Abstract The long-term effects of increased temperatures on sediment fluxes in cold regions remain poorly investigated. Here, we examined the multidecadal changes in runoff and sediment fluxes in the Tuotuohe River, a headwater river of the Yangtze River on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The sediment fluxes and runoff increased at rates of 0.03 ± 0.01 Mt/yr (5.9 ± 1.9%/yr) and 0.025 ± 0.007 ? km3/yr (3.5 ± 1.0%/yr) from 1985 to 2016, with net increases of 135% and 78% from 1985?1997 to 1998?2016, respectively. The increases are primarily due to warming temperature (+1.44°C) and intensified glacier-snow-permafrost melting, with enhanced precipitation (+30%) as a secondary cause. Sediment fluxes are much more susceptible to climate warming than runoff in this undisturbed cold environment. The substantially increased sediment fluxes from the headwater region could threaten the numerous constructed reservoirs and influence the aquatic ecosystems of the TP and its marginal areas.
Silver is an important and efficient bactericide. Nanoscale silver has a large specific surface area, high target adhesion, strong permeability and high bactericidal activity. At present, the control of plant bacterial diseases is difficult, and the resistance of plant bacterial pathogens develops rapidly. Silver nanoparticles are expected to become a new generation of agrochemical to control plant bacterial diseases. In this study, a simple and green natural sunlight-induced method was used to prepare carboxymethylcellulose sodium-stabilized silver nanoparticles (CMC-SNs) with a particle size of around 13.53 +/- 4.72 nm. CMC-SNs were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-vis spectroscopy and found to be spherical and evenly dispersed. The bacteriostatic activity of the CMC-SNs toward Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) was tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CMC-SNs to Xoo was 1 mg/L, and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 2 mg/L. In addition, the antibacterial mechanism was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), which confirmed that the CMC-SNs had high antibacterial activity. In order to verify its impact on the environment, we conducted an acute toxicity test on zebrafish and found that Half lethal concentration (LC(50)) > 100 mg/L in zebrafish, or no acute toxicity. The ability of CMC-SNs to control rice bacterial blight was verified by a pot experiment.
Arsenic contamination has attracted worldwide concerns, owing to its toxicity and severe threat to human and environment. It is urgent to develop efficient adsorbents to remove arsenic pollutants. Within this paper, both pristine MIL-88A(Fe) and MIL-88A(Fe) decorated on cotton fibers were successfully fabricated using an eco-friendly method. The pristine MIL-88A(Fe) displayed outstanding adsorption performances towards four selected arsenic pollutants, in which the adsorption capacities toward As(III), As(V), ROX and ASA were 126.5, 164.0, 261.4 and 427.5 mg g−1, respectively. Additionally, MIL-88A(Fe) exhibited excellent removal efficiencies in a wide pH range and with the presence of different co-existing ions. It was proposed that the coordinative interactions of As–O–Fe between arsenic pollutants and MIL-88A(Fe) contributed to the superior adsorption performances. Furthermore, two MIL-88A(Fe)/cotton fibers composites were synthesized by both post synthesis (MC-1) and in-situ synthesis (MC-2), which demonstrated identically outstanding adsorption activities toward four selected arsenic pollutants. MC-1 and MC-2 enhanced the stability and reusability of MIL-88A(Fe), which was challenging issues of pristine MIL-88A(Fe) powder. Additionally, the fixed-bed column packed by MC-1 or MC-2 can continuously eliminate arsenic pollutants from the water flow. This work provided a new possibility of metal-organic frameworks to accomplish potentially large-scale application to purify the arsenic-contaminated water.
