Airborne and dissolved water PCB congener specific concentrations from southern Lake Michigan 2010. The data were used to estimated instantaneous air-water PCB fluxes.

In this paper, a novel structured carbon foam has been prepared from argan nut shell (ANS) was developed and applied in bisphenol A (BPA) removal from water. The results showed that the prepared carbon foam remove 93% of BPA (60 mg/L). The BPA equilibrium data obeyed the Liu isotherm, displaying a maximum uptake capacity of 323.0 mg/g at 20 °C. The calculated free enthalpy change (∆H° = − 4.8 kJ/mol) indicated the existence of physical adsorption between BPA and carbon foam. Avrami kinetic model was able to explain the experimental results. From the regeneration tests, we conclude that the prepared carbon foam has a good potential to be used as an economic and efficient adsorbent for BPA removal from contaminated water. Based on these results and the fact that the developed structured carbon foam is very easy to separate from treated water, it can serve as an interesting material for real water treatment applications.

In aquatic environment, the existence of antibiotics including sulfadiazine (SDZ) has gain a huge attention. It is suggested that hydrous metal oxides have large potential to remove contaminants in water. The SDZ removal capability by ferric and manganese binary oxides (FMBO) was investigated, and the SDZ removal performance was compared with the ferric hydroxide (HFO) and manganese dioxide (HMO). Our results showed that SDZ removal was highly pH-dependent, but pH has less effect on uptake of SDZ on FMBO than that of the other two adsorbents. The surface acidity constant of FMBO was first calculated to be 6.31 and 8.48, respectively. The uptake process was successfully fitted for according to surface complex formation models (SCFM) and the results of modern surface analytical methods, such as FTIR and XPS, were also consistent with the surface complex uptake mechanism. The uptake of SDZ by FMBO ascribed to specific chemical interaction between the aniline group of SDZ and the hydroxyl groups from FMBO.

Freshwater lakes are important reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, we determined the ARG profiles in water samples from Ying Lake, China, using high-throughput quantitative PCR. The high prevalence of ARGs suggested significant pollution with ARGs in the study area, where the ARG diversity and abundance were greater in an area with box-type fish farming than an area with fenced fish farming. Network analysis indicated the widespread co-occurrence of ARGs and mobile genetic elements. cphA-01, blalMP02, and blaCMY202 were identified as adequate indicator genes for estimating the total ARG abundances. Redundancy analysis indicated that changes in the microbial communities caused by variations in the physicochemical parameters with different fish culture methods mainly determined the ARGs in the lake system. Thus, analyzing the factors that affect ARGs provided novel insights into the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance and propagation of ARGs in a lake.

Variation of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentration and composition in an active landfill were monitored by a developed static chamber for 2 years. The landfill gas from 82 sampling points including 70 points on working face, 8 points on geomembrane (GMB), and 4 points on final cover were analyzed for VOCs by GC-MS. Twenty-eight types of VOCs were detected, including terpenes, sulfur compounds, aromatics, hydrocarbon, oxygenated compounds, aldehyde compounds, and halogenated compounds. Terpenes were the dominant VOCs recorded in the spring, autumn, and winter seasons, whereas sulfur compounds dominated in the summer season. Limonene, ethyl alcohol, and acetone were identified as the main VOCs emitted from the waste working face of the landfill. Limonene dominated the terpenes with a maximum concentration of 43.29 μg m⁻³ in the autumn season. Limonene was also the dominant VOC escaping from the defects of geomembrane temporary cover reaching an average concentration 38 μg m⁻³. The defects of geomembranes can be a great emission source of VOCs. Emission rate of limonene was 2.24 times higher than that on the working face. VOC concentrations on the final cover can be 166 times less than those obtained on the working face. VOC emitted from the landfill did not represent a health threat for human health. However, concentrations of methyl mercaptan and ethanethiol on the working face were 3.4–22.8 times greater than their odor threshold, which were the main compounds responsible for odor nuisance. Results obtained from CALPUFF model indicated that methyl mercaptan and ethanethiol would not be a nuisance for the residents around the landfill. However, these compounds are harmful to the workers on the landfill.

Exposure to environmental chemicals can modulate the developing immune system, but its role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes is largely unexplored. Our objective was to study the levels of circulating concentrations of environmental pollutants during the first years of life and their associations with the later risk of diabetes-predictive autoantibodies. From two birth-cohort studies including newborn infants with HLA-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (FINDIA and DIABIMMUNE), we identified case children with at least one biochemical diabetes-associated autoantibody (n = 30–40) and from one to four autoantibody-negative controls per each case child matched for age, gender, diabetes-related HLA-risk, delivery hospital, and, in FINDIA, also dietary intervention group. Plasma levels of 13 persistent organic pollutants and 14 per- and polyfluorinated substances were analyzed in cord blood and plasma samples taken at the age of 12 and 48 months. Both breastfeeding and the geographical living environment showed association with circulating concentrations of some of the chemicals. Breastfeeding-adjusted conditional logistic regression model showed association between decreased plasma HBC concentration at 12-month-old children and the appearance of diabetes-associated autoantibodies (HR, 0.989; 95% Cl, 0.978–1.000; P = 0.048). No association was found between the plasma chemical levels and the development of clinical type 1 diabetes. Our results do not support the view that exposure to the studied environmental chemicals during fetal life or early childhood is a significant risk factor for later development of β-cell autoimmunity and type 1 diabetes.

