Penguin-Driven Dissemination and High Enrichment of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Lake Sediments across Antarctica.

Numerous penguins can propagate pathogens with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) into Antarctica. However, the effects of penguin dissemination on the lake ARGs still have received little attention via guano deposition. Here, we have profiled ARGs in ornithogenic sediments subject to penguin guano (OLS) and nonornithogenic sediments (NOLS) from 16 lakes across Antarctica. A total of 191 ARGs were detected in all sediment samples, with a much higher abundance and diversity in OLS than in NOLS. Surprisingly, highly diverse and abundant ARGs were found in the OLS with a detection frequency of >40% and an absolute abundance of (2.34 × 109)-(4.98 × 109) copies g-1, comparable to those in coastal estuarine sediments and pig farms. The strong correlations of identified resistance genes with penguin guano input amount, environmental factors, mobile genetic elements, and bacterial community, in conjunction with network and redundancy analyses, all indicated that penguins were responsible for the dissemination and high enrichment of ARGs in lake sediments via the guano deposition, which might greatly outweigh local human-activity effects. Our results revealed that ARGs could be carried into lakes across the Antarctica through penguin migration, food chains, and guano deposition, which were closely connected with the widespread pollution of ARGs at the global scale.

In situ activation of peroxymonosulfate with bioelectricity for sulfamethoxazole sustainable removal.

Conventional electrochemical activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is not very cost-effective and practical by the excessive input of energy. The electricity generated by photosynthetic microalgae fuel cells (MFCs) is utilized to activate PMS, which would achieve the combination of green bioelectricity and advanced oxidation processes for sustainable pollutants degradation. In this study, a novel dual-chamber of MFCs was constructed by using microalgae as anode electron donor and PMS as cathode electron acceptor, which was operating under both close-circuit and open-circuit conditions. Under close-circuit condition, 1-12 mM PMS in cathode was successfully in situ activated, where 32.00%-99.83% of SMX was removed within 24 h, which was about 1.21-1.78 times of that in the open-circuit of MFCs. Meanwhile, a significant increase in bioelectricity generation in MFCs was observed after the accumulation of microalgae biomass (4.65-5.37 mg/L), which was attributed to the efficient electron separation and transfer. Furthermore, the electrochemical analysis demonstrated that SMX or its products were functioned as electronic shuttles, facilitating the electrochemical reaction and altering the electrical capacitance. The quenching experiments and voltage output results reflected that complex active radical (SO4⋅-, ⋅OH, and 1O2) were involved in SMX removal. Seven degradation products of SMX were detected and S-N bond cleavage was the main degradation pathway. Predicted toxicity values calculated by ECOSAR program showed that all the products were less toxic or nontoxic. Finally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the O and N atoms on SMX were more susceptible to electrophilic reactions, which were more vulnerable to be attacked by reactive species. This study provided new insights into the activation of PMS by bioelectricity for SMX degradation, proposing the mechanisms for PMS activation and degradation sites of SMX.

Imidacloprid removal by modified graphitic biochar with Fe/Zn bimetallic oxides.

Coping with the critical challenge of imidacloprid (IMI) contamination in sewage treatment and farmland drainage purification, this study presents a pioneering development of an advanced modified graphitic white melon seed shells biochar (Fe/Zn@WBC). The Fe/Zn@WBC demonstrates a substantial enhancement in adsorption efficiency for IMI, achieving a remarkable removal rate of 87.69% within 30 min and a significantly higher initial adsorption rate parameter h = 4.176 mg g-1·min-1. This significant improvement outperforms WBC (12.22%, h = 0.115 mg g-1·min-1) and highlights the influence of optimized adsorption conditions at 900 °C and the graphitization degree resulting from Fe/Zn bimetallic oxide modification. Characterization analysis and batch sorption experiments including kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics and pH factors illustrate that chemical adsorption is the main type of adsorption mechanism responsible for this superior ability to remove IMI through pore filling, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction, electrostatics interaction, π-π interactions as well as complexation processes. Furthermore, we demonstrate exceptional stability of Fe/Zn@WBC across a broad pH range (pH = 3-11), co-existing ions presence along with humic acid under various real water conditions while maintaining high removal efficiency. This study presents an advanced biochar adsorbent, Fe/Zn@WBC, with efficient adsorption capacity and easy preparation. Through three regeneration cycles via pyrolysis method, it demonstrates excellent pyrolysis regeneration capabilities with an average removal efficiency of 92.02%. The magnetic properties enable rapid separation facilitated by magnetic analysis. By elucidating the efficacy and mechanistic foundations of Fe/Zn@WBC, this research significantly contributes to the field of environmental remediation by providing a scalable solution for IMI removal and enhancing scientific understanding of bimetallic oxides-hydrophilic organic pollutant interactions.

