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Ma S, Han G. Rare earth elements reveal the human health and environmental concerns in the largest tributary of the Mekong river, Northeastern Thailand. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:118968. [PMID: 38643820 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
The widespread application of rare earth elements (REEs) in contemporary industries and agriculture, has caused emerging contaminant accumulation in aquatic environments. However, there is a limited scope of risk assessments, particularly in relation to human health associated with REEs. This study investigated the provenance, and contamination levels of REEs, further evaluating their environmental and human health risks in river sediments from an agricultural basin. The concentrations of REEs ranged from 30.5 to 347.7 mg/kg, with showing an upward trend from headwater to downstream. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model identified natural and anthropogenic input, especially from agricultural activities, as the primary source of REEs in Mun River sediments. The contamination assessment by the geoaccumulation index (I-geo) and pollution load index (PLI) confirmed that almost individual REEs in the samples were slightly to moderately polluted. The potential ecological risk index (PERI) showed mild to moderate risks in Mun River sediment. Regular fertilization poses pollution and ecological risks to agricultural areas, manifesting as an enrichment of light REEs in river sediments. Nevertheless, Monte Carlo simulations estimated the average daily doses of total REEs from sediments to be 0.24 μg/kg/day for adults and 0.95 μg/kg/day for children, comfortably below established human health thresholds. However, the risk of REE exposure appears to be higher in children, and sensitivity analyses suggested that REE concentration contributed more to health risks, whether the adults or children. Thus, concerns regarding REE contamination and risks should be raised considering the wide distribution of agricultural regions, and further attention is warranted to assess the health risks associated with other routes of REE exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunrong Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Guilin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; Institute of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; Frontiers Science Center for Deep-time Digital Earth, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China.
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Lai K, Zhang L, Xu J. Evaluation of the chronic toxicity of bisphenol A and bisphenol AF to sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus after long-term single and combined exposure at environmental relevant concentration. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 251:118748. [PMID: 38522740 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Bisphenols are emerging endocrine disrupting pollutant, and several studies have reported that they are already ubiquitous in various environmental matrices and intend to deposit in sediment. The primary sources of bisphenols are river and sewage discharge. Sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus), a typical deposit feeder, is one of the most important commercial marine species in Aisa. However, the effects of the bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogues bisphenol AF (BPAF) on sea cucumber was unclear. In this study, we carried out field survey in major sea cucumber farming areas in northern China, with the aim of determining which bisphenol analogue is the major bisphenol contamination in this aquaculture area. The results showed that the presence of BPAF was detected in four sampling sites (Dalian, Tangshan, Laizhou, and Longpan). The mean level of BPAF in Laizhou sediment samples was the highest which reached to 9.007 ± 4.702 μ g/kg. Among the seawater samples, the BPAF only have been detected in the samples collected at Longpan. (0.011 ± 0.003 μ g/L). Furthermore, we conducted an experiment to evaluate the single and combined toxicity of BPA and BPAF on sea cucumbers. The concentrations were informed by the findings based on the results of field research. (0.1, 1.0, and 10 μ g/L). After exposure, the body weight gain, and specific growth rate showed no significant changes (P > 0.05). We observed the histological alterations in respiratory tree of treated sea cucumbers including the fusion and detachment of lining epithelial tissue, and increase of lumen space. However, the catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) activity was not significantly changed (P > 0.05). We evaluated the effects of BPA and BPAF through calculating the integrated biomarker response index (IBR), and the results indicated that the toxicity of combined treatment was higher than single treatment. Additionally, BPAF exposure to A. japonicus was more toxic than BPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiqi Lai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Libin Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Jialei Xu
- Shandong Tonhe Ocean Technology Co., Ltd., Dongying, 257200, China
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Yi C, Zhang J, Yi R, Zeng J, Xu W, Sulemana H, Wang X, Yu H. Degradation mechanism and decomposition of sulfamethoxazole aqueous solution with persulfate activated by dielectric barrier discharge. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2024:1-20. [PMID: 38753523 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2024.2354058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The present study focused on the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) aqueous solution and the toxicity of processing aqueous by the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) activated persulfate (PS). The effects of input voltage, input frequency, duty cycle, and PS dosage ratio on the SMX degradation efficiency were measured. Based on the results of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), SMX degradation efficiency reached 83.21% which is 10.54% higher than that without PS, and the kinetic constant was 0.067 min-1 in 30 min when the input voltage at 204 V (input power at 110.6 W), the input frequency at 186 Hz, the duty cycle at 63%, and the PS dosage ratio at 5.1:1. The addition of PS can produce more active particles reached 1.756 mg/L (O3), 0.118 mg/L (H2O2), 0.154 mmol/L (·OH) in 30 min. Furthermore, the DBD plasma system effectively activated an optimal amount of PS, leading to improved removal efficiency of COD, and TOC to 30.21% and 47.21%, respectively. Subsequently, eight primary by-products were pinpointed, alongside the observation of three distinct pathways of transformation. Predictions from the ECOSAR software indicated that most of the degradation intermediates were less toxic than SMX. The biological toxicity experiments elucidated that the treatment with the DBD/PS system effectively reduced the mortality of zebrafish larvae caused by SMX from 100% to 20.13% and improved the hatching rate from 55.69% to 80.86%. In particular, it is important to note that the degradation intermediates exhibit teratogenic effects on zebrafish larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengwu Yi
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianan Zhang
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Rongjie Yi
