Publications by authors named "Zhang Zulin"

This work is the first comprehensive survey of the Yangtze River, covering its origin to the estuary mouth. It focuses on the geographical and industrial factors influencing the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments, along with their contamination levels, sources, and ecological risks. The total concentrations of PAHs ranged from 2.

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Fluoroquinolone antibiotic enrofloxacin (ENR) is frequently detected in agricultural environments. The hormesis and detrimental effects of ENR on crops have been extensively observed. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these crops' responses to ENR remain limited.

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Given the limited research on pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze River (WYR), this work investigated the distribution of 15 PPCPs in this region, assessed their ecological risks and annual fluxes. It was further to analyze the levels of indicator sucralose in the WYR to understand the sources of PPCPs. The results showed the average concentrations were 143.

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Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) are among the most widely-used insecticides, although their threat to non-target organisms has attracted attention in recent years. In this study, a diffusive gradient in thin-films (DGT) passive sampling technique was developed for in situ monitoring of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of NNIs in groundwater and wastewater. Systematic studies demonstrated that DGT with HLB as binding gels (HLB-DGT) is suitable for quantitative sampling of NNIs under a wide range of conditions, independent of pH (5-9.

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Article Synopsis
  • Desertification and wastewater discharge are critical global challenges that impact the sustainable use of natural resources.
  • The study found that using municipal wastewater to cultivate the cyanobacterium Scytonema javanicum initiated the formation of artificial biocrusts in dryland areas, showing promising nutrient retention and photosynthetic activity.
  • The low ecological risk associated with this method indicates its potential for improving soil stability while recycling wastewater, marking an important advancement in sustainable resource management.
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An efficient catalyst of molybdenum disulfide (MoS) coupled with ball milling modified sludge biochar (BMSBC) was prepared to efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for neonicotinoids elimination. As expected, 95.1% of imidacloprid (IMI) was degraded by PMS/BMSBC system within 60 min and it was accompanied by the outstanding mineralization rate of 71.

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Developing non radical systems for antibiotic degradation is crucial for addressing the inefficiency of conventional radical systems. In this study, novel magnetic-modified sludge biochar (MASBC) was synthesized to significantly enhance the oxidative degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) by ferrate (Fe (VI)). In the Fe (VI)/MASBC system, 90.

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  • Penguins in Antarctica are spreading antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) through their guano, impacting lake sediments.
  • Research showed that sediments enriched by penguin guano (OLS) contained significantly more and diverse ARGs compared to nonornithogenic sediments (NOLS), with up to 191 different ARGs detected.
  • The study suggests that penguin activities may contribute more to ARG pollution in these environments than local human activities, linking penguin migration and food chains to global ARG spread.
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  • This study examined the effects of three types of organic waste (sludge, compost, and manure) on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated soil over eight years in a Scottish pasture.
  • Results showed that compost- and sludge-amended soils had higher PAH concentrations (378 μg/kg and 331 μg/kg, respectively) compared to manure-amended soil (223 μg/kg), with compost showing significant increases over time.
  • The health risk assessment indicated low exposure risks from PAHs in the organic wastes, emphasizing the need for further research on the impact of organic waste use in sustainable agriculture.
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This study aimed to design an efficient and easily collected/regenerated adsorbent for trace concentration sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal to eliminate its negative impacts on human health, reduce the risk of adsorbed SMX release and boost the reusability of adsorbent. Various multiple modified sludge-derived biochars (SBC) were synthesized in this work and applied to adsorb trace level SMX. The results demonstrated that hydrothermal N-doping, magnetization coupled with ball milling co-functionalized SBC (BMNSBC) displayed the greater adsorption ability for SMX.

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A novel UV/oxalic acid functionalized corn straw biochar (OCBC)/peroxyacetic acid (PAA) system was built to degrade sulfadiazine from waters. 94.7 % of SDZ was removed within 30 min by UV/OCBC/PAA.

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  • - This study introduces a new type of biochar, Fe/Zn@WBC, made from modified graphitic white melon seed shells, which effectively removes imidacloprid (IMI) contamination from sewage and farmland drainage with an impressive removal rate of 87.69% in just 30 minutes.
  • - The biochar's enhanced performance compared to previous versions is attributed to optimized conditions during its production and chemical adsorption mechanisms that include various interactions like hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attraction.
  • - Fe/Zn@WBC shows great stability across different pH levels and can be regenerated efficiently for multiple uses, achieving an average removal efficiency of 92.02% after three cycles, making it a promising solution for environmental
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Conventional electrochemical activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is not very cost-effective and practical by the excessive input of energy. The electricity generated by photosynthetic microalgae fuel cells (MFCs) is utilized to activate PMS, which would achieve the combination of green bioelectricity and advanced oxidation processes for sustainable pollutants degradation. In this study, a novel dual-chamber of MFCs was constructed by using microalgae as anode electron donor and PMS as cathode electron acceptor, which was operating under both close-circuit and open-circuit conditions.

