Assembly processes of rhizosphere and phyllosphere bacterial communities in constructed wetlands created via transformation of rice paddies.

Constructed wetlands are an efficient and cost-effective method of restoring degraded wetlands, in which the microorganisms present make a significant contribution to the ecosystem. In this study, we comprehensively investigated the patterns of diversity and assembly processes of 7 types of constructed wetlands at the rhizosphere and phyllosphere levels. The results showed that the rhizosphere communities of the constructed wetlands exhibited a more balanced structure than that of paddy fields, and 5 types of constructed wetland demonstrated higher potential diversity than that of paddy fields. However, the opposite trend was observed for the phyllosphere communities. Analysis of mean nearest taxon difference indicated that both deterministic and stochastic processes affected the establishment of the rhizosphere and phyllosphere communities, and stochastic processes may have had a larger effect. An iCAMP model showed that dispersal limitation was the most important factor (67% relative contribution) in the rhizosphere community, while drift was the most important (47% relative contribution) in the phyllosphere community. Mantel tests suggested that sucrase, average height, top height, total biomass, belowground biomass, maximum water-holding capacity, and capillary porosity were significantly correlated with processes in the rhizosphere community, whereas factors such as the deterministic process, average height, top height, and SOC were significantly correlated with deterministic processes in the phyllosphere community. Our results can assist in the evaluation of artificial restorations, and can provide understanding of the ecological processes of microbial communities, as well as new insights into the manipulation of microorganisms in polluted wetland ecosystems.

Functional keystone taxa promote N and P removal of the constructed wetland to mitigate agricultural nonpoint source pollution.

Characterized by irregular spatial and temporal variations of pollutant loading and complex occurrence mechanisms, agricultural nonpoint source pollution (ANPSP) has always been a great challenge in field restoration worldwide. Returning farmlands to wetlands (RFWs) as an ecological restoration mode among various constructed wetlands was selected to manage ANPSP in this study. Triarrhena lutarioriparia, Nelumbo nucifera and Zizania latifolia monocultures were designed and the water pollutants was monitored. N. nucifera and Z. latifolia could reach the highest TN (53.28 %) and TP (53.22 %) removal efficiency, respectively. By 16s high-throughput sequencing of rhizosphere bacteria, 45 functional species were the main contributors for efficient N and P removal, and 38 functional keystone taxa (FKT) were found with significant ecological niche roles and metabolic functions. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the microbial driving N and P removal mechanism in response to ANPSP treated by field scale RFWs.

Understory vegetation diversity patterns of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus elliottii communities in Central and Southern China.

As a vital component of arbor forests, understory vegetation serves as an essential buffer zone for storing carbon due to its strong capacity for community regeneration. This study aimed to identify the diversity pattern and construction mechanism of Platycladus orientalis and Pinus elliottii understory vegetation based on large-scale sample surveys. The Bayesian Information Criterion value of species abundance distribution (SAD) indicated that the Zipf and Zipf-Mandelbrot models were the best-fitting models. The SAD and gambin fitting results suggested that the Pi. elliottii community had a more balanced structure, with most species being relatively abundant. The multiple regression tree model detected four and six indicator species in P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii communities, respectively. The α-diversity index increased with a rise in altitude and showed a wavy curve with latitude. Linear regression between the ß diversity and environmental and geographic distance indicated that the P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii understory communities tended to be dominated by different ecological processes. The partition of ß diversity indicated that both communities were dominated by turnover processes, which were caused by environmental classification or spatial constraints. This study helped to understand the diversity maintenance in the P. orientalis and Pi. elliottii understory vegetation communities, and will benefit for diversity restoration and conservation of pure conifer forests.

Crown and diameter structure of pure Pinus massoniana Lamb. forest in Hunan province, China.