MoS2 coupled with ball milling co-modified sludge biochar to efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate for neonicotinoids degradation: Dominant roles of SO4•-, 1O2 and surface-bound radicals.

An efficient catalyst of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) coupled with ball milling modified sludge biochar (BMSBC) was prepared to efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for neonicotinoids elimination. As expected, 95.1% of imidacloprid (IMI) was degraded by PMS/BMSBC system within 60 min and it was accompanied by the outstanding mineralization rate of 71.9%. The superior pore structures, rich defects, oxygen-containing functional groups and grafted MoS2 on BMSBC offered excellent activation performance for PMS. The influencing factor experiments demonstrated that PMS/BMSBC system performed high anti-interference to wide pH range and background constituents (e.g., inorganic ions and humic acid). Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed that SO4•-, 1O2, and surface-bound radicals played critical roles in IMI degradation. Electron donors on biochar activated PMS, producing surface radicals. The lone pair electrons within the Lewis basic site of C=O on BMSBC enhanced PMS decomposition by facilitating the cleavage of the -O-O- bond in PMS to release 1O2. The activation process of PMS by MoS2 accelerated the oxidation of Mo (IV) to Mo (VI) to generate SO4•-. Based on the transformed products (TPs), four degradation pathways of IMI in PMS/BMSBC system were suggested, and all TPs toxicity levels were lower than that of IMI by ECOSAR analysis. Additionally, BMSBC exhibited outstanding sustainable catalytic activity towards PMS activation with the well accepted degradation rate of 71.3% for IMI even after five reuse cycles. PMS/BMSBC system also exhibited satisfactory degradation rates (>71.8%) for IMI in various real waters (e.g., sewage effluent and livestock wastewater). Furthermore, PMS/BMSBC system also offered a favorable broad-spectrum elimination performance for other typical neonicotinoids (e.g., thiamethoxam, clothianidin, thiacloprid) with the degradation rates over 98%. This study has developed a desirable neonicotinoids purification technology in view of its high degradation/mineralization rate, outstanding detoxification performance, satisfied anti-interference to ambient conditions and sustainable sludge management.

Analysis of extracellular and intracellular antibiotic resistance genes in commercial organic fertilizers reveals a non-negligible risk posed by extracellular genes.

Livestock manure is known to be a significant reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing a major threat to human health and animal safety. ARGs are found in both intracellular and extracellular DNA fractions. However, there has been no comprehensive analysis of these fractions in commercial organic fertilizers (COFs). The present study conducted a systematic survey of the profiles of intracellular ARGs (iARGs) and extracellular ARGs (eARGs) and their contributing factor in COFs in Northern China. Results showed that the ARG diversity in COFs (i.e., 57 iARGs and 53 eARGs) was significantly lower than that in cow dung (i.e., 68 iARGs and 69 eARGs). The total abundance of iARGs and eARGs decreased by 85.7% and 75.8%, respectively, after compost processing, and there were no significant differences between iARGs and eARGs in COFs (P > 0.05). Notably, the relative abundance of Campilobacterota decreased significantly (99.1-100.0%) after composting, while that of Actinobacteriota and Firmicutes increased by 21.1% and 29.7%, respectively, becoming the dominant bacteria in COFs. Co-occurrence analysis showed that microorganisms and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were more closely related to eARGs than iARGs in COFs. And structural equation models (SEMs) further verified that microbial community was an essential factor regulating iARGs and eARGs variation in COFs, with a direct influence (λ = 0.74 and 0.62, P < 0.01), following by similar effects of MGEs (λ = 0.59 and 0.43, P < 0.05). These findings indicate the need to separate eARGs and iARGs when assessing the risk of dissemination and during removal management in the environment.

Functional biochar fabricated from red mud and walnut shell for phosphorus wastewater treatment: Role of minerals.