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In recent years, neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs), representing a new era of pest control, have increasingly replaced traditional classes such as organophosphorus compounds, carbamates, and pyrethroids due to their precise targeting and broad-spectrum efficacy. However, the high water solubility of NNIs has led to their pervasion in aquatic ecosystems, raising concerns about potential risks to non-target organisms and human health. Therefore, there is an urgent need for research on remediating NNI contamination in aquatic environments.

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Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) have attracted global concern due to its extensive use in agricultural activities and their potential risks to the animal and human health, however, there is limited knowledge on the regional traits and ecological risks of NNIs in the aquatic environments. We herein investigated the occurrence of NNIs within the midsection of Yangtze River in China, offering the inaugural comprehensive report on NNIs within this region. In this study, eleven NNIs were analyzed in 108 river water and sediment samples from three seasons (normal, dry and wet season).

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To explore contaminant concerns as a result of anthropogenic disturbance of the river system, this study provided the first extensive investigation of the contamination profiles, possible driving factors, and ecological risks of 40 target compounds including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), neonicotinoid pesticides (NNIs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments of the whole Yangtze River (the world's third longest river). Among these target compounds, PPCPs were the dominant contaminants with a total concentration (∑PPCPs) of 2.13-14.

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Livestock manure is known to be a significant reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), posing a major threat to human health and animal safety. ARGs are found in both intracellular and extracellular DNA fractions. However, there has been no comprehensive analysis of these fractions in commercial organic fertilizers (COFs).

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Although the arsenic contamination and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) during composting have been studied separately, there is limited information on their interactions, particularly, the relationship between arsenic biotransformation genes (ABGs) and ARGs. Therefore, the present study used different forms of arsenic stress (organic and inorganic arsenic at 10 and 50 mg/kg) in pig manure and straw co-composting, to evaluate the effects of arsenic stress on microbial community structures, metabolic function, ABGs, and ARGs. The results showed that arsenic stress had different effects on different parameters and promoted the microbial formation of humic acid and the biodegradation of fulvic acid.

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This study investigated the pollution of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in sediments from the main stream of the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia. Totally, 13 of 15 PFASs were detected in the sediments and the total concentrations ranged from 0.058 ng/g to 0.

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Mature compost is safe and stable, yet quality assessments are challenging owing to current maturity indicators' limitations. This study employed density fractionation to separate organic carbon into light and heavy fractions, offering a new perspective for assessing maturity. Results showed that light fraction organic carbon progressively transitioned into heavy fraction during composting, reducing the proportion of total organic carbon from 82.

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A novel approach of ball milling and oxalic acid was employed to modify sludge-based biochar (BOSBC) to boost its activation performance for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) towards efficient degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX). 98.6% of SMX was eliminated by PMS/BOSBC system within 60 min.

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Phthalate esters (PAEs) are the most ubiquitous and highly used plasticizers in plastic products globally, yet studies on the spatial variation, risks, and their correlation with microplastics (MPs) are limited, particularly throughout the Yangtze River (the largest river in China/Asia). Therefore, this study investigated for the first time the PAEs pollution characteristics throughout the Yangtze River sediments, studied the environmental factors linked to the distribution of PAEs, and explored their potential as chemical indicators for interpreting pollution patterns of MPs. Totally 14 out of 16 PAEs were detected in sediments, with total concentrations ranging from 84.

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A novel functional biochar (BC) was prepared from industrial waste red mud (RM) and low-cost walnut shell by one facile-step pyrolysis method to adsorb phosphorus (P) in wastewater. The preparation conditions for RM-BC were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. The adsorption characteristics of P were investigated in batch mode experiments, while a variety of techniques were used to characterize RM-BC composites.

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This study aimed to explore the potential for transferring nutrients from municipal wastewater through the cultivation of biocrust cyanobacteria, since little is known regarding the growth and bioremediation performance of biocrust cyanobacteria in actual wastewater, especially their interaction with indigenous bacteria. Therefore, in this study, the biocrust cyanobacterium, Scytonema hyalinum was cultivated in municipal wastewater under different light intensities, to establish a biocrust cyanobacteria-indigenous bacteria (BCIB) co-culture system, in order to investigate its nutrient removal efficiency. Our results revealed that the cyanobacteria-bacteria consortium could remove up to 91.

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This work is the first time to investigate the annual flux, spatiotemporal changes and sources of PCBs and PBDEs in water and sediment from the middle reach of Yangtze River (Wuhan, China), which was particularly based on the monthly monitoring data in a one-year-round study. The concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs in water were View Article and Find Full Text PDF