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Biochar (BC) and nanoparticle-decorated biochar (NPs@BC) have emerged as potential high-performance function materials to facilitate simultaneous soil remediation and agricultural production. Therefore, there is an urgent need to incorporate environmental sustainability and human health targets into BC and NPs@BC selection and design processes. In contrast to extensive research on the preparation, modification, and environmental application of BC to soil ecosystems, reports about the adapted framework and material selection strategy of NPs@BC under environmental and human health considerations are still limited. Nevertheless, few studies systematically explored the impact of NPs@BC on soil ecosystems, including soil biota, geochemical properties, and nutrient cycles, which are critical for large-scale utilization as a multifunctional product. The main objective of this systematic literature review is to show the high degrees of contaminant removal for different heavy metals and organic pollutants, and to quantify the economic, environmental, and toxicological outcomes of NPs@BC in the context of sustainable agriculture. To address this need, in this review, we summarized synthesis techniques and characterization, and highlighted a linkage between the evolution of NPs@BC properties with the framework for sustainable NPs@BC selection and design based on environmental effects, hazards, and economic considerations. Then, research advances in contaminant remediation for heavy metals and organic pollutants of NPs@BC are minutely discussed. Eventually, NPs@BC positively acts on sustainable agriculture, which is declared. In the meantime, evaluating from the perspective of plant growth, soil characterizations as well as carbon and nitrogen cycle was conducted, which is critical for comprehending the NPs@BC environmental sustainability. Our work may develop a potential framework that can inform decision-making for the use of NPs@BC to facilitate promising environmental applications and prevent unintended consequences, and is expected to guide and boost the development of highly efficient NPs@BC for sustainable agriculture and environmental applications. Graphical Abstract

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs) are likely to be entering the soil environment in increasing amounts via consumer products. However, the disturbance of bacterial communities and their associated ecological functions by GBNs remains elusive. We performed a soil incubation experiment with the addition of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The Illumina sequencing technique was used to investigate changes in bacterial communities, and the functional groups of the communities were analyzed using the functional annotation of prokaryotic taxa database. After 90 days of exposure, RGO induced a lower bacterial richness than GO. However, GO induced larger changes in community composition and functions than RGO. After exposure to GBNs, some of the functional groups associated with organic matter degradation and biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and sulfur decreased. However, the functional group associated with aromatic compound degradation increased, possibly because GBNs contain rich aromatic hydrocarbon structures, which are tolerated by this functional group.

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), an earth-abundant, low-cost metal-oxide semiconductor, has received enormous attention for its CO2 reduction ability in aqueous media by photochemical, photoelectrochemical and electrochemical methods. An unresolved problem with all of these approaches, however, is the instability of the Cu2O caused by its tendency to undergo an irreversible redox disproportionation reaction. Here, we report a way to circumvent this troublesome behaviour of Cu2O by driving the CO2 reduction in the gas-phase via heterogeneous photocatalytic hydrogenation. To this end, Cu2O nanocubes with surfaces comprising mixed oxidation-state copper Cu(0,I,II) sites, oxygen vacancies [O] and hydroxyl OH groups were synthesized. These surfaces enable heterolysis of H2 and adsorption of CO2 under mild conditions; they facilitate the reverse water–gas shift reaction, while rendering the redox disproportionation reaction reversible. This synergism provides Cu2O nanocubes with high photocatalytic activity and stability. Cu2O is a promising photocatalyst, although its stability is compromised by a disproportionation reaction that leads to the formation of Cu and CuO. Now, a method is reported to stabilize Cu2O nanocubes, rendering them highly active and stable for the photocatalytic reverse water–gas shift reaction.

Litter inputs are closely related to both forest productivity and nutrient cycling under climate change and local management. This study investigated the effect of litter inputs on litter decomposition, changes in litter chemistry and nitrogen (N) dynamics during eucalyptus leaf litter decomposition. Two parallel in situ litter decomposition experiments were conducted at two sites with high-quality (HQ) and low-quality (LQ) litters in a eucalyptus-dominated forest of southeast Queensland, Australia. At each site, leaf litters with either a single (SL) or double mass load (DL) of litter inputs were decomposed for 15 months. Litter mass loss, chemical composition and N content of decomposing litters were measured seasonally during the decomposition period. The chemical composition of the collected litters was determined by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The HQ litters decomposed faster than the LQ litter, with a decomposition constant of 0.53 and 0.33 y−1 at the HQ and LQ site, respectively. Litter addition rates had no effect on litter decomposition, changes in chemical composition and N content during decomposition regardless of differences in initial litter quality. The HQ and LQ litters showed the same pattern of chemical changes during decomposition, with an increase in alkyl C and a decrease in di-O-alkyl C and aryl C. The relative intensity of O-aryl C and carboxyl C converged, while the relative intensity of di-O-alkyl C and δ15N diverged as the decomposition progressed. N immobilization during decomposition depended on litter quality, with N consistently immobilized in LQ litters over the whole decomposition period. In subtropical eucalyptus-dominated forests, the dynamics of organic C and N during litter decomposition were resistant to the increased inputs of aboveground litters. Litter chemistry of different initial qualities converged at the early stages of decomposition, and the implications of chemical convergence on the formation and stabilization of soil organic matter need to be assessed in the future.

The quantity and quality of litter inputs to forest soils are likely to be changed as a result of the climate change and human disturbances. However, the effects of changed litter inputs on soil labile carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools still remain unclear. A 15-month in situ field experiment was conducted within both high and low litter quality site in a eucalyptus-dominated native forest of Queensland, Australia. Three rates of litter inputs were applied, including (i) no litter (NL); (ii) single litter (SL), representing the average condition of the surrounding forest floor; and (iii) double litter (DL). Water-extractable organic C (WEOC) and total N (WETN), hot water-extractable organic C (HWEOC) and total N (HWETN), microbial biomass C (MBC), and N (MBN) were analyzed in the 0–5-cm soil layer seasonally. Litter input rates had no significant effects on litter decomposition at both sites (P > 0.05). After 15-month of decomposition, mean litter mass loss was 46.3% and 31.2% at the HQ and LQ sites, respectively. Changed litter quantity had no significant effects on any of the soil labile C and N pools, regardless of litter quality. However, soil labile C and N pools significantly varied with sampling times, and the samples of different sampling times were clearly separated at both sites according to the redundancy analysis (RDA). WEOC peaked in summer, declined in autumn and winter, and increased again in spring, while the concentrations of HWEOC and MBC peaked in the winter period. The seasonal trends of MBN were opposite to the trends of WETN, which might be due to the temporal partitioning of N between plants and microbes. The findings indicated that soil labile C and N pools in the eucalyptus-dominated forest of subtropical Australia were resistant to a short-term change in aboveground litter inputs. Future research should expand on these findings by keeping observing over a longer time period and considering the influence of changed belowground litter inputs.

