Hydrocarbon Pollution Research Articles

Value-Added Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Via Methanol Oxidation over a Synergetic Pt1-W Dual-Site Catalyst

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising way of generating hydrogen for future sustainable green energy source technology options to replace nonrenewable and environmentally pollutant hydrocarbon energy sources. However, due to its high overpotential in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and low-value product O2, some candidate anodic reactions with low potential should be proposed to replace OER, such as alcohol oxidation. Unlike fuel cell applications, partial oxidation is preferred to achieve high-value products rather than complete oxidation. For this purpose, we design a synergistic effect Pt1-W site on the dual-doped TiO2 support (Ti0.8W0.2NxOy) to catalyze alkaline methanol oxidation and gain 90% selectivity of formate production. Comparing the case of the Pt nanoparticles (69% selectivity of formaldehyde), the Pt single-atom catalyst controls selectivity and enhances the reactivity and stability attributed to the strong catalyst-support interaction. As a result, this work shows a novel strategy for electrochemical hydrogen production at far lower anodic potential by designing a stable and efficient Pt-based single-atom catalyst.

Characterising polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in road dusts and stormwater in urban environments.

The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution on urban road surfaces is one of the major environmental concerns. However, knowledge on the distribution variability of PAHs in road dusts (RDS) and stormwater is limited, which would restrict the further risk evaluation and mitigation implementation of PAHs in road stormwater runoff. This study collected RDS samples and stormwater samples on fourteen urban roads in Shenzhen, China. This study investigated the variation of sixteen PAHs species in RDS and stormwater, and further evaluated the intrinsic and extrinsic factors which influence PAHs accumulation on urban road surfaces. The research outcomes showed significant differences on spatial distribution of PAHs in RDS and in stormwater. The land use types, industrial, commercial and port areas and vehicular volume have a positive relationship with PAHs abundance while dust particle size showed a negative correlation with PAHs abundance. For two phases in stormwater, fluctuation of PAHs with the rainfall duration in total dissolved solid (TDS) was more intensive than in dissolved liquid phase (DLP). This indicated when PAHs attached to RDS enter stormwater, most of PAHs still tend to be on solid particles than in liquid. The study outcomes are expected to contribute to efficient designs of PAHs polluted stormwater mitigation.

Enrichment characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coal gangue of the Huaibei Coalfield, China

Coal gangue, a by-product of coal mining, deteriorates and oxidizes, causing environmental pollution. Despite extensive research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) pollution in soil, aerosols, and water, studies on PAHs in coal gangue remain limited. This study aimed to fill this research gap by analyzing gangue samples from three areas in Huaibei. Sixteen priority parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16PAHs) and alkyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (aPAHs) in the samples were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively via gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. The results showed that PAHs existed naturally in coal gangue. The aPAHs concentration of multiple samples from the same area (587.88 ng/g, 2972.73 ng/g, and 13528.29 ng/g from Liuqiao, Suntan, and Tongting, respectively) was higher than the 16PAHs concentration (528.79 ng/g, 570.16 ng/g, and 2818.79 ng/g from Liuqiao, Suntan, and Tongting, respectively). Among the 39 samples, the aPAHs concentration after weathering was 7732.78 ng/g, which was higher than the value in the fresh state of 4765.43 ng/g. 16PAHs with low ring number were dominant in the fresh state, but aPAHs with high ring number were dominant after weathering. The diagnostic ratios revealed that traditional diagnostic ratios may confuse sources of PAHs and that gangue should be considered as a single class of source materials. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the ratio between the weathered and fresh state. TEQBaP analysis showed that there was a certain environmental risk in the area and that TEQBaP(weathered) > TEQBaP(fresh). Therefore, the pollution attributable to PAHs in coal gangue, especially weathered gangue, warrants attention.