Non-spatial structure of forest is an important aspect for harvesting regimes, silvicultural treatments, and ecosystem service provisions. In this pursuit, the present research envisaged the measurement of the crown and diameter structure of Pinus massoniana Lamb. Specifically, the forests were assessed with a range of nine cities in Hunan Province, China. The gradient boosting model was used to quantify the contribution of seven drivers of the diameter at breast height (DBH) diversity. Moreover, the relationship between the crown structure and DBH/tree height was explored using TSTRAT and path analysis. The Anderson-Darling test results indicated that DBH distributions of nine cities did not occur from the same population, the maturing diameter distribution was the main type among the cities. Slope direction was identified as the most impacted factor affecting the DBH diversity, followed by landform and stand density. The vertical stratification indicated a simple vertical structure, and the relationship between the DBH/tree height and crown structure changed in different stages, which reflected the competition mechanism and adaption strategy in the forest. Our study summarized the diameter and crown structure of pure P. massoniana forest in Hunan province, which can provide valuable information in the forest management, planning, and valuation of ecosystem services.

Status, Sources and Potential Risk of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils from Hexi Corridor in Northwest China.

The Hexi Corridor is the main commodity grain base in northwest China and plays a special role in ensuring food security in northwest China. However, the multiple pollution transport pathways of PAHs and complex and co-existing potential pollution sources around the study areas require a combination of pollution status, source identification, and risk assessment to explore pollution distribution and potential risks. In this study, the total PAHs concentration (∑18PAHs) in soils ranged from 69.6 to 1300 ng/g. Spatially, the higher content of PAHs was detected in the Jinchang, followed by Jiayuguan, Jiuquan, Wuwei, and Zhangye, indicating a remarkable influence of different industrial activities. Although high-molecular-weight PAHs were predominated, the compositions of PAHs in most of the soil samples were varied. The isomer ratios of PAHs and principal component analysis were also revealed the PAHs probably originate from the sources different significantly. The total health risk values indicated a low health risk.

A full-length transcriptome and gene expression analysis reveal genes and molecular elements expressed during seed development in Gnetum luofuense.

BACKGROUND: Gnetum is an economically important tropical and subtropical gymnosperm genus with various dietary, industrial and medicinal uses. Many carbohydrates, proteins and fibers accumulate during the ripening of Gnetum seeds. However, the molecular mechanisms related to this process remain unknown. RESULTS: We therefore assembled a full-length transcriptome from immature and mature G. luofuense seeds using PacBio sequencing reads. We identified a total of 5726 novel genes, 9061 alternative splicing events, 3551 lncRNAs, 2160 transcription factors, and we found that 8512 genes possessed at least one poly(A) site. In addition, gene expression comparisons of six transcriptomes generated by Illumina sequencing showed that 14,323 genes were differentially expressed from an immature stage to a mature stage with 7891 genes upregulated and 6432 genes downregulated. The expression of 14 differentially expressed transcription factors from the MADS-box, Aux/IAA and bHLH families was validated by qRT-PCR, suggesting that they may have important roles in seed ripening of G. luofuense. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a valuable molecular resource for understanding seed development of gymnosperms.

Simultaneous adsorption and reduction of hexavalent chromium on biochar-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) in aqueous solution.

Flax straw biochar (FSBC)-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) composite (nZVI-FSBC) combining the advantages of nZVI and biochar was synthesized and tested for Cr(VI) removal efficiency from aqueous solution. Surface morphology and structure of FSBC and nZVI-FSBC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller techniques, which help to clarify the mechanism of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous solution. The adsorption of Cr(VI) onto FSBC and nZVI-FSBC was best described by the pseudo-second-order and the Sips model. Compared with FSBC, nZVI-FSBC remarkably improved the performance in removing Cr(VI) under identical experimental conditions. Due to the collaborative effect of adsorption and reduction of nZVI-FSBC, the adsorption capacity of nZVI-FSBC for Cr(VI) is up to 186.99 mg/g. The results obtained by XPS, XRD, and FTIR confirmed that adsorption and reduction dominated the processes of Cr(VI) removal by nZVI-FSBC. As a supporter, FSBC not only improved the dispersion of nZVI, but also undertook the adsorption task of Cr(VI) removal. The surface oxygen-containing functional groups of nZVI-FSBC mainly participated in the adsorption part, and the nZVI promoted the Cr(VI) removal through the redox reactions. These observations indicated that the nZVI-FSBC can be considered as potential adsorbents to remove Cr(VI) for environment remediation.

Polydopamine and poly(dimethylsiloxane) modified superhydrophobic fiberglass membranes for efficient water-in-oil emulsions separation.