An experimental study on adsorption and desorption behaviors of rhodamine B (RhB) with/without cadmium ion (Cd2+) on a coastal soil was carried out in the face of the scarce studies on its environmental behaviors, especially its combined pollution with metal ions. The implications on mariculture and seafood safety, rarely concerned either, were also analyzed for providing a new insight between azo dyes and them. It showed that the adsorption of RhB on the tested soil was affected by Cd2+ and could be better fitted by the Freundlich model and dominantly identified as chemical adsorption according to the threshold of ΔG0 (40 kJ/mol). There is a positive hysteresis on the desorption of RhB, which was generally strengthened with the increasing concentration of RhB but generally weakened in the presence of Cd2+. The azo dyes including RhB and heavy metals such as Cd, as the major class of typical pollutants in coastal environment, are closely related to the mariculture and seafood safety. In the consideration of three aspects including potential pollutants for the mariculture, potential risks for seafood safety, and potential relationships between dyes and mariculture and seafood safety, their implications were further clarified.

The conversion study on the environmental quality criteria between water/air and soil is the need to carry out research on soil-environmental quality standards in an all-round way, and also the demand for solving emerging problems in this field using the system dynamic and the overall view. Carrying out this study is of practical significance and theoretical values in the face of formulation and revision of soil-environmental quality standards in China. Firstly, the theoretical basis and relative models of soil-water and soil-air systems were expounded, respectively. And on this basis, a preliminary conceptual model about the conversion was constructed. After that, the current worldwide environmental quality criteria/standards for soil, water and air media were introduced based on their types, concerned pollutants and hierarchical classification, and their variation were also analyzed briefly. Particularlly, the key points for the conversion of environmental quality criteria between soil and water and/or between soil and air were discussed, respectively, while combined with the relative researching results. Finally, this conversion study was commented and prospected.

The accumulation of oxytetracycline (OTC) in rice plants has been found, which may directly threaten food safety. Fe(II) ions are among the most common metal ions in the aquatic and soil environment. There have been no published papers discussing the uptake of OTC in plant exposed to treated solution and soil after adding Fe(II). In this work, the effect of Fe(II) on uptake and translocation of OTC in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) was investigated. Hydroponic and soil culture were conducted under greenhouse conditions to identify changes in rice biomass, OTC uptake, and translocation exposed to three different OTC concentrations, including 0, 10, and 50 mg·L−1/mg·kg−1 for 30 days. For same OTC exposure treatment, rice seedlings were grown in a nutrient solution or paddy soil with adding four different Fe(II) concentrations, including 0, 10, 30, 50, and 70 mg·L−1/mg·kg−1. The concentrations of OTC in iron plaque (IP) on root surface, root, and shoot were analyzed, and biological concentration factor (BCF) and transfer factor (TF) of OTC were calculated. Adding proper Fe(II) (10–50 mg·L−1 in solution and 10–30 mg·kg−1 in soil) alleviated the inhibition function of OTC on rice growth. IP was formed with high amounts after adding Fe(II) although OTC decreased IP amounts. OTC concentration in IP increased with increasing Fe(II) addition. OTC translocation from root surface to root presented a declining trend with increasing Fe(II) concentration. Fe(II) addition inhibited effectively OTC uptake by rice exposed to high OTC of 50 mg·L−1/mg·kg−1 in solution or soil. PCA and correlation analysis showed that the decrease of OTC accumulation in rice was determined more strongly by the increase of OTC accumulation in IP. IP acting as a buffer function reduced effectively OTC uptake by rice seedlings due to promoting OTC accumulation on root surface and reducing OTC translocation from root surface to root. Also, Fe(II) addition promoted OTC degradation and reduced OTC bioavailability due to the complexes of OTC and Fe(II), which then decreased OTC uptake by rice. In soil, OTC uptake was affectted more strongly by the decrease of OTC concentrations in rhizosphere than ones in non-rhizosphere.

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, has become a serious threat to canola (Brassica napus) production in western Canada. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of rate of metam sodium fumigant (dithiocarbamate; sodium N-methyldithiocarbamate; trade name Vapam) and application methods including watering, soil surface covering, and soil incorporation on clubroot of canola. At higher rates (0.4–1.6 mL−1 L soil) metam sodium increased canola seedling emergence and plant health, and reduced root hair infection, gall weight and clubroot severity under greenhouse conditions. Metam sodium application improved subsequent plant growth and reduced clubroot severity, but land preparation and volume of water applied did not affect efficacy. The incorporation of metam sodium into the soil and plastic covering after application improved fumigant efficacy. The study showed that soil fumigation with metam sodium can reduce clubroot severity and improve plant health in the subsequent canola crop.

Sudan I-IV as synthetic azo dyes have been concerned worldwide and ever caused a panic on food safety because of illegal addition into foodstuffs. In the past decades, various methods are being developed to identify and determine Sudan dyes in foodstuffs. However, relevant studies about their biogeochemical behaviors and potential environmental effects are rarely reported, although it is of great importance and necessity accounting for their potential environmental contamination from various sources. In this work, the experimental studies on adsorption behavior of Sudan I-IV acting on soil (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg/L) were carried out, and their transport in soil compartments and between soil-water, and air-soil interfaces were discussed. Results showed that the amount of Sudan I-IV adsorbed on soil increased accordingly with the increasing concentration of Sudan dyes in aqueous solution, and Sudan II and IV were more likely adsorbed on the tested soils than Sudan I and III based on their maximum adsorption amount. However, for Sudan I, III, and IV, in some high concentrations (under the treatment of 75 mg/L for Sudan III, 100 mg/L for Sudan I and IV), the adsorption was significantly increased, and then came back to the "normal" level (under the treatment of 100 mg/L for Sudan III). It is expected that relevant researches on their biogeochemical behaviors in soil compartments, and between soil-water and air-soil interfaces would be concerned and addressed.

Although carbon nanomaterials have been widely used as effective nanofillers for fabrication of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with outstanding performances, the reproducibility of the fabricated MMMs is still hindered by the non-homogenous dispersion of these carbon nanofillers in membrane substrate. Herein, we report an effective way to improve the compatibility of carbon-based nanomaterials with membrane matrixes. By chemically conjugating the oxidized CNTs (o-CNTs) and GO using hexanediamine as cross-linker, a novel carbon nanohybrid material (G-CNTs) was synthesized, which inherited both the advanced properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO). The G-CNTs incorporated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) MMMs (GCNTs/PVDF) were fabricated via a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The filtration and antifouling performances of G-CNTs/PVDF were evaluated using distillate water and a 1 g/L bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solution under 0.10 MPa. Compared to the MMMs prepared with o-CNTs, GO, the physical mixture of o-CNTs and GO and pure PVDF membrane, the G-CNTs/PVDF membrane exhibited the highest water flux up to 220 L/m2/h and a flux recovery ratio as high as 90%, as well as the best BSA rejection rate. The excellent performances should be attributed to the increased membrane pore size, porosity and hydrophilicity of the resulted membrane. The successful synthesis of the novel nanohybrid G-CNTs provides a new type of nanofillers for MMMs fabrication.