Bioremediation of contaminated soil by crude oil of Baiji refinery by extraction of the local dominant bacteria

Abstract In most communities, soil contamination is a problem as it affects people and the environment. Because oil spills on soil substantially impact the environment, accidental infusions and spills of ore oils frequently result in a complete or partial exchange of the soil pore fluid by oil-contaminated soils, altering the geotechnical engineering characteristics. Therefore, efficiently removing petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants from contaminated soil is urgently needed. A novel technique that is gaining popularity worldwide to clean up places polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons is known as bioremediation. This study browser the fundamental processes involved in bioremediation and removal efficiency of TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon) within different periods for (the Baiji refinery) which is polluted with crude oil as a result of numerous oil wells, oil drilling, pipeline, and storage tank damage, natural seepage, and spills during the conflict and Noory channel which content crude oil, waste of refinery process and sludge. The research aims to extract the dominant bacteria in the contaminated soil and use the last in bioremediation and find out the differences in its effectiveness in treating total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) later. The result indicates that the dominant bacteria are Stutzerimonas balearica and Bacillus subtilis which are used later in bioremediation and can digest TPH. The removal efficiency of TPH during the study period was 55, 65, 68, 78, 82, 85, and 92% for spilled samples and 50, 62, 66, 70, 80, 84, and 90% for the Noory channel, respectively.

Hydrocarbon Degradation and Biodegraders in Oil Spillage Sites in Port Harcourt

Information on remediation of soils polluted from the activities of artisanal crude oil refining is lacking. The functional capability of the indigenous microbial community and prospects for recovery of important bio-resources has also not been explored. The aim of this study was to identify the hydrocarbon biodegrader present in oil spillage sites in Port Harcourt. Samples were taken from various sites (labelled ss1, ss2, ss3 and controls) in Port Harcourt and the samples were transported to the lab for bacteriological assessment. The samples were cultured in Nutrient agar and Basal Salt Medium (BSM). The total heterotrophic bacteria counts were enumerated by serially diluting the fluid sample. Microbial characterization was done based on morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. From the results, Pseudomonas species and Bacillus species were the probable isolated from the culture of hydrocarbon contaminated environment. The results also revealed increased compared to the control organism that maintained the same growth level throughout the 5 days of incubation, the isolated bacteria (Pseudomonas species and Bacillus species) had steady bacterial growth. This study has shown that Bacillus species and Pseudomonas aeroginosa are potential agents of bioremediation of environmental hydrocarbon pollution.

Removal of hydrocarbon pollutants from refinery wastewater using N-hexadecylchitosan as an efficient adsorptive platform

The negative impact of refinery wastewater is of great concern to the aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial environment. In this study, N-hexadecylchitosan (NHDC) was successfully synthesized to deal with low mechanical strength, poor adsorption capacity, and limited selectivity of native chitosan. The NHDC was characterized by fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD) to study its composition, morphology, and structural attributes. The adsorption of hydrocarbon pollutants from refinery wastewater was studied in batch mode experiments. The results indicated that the removal of COD attained by chitosan and NHDC was 21 and 63%, respectively. COD removal was found to be maximal, i.e., 96% using 0.08 g of NHDC at 60 min in a solution of pH 6.5 maintained at 60 °C. Furthermore, kinetic data revealed that the adsorption system followed pseudo-second order kinetics, whereas equilibrium studies supported both monolayer and multilayer adsorption mechanisms. The designed adsorption platform was able to capture hydrocarbon pollutants under very mild optimized conditions. Furthermore, NHDC demonstrated long term stability when subjected to five successive cycles, which contributed to the sustainability of water treatment systems. On the basis of the outcome of this work, it is advocated that new biobased NHDC can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the remediation of organic contaminants laden wastewater streams generated from oil refineries.

Micro-particle-clay aided microporous support for removal of hydrocarbon toxicity from petroleum refinery wastewater in single-slope solar distillation

The removal of toxic hydrocarbon pollutants is not sustainable via conventional treatment technology. This research investigates the feasibility of a solar distillation (SSD) system to eliminate soluble hydrocarbon salts, stubborn organics, and separation of oil emulsion from petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW). The PRW collected from the petroleum refinery facility and hydrophilic micro-particle clay (MP-clay) samples were characterized following the ASTM and SEM techniques. The treatment process for the removal of total dissolved salts (TDS), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and separation of oil emulsion was monitored in the SSD still using MP-clay aided microporous filter support, at varying MP-clay concentrations (0.5–3.5 mg/L), pH (6.6–7.3), temperature (27–80 0C), and exposure time (1–18hrs) respectively. The results showed MP-clay as self-assembled monolayers on microporous support with a 98 % reduction in BOD concentration under optimum conditions: pH of 7.3, contact time of 9 hours, and MP-clay concentration of 3.2 mg/L. The TDS concentration decreased by 94 % at the optimal exposure time (15hrs) and temperature (48 0C) in SSD still. The investigation also examined the recyclability of MP-clay for oil content accumulation and water separation. The findings demonstrated MP-clay on reuse retained 90.5 % of its activity in water separation and established MP-clay can be operated to the optimum of 3 cycles, each lasting 60 minutes. After this period, reactivity loss becomes severe owing to lipase leakage and substrate obstruction. The research findings will help harness solar energy for environmentally friendly and cost-effective PRW remediation.

