A Simple Low-Cost Method to Prepare Lignocellulose-Based Composites for Efficient Removal of Cd(II) from Wastewater.

The fabrication of functional lignocellulose-based materials has drawn considerable attention because it acts as a green separation/absorption material owing to its multi-porous mesostructure. In this study, a surface functionalized lignocellulose-based adsorbent for the highly efficient capture of Cd(II) ions was prepared through facile in situ co-deposition of wood waste-derived saw powder (SP) in the presence of tannic acid (TA) and aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) mixed aqueous solution. The SP was first modified using TA-APTES coating to synthesize the functional SP substrate (SP-(TA-APTES)). The SP-(TA-APTES) hybrids served as reactive platforms, which enabled further decoration with amino-rich polyethylenimine (PEI) due to the outstanding secondary reactions of the TA-APTES layer. The surface morphology of the resulting SP-(TA-APTES)-PEI (SP-TAPI) composites were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Significantly, the combined advantages of the lignocellulosic skeleton, the layer-particle structure, and the hybrid coating contributed to the enhanced adsorption capacity of Cd(II) (up to 22.66 mg/g at pH = 5.0). This removal capacity was higher than that of most reported agricultural waste-based or lignocellulose-based materials. The Cd(II) adsorption mechanism of the surface-modified SP-TAPI composites was studied in detail. These results provide new insights into the high value-added utilization of agricultural waste for water purification applications.

Heavy metal accumulation, risk assessment and integrated biomarker responses of local vegetables: A case study along the Le'an river.

In this research, Ganzhou Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa pekinensis), Native Purple Garlic (Allium sativum L) and Leping Radish (Raphanus sativus L) widely planted and distributed along the Le'an River were chosen in the present study. Soil physical-chemical properties, nutrients contents as well as heavy metals elements accumulated in both soils and vegetables collected from 24 sites were analyzed by lab analysis combined with statistical method which was also used for calculation of contamination factor, pollution indexes and hazardous index. Heavy metals accumulation in soils were revealed with higher level, and copper and cadmium exceeded the background values by 8.82 and 16.73 times on average, which were also significantly related with the distribution of nonferrous metal processing enterprises. Heavy metal elements accumulated in vegetables were fully consistent with the finding of pollution characteristics in soils. Peroxidase biomarkers in vegetables, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipoperoxidation (as TBARS), as well as integrated biomarker responses (IBR) were determined to give a reliable response after exposing of contaminants. Heavy metals accumulation ability and biomarker responses for three vegetables were usually determined in the following decrease trend: Ganzhou Chinese Cabbage > Native Purple Garlic > Leping Radish. Compared with peroxidase biomarkers activities or contents of control site, all the measured biomarkers in polluted sites showed significantly responses, indicating potential relationship between pollutants stresses and biomarker responses. This study also revealed that the IBR values were coordinated well with the pollutants concentrations.

Biomarker responses of rice plants growing in a potentially toxic element polluted region: A case study in the Le'An Region.

Rice plants, planted and grown in the field, were chosen in this study to evaluate the potentially toxic element pollution by combining pollutant analysis and a molecular biomarker response evaluation together in the Le'An Region, a highly polluted area due to anthropogenic activities. Soils and crops at 18 sites classified into four areas based on hydrological, geological and pollutant survey results were collected during the whole growth cycle for chemical and biological analysis. Sediment quality values and pollution indexes were combined with statistical analyses to assess the hazard of potentially toxic elements and evaluate ecological risks. As effective stress-related signals, chlorophyll (Chl), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione content (GSH) and lipoperoxidation (as TBARS) were also determined during the rice plant growth period. The results revealed that heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher than corresponding background values and significantly related to those of the soils. The maximum concentration of potentially toxic elements was observed at the tillering stage, followed by the grain filling stage and heading stage. As biomarkers in field monitoring, a significant increase or decrease in Chl, SOD, POD, CAT, GSH and TBARS in crops means a potential relationship between the indexes and pollutants. This study also demonstrates that the integrated biomarker response (IBR) calculated by combining different biomarkers could be used effectively to evaluate the pollutant-induced stress levels in different areas.