Occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the surface water of Lipu River, China.

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are inadvertently released into the aquatic environment, causing detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystem. There is an urgent need of an in-deep investigation on contamination information of PPCPs in aquatic environment as well as the ecological risks to the aquatic ecosystem. This study was carried out in Lipu River basin, China, to investigate the distribution pattern and ecological risks of PPCPs. Results showed that PPCPs pollution is ubiquitous, 29 out of 30 targeted PPCPs were detected in Lipu River. Fourteen PPCPs were detected with a frequency of 100% in all water samples, and ten PPCPs were detected with a frequency of more than 80%. The cumulated PPCPs concentrations ranged from 33.30 ng/L to 99.60 ng/L, with a median value of 47.20 ng/L in Lipu River. Caffeine, flumequine, nifedipine, and lomefloxacin were the predominant PPCPs in study area. Caffeine showed high ecological risk, five and seven individual PPCP showed medium and low ecological risk to algae.

Removal of tetracycline in aqueous solution by iron-loaded biochar derived from polymeric ferric sulfate and bagasse.

In this study, the tetracycline (TC) removal performance of iron-loaded biochar (BPFSB) derived from sugarcane bagasse and polymerized iron sulfate was investigated, and the mechanism of TC removal was also explored by study of isotherms, kinetics and thermodynamics and characterization of fresh and used BPFSB (XRD, FTIR, SEM and XPS). The results showed that under optimized conditions (initial pH 2; BPFSB dosage 0.8 g·L-1; TC initial concentration 100 mg·L-1; Contact time 24 h; temperature 298 K), the removal efficiency of TC was as high as 99.03%. The isothermal removal of TC followed well the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models, indicating that multilayer surface chemisorption dominated the TC removal. The maximum removal capacity of TC by BPFSB at different temperatures was 185.5 mg·g-1 (298 K), 192.7 mg·g-1 (308 K), and 230.9 mg·g-1 (318 K), respectively. The pseudo-second-kinetic model described the TC removal better, while its rate-controlling step was a combination of liquid film diffusion, intraparticle diffusion, and chemical reaction. Meanwhile, TC removal was also a spontaneous and endothermic process, during which the randomness and disorder between the solid-liquid interface was increased. According to the characterization of BPFSBs before and after TC removal, H-bonding and complexation were the major interactions for TC surface adsorption. Furthermore, BPFSB was efficiently regenerated by NaOH. In summary, BPFSB had the potential for practical application in TC removal.

Heterogeneous Fenton system driven by iron-loaded sludge biochar for sulfamethoxazole-containing wastewater treatment.

In this study, the treatment performance of a heterogeneous Fenton system (Fe-BC + H2O2) driven by iron-loaded sludge biochar (Fe-BC) on wastewater containing sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was investigated using the CODcr removal efficiency (φ) as an indicator. The batch experimental results showed that the optimal operating conditions were as follow: initial pH 3, H2O2 concentration 20 mmol L-1, Fe-BC dose 1.2 g L-1, temperature 298 K. The corresponding φ was as high as 83.43%. The removal of CODcr was better described by BMG model and revised BMG (BMGL) model. According to the BMGL model, the φmax could be 98.37% (298 K). Moreover, the removal of CODcr was a diffusion-controlled process, while liquid film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion together determined its removal rate. The removal of CODcr should be a synergistic effect of adsorption and Fenton oxidation (real heterogeneous Fenton and homogeneous Fenton) and other pathways. Their contributions were 42.79%, 54.01% and 3.20%, respectively. For homogeneous Fenton, there seemed to be two simultaneous SMX degradation pathways: SMX→4-(pyrrolidine-11-sulfonyl)-aniline→N-(4-aminobenzenesulfonyl) acetamide/4-amino-N-ethyl benzene sulfonamides→4-amino-N-hydroxy benzene sulfonamides; SMX→N-ethyl-3-amino benzene sulfonamides→4-methanesulfonylaniline. In summary, Fe-BC had potential for practical application as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst.

Efficient carbon removal and excellent anti-clogging performance have been achieved in multilayer quartz sand horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland for domestic sewage treatment.