Roxithromycin, as widely used medicine and livestock growth promoter, arouses concern because its occurrence and persistence in soil environments. However, effects of roxithromycin in higher plants are still vague. Accordingly, we hypothesized that roxithromycin-contaminated soil may exhibits ecotoxicological effects in wheat (Triticum aestivum). In this study, effects induced by a gradient concentration of roxithromycin stress (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg·kg–1) was investigated in a 7-d soil test in T. aestivum. Results indicated that the specific activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) monooxygenase was decreased dramatically with the concentration of roxithromycin in soil. The IC50 value was 8.78 mg·kg–1 of roxithromycin. On the contrary, the growth related endpoints (i.e., the germination percentage, the biomass and the height), the content related endpoints (i.e., soluble protein content and CYP450 content), and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity failed to reveal the roxithromycin-induced effects. Further analysis revealed that the CYP450 monooxygenase specific activity reduction was enzymatic mechanism mediated, other than oxidative stress induced. We conclude that the soil roxithromycin declined the CYP450 monooxygenase activity in T. aestivum by the inhibition of the enzymatic mechanism. Further efforts can include, but are not limited to, investigation of joint effects induced by combined exposure of roxithromycin and the pesticides and evaluation of the similar effects in other higher plants.

Global environmental changes could affect forest productivity and thus organic matter input to soil via litterfall. We conducted a 9-month litter decomposition experiment to examine the effect of litter removal and addition on soil nitrogen (N) dynamics in a subtropical eucalypt forest subject to prescribed burning. Two litter treatments were applied: addition of double litter rates and without any litter addition. In situ 15N pool dilution method was used to determine soil gross N transformation rates, and δ 15N of soil inorganic N pools and their dynamics were also measured. The results showed that the addition of decomposing litters had no significant effect on soil net and gross N mineralization and nitrification rates. Soil N rates showed a pronounced seasonal pattern with higher rates in summer and lower rates in winter, which could be explained by the seasonal variation of environmental conditions such as temperature but not soil water content in this study. The soils had significantly higher δ 15N in NO3 −-N than in NH4 +-N after removing the forest floor, which might result from gaseous N losses via nitrification, denitrification and NO3 −-N leaching during the experimental period. Soil N transformations were not significantly affected by decomposing litters during the 9-month of decomposition. Our findings demonstrate that long-term studies of litter decomposition combined with repeated measurement of soil N transformation rates are needed to fully understand the seasonal patterns of soil N cycling and its response to decomposing litters in forest ecosystems.

Veterinary antibiotics introduced into soil environment may change the composition and functioning of soil microbial communities and promote the spreading of antibiotic resistance. Actual risks depend on the antibiotic’s bioaccessibility and sequestration in soils, which may vary with contact time and soil properties. We elucidated changes in the horsebean plant’s bioaccessible oxytetracycline with increasing contact time in three different soils (cinnamon, red, and brown soil) and observed discrepancy in oxytetracycline dissipation using sequential extractions with H2O-, 0.01 M CaCl2-, and Mcllvaine- in the same three soils. The results showed lower quantities of oxytetracycline with increasing contact time over 20 days than the level in freshly contaminated soils but hugely discrepant quantities among the three tested soils. In addition, aging largely reduced dissipation of H2O-, 0.01 M CaCl2-, and Mcllvaine- extracted oxytetracycline in soils before planting. However, bioturbation helped increase the H2O-, CaCl2-, and Mcllvaine- extracted oxytetracyline from cinnamon and brown soils with aging. Lastly, correlation analysis indicated that bioaccessibility of oxytetracycline significantly correlates with the total of H2O-, CaCl2-, and Mcllvaine- extracted oxytetracycline (0.676**, p

The concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), n-alkanes (n-C8 through n-C40), and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soils were determined to assess the level of organic contamination in soils from the Da-gang Petrochemical Industry Park with several big state-run enterprises, a recent rapid flourishing park in China. The results showed that the concentration of TPH in soil was high, up to 20 ng/g-12.8478%; in particular, the content in most sites ranged from 1 to 2%. Thus, it is clear that soil environment in the Da-gang Petrochemical Industry Park has been seriously polluted by TPH according to the Nemerow pollution index method. Furthermore, the average concentration of Σ(n-C>16 through n-C34) in 30 sampling sites was above the maximum limit set for F3 under all the conditions in the Canada-wide standards for petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC CWS) with 43.33-93.33% soil samples exceeding F3 standards, and n-alkanes possessing higher concentrations were proved much abundant alkanes in this study. Besides, the predominance of even n-alkanes and lower carbon preference index (CPI) demonstrated that n-alkanes in surface soils were mainly caused by anthropogenic inputs, while the concentration of Σ16-PAHs was in the range of 1652.5-8217.3 ng/g and the BaA/(BaA + Chr) and Flu/(Flu + Pyr) ratios indicated that pyrogenic PAHs may be the dominant PAHs in most soils with the contribution of petrogenic hydrocarbons in some sites.

With the aim of in situ bioremediation of soil contaminated by hydrocarbons, anodes arranged with two different ways (horizontal or vertical) were compared in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Charge outputs as high as 833 and 762C were achieved in reactors with anodes horizontally arranged (HA) and vertically arranged (VA). Up to 12.5 % of the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was removed in HA after 135 days, which was 50.6 % higher than that in VA (8.3 %) and 95.3 % higher than that in the disconnected control (6.4 %). Hydrocarbon fingerprint analysis showed that the degradation rates of both alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in HA were higher than those in VA. Lower mass transport resistance in the HA than that of the VA seems to result in more power and more TPH degradation. Soil pH was increased from 8.26 to 9.12 in HA and from 8.26 to 8.64 in VA, whereas the conductivity was decreased from 1.99 to 1.54 mS/cm in HA and from 1.99 to 1.46 mS/cm in VA accompanied with the removal of TPH. Considering both enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbon and generation of charge in HA, the MFC with anodes horizontally arranged is a promising configuration for future applications.