The natural and ecologically safe control of stored product insects has gained considerable attention in modern society. In this study of further searching for botanical pesticides from wild-growing plant, the contact toxicity and repellency towards Tribolium castaneum and Liposcelis bostrychophila were assessed for the essential oil (EO) from Ostericum viridiflorum. The EO was distilled from aboveground parts of O. viridiflorum and checked by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twenty-two compounds were identified and the main components were β-caryophyllene (24.3%), α-humulene (21.0%), apiol (10.2%), and carotol (2.5%). For bioactivity tests, results indicated that the EO and its two main compounds (β-caryophyllene and α-humulene) all showed potent contact toxicity towards L. bostrychophila with LD₅₀ values of 44.52 μg/cm², 74.11 μg/cm², and 118.56 μg/cm², respectively. The EO and the two main compounds also exhibited comparable repellency towards T. castaneum and L. bostrychophila. The results evidenced the EO of O. viridiflorum aboveground parts and its major compounds could be considered for the development of eco-friendly botanical insecticides and repellents in controlling stored product insects.

In the present article, Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ core/shell (FT) linked to graphene was fabricated by sol–gel technique as a photocatalyst and was employed for the solar degradation of cationic methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The prepared core/shells were linked to graphene oxide (FTGO) and reduced graphene oxide (FTRGO) via embedding into 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APS). The structure of this magnetic composition was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and BET surface area measurements. The significance of the composite structure in photocatalytic degradation was spectrophotometrically tested by blending the obtained powders with wastewater containing methylene blue under solar irradiation. The appropriate dosage of APS to link the Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ core/shell onto GO and RGO surfaces was determined to be 1 ml per gram of FT. The kinetic studies were performed to investigate the effects of different parameters, such as composition structure, APS dosage, and repeatability. Kinetic data are well fitted by a first-order model with a high correlation coefficient. Regardless of the prominent advantage of composites in magnetic powder separation, the Fe₃O₄@TiO₂ core/shell linked to graphene oxide is an efficient composite in comparison to FTRGO for the dye degradation without losing the original activity and stability.

A hybrid polymer for deep removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions was obtained by loading of waste Fe/Mn oxides into a chitosan matrix. The process was optimized by studying the influence of selected individual factors and their reciprocal combinations on the adsorptive and physical properties of the product. The influence of chitosan solution concentration, inorganic load amount, the ratio of Fe/Mn oxides to chitosan, and polymer cross-linking degree on kinetics of As(III) and As(V) adsorption was examined. The optimal values of the parameters were chitosan polymer concentration 1.5% w/w, inorganic load to chitosan ratio 1.67, and glutaraldehyde to chitosan amine groups molar ratio 3:1. The selected products were evaluated in terms of their morphology (scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDS analysis), porosity (N₂ and CO₂ adsorption isotherms), surface properties (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), isoelectric point determination) and durability in an acidic environment. The proposed process makes it possible to obtain a product combining beneficial adsorptive properties toward arsenic with the physical form and durability essential in fixed-bed adsorption systems.

During the operation of a mine, waste rock is often deposited in heaps and usually left under ambient conditions allowing sulfides to oxidize. To focus on waste rock management for preventing acid rock drainage (ARD) formation rather than ARD treatment could avoid its generation and reduce lime consumption, costs, and sludge treatment. Leachates from 10 L laboratory test cells containing sulfide-rich (> 60% pyrite) waste rock with and without the addition of lime kiln dust (LKD) (5 wt.%) were compared to each other to evaluate the LKD’s ability to maintain near neutral pH and reduce the sulfide oxidation. Leaching of solely waste rock generated an acidic leachate (pH < 1.3) with high concentrations of As (21 mg/L), Cu (20 mg/L), Fe (18 g/L), Mn (45 mg/L), Pb (856 μg/L), Sb (967 μg/L), S (17 g/L), and Zn (23 mg/L). Conversely, the addition of 5 wt.% LKD generated and maintained a near neutral pH along with decreasing of metal and metalloid concentrations by more than 99.9%. Decreased concentrations were most pronounced for As, Cu, Pb, and Zn while S was relatively high (100 mg/L) but decreasing throughout the time of leaching. The results from sequential extraction combined with element release, geochemical calculations, and Raman analysis suggest that S concentrations decreased due to decreasing sulfide oxidation rate, which led to gypsum dissolution. The result from this study shows that a limited amount of LKD, corresponding to 4% of the net neutralizing potential of the waste rock, can prevent the acceleration of sulfide oxidation and subsequent release of sulfate, metals, and metalloids but the quantity and long-term stability of secondary minerals formed needs to be evaluated and understood before this method can be applied at a larger scale.