A recently developed modified polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) provides a means for monitoring perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in water. However, changes in external flow rates may alter POCIS sampling behaviour and consequently affect estimated water concentrations of analytes. In this work, uptake kinetics of selected PFCs, over 15 days, were investigated. A flow-through channel system was employed with spiked river water at flow rates between 0.02 and 0.34 m s−1. PFC sampling rates (Rs) (0.09–0.29 L d−1 depending on analyte and flow rate) increased from the lowest to highest flow rate employed for some PFCs (MW ≤ 464) but not for others (MW ≥ 500). Rs's for some of these smaller PFCs were increasingly less sensitive to flow rate as this increased within the range investigated. This device shows promise as a sampling tool to support monitoring efforts for PFCs in a range of flow rate conditions.

This study investigated the relationship between contaminant body burden and the oxidative stress status of the gills and livers of two wild fish species in the Furnas Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS) reservoir (Minas Gerais, Brazil). Gills and livers presented similar pathways of metals and organochlorine bioaccumulation. During June, organochlorines were associated with lipid peroxidation (LPO), indicating oxidative stress due to the inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. In the most polluted areas, metal concentrations in the liver were associated with metallothionein. During December, contaminants in the gills and liver were associated with catalase activity and LPO. Aldrin/dieldrin was the contaminant most associated with oxidative damage in the livers of both species. This integrated approach shed light on the relationship between adverse biological effects and bioaccumulation of contaminants inputted by intensive agricultural practices and proved to be a suitable tool for assessing the environmental quality of man-made reservoirs.

The fate of fuel releases largely depends on the poorly-understood response in microbial community structure and function. Here, we evaluate the impacts to the microbial community resulting from a pilot-scale continuous release (10 months) of a 10% v:v ethanol solution mixed with benzene and toluene (50 mg/L each). Microbial population shifts were characterized by pyrosequencing-based 16S rRNA analysis and by quantitative PCR targeting Bacteria, Archaea, and functional genes for methanogenesis (mcrA), acetogenesis (fhs) and aerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons (PHE), which could occur in hypoxic micro-environments. The release stimulated microbial growth, increased species richness and diversity, and selected for genotypes involved in fermentative degradation (the relative abundance of mcrA and fhs increased 18- and 6-fold, respectively). The growth of putative hydrocarbon degraders and commensal anaerobes, and increases in microbial diversity and in degradation rates suggest an adaptive response that increases the potential for natural attenuation of ethanol blend releases.

The work presented in this paper investigated the effects of plant species composition, species diversity and soil fertility on biodegradation of 14C-phenanthrene in soil. The two soils used were of contrasting fertility, taken from long term unfertilised and fertilised grassland, showing differences in total nitrogen content (%N). Plant communities consisted of six different plant species: two grasses, two forbs, and two legume species, and ranged in species richness from 1 to 6. The degradation of 14C-phenanthrene was evaluated by measuring indigenous catabolic activity following the addition of the contaminant to soil using respirometry. Soil fertility was a driving factor in all aspects of 14C-phenanthrene degradation; lag phase, maximum rates and total extents of 14C-phenanthrene mineralisation were higher in improved soils compared to unimproved soils. Plant identity had a significant effect on the lag phase and extents of mineralisation. Soil fertility was the major influence also on abundance of microbial communities.

The thyroid hormone disrupting activities of drinking water sources from the lower reaches of Yangtze River were examined using a reporter gene assay based on African green monkey kidney fibroblast (CV-1) cells. None of the eleven tested samples showed thyroid receptor (TR) agonist activity. Nine water samples exhibited TR antagonist activities with the equivalents referring to Di-n-butyl phthalate (DNBP) (TR antagonist activity equivalents, ATR-EQ50s) ranging from 6.92 × 101 to 2.85 × 102 μg DNBP/L. The ATR-EQ50s and TR antagonist equivalent ranges (ATR-EQ30–80 ranges) for TR antagonist activities indicated that the water sample from site WX-8 posed the greatest health risks. The ATR-EQ80s of the water samples ranging from 1.56 × 103 to 6.14 × 103 μg DNBP/L were higher than the NOEC of DNBP. The results from instrumental analysis showed that DNBP might be responsible for the TR antagonist activities in these water samples. Water sources along Yangtze River had thyroid hormone disrupting potential.

