The transmission of prions can induce the largely spread of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which pose a serious threat to animal and human health. Soil is a natural reservoir for prions. Prions can enter the soil through animal excretion, carcass decomposition, and bind to soil components. The binding of prions to different soil components varies significantly, and their effects are simultaneous and mutual, jointly influencing the spread of prions in the soil. On the one hand, the adsorption of soil particles and humic substances enhances their stability and persistence in the soil, reduces their bioavailability, and thus inhibits the spread of prions. On the other hand, montmorillonite and manganese ions can increase their activity and infectivity to a certain extent, thereby contributing to the spread of prions. The control of prions in the soil can be achieved through biotechnologies such as environmental prevention and control, enzyme treatment and composting technique, based on the improvement of their detection methods. In the future, the research on prions in the soil environment should take more into account the influence of the characteristics of soil compounds and native microorganisms on prions, so as to promote the development of in-situ prion degradation methods to control their spread. This work will provide theoretical support for the development of new technologies for soil prions control.

Sulfate radical (SO₄^•−)-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are characterized by in situ generation of SO₄^•− with strong oxidation capacity, which can effectively degrade a variety of organic pollutants. However, SO₄^•− can transform nitrite (NO₂⁻) and bromide (Br⁻) into toxic nitrated byproducts and halogenated byproducts, respectively. In this study, the mechanisms underlying the formation of nitrated and brominated byproducts on the reaction system in which NO₂⁻ and Br⁻ coexist were systematically investigated. Results showed that three nitrated byproducts, including 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, and 2,4-dinitrophenol were produced during the heat-activated persulfate nitrification process. It was observed that nitrophenols accounted for approximately 34.5% of the phenol transformed under reaction conditions of [phenol]= 50µmol/L, [NO₂⁻]=100µmol/L,[PDS]=2mmol/L and temperature of 60℃ C. Once NO₂⁻ was co-present, the formation rate of nitrophenol was significantly accelerated. The conversion rate increased to 46.0% under the same conditions. Br⁻ can be oxidized by SO₄^•− to form reactive bromine species, which rapidly react with NO₂⁻ to form a strong oxidizing agent, nitryl halide. Then nitryl halide reacts with the phenol and plays a key role in promoting the formation of nitrophenol. Note that, Br⁻ is eventually released and acts as a catalyst equivalent. Meanwhile, the presence of NO₂⁻ results in an inhibition of the rate of formation of brominated byproducts, such as dibromoacetic acid. Therefore, the transformation mechanisms of NO₂⁻ and Br⁻ influence each other in SR-AOPs. When they coexist, promote the formation of nitrophenol byproducts but inhibit brominated byproducts.

Packed column experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the co-transport behavior of nanoscale iron supported on biochar (nFe/BC) pyrolyzed at 500℃ and 800℃, respectively, with arsenic (As) in contaminated soil. The results showed that the mobility of nFe/BC (nFe/BC500 and nFe/BC800) in As-contaminated soil was obviously lower than that of pristine biochars (BC500 and BC800), decreasing by about 57.8% and 45.5% in As-contaminated soil, respectively. This is likely because zeta potentials of nFe/BC became less negative due to the adherence of positively charged Fe onto the BC. Therefore, electrostatic repulsion between nFe/BC and soil grain was weakened, resulting in a lower mobility of nFe/BC. Also the mobility of nFe/BC was reduced with an increase in pyrolysis temperature. This is likely because that the surface charge of nFe/BC produced at high temperature was less negative, due to the lower density of O-containing functional groups. Therefore, the total repulsive interaction energies between nFe/BC and soil grain were reduced. A two-site kinetic retention model was successfully employed to simulate the transport of nFe/BC in soils, further illustrating the co-transport characteristics of nFe/BC. Additionally, pristine BCs facilitated the transport of As due to the competition between BCs and As for the available sorption sites on the soil surface. However, nFe/BC first inhibited the transport of As, and then promoted it. The main reason could be because the iron substance or Fe₃O₄ on the surface of nFe/BC reacted with As, and then fixed it in soil. Once the reaction between nFe/BC and As was completed, nFe/BC lost its original inhibitory effect, and instead acted as a carrier to promote As transport in soil. This could cause potential risks of As to the groundwater environment.