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water treatment, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, People's Republic of China
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangwei Zeng
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenlin Xu
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Husseini Sulemana
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Wang
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Huidi Yu
- School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China
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Garg S, Singh S, Khan NA, Samuel J, Ramamurthy PC, Singh J. Equilibrium and kinetic modeling of Cr(VI) removal by novel tolerant bacteria species along with zero-valent iron nanoparticles. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8611. [PMID: 38616197 PMCID: PMC11016541 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57835-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
This work describes the study of the removal of a refractory contaminant, i.e., Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous systems by a novel adsorbent comprising Cr(VI) tolerant bacteria and zero valent iron nanoparticle (nZVI). A gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria used in the study were isolated from wastewater (WW) received from the effluent of leather industries. The adsorbents were prepared with bacteria, nZVI alone, and a combination of both. The adsorbent comprising both elements was found to remove Cr(VI) with a higher percentage (93%) and higher capacities (0.58 mg/g) as compared to adsorbent with bacteria (Cr(VI) removal = 63%, qe = 0.163 mg/g) or nanoparticles (Cr(VI) removal = 80%, qe = 0.45 mg/g) alone. The adsorbent worked best at neutral pH, and the removal became saturated after 90 min of incubation. Equilibrium studies with isotherm modeling suggested that the adsorption process follows sips isotherm (R2 = 0.9955), which is expected to bean intra-particle diffusion process before the actual adsorption. Process kinetics was modeled with pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and Vermeulen model. The diffusion coefficient determined by fitting the kinetic data to Vermeulen model was found to be 0.0000314 cm2/s. The adsorbent can be tested further for continuous flow processes to find more insights about the usage on a large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shashank Garg
- Department of Biotechnology, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Simranjeet Singh
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Water Research (ICWaR), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India
| | - Nadeem A Khan
- Interdisciplinary Research Center for Membranes and Water Security, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Jastin Samuel
- Waste Valorization Research Lab, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Praveen C Ramamurthy
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Water Research (ICWaR), Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, 560012, India.
| | - Joginder Singh
- Department of Botany, Nagaland University, HQRS: Lumami, Nagaland, 798627, India.
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Saad EM, Abd-Elhafiz MF, Ahmed EM, Markeb AA. Hexavalent chromium ion removal from wastewater using novel nanocomposite based on the impregnation of zero-valent iron nanoparticles into polyurethane foam. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5387. [PMID: 38443423 PMCID: PMC10914806 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55803-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, we developed a novel nanocomposite, polyurethane foam impregnated with zero-valent iron nanoparticles (PU@nZVI), for the effective removal of chromium(VI) from various water sources. The characterization of nanocomposite (PU@nZVI) was performed by XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM and FT-IR techniques. Using the response surface methodology, we optimized the removal conditions, achieving an optimal pH of 2 and a dose of 0.5 g/L. The PU@nZVI demonstrated an excellent maximum adsorption capacity of 600.0 mg/g for Cr6+. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were best described by the pseudo-second-order model and the Freundlich isotherm, respectively. Significantly, the nanocomposite removed 99.98% of Cr6+ from tap water, 96.81% from industrial effluent, and 94.57% from treated sewage wastewater. Furthermore, the PU@nZVI maintained its efficiency over five adsorption-desorption cycles, highlighting its reusability. These results suggest that the PU@nZVI nanocomposite is a highly efficient and sustainable option for chromium(VI) removal in water treatment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman M Saad
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Suez University, Suez, Egypt.
| | | | - Eman M Ahmed
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Engineering, South Vally University, South Vally, Qena, Egypt
| | - Ahmad Abo Markeb
- Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
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Ganji F, Kamani H, Ghayebzadeh M, Abdipour H, Moein H. Evaluation of physical and chemical characteristics of wastewater and sludge of Zahedan urban wastewater treatment plant for reuse. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24845. [PMID: 38312560 PMCID: PMC10835325 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Following the water shortage in the world, the use of wastewater as a sustainable resource has been considered in large volume. The study conducted to evaluate the physical and chemical characteristics of the wastewater and sludge of the Zahedan urban wastewater treatment plant showed that the wastewater and sludge treatment system of the treatment plant has high efficiency and effectiveness in removing the investigated parameters. The investigated parameters in the effluent included Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and Total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, temperature, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, pH, zinc, cobalt, lead and copper. Also, the investigated parameters in the sludge included Mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), Mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS), pH, electrical conductivity and heavy metals. The results showed that the average concentration of metals in the treated effluent is Zn > Mn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr > Cd ،and Chemical oxygen demand and Biochemical oxygen demand in the effluent of this treatment plant are on average 171 and 44.4 mg/L, respectively, and its discharge in surface water is limited, but it can be applied for agriculture. Also, the purified sludge had the necessary standards and could be used as soil or household fertilizer and compost for agricultural land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Ganji
- Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Hossein Kamani
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Mehdi Ghayebzadeh
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Hossein Abdipour
- Student Research Committee, Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Hossein Moein
- Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Research Institute of Cellular and Molecular Sciences in Infectious Diseases, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
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