Microplastic fragmentation by rotifers in aquatic ecosystems contributes to global nanoplastic pollution.

The role of aquatic organisms in the biological fragmentation of microplastics and their contribution to global nanoplastic pollution are poorly understood. Here we present a biological fragmentation pathway that generates nanoplastics during the ingestion of microplastics by rotifers, a commonly found and globally distributed surface water zooplankton relevant for nutrient recycling. Both marine and freshwater rotifers could rapidly grind polystyrene, polyethylene and photo-aged microplastics, thus releasing smaller particulates during ingestion.

Mechanistic Understanding toward the Maternal Transfer of Nanoplastics in .

Nanoplastics induce transgenerational toxicity to aquatic organisms, but the specific pathways for the maternal transfer of nanoplastics remain unclear. Herein, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) observations identified the specific pathways on the maternal transfer of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics (25 nm) in . and experiments showed that PS nanoplastics could enter the brood chamber through its opening and then be internalized to eggs and embryos using LSCM imaging (pathway I).

The effects of salinity changes on anammox performance: The response rule and tolerance mechanism.

Some wastewaters contain high concentrations of ammonia coexisting with large amounts of salt, which might negatively affect the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process. In this study, the performance of the anammox process under different saline conditions was investigated using an upflow anaerobic sludge bed-anammox system. After long-term operating for 275 days, the results indicated that the nitrogen removal efficiency remained high under the 0-40 g NaCl/L, and low salinity (15 g NaCl/L) substantially promoted specific anammox activity.

Precise Tailoring of Polyester Bottlebrush Amphiphiles toward Eco-Friendly Photonic Pigments via Interfacial Self-Assembly.

Biodegradable photonic microspheres with structural colors are promising substitutes to polluting microbeads and toxic dyes. Here, amphiphilic polyester-block-poly(ethylene glycol) bottlebrush block copolymers (BBCPs) with polylactic acid or poly(ϵ-caprolactone) as the hydrophobic block are synthesized and used to fabricate eco-friendly photonic pigments. Molecular parameters of BBCPs, including rigidity and symmetry, are precisely tailored by variation of side chain lengths, which enables effective manipulation of interfacial tension (γ).

Heteroaggregation between graphene oxide and titanium dioxide particles of different shapes in aqueous phase.

Graphene oxide (GO) inevitably interacts with engineered and/or natural nanoparticles (NPs) after releasing into aquatic environments. It is observed that GO could form heteroaggregates with differently shaped TiO NP at pHs 4.0 and 7.

Improvement of Biomineralization of as Biocementing Material for Concrete Repair by Atmospheric and Room Temperature Plasma Mutagenesis and Response Surface Methodology.

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has recently become an intelligent and environmentally friendly method for repairing cracks in concrete. To improve on this ability of microbial materials concrete repair, we applied random mutagenesis and optimization of mineralization conditions to improve the quantity and crystal form of microbially precipitated calcium carbonate. ATCC 11859 was used as the starting strain to obtain the mutant with high urease activity by atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis.

Use of thermally modified waste concrete powder for removal of Pb (II) from wastewater: Effects and mechanism.

Exploring effective uses of waste concrete powder (WCP), produced from recycling of construction & demolition waste is beneficial to the environment and sustainable development. In this study, WCP was first treated thermally to enhance the ability to remove Pb (II) from aqueous solutions. The experimental results revealed that the thermal treatment could enhance adsorption capacity due to modification of calcium bonding and pore structure of WCP.

Localization of Two Sound Sources Based on Compressed Matched Field Processing with a Short Hydrophone Array in the Deep Ocean.

Passive multiple sound source localization is a challenging problem in underwater acoustics, especially for a short hydrophone array in the deep ocean. Several attempts have been made to solve this problem by applying compressive sensing (CS) techniques. In this study, one greedy algorithm in CS theory combined with a spatial filter was developed and applied to a two-source localization scenario in the deep ocean.