Many ecosystems are currently co-contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals, such as chlorpyrifos and cadmium. A promising strategy to remediate mixed chlorpyrifos-cadmium-contaminated sites is the use of chlorpyrifos-degrading bacteria endowed with cadmium removal capabilities. In this work, a gene coding for synthetic phytochelatins (EC20) with high cadmium-binding capacity was introduced into a chlorpyrifos-degrading bacterium, Stenotrophomonas sp. YC-1, resulting in an engineered strain with both cadmium accumulation and chlorpyrifos degradation capabilities. To improve the cadmium-binding efficiency of whole cells, EC20 was displayed on the cell surface of Stenotrophomonas sp. YC-1 using the truncated ice nucleation protein (INPNC) anchor. The surface localization of the INPNC-EC20 fusion protein was demonstrated by cell fractionation, Western blot analysis, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Expression of EC20 on the cell surface not only improved cadmium binding, but also alleviated the cellular toxicity of cadmium. As expected, the chlorpyrifos degradation rate was reduced in the presence of cadmium for cells without EC20 expression. However, expression of EC20 (higher cadmium accumulation) completely restored the level of chlorpyrifos degradation. These results demonstrated that EC20 expression not only enhanced cadmium accumulation, but also reduced the toxic effect of cadmium on chlorpyrifos degradation.

Triclosan (TCS) is released into the terrestrial environment via the application of sewage sludge and reclaimed water to agricultural land. More attention has been paid to its effect on non-target soil organisms. In the present study, chronic toxic effects of TCS on earthworms at a wide range of concentrations were investigated. The reproduction, DNA damage, and expression levels of heat shock protein (Hsp70) gene of earthworms were studied as toxicity endpoints. The results showed that the reproduction of earthworms were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) after exposure to the concentrations ranges from 50 to 300 mg kg(-1), with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 142.11 mg kg(-1). DNA damage, detected by the comet assay, was observed and there was a clear significant (R(2) = 0.941) relationship between TCS concentrations and DNA damage, with the EC50 value of 8.85 mg kg(-1). The expression levels of Hsp70 gene of earthworms were found to be up-regulated under the experimental conditions. The expression level of hsp70 gene increased, up to about 2.28 folds that in the control at 50 mg kg(-1). The EC50 value based on the Hsp70 biomarker was 1.79 mg kg(-1). Thus, among the three toxicity endpoints, the Hsp70 gene was more sensitive to TCS in soil.

The selection and breeding of lead pollution-safe cultivars (Pb-PSCs) has been used to minimize the influx of Pb into the human food chain. We examined the growth response of 23 selected soybean cultivars to various lead concentrations and also assessed their tolerance to lead. Variations in uptake, enrichment, and translocation of lead among these cultivars were studied to screen out soybean Pb-PSCs. The results indicated that the seed Pb concentrations under three Pb treatments (500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg kg(-1)) varied significantly (P0.05), with average values of 0.20, 0.25, and 0.33 mg kg(-1), respectively. Cultivars Shennong 6, Shennong 8, Tiefeng 29, Tiefeng 37, Ji 1005, Liaodou 15, and Suke 1 were found to fit the criteria for Pb-PSCs. The seeds of these seven cultivars were further assessed for interactions between Pb and other mineral nutrient elements such as Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn. High lead concentration in soil was found to inhibit the uptake of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, and Zn. Furthermore, Mn accumulation was found to be enhanced in the seeds of all of the seven Pb-PSCs in response to high Pb concentration.

Forests play a key role in the global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling. Fire is a global phenomenon occurring in many forest ecosystems, which has several environmental and ecological effects. The objective of this review was to improve our understanding of the effect of fire on soil gross N transformations in forest ecosystems. We have reviewed the published studies using 15N pool dilution technique with analytical data analysis method to study the effect of fires on gross N transformations in forest ecosystems. Wildfires increased gross N mineralization rates in the short term and the effect disappeared from 3 years after the fire, while the effect of prescribed fires disappeared from 2 years after the burning. Both wildfires and prescribed fires reduced gross nitrification in the short term, while their effects varied from 6 months following the burning. The different responses of gross N transformations to the fires in forest ecosystems depended on many factors including forest types, the intensity and frequency of fires, the time elapsed between the fires and sampling events, incubation conditions (field or laboratory incubation), climatic conditions and so on. In view of many factors influencing the effect of fires on gross N transformations, more comprehensive studies with physical, chemical, microbial and ecological characterization are needed to improve our knowledge about the effect of fires on soil gross N transformations and then N cycling in forest ecosystems.

To better assess and understand potential health risk of urban residents exposed to urban street dust, the total concentration, sources, and distribution of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 87 urban street dust samples from Tianjin as a Chinese megacity that has undergone rapid urbanization were investigated. In the meantime, potential sources of PAHs were identified using the principal component analysis (PCA), and the risk of residents' exposure to PAHs via urban street dust was calculated using the Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risk (ILCR) model. The results showed that the total PAHs (∑PAHs) in urban street dust from Tianjin ranged from 538 μg kg(-1) to 34.3 mg kg(-1), averaging 7.99 mg kg(-1). According to PCA, the two to three- and four to six-ring PAHs contributed 10.3 and 89.7 % of ∑PAHs, respectively. The ratio of the sum of major combustion specific compounds (ΣCOMB) / ∑PAHs varied from 0.57 to 0.79, averaging 0.64. The ratio of Ant/(Ant + Phe) varied from 0.05 to 0.41, averaging 0.10; Fla/(Fla + Pyr) from 0.40 to 0.68, averaging 0.60; BaA/(BaA + Chry) from 0.29 to 0.51, averaging 0.38; and IcdP/(IcdP + BghiP) from 0.07 to 0.37, averaging 0.22. The biomass combustion, coal combustion, and traffic emission were the main sources of PAHs in urban street dust with the similar proportion. According to the ILCR model, the total cancer risk for children and adults was up to 2.55 × 10(-5) and 9.33 × 10(-5), respectively.

Ethylbenzene is classified as a priority pollutant; however, toxicity data, especially those regarding sublethal toxicity, are rarely reported on gastropods. The present work was performed to elucidate the sublethal effects of ethylbenzene using a freshwater snail, Bellamya aeruginosa (Reeve), exposed to ethylbenzene for 21 days followed by a 17-day recovery period. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), reduced glutathione (GSH), and malonyldialdehyde (MDA) were used as biomarkers to evaluate oxidative stress in hepatopancreas of snails. In addition, alkaline comet assay was applied to determine the genotoxicity of ethylbenzene in hepatopancreas of snails. These biomarkers and DNA damage exhibited various responses to ethylbenzene in the tested snails. SOD and CAT activities were almost significantly stimulated during the exposure period. As exposure time was prolonged beyond 7 days, CAT activity gradually became significantly increased at higher doses of ethylbenzene. GSH concentration was positively and linearly related with exposure dose. MDA concentration was significantly greater than that in the control only under the lowest treatment after a 7-day exposure. Alkaline comet assay showed that ethylbenzene could significantly induce DNA damage in hepatopancreas of snails, and there was a good dose- and time-response in DNA damage, indicating potential genotoxicity of ethylbenzene on snails. At the end of the recovery period, the repair of DNA damage was not yet completed, showing that DNA repair requires more time. The findings from this study could indicate that SOD, GST, and GSH seem to be effective oxidative biomarkers for snails exposed to ethylbenzene in the short term. CAT proved to be a valuable discriminating biomarker in subchronic exposure to ethylbenzene, but MDA was not a suitable oxidative biomarker for exposure to ethylbenzene in either the short or long term. Alkaline comet assay was efficient tool with which to evaluate the potential genotoxicity of ethylbenzene.

