Simulating fate and transport of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs using Root Zone Water Quality Model 2.

The fate and transport of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in soil are determined by various processes, and the complexity of the system lends itself to the use of computer simulation models to help understand it. This study demonstrated the first attempt to use empirical data from lab incubation and field studies to parameterize and test a process-based agricultural systems model, Root Zone Water Quality Model 2 (RZWQM2), to simulate the fate and transport of naproxen (NPX), ibuprofen (IBF), and ketoprofen (KTF) in field-based lysimeters amended with alkaline-treated biosolids (ATBs). The model calibrated for the soil-water balance module and contaminant transport module was used to predict water seepage through the soil profile in 2017 and 2018 within a 15% error of the field measured data, with model performance statistics such as Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) and R2 all greater than 0.70. The overall predicted percent recovery of initial spiked NSAIDs in both soil and water samples, after further calibration of the contaminant transport module, was within the same order of magnitude as the measured data. The model underestimated the percent recovery of initial spiked NSAIDs at the 30- to 55-cm soil depth for all treatments on day 3. The calibrated soil subsurface aerobic half-lives of NPX and IBF were found to be considerably lower than their laboratory-measured half-lives obtained from the incubation study. The overall performance of RZWQM2 in simulating the soil hydrology and behavior of NSAIDs in soil profiles receiving various rates of ATB amendments was satisfactory.

Zinc and cadmium change the metabolic activities and vegetable cellulose degradation of Bacillus cellulasensis in vegetable soils.

Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B isolated from vegetable soil was highly adaptable to Zinc (Zn) and Cadmium (Cd). Cd, but not Zn, adversely affected the total protein spectrum and functional groups of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B. Up to 31 metabolic pathways and 216 metabolites of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B were significantly changed by Zn and Cd (Zn&Cd). Some metabolic pathways and metabolites related to functional groups of sulfhydryl (-SH) and amine (-NH-) metabolism were enhanced by Zn&Cd addition. The cellulase activity of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B was up to 8.58 U mL-1, increased to 10.77 U mL-1 in Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B + 300 mg L-1 Zn, and maintained at 6.13 U mL-1 in Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B + 50 mg L-1 Cd. The vegetables' cellulose content was decreased by 25.05-52.37% and 40.28-70.70% under the action of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B and Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B + 300 mg L-1 Zn. Those results demonstrated that Zn could significantly enhance cellulase activity and biodegradability of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B to vegetable cellulose. Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B can survive in vegetable soil accumulated with Zn&Cd. The tolerance concentration and adsorption capacity of Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B to Zn were up to 300 mg L-1 and 56.85%, indicating that Bacillus cellulasensis Zn-B acting as a thermostability biological agent had an essential advantage in accelerating the degradation of discarded vegetables by Zn and were beneficial to maintain organic matter content of vegetable soil.

Removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from the air, soil, and water by algae.

Rapid increases in human populations and development has led to a significant exploitation of natural resources around the world. On the other hand, humans have come to terms with the consequences of their past mistakes and started to address current and future resource utilization challenges. Today's primary challenge is figuring out and implementing eco-friendly, inexpensive, and innovative solutions for conservation issues such as environmental pollution, carbon neutrality, and manufacturing effluent/wastewater treatment, along with xenobiotic contamination of the natural ecosystem. One of the most promising approaches to reduce the environmental contamination load is the utilization of algae for bioremediation. Owing to their significant biosorption capacity to deactivate hazardous chemicals, macro-/microalgae are among the primary microorganisms that can be utilized for phytoremediation as a safe method for curtailing environmental pollution. In recent years, the use of algae to overcome environmental problems has advanced technologically, such as through synthetic biology and high-throughput phenomics, which is increasing the likelihood of attaining sustainability. As the research progresses, there is a promise for a greener future and the preservation of healthy ecosystems by using algae. They might act as a valuable tool in creating new products.

Effect of soil biochar concentration on the mitigation of emerging organic contaminant uptake in lettuce.

Although crop uptake of emerging organic contaminants (EOC) from irrigation water and soils has been previously reported, successful mitigation strategies have not yet been established. In this study, soil was amended with a wood-based biochar (BC) at two rates (0, 2.5 and 5% w/w) to evaluate the effect on mitigation of EOC uptake (i.e. bisphenol A, caffeine, carbamazepine, clofibric acid, furosemide, ibuprofen, methyl dihydrojasmonate, tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate, triclosan, and tonalide) in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). After 28 days of irrigation with water containing EOCs at 15µgL-1, the average EOC concentration in roots and leaves decreased by 20-76% in biochar amended soil relative to non BC-amended soil. In addition, the enantiomeric fractions (EF) of ibuprofen (IBU) in biochar amended soils (EF=0.58) and unamended soils (EF=0.76) suggest that the IBU sorbed fraction in BC is more recalcitrant to its biodegradation.

Lethal and sub-lethal effects of triclosan toxicity to the earthworm Eisenia fetida assessed through GC-MS metabolomics.

Triclosan (TCS) is a ubiquitous contaminant in municipal biosolids, which has also been detected in soils and earthworms sampled from agricultural fields amended with biosolids. The goal of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of TCS to earthworms using a metabolomics-based approach for an improved interpretation of toxicity. Toxicity of TCS was assessed using the OECD Method 207 filter paper contact test measuring the endpoints of weight loss, mortality, and ten metabolites determined by GC-MS. Eight earthworms were exposed as individual replicates to six concentrations of triclosan (0, 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1mg TCS cm-2) on filter paper, with mortality assessed after 6, 24 and 48h. Mortalities were first observed at 24h, with 100% mortality in the 1 and 0.1mgcm-2 treatments. Worms at 1mgcm-2 lost most of their coelomic fluid before they could be sampled. The 48h LC50 for triclosan was estimated to be 0.006 and 0.008mgcm-2 by a linear and logistic model, respectively. Based on the LC50, triclosan is relatively more toxic to earthworms than a number of other emerging contaminants, but is less toxic than other chlorophenols and many pesticides. Alanine, valine, leucine, serine, phenylalanine, putrescine, spermidine, mannitol, and inositol were significantly different between treatments, although changes were most often associated with mortality rather than triclosan exposure. An increase in putrescine and decrease in amino acids, polyols, and spermidine were associated with mortality, suggesting decomposition had begun. Principal components analysis did not reveal evidence of metabolic impacts at sub-lethal concentrations. However, there were changes in the pattern of correlations between metabolite pairs in surviving worms at both 0.0001 and 0.001mgcm-2 exposure compared to the control.