A novel functional biochar (BC) was prepared from industrial waste red mud (RM) and low-cost walnut shell by one facile-step pyrolysis method to adsorb phosphorus (P) in wastewater. The preparation conditions for RM-BC were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. The adsorption characteristics of P were investigated in batch mode experiments, while a variety of techniques were used to characterize RM-BC composites. The impact of key minerals (hematite, quartz, and calcite) in RM on the P removal efficiency of the RM-BC composite was studied. The results showed that RM-BC composite produced at 320 °C for 58 min, with a 1:1 mass ratio of walnut shell and RM, had a maximum P sorption capacity of 15.48 mg g-1, which was more than double that of the raw BC. The removal of P from water was found to be facilitated significantly by hematite, which forms Fe-O-P bonds, undergoes surface precipitation, and exchanges ligands. This research provides evidence for the effectiveness of RM-BC in treating P in water, laying the foundation for future scaling-up trials.

Efficient removal of thiamethoxam by freshwater microalgae Scenedesmus sp. TXH: Removal mechanism, metabolic degradation and application.

Neonicotinoids, as the most widely used pesticides in the world, help improve the production of crops. Meanwhile, it also brings potential threats to surrounding environments and other organisms because of its wide use and even abuse. In this study, Scenedesmus sp. TXH isolated from a wastewater treatment plant was used to remove the neonicotinoid pesticide thiamethoxam (THIA). The removal efficiency, degradation pathway, metabolite fate of THIA and physicochemical effects on microalgae cells were studied. Meanwhile, the feasibility of using microalgal technology to remove THIA from municipal wastewater was also explored. The results showed that 5-40 mg/L of THIA slightly promoted the growth of microalgae, while 60 mg/L THIA severely inhibited microalgal growth. It was observed that malondialdehyde content and superoxide dismutase activity in 60 mg/L THIA group increased significantly (p < 0.05) in the early stage of the experiment, indicating that THIA caused oxidative damage to microalgae. Scenedesmus sp. TXH showed high-efficient degradation ability and high resistance to THIA, with 100% removal of THIA at 5, 20 and 40 mg/L groups and 97.5% removal of THIA at 60 mg/L group on day 12. THIA was mainly removed by biodegradation, accounting for 78.18%, 93.50%, 96.81% and 91.35% under 5, 20, 40 and 60 mg/L on day 12, respectively. Six degradation products were identified, and four potential degradation pathways were proposed. In practical wastewater, the removal efficiency of total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen and THIA reached 85.68%, 90.00%, 98.43% and 100%, respectively, indicating that Scenedesmus sp. TXH was well adapted to the wastewater and effectively removed THIA and conventional pollutants.

Transport of neonicotinoid insecticides in a wetland ecosystem: Has the cultivation of different crops become the major sources?

Extensive application of neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) in agricultural production has resulted in widespread contamination of multiple environmental media. To investigate the occurrence and fate of NNIs in the largest marsh distribution area in Northeast China, an integrated ecosystem covering farmlands, rivers, and marshes, referred to as the farmland-river-marsh continuum in this study, was chosen for soil, water, and sediment sampling. Five NNIs were detected, with imidacloprid (IMI), thiamethoxam (THM), and clothianidin (CLO) being the most frequently detected ones in different samples. Concentrations of target NNIs in soil, surface water, and sediment samples were 2.23-136 ng/g dry weight (dw), 3.20-51.7 ng/L, and 1.53-8.40 ng/g dw, respectively. In soils, NNIs were detected more often and at higher concentrations in upland fields, while the concentration of NNIs in the soybean-growing soils (71.5 ng/g dw) was significantly higher than in the rice-growing soils (18.5 ng/g dw) (p < 0.05). Total concentration of NNIs in surface water was lower in the Qixing River channel than inside the marsh, while that in sediments showed an opposite trend. Total migration mass of IMI from approximately 157,000 ha of farmland soil by surface runoff was estimated to be 2636-3402 kg from the application time to the sampling period. The storage of NNIs in sediments was estimated to range from 45.9 to 252 ng/cm2. The estimated environmental risks, calculated as the risk quotients (RQs), revealed low risks to aquatic organisms (RQs <0.1) from the residual concentrations of NNIs in water.