Separation of oil/water mixture using superwetting materials has received great interest in recent years. However, it is challenging to efficiently separate water-in-oil emulsions due to their high stability and complex structures in the presence of surfactants. Here, we report preparation of polydopamine (PDA) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) modified superhydrophobic fiberglass (FG) membranes for efficient separation of water-in-oil emulsions. The membranes were fabricated by in turn deposition of PDA and chemical vapor deposition of PDMS. In order to study the structure-performance relationship, the membranes were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, etc. The membranes are superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of 152° and meanwhile superoleophilic with an oil contact angle of 0°. Also, the membranes demonstrate excellent acid, alkali and fire resistance. The absorption capacity of the membranes for diverse oils is 5.3-14.0 g g-1. Moreover, the membranes can remove more than 98% of water from the surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions. It is expected that the superhydrophobic FG membranes can be used for effective separation of diverse water-in-oil emulsions.

Mechanism of phosphate removal from aqueous solutions by biochar supported nanoscale zero-valent iron.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the removal mechanism of phosphate by rape straw biochar (RSBC) supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI). BET, TEM, FTIR and XPS characterizations of the composite material (nZVI-RSBC) indicated that nZVI was successfully supported on the RSBC, and nZVI-RSBC had a high specific surface area and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. Batch experiments showed that the adsorption data could be fitted well with the Sips isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, suggesting that phosphate adsorption onto RSBC and nZVI-RSBC was due to surface and chemical processes. The maximum adsorption capacities of RSBC and nZVI-RSBC for phosphate obtained by the Sips isotherm model fitting were 3.49 mg g-1 and 12.14 mg g-1, respectively. The pH value of the solution greatly affected the adsorption capacity of nZVI-RSBC for phosphate. The combined results of batch experiments and characterizations revealed that the possible mechanism was the complexation of oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of nZVI-RSBC with phosphate, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic attraction between phosphate and the positively charged adsorption sites under acidic conditions. Such a strong adsorption capacity, as well as the characteristics of easy availability, excellent recyclability and low cost, make nZVI-RSBC potentially suitable for the treatment of phosphate-rich water.

Single-Molecule Long-Read Sequencing Reveals the Diversity of Full-Length Transcripts in Leaves of Gnetum (Gnetales).

The limitations of RNA sequencing make it difficult to accurately predict alternative splicing (AS) and alternative polyadenylation (APA) events and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), all of which reveal transcriptomic diversity and the complexity of gene regulation. Gnetum, a genus with ambiguous phylogenetic placement in seed plants, has a distinct stomatal structure and photosynthetic characteristics. In this study, a full-length transcriptome of Gnetum luofuense leaves at different developmental stages was sequenced with the latest PacBio Sequel platform. After correction by short reads generated by Illumina RNA-Seq, 80,496 full-length transcripts were obtained, of which 5269 reads were identified as isoforms of novel genes. Additionally, 1660 lncRNAs and 12,998 AS events were detected. In total, 5647 genes in the G. luofuense leaves had APA featured by at least one poly(A) site. Moreover, 67 and 30 genes from the bHLH gene family, which play an important role in stomatal development and photosynthesis, were identified from the G. luofuense genome and leaf transcripts, respectively. This leaf transcriptome supplements the reference genome of G. luofuense, and the AS events and lncRNAs detected provide valuable resources for future studies of investigating low photosynthetic capacity of Gnetum.

Synthesis of magnetic biochar derived from cotton stalks for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.

A magnetic cotton stalk biochar (MCSBC) was synthesized through chemical co-precipitation, based on cotton stalk biochar (CSBC). The MCSBC and CSBC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The characterization analyses showed that the magnetization process endowed the CSBC with excellent magnetic properties with a superparamagnetic magnetization of 27.59 emu/g. Batch adsorption experiment results indicated that the Cr(VI) maximum adsorption capacity of MCSBC was 20.05 mg/g, which was higher than that of CSBC (18.77 mg/g). The adsorption kinetic data were well fitted by the pseudo-second-order model and the adsorption isotherms were well represented by the Sips isotherm model. The thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic, and the entropy increased. The potential adsorption mechanism was the electrostatic adsorption of anionic Cr(VI) to the positively charged MCSBC surface, the reduction of Cr(VI) into Cr(III) and the complexation of Cr(III) by oxygen-containing functional groups of MCSBC. The regeneration studies showed that MCSBC kept 80% of its initial Cr(VI) adsorption capacity in the cycle. All the findings suggest that this novel magnetic biochar could be used in the field of Cr(VI)-containing wastewater treatment.