Purpose The binary competitive effect could obviously influence the fate and transport behavior of oxytetracycline (OTC) and cadmium (Cd2+) in cinnamon soil. However, two pollutants loading into soil usually are different, perhaps because of the three reasons including occurrence of OTC before Cd2+, simultaneous occurrence of OTC and Cd2+, or occurrence of Cd2+ before OTC. The purpose of the study was to predict the competitive adsorption and desorption of OTC and Cd2+ as a function of above input loadings on cinnamon soil.

The extreme salinity and high internal resistance of saline-alkali soil contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons were two key limitations for using the bioelectrochemical remediation. In order to solve two problems, we simply rinsed soil, added carbon fiber to polluted soil. The charge output was enhanced by 110% with increase of the maximum current densities from 81 to 304 mA·m−2 while hydrocarbons degradation rate enhanced by 484%, especially the high molecular weight fractions (C28–C36 of n-alkanes and 4–6 rings of PAHs). These effects were possibly due to the selective enrichment of species belonged to δ-Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria), Flavobacteriia (Bacteroidetes) or Clostridia (Firmicutes), the activities of biological electron transfer and enzymes. As we know, oxygenase gene that directly decided the process of degradation, was surveyed for the first time in soil bioelectrochemical remediation system. The results confirmed that the bio-current stimulated the activities of naphthalene dioxygenase and xylene monooxygenase and thus the hydrocarbons degradation and the electricity generation. Given that electricity generation and the remediation performance are governed by multiple factors, understanding of microbial community and enzyme gene is crucial to promote the power yield and the bioelectrochemical remediation applicability.

ANT is a commonly occurring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in natural eutrophic waters where Microcystis blooms break out usually. In this study, effects of ANT at different concentrations (0.02, 0.06, 0.18, 0.54, and 1.62 μg/mL) on the growth, microcystin-LR (MC-LR) production, and expression of three key mcy genes in Microcystis aeruginosa were investigated. The results showed that all the tested concentrations of ANT inhibited M. aeruginosa growth significantly except 0.02 μg/mL ANT in the early stage of the experiment. In the culture media, initially applied ANT concentrations decreased significantly after 3 days of incubation. ANT stimulated MC-LR production in a concentration-dependent manner. After exposure to ANT for 1 day, the expression of mcyB gene was inhibited and the inhibitory effects increased with ANT concentrations. ANT at higher concentrations (above 0.02 μg/mL) stimulated gene expression of mcyD (P

The toxic effect of the oxidation hair dyes on Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated by exposure of this fungus in a nitrogen-limited culture medium to various concentrations of the oxidation hair dyes.The results showed that both the size and the dry weight of the mycelial pellets of P. chrysosporium could be reduced when the concentration of the oxidation hair dyes was higher than 300 mg/L. By using the AFLP analysis and the UPGMA dendrogram, the DNA damage of P. chrysosporium by the oxidation hair dyes was also detected. Comparing with that in the control, the percent polymorphism under different concentrations of the oxidation hair dyes increased. In the meantime, the DNA similarity was decreased, which meant that the DNA damage was aggravated with an increase in the concentrations of the oxidation hair dyes.Thus, as an environmental pollutant, the oxidation hair dyes have a toxic effect on P. chrysosporium at both cellular and molecular levels.

Screening out cadmium (Cd) excluding cultivars of a crop in agricultural production is an effective way to prohibit Cd entering into food chain.A judging criterion for Cd-excluding cultivars based on food safety was suggested and used in the identification of Cd-excluding welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) cultivars. A pot culture experiment was carried out to screen out Cd-excluding cultivars, of which the results were confirmed by plot experiments. The relevant factors of Cd accumulation in the pseudostem were analyzed and used in the correlation analysis aiming to study the low Cd accumulation mechanisms.The concentration of Cd in the pseudostem of welsh onions was 0.08-0.20, 0.18-0.41, and 0.26-0.61 mg/kg fresh weight (FW) under three treatments (1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg), respectively. The significant (p0.05) difference in the concentration of Cd in the pseudostem was observed among 25 welsh onion cultivars, but Cd contamination in soil had little influence on biomass and the contents of soluble sugar, NO(3)(-)-N, and eight other elements in the tested welsh onion cultivars. Two cultivars were identified as Cd-excluding cultivars, mainly because the accumulation of Cd in their pseudostem was only 0.041 ± 0.003 and 0.046 ± 0.002 mg/kg FW, and 0.054 ± 0.001 and 0.066 ± 0.011 mg/kg FW, when growing in plots with Cd concentration of 0.49 and 0.99 mg/kg, respectively.Ribentiegancongwang and Wuyeqi could be identified as Cd-excluding cultivars. Low bioaccumulation factor of the roots was the main mechanism of Cd-excluding welsh onion cultivars.

As an important type of emerging pollutants, ecological toxicity and risk of artificial musks are increasingly concerned. Thus, single and joint toxic effects of 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethylcyclopenta-gamma-2-benzopyran (HHCB) as one of the most widely applied artificial musks and cadmium (Cd) as an toxic metal on zebrafish (Danio rerio) were investigated by the exposure of zebrafish to various concentrations of HHCB or/and Cd in feculent water containing bedloads. The results indicated that the joint effect of HHCB and Cd changed during different exposure times within 120 h. The index of the antioxidant enzyme system including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were sensitive and induced in the zebrafish stressed by Cd, and content of soluble protein (SP) was sensitive to HHCB and could be used as a biomarker for HHCB. Joint effects on antioxidant enzymes depended more on the effect of single Cd in the first one or two days. However, in the rest exposure days, the effect of HHCB began to dominate in the joint effect during the exposure process.