Changes of bacterial community structure,monosaccharide composition and CO2 exchange along the successional stages of biological soil crusts.

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are a dominant ecological landscape of drylands, which have a significant impact on global biogeochemical flux. However, it is unclear how bacterial community and physiological characteristics vary along the BSCs successional stages. In this study, bacterial community composition, physiological characteristics, and monosaccharide composition of extracellular polysaccharides (EPSs) were compared among different successional stages. Our findings demonstrated that besides the dominant bacterial species, the bacterial communities also showed considerable differences between these two stages. Cyanobacteria were keystone taxa in the early stage, while heterotrophic bacteria (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria) were keystone taxa in the later stages. According to the results of CO2 exchange, cyanobacterial crusts accumulated net carbon faster than moss crusts, while moss crusts had a significantly higher respiration rate. The monosaccharide analysis indicated that the EPSs components also varied depending on BSCs' successional stages. Specifically, the contents of rhamnose and arabinose were higher in the cyanobacterial crusts than other types of crusts, while the contents of fucose, xylose, mannose and glucose were the highest in cyanobacterial-lichen crusts, and galactose content was highest in the moss crusts. Altogether, our results stress the heterogeneous variation of BSCs along with succession, and this work offered a fresh viewpoint for a deeper comprehension of the interactions between the monosaccharide components of EPS and the networks of bacterial communities in BSCs.

Spatiotemporal distribution, sources apportionment and ecological risks of PAHs: a study in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze River.

This study investigated the sources, contamination and ecological risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) based on their spatiotemporal distribution in aquatic environment in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze River (WYR). The fugacity ratio evaluation indicated that sediment was secondary release sources of two- and three-ring PAHs and sinks of four- and five-ring PAHs. The total concentrations of PAHs (Σ16PAHs) ranged from 2.51 to 102.5 ng/L in water with the dominant contribution of 47.8% by two-ring PAHs. Σ16PAHs in sediments varied from 5.90 to 2926 ng/g with the contribution of 35.4% by four-ring PAHs. The higher levels of PAHs occurred around developed industrial areas during the wet season, which was related to local industrial emissions and influenced by rainfall/runoff. Annual flux of Σ16PAHs was estimated of 28.77 t. The PMF model analysis revealed that petroleum and industrial emissions were the dominant sources in water accounting for 58.5% of the total pollution, although traffic emission was the main source for sediment accounting for 44.6%. Risk assessments showed that PAHs in water were at low risks, whereas about 44% of the sediments were identified as medium risks. Therefore, energy structure adjustment and further implement of regulation and monitoring are necessary to reduce PAH emissions.

Ovine fetal testis stage-specific sensitivity to environmental chemical mixtures.

Exposure of the fetal testis to numerous individual environmental chemicals (ECs) is frequently associated with dysregulated development, leading to impaired adult reproductive competence. However, 'real-life' exposure involves complex mixtures of ECs. Here we test the consequences, for the male fetus, of exposing pregnant ewes to EC mixtures derived from pastures treated with biosolids fertiliser (processed human sewage). Fetal testes from continuously exposed ewes were either unaffected at day 80 or exhibited a reduced area of testis immunostained for CYP17A1 protein at day 140. Fetal testes from day 140 pregnant ewes that were exposed transiently for 80-day periods during early (0-80 days), mid (30-110 days), or late (60-140 days) pregnancy had fewer Sertoli cells and reduced testicular area stained for CYP17A1. Male fetuses from ewes exposed during late pregnancy also exhibited reduced fetal body, adrenal and testis mass, anogenital distance, and lowered testosterone; collectively indicative of an anti-androgenic effect. Exposure limited to early gestation induced more testis transcriptome changes than observed for continuously exposed day 140 fetuses. These data suggest that a short period of EC exposure does not allow sufficient time for the testis to adapt. Consequently, testicular transcriptomic changes induced during the first 80 days of gestation may equate with phenotypic effects observed at day 140. In contrast, relatively fewer changes in the testis transcriptome in fetuses exposed continuously to ECs throughout gestation are associated with less severe consequences. Unless corrected by or during puberty, these differential effects would predictably have adverse outcomes for adult testicular function and fertility.

Sources, Environmental Fate, and Ecological Risks of Antibiotics in Sediments of Asia's Longest River: A Whole-Basin Investigation.