Ecoanatomical Affiliation of Halophyte in Hydrocarbon Polluted Sites in Parts of Bodo Coastal Creeks, Rivers State, Nigeria

The increasing demand for energy supply and revenue has led to an ever increasing oil exploration and exploitation in parts of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. This has also led to an increase in hydrocarbon pollution leading to the destruction of the plant and animal ecosystems in parts of Rivers State. This study was aimed at investigating the impact of hydrocarbon pollution on the stem and root anatomy of a special group of plants- “Halophytes” present in polluted and unpolluted areas of Bodo Creek, Gokana in Ogoni land Rivers State. The result reveal diverse structural aberrations and challenges involving the species inability to pick up stains thereby limiting the clarity of focus, conversion of air/intercellular spaces into vacuoles filled with oil, rearrangement of the vascular bundles, thickening of the sclerenchyma cells, damage of vital parts of stem and root tissues as well as shrinkage and detachment of cortex from the epidermis leading to the reduction of the air compartments. All these are the anatomical distortion associated with the impact on hydrocarbon pollution on the internal structures of these halophytes when compared with the structures of sections in the controlled unpolluted site.

Synthesis of aminopropyl triethoxysilane/melamine incorporated superhydrophilic membranes for simultaneous removal of oil, metals, and Salt ions from produced water

Water treatment has turned out to be more important in most societies due to the expansion of most economies and to advancement of industrialization. Developing efficient materials and technologies for water treatment is of high interest. Thin film nanocomposite membranes are regarded as the most effective membranes available for salts, hydrocarbon, and environmental pollutants removal. These membranes improve productivity while using less energy than conventional asymmetric membranes. Here, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes have been successfully modified via dip single-step coating by silica-aminopropyl triethoxysilane/trimesic acid/melamine nanocomposite (Si-APTES-TA-MM). The developed membranes were evaluated for separating the emulsified oil/water mixture, the surface wettability of the membrane materials is therefore essential. During the conditioning step, that is when the freshwater was introduced, the prepared membrane reached a flux of about 27.77 L m−2 h−1. However, when the contaminated water was introduced, the flux reached 18 L m−2 h−1, alongside an applied pressure of 400 kPa. Interestingly, during the first 8 h of the filtration test, the membrane showed 90 % rejection for ions including Mg2+, and SO42− and ≈100 % for organic pollutants including pentane, isooctane, toluene, and hexadecane. Also, the membrane showed 98 % rejection for heavy metals including strontium, lead, and cobalt ions. As per the results, the membrane could be recommended as a promising candidate to be used for a mixture of salt ions, hydrocarbons, and mixtures of heavy metals from wastewater.

Insight into interaction among soil microbial community, soil metabolomics and enzyme activity after long-term PAH stress

The problem of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution in coking plant sites has been widely studied in recent years, but there is a lack of research on the correlation between soil microorganisms, soil metabolomics, and soil properties. Thus, in this study, the long-term impact of coke combustion on soil microbial community structure, enzyme activities, and metabolic pathways within a former coking plant site was investigated. Soil samples were collected from both the coking production area (CA group) and office area (OLA group), approximately 0 to 20 cm in depth. Compared with OLA group, elevated levels of 16 PAHs in the list of USA EPA were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the CA group. Several dominant microorganisms, such as Altererythrobacter, Lysobacter, and Sulfurifustis, were identified by 16 s ribosomal DNA sequencing in the CA group. The fatty acid biosynthesis pathway exhibited specific inhibition, while the phenylalanine metabolic pathway was promoted in response to PAH stress. Long-term PAH exposure led to the inhibition of soil urease activity. The co-occurrence network of microorganisms revealed intricate patterns of co-metabolism and co-adaptation within complex bacterial communities, facilitating their adaptation to and decomposition of soil-borne PAHs. This research could provide valuable insights into the community characteristics and metabolic mechanisms of microorganisms inhabiting PAH-polluted soil within coking plant sites. The findings enhance our understanding of the indigenous soil microbiome and its intricate network dynamics under the persistent stress of PAHs, contributing to a more comprehensive knowledge of soil ecosystems in such environments.

