Rural non-point source (RNPS) water pollution control is problematic in Hubei Province, which is a typical agricultural region with abundant rainfall and a developed natural surface water network. The concept of best management practices (BMP) originating from the USA has already been introduced with the aim to reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and water and soil loss. However, a comprehensive evaluation of rural wastewater and nutrient reutilization to benefit the rural communities and the environment has not been attempted. To fill this gap, this review paper explores the major contributors of RNPS water pollution in Hubei Province, assesses the status of watercourses and discusses the prevalent ecological engineering techniques including vegetated filter strips (VFS), ecological ditches (ED), constructed wetlands (CW), and biogas plants (BP) with respect to aspects such as water purification, energy generation, and nutrient reduction and recirculation. Findings indicate that RNPS water pollution continuously increased for the past 10 years. Chemical fertilizers, poultry and livestock breeding, aquaculture, and rural living are the major sources of elevated chemical oxygen demand, ammonia–nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus loads discharged to receiving watercourses. Finally, ecological engineering technologies such as VFS, ED, CW, and BP are proposed for villages and communities to combat RNPS water pollution. BMP are a promising approach to create a sustainable agricultural system, improve the rural energy consumption structure and living conditions, decrease wastewater discharges, and reduce chemical fertilizer application rate.

A study was carried out under in vitro conditions to characterize the growth of blue green alga, Spirulina platensis, in standard CFTRI medium containing different nanoparticles of copper oxide (CuO) (50 nm, 10 ppm), zinc oxide (ZnO) (50 nm, 10 ppm), tricalcium phosphate (TCP) (<100 nm, 90 ppm), and hydroxy apatite (HA) (<200 nm, 90 ppm). S. platensis exhibited significant higher growth in standard CFTRI medium containing 90 ppm phosphorus as nanoparticles of TCP and HA. On the other hand, calcium phosphate nanoparticles caused significant reduction in nitrate reductase activity as well as in protein content of the alga. Marked change in chlorophyll-a/b ratio was also noted when phosphorus was supplied through nano tricalcium phosphate and nano hydroxy apatite particles as compared to ionic form (K2HPO 4). The study revealed that the growth of Spirulina in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles was retarded, while no growth was observed with CuO nanoparticles. It was concluded that alga Spirulina showed much sensitivity to nanoparticles of zinc and copper (<50 nm) and was able to tolerate the toxicity of nanophosphate (tricalcium phosphate <100 nm; hydroxy apatite <200 nm). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Diesel exhaust particulate matter contains many semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) of environmental and health significance. This study investigates the composition, emission rates, and measurement integrity of 25 SVOCs, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro-PAHs (NPAHs), and diesel biomarkers hopanes and steranes. Diesel engine particulate matter (PM), generated using an engine test bench, three engine conditions, and ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD), was collected on borosilicate glass fiber filters. Under high engine load, the PM emission rate was 0.102 g/kWh, and emission rates of ΣPAHs (10 compounds), ΣNPAHs (6 compounds), Σhopanes (2 compounds), and Σsteranes (2 compounds) were 2.52, 0.351, 0.02-2 and 1 μg/kWh, respectively. Storage losses were evaluated for three cases: conditioning filters in clean air at 25 C and 33 % relative humidity (RH) for 24 h, storing filter samples (without extraction) wrapped in aluminum foil at 4 C for up to 1 month, and storing filter extracts in glass vials capped with Teflon crimp seals at 4 C for up to 6 months. After conditioning filters for 24 h, 30 % of the more volatile PAHs were lost, but lower volatility NPAHs, hopanes and steranes showed negligible changes. Storing wrapped filters and extracts at 4 C for up to 1 month did not lead to significant losses, but storing extracts for 5 months led to significant losses of PAHs and NPAHs; hopanes and steranes demonstrated greater integrity. These results suggest that even relatively brief filter conditioning periods, needed for gravimetric measurements of PM mass, and extended storage of filter extracts, can lead to underestimates of SVOC concentrations. Thus, SVOC sampling and analysis protocols should utilize stringent criteria and performance checks to identify and limit possible biases occurring during filter and extract processing. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

The removal and sorption of oil from saline solutions by leaves (L) and roots (R) of Pistia stratiotes are described for the first time. The effects of biomass dose (0.5 and 1.0 g), contact time (30, 60, 90, and 120 min), and initial oil concentration (IOC = 979 ± 9.82, 1,968 ± 8.01, 3,935 ± 40.09, 7,778 ± 196.42, and 15,694 ± 196.41 mg L⁻¹) on removal and sorption (q) were evaluated. Studies included a physicochemical characterization of the biomass. High oil removal (L = 93.71 ± 0.18 % and R = 80.93 ± 0.11 %) and sorption values (L = 2,904.47 ± 4.49 mg g⁻¹ and R = 2,324.38 ± 29.29 mg g⁻¹) were found. Such a high sorption might be related to factors such as a high surface area (128.38 ± 0.61 and 112.62 ± 5.17 m² g⁻¹, for leaves and roots, respectively), a high degree of relative hydrophobicity in the case of the leaves (71.05 ± 0.71 %), and capillary action. A high correlation was found between IOC and sorption, suggesting that the biomass could adsorb oil at IOCs higher than 15,694 ± 196.41 mg L⁻¹. The Freundlich isotherm model was found to best describe crude oil sorption by leaves and roots of P. stratiotes. These sorbent materials could be good candidates to be used during an oil spill.