The present study aimed to investigate the application of a multilayer quartz sand substrate horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFCW) for campus sewage treatment. It aimed to assess the pollutant removal efficiency and anti-clogging performance under the suggested maximum organic loading rate (250 g/m2/d). The results of the multilayer HSFCW (CW6) were compared to the mololayer HSFCW (CW1) for the removal of the chemical oxygen demand (COD), solid accumulation, and microbial communities. During operation, the combination conditions of high hydraulic loading rate (HLR) with low COD concentration were better for COD removal under a high organic loading rate (OLR) of 200-300 g/m2/d. The maximum removal rate reached 80.4% in CW6 under high HLR, which was 13.8% higher than that in CW1, showing better adsorption and biodegradation ability of organic matter. Impressive clogging resistance capacity was found in CW6 due to the lower contents of the insoluble organic matter (IOM) that are prone to clogging, indicating full degradation of organic matters, particularly IOM, in CW6 under high HLR. Less abundance of unclassified Chitinophagaceae (under low HLR), Pedobacter and Saccharibacteria_genera_incertae_sedis (under high HLR) in CW6, which contributed to aerobic membrane fouling, helped to prevent clogging. Moreover, Brevundimonas, Cloacibacterium, Citrobacter, Luteimonas contributed to IOM degradation, thus further enhancing the anti-clogging performance. In view of the better clogging resistance performance, the application of CW6 operated under high HLR and low COD concentrations was recommended to achieve economical, efficient, and steady COD removal for domestic sewage treatment in long-term operation.

Mineralization Reduces the Toxicity and Improves Stability and Protective Immune Response Induced by Toxoplasma gondii.

Vaccination is an ideal strategy for the control and prevention of toxoplasmosis. However, the thermostability and effectiveness of vaccines limit their application. Here, calcium mineralization was used to fabricate Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites as immunogenic core-shell particles with improved immune response and thermostability. In the current study, T. gondii RH particles coated with mineralized shells were fabricated by calcium mineralization. The mineralized shells could maintain the T. gondii tachyzoites structural integrity for at least 12 months and weaken the virulence. Immunization of mice with mineralized tachyzoites induced high levels of T. gondii-specific antibodies and cytokines. The immunized mice were protected with a 100% survival rate in acute and chronic infection, and brain cyst burdens were significantly reduced. This study reported for the first time the strategy of calcium mineralization on T. gondii and proved that mineralized tachyzoites could play an immune protective role, thus expanding the application of biomineralization in T. gondii vaccine delivery.

Recent Advances in Ionic Liquids and Ionic Liquid-Functionalized Graphene: Catalytic Application and Environmental Remediation.

Applications of ionic liquids (ILs) for the modification physicochemical properties of porous materials have been extensively studied with respect to various applications based on the understanding and development of properties of ILs. In this review, IL-graphene composites are discussed and provided a perspective of composites of IL. IL has been used as a medium to improve the dispersibility of graphene, and the resulting composite material shows excellent performance in gas separation and catalysis during environmental treatment. The applications of ILs and IL-functionalized graphene are discussed in detail with the actual environmental issues, and the main challenges and opportunities for possible future applications are summarized.

Epidemiology of Fasciola spp. in the intermediate host in China: A potential risk for fasciolosis transmission.

Fasciolosis is a zoonotic disease as 600 million animals have been infected, and 180 million people are at risk of the infection in the world. Snail as the intermediate host of Fasciola is an essential and important factor in the transmission of fasciolosis, while its potential risk for transmission has not been studied. In this study, 3561 snails collected from large-scale regions of China were examined by nest-PCR method. A total of 345 snails were positive for Fasciola spp., with an overall prevalence of 9.7%. Prevalence in central and southern China, characterized by a subtropical monsoon climate, was relatively low (8.0%), while a high infection rate (36.9%) was found on the plateau area (altitude > 500 m). In combination with previous findings, the study showed a highly positive correlation between snails and animal infection in central and eastern China, thus indicating that infected snails could be an indispensable risk factor for fasciolosis transmission. Epidemiological surveillance of snails will help assess the risk of fasciolosis in humans or ruminants, which promotes future prevention of this zoonotic disease.

A global phosphoproteomics analysis of adult Fasciola gigantica by LC-MS/MS.

