Making waves: Exploring scenarios of abiotic mercury methylation in nature.

The transformation of inorganic mercury (Hg) into neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) is critical for Hg's entry into aquatic food chains and its subsequent threats to wildlife and human health. While microbial Hg methylation is well recognized, growing evidence suggests that abiotic Hg methylation could be a significant yet overlooked source of MeHg. However, extrapolating laboratory-derived abiotic Hg methylation data to real-world conditions remains challenging.

Effect of Benzoic Acid on Biogenic Gas Production with Different Rank Coals and the Fluorescence Spectra Characteristic of Produced Organic Products.

Biogas production was conducted using samples from different coal beds and laboratory-domesticated microbes to investigate the effect of the addition of benzoic acid on biogas production. Furthermore, the response properties of produced organic substances at different gas production stages were analyzed with ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that adding benzoic acid significantly enhanced the microbial gas production with different rank coals.

Synergistic effects of SAP and PGPR on physiological characteristics of leaves and soil enzyme activities in the rhizosphere of poplar seedlings under drought stress.

Super absorbent polymers (SAP) provide moisture conditions that allow plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to enter the soil for acclimatization and strain propagation. However, the effects of SAP co-applied with PGPR on the physiological characteristics of leaves and rhizosphere soil enzyme activities of poplar seedlings are not well understood. Here, a pot experiment using one-year-old poplar seedlings with five treatments, normal watering, drought stress (DR), drought stress + SAP (DR+SAP), drought stress + (DR +PGPR) and drought stress + SAP + (DR+S+P), was performed to analyze the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants, osmotic regulators and hormones in leaves, as well as rhizosphere soil enzyme activities.

Combined effects of border irrigation and super-absorbent polymers on enzyme activity and microbial diversity of poplar rhizosphere soil.

Fast-growing poplar plantations are considered a great benefit to timber production, but water availability is a key factor limiting their growth and development, especially in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Super-absorbent polymers facilitate more water retention in soil after rain or irrigation, and they are able to release water gradually during plant growth. This study aimed to examine the effects of reduced irrigation (60% and 30% of conventional border irrigation) co-applied with super-absorbent polymers (0, 40 kg/ha) on root exudates, enzyme activities, microbial functional diversity in rhizosphere soil, and volume increments in poplar (Populus euramericana cv.

Roles of varying carbon chains and functional groups of legacy and emerging per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances in adsorption on metal-organic framework: Insights into mechanism and adsorption prediction.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising adsorbents for legacy per-/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), but they are being replaced by emerging PFASs. The effects of varying carbon chains and functional groups of emerging PFASs on their adsorption behavior on MOFs require attention. This study systematically revealed the structure-adsorption relationships and interaction mechanisms of legacy and emerging PFASs on a typical MOF MIL-101(Cr).

Insights into degradation of pharmaceutical pollutant atenolol via electrochemical advanced oxidation processes with modified TiO electrode: Efficiency, stability and mechanism.

A novel active Ce-doped TiO (Ti/TiO-Ce) electrode was prepared and evaluated for improvement of the refractory pollutants degradation efficiency in Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs). The results showed that the addition of Ce in Ti/TiO electrode leading to great impact on •OH generation rate and electrode stability compared to pristine Ti/TiO electrode. Ti/TiO-Ce electrode presented efficient oxidation capacity for pharmaceutical pollutant atenolol (ATL) in EAOPs, which could be attributed to the improvement of indirect oxidation mediated by electro-generated •OH, as the amount of •OH production was 16.

Recovery of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer waste using dimethylacetamide base on the resin swelling principle.

The mechanical recycling method of the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) has the advantages of simple process, less pollution and low cost, but only low utilization value of carbon fibers in powder or short fibers form can be obtained. To reduce the length and strength loss of the recycled carbon fibers, a novel and cost-effective dimethylacetamide (DMAC) swelling technique was developed to achieve rapid delamination of the CFRP laminates under mild conditions (120°C-160°C, 1 h). The corresponding swelling ratios and mass-loss rates of cured epoxy resin (CEP) were about 121.

Quantitative monitoring and potential mechanism of the secondary corrosion risk of PAH-contaminated soil remediated by persulfate oxidation.

The proportion of activated persulfate (PS) oxidation technology in the remediation of domestic organic contaminated sites has increased every year, and the potential corrosion risk of site reuse caused by residual oxidants and by-products has also attracted the attention of researchers. In this work, the potential corrosion degree such as the mass reduction rate and surface crack width of standard iron flakes under different conditions, including with different PS dosages and release times, was monitored quantitatively over a long period, and the corresponding corrosion risk was quantitatively assessed. The results showed that when n (NaSO):n (PAHs) increased from 5:1 to 100:1, the higher the oxidizer dosage, the more severe the corrosion weight loss and surface crack width, indicating that the oxidizer dosage was positively correlated with the potential corrosion risk.

Study Progress on Inorganic Fibers from Industry Solid Wastes and the Key Factors Determining Their Characteristics.

Compared to basalt and glass fibers, the production of inorganic fiber from industry solid wastes is an effective method to not only save natural resources but also recycle waste resources. Because the preparation of the fibers requires high temperature treatment, the production process is associated with high energy consumption and high carbon emissions. How to resolve these problems is a current research challenge in this field.

Study on adsorption of phosphate from aqueous solution by zirconium modified coal gasification coarse slag.

