Cytotoxicity and hemolysis of rare earth ions and nanoscale/bulk oxides (La, Gd, and Yb): Interaction with lipid membranes and protein corona formation.

The widespread application of rare earth elements (REEs) has raised concerns about their potential release into the environment and subsequent ingestion by humans. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the cytotoxicity of REEs. Here, we investigated the interactions between three typical REEs (La, Gd, and Yb) ions as well as their nanometer/µm-sized oxides and red blood cells (RBCs), a plausible contact target for nanoparticles when they enter the bloodstream. Hemolysis of REEs at 50-2000 µmol L-1 was examined to simulate their cytotoxicity under medical or occupational exposure. We found that the hemolysis due to the exposure of REEs was highly dependent on their concentration, and the cytotoxicity followed the order of La3+ > Gd3+ > Yb3+. The cytotoxicity of REE ions (REIs) is higher than REE oxides (REOs), while nanometer-sized REO caused more hemolysis than that µm-sized REO. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), ROS quenching experiment, as well as the detection of lipid peroxidation, confirmed that REEs causes cell membrane rupture by ROS-related chemical oxidation. In addition, we found that the formation of a protein corona on REEs increased the steric repulsion between REEs and cell membranes, hence mitigating the cytotoxicity of REEs. The theoretical simulation indicated the favorable interaction of REEs with phospholipids and proteins. Therefore, our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the cytotoxicity of REEs to RBCs once they have entered the blood circulation system of organisms.

A Combined Remediation Strategy of Arsenic and Cadmium in the Paddy Soil of Polymetallic Mining Areas.

The combined pollution of arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are quite common in the polymetallic mining areas located in southern China. In the present study, field experiments were established for the purpose of exploring a simultaneous remediation strategy of rice variety-water management-contaminant immobilization on the As and Cd contamination in paddy soil. The obtained results revealed that the Maba Yinzhan was the best low-accumulation rice variety, with As and Cd concentrations of 0.54 and 0.16 mg kg-1, respectively, in the rice grains. On the basis of water management during heading stage, the treatment using 0.15 wt% lime plus 0.5 wt% ferro-ferric oxide (FO) decreased the As and Cd concentrations by 64.02% and 34.78%, respectively, in the grains. The results of this study potentially provide an effective remediation solution for the As/Cd contaminated soils in polymetallic mining areas.

[Stabilizing Effects of Fe-Ce Oxide on Soil As(â ¤) and P].

The mining and smelting of arsenic-containing metal minerals, and the large-scale use of chemicals and pesticides, has resulted in the widespread pollution of soils in southwestern and southern China. In this study, the stabilizing effect of Fe-Ce oxide (FC) on three representative arsenic-contaminated soils was evaluated. The microscopic adsorption characteristics of FC and As(Ⅴ) were explored by scanning electron microscopy and energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that FC can significantly reduce arsenic concentrations by 84.1%-98.3% during the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), and showed strong pH adaptability in alkaline soil. It efficiently transformed (non-)specifically sorbed arsenic (F1+F2) into hydrous oxides phases of Fe and Al (F3+F4). FC also significantly reduced available P by 47.13%-60.32% in different types of soil. FC can not only release As(Ⅴ) adsorption sites occupied by P in soils, but also effectively prevents non-point source pollution of the surrounding water. SEM-EDS and XPS analysis detected Fe, Ce, and As on the surface of As(Ⅴ) adsorption products, and As was mainly adsorbed on the surface of Fe atoms. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for soil arsenic stabilization in China.

[Stabilization of Arsenic-Contaminated Soils Using Fe-Mn Oxide Under Different Water Conditions].

Fe-Mn oxide (FM) was used to evaluate its stabilization effects on three typical arsenic (As)-contaminated soils in southern China under different water conditions (dry soil, moist soil, and flooded soil). With an increase in moisture content, the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results for As decreased by 34.78%, 47.62%, and 13.64%, respectively,in Shaoguan,Hechi, and Changde, and then increased by 310.34%, 185.22%, and 23.38%, respectively. The results showed that adding a certain amount of water (30%) had a positive effect on decreasing the As concentration in the TCLP, but excessive amounts (80%) led to As re-release into the soil. The application of FM under flooding conditions has obvious advantages. In the three soils of Shaoguan,Hechi, and Changde, FM significantly reduced the As concentration in the TCLP by more than 99.00%, and reduced the soil available As content by 55.40%, 40.05%, and 16.92%, respectively. FM increased the specificandnon-specific adsorption of As to stabilize the bound fractions of hydrated iron-aluminum oxide, thus significantly reducing the biological effectiveness of soil As and soil environmental risk.FM reduced the available P in the soil in Shaoguan,Hechi, and Changde by 0.60%-6.67%, 15.74%-50.00%, and 32.48-40.39%, respectively. Our study revealed that FM can absorb a small amount of available P, which may limit P uptakeby agricultural products in P-deficient areas, while effectively inhibiting the non-point source pollution of soil to surrounding water bodiesin P-rich areas. The variation in pH after FM application in the three soils was only 0.04-0.07, which had little effect on the soil environment. FM has good prospects for stabilization of flooded As-contaminated soil. The results of this study provide an important scientific basis for soil As stabilization in China.