Measurements by semivolatile thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatography (SV-TAG) were used to investigate how semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) partition among indoor reservoirs in (1) a manufactured test house under controlled conditions (HOMEChem campaign) and (2) a single-family residence when vacant (H2 campaign). Data for phthalate diesters and siloxanes suggest that volatility-dependent partitioning processes modulate airborne SVOC concentrations through interactions with surface-laden condensed-phase reservoirs. Airborne concentrations of SVOCs with vapor pressures in the range of C13 to C23 alkanes were observed to be correlated with indoor air temperature. Observed temperature dependencies were quantitatively similar to theoretical predictions that assumed a surface-air boundary layer with equilibrium partitioning maintained at the air-surface interface. Airborne concentrations of SVOCs with vapor pressures corresponding to C25 to C31 alkanes correlated with airborne particle mass concentration. For SVOCs with higher vapor pressures, which are expected to be predominantly gaseous, correlations with particle mass concentration were weak or nonexistent. During primary particle emission events, enhanced gas-phase emissions from condensed-phase reservoirs partitioned to airborne particles, contributing substantially to organic particulate matter. An emission event related to oven-usage was inferred to deposit siloxanes in condensed-phase reservoirs throughout the house, leading to the possibility of reemission during subsequent periods with high particle loading.
Abstract Short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) photodetection and visualization has profound impacts on different applications. In this work, a large-area organic SWIR photodetector (PD) that is sensitive to SWIR light over a wavelength range from 1000 to 1600 nm and a SWIR visualization device that is capable of upconverting SWIR to visible light are developed. The organic SWIR PD, comprising an organic SWIR sensitive blend of a near-infrared polymer and a nonfullerene n-type small molecule SWIR dye, demonstrates an excellent capability for real-time heart rate monitoring, offering an attractive opportunity for portable and wearable healthcare gadgets. The SWIR-to-visible upconversion device is also demonstrated by monolithic integration of an organic SWIR PD and a perovskite light-emitting diode, converting SWIR (1050 nm) to visible light (516 nm). The most important attribute of the SWIR visualizing device is its solution fabrication capability for large-area SWIR detection and visualization at a low cost. The results are very encouraging, revealing the exciting large-area SWIR photodetection and visualization for a plethora of applications in environmental pollution, surveillance, bioimaging, medical, automotive, food, and wellness monitoring.
Ozone-based technologies are used for micro-pollutants removal in wastewater treatment. However, the generation of the toxic by-product bromate (BrO3−) is of a great concern. LaCoO3 (LCO) catalytic ozonation has been used to overcome this significant drawback in the sole ozonation, achieving better BrO3− elimination efficiency. However, a key challenge is how to enhance micro-pollutant (benzotriazole, BZA) degradation efficiency and to eliminate formed BrO3− synchronously under various water qualities in drinking water or wastewater treatment. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a practical strategy of BZA removal and BrO3− reduction synchronously in water or wastewater treatment. In this study, important factors influencing BZA removal and BrO3− reduction were investigated, including [catalyst], [BZA], initial pH solution, [NH4+-N] and [(bi)carbonate alkalinity]. Based on the performance and mechanism of these effects, a practical strategy for BZA degradation and BrO3− elimination with and without Br− in the influent was developed. Additionally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation successfully predicted the attack site on BZA by molecular ozone and formed hydroxyl radical (HO·) during LCO catalytic ozonation. Fukui indexes of f+ and f0 were calculated to forecast direct ozone molecule and HO· attack, respectively. Combination of DFT calculation with intermediates that identified through liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS), BZA degradation pathway was established more accurately. Additionally, four new intermediates were identified in this study. Overall, this study proposes a useful strategy for synchronous micro-pollutants degradation and BrO3− elimination, while also suggesting the feasibility of LCO catalytic ozonation for water or wastewater purification.
Up to now, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most established semiconductor photocatalyst, which is used to achieve photocatalytic H2 evolution, pollutants degradation, CO2 reduction, and N2 reduction under UV light irradiation. TiO2 as photocatalyst is always under the spotlight due to its unique properties like outstanding thermal/chemical stability, wide bandgap with suitable band edge, low cost, non-toxicity, and corrosion resistance. To further improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, the versatile and porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be introduced to constructionTiO2/MOF composites, which can accomplish the enhanced light absorption performance and improved electron-hole pair separation. With this review, the fabrication strategies, characterizations techniques, photocatalytic activities and the mechanisms of some selected TiO2/MOF composites were reviewed and highlighted. The last but not the least, the outlooks and challenges of TiO2/MOF composites as photocatalysts for energy conversion and environment remediation are proposed.