Protein phosphorylation plays key roles in a variety of essential cellular processes. Fasciola gigantica is a tropical liver fluke causing hepatobiliary disease fascioliasis, leading to human health threats and heavy economic losses. Although the genome and protein kinases of F. gigantica provided new insights to understand the molecular biology and etiology of this parasite, there is scant knowledge of protein phosphorylation events in F. gigantica. In this study, we characterized the global phosphoproteomics of adult F. gigantica by phosphopeptide enrichment-based LC-MS/MS, a high-throughput analysis to maximize the detection of a large repertoire of phosphoproteins and phosphosites. A total of 1030 phosphopeptides with 1244 phosphosites representing 635 F. gigantica phosphoproteins were identified. The phosphoproteins were involved in a wide variety of biological processes including cellular, metabolic, and single-organism processes. Meanwhile, these proteins were found predominantly in cellular components like membranes and organelles with molecular functions of binding (51.3%) and catalytic activity (40.6%). The KEGG annotation inferred that the most enriched pathways of the phosphoproteins included tight junction, spliceosome, and RNA transport (each one contains 15 identified proteins). Combining the reports in other protozoa and helminths, the phosphoproteins identified in this work play roles in metabolic regulation and signal transduction. To our knowledge, this work performed the first global phosphoproteomics analysis of adult F. gigantica, which provides valuable information for development of intervention strategies for fascioliasis.

Reduction and removal of As(â ¤) in aqueous solution by biochar derived from nano zero-valent-iron (nZVI) and sewage sludge.

Biochar prepared by co-pyrolysis of nano-zero-valent iron and sewage sludge (nZVISB) was used to remove As(Ⅴ) from aqueous solution. When the initial pH was 2, the initial As(Ⅴ) concentration was 20 mg L-1, the dose of nZVISB was 10 g L-1, the contact time was 24 h, and the adsorption temperature was 298K, the removal efficiency of As(Ⅴ) was greater than 99%. The isothermal removal of As(Ⅴ) followed the Freundlich model better, and the maximum adsorption capacity of As(Ⅴ) was 60.61 mg g-1. The removal process of As(Ⅴ) could be better described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the rate-controlling step should be liquid film diffusion and chemical reaction. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the removal of As(Ⅴ) was a spontaneous and endothermic process dominated by chemical adsorption. The characterizations of nZVISB before/after adsorption and the solution after adsorption suggested that the iron-containing substances (Fe0, Fe2+, FeOOH) and organics in the nZVISB had a great effect on the removal of As(Ⅴ), and the As was mainly immobilized on nZVISB by speciation of As-O-Fe.

Effect of substrate types on contaminant removals, electrochemical characteristics and microbial community in vertical flow constructed wetlands for treatment of urban sewage.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of substrates (quartz sand and coke) on the removal of pollutants (COD, NH4+-N and TP), electrochemical characteristics and microbial communities of vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCW) under high pollutant loads. During operation, the removal rates of COD, NH4+-N and TP by VFCW-C (coke as substrate) were higher than that of VFCW-Q (quartz sand as substrate) by 9.73-19.41%, 5.03%-13.15% and 8.83%-14.58%, respectively. And the resistances of the VFCW-Q and VFCW-C were increased by 1228.9 Ω and 38.3 Ω, while their potentials were dropped from 182.4 mV to 377.9 mV-85.6 mV and 222.0 mV, respectively. The dominant bacteria at the bottoms of VFCW-Q and VFCW-C were individually aerobic denitrifying bacteria (ADNB; 14.98%)/ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB; 5.73%) and organics aerobic degrading bacteria (OADB; 12.48%)/ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB; 7.24%), while the predominant bacteria at their tops were separately ADNB (11.36%)/OADB (10.52%)/AOB (4.69%) and ADNB (15.09%)/AOB (8.86%) and OADB (3.20%) The removal of pollutants by VFCW-Q and VFCW-C may be mainly attributed to substrate adsorption and microbial degradation.

Removal of abamectin and conventional pollutants in vertical flow constructed wetlands with Fe-modified biochar.