This study conducted the first extensive and comprehensive investigation of the whole-scale sedimentary antibiotic concentration, possible drivers, environmental fate, and potential ecological risks in the Yangtze River. Totally, 20 antibiotics were detected in the sediments. Results revealed that the order of antibiotic abundance in sediment was fluoroquinolones > tetracyclines > macrolides > sulfonamides > amphenicols. The total antibiotic concentrations were 0.10-134.4 ng/g (mean: 11.88 ng/g). Of these, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines were the two dominant antibiotic categories. The dominant occurrence of fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines in sediments suggested that the distribution coefficient (Kd) was one of the important factors to determine their fate. Correlation analysis demonstrated that antibiotic contamination was largely influenced by the local scale of animal husbandry, and the positive correlation between antibiotics and heavy metals was likely driven by their common source of contamination and the complexation. Environmental risk assessment showed that tetracycline and chlortetracycline exhibited potential risks from medium to high in the Yangtze River, although most of the compounds posed minimal and low risks. This work provided a valuable large-scale data set across the whole Yangtze River and revealed the contamination profile of antibiotics. Mitigation and management measures to reduce antibiotic inputs are needed for the Yangtze River basin.

Determination of 38 antibiotics in raw and treated wastewater from swine farms using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

The present study firstly aimed at developing a multi-residue method to identify and quantify 38 veterinary antibiotics (belonging to five different classes) not only for raw swine wastewater but also for wastewater differently treated by different units. The proposed method is based on a solid-phase extraction procedure and ultra high performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. For sample preparation, the optimal loading sample volume was selected as 50 mL, the pH of which was adjusted to approximately 3.0 using formic acid. Then 0.1 g/L ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt was added. The recovery rates for different types of wastewaters were in the range of 35.94-124.51% and the relative standard deviations were in the range of 0.36-14.62%. All the matrix standard curves exhibited high linearity (0.9956-0.9999). The matrix effects for the target antibiotics ranged from -61.73 to +148.75%. To ensure the practicality of the method, we performed the detection of the actually added concentration to determine method detection limits and quantitation limits. The quantitation limits of most of the target antibiotics were 0.04 µg/L, except for spiramycin (0.1 µg/L) and roxithromycin (0.2 µg/L). This optimized and validated method was applied to analyze antibiotic residues in swine water samples from four swine farms.

Inoculation concentration modulating the secretion and accumulation pattern of exopolysaccharides in desert cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus.

Cyanobacterial exopolysaccharides (EPS) accumulated during microalgal cultivation have significant application potential in antioxidation, pharmaceutical products, and so on. Inoculation concentration strongly affects the cultivation cost, biomass, and EPS accumulation. In this study, a high-EPS-excreted desert cyanobacterium Microcoleus vaginatus was isolated, and the effects of inoculation concentration on biomass, photosynthetic activity, and EPS accumulation were explored. The results showed that the original fluorescence (Fo ) provided a good indication to cyanobacterial biomass, when Chl-a concentration was lower than 10 mg L-1 . Inoculation concentration significantly affected cyanobacterial biomass and EPS concentration (P < 0.001), whereas did not affect photosynthetic activity (Fv /Fm ; P > 0.05). The two fractions of EPS, capsular exopolysaccharides (CPS) and released exopolysaccharides (RPS) were strongly affect by inoculation concentration. Other than forming thick sheath (CPS) surrounded the filaments, M. vaginatus excreted higher proportions of RPS to culture medium, and the ratio of RPS to CPS ranged from 1.08 to 1.58 depending on the inoculation concentration. Additionally, although the biomass and EPS accumulation increased with inoculation concentration, the increasing inoculation concentration did not bring to the proportionate increase of the final biomass and EPS yield. Altogether, comprehensively considering the EPS yield and productivity, inoculation concentration of 0.04 mg Chl-a L-1 is recommended for M. vaginatus to produce EPS, with an EPS yield of 94.32 mg L-1 and EPS productivity of 184.86 mg (mg Chl-a)-1  L-1  d-1 at the end of experiment.

Synergistic heat/UV activated persulfate for the treatment of nanofiltration concentrated leachate.

