Many sediments are contaminated with mixtures of oil residues and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but little is known about the toxicity of such mixtures to sediment-dwelling organisms and the change in toxicity on weathering. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a seminatural, two-year weathering period on PAH/oil chemistry and toxicity in a marine sediment that had been spiked with three different oils (a gas oil, a lubricating oil, and a crude oil; all tested at five concentrations). Toxicity of bioavailable, pore water-accommodated oil/PAH fractions was quantified using a bacterial (Vibrio fischeri) assay and the in vitro chemical-activated luciferase expression assay (DR-CALUX; using conditions to detect PAHs). Results of chemical analyses pointed to (microbial) degradation of all three oils: Sediment oxygen demand during weathering increased with increasing oil concentration, total oil concentrations decreased to between 17 and 29% of initial levels, and resolved n-alkanes were depleted in weathered oil fractions. Furthermore, a shift in the relative importance of different boiling-point fraction ranges of the oils was observed on weathering. Generally, the lowest fraction range (C10-C16) disappeared, whereas the relative proportion of the highest (C28-C40) fraction range increased considerably. Remarkably, for the gas oil, this fraction shift was dependent on the oil concentration in sediment. Similarly, degradation of PAHs was strongly affected by the sedimentary oil content, indicating that the presence of oil stimulated PAH degradation. This phenomenon applied to both low- and high-molecular-weight PAHs, although the first group (3- and 4-ring PAHs) was degraded most. Results from the V. fischeri and DR-CALUX assay showed that in most cases, pore-water toxicity decreased on weathering. Combining the assay responses with chemical data indicated that the observed toxicity probably was not caused by the analyzed PAHs but, rather, by specific oil constituents instead.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1897/05-296r.1 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, College of Chemistry and Materials, iChem (Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials), Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Emulsion interface engineering has been widely employed for the synthesis of nanomaterials with various morphologies. However, the instability of the liquid-liquid interface and uncertain interfacial interactions impose significant limitations on controllable fabrications. Here, we developed a liquid-nano-liquid interface-oriented anisotropic encapsulation strategy for fabricating asymmetric nanohybrids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Skin Wound Care
January 2025
Öznur Tiryaki, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Midwifery, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey. Hamide Zengin, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Pediatric Nursing, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey. Also at Sakarya University, Nursan Çınar, PhD, RN, is Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pediatric Nursing; Meltem Karabay, MD, is Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Research and Training Hospital of Sakarya, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics; İbrahim Caner, MD, is Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Research and Training Hospital of Sakarya, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics; and Ertuğrul Güçlü, MD, is Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology.
Objective: To determine the effects of sunflower seed oil and coconut oil on the skin integrity and weight gain of preterm infants in the neonatal ICU.
Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 66 preterm neonates (34-37 weeks' gestation) in the neonatal ICU of a training and research hospital were equally divided into three groups: sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, and control. The weights of neonates in all three groups were measured at admission to the neonatal ICU, at discharge, and at 1 month postdischarge.
Soft Matter
January 2025
Van 't Hoff Laboratory of Physical and Colloid Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Bicontinuous particle-stabilized emulsions (bijels) are unique soft materials that combine the bulk properties of two immiscible fluids into a single interconnected structure. This structure is achieved through the formation of two interwoven fluid networks, stabilized by an interfacial layer of colloidal particles. Bijels with submicron-scale domain networks can be synthesized solvent transfer-induced phase separation (STrIPS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Nagaland, Chumukedima, Dimapur 797103, India.
An exceedingly porous and interwoven fibrous structure was achieved in this study by interlocking titanium carbide (TiC) MXenes onto the electrospun mats using poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) as the base polymer. The fibrous membrane was further modified with the inclusion of zinc oxide (ZnO) and tungstite (WO·HO) nano/microstructures via annealing and hydrothermal approaches. Through these strategic interfaced morphological developments in novel TiC/ZnO/WO·HO heterostructures, our findings reveal enhanced wettability and charge-segregation desirable for promoting oil-water separation and photoreactivity, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Sci Instrum
January 2025
J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
Ignition of the lubricating fluid in a mechanical system is a highly undesirable and unsafe condition that can arise from the elevated temperatures and pressures to which the lubricant is subjected. It is therefore important to understand the fundamental chemistry behind its ignition to predict and prevent this condition. Lubricating oils, particularly those with a mineral oil base, are very complex mixtures of thousands of hydrocarbons.
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