreover, this paper shows that media reporting can strengthen the relationship between carbon information disclosure and the cost of equity financing.