Soil contamination with phthalate esters (PAEs) is a worldwide environmental issue, and a stable and efficient functional microbial agent could be applied to achieve synergistic PAEs degradation. The review comprehensively compared various methods and pathways of microbial immobilization. The different factors on PAEs elimination such as mass transfer environment, substrate concentration, immobilization conditions, and strain combinations were demonstrated. The metabolic pathways of PAEs driven by enzymatic reactions of functional microbes were elucidated. The biological mechanisms of synergistic degradation of PAEs by microbial communities were clarified, and crucial future research areas may include the construction of microbial composite communities, optimization of immobilization carriers, and creation of microbial agent products. Compared to single-free bacteria, the immobilized PAEs-degrading microbial agents not only resist the interference of complex external environments, but specifically perform well on PAE degradation. In addition, immobilized microbial agents may positively promote crop growth.

To investigate the relative importance of the bottom-up versus top-down on phytoplankton biomass in the estuary and its adjacent waters of the Yellow River during the water and sediment regulation scheme (WSRS), the study utilized R2V software to extract historical data (2011~2020) on chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration, environmental factors, and zooplankton abundance in the estuary and its adjacent waters of the Yellow River from the literature. The spatial distribution and interannual variation of Chl a concentration was analyzed, and regression tree models Chl a with environmental and biological factors at different stages of WSRS were developed to explore the controlling factors. The results showed that Chl a concentrations in the estuary and its adjacent waters of the Yellow River generally decreased from the estuary towards offshore areas from 2011 to 2020. As WSRS progressed, the high-value areas gradually shifted to the nearshore northwest of the estuary. Regions with significant interannual variations in Chl a concentrations largely overlapped with high-value areas at each stage. The regression tree model indicated that, with the progression of water and sediment regulation, there was a notable shift in the dominant effects on Chl a concentration. Before WSRS, the top-down effect of zooplankton grazing was the primary driver of Chl a spatial variability. During the water and sediment regulation period, Chl a concentration was mainly controlled by bottom-up effects. In the early WSRS, temperature was the primary driving factor, while in the later stage of WSRS, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) became the main driving factor. The changes in salinity fronts caused by freshwater flow during WSRS may be an important factor inducing changes in the dominant effects on Chl a concentration.

To investigate the effects of water flow disturbances on the growth and aggregation characteristics of Microcystis blooms, this study conducted controlled indoor experiments in a flume, with disturbance frequencies set at 30, 40, 50, and 60min^-1. The growth dynamics and size variation of Microcystis colonies were systematically analyzed under varying disturbance conditions. The results showed that low-intensity water flow disturbances (frequency<40min^-1 or velocity<0.026m/s) significantly promote the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in Microcystis, with a strong correlation observed between Chlorophyll-a and EPS concentrations (r²>0.85). Conversely, high-intensity disturbances (frequency>50min^-1 or velocity>0.034m/s) inhibited EPS secretion, leading to a weakened correlation between Chlorophyll-a and EPS concentrations (r²<0.8). Within the experimental ranges of flow velocity (0~0.08m/s) and turbulent kinetic energy (0~0.004m²/s²), the size of Microcystis colonies exhibited minimal variation (ranging from 0.4~0.6mm). Furthermore, low-intensity disturbances facilitated the formation of surface blooms with shorter durations, whereas higher-intensity disturbances suppressed bloom aggregation while extending algal survival periods.

The study used humic acid (HA) to drive the potassium permanganate/persulfate (PM/PMS+HA) system to investigate the removal of small molecule organic pollutants and the effectiveness of membrane fouling control. The experimental results showed that the PM/PMS+HA system exhibited excellent removal performance for different small molecule organic compounds, including Atrazine (ATZ), Phenol (Phenol), Diclofenac Sodium (DCF), Carbamazepine (CBZ), Ibuprofen (IBP) and Sulfamethoxazole (SMX). The first-order kinetic constants of the PM/PMS+HA system were all higher than 18×10^-2min^-1, far higher than the PM/PMS system, PM system, and ultrafiltration system alone. At the same time, the PM/PMS system has a good membrane fouling alleviation effect. When HA was used as the pollutant, the effluent specific flux of the PM/PMS system only decreased to 0.919 within 15 minutes, much higher than the 0.393 obtained by HA filtration alone. Meanwhile, when using the PM/PMS system for membrane cleaning, the membrane flux recovery rate reached 98.51%. The mechanism of the PM/PMS+HA system was explored through capture experiments and measurements using a UV spectrophotometer. The experimental results indicate that during the filtration process of PM/PMS+HA, it is mainly the rich electronic HA in the system that triggers the decomposition of the composite oxidant (PM-PMS). The decompositionof composite oxidants produces reactive oxygen species (^•OH、SO₄^•-、¹O₂) and reactive manganese(Mn(V)and Mn(VI)). The generated reactive oxygen species and reactive manganese oxidize pollutants, leading to the removal of new pollutants and a decrease in the molecular weight of membrane pollutants, thereby achieving the removal of new pollutants and the control of membrane pollution. The PM/PMS system driven by pollutants has achieved the coupling of ultrafiltration membranes with advanced oxidation technology, providing new ideas for the removal of small molecule organic compounds and membrane fouling control in ultrafiltration technology.