Nanofiltration concentration leachate is a high concentration organic wastewater with low biodegradability and high toxicity. To explore the feasibility of a combined Heat/UV activated persulfate process on nanofiltration concentrated leachate, the effects of persulfate concentration, initial solution pH before reaction, UV-lamp power and reaction temperature on the removal of organic pollutant were systematically investigated. Results indicated that the maximum rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) and absorbance of organic matter under UV light at 254 nm (UV254) removal from the leachate were 65.4%, 51.4% and 98.1%, respectively, at a persulfate concentration of 18 g L-1, initial solution pH before reaction of 9.0, UV-lamp power of 60 W and temperature of 80 °C. The results of three-dimensional fluorescence and UV254 showed that the removal rates of humic substances contained in the nanofiltration concentrated leachate were over 98%. In addition, the results of free radical scavenging showed that hydroxyl radicals were dominant under alkaline conditions. The results of this study demonstrated that coupling heat and ultraviolet activated persulfate oxidation is a promising technique for the treatment of nanofiltration concentrated leachate.

A SPE-HPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of prioritised pharmaceuticals and EDCs with high environmental risk potential in freshwater.

This work describes the development, optimisation and validation of an analytical method for the rapid determination of 17 priority pharmaceutical compounds and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Rather than studying compounds from the same therapeutic class, the analyses aimed to determine target compounds with the highest risk potential (with particular regard to Scotland), providing a tool for further monitoring in different water matrices. Prioritisation was based on a systematic environmental risk assessment approach, using consumption data; wastewater treatment removal efficiency; environmental occurrence; toxicological effects; and pre-existing regulatory indicators. This process highlighted 17 compounds across various therapeutic classes, which were then quantified, at environmentally relevant concentrations, by a single analytical methodology. Analytical determination was achieved using a single-step solid phase extraction (SPE) procedure followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The fully optimised method performed well for the majority of target compounds, with recoveries >71% for 15 of 17 analytes. The limits of quantification for most target analytes (14 of 17) ranged from 0.07 ng/L to 1.88 ng/L in river waters. The utility of this method was then demonstrated using real water samples associated with a rural hospital/setting. Eight compounds were targeted and detected, with the highest levels found for the analgesic, paracetamol (at up to 105,910 ng/L in the hospital discharge). This method offers a robust tool to monitor high priority pharmaceutical and EDC levels in various aqueous sample matrices.

Microplastics provide new microbial niches in aquatic environments.

Microplastics in the biosphere are currently of great environmental concern because of their potential toxicity for aquatic biota and human health and association with pathogenic microbiota. Microplastics can occur in high abundance in all aquatic environments, including oceans, rivers and lakes. Recent findings have highlighted the role of microplastics as important vectors for microorganisms, which can form fully developed biofilms on this artificial substrate. Microplastics therefore provide new microbial niches in the aquatic environment, and the developing biofilms may significantly differ in microbial composition compared to natural free-living or particle-associated microbial populations in the surrounding water. In this article, we discuss the composition and ecological function of the microbial communities found in microplastic biofilms. The potential factors that influence the richness and diversity of such microbial microplastic communities are also evaluated. Microbe-microbe and microbe-substrate interactions in microplastic biofilms have been little studied and are not well understood. Multiomics tools together with morphological, physiological and biochemical analyses should be combined to provide a more comprehensive overview on the ecological role of microplastic biofilms. These new microbial niches have so far unknown consequences for microbial ecology and environmental processes in aquatic ecosystems. More knowledge is required on the microbial community composition of microplastic biofilms and their ecological functions in order to better evaluate consequences for the environment and animal health, including humans, especially since the worldwide abundance of microplastics is predicted to dramatically increase. Key Points • Bacteria are mainly studied in community analyses: fungi are neglected. • Microbial colonization of microplastics depends on substrate, location and time. • Community ecology is a promising approach to investigate microbial colonization. • Biodegradable plastics, and ecological roles of microplastic biofilms, need analysis.

Iron/zinc and phosphoric acid modified sludge biochar as an efficient adsorbent for fluoroquinolones antibiotics removal.