The ecotoxicity assessment of galaxolide (HHCB) and tonalide (AHTN) was investigated in the earthworm Eisenia fetida using traditional and novel molecular endpoints. The median lethal concentration (LC(50)) for 7-day and 14-day exposures was 573.2 and 436.3 μg g(-1) for AHTN, and 489.0 and 392.4 μg g(-1) for HHCB, respectively. There was no observed significant effect on the growth rate of E. fetida after a 28-day exposure except that at the highest concentration (100 μg g(-1)) of AHTN and HHCB, whereas a significant decrease of cocoon production was found in earthworms exposed to 50 and 100 μg g(-1). To assess molecular-level effect, the expression of encoding antioxidant enzymes and stress protein genes were investigated upon sublethal exposures using the quantitative real time PCR assay. The expression level of SOD, CAT and calreticulin genes was up-regulated significantly, while the level of annetocin (ANN) and Hsp70 gene expression was down-regulated in E. fetida. Importantly, the level of ANN expression had a significant positive correlation with the reproduction rate of earthworms. Furthermore, the lowest observed effect concentration (LOECs) of ANN expression level was 3 μg g(-1) for AHTN and 10 μg g(-1) for HHCB, suggesting that ANN gene expression can serve as a more sensitive indicator of exposure to AHTN and HHCB than traditional endpoints such as cocoon production. The transcriptional responses of these genes may provide early warning molecular biomarkers for identifying contaminant exposure, and the data obtained from this study will contribute to better understand the toxicological effect of AHTN and HHCB.

The extraction method of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) has become a popular issue due to the emergence of PPCPs as contaminants. In this work, polycyclic musks, a typical type of PPCPs, were selected to test various techniques including microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), simultaneous distillation-solvent extraction (SDSE), Soxhlet extraction (SE), and ultrasound probe (UP). MAE and UP proved to be more effective pretreatment techniques than SE and SDSE, with high recovery, repeatability, accuracy, efficiency, little solvent consumption, and acceptable matrix effects. Notably, the chemical methods usually did not work well for the determination of bioavailability and the environmental fate of pollutants was overestimated. In this work, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used as the ecological receptor to evaluate the bioavailability of chemical pollutants. The concentrations of polycyclic musks in sediments by way of UP extraction had a significant correlation (R 2 > 0.9, P

Two main pathways of phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils are phytostabilization and phytoextraction. Some soil amendments can strengthen phytostabilization or phytoextraction through either reducing heavy metal bioavailability in soil or increasing the heavy metal accumulation capacity of the hyperaccumulator (enhancing heavy metal concentration or shoot biomass of the hyperaccumulator). Urea and chicken manure are often used as fertilizers. This research will explore their effects on a newly found hyperaccumulator, Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell., phytoremediating cadmium (Cd). Pot culture experiment was conducted to study the accumulation characteristics of R. globosa at different Cd contamination concentrations under one fertilizer level (1 g kg−1 for urea and 100 g kg−1 for chicken manure), as well as the same Cd dose (20 mg kg−1) under different fertilizer doses. Cd was artificially spiked at 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg−1. Urea was amended at 0.5, 1, and 2 g kg−1, while chicken manure was supplemented at 50, 100, and 200 g kg−1. The heavy metal concentration in soil and plant samples was determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. pH, N, P, K, and so on in soil samples were determined by normal method. The results showed that urea application did not affect the Cd concentrations in root, stem, leaf, inflorescence, and shoot of R. globosa, but chicken manure significantly decreased (p

The joint toxicity of Penta-BDE (Pe-BDE) and heavy metals including cadmium and copper on Daphnia magna (D. magna) was evaluated on the basis of determining the 48 h survival, antioxidative enzyme responses, and lipid peroxidation. The response was classified as additive, greater than additive, or less than additive by comparing the measured “toxic units, TU” with one. Based on the survival of D. magna, less-than-additive interactions were found in most of mixtures treatments. This may be attributed to the different toxicity mechanism between Pe-BDE and metals. Cu and Cd played a greater role in toxicity than what Pe-BDE did. As for the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity, most response was less than additive. For the glutathione S-transferases (GST) activity, most of the greater-thanadditive responses were found in the Cu plus Pe-BDE treatments, but the additive responses occurred in Cd plus Pe-BDE treatments and binary metal treatments. For lipid peroxide levels, which were measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, less-than-additive response occurred in the 50% Cd plus 50% Cu and ternary mixture treatments. Results suggested that Pe-BDE, Cd, and Cu could induce different patterns of antioxidant enzyme responses, such as antioxidant/prooxidant responses, depending on their capability to produce reactive oxygen species and antioxidant enzymes to detoxify them.

The dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuminata Claparede & Lachmann is a toxic alga that causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. No Dinophysis species were maintained in culture for a long period of time until 2006 when Park successfully established D. acuminata in culture using a three-step feeding protocol in which the cryptophyte, Geminigera cryophila, is fed to Myrionecta rubra (=Mesodinium rubrum), a ciliate that is in turn fed to D. acuminata. In this paper, we present the details of culturing D. acuminata from the Northeastern United States. The protocols described herein can be adopted for laboratory studies of this species. The effects of temperature on the growth and ingestion rates of D. acuminata were also examined. The results show that D. acuminata growth rate was 0.23 /d at 10°C and 0.11 /d at 4°C when fed M. rubra prey. The maximum prey ingestion rate was 2.80 Dinophysis cell/d at 10°C, although the rate decreased slightly at 4°C. In overall, temperature showed a greater influence on growth rate of D. acuminata than on the ingestion rate under the study conditions, and the quantity of available food was also an important regulator to D. acuminata growth.

Pot culture experiments were conducted to study the remediation potentials of a newly found accumulator Kalimeris integrifolia Turcz. ex DC. under different cadmium (Cd) concentrations with same fertilizer level, as well as the same Cd dose under different fertilizer doses. At medium (100 g/kg) chicken manure level, Cd concentrations in roots, stems, leaves, inflorescences, and shoots of K. integrifolia grown in the soils contaminated with 2.5, 5, 10, and 25 mg/kg Cd significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in average by 23.8%, 29.9%, 24.0%, 30.1%, and 38.6%, respectively, when compared to those of the pots without addition of chicken manure. In contrast, the medium urea amendment level (1 g/kg) showed no effect on the bioaccumulated Cd concentrations of K. integrifolia regardless of the spiked Cd doses. However, Cd extraction capacities (micrograms per pot) of K. integrifolia shoots were significantly increased (p < 0.05) due to the gain in biomass (more than one- to twofolds) by the soil fertilizing effect of urea and chicken manure. Particularly, Cd extraction capacities (micrograms per pot) of K. integrifolia shoots amended by urea were higher than that of chicken manure. Under the condition of 25 mg/kg Cd addition, shoot biomasses of K. integrifolia were significantly increased (p < 0.05) with the amendment of chicken manure (50, 100, and 200 g/kg) and urea (0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg). As a result, the Cd extraction capacities (micrograms per pot) were increased in treatments even though soil extractable Cd concentrations were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) by amendment with chicken manure and maintained by urea addition. For practical application concerns, chicken manure is better used as phytostabilization amendment owing to its reducing role to extractable heavy metal in soil, and urea is better for phytoextraction.