Effects of dairy manure biochar on adsorption of sulfate onto light sierozem and its mechanisms.

The adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients on biochar and even biochar-soil mixtures was investigated. However, the situation of sulfur was not very clear. Here, sulfate (SO4 2-) adsorption onto dairy manure biochar obtained at 700 °C (DMBC700), soil (light sierozem) and a 1 : 9 (w/w) biochar-soil mixture (DMBC700-soil) was investigated using batch experiments. The contact time, sulfate concentration, and solution pH value were chosen as the main factors; their effects on sulfate adsorption were tested, and the kinetics and isotherms were also investigated. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopies were used to characterize DMBC700 and soil before and after adsorbing sulfate, respectively, and to analyze the mechanisms of adsorption. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics were well described by the pseudo-second-order model, whereas the Langmuir and Freundlich models fitted well with the equilibrium data. DMBC700 modification did not increase the adsorption capacity of light sierozem for sulfate. When the pH values of the initial solution were increased, all the adsorption capacities of sulfate onto DMBC700, light sierozem and light sierozem with DMBC700 decreased. The electrostatic interaction was the main force for the adsorption of sulfate onto DMBC700, whereas both electrostatic interaction and formation of poorly soluble CaSO4 were the main forces for adsorption of sulfate onto light sierozem. DMBC700 was found to have negative effect on sulfate adsorption onto light sierozem.

Effect of water cadmium concentration and water level on the growth performance of Salix triandroides cuttings.

The growth performance of Salix triandroides cuttings at three water cadmium (Cd) concentrations (0, 20, and 40 mg L-1) and three water levels (- 40 cm, water level 40 cm below the soil surface; 0 cm, water level even with the soil surface; and 40 cm, water level 40 cm above soil surface) was investigated to evaluate its potential in phytoextraction strategies. Compared to cuttings in the - 40 or 0 cm water levels, cuttings in the 40 cm water level showed significantly lower biomass, height, and adventitious root length and significantly fewer leaves and adventitious roots. However, these growth and morphological parameters were not different among the three water Cd concentrations. Water level decreased stomatal conduction and transpiration rate but showed no significant effects on chlorophyll concentration or photosynthetic rate. Chlorophyll concentration and stomatal conductance were higher at 40 mg L-1 Cd treatment than at 0 or 20 mg L-1 Cd treatment; yet, photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate were not different. Cd concentration in the leaves and stems increased as the water level increased, but the highest Cd concentration in the roots occurred in the 0 cm water level. As water Cd concentration increased, Cd concentration in the leaves, stems, and roots increased in all three water levels, except in stems in the - 40 cm water level. Under Cd stress, cuttings in the - 40 or 0 cm water levels were characterized by a higher bioaccumulation coefficient, but a lower translocation factor, than those in the 40 cm water level. However, the bioaccumulation coefficient increased with increasing water Cd concentration in all three water levels, as did the translocation factor in the 40 cm water level. The tolerance index for the cuttings was the same among all water levels and water Cd concentrations. The results clearly indicated that the low water level increased plant growth and Cd accumulation in underground parts, while the high water level decreased plant growth but increased Cd accumulation in aboveground parts.

Effect of pyrolysis temperature on sulfur content, extractable fraction and release of sulfate in corn straw biochar.

The contents and release of the nutrient elements N, P and K in biochars have been investigated. Sulfur is an indispensable element for plants, but its content and release in biochar are still unclear. The effect of pyrolysis temperature (300, 500 and 700 °C) on the sulfur content, extractable fraction and release of sulfate in corn straw biochars (CS300, CS500 and CS700) was investigated. The biochars were characterized using element analysis, BET, FTIR, and XRD. It was shown that the contents of sulfur in biochars decreased significantly with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The extraction results indicated that the percentages of water extractable-sulfate (W-SO4 2-) and organosulfur in biochars decreased while those of HCl- and NaH2PO4-extractable sulfate (HCl-SO4 2-, NaH2PO4-SO4 2-) increased with pyrolysis temperature. Batch release experiments were conducted to test the effect of contact time and addition of Hoagland nutrient solution (HNS) on the release of sulfate from biochars. The release kinetics fitted well with a pseudo-second-order model. Approximately 10.7 mg g-1 of sulfate was released from CS300 during the initial 2 h, whereas 6.32 and 3.93 mg g-1 were released from CS500 and CS700, respectively. Increasing the amounts of HNS led to negative effects on sulfate release. The results indicate that low-temperatures might be optimal for producing biochar from corn straw to improve the sulfur fertilization.

