Characteristics and potential cytotoxicity of halogenated organic compounds in shale gas wastewater-impacted surface waters in Chongqing area， China.

Recent screening surveys have shown the presence of unknown source halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) in shale gas wastewater. However, their occurrence, profile, transport in surrounding surface water and environmental risk potentials remain unclear. Here, a method for the extraction and quantitative determination of 13 HOCs in water by solid phase extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was established.

Toxicity Assessment of Octachlorostyrene in Human Liver Carcinoma (HepG2) Cells.

Octachlorostyrene (OCS) is a ubiquitous persistent organic pollutant; however, information regarding the toxicological effects of OCS remains limited. In this study, we studied the toxicity mechanisms of OCS using human liver carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The results showed that OCS reduced cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner.

Removal of triclosan from water by sepiolite supported bimetallic Fe/Ni nanoparticles.

A simple and low-cost route to fabricate sepiolite-supported bimetallic Fe/Ni (Sep-Fe/Ni) nanoparticles was obtained by synchronous liquid phase reduction method. The as prepared composite was used to remove triclosan (TCS) from aqueous solutions. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis were used for characterization of the materials.

Metal contamination, bioaccumulation, ROS generation, and epigenotoxicity influences on zebrafish exposed to river water polluted by mining activities.

Epigenetic mechanisms are important for gene expression regulation, which is closely related to human health, and epigenetic effects of polluted water bodies have gained increasing research attention. Le'an River suffers from severe trace metal pollution owing to mining activities. In this study, zebrafish was used as a biological model to study pollution of Le'an River after seven consecutive days of exposure.

Assessment of waste hardened cement mortar utilization as an alternative sorbent to remove SO in flue gas.

Developing efficient low-cost absorbents has been recognized as a prerequisite for industrial application of wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD). Herein, hardened cement mortar (HCM) particles developed from waste concrete blocks were used as an innovative absorbent for SO. The results show that the SO in flue gas can be completely absorbed by the highly alkaline HCM slurry.

Fines isolated from waste concrete as a new material for the treatment of phosphorus wastewater.

Waste concrete is a key component of construction and demolition (C&D) waste produced in billions of tons. Exploring new technology for recycling waste concrete has become a global concern. Meanwhile, phosphorus (P) removal from wastewater consumes lots of natural minerals, leading to a heavy burden on the environment.

Persistent DNA methylation changes in zebrafish following graphene quantum dots exposure in surface chemistry-dependent manner.

Modified nano-graphene quantum dots (M-GQDs) are widely used in bioimaging, drug delivery, and chemical engineering. Because M-GQDs could induce reactive oxygen species and DNA damage, we hypothesized that M-GQDs modulate DNA methylation. To test this hypothesis, zebrafish were exposed to reduced, hydroxylated, or aminated GQDs (graphene quantum dots) at different concentrations for 7 days; global DNA methylation in liver, gill, and intestine was then studied.

Assessment of trace metal contamination and ecological risk in the forest ecosystem of dexing mining area in northeast Jiangxi Province, China.

Samples of soil, earthworms, and tree roots from the forest ecosystem in the Dexing Pb/Zn mining area of Jiangxi Province were collected and the status of trace metal pollution analyzed to assess potential ecological risks. Chemometric and geographic information system methods were used to identify and describe the spatial distributions and the main contamination sources of trace metals. The order of potential ecological risks of trace metals in this area are as follows: cadmium (Cd) > arsenic (As) > copper (Cu) > nickel (Ni) > lead (Pb) > chromium (Cr) > zinc (Zn).

Trace metal pollution and ecological risk assessment in agricultural soil in Dexing Pb/Zn mining area, China.

Surface agricultural soil samples obtained from Dexing Pb/Zn mining area in Jiangxi province were analyzed for trace metals to assess their pollution status and potential ecological risk. The spatial distributions and the major trace metals pollution sources were described and identified with the combination of chemical measures and geographic information systems technology. The level of pollution in seven metals is decreasing in the following order: zinc (Zn 128.