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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemoenvironment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (24 March 2023) | Viewed by 10123

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Dr. Tao Huang

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Guest Editor

1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
2. Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: environmental geochemistry; biogeochemistry; eutrophication; ecological and environmental restoration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various pollutants are released from both anthropogenic and natural contexts and expose strong impacts on natural ecosystem health and human systems. Understanding the biogeochemical behavior of pollutants that guide the release, transport, transformation and thus the eco-environmental effects is thus of fundamental importance for the health of natural ecosystems and human beings. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the behavior and effects of pollutants in environments and wants to bring together multidisciplinary research dealing with the occurrence, migration and fate of traditional and emerging pollutants in the hydrosphere, pedosphere and atmosphere, and focusing on the physical, chemical and biological processes regulating their behavior and effects. New research papers, reviews and case reports are welcome to this issue. Papers dealing with new approaches to risk assessment and management are also welcome. Other manuscript types accepted include methodological papers, brief reports, and commentaries.

Dr. Tao Huang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

speciation
bioavailability
trace metals
organic pollutants
nutrients
transport
transformation
sediment
soil
water
risk assessment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2684 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tracing Sulfate Source and Transformation in the Groundwater of the Linhuan Coal Mining Area, Huaibei Coalfield, China

by Lili Cheng, Chunlu Jiang, Chang Li and Liugen Zheng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14434; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114434 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1721

Abstract

Mining activities cause surface sulfate enrichment, which has negative impacts on human health and ecosystems. These high concentrations of sulfate may enter groundwater through the unsaturated zone (UZ), threatening groundwater quality. Therefore, we combined hydrochemical and dual isotopic analyses of sulfate in surface water, soil water and groundwater with evaluations of the UZ to identify the groundwater sulfate source and transformation in the coal mining area. Soil profile samples were collected near gangue heaps (UZ−1, UZ−2) and the mean sulfate concentrations of the UZ−1 profile and UZ−2 profile were 35.4 mg/L and 69.63 mg/L, respectively. The shallow groundwater sulfate was mainly from dissolution of evaporite, sulfide oxidation and sewage. Different sulfate contaminated areas showed different characteristics of sulfate sources. The sulfate source to groundwater near the coal gangue heaps was sulfide oxidation. The groundwater sulfate near the gangue heaps and industrial park compound contamination area was mainly derived from industrial and domestic sewage and sulfide oxidation. In addition, the role of bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) in the groundwater was not obvious. This research result is of great significance for promoting the safe mining of coal resources and sustainable utilization of groundwater in the Huaibei coal mining area and other coal mining areas in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Behavior and Effects of Pollutants)

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14 pages, 1395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Differential Gene Expression and Metabolic Pathway Analysis of Cladophora rupestris under Pb Stress Conditions

by Lei Liu, Lusheng Zhang, Lingyun Zhao, Qiuyu Chen, Qian Zhang, Deju Cao and Zhaowen Liu

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 13910; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192113910 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1377

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the transcriptome of C. rupestris under Pb²⁺ stress by using high-throughput sequencing technology, observe the changes of gene expression and metabolic pathway after three and five days under 1.0 and 5.0 mg/L of Pb²⁺ treatment, and analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and related functional genes after Pb²⁺ treatment. Metabolic pathways were revealed through Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Results show that DEGs increased significantly with the increase of Pb²⁺ concentration and stress time. A total of 32 genes were closely related to Pb²⁺ stress response. GO analysis identified two major transporter proteins, namely, ATP-binding transport protein-related (ABC transporters) and zinc finger CCHC domain containing protein (Zfp) in C. rupestris. Pthr19248, pthr19211, Zfp pthr23002, Zfp p48znf pthr12681, Zfp 294 pthr12389, and Zfp pthr23067 played important roles against Pb²⁺ toxicity and its absorption in C. rupestris. KEGG pathway analysis suggested that ABCA1, ATM, and ABCD3 were closely related to Pb²⁺ absorption. Pb²⁺ stress was mainly involved in metallothionein (MT), plant hormone signal transduction, ABC transporters, and glutathione (GSH) metabolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Behavior and Effects of Pollutants)