Reducing Arsenic Concentration in Panax notoginseng via Contaminant Immobilization in Soil Using Fe-Ce Oxide.

(Burk.) F.H. Chen, a valuable Chinese medicine, is currently confronted with arsenic (As) contamination in China due to soil pollution. Our previous research demonstrated that Fe(0) and zeolite had a certain inhibitory effect on As accumulation in . In order to further reduce As accumulation in the plant, a synthetic iron material (Fe-Ce oxide [FC]) with high As adsorption capacity was tested for As remediation. In the study, after FC was applied to the As-contaminated soil, was planted in the soil. The As leaching behavior of the treated soil and As accumulation in were evaluated. The results showed that FC immobilized As more effectively than Fe(0) and zeolite in soils with high As concentrations. When the FC dosage was 0.5 % (w/w), As concentration of root (the main medicinal part) decreased by 56%, and root biomass increased by 55%. Results indicated FC could reduce the non-specifically adsorbed As fraction (F1) and specifically adsorbed As fraction (F2) by 22 to 31% and 5 to 17%, respectively, thus reducing the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure leachable As concentration by 41 to 67%. The finding of an iron plaque coating on the plant root and its function as a barrier to As uptake by is reported here for the first time. The occurrence of iron plaque led to a reduction in As concentration in the phellem and xylem-phloem by 66 to 80% and 43 to 70%, respectively. Our findings will help in developing As contamination control in areas where is planted and set a foundation for a FC-based As immobilization technology.

Migration and arsenic adsorption study of starch-modified Fe-Ce oxide on a silicon-based micromodel observation platform.

Iron materials have shown great potential to remediate arsenic (As) contaminated sites. It's very important to reveal the reaction process between iron materials and As from the perspective of pore scale, but relevant research was inadequate. In order to directly investigate the migration and As adsorption mechanism of starch-modified Fe-Ce oxide in pore scale, a silicon-based micromodel observation platform was established in this study. The results of Charge coupled Device images showed that the sedimentation surface area of SFC occupied about 57.02% of the large porosity zone, but only 23.27% of the small porosity zone. To further reveal the 3D distribution of Fe and As elements inside the pore network, Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was introduced. The results revealed that less As was adsorbed as less SFC intruded in the small porosity zone. When the large porosity zone was blocked by SFC, a permeability barrier was created to adsorb As from upstream. This study also explored the effect of particle size reduction on SFC migration, and found it might be a better candidate for more SFC penetrated into small porosity zone. Combined with various high-resolution and sensitivity-detection methodologies, more colloidal migration mechanisms can be investigated using this technology in the future.

Transportation and localization of phenanthrene and its interaction with different species of arsenic in Pteris vittata L.

The interaction between arsenic (As) and phenanthrene (PHE) in Pteris vittata L. was investigated in this study. The migration and occurrence of PHE in P. vittata were determined by two-photon laser scanning confocal microscopy. Data indicated that PHE supplementation lowers the As concentration in P. vittata, decreasing As levels by 16.8-39.9% in the pinnae, 30.0-49.0% in the rachis, and 45-51.5% in the roots, respectively. Different arsenic species inhibited P. vittata PHE absorption. The most significant effect was observed using dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), which decreased PHE accumulation by 20.73%. With the exception of elevated As(V) concentrations in As(III)-treated plants, PHE treatment significantly reduced inorganic As concentrations in P. vittata. However, PHE elevated root DMA concentrations by 9%. According to in situ visualization, PHE is primarily found in the upper and lower epidermis and stomatal cells, particularly the stomata guard cells.

[Effects of Soil Moisture on Phytoremediation of As-Containinated Soils Using As-Hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L].

A pot experiment was carried out to study the effects of soil moisture on the growth and arsenic uptake of As-hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. The results showed that the remediation efficiency of As was the highest when the soil moisture was between 35%-45%. P. vittata grew best under 45% water content, and its aboveground and underground plant dry weights were 2.95 g x plant(-1) and 11.95 g x plant(-1), respectively; the arsenic concentration in aboveground and roots was the highest under 35% water content, and 40% content was the best for accumulation of arsenic in P. vittata. Moreover, controlling the soil moisture to 35%-45% enhanced the conversion of As(V) to As(III) in aboveground plant, and promoted arsenic detoxification in P. vittata. These above results showed that soil moisture played an important role in the absorption and transport of arsenic by P. vittata. The results of this study can provide important guidance for the large-scale planting of P. vittata and the moisture management measures in engineering application.

[Discussion on several key points of decision support system for remediation of contaminated sites].

The problem of site contamination has become a focus in the environment protection field in the recent years. Decision support system (DSS) for remediation of contaminated sites is used for selecting the optimal remediation technologies and formulating economic and efficient remediation plans based on site investigation and risk assessment. This paper reviewed and analyzed the key steps in the decision-making process, including frames, models and methods. In addition, the modules and functions of more than 40 types of decision-making software in the world were evaluated and summarized. Aimed at the demand of site contamination in our country, a skeleton frame and feature were proposed in the paper, where the international experience in developed countries has been absorbed and learned.