Sulfate sorption on rape (Brassica campestris L.) straw biochar, loess soil and a biochar-soil mixture.

The effects of biochar amendment on sulfur behavior in soils are unknown. In this paper, sulfate (SO42-) sorption on rape (Brassica campestris L.) straw biochar produced at 600 °C (BC), loess soil (soil) and a 1:9 (w/w) biochar-soil mixture (BC-soil) was investigated by batch experiments. The effects of contact time, initial SO42- concentration, temperature and solution pH value on sorption were tested. Kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics for sorption were investigated. Pre- and post-sorption characterizations of BC and soil were respectively studied using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, respectively. It has been shown that SO42- sorption on three sorbents was well described by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The sorption isotherms could be fitted using Langmuir and Freundlich models. BC amendment did not increase the sorption capacity of soil for SO42-. The values of ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0 indicated that the nature of sorption was spontaneous, endothermic and feasible. Increasing solution pH value led to a slight reduction in the sorption amount of SO42-. Sulfate was mainly sorbed onto BC through electrostatic interaction, whereas onto the soil via electrostatic interaction and formation of poorly soluble CaSO4.

[Sorption of p-Nitrophenol by Biochars of Corncob Prepared at Different Pyrolysis Temperatures].

Sorption of p-nitrophenol (PNP) on biochars prepared from pyrolysis of corncob in the temperature range of 200-600℃ (CC200-CC600) was investigated. Sorption mechanisms were discussed. Pyrolysis temperature showed a pronounced effect on properties of biochars. Decreases in molar H/C, O/C and (O+N)/C ratios were resulted from removal of H- and O-containing functional groups with increasing pyrolysis temperature, and produced biochars with low polarity and high aromaticity. The isotherms data were well described by the Freundlich model. Batch sorption experiments showed that the PNP sorption was strongly dependent on the properties of biochars. A linear relationship was observed between sorption parameters (n and KF) and properties of biochars such as molar elemental ratios[H/C, O/C, and (O+N)/C]. The sorption and partition fractions were quantified by isotherm separation method. PNP sorption on biochar produced at 200℃ was linear due to partition on uncarbonized organic matter in biochar, while PNP sorption on biochars produced at 300-600℃ was nonlinear and adsorption-dominant for all the biochars via π-π electron donor-acceptor interaction and pore-filling.

Effects of biochars derived from chicken manure and rape straw on speciation and phytoavailability of Cd to maize in artificially contaminated loess soil.

While biochar can reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals in acidic soils and reduce their risk of entering the food chain, conditions for alkaline soils such as loess soils with high pH values, high carbonate content and low organic matter content remain unclear. Pot experiments were conducted to assess the effects of four rates (1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% w/w) of biochars prepared at 600 °C from chicken manure and rape straw (CBC and RBC) on soil properties, Cd speciation and phytoavailability, and plant growth in Cd contaminated (20 mg kg-1) light sierozem using maize (Zea mays L.) as an indicator plant. Biochar additions significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil pH values, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil organic matter (OM). The results showed that Cd speciation turned somewhat into stable state as biochar application increased. When CBC and RBC was applied at the rate of 15%, the content of acid-extractable Cd decreased only by 16.3% and 11.64%, respectively. The uptake of Cd by maize shoots scarcely decreased with CBC and RBC amendment at the rate of 1% and 5%, respectively. Although it seemed that additions of more than 5% CBC or RBC significantly (P < 0.05) reduced Cd contents in maize shoots, maize growth was largely inhibited due to the high value of soil pH. These results could provide different implications for immobilization remediation of loess soils (e.g., light sierozem) contaminated with Cd.

Adsorption of cadmium by biochar produced from pyrolysis of corn stalk in aqueous solution.

