Effects of charged polystyrene microplastics on the bioavailability of dufulin in tomato plant.

Microplastics (MPs) and pesticides commonly exist in the environment, yet the interactions between them and their subsequent impacts on plants remain poorly understood. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the impacts of differently charged polystyrene (PS) MPs, including PS-COO-, PS and PS-NH3+ MPs, on the fate of 14C-labelled new antiviral pesticide Dufulin (DFL) in a hydroponic tomato system. The results showed that MPs greatly reduced the growth of tomato plants, with suppression of 18.4-30.2%. Compared to the control group, PS-COO-, PS and PS-NH3+ MPs also reduced the bioaccumulation of DFL in whole tomato plants by 40.3%, 34.5%, and 26.1%, respectively. Furthermore, MPs influenced the translocation of DFL in plant tissues, and the values decreased at the rates of 38.7%, 26.5% and 15.7% for PS-COO-, PS and PS-NH3+, respectively. Interestingly, compared to the control group, PS-COO- exhibited a profound inhibitory effect on DFL concentrations in tomatoes, potentially resulting in a lower dietary risk in the hydroponic tomato system. This may be due to the strong adsorption between PS-COO- and DFL, and PS-COO- may also inhibit the growth of tomato plants. Overall, our study could provide valuable insights into the risk assessment of DFL in the presence of MPs in plant systems.

Multi-dimensional visualization of ingestion, biological effects and interactions of microplastics and a representative POP in edible jellyfish.

Due to their ubiquity and potential risks, microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are concerning environmental issues. Yet there are still significant knowledge gaps in understanding the tissue-specific accumulation and dynamic change of MPs and NPs in the aquatic organism and how these micro/nano-scale emerging contaminants interact with other environmental pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Here, in vivo imaging systems (IVIS), radioisotope tracing, and histological staining were innovatively used to reveal the fate and toxicity of fluorescently-labeled MPs/NPs and 14C-labeled 2,4,4'-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB28) in edible jellyfish Rhopilema esculentum. These contaminants' ingestion, biological effects, and interactions were visualized at cellular, tissue, and whole-body multidimensional levels. Both MPs and NPs were shown to be preferentially accumulated in the mouthlets of oral arms, and most ingested MPs/NPs were present in the extracellular environment instead of being internalized into the mesoglea. Moreover, the presence of MPs or NPs in the seawater significantly inhibited the bioaccumulation of PCB28 in the jellyfish tissue, thus alleviating physiological alteration, gastric damage, and apoptosis caused by PCB28. This study provides a multi-dimensional visualization strategy to display the distribution and biological effects of typical pollutants in marine organisms and offers new insights for understanding the impacts of MPs/NPs and POPs on marine ecosystems.

Phytoavailability of bound residue of Carbendazim to Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp.chinensis) coexisted with Superabsorbent polymers.

Understanding the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of Carbendazim (MBC) bound residues (BR) in soils incubated with different Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) amendment on succeeding crops is essential to assess their environmental fate and risks. In our research, we studied the morphological characteristics and 14C-accumulation of Chinese cabbage and released BR in three typical cultivated soils. The plant dry weight was in order of superabsorbent-hydrogels formulations (HMBC) > MBC > MBC and SAP (MBC-SAP) at 35 d in basic soil 3 (S3), with 675.40 ± 29.07 mg/plant.d.w, 575.93 ± 25.35 mg/plant.d.w and 427.86 ± 18.79 mg/plant.d.w. The whole plant accumulated 2-fold more BR when grew in neutral soil 2 (S2) treated with SAP than MBC at 7 d. The root accumulated a greater proportion of 14C-MBC residue than shoot, with order of MBC-SAP > MBC > HMBC at 21d. The results indicate MBC-BR could be released and accumulated in plant. HMBC promoted the Chinese cabbage growth with lowest 14C accumulation, while MBC-SAP inhibited plant growth with the highest 14C uptake. The released BR rate was 61.43 ± 3.75% of initial BR in MBC-SAP, with 2-fold higher than MBC and HMBC. It is assumed HMBC could be a potential environmentally friendly measure for rational use of pesticides in future.

Starch-based hydrogel loading with carbendazim for controlled-release and water absorption.

Starch, with properties of eco-friendliness and abundance, is one of the most important natural polymers. Starch-based hydrogels were investigated as carriers of carbendazim to combine controlled-release and water absorption (WA). Three carbendazim-loaded hydrogels (CLHs) with different WA capacities were prepared by solution polymerization. The CLHs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Release kinetics of CLHs was investigated using (14)C-labeling method. The diffusion parameters of CLHs were 0.47, 0.57 and 0.81 in deionized H2O (ddH2O). WA affected release profile significantly, the release longevity reaching 240 h when WA was 800 g/g in ddH2O. Solution pH influenced release profiles and the lowest release rate occurred in the lowest pH. Addition of CLH (1.3g/kg soil) markedly increased water-holding capacity (WHC) of soil by 8.2%. The study indicated that starch-based CLH was a good controlled-release agent for carbendazim and water absorbent for soil.

Synthesis and characterisation of starch grafted superabsorbent via 10 MeV electron-beam irradiation.

A starch-graft-polyacrylamide (St-g-PAM) superabsorbent crosslinked by N,N'-methyl bisacrylamide (MBA) was prepared using 10 MeV simultaneous electron beam irradiation at room temperature and subsequent alkaline hydrolysis. The effects of the irradiation dose, acryliamide-to-anhydroglucose unit (AM-to-AGU) ratio and crosslinker amount on the properties of the obtained polymers were evaluated. The structure of the graft copolymer was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Optimisation treatments were carried out and found for a total dose of 8 kGy, an AM-to-AGU ratio of 4.5 mol mol(-1) and a crosslinker-to-AM ratio of 0.4%mol mol(-1). The obtained superabsorbent polymer showed the maximum absorptions of 1,452 gg(-1) and 83 gg(-1) for distilled water and saline solution, respectively (relative to its own dry weight). The results suggest 10 MeV electron beam irradiation is more efficient than γ-ray irradiation due to its higher energy and dose rate.