Iron/zinc (Fe/Zn), phosphoric acid (H3PO4) or in combination (Fe/Zn + H3PO4) modified sludge biochar (SBC) were prepared and tested in this study to adsorb fluoroquinolones antibiotics including ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NOR) and ofloxacin (OFL) from water. Fe/Zn + H3PO4-SBC had an increased surface area (SBET), total pore volume (Vtot), mesoporous volume (Vmes), pore diameter (Dp) and oxygen-containing functional groups. It exhibited superior adsorption performance for CIP, NOR and OFL with the maximum adsorption amount of 83.7, 39.3, 25.4 mg g-1, respectively. Pseudo-second kinetic and Freundlich isotherm model presented the better fitting. The results of models and characterization analysis in combination indicated that physisorption and chemisorption, including pore filling, hydrogen bonding, π-π interaction, electrostatic interaction and functional groups complexation on a heterogeneous surface were the dominant process and mechanism. Liquid film diffusion was the main rate-limiting step. The adsorption process of CIP, NOR and OFL onto Fe/Zn + H3PO4-SBC were a spontaneous endothermic process. This study demonstrated that Fe/Zn + H3PO4 modified SBC exhibited high adsorption capacity, which was a promising adsorbent for fluoroquinolones as well as for other antibiotics effective removal from waters.

Concentrations and uptake pathways of polychlorinated biphenyls from soil to grass.

Field coupled samples in soil and grass were collected to determine the concentrations and identify the uptake pathways of PCBs into the grass at a pasture from Scotland, UK. Concentrations of indicator PCBs (∑7PCBs) in soils ranged from 0.20 to 0.88 ng g-1 dw (dry weight), with a mean of 0.33 ng g-1 dw, and in grass ranged from 0.20 to 2.14 ng g-1 dw, with a mean of 0.48 ng g-1 dw. The comprehensive factors of low concentrations and detection rate (PCB28: 18.8%; PCB52: 37.5%) of PCBs in soil, as well as continuously declined air concentrations of PCBs in the UK since the 1990s suggested that the secondary emission from the soil is becoming the supplied source of PCBs to air and grass. The significant correlations between bioconcentration factor (BCF) values and the log KOW (R = -0.850, p < 0.05) and log KOA (R = -0.860, p < 0.05) of indicator PCB congeners were found in the present study, indicating that these two parameters are likely to affect the bioaccumulation and uptake of grass. A generic one-compartment model was employed to identify uptake pathways of grass and evaluate the uptake amounts for PCBs. This suggested that the most important pathway for uptake of PCBs by grass was at the aerial part, and the difference of PCBs concentrations between leaves and roots was about four orders of magnitude. Removing and risk transfer of PCBs or other organic pollutants by grass need to be investigated and assessed further.

Fate of tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes in a grassland soil amended with different organic fertilizers.

This study provided an assessment of the environmental fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in a Scottish grassland field repeatedly treated with different organic fertilizers. The impacts of manure, biosolids and municipal food-derived compost on the relative abundances of tetracycline ARGs (tetA, tetB, tetC, tetG and tetW), sulfonamide ARGs (sul1 and sul2) and class 1 integron-integrase gene (IntI1) in soils were investigated, with inorganic fertilizer (NPK) as a comparison. The background soil with a history of low intensity farming showed a higher total relative abundance of tet ARGs over sul ARGs, with tetracycline efflux genes occurring in a higher frequency. In all treatments, the relative abundances of most ARGs detected in soils decreased over time, especially IntI1 and tet ARGs. This general attenuation of soil ARGs is a reflection of changes in the soil microbial community, which is supported by the result that almost all the soils at the end of the experiment had different bacterial communities from the untreated soil at the beginning of the experiment. Multiple applications of organic fertilizers to some extent counteracted the decreasing trend of soil ARGs relative abundances, which resulted in higher ARGs relative abundances in comparison to NPK, either by a lesser decrease of IntI1 and tet ARGs or an increase of sul ARGs. The enhancement of existing soil ARG prevalence by organic fertilizers was strongly dependent on the organic fertilizer type and the particular ARG. Compost contained the lowest relative abundance of inherent ARGs and had the least effect on the soil ARG decrease after application. The relative increase of tet ARGs caused by biosolids was larger than that of sul ARGs, while manure caused the opposite effect. Fertilization practices did not exert effective impacts on the soil bacterial community, although it caused significant changes in the profile of the ARG pool. Organic fertilization may thus accelerate the dissemination of ARGs in soil mainly through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), consistent with the enrichment of IntI1 in organic fertilized soils.