Jianxin Fan

NaClO disinfection unexpectedly accelerated PLA and PBAT MPs physical and chemical degradation, which significantly increased surface fracturing, oxygenation and release of NPs into effluent, highlighting a critical gap in wastewater strategies.

Biochar has widely used to immobilize soil heavy metals in recent years, while the properties of biochar varied with environmental conditions. The influence of biochar aging on fixation and speciation transformation of Cd in soil remains unclear. This study explores how biochar aging affects the fixation and speciation transformation of Cd in soil. Rice straw biochar (RBC) prepared at different pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C) was aged under three treatments (drying and watering cycle (DW), H₂O₂ oxidation (HO), and citric acid acidification (CA)) to investigate the effects of the aging process on the adsorption and passivation capacity for Cd. Results showed that the aging treatment increased Cd adsorption on RBC300 by 73.69% to 216.15%, while adsorption on RBC500 and RBC700 decreased by 11.52% to 74.56% and 7.40% to 75.89%, respectively. The addition of both fresh and aged RBC raised pH, DOC, and TOC in Cd-contaminated soil, aiding in Cd fixation. Either fresh or aged RBC addition enhance the stability of Cd in soil. Compared to CK treatment, residual Cd content rose by 28.63% to 43.71%, while both acid-extractable and reducible Cd contents decreased by 9.144% to 10.95%. Furthermore, the available Cd content in the soil saw a reduction of 10.45% to 30.77%, and high-temperature pyrolytic RBC exhibited a stronger capacity for Cd passivation in the soil. Both fresh and aged RBC indirectly reduced Cd bioavailability by affecting soil pH, DOC, and TOC, and the nature aging process (DW) did not weaken the effect of biochar on Cd-contaminated soil remediation. Thus, biochar has a long-term potential for mitigating Cd pollution in farmland.

The addition of biochar inevitably modifies the acidity (pH), redox potential (Eh), and dissolved organic matter (DOM) level in the soil. These alterations also have coupled effects on the cycling of iron (Fe) and the composition of bacterial communities, thereby impacting the speciation and availability of arsenic (As) in the soil. This study explored the potential mechanisms through which biochar affects As in paddy soil during flooded cultivation with different pyrolysis temperature biochars (300 °C, 400 °C, and 500 °C) added. The results revealed that the TAs concentration increased in the initial 15 days of soil cultivation with SBC300 or SBC400 addition because increasing the concentration of DOM induced the mobility of As though the formation of As-DOM complexes. Meanwhile, biochar addition elevated the pH, decreased the Eh, and promoted the transformation of specific adsorbed As (A-As) and amorphous iron oxide-bound As (Amo-Fe-As) to supernatant As through enhancing the reductive dissolution of Fe(oxy)(hydr)oxides. Moreover, the biochar altered the relative abundance of As (V)-reducing bacteria (such as Firmicutes) and As (III)-oxidizing bacteria (such as Chloroflex), thereby affecting As speciation. However, these mechanistic effects varied depending on the pyrolysis temperature of the biochar. The microbial composition of SBC300 and SBC400 were similar, with both containing larger populations of Enterobacteriaceae (AsRB) and pseudomonas (FeRB) compared to CK and SBC500. It was proposed that lower pyrolysis temperatures (300 °C and 400 °C) are more favorable for the dissolution of Fe(oxy)(hydr)oxides and the reduction of As (V). However, the biochar from the higher pyrolysis temperature (500 °C) showed environmental impacts akin to the control group (CK). This study demonstrated potential mechanisms of biochar’s effect on As and the role of pyrolysis temperature.

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) plays a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles in the aquatic environment because of its ubiquitous presence, mobility, and physicochemical properties. This work gathered and summarized the published information about SPM in the Yangtze River system, including source, distribution, and environmental effects. Results indicated that the SPM concentration was high in the flood period and low in the dry period. Compared to midstream and downstream, the SPM concentration was the lowest in the upstream of the Yangtze River system. Furthermore, the level of SPM concentration was influenced by human activities, such as shipping, dredging, construction of water conservancy projects, and industrial/agricultural emissions, as well as natural conditions, such as wind, rainfall, and phytoplankton. Moreover, SPM would impact the element cycle in the water environment, including N, P, heavy metal, and persistent organic pollutants. In addition, SPM adsorbed these elemental ions or particles in water on its surface. Still, this adsorption was usually unstable, and when the properties of SPM itself or external environmental conditions changed, these elements would be released into the surrounding water body. With the flow of SPM in the water, these elements migrated upstream and downstream with the river. Thus, this work reveals the current status of SPM in the Yangtze River system, which provides an essential reference for further research on SPM in the water system.