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21 pages, 2662 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bi-Directional Pollution Characteristics and Ecological Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil and Crops in Wanjiang Economic Zone, Anhui Province, China

by Dun Wu, Hai Liu, Jian Wu, Xia Gao, Ndhlovu kataza Nyasha, Guojun Cai and Wenyong Zhang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9669; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159669 - 5 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3681

Abstract

Understanding the extent of contamination, sources and various carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks associated with different heavy metals in soil-crop systems is crucial for the prevention of heavy metal pollution. A survey was undertaken to determine heavy metal concentrations and degree of pollution in soil-crop systems (rice, wheat, and corn) using various indices such as pollution factor (CF), geo-accumulation index (I_geo), enrichment coefficients and transfer coefficient, and to determine the source of heavy metals pollution in the Wanjiang Economic Zone, Anhui Province, China. A total of 308 pairs of soil-crop samples were collected in this study, comprising 245 pairs of soil-rice samples, 53 pairs of soil-wheat samples, and 10 pairs of soil-corn samples. The concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) in the soil of the study area exceeded the national limitation of heavy metals in the soil of China (GB 15618-2018, Soil Environmental Quality: Risk Control Standard for Soil Contamination of Agricultural Land. Ministry of Environmental Protection of China. Beijing. China). The concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) were also above the national limits to a lesser extent. All eight heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb Zn, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), and mercury (Hg)) exceeded the background values in the study area. The enrichment coefficients of rice, wheat and maize to Cd, Cu and Zn were higher than those to other elements. On the basis of I_geo, it can be indicated that the rhizosphere soil of rice was slightly polluted by Cd and Hg, while the concentrations of the other heavy metals were below the safety limits. The CF and pollution load index (PLI) indicated that the soil in the study area was heavily contaminated with heavy metals. A principal component analysis identified different sources of soil heavy metal pollution, that is, Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd from industrial sources, Cr and Ni from natural sources, and As and Hg from agricultural sources. The carcinogenic risk of heavy metals was related to the intake of crops. Residents in the study area ingest rice, wheat, and corn on a daily basis. On the basis this study, it is suggested that local governments should pay attention to the carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in rice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Behavior and Effects of Pollutants)

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17 pages, 2869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Environmental Concentrations of Total Phosphorus on the Plankton Community Structure and Function in a Microcosm Study

by Xue Bai, Zhendong Jiang, Yuan Fang, Lin Zhu and Jianfeng Feng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(14), 8412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148412 - 9 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2582

Abstract

The excessive nutrients in freshwater have been proven to promote eutrophication and harmful algae blooms, which have become great threats to water quality and human health. To elucidate the responses of the plankton community structure and function to total phosphorus (TP) at environmental concentrations in the freshwater ecosystem, a microcosm study was implemented. The results showed that plankton communities were significantly affected by the TP concentration ≥ 0.1 mg/L treatments. In terms of community structure, TP promoted the growth of Cyanophyta. This effect was transmitted to the zooplankton community, resulting in the promotion of Cladocera growth from day 42. The community diversities of phytoplankton and zooplankton had been continuously inhibited by TP. The principal response curve (PRC) analysis results demonstrated that the species composition of phytoplankton and zooplankton community in TP enrichment treatments significantly (p ≤ 0.05) deviated from the control. For community function, TP resulted in the decline in phytoplankton photosynthesis. The chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were significantly inhibited when TP concentration reached 0.4 mg/L. In TP ≥ 0.1 mg/L treatments, the reductions in total phytoplankton abundances led to a continuous decrease in pH. This study can directly prove that the plankton community changes significantly when TP concentrations are greater than 0.1 mg/L and can help managers to establish specific nutrient management strategies for surface water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Behavior and Effects of Pollutants)

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