Development of an effective QSAR-based hazard threshold prediction model for the ecological risk assessment of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds.

The insufficient hazard thresholds of specific individual aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (AHCs) with diverse structures limit their ecological risk assessment. Thus, herein, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for estimating the hazard threshold of AHCs were developed based on the hazardous concentration for 5% of species (HC5) determined using the optimal species sensitivity distribution models and on the molecular descriptors calculated via the PADEL software and ORCA software. Results revealed that the optimal QSAR model, which involved eight descriptors, namely, Zagreb, GATS2m, VR3_Dzs, AATSC2s, GATS2c, ATSC2i, ω, and Vm, displayed excellent performance, as reflected by an optimal goodness of fit (R2adj = 0.918), robustness (Q2LOO = 0.869), and external prediction ability (Q2F1 = 0.760, Q2F2 = 0.782, and Q2F3 = 0.774). The hazard thresholds estimated using the optimal QSAR model were approximately close to the published water quality criteria developed by different countries and regions. The quantitative structure-toxicity relationship demonstrated that the molecular descriptors associated with electrophilicity and topological and electrotopological properties were important factors that affected the risks of AHCs. A new and reliable approach to estimate the hazard threshold of ecological risk assessment for various aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants was provided in this study, which can be widely popularised to similar contaminants with diverse structures.

Isolation, Screening and Biochemical Characterization of Used Engine Oil Degrading Bacillus Species and Pseudomonas Species

Extensive demand of natural resources has resulted in several large-scale unintentional hydrocarbon oil spills and environmental catastrophes due to the rising demand for fossil fuel energy. These hydrocarbon pollutants have effect on environment and human health. Spectrophotometric and Biochemical Methods are used for the research. Soil sample were collected from two different contaminated areas and used engine oil, the bacteria were isolated and tested for evaluation of bacterial growth and biodegradation by enrichment technique using Bushnell Hass broth with used engine oil as sole carbon source. The results show that Pseudomonas specie were capable of degrading used engine oil which remove 80% of the oil and Bacillus specie which remove 65% of the used engine oil. This illustrates that hydrocarbon biodegrading bacteria can be used for remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil.

Effect of Hydrocarbon Pollution on the Fungal Communities of the White and Barents Sea Littoral Sediments

The effect of hydrocarbon pollution on the fungal communities of littoral sediments of the cold-water White and Barents seas was investigated. The samples were collected at locations with different levels of pollution with oil products, from ports to relatively undisturbed areas. Using the diesel fuel-containing medium resulted in detection of hydrocarbon-degrading fungi in almost all studied samples, although in all cases they were less diverse than sugar-degrading fungi. In this relatively small group, Penicillium chrysogenum and Penicillium brevicompactum were the most common organisms. Fungal communities isolated on a sugar-containing medium exhibited higher diversity and abundance, with being the most common sugar degraders. The major factors affecting the structure of the fungal communities were the percentage of hydrocarbons in the total mass of organic carbon in the samples in the case of hydrocarbon-degrading fungi and location, for sugar degraders. In the experiment, the highest hydrocarbon-degrading activity was shown for Penicillium chrysogenum (the loss of residual hydrocarbons was 77.4%), Cadophora fastigiata (72%), and Tolypocladium inflatum (67.2%).

Brucella pituitosastrain BU72, a new hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium through exopolysaccharide-based surfactant production.

Hydrocarbon and heavy metal pollution are amongst the most severe and prevalent environmental problems due to their toxicity and persistence. Bioremediation using microorganisms is considered one of the most effective ways to treat polluted sites. In the present study, we unveil the bioremediation potential of Brucella pituitosa strain BU72. Besides its ability to grow on multiple hydrocarbons as the sole carbon source and highly tolerant to several heavy metals, BU72 produces different exopolysaccharide-based surfactants (EBS) when grown with glucose or with crude oil as sole carbon source. These EBS demonstrated particular and specific functional groups as determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis that showed a strong absorption peak at 3250 cm-1 generated by the -OH group for both EBS. The FTIR spectra of the produced EBS revealed major differences in functional groups and protein content. To better understand the EBS production coupled with the degradation of hydrocarbons and heavy metal resistance, the genome of strain BU72 was sequenced. Annotation of the genome revealed multiple genes putatively involved in EBS production pathways coupled with resistance to heavy metals genes such as arsenic tolerance and cobalt-zinc-cadmium resistance. The genome sequence analysis showed the potential of BU72 to synthesise secondary metabolites and the presence of genes involved in plant growth promotion. Here, we describe the physiological, metabolic, and genomic characteristics of Brucella pituitosa strain BU72, indicating its potential as a bioremediation agent.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in community drinking water, Nsisioken, Nigeria: Source and health risk assessment.