Zr-modified materials have an adsorption affinity for phosphate ions, but because of the cost of carrier materials, they are difficult to apply on a large scale. Herein, coal gasification coarse slag (CGCS) was used as a carrier material and modified with Zr, and its dephosphorization performance was studied. A series of adsorbents with different CGCS/ZrOCl·8HO mass ratios were prepared, from which the adsorbent with a CGCS/ZrOCl·8HO mass ratio of 5 : 4 (denoted as CGCS-Zr4) was identified as the most promising for phosphate adsorption.

A comparative study of electrocoagulation treatment with iron, aluminum and zinc electrodes for selenium removal from flour production wastewater.

Electrocoagulation (EC) using iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and aluminum (Al) electrodes was comparatively applied in the treatment of selenium (Se) in flour production (FP) wastewater. It was indicated that EC treatment with Fe anode obtained highest removal efficiency (79.1%) for Se in the 90 min treatment in the comparative study, which could be attributed to the superior adsorption capacity of in-situ generated iron flocs.

Influence of Nanopore Structure Deformation on Gas Migration in Coal.

To better understand the influence and control of nanopore characteristics on gas migration, three kinds of coal samples with different metamorphic degrees were selected for the experiments including high-pressure isothermal gas adsorption, low-pressure CO adsorption, and low-pressure Ar adsorption. The changes of the pore volume (PV) and specific surface area (SSA) of coal samples before and after adsorption-desorption were compared and analyzed. The adsorption data of all coal samples at a low pressure stage (<8 MPa) conformed to the Langmuir equation, and the adsorption capacity of powdered coal samples was higher than that of columnar coal samples.

Effects of Early Pollution Control Measures on Secondary Species of PM in Jiaozuo, China.

Various measures for reducing air pollution have been promulgated since 2013 in China. To investigate the synergistic results of emission control and meteorological environment, PM samples collected from October 2013 to July 2016 and November 2018 to October 2019 in Jiaozuo city were analyzed for their compositions, secondary species (Ss) variations, and factors changing for Ss formation. The results showed that the concentrations of sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) generally decreased over the same seasonal period during these years.

Classification of Pore-fracture Combination Types in Tectonic Coal Based on Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

Differences in content, distribution, and connectivity of pores and fractures with different sizes in coal lead to different modes of gas migration. An accurate classification of pore-fracture combination types in coal can lay a foundation for studying gas migration. High-pressure mercury intrusion and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were conducted on coal samples collected from the Changping coal mine in Jincheng City, Shanxi Province, and Pingdingshan no.

Two new cave-dwelling species of Tyrannochthonius Chamberlin 1929 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae) from the Guizhou karst, China.

Two new troglomorphic pseudoscorpion species, Tyrannochthonius harveyi, sp. nov. and Tyrannochthonius zhai, sp.

Physiological response of North China red elder container seedlings to inoculation with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria under drought stress.

The issue of how to alleviate the negative effects imposed by water stress is an interesting problem. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) colonize the rhizosphere of plants and are known to promote the growth of crops. However, there are few studies characterizing the physiological response of plants to drought stress after PGPR inoculation.

Swelling-enhanced catalytic degradation of brominated epoxy resin in waste printed circuit boards by subcritical acetic acid under mild conditions.

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) contain a large amount of brominated epoxy resins (BERs), which may cause environmental problems. However, BERs degradation under mild conditions is challenging due to the good thermal and chemical stabilities of BERs. This study proposes a mild and efficient method that uses subcritical acetic acid (220 °C-260 °C, 2.

Effect of the inoculation of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on the photosynthetic characteristics of Sambucus williamsii Hance container seedlings under drought stress.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial bacteria that survive within the range of plant rhizosphere and can promote plant growth. The effects of PGPR in promoting plant growth, activating soil nutrients, reducing fertilizer application, and improving the resistance of plant inducible system have been widely investigated. However, few studies have investigated PGPR as elicitors of tolerance to abiotic stresses, especially drought stress.

Regulatory effects of root pruning on leaf nutrients, photosynthesis, and growth of trees in a closed-canopy poplar plantation.

A plantation of 5-year-old poplar Populus × euramericana cv. 'Neva' was used to study the regulatory effects of root pruning on nutrients, photosynthetic characteristics, and water-use efficiency (WUE) of leaves and growth rates of diameter at breast height (DBH; 1.3 m), tree height, and volume.

Extraction of heavy metal (Ba, Sr) and high silica glass powder synthesis from waste CRT panel glasses by phase separation.

In this study, a novel process for the extraction of heavy metal Ba and Sr from waste CRT panel glass and synchronous preparation of high silica glass powder was developed by glass phase separation. CRT panel glass was first remelted with BO under air atmosphere to produce alkali borosilicate glass. During the phase separation process, the glass separated into two interconnected phases which were BO-rich phase and SiO-rich phase.

Lead recovery and high silica glass powder synthesis from waste CRT funnel glasses through carbon thermal reduction enhanced glass phase separation process.

In this study, a novel process for the removal of toxic lead from the CRT funnel glass and synchronous preparation of high silica glass powder was developed by a carbon-thermal reduction enhanced glass phase separation process. CRT funnel glass was remelted with BO in reducing atmosphere. In the thermal process, a part of PbO contained in the funnel glass was reduced into metallic Pb and detached from the glass phase.

[Agricultural soil contamination from As and Cd and its responses to landscape heterogeneity at multiple scales in Guangzhou, China].

Based on 641 agricultural top soil samples (0-20 cm) and land use map in 2005 of Guangzhou, we used single-factor pollution indices and Pearson/Spearman correlation and partial redundancy analyses and quantified the soil contamination with As and Cd and their relationships with landscape heterogeneity at three grid scales of 2 km×2 km, 5 km×5 km, and 10 km×10 km as well as the determinant landscape heterogeneity factors at a certain grid scale. 5.3% and 7.