It has been proposed that organic acid and nonprotein thiol are involved in the hyperaccumulation of metals. In this study, Cd accumulation, organic acid, and nonprotein thiol production and their relationships in the leaves of Cd-hyperaccumulator Rorippa globosa were examined and compared with a closely related species, Rorippa islandica. The results showed that there was no reduction in biomass of R. globosa when treated with 25 μg Cd g−1 (T2), despite Cd accumulation in the leaves was up to 158.2 μg g−1 DW. On the other hand, the growth of Cd-treated R. islandica was obviously inhibited as it accumulated more than 100 μg g−1 DW in the leaves. Therefore, R. islandica behaved as a Cd-accumulating plant. The Cd treatments could significantly induce the synthesis of acetic acid in both species, suggesting that acetic acid, as the most abundant organic acid, might be related to the Cd accumulation. Significant positive correlations between Cd concentrations and both tartaric and malic acid concentrations in the leaves of R. globosa were observed. There was a significant positive correlation between Cd concentrations and acetic acid concentrations in the leaves of R. islandica. This trend of tartaric and malic acids in the leaves of R. globosa and acetic acid in the leaves of R. islandica might be related to Cd accumulation. In addition, a quadratic relationship was obviously observed for NP-SH contents and total Cd concentrations in the leaves of R. globosa, indicating that NP-SH was significantly related to Cd accumulation and tolerance.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and the comet assay (SCGE) were used as biomarkers to evaluate the oxidative stress and genotoxicity of toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene in earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The results indicated that the exposure of the three pollutants caused a stress response of the three enzymes, an approximate bell-shaped change (a tendency of inducement firstly and then inhibition with increasing concentrations of the pollutants) was mostly found. The three enzymes tested differed in their sensitivity to different pollutants. While the activity of POD was not significantly changed within the concentration range, the concentration thresholds for significant (P < 0.05) responses to toluene based on SOD and CAT were 5 mg kg−1, respectively. Similarly, the concentration thresholds for significant (P < 0.05) responses to ethylbenzene based on CAT and POD were 10 and 5 mg kg−1, respectively, while the activity of SOD was not significantly changed within the concentration range. Significant responses to xylene based on CAT and POD were 5 mg kg−1, respectively, while the activity of SOD was significantly (P < 0.05) induced at 10 mg kg−1. The SCGE assay results showed that these three pollutants could significantly (P < 0.01) induce DNA damage in earthworms and the clear dose-dependent relationships were displayed, indicating potential genotoxic effects of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene on E. fetida. The inducement of DNA damage may be attributed to the oxidative attack of toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Toluene seemed to be more genotoxic as it could induce the higher extent of DNA damage than ethylbenzene and xylene. The results suggest that the SCGE assay of earthworms is simple and efficient for diagnosing the genotoxicity of pollutants in terrestrial environment.

Organic dyes have been turned into an important emerging type of chemical pollutants with the development of rural textiles, synthetic dye, printing, and dyeing industries and the continuous release from washing fabrics and clothes in recent decades. In order to assess ecological risk of reactive X-3B red dye as a typical dye, the adsorptive and desorptive traits of the dye in soils were investigated and the environmental factors influencing those processes were examined and discussed. Adsorptive and desorptive isotherms and dynamics of reactive X-3B red dye as a typical emerging pollutant were investigated by the standard batch experiments using four typical soils in China including relatively clean brown earth (burozem), drab soil (cinnamon soil), paddy soil (aquorizem), and red soil (krasnozem) and calculated by mathematical models using the Microsoft Excel software. It was suggested that the adsorptive behavior of reactive X-3B red dye by the four soils can basically be described using the Langmuir equation, and their maximum adsorbing capacity was in the sequence paddy soil > red soil > brown earth > drab soil. The adsorption could be divided into four stages including high-speed adsorption, slowdown adsorption, tardiness adsorption, and zero-approaching adsorption. It was also indicated that the adsorption ability of the dye decreased with the reduction in soil organic matter or air temperature and under neutral, runny, or unwatered conditions. The increase of desorption was observed with the decrease of soil organic matter and the increase of air temperature or soil moisture, while desorption was inhibited by the acidification or basification of soils. The comparative study validated that the basic adsorption–desorption laws of the dye at high concentrations were basically consistent with those at low concentrations. It could be concluded that reactive X-3B red dye has the potential properties of persistent organic pollutants with high ecological risk, and its release from contaminated soils and uptake by crops can be disturbed and changed by human activities.

The joint effect of chlorimuron-ethyl and cadmium (Cd) on biomass growth and cadmium accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was investigated and compared with single-factor effect of soil cadmium pollution. The results showed that dry biomass of wheat had significantly (p

Characteristics of cadmium (Cd) accumulation and tolerance in Rorippa globosa (Turcz.) Thell., a species with some characteristics of cadmium hyperaccumulation were further investigated and compared with a closely related species, Rorippa islandica. The results showed that there was no phytotoxicity for R. globosa leaves or reduction in biomass when treated with 25 μg Cd g−1, although the concentration of Cd accumulated in the leaves was up to 218.9 μg Cd g−1 dry weight (DW). On the contrary, Cd toxicity was observed in R. islandica leaves by way of determining changes in fresh weight (FW), malondialdehyde (MDA) level and chlorophyll content while treated with 25 μg Cd g−1 DW. R. globosa had stronger self-protection ability than R. islandica to adapt to oxidative stress caused by Cd. Application of Cd significantly increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in leaves, the activity of peroxidase (POD) in roots, and the activity of catalase (CAT) in leaves and roots of R. globosa. By contrast, in R. islandica, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was inhibited or unchanged by various Cd treatments. However, R. globosa leaves had higher activity of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and POD than that of R. islandica. The antioxidative defense systems in R. globosa might play an important role in Cd tolerance. The Cd treatments significantly induced the synthesis of phytochelatins (PCs) in the two species. Leaf PCs and Cd accumulation by R. globosa were much greater than those by R. islandica, but root PCs and Cd accumulation by R. islandica were much greater than those by R. globosa, suggesting that PCs in leaves may be a biomarker of Cd hyperaccumulation, and the synthesis of PCs may be related to an increase in the uptake of Cd ions into the cytoplasm, not the primary mechanism for Cd tolerance.

Analysis of antibiotics in the environment has become an urgent issue. A novel method entailing microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray mass spectrometry (LC–MSn) has been developed for determination of selected typical antibiotics, including quinolones, sulfonamides, and tetracyclines, in manure. Compared with ultrasonic extraction, MAE significantly increased recovery of fluoroquinolones (63–106%), sulfonamides (64–133%), and tetracyclines (64–109%) from manure. Acetonitrile acidified with formic acid buffer solution (pH 4.0) was used for extraction of swine manure whereas chicken manure was extracted with 0.1 M EDTA–McIlvaine buffer solution. Limits of quantification (LOQ) for all compounds were in the range 5.12–168.4 μg kg−1 dry matter, which were satisfactory for analysis of all samples. The suitability of the method was assessed by analysis of manure from six different sites.