In 2011, the United Nations Environment Programme discovered high levels of hydrocarbon pollution in drinking water wells in Nsisioken Agbi Ogale Rivers State, Nigeria. However, the level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the same community's water supply was unknown. A comprehensive study of PAHs in three household dug wells and three boreholes was conducted using Agilent 7890B gas chromatography and 5975A mass spectrometry. The detected PAHs were mainly 4 - 5 ringed PAHs, such as Chrysene, Fluoranthene, Pyrene, Benzo[a]anthracene, and Benzo[b]fluoranthene. The total mean concentration was 5.8 ± 2.3 μg/L, with values ranging from not detected in borehole 3 to 8.0 μg/L at well 2. Source identification analysis suggested that the PAHs originated from fuel and biomass combustion. The incremental lifetime cancer risk for children and adults due to groundwater ingestion and skin contact ranged from ND to 7.448 × 10-3 and ND to 1.83 × 10-3 respectively. The Risk index (RI) values from ingestion and dermal routes were 1.5 ×10-2 and 2.4 × 10-2, indicating high risk of cancer. The hazard quotient for the two non-carcinogenic PAHs was greater than 1, indicating high toxicity. The PAH concentrations exceeded the maximum contamination limits set by the World Health Organization and the U.S. environmental Protection Agency, highlighting potential health risks associated with water use in the community. Authorities should provide a safe alternative water source for the community.

Treatment of hydrocarbon marine pollution with cloud point extraction

AbstractThe release of hydrocarbons (HC) into the marine environment has serious consequences, both economically and ecologically. This work presents an efficient process to remove HC pollution from seawater: cloud point extraction (CPE), considered to be a reliable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly method, using the readily biodegradable nonionic surfactants Lutensol ON30 and Tergitol 15‐S‐7. A real salt water sample with a high chemical oxygen demand (COD = 1700 mg O2/L) was thus treated. First, the phase diagrams of the binary systems (water–surfactant), and the pseudo‐binary systems (water–surfactant–HC), were determined. Second, after a 24 h settling time, considered as optimal, the extraction results, that is, residual soluble COD, residual percentage of surfactant in the dilute phase and volume fraction of coacervate at equilibrium, were expressed in terms of temperature and initial surfactant concentration. For each parameter, the results obtained were modeled using the response surface methodology and represented on three‐dimensional diagrams. They show that the COD can be reduced to 10 and 15 mg O2/L, using Lutensol ON30 and Tergitol 15‐S‐7, respectively, under seawater temperature conditions. Finally, it was shown that the surfactant can be recycled. The present work demonstrates that CPE can reduce the HC content of seawater on a laboratory scale.

Metabolic Characterization and Geochemical Drivers of Active Hydrocarbon‐Degrading Microorganisms

AbstractUnderstanding the metabolic characteristics and controlled geochemical factors of functional microorganisms in petroleum‐contaminated areas at different locations is pivotal for enhancing pollutant removal strategies. To address the existing research gap in this domain, we employed stable‐isotope‐probing (SIP) with multi‐isotope labeling substrates, combined with 16S amplicon sequencing, metagenomic sequencing, and geochemical factor analysis. Utilizing n‐hexadecane and phenanthrene as model compounds, our study revealed location‐specific differences in the composition of functional microorganisms. Despite these variances, key players such as Pseudomonas, Marinobacter, Alcanivorax, Ochrobactrum, and Sphingomonas consistently emerged as active degraders of n‐hexadecane and/or phenanthrene. Several genera, including Pseudomonas, Ochrobactrum, Alcanivorax, Nitriliruptoraceae, and Sphingobacterium, demonstrated versatility by effectively degrading both contaminants. SIP‐metagenomic binning facilitated the acquisition of genomes from key active degraders, such as Pseudomonas sp., Ochrobactrum sp., Sphingomonas sp., and Shinella sp. This enabled a comprehensive analysis of petroleum hydrocarbon degradation pathways and genes, encompassing PAH dioxygenase genes, alkB genes, phthalate, and salicylate‐related pathways. Environmental factor and variation partitioning analysis revealed that oil pollution significantly influences the functional microbial community (12%), followed by available potassium and available nitrogen. Geochemical parameters and geographic location independently explained 14% and 21% of total variations, respectively. Intriguingly, more than half (51%) of the variation in functional microbial community structure remains unexplained, possibly due to unmeasured environmental variables. Our study contributes valuable insights into the in situ bioremediation mechanism for petroleum‐contaminated soil, elucidating factors influencing functional microbial structures across locations. These findings provide a vital theoretical reference for in situ regulation and bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in diverse environmental contexts.

