Surface water bodies can be impaired by turbidity and excessive sediment loading due to urban development, construction activities, and agricultural practices. Turbidity has been considered as a proxy for evaluating water quality, aquatic habitat, and aesthetic impairments in surface waters. The US Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) has listed turbidity and sediment as major pollutants for construction site effluent. Recently proposed USEPA regulations for construction site runoff led to increased interest in methods to predict turbidity in runoff based on parameters that are more commonly predicted in runoff–erosion models. In this study, a turbidity prediction methodology that can be easily incorporated into existing runoff–erosion models has been developed using fractions of sand, silt, and clay plus suspended sediment concentration of eight parent soils from locations in Oklahoma and South Carolina, USA.

To treat PCP-contaminated soil, abiotic methods for PCP degradation have been developed, where heme or powder hemoglobin acts as a catalyst and hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant. Degradation of PCP had the first-order kinetics, and rate coefficients, k, were 0.073 and 0.104/day for heme and hemoglobin, respectively, indicating that the hemoglobin was a more efficient catalyst than heme. Approximately 96 % of the initial PCP was degraded at day 35. Thus, hemoglobin might be recommended as the catalyst of choice, since it is much less expensive than heme.

The dried powder of the alligator weed root (AWR) was employed as a biosorbent to remove As(III) from aqueous solution, using acid pre-treated AWR (HAWR) and As(V) as the contrasts. The results of batch adsorption experiment suggested that there is no substantial difference between As(III) and As(V) adsorption. Both of them are affected by the solution pH significantly, but insensitive to the ionic strength. The speciation analysis indicated that more than 95 % of the total As(III) in aqueous solution is oxidized into As(V) in the presence of AWR, while barely oxidized in the presence of HAWR. It proves that without pre-oxidation, AWR can oxidize and adsorb As(III), simultaneously. The properties of the biosorbent were characterized by various techniques including scanning electronic microscopy-energy dispersive spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectra analysis, inductive coupled plasma emission spectrometer and Zeta potential detection. The results suggested that typical metals including Mn, Fe and Al enrich in the morphology of metal (hydro) oxide over the surface of AWR, originally. Based on the nature of the biosorbent and arsenic besides the adsorption and oxidation performances, the metal (hydro) oxides are proved as the essential role to drive the adsorption and oxidation. The proof is that with the metal (hydro) oxides denuded, as the contrast of AWR, HAWR loses its capability of adsorption and oxidation for As(III), totally.

This study investigated drivers of denitrification and overall NO₃ ⁻ removal in an agricultural riparian area in central New York. Denitrification was measured using an in situ “push-pull” method with ¹⁵N–NO₃ ⁻ as a tracer during summer and fall 2011 at a pair of riparian sites characterized by different hydrologic regimes. Median denitrification rates were 1347 and 703 μg N kg soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ for the two study sites. These rates are higher than those reported for other riparian areas, emphasizing the role of some riparian areas as hotspots of NO₃ ⁻ removal. N₂O production was significantly higher at one site, demonstrating that riparian areas can be a greenhouse gas source under certain conditions. Denitrification was negatively correlated with groundwater flux, suggesting that slower flushing of water, and thus longer residence time, promotes denitrification. A mass balance of NO₃ ⁻ loss revealed that denitrification only accounted for 5–12 % of total NO₃ ⁻ loss, and production of NH₄ ⁺ indicated that dissimilatory NO₃ ⁻ reduction to NH₄ ⁺ (DNRA) may be occurring at both sites. While both sites were characterized by high NO₃ ⁻ removal, differences in denitrification rates and NO₃ ⁻ removal processes demonstrate the need to improve our ability to capture spatial and process heterogeneity in landscape biogeochemical models.

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous metalloid known for its adverse effects to human health. Microorganisms are also impacted by As toxicity, including methanogenic archaea, which can affect the performance of a process in which biological activity is required (i.e., stabilization of activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants). The novel ability of a mixed methanogenic granular sludge consortium to adapt to the inhibitory effect of arsenic As was investigated by exposing the culture to approximately 0.92 mM of arsenite (Asᴵᴵᴵ) for 160 days in an arsenate (Asⱽ)-reducing bioreactor using ethanol as the electron donor. The results of shaken batch bioassays indicated that the original, unexposed sludge was severely inhibited by Asᴵᴵᴵ as evidenced by the low 50 % inhibition concentrations (IC₅₀) determined, i.e., 19 and 90 μM Asᴵᴵᴵ for acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, respectively. The tolerance of the acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens in the sludge to Asᴵᴵᴵ increased 47-fold (IC₅₀ = 910 μM) and 12-fold (IC₅₀ = 1100 μM), respectively, upon long-term exposure to As. In conclusion, the methanogenic community in the granular sludge demonstrated a considerable ability to adapt to the severe inhibitory effects of As after a prolonged exposure period.