Taking the Pengxi River, a typical tributary bay of the Three Gorges Reservoir, as an example, continuous monitoring of the water flow, water quality, and algal bloom in the bay during the drawdown period in 2023 was carried out. The hydrodynamics, thermal stratification, and water quality evolution patterns of the tributary bay were analyzed, and the occurrence, disappearance, and influencing factors of algal blooms were revealed. The results show that during the observation period, the chlorophyll a of phytoplankton in the Pengxi River bay was positively correlated with water temperature (r=0.43, P<0.05) and euphotic layer depth (r=0.38, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with upstream inflow (r=-0.53), flow velocity (r=-0.54), and mixed layer depth Z_mix (r =-0.37). However, nutrients were not the limiting factors for the occurrence and disappearance of algal blooms. When the water temperature was suitable and the thermal stratification was stable, algal blooms began to occur. A gradual water level drawdown (<0.2m/day) fails to notably enhance flow velocity or break thermal stratification in the bay, resulting in minimal suppression of algal blooms in tributary bays. During the drawdown period, rainfall and upstream inflow could significantly affect the hydrodynamic processes and nutrient levels in the bay, which were the key factors determining the occurrence and disappearance of algal blooms in Gaoyang Lake. Increasing the discharge flow from Hanfeng Lake (>80m³/s)could effectively control algal blooms in the Pengxi River bay.

An anaerobic sequencing batch biofilm reactor was used to explore the combined effect mechanism of anammox under the co-existence conditions of quinoline (50~200mg/L) and microplastics (PET-MPs) (20~100mg/L). With the increase of the concentrations of quinoline and PET-MPs, the performance of Anammox first decreases and then gradually recovers, and recovery time of reversible inhibition was positively correlated with the concentration of combined pollutants. The specific anammox activity (SAA) decreased from 22.8mg N/(g VSS·h) in stage C1 to 16.2mg N/(g VSS·h) in stage C3, while the corresponding reactive oxygen species (ROS) production increased by 55.7%, indicating that the inhibition of Anammox was enhanced under combined pollution. Extracellular polymer (EPS) analysis revealed that an increase in the concentrations of quinoline and PET-MPs would lead to a rapid decrease in the EPS content of the biofilm from 75.3mg/g VSS to 39.2mg/g VSS. The significant reduction in protein (PN) secretion, which in turn led to a significant decrease in PN/PS, indicates a decline in the structural stability of the Anammox biofilm. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the concentration of quinoline /PET-MPs increased, while the microbial community diversity and richness indices decreased. The relative abundance of Candidatus_Brocadia decreased from 1.73% to 1.24%, while the relative abundance of Denitratisoma changed little. However, the relative abundance of anaerobic heterocyclic degrading bacteria increased significantly.

To investigate the effect of the Fenton-oxidized composting process on the removal of estrogens in manure, this study determined the concentrations of four estrogens—estradiol (E3), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), bisphenol A (BPA), and ethinylestradiol (EE2)—in cow manure at various time points (0, 3, 12, 24, 48, 96, 192, 384, and 768hours) using the Fenton-oxidized composting process. The influence of Fenton's reagent and citric acid on estrogen removal during Fenton oxidation were also examined. Results demonstrated that after 3hours of treatment with Fenton's reagent and citric acid, the residual rates of E3, 17β-E2, BPA, and EE2in cow dung were 15.10%, 2.65%, 9.90%, and 11.44%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those observed in the non-oxidizing reagent treatment group. Following 32days of composting, the residual concentrations of E3, 17β-E2, and BPA fell below detectable limits, while the residual rate of EE2was only 2%. Additionally, seed germination rate analysis during the oxidized composting process revealed that the seed germination index of Brassica chinensis exceeded 50%, indicating that the composting products exhibited no apparent toxic effects on vegetable seeds. Consequently, the Fenton-oxidized composting technology can effectively accelerate the removal of estrogens from livestock manure, thereby facilitating its resourceful and harmless utilization.