To improve the ability of constructed wetlands to remove abamectin (ABM) and nutrients, the influence of four different substrates on constructed wetlands was studied. Four vertical up-flow constructed wetlands (UVCWs) were established to treat simulated agricultural wastewater: CW1 (quartz sand + pebbles), CW2 (pebbles + coke), CW3 (Fe-modified biochar + pebbles + coke), and CW4 (unmodified biochar + pebbles + coke). Under different combinations of hydraulic loading and organic loading, CW3 was extremely effective at removing nitrogen compared with CW1, CW2 and CW4. We found that CW3 was the most effective at treating ABM and conventional pollutants. The highest efficiency of removal of abamectin (99%), COD (98%), NH4 +-N (65%), and TP (80%) was obtained in CW3. These results were directly verified by microbiological tests and microbial community analysis. The microbial diversity of CW3 and CW4 was significantly higher than those of CW1 and CW2. Fe-modified biochar provides a feasible and effective amendment for constructed wetlands to improve the nitrogen removal for C/N (2.5 : 1-5 : 1) wastewater by the ability of microbes to remove nitrogen. Fe-modified bamboo charcoal can be used in engineering as a new type of green environmental protection constructed wetland filler in the future.

Effect of multilayer substrate configuration in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands: assessment of treatment performance, biofilm development, and solids accumulation.

This study investigates the influence of multilayer substrate configuration in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSCWs) on their treatment performance, biofilm development, and solids accumulation. Three pilot-scale HSCWs were built to treat campus sewage and have been operational for 3 years. The HSCWs included monolayer (CW1), three-layer (CW3), and six-layer (CW6) substrate configurations with hydraulic conductivity of the substrate increasing from the surface to bottom in the multilayer CWs. It was demonstrated the pollutant removal performance after a 3-year operation improved in the multilayer HSCWs (49-80%) compared to the monolayer HSCW (29-41%). Simultaneously, the multilayer HSCWs exhibited significant features that prevented clogging compared to the monolayer configuration. The amount of accumulated solids was notably higher in the monolayer CW compared to multilayer CWs. Further, multilayer HSCWs could delay clogging by providing higher biofilm development for organics removal and consequently, lesser solids accumulations. Principal component analysis strongly supported the visualization of the performance patterns in the present study and showed that multilayer substrate configuration, season, and sampling locations significantly influenced biofilm growth and solids accumulation. Finally, the present study provided important information to support the improved multilayer configured HSCW implication in the future.

[Correlations Between Substrate Structure and Microbial Community in Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands].

To identify the microbial factors that cause the differences in the purification performance of constructed wetlands with different substrate structures, the relationship between the substrate structure and the microbial community composition in horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HSSFCWs) was studied by high throughput sequencing. The results revealed that the purification performance of a six-layer constructed wetland (CW6), of which the permeability coefficient gradually increased from the surface layer to the bottom layer, was the highest among the three constructed wetland systems. The average concentrations of COD, TN, NO3--N, and NH4+-N in the effluent were 39, 11, 0.35, and 4 mg·L-1, respectively. The monolayer structure constructed wetland (CW1) had the worst purifying efficiency, with average effluent concentrations of 95, 21, 0.60 and 12 mg·L-1 for COD, TN, NO3--N, and NH4+-N, respectively. The results of the high-throughput sequencing showed that the number of microbial OTUs in multilayer structure wetlands was slightly lower than that in the monolayer structure wetland, but the relative abundance of the dominant phylum Proteobacteria and the nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in the genus was significantly higher than the monolayer structure wetland. The results of PCA and heatmap indicated that there were significant differences in the spatial distribution of microbes in the genus of Proteobacteria in CW3 and CW6, which facilitated the degradation of pollutants. No significant differences were found in the community structure of CW1.

[Correlation of substrate structure and hydraulic characteristics in subsurface flow constructed wetlands].

The correlation of substrate structure and hydraulic characteristics was studied by numerical simulation combined with experimental method. The numerical simulation results showed that the permeability coefficient of matrix had a great influence on hydraulic efficiency in subsurface flow constructed wetlands. The filler with a high permeability coefficient had a worse flow field distribution in the constructed wetland with single layer structure. The layered substrate structure with the filler permeability coefficient increased from surface to bottom could avoid the short-circuited flow and dead-zones, and thus, increased the hydraulic efficiency. Two parallel pilot-scale constructed wetlands were built according to the numerical simulation results, and tracer experiments were conducted to validate the simulation results. The tracer experiment result showed that hydraulic characteristics in the layered constructed wetland were obviously better than that in the single layer system, and the substrate effective utilization rates were 0.87 and 0.49, respectively. It was appeared that numerical simulation would be favorable for substrate structure optimization in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.