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 elucidate the interaction mechanisms between iron-manganese minerals and antibiotics/antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), enhance the understanding of their environmental degradation behaviors, and advance remediation technologies, this study systematically investigates the multifaceted degradation mechanisms of antibiotics by iron-manganese minerals. The mechanisms are explored through the following pathways: synergistic catalysis through surface Brønsted acid sites, Lewis acid sites, and hydroxyl groups promoting antibiotic hydrolysis; semiconductor-mediated photocatalytic degradation via electron-hole pair generation; direct oxidation by redox-active components such as Fe(III)/Mn(IV) coupled with activation of persulfate/hydrogen peroxide to yield reactive species for complete mineralization; concomitant radical-induced damage to ARGs through phosphodiester bond cleavage and base pair destruction, effectively inhibiting their horizontal transfer and evolution. The practical efficacy of iron-manganese minerals has been demonstrated in diverse environmental matrices including soils, aquatic systems, sludge, and livestock manure, with degradation efficiency dynamically regulated by pH, organic matter content, co-existing ions, and moisture conditions. Future research should prioritize establishing integrated databases mapping antibiotic-ARG co-degradation pathways and toxicity profiles, developing in situ dynamic characterization techniques for mineral interface reactions, engineering environment-adaptive mineral- based composite materials.

The molecular compositions of organic components in winter PM_2.5 samples from a typical urban area of Chongqing were analyzed by electrospray ionization coupled with ion mobility spectrometry-time of flight mass spectrometry (ESI-IMS-TOF-MS). Sulfur-containing organics (CHOS+CHNOS) were important components in organic aerosol, and their relative abundance accounted for more than 70% on average. IMS-derived collision cross section, collision-induced dissociation, and Kendrick mass defect analyses verified the presence of organosulfates (OSs). Molecular characterization results indicated that sulfur-containing organics were dominated by carbohydrate and lignin species and had higher oxidation degree in Chongqing urban area compared with other cities. Biogenic and anthropogenic precursors were important sources of sulfur-containing organics. The relationships between aerosol liquid water content, acidity and inorganic sulfate with sulfur-containing organics suggested that aqueous-phase chemistry and acid-catalyzed chemistry play important roles in the formation of sulfur-containing organics.

The reed biochar was chemically modified using hydrochloric acid, dicyandiamide, and magnesium chloride as activators. This study investigated the effects of varying pH values, addition amounts, and initial solution concentrations on the nitrate nitrogen adsorption capacity of four types of biochar. Additionally, the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic characteristics of the biochars for nitrate nitrogen removal were analyzed. When reed straw is pre-carbonized at 500℃ for 2hours and subsequently activated with modified materials at 700℃ for 2hours, the resultant dicyandiamide-modified biochar (DBC) exhibits the best adsorption performance, achieving a removal efficiency of 75.5%. Compared to unmodified biochar (BC), the surface morphology of the modified biochars becomes more concave, with denser pores, increased functional groups, and a specific surface area enhanced by 7 to 10 times. When the potassium nitrate concentration is 500mg/L, the optimal dosages are 1g for BC, DBC, and magnesium chloride-modified biochar (MBC), and 0.8g for hydrochloric acid-modified biochar (HBC). The nitrate nitrogen adsorption performance of DBC is favorable in a slightly alkaline environment, with the highest adsorption capacity observed at a pH of 9. The nitrate nitrogen adsorption behavior of all four biochars aligns well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and their isothermal adsorption curves fit the Langmuir equation, suggesting predominantly monomolecular layer adsorption. Overall, DBC demonstrates excellent nitrate nitrogen adsorption performance and offers a promising solution for mitigating nitrate pollution in aquatic environments.

This review systematically explores the application of machine learning technology in the field of microplastics, covering classification and identification, quantitative analysis, and prediction of adsorption properties. By combing through recent literature, it has been found that technologies such as convolutional neural networks (CNN) and support vector machines (SVM) are of great significance for improving the accuracy and efficiency of microplastic detection. In classification and identification, CNN models can accurately distinguish the types and shapes of microplastics; during quantitative analysis, machine learning can quickly determine the concentration of microplastics with the help of image and spectral data. In terms of predicting adsorption properties, models based on quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR) have shown higher accuracy and robustness than traditional models. However, there are currently challenges such as poor data quality, difficulties in collection and annotation, and a lack of model interpretability. Future research should focus on diversifying datasets and enhancing model interpretability to promote the further application of machine learning technology in microplastic research.

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.

Human lung cancer cell A549were used as the test cell. Three kinds of organophosphorus flame retardants, i.e., tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate (TCIPP), and tri(4-isopropylphenyl)phosphate (IPPP), were selected as representative compounds, which are frequently detected in the environment. The toxic effects of the three compounds on A549cell were studied through multiple toxicity test endpoints. Results showed that the three OPFRs could inhibit cell viability, stimulate the production of excessive reactive oxygen species and reduce the mitochondrial membrane potential in cell, induce cell inflammation and cause DNA damage. All the cytotoxicity indicators were dose-dependent. OPFRs with low concentrations had less effect, and the toxic effect enhanced with the increase of OPFRs concentrations. Compared with the three OPFRs, their toxic effects on A549cells ranked as TBOEP > TCIPP ≈ IPPP. Especially, when the cells were exposed to TBOEP with a high concentration of 500 μmol/L, the cell viability was less than 5%, the amount of reactive oxygen species in cell increased by three times, the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased by 46.5%, the secretion of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α increased by 124.4% and 262.7%, and the content of DNA damage markers increased significantly.

This study developed an improved export coefficient model by integrating rainfall and topographic correction factors to estimate non-point source nitrogen and phosphorus pollution loads and identify key pollution sources in the Ganjiang River Basin. The accuracy of the original and modified models was systematically compared, and correlation analysis was performed between nitrogen and phosphorus load intensity and monitored concentration data. The results demonstrated an increasing trend in both total pollution loads and load intensities from 2016 to 2020. Total nitrogen and total phosphorus exports increased by 15.99% and 16.37%, respectively, while corresponding load intensities rose by 15.89% and 16.85%. Spatially, the pollution distribution exhibited a characteristic north-high-south-low pattern with localized concentration, indicating higher contamination risks in downstream areas. Land use emerged as the primary source of nitrogen pollution, contributing 51.65% of total nitrogen exports, whereas livestock farming was identified as the dominant phosphorus source, accounting for 36.82% of total phosphorus outputs. The enhanced export coefficient model demonstrated significantly reduced relative errors compared to the original version. Statistical analysis revealed significant correlations (P<0.05) between annual average nitrogen or phosphorus concentrations and load intensities, confirming the improved model's superior accuracy. The refined model enables more precise assessment of watershed non-point source pollution, facilitates identification of major pollution sources, and supports targeted delineation of critical control zones, thereby providing valuable scientific support for non-point source pollution management and remediation strategies in river basins.