Organic contaminants and toxic heavy metals often coexist in contaminated soils. However, little information concerning the interactive effects of organic contaminants and heavy metals on their sorption behaviors on soils is available. In this study, the competitive sorption effects of 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB) and typical heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu), on their sorption characteristics on two Chinese soils were examined using a batch equilibration method. The results indicated that the coexistence of Cd and Cu inhibited the sorption of 1,4-DCB on soils and the inhibitive effects increased with increasing concentrations of Cd and Cu. This can be attributed to the inner-sphere complexation of Cd and Cu to form hydration shells of dense water that directly compete for surface sorption sites with 1,4-DCB. Additionally, pore blockage is presumed to be an alternative mechanism for the inhibitive effect. The extent of inhibitive effects depends on not only the relatively chemical characteristics of metals but also on the types of soils. However, the concurrence of 1,4-DCB (50 mg/L) in soils has little effects on the sorption capacity of Cd and Cu due to their higher sorption affinity for the soils than 1,4-DCB. These findings indicated that the coexistence of metals can greatly affect sorption behaviors of hydrophobic organic compounds on soils and thus their fate, transportation, and bioavailability.

In a microcosm experiment, the amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis was adopted to investigate the Pseudomonas community structure in soils applied with different concentrations (0, 50, 150, and 250 mg/kg) of acetochlor, and an in vitro assay was made to examine the antagonistic activity of isolated Pseudomonas strains acting on soil-borne pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. The results showed that acetochlor application changed the community structure of Pseudomonas in aquic brown soil. The diversity of Pseudomonas and the amount of isolated Pseudomonas strains with antagonistic activity decreased with an increasing acetochlor concentration, and the toxic effect of acetochlor reached to a steady level at 150-250 mg/kg.

The effects of chemical amendments including zeolite, compost and mesoporous molecular sieves (MCM-41) on the extractability and speciation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb and Cu) in a contaminated soil were investigated. Results showed that the application of soil amendments decreased Cd, Pb and Cu uptake by the shoots of pakchoi, up to 44.2-53.2%, 30.2-42.7% and 16.9-22.1%, respectively, compared with the control. Among the three amendments, zeolite and MCM-41 were more efficient in reducing Cd and Cu uptake, while compost was more efficient in reducing Pb uptake by the plants. The growth of pakchoi was improved in amended soils due to the action of chemical amendments.

Soil pollution by cadmium has been a long standing ecological problem in Zhangshi Irrigation Area, Shenyang, China, as a result of the 30-year practice of irrigation with wastewater containing high levels of heavy metals. To evaluate the adverse impact of cadmium contamination on soil ecosystems, the responses of soil microbiota to both long-term and short-term cadmium stress were studied by molecular microbial community profiling with denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis. Our results show that soil characteristics and nutrient conditions were likely more important than cadmium toxicity in shaping the soil bacterial community structure in the long term. In comparison, soil microbial genetic diversity was shown to be more closely correlated to cadmium levels under short-term cadmium stress, with the highest microbial genetic diversity occurring at mild cadmium stress conditions, which might be attributed to the enrichment of metal-resistant microbial populations through mechanisms of competitive selection and genetic adaptation. In contrast, severe cadmium stress likely presented a condition that fewer microbial populations could survive, thus leading to reduced microbial genetic diversity.

The dechlorination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by zerovalent iron (Fe(0)) in presence of low molecular weight carboxylic acids was investigated. The experimental results showed that oxalic acid was advantaged among the selected acids for the dechlorination of PCP. The lower pH value and the higher dosage of Fe(0) were favorable for the enhancement of dechlorination efficiency. With their strong complexing and pH buffering properties, carboxylic acids favored the fresh surface of iron, which benefits to the dechlorination of PCP by Fe(0). Moreover, the oxalate-iron complexes have more reductive activities and then lead to the highest dechlorination efficiency of PCP by Fe(0).

The remediation of diesel fuel contaminated soil over a 2-year period by the plant-microorganism synergy was evaluated. Results indicated that the growth of Astragalus adsurgens was affected significantly, when the diesel fuel concentration was higher than 10 g kg(-1) dry soil. After a 2-year period, the removal of diesel fuel was67%, and about 58-70% removal of aromatic hydrocarbons was obtained in these treatments. The removal of diesel fuel and its components was 13-30% higher than that of plant alone. These results show that an appropriate plant-microorganism synergy may serve as a low-cost, effective remedial technology for diesel-contaminated soil.

Phytoremediation, which mainly employs hyperaccumulators to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils, is receiving more attention world-wide. The identification of hyperaccumulators is still a key step for phytoremediation. This research is devoted to identify some plants with hyperaccumulative characteristics from weed species. In a pot culture experiment, the hyperaccumulative characteristics of 13 weed species in 11 families to Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn were examined. The result showed that Taraxacum mongolicum and Rorippa globosa indicated some Cd hyperaccumulative properties. In a sample-analysis experiment conducted in a Pb-Zn mining area, T. mongolicum and R. globosa also displayed the same hyperaccumulative characteristics. However, in a concentration gradient experiment, Cd content in shoot of T. mongolicum was not higher than 100 mg/kg (DW, dry weight), the minimum Cd concentration for a Cd-hyperaccumulator in any treatment. The concentration of Cd in the stems and leaves of R. globosa were greater than 100 mg/kg, under the conditions of the soils spiked with 25 and 50 mg/kg Cd. The Cd accumulation factors and translocation factors in the shoots of R. globosa were higher than 1 too, and the plant biomasses did not decrease significantly (p

The role of ornamental plants has drawn much attention as the urban pollution levels exacerbate. Althaea rosea Cav. had showed its strong tolerance and accumulation ability of Cd in our previous work, thus, the effects of ethylenediamine triacetic acid (EDTA), ethylenegluatarotriacetic acid (EGTA) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on its Cd phytoremediation capacity were further investigated in this work. It reconfirmed that the species had strong tolerance and accumulation ability of Cd. Particularly, the species can be regarded as a potential Cd-hyperaccumulator through applying chemical agents. However, different chelators and surfactants had great differences in affecting hyperaccumulating characteristics of the species. EGTA and SDS could not only increase the dry biomass of the plants, but also promote Cd accumulation in shoots and roots. On the contrary, EDTA was toxic to the species by restraining the growth of plants, although it could promote Cd accumulation in shoots and roots of the plants to a certain extent. Thus, EGTA and SDS were effective in enhancing phytoremediation with Althaea rosea Cav. for Cd contaminated soils, while EDTA is ineffective in this regard.