Data on the influence of substrate composition on the anaerobic degradation of peptone in a bench-scale packed-bed reactor are presented and discussed. The experiments were conducted in a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilised biomass reactor operated with a hydraulic detention time of 4 h. Peptone was the sole carbon source in the first experiment (E1). In the second experiment (E2), the reactor was fed with peptone and carbohydrates, and in the third experiment (E3), lipids were also added. At end of each experiment, the samples were collected to obtain spatial profiles of the substrates and intermediary metabolites. A modified first-order kinetic expression fits well with the chemical oxygen demand data, allowing kinetic parameter inference in both E1 and E2. The presence of lipids in the E3 influent clearly disturbed the equilibrium of the process, which could be better represented by two first-order kinetic expressions in series. A kinetic model of irreversible first-order reactions (in series and in parallel) with two intermediate products was proposed for representing the entire process. Several modifications of the metabolic routes were clearly represented by the values of the model parameters. It was also possible to conclude that the adsorption of lipids in the fixed bed caused a decrease in the consumption rate of proteins and acetate. Microscopy examinations and fluorescence in situ hybridisation analyses corroborated the conclusions from the kinetic study. The frequencies of the microorganisms changed as the substrate composition was modified, indicating the capability of the microorganisms to adapt.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater and surface water is widespread throughout the world. Considering its carcinogenicity and toxicity to human and animal health, remediation of arsenic-contaminated water has become a high priority. There are several physicochemical-based conventional technologies available for removing arsenic from water. However, these technologies possess a number of limitations such as high cost and generation of toxic by-products, etc. Therefore, research on new sustainable and cost-effective arsenic removal technologies for water has recently become an area of intense research activity. Bioremediation technology offers great potential for possible future application in decontamination of pollutants from the natural environment. It is not only environmentally friendly but cost-effective as well. This review focuses on the state-of-art knowledge of currently available arsenic remediation methods, their prospects, and recent advances with particular emphasis on bioremediation strategies.

Anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) is a linear, water-soluble anionic polymer that is widely used for erosion control and water quality protection. There has been an issue whether this formulation could possibly have negative effects on soil microbial diversity by altering microbial binding to soil particles or to one another and thus restricting their mobility and role in carbon and nutrient cycling. We conducted an 8-year study annually applying ultra-high rates of PAM to soil and then monitored impacts on soil bacterial diversity. In July and August, we measured active soil bacterial and fungal biomass and microbial diversity in soils receiving 0 (control), 2,691, and 5,382 kg active ingredient PAM ha⁻¹. Active microbial biomass in soil was 19–33 % greater in the untreated control than soil treated with 2,691 or 5,382 kg of active ingredient PAM ha⁻¹. Active bacterial biomass in soil was 21–31 % greater in the control treatment than in soil treated with 2,691 or 5,382 kg of active ingredient PAM ha⁻¹ in August, but not July. Active fungal biomass in soils was 38–50 % greater in the control treatment than soil treated with 2,691 or 5,382 kg of active ingredient PAM ha⁻¹ in July, but not August. Molecular methods were used to access the bacterial diversity, richness, and evenness in an agricultural soil that received 0 (control), 2,691, and 5,382 kg of active ingredient PAM ha⁻¹. We found that although soil receiving these massive PAM application rates and prolonged exposure may reduce active bacterial and fungal biomass, PAM application did not substantially or consistently affect bacterial structural diversity, richness, or evenness in this agricultural soil.

This paper provides a short overview of the main oxidation processes more commonly applied for the remediation of contaminated sites, with specific reference to their application for the in situ remediation of contaminated sites, i.e. In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO). A review of the main patents issued on this topic shows the relevant contribution to the development of this technology in the last 20 years, especially in the USA. The still limited deployment of ISCO in other geographical areas may be improved by the increased acceptance of the technology that may come from the development of proper application guidelines based on accepted design criteria. The latter ones are also discussed in this paper with reference to the application of Fenton's treatment. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Enzymatic precipitation provides a novel cost-effective and eco-friendly method for remediation of heavy metals from different industrial effluents such as tannery, electroplating, dye industries, and many more. This study has paid attention to bacterial alkaline phosphatase (BAP) from Eschericia coli C90 which catalyzes para-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) and produces inorganic phosphate (Pi) that helps in the precipitation of heavy metals as metalphosphates. The kinetic behavior of BAP with pNPP in Tris-HCl was studied for pH regimes 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, and 11 in detail. The results showed that the maximum activity of the enzyme was at pH 8.5 with an incubation period of 300 min at 37 C. Based on the kinetic data, experiments were performed at pH 8.5 and pH 10 to precipitate Cr3+, Cr6+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Co2+ from single-ion solutions (250 and 1,000 ppm concentrations) as well as industrial effluents, and the amount of metal precipitated as metalphosphate was derived by determining the amount of metal reduced in the supernatant of the reactions employing atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The precipitation of metals from single-ion solutions at pH 8.5 for 300 min incubation period followed the order Cd2+ > Ni2+ > Cr3+ > Cr6+ > Co2+. In the experiments involving effluents from tannery and electroplating industries, precipitation of 35.1 % of Cr6+, 77.80 % of Ni 2+, and 57.42 % of Cd2+ was achieved from initial concentrations of 621, 97, and 122 ppm, respectively. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Antiviral drugs have been recently recognized as one of the emerging contaminants in the environment. These are discharged after therapeutic use through human excretion. Effluent containing high concentration of antiviral drugs discharged from production facilities is also a cause of concern to nearby aquatic bodies. There is an increased interest in their removal because they are highly bioactive. Some antiviral drugs are resistant to conventional methods of degradation, and there is a risk of development of antiviral resistance in humans and animals if exposed repeatedly for long periods. To date, the potential human, animal, and ecological risks associated with the discharge of these antiviral compounds to the environment are not well documented. This study presents a brief summary on occurrence, ecotoxicological risks, and physicochemical properties of antiviral drugs in the environment. The needs regarding removal, disposal, and treatment of antiviral drugs are also addressed.