A highly selective sample cleanup procedure combined with molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) was developed for the isolation of gonyautoxins 2,3 (GTX2,3) from Alexandrium tamarense sample. The molecularly imprinted polymer microspheres (MIPMs) were prepared by suspension polymerization using caffeine as the dummy template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker and polyvinyl alcohol as the dispersive reagent. The polymer microspheres were used as a selective sorbent for the solid-phase extraction of gonyautoxins 2,3. An off-line MISPE method followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection for the analysis of gonyautoxins 2,3 was established. Finally, the extract samples from Alexandrium tamarense were analyzed. The results showed the imprinted polymer microspheres exhibited high affinity and selectivity for gonyautoxins 2,3. The interference matrix in the extract were obviously cleaned by MISPE and the extraction efficiency of gonyautoxins 2,3 in the sample ranged from 81.74% to 85.86%.

Biochar plays an important role in the behaviors of organic pollutants in the soil environment. The role of humic acid (HA) and metal cations on the adsorption affinity of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to the biochars in an aqueous medium and an extracted solution from a PCBs-contaminated soil was studied using batch experiments. Biochars were produced with pine needles and wheat straw at 350 °C and 550 °C under anaerobic condition. The results showed that the biochars had high adsorption affinity for PCBs. Pine needle chars adsorbed less nonplanar PCBs than planar ones due to dispersive interactions and separation. Coexistence of HA and metal cations increased PCBs sorption on the biochars accounted for HA adsorption and cation complexation. The results will aid in a better understanding of biochar sorption mechanism of contaminants in the environment.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provides daily global coverage, but the 10 km resolution of its aerosol optical depth (AOD) product is not adequate for studying spatial variability of aerosols in urban areas. Recently, a new Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm was developed for MODIS which provides AOD at 1 km resolution. Using MAIAC data, the relationship between MAIAC AOD and PM2.5 as measured by the EPA ground monitoring stations was investigated at varying spatial scales. Our analysis suggested that the correlation between PM2.5 and AOD decreased significantly as AOD resolution was degraded. This is so despite the intrinsic mismatch between PM2.5 ground level measurements and AOD vertically integrated measurements. Furthermore, the fine resolution results indicated spatial variability in particle concentration at a sub-10 km scale. Finally, this spatial variability of AOD within the urban domain was shown to depend on PM2.5 levels and wind speed.

The environmental behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and humic acid (HA) is a prominent concern, but effect of functionalities on their sorption is not clear yet. Functionalized multi-walled CNTs (MCNT15) and HA were used to study their sorption behavior. Sorption rate of HA to MCNTs was dominantly controlled by its diffusion from liquid-MCNT boundary to MCNT surfaces. The sorption is in the sequence of MCNT15 > MCNT15-NH2 > MCNT15-OH > MCNT15-COOH > MCNT15-Ni, which was dependent on their surface area and meso- and macro-pore volume. The functionalities of MCNTs regulated the sorption by affecting their interaction mechanisms (i.e., H-bonding, π–π, and hydrophobic interaction). Additionally, the amount of these functionalities on the MCNT surface reduced indirectly the sorption sites due to the steric hindrance. Electrostatic repulsion deceased the sorption of HA by MCNTs with increasing pH. This study demonstrated the importance of functionalities on the MCNTs for the sorption of HA.

In this study, emissions of carbonyl compounds from the use B50 and B100 were measured with a non-road diesel generator. A total of 25 carbonyl compounds were identified in the exhaust, including 10 with laboratory-synthesized standards. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acrolein were found as the most abundant carbonyl compounds emitted for both diesel and biodiesel. The sulphur content of diesel fuels and the source of biodiesel fuels were not found to have a significant impact on the emission of carbonyl compounds. The overall maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) was the highest at 0 kW and slightly increased from 25 to 75 kW. The MIR of B100 was the highest, followed by diesel and B50, which is consistent with the emission rates of total carbonyl compounds. This suggests that the use of biodiesel blends may be more beneficial to the environment than using pure biodiesel.