The purpose of this work is to investigate adsorption characteristic of corn stalk (CS) biochar for removal of cadmium ions (Cd2+) from aqueous solution. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of pH value of solution, adsorbent particle size, adsorbent dosage, and ionic strength of solution on the adsorption of Cd2+ onto biochar that was pyrolytically produced from CS at 300 °C. The results showed that the initial pH value of solution played an important role in adsorption. The adsorptive amount of Cd2+ onto the biochar decreased with increasing the adsorbent dosage, adsorbent particle size, and ionic strength, while it increased with increasing the initial pH value of solution and temperature. Cd2+ was removed efficiently and quickly from aqueous solutions by the biochar with a maximum capacity of 33.94 mg/g. The adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with the correlation coefficients greater than 0.986. The adsorption isotherm could be well fitted by the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic studies showed that the adsorption of Cd2+ onto the biochar was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The results indicate that CS biochar can be considered as an efficient adsorbent.

[Ammonium Adsorption Characteristics in Aqueous Solution by Dairy Manure Biochar].

The adsorption characteristics of ammonium from aqueous solution onto biochar derived from dairy manure were investigated as a function of parameters such as solution pH, particle size, adsorbent dosage, temperature and competitive cations. The results indicated that the effects of other cations on the adsorption of ammonium followed the order of preference Na > Ca2+ at identical mass concentrations. It was observed that pH played an important role in the ammonium adsorption and the optimal pH values ranged between 5 and 8. The kinetic data fitted the pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.967 3) but showed very poor fits for the pseudo-first-order model (R2 = 0.765 9) and the Elovich model (R2 = 0.724 9). The results from the Intra-particle model also showed that there were two separate stages in sorption process, which were external diffusion and the diffusion of inter-particle. Adsorption isotherms for dairy manure biochar were fitted the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.976 2) more effectively than other models. Thermodynamics parameters such as free energy (ΔGθ), enthalpy (ΔHθ), and entropy (ΔSθ) were also determined, which indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous and endothermic process.

[Remediation of Cu/phenanthrene and combined contaminated loess soil by chemical-enhanced washing].

The chemical-enhanced washing of Cu2+ or/and phenanthrene (PHE) single or combined contaminated loess soil in Gansu Province was investigated with disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate (EDTA) or/and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) by the batch equilibrium experiments. The experimental results showed that EDTA or/and SDS could remove efficiently Cu2+ and/or PHE in single-contaminated or combined contaminated loess soils. The Cu2+ removal was significantly promoted by coexisting PHE with low concentration of EDTA (EDTA < 0.1 mol/L), however, the removal was slightly hindered with high concentration of EDTA (EDTA > 0.1 mol/L). As for the PHE removal by EDTA, it was founded that coexisting Cu2+ could enhance the PHE removal in the investigated ranges of the concentrations of EDTA. When concentration of EDTA was 0.01 mol/L, the removal of combined PHE was 20.94% higher than that of single PHE. The experimental results of the removal of contaminations by SDS showed that coexisting Cu2+ could suppress slightly the removal of PHE at a concentration of less than 4 000 mg/L SDS, but could assist the removal of PHE in 5 000 mg/L or higher SDS concentration. On the contrary, the influence of coexisting PHE for the removal of Cu2+ by SDS was that it facilitated Cu2+ extraction by low concentrations of SDS, however, it inhibited the removal of Cu2+ at high concentrations of SDS. The removal efficiencies of PHE and Cu2+ were improved greatly as using combined EDTA-SDS. Beside, there are some differences in the removal efficiency of the oth contaminants with the different sequence of EDTA and SDS added in the washing solution. In EDTA washing followed by SDS, SDS washing followed by EDTA and mixture of SDS-EDTA washing concurrently, the removal of Cu2+ is 91.40%, 95.10% and 96.50%, respectively, which is 28.46%, 32.16%, 33.56% higher than that of combined, 62.94%, by single EDTA. For PHE, the removal is 68.30%, 85.40%, 84.95%, respectively, which is 16.14%, 33.24%, 32. 79% higher than that of combined PHE, 52.16%, by single SDS. Thus, SDS washing followed by EDTA or mixture of SDS-EDTA washing concurrently is considered as the optimal washing sequence for PHE and Cu2+ removal.