Deterioration of natural water resources due to runoff from agricultural land is a major problem in the US Great Plains. Changes in earth climate can create heavy storms and alter precipitation patterns which would affect the element concentrations in runoff. A 2-year study (dry and wet years) was conducted to assess the impact of annual precipitation on element concentrations in runoff from soils and element loadings to Salt Creek in the Roca watershed, NE. Both dissolved and sediment-associated forms of five elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) were determined in runoff. The amount of dissolved element in runoff during the wet year was greater than the dry year. Except for Zn, the total amount of element associated with sediment was greater than that found in dissolved form. The Mehlich3 extraction was applied to determine the reactive fraction of element in sediment. A small fraction of element associated with sediment was in reactive form, ranging from 1 to 33 % of the total element content. The sum of both the reactive fraction of element in sediment and amount of element dissolved in water were used to calculate the total bioactive element concentration (BEC) in runoff. During the dry year, the total BEC in runoff was 424, 349, 387, 5.2, and 26.8 μg/L for Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn, respectively. The corresponding total BEC during the wet year was 622, 479, 114, 3.7, and 19.8 μg/L for Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn, respectively. Further, the bioactive element loading (BEL) into Salt Creek was greater during the wet year than the dry year. Aluminum, Fe, and Mn contributed to the greatest BEL into the surface water body while Zn and Cu had the least contribution. We concluded that greater precipitation during the wet year would increase the negative impact of runoff from soils and BEL to surface water systems in the US Great Plains.

Industrial production of manganese/silicon ore has generated a large number of tailing wastes which are difficult to dispose. A new method treating coking wastewater was proposed using the manganese/silicon tailing waste and demonstrated with good performances: the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was around 60 % without pH and temperature adjustment, with a reasonable reaction time of 2.5 h and tailing dosage of 0.2 g/L; while phenylamine was eliminated with a removal rate as high as 99 and 61.6 % for synthetic and real coking wastewater, respectively. Experimental results indicated that the removal of organic pollutants was mainly realized through chemical adsorption and/or oxidation by oxide components inside the tailing, rather than by physical adsorption. Operational parameters such as tailing dosage, reaction time, and temperature were optimized. Acid conditions were found to be favorable to remove the selected model organic pollutants, i.e., volatile phenols and phenylamine. Fortunately, the optimistic wastewater pH for COD removal was found to be around 7.0, right within the range of influent pH for real coking wastewater. The new method can treat coking wastewater and reuse mining tailing wastes simultaneously.

Recently, the increased use of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has resulted in their presence in the environment. This may have potential negative effects on living organisms. The biotransformation mechanisms of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the human body and in other mammals occur by hydroxylation and conjugation with glycine or glucuronic acid. Biotransformation/biodegradation of monocyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the environment may be caused by fungal or bacterial microorganisms. Salicylic acid derivatives are degraded by catechol or gentisate as intermediates which are cleaved by dioxygenases. The key intermediate of the paracetamol degradation pathways is hydroquinone. Sometimes, after hydrolysis of this drug, 4-aminophenol is formed, which is a dead-end metabolite. Ibuprofen is metabolized by hydroxylation or activation with CoA, resulting in the formation of isobutylocatechol. The aim of this work is to attempt to summarize the knowledge about environmental risk connected with the presence of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, their sources and the biotransformation and/or biodegradation pathways of these drugs.

The growing pollution mainly caused by the discharge of industrial, sanitary, and agricultural wastes has become one of the main current environmental issues. Thus, the use of bioindicators has become an important tool for investigating environmental imbalance. In this context, microorganisms have shown to be important for the identification of altered environments because of their ubiquity and their ability to grow in inhospitable habitats. Yeasts of the genus Candida are potential bioindicators because of their ability to survive in contaminated freshwater environments. Besides, they are more frequently recovered than fecal coliforms. It is noteworthy that the nonspecific activity of efflux pumps, which help in cellular detoxification processes, may be associated with the presence of chemical compounds in contaminated environments. Thus, the activity of efflux pumps may be the main mechanism involved in the resistance to azole derivatives in Candida spp. and the assessment of their activity may also be a tool for environmental monitoring. As a result, the phenotypical and molecular evaluation of this antifungal resistance in Candida species has been pointed as a promising tool for monitoring the quality of aquatic environments. Hence, the objective of this study was to collect and systematize data pointing to an alternative use of Candida spp. as bioindicators by assessing the occurrence of azole resistance among environmental Candida as a strategy to monitor the quality of freshwater environments.

Chemical contamination of water resources on the planet generates a range of environmental disturbances which impair ecosystems. Humans ingest such chemicals often present in water. Conventional treatments fail to remove these contaminants from water, requiring complementary methods such as activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis, or distillation, which are expensive and seldom used in the public water supply. In recent years, there has been a search for alternative eco-friendly, low-cost methods which can effectively remove these contaminants. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of biotite (black mica), an igneous mineral of the mica group, in removing pesticides from water. A trial was designed to assess the rate of pesticide removal using a methodology based on axes of variation of pH, temperature, concentration, and time. The pesticides tested were atrazine, fluazifop-p-butyl, lambda-cyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos, and lactofen. The results showed higher removal rates in acidic conditions (pH 3) and temperatures between 20 and 30 °C, requiring about 6 h to reach maximum adsorption. More than 80 % of all the pesticides were adsorbed. The best result was obtained for fluazifop (94.2 %) in 6 h, under pH 3, and temperature of 25 °C. The study revealed that biotite has a high absorption capacity of complex and varied compounds. These findings signal the need for further studies and tests. Due to the high cost of pesticide analysis, which can only be made using a chromatograph mass spectrometer, financial resources will be required.