During this study, the effect of applying several types of treated domestic wastewater on the translocation and accumulation of organic and inorganic micropollutants in soil and radish plants (Raphanus sativus L.) was examined. Primary (PTW), secondary (STW) and tertiary (TTW) treated wastewater as well as tap water (TW) were used for the irrigation of radish plants for a period (transplantating and harvesting) of 67 days. Higher concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were observed in soils irrigated with PTW. The concentration of PAHs in radish roots ranged between 107.6 ± 12.1 μg/kg for plants irrigated with TTW and 124.1 ± 17.7 μg/kg for plants irrigated with PTW. The root concentration factors (RCFs) expressed as the ratio of PAH concentration in the root mass (dry weight) to the residual concentration in the soil varied from 1.6 to 1.9 indicating a higher accumulation of PAHs in the edible part of radishes than soil. Heavy metals were not detected in the wastewaters utilised and, as a result, no accumulation was found in either the soil or plants in comparison with tap water. RCFs for heavy metals were calculated between 0.91 and 0.99, 0.49 and 0.66, 0.004 and 0.005 for Cu, Zn and Ni, respectively. The results showed that radishes have the ability to concentrate PAHs when they are present in the wastewater and this could have associated health risks.

This work focuses on the effects of two commercial formulations of dispersants on juvenile turbot after 48 h of contamination and 15 days of recovery. Oxidative stress, gill, and immune functions were assessed in seven conditions: exposition to the water-soluble fraction of an oil, mechanical dispersion, two dispersants alone, two types of chemical dispersion and a control group. In the contaminated groups, nominal concentrations of oil and dispersants were 66 and 3.3 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Dispersants alone had weak effects; the soluble fraction induced leucopenia and gill alteration. Chemical and mechanical dispersion induced similar effects. After contamination, a principal component analysis showed two distinct areas: the first one included the control and dispersants groups, the second one dispersion of the oil. After the 15-day recovery period, it was not possible to differentiate the groups. This study shows that, in the experimental conditions tested, the dispersion, either chemical or mechanical, enhances the consequences of exposure to crude oil without long-lasting consequences.

There are multiple stressors derived from urbanizations that result in frequent disturbances on streams and rivers reducing water quality and threatens aquatic biota. P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) is a defence mechanism analogous to multidrug resistance (MDR), which has been demonstrated in several aquatic organisms. This system protects cells against the entry and the accumulation of xenobiotics and has been proposed as a biomarker for pollution assessment. We conducted a study in a post-urban reach of Esquel stream (Chubut Province) downstream a wastewater treatment plant, in order to assess the presence and activity of MXR in five freshwater macroinvertebrate species (Helobdella michaelseni, Helobdella simplex, Patagoniobdella variabilis, Hyalella curvispina and Chironomus riparius). We measured the accumulation of the model P-gp substrate rhodamine B (RB) in organisms previously exposed to pollution. Our results described the activity of the MXR system in the three species of leeches suggesting their suitability as the in vivo biomonitoring. We also identified a dependence of the transporter activity with the development stage in H. simplex, highlighting the importance of using organisms of similar size classes since it may affect observed results. Finally, we concluded that benthic freshwater macroinvertebrates possess different species-specific levels of MXR activity possibly influencing their natural distribution as well as their survival.

Textile industry is responsible for a large amount of wastewater inappropriate for both human consumption and aquatic species. Aquatic ecosystems are way more sensitive to the release of textile wastewater, and the usage of Winogradsky columns is interesting, once they are a simulated aquatic ecosystem in which the growth of algae and other microorganisms can be observed. In this research, simulated textile effluents with the dye Acid Blue 40 were treated with an electrolytic reactor, for a later ecotoxicological evaluation using Winogradsky columns. The algal and microbial population and primary production were measured. The results have shown that the electrolytic treatment was satisfactory when it comes to color removal, but the presence of the treated effluent in the Winogradsky columns changed the microecosystem. The number of algae identified decreased when exposed to certain effluents, and some algae groups even disappeared, while others such as Cyanophyceae were benefited.

Copper and iron isotope fractionation by plant uptake and translocation is a matter of current research. As a way to apply the use of Cu and Fe stable isotopes in the phytoremediation of contaminated sites, the effects of organic amendment and microbial addition in a mine-spoiled soil seeded with Helianthus annuus in pot experiments and field trials were studied. Results show that the addition of a microbial consortium of ten bacterial strains has an influence on Cu and Fe isotope fractionation by the uptake and translocation in pot experiments, with an increase in average of 0.99 ‰ for the δ⁶⁵Cu values from soil to roots. In the field trial, the amendment with the addition of bacteria and mycorrhiza as single and double inoculation enriches the leaves in ⁶⁵Cu compared to the soil. As a result of the same trial, the δ⁵⁶Fe values in the leaves are lower than those from the bulk soil, although some differences are seen according to the amendment used. Siderophores, possibly released by the bacterial consortium, can be responsible for this change in the Cu and Fe fractionation. The overall isotopic fractionation trend for Cu and Fe does not vary for pot and field experiments with or without bacteria. However, variations in specific metabolic pathways related to metal–organic complexation and weathering can modify particular isotopic signatures.

