Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog

Issue 5 online! Bridging data gaps and sampling particulates, E-waste and radiocarbon analysis

07 May 2013

A HOT article from a team at the US Naval Research Laboratory is featured on this month’s eye-catching outside front cover, which was recently featured on the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog. In this work, CO₂ radiocarbon analysis is demonstrated as a tool to review remediation efficiency by differentiating between CO2 produced by degrading fuel contaminant and that produced naturally by organic matter. Free to access for 6 weeks*!

Radiocarbon-depleted CO2 evidence for fuel biodegradation at the Naval Air Station North Island (USA) fuel farm site
Thomas J. Boyd, Michael J. Pound, Daniel Lohr and Richard B. Coffin
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00008G

Issue 5 contains two Perspective articles. The first written by Darrah Sleeth at University of Utah, USA, assesses the current air sampling techniques available for sampling beryllium particulates and outlines the components of the ideal aerosol sampler.

The impact of particle size selective sampling methods on occupational assessment of airborne beryllium particulates
Darrah K. Sleeth
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM30877D

The second Perspective from Richard