Real-time in situ detection of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution in soils via a novel optical methodology

Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination in soils is considered one of the most serious problems currently, of which the detection and identification is a fairly significant but challenging work. Conventional methods to do such work usually need complex sample pretreatment, consume much time and fail to do the in-situ detection. This paper set out to create a novel systematic methodology to realize the goals accurately and efficiently. Based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and self-improved machine learning methods, the innovative methodology only uses extremely simple devices to do the real-time in situ detection and identification work and even realize the quantitative analysis of pollution level accurately. In the study, clean soils mixed with petroleum were served as polluted samples, clean soils to be the blank group for comparison. Based on the elemental information from the spectra obtained by LIBS, machine learning methods were improved and helped optimized the algorithm to identify the PHC polluted soil samples for the first time. Furthermore, a novel model was designed to perform the quantitative analysis of the concentration of PHC pollution in soils, which can be applied to detect the degree of PHC contamination in soils accurately. Finally, the harmful volatile component of the PHC polluted soils was also successfully and identified despite its extremely minimal content in the air. The newly-designed methodology is novel and efficient, which has extensive application prospect in the real-time in situ detection of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution.

Ultrafine CuO/graphene oxide cellulose nanocomposites with complementary framework for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants removal

Efficient and sustainable methods for eliminating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants (PAHPs) are in highly desired. Proven technologies involve physical and chemical reactions that absorb PAHPs, however they encounter formidable challenges. Here, a bottom-up refining-grain strategy is proposed to rationally design ultrafine CuO/graphene oxide-cellulose nanocomposites (LCelCCu) with a mirror-like for tetracycline (TC) to substantially improve the efficient of the purification process by active integrated-sorption. The LCelCCu captures TC with a higher affinity and lower energy demand, as determined by sorption kinetic, isotherms, thermodynamics, and infrared and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The resulting material could achieve ultra-high sorption capacity (2775.23 mg/g), kinetic (1.2499 L g−1 h−1) and high selectivity (up to 99.9 %) for TC, nearly surpassing all recent adsorbents. This study simultaneously unveils the pioneering role of simultaneous multi-site match sorption and subsequent advanced oxidation synergistically, fundamentally enhancing understanding of the structure-activity-selectivity relationship and inspires more sustainable water purification applications and broader material design considerations.

Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their human health risks depend on the characteristics of microplastics in marine organisms of Sanggou Bay, China

Microplastics pose a threat to marine environments through their physical presence and as vectors of chemical pollutants. However, the impact of microplastics on the accumulation and human health risk of chemical pollutants in marine organisms remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the microplastics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in marine organisms from Sanggou Bay and analyzed their correlations. Results showed that microplastic and PAHs concentration ranged from 1.23 ± 0.23 to 5.77 ± 1.10 items/g, from 6.98 ± 0.45 to 15.07 ± 1.25 μg/kg, respectively. The microplastic abundance, particularly of fibers, transparent and color plastic debris, correlates strongly with PAH contents, indicating that microplastics increase the bioaccumulation of PAHs and microplastics with these characteristics have a significant vector effect on PAHs. Although consuming seafood from Sanggou Bay induce no carcinogenic risk from PAHs, the presence of microplastics in organisms can significantly increases incremental lifetime cancer risk of PAHs. Thus, microplastics can serve as transport vectors for PAHs with implications for the potential health risks to human through consumption. This study provides new insight into the risks of microplastics in marine environments.