This paper investigates the role of ballast water treatment systems (BWTSs) and proposes a selection procedure for conventional merchant ships based on the financial, legal, and operational circumstances. Through the metallurgical revolution of the nineteenth century, commercial ships are converted to steel hull from wooden structures. By this innovative shift, use of ballast water became an essential part of ships for improving propulsion and stability while reducing stress on hull (instead of rocks). However, the content of ballast water is emerged since it relocates marine species from an ecological composition (usually cargo discharging port) to another one (loading port). Uncontrolled relocation of marine species may cause severe damage to existing ecological basis on ballast discharging area. BWTSs are developed for ships to eliminate marine species (i.e., aquatic invasive species) content by using a filtering device. It ensures an eco-friendly ballasting and de-ballasting process. The selection of proper BWTS is another debate since the BWTSs are designed with cost-quality and cost (eco)-performance variations. The proposed approach denoted that both tonnage and the age of ship are indicative factors on selection. The cost of installation varies based on installation space and active vs. project vessel cases.

The natural microbial activity in the unsaturated soil is vital for protecting groundwater in areas where high loads of biodegradable contaminants are supplied to the surface, which usually is the case for airports using aircraft de-icing fluids (ADF) in the cold season. Horizontal and vertical distributions of microbial abundance were assessed along the western runway of Oslo Airport (Gardermoen, Norway) to monitor the effect of ADF dispersion with special reference to the component with the highest chemical oxygen demand (COD), propylene glycol (PG). Microbial abundance was evaluated by several biondicators: colony-forming units (CFU) of some physiological groups (aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophs and microscopic fungi), most probable numbers (MPN) of PG degraders, selected catabolic enzymatic activities (fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolase, dehydrogenase, and β-glucosidase). High correlations were found between the enzymatic activities and microbial counts in vertical soil profiles. All microbial abundance indicators showed a steep drop in the first meter of soil depth. The vertical distribution of microbial abundance can be correlated by a decreasing exponential function of depth. The horizontal trend of microbial abundance (evaluated as total aerobic CFU, MPN of PG-degraders, and FDA hydrolase activity) assessed in the surface soil at an increasing distance from the runway is correlated negatively with the PG and COD loads, suggesting the relevance of other chemicals in the modulation of microbial growth. The possible role of potassium formate, component of runway de-icers, has been tested in the laboratory by using mixed cultures of Pseudomonas spp., obtained by enrichment with a selective PG medium from soil samples taken at the most contaminated area near the runway. The inhibitory effect of formate on the growth of PG degraders is proven by the reduction of biomass yield on PG in the presence of formate.

The applicability of a mature compost as a soil amendment to promote the growth of native species for the phytorestoration of a mine-affected soil from a semi-arid area (SE Spain), contaminated with trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn), was evaluated in a 2-year field experiment. The effects of an inorganic fertiliser were also determined for comparison. Bituminaria bituminosa was the selected native plant since it is a leguminous species adapted to the particular local pedoclimatic conditions. Compost addition increased total organic-C concentrations in soil with respect to the control and fertiliser treatments, maintained elevated available P concentrations throughout the duration of the experiment and stimulated soil microbial biomass, while trace elements extractability in the soil was rather low due to the calcareous nature of the soil and almost unaltered in the different treatments. Tissue concentrations of P and K in B. bituminosa increased after the addition of compost, associated with growth stimulation. Leaf Cu concentration was also increased by the amendments, although overall the trace elements concentrations can be considered non-toxic. In addition, the spontaneous colonisation of the plots by a total of 29 species of 15 different families at the end of the experiment produced a greater vegetation cover, especially in plots amended with compost. Therefore, the use of compost as a soil amendment appears to be useful for the promotion of a vegetation cover and the phytostabilisation of moderately contaminated soils under semi-arid conditions.

Thousands of tons of mercury (Hg) are released from anthropogenic and natural sources to the atmosphere in a gaseous elemental form per year, yet little is known regarding the influence of airborne Hg on the physiological activities of plant leaves. In the present study, the effects of low-level air and soil Hg exposures on the gas exchange parameters of maize (Zea mays L.) leaves and their accumulation of Hg, proline, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were examined via field open-top chamber and Hg-enriched soil experiments, respectively. Low-level air Hg exposures (<50 ng m⁻³) had little effects on the gas exchange parameters of maize leaves during most of the daytime (p > 0.05). However, both the net photosynthesis rate and carboxylation efficiency of maize leaves exposed to 50 ng m⁻³air Hg were significantly lower than those exposed to 2 ng m⁻³air Hg in late morning (p < 0.05). Additionally, the Hg, proline, and MDA concentrations in maize leaves exposed to 20 and 50 ng m⁻³air Hg were significantly higher than those exposed to 2 ng m⁻³air Hg (p < 0.05). These results indicated that the increase in airborne Hg potentially damaged functional photosynthetic apparatus in plant leaves, inducing free proline accumulation and membrane lipid peroxidation. Due to minor translocation of soil Hg to the leaves, low-level soil Hg exposures (<1,000 ng g⁻¹) had no significant influences on the gas exchange parameters, or the Hg, proline, and MDA concentrations in maize leaves (p > 0.05). Compared to soil Hg, airborne Hg easily caused physiological stress to plant leaves. The effects of increasing atmospheric Hg concentration on plant physiology should be of concern.