Foliar application of silicon and selenium reduce the toxicity of cadmium to soybeans.

Silicon (Si) and selenium (Se), two environmental protection materials, which are beneficial to plant growth and stress resistance, can also alleviate crop stress induced by heavy metals. However, the effects of Si, Se and their interactions in reducing cadmium (Cd) toxicity and the related mechanisms require further elucidation. Hence, this study implemented a foliar application of Si and Se on soybean (Glycine max L.) that subjected to Cd-induced stress with four treatments (sole/combined application of Si, Se, no fertilizer treatment). The results demonstrated that Si and Se showed effective mitigation of Cd toxicity on soybeans mainly by promoting growth, enhancing photosynthesis, maintaining root vigor, improving antioxidant capacity, alleviating oxidative damage, altering the storage form, subcellular distribution of Cd in soybeans, and was more noticeable when combined overall (Si + Se＞Se＞Si). Si + Se increased root activity by 28% and CAT activity in leaves by 130.65%. Overall, the combined application of Si and Se exhibited a pronounced synergistic effect in enhancing the healthy growth of soybean plants under Cd pollution, with a more prominent impact observed following the second fertilization.

Optimization of the removal efficiency of three biodegradable chelating agents for soil cadmium.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the release of cadmium-containing pollutants into the environment from mining, industrial emissions, wastewater irrigation and the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This leads to the degradation of soil quality and poses a threat to human health. Chemical leaching remediation technology is an effective method for controlling Cd contamination in soil. However, the leaching agent has a low removal efficiency of heavy metals. In order to find more suitable environmentally friendly new leaching agents, this study investigates the effects of three biodegradable chelating agents PMAS, EDTMPS and GLDA on the removal of heavy metal Cd in soil in the single factor soil leaching experiment. The concentration of the chelating agents, the leaching time and the pH of the leaching solution were varied to study their effects. The Box-Behnken (BBD) effect based on RSM was used to design the experimental conditions to optimize the leaching process of three biodegradable chelating agents. The optimum conditions for Cd removal by PMAS, EDTMPS and GLDA were obtained as follows: concentration 7 %, pH = 3.61, reaction time 180 min; concentration 4.94 %, pH = 3.0, reaction time 180 min; and concentration 4.96 %, pH = 3.0, reaction time 180 min. The validation test results showed that the deviation from the experimental value is less than 3 % under the theoretically optimal washing conditions, confirming the reliability and accuracy of the response surface methodology optimization process, which provides a reference for the development of efficient, environmentally friendly and low-cost leaching agents.

Fungal community determines soil multifunctionality during vegetation restoration in metallic tailing reservoir.

Microorganisms are pivotal in sustaining soil functions, yet the specific contributions of bacterial and fungal succession on the functions during vegetation restoration in metallic tailing reservoirs remains elusive. Here, we explored bacterial and fungal succession and their impacts on soil multifunctionality along a ∼50-year vegetation restoration chronosequence in China's largest vanadium titano-magnetite tailing reservoir. We found a significant increase in soil multifunctionality, an index comprising factors pertinent to soil fertility and microbially mediated nutrient cycling, along the chronosequence. Despite increasing heavy metal levels, both bacterial and fungal communities exhibited significant increase in richness and network complexity over time. However, fungi demonstrated a slower succession rate and more consistent composition than bacteria, indicating their relatively higher resilience to environmental changes. Soil multifunctionality was intimately linked to bacterial and fungal richness or complexity. Nevertheless, when scrutinizing both richness and complexity concurrently, the correlations disappeared for bacteria but remained robust for fungi. This persistence reveals the critical role of the fungal community resilience in sustaining soil multifunctionality, particularly through their stable interactions with powerful core taxa. Our findings highlight the importance of fungal succession in enhancing soil multifunctionality during vegetation restoration in metallic tailing reservoirs, and manipulating fungal community may expedite ecological recovery of areas polluted with heavy metals.

Soil heavy metal pollution promotes extracellular enzyme production by mediating microbial community structure during vegetation restoration of metallic tailing reservoir.

Vegetation restoration in metallic tailing reservoirs is imperative to restore the post-mining degraded ecosystems. Extracellular enzymes determine microbial resource acquisition in soils, yet the mechanisms controlling the enzyme activity and stoichiometry during vegetation restoration in metallic tailing reservoirs remain elusive. Here, we investigated the variations and drivers of C-, N- and P-acquiring enzymes together with microbial community along a 50-year vegetation restoration chronosequence in the China's largest vanadium titano-magnetite tailing reservoir. We found a parabolic pattern in the enzyme activity and efficiency along the chronosequence, peaking at the middle restoration stage (∼30 years) with approximately six-fold increase relative to the initial 1-year site. The enzyme ratios of C:P and N:P decreased by 33 % and 68 % along the chronosequence, respectively, indicating a higher microbial demand of C and N at the early stage and a higher demand of P at the later stage. Soil nutrients directly determined the enzyme activities and stoichiometry, whereas microbial biomass and community structure regulated the temporal pattern of the enzyme efficiency. Surprisingly, increased heavy metal pollution imposed a positive effect on the enzyme efficiency indirectly by altering microbial community structure. This was evidenced by the increased microbial diversity and the conversion of copiotrophic to oligotrophic and stress-tolerant taxa along the chronosequence. Our findings provide new insights into microbial functioning in soil nutrient dynamics during vegetation restoration under increasing heavy metal pollution.

Selenite-Catalyzed Reaction between Benzoquinone and Acetylacetone Deciphered the Enhanced Inhibition on Microcystis aeruginosa Growth.

The coexistence of selenite (Se(IV)) and acetylacetone (AA) generated a synergistic effect on the growth inhibition of a bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa. The mechanism behind this phenomenon is of great significance in the control of harmful algal blooms. To elucidate the role of Se(IV) in this effect, the reactions in ternary solutions composed of Se(IV), AA (or two other similar hydrogen donors), and quinones, especially benzoquinone (BQ), were investigated. The transformation kinetic results demonstrate that Se(IV) played a catalytic role in the reactions between AA (or ascorbic acid) and quinones. By comparison with five other oxyanions (sulfite, sulfate, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate) and two AA derivatives, the formation of an AA-Se(IV) complexation intermediate was confirmed as a key step in the accelerated reactions between BQ and AA. To our knowledge, this is the first report on Se(IV) as a catalyst for quinone-involved reactions. Since both quinones and Se are essential in cells and there are many other chemicals of similar electron-donating properties to that of AA, the finding here shed light on the regulation of electron transport chains in a variety of processes, especially the redox balances that are tuned by quinones and glutathione.

Novel ecological ditch system for nutrient removal from farmland drainage in plain area: Performance and mechanism.

The loading of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agricultural drainage as the non-point sources is a worldwide environmental issue for aquatic ecosystem. However, how to remove these nutrients effectively from agricultural drainage remains a big challenge with increasing cemented ditches for better management. Here, we designed a novel ecological ditch system which integrated an earth ditch and a cemented ditch with iron-loaded biochar in the Chengdu Plain to reduce the loss of N and P from farmland. After a two-year monitoring, the removal efficiency of total N and total P reached 24.9% and 36.1% by the earth ditch and 30.7% and 57.8% by the integrated ditch system, respectively. The water quality was evidently improved after passing through the ditch system with the marked decrease in the concentrations of N and P. Dissolved organic N, nitrate, and particulate P became the dominant fractions of N and P loss. Rainfall soon after fertilization increased the concentrations of N and P in the ditch system and markedly affected their removal efficiency. The iron-loaded biochar effectively removed N and P from the drainage, especially at the high concentrations, which was mainly attributed to its high adsorption of the dissolved N and P fractions and the interception of the particulate nutrients. Our results indicate that the designed ecological ditch system has a high potential for alleviating agricultural non-point source pollution in the plain area and can be extended to other lowland agricultural ecosystems.

Regulation of Photosynthesis in Bloom-Forming Cyanobacteria with the Simplest ß-Diketone.

Selective inhibition of photosynthesis is a fundamental strategy to solve the global challenge caused by harmful cyanobacterial blooms. However, there is a lack of specificity of the currently used cyanocides, because most of them act on cyanobacteria by generating nontargeted oxidative stress. Here, for the first time, we find that the simplest ß-diketone, acetylacetone, is a promising specific cyanocide, which acts on Microcystis aeruginosa through targeted binding on bound iron species in the photosynthetic electron transport chain, rather than by oxidizing the components of the photosynthetic apparatus. The targeted binding approach outperforms the general oxidation mechanism in terms of specificity and eco-safety. Given the essential role of photosynthesis in both natural and artificial systems, this finding not only provides a unique solution for the selective control of cyanobacteria but also sheds new light on the ways to modulate photosynthesis.

Enhanced Photooxidation of Hydroquinone by Acetylacetone, a Novel Photosensitizer and Electron Shuttle.

Quinones are important electron shuttles as well as micropollutants in the nature. Acetylacetone (AA) is a newly recognized electron shuttle in aqueous media exposed to UV irradiation. Herein, we studied the interactions between AA and hydroquinone (QH2) under steady-state and transient photochemical conditions to clarify the possible reactions and consequences if QH2 and AA coexist in a solution. Steady-state experimental results demonstrate that the interactions between AA and QH2 were strongly affected by dissolved oxygen. In O2-rich solutions, the phototransformation of QH2 was AA-independent. Both QH2 and AA utilize O2 as the electron acceptor, but in O2-insufficient solutions, AA became an important electron acceptor for the oxidation of QH2. In all cases, the coexistence of AA increased the phototransformation of QH2, whereas the decomposition of AA in O2-saturated and oversaturated solutions was inhibited by the presence of QH2. The underlying mechanisms were investigated by a combination of laser flash photolysis (LFP) and reduction potential analysis. The LFP results show that the excited AA serves as a better electron shuttle than QH2. As a consequence, AA might regulate the redox cycling of quinones, leading to significant effects on many processes, ranging from photosynthesis and respiration to photodegradation.

Effects of acetylacetone on the thermal and photochemical conversion of benzoquinone in aqueous solution.

Quinones are components of electron transport chains in photosynthesis and respiration. Acetylacetone (AA), structurally similar to benzoquinone (BQ) for the presence of two identical carbonyl groups, has been reported as a quinone-like electron shuttle. Both BQ and AA are important chemicals in the aquatic environment. However, little information is known about their interactions if co-existed. We found here that AA significantly enhanced the conversion of BQ. By analyzing the evolution of chemical concentration, solution pH, dissolved oxygen, and the final products, the interactions between AA and BQ were elucidated. The reactions between BQ and AA generated oxygen but ultimately led to the reduction of solution pH and dissolved oxygen. The reactions proceeded faster under indoor lighting condition than in the dark. The formation of semiquinone radicals is believed as the primary step. The secondary AA-derived radicals might be strongly oxidative or reductive, depending on the concentration of dissolved oxygen. Insoluble humus was generated in the mixture of BQ and AA. These results suggest that the presence of AA might interfere with photosynthesis and respiration through the interactions with quinones.

Overlooked Role of Peroxides as Free Radical Precursors in Advanced Oxidation Processes.

Research efforts on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have long been focused on the fundamental chemistry of activation processes and free radical reactions. Little attention has been paid to the chemistry of the precursor oxidants. Herein, we found that the precursor oxidants could lead to quite different outcomes. A counterintuitive result was observed in the photoreduction of bromate/iodate: the combination of H2O2 and UV enhanced the reduction of bromate/iodate, whereas the addition of persulfate to the UV system led to an inhibitory effect. Thermodynamic and kinetic evidence suggests that the reduction of bromate in UV/H2O2 was attributable to the direct reaction between HOBr and H2O2. Both experimental determination and kinetic simulation demonstrate that the reaction between HOBr and H2O2 dominated over the •OH-mediated reactions. These results suggest that H2O2 possesses some particular redox properties that distinguish it from other peroxides. The prototypical UV/H2O2 process is not always an AOP: it can also be an enhanced reduction process for chemicals with intermediates that are reducible by H2O2. Considering the increasing interest in persulfate-based AOPs, the results of this study identify some novel advantages of the classical H2O2-based AOPs.

Redox Conversion of Arsenite and Nitrate in the UV/Quinone Systems.

Whether superoxide radical anion (O2•-) was a key reactive species in the oxidation of arsenite (As(III)) in photochemical processes has long been a controversial issue. With hydroquinone (BQH2) and 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ) as redox mediators, the photochemical oxidation of As(III) and reduction of nitrate (NO3-) was carefully investigated. O2•-, singlet oxygen (1O2), H2O2, and semiquinone radical (BQH•) were all possible reactive species in the irradiated system. However, since the formation of As(IV) is a necessary step in the oxidation of As(III), taking the standard reduction potentials into account, the reactions between the above species and As(III) were thermodynamically unfavorable. On the basis of radical scavenging experiments, hydroxyl radical (•OH) was proved as the key species that led to the oxidation of As(III) in the UV/BQH2 system. It should be noted that the •OH radicals were generated from the photolysis of H2O2, which came from the disproportionation of O2•- and the reaction of O2•- with BQH2. Both the photoejected eaq- from 1(BQH2)* and the direct electron transfer with 3(BQH2)* contributed to the reduction of NO3- in the UV/BQH2 process. No synergistic effect was observed in the redox conversion of As(III) and NO3-, further demonstrating that the role of BQH• was negligible in the studied systems. The results here are helpful for a better understanding of the photochemical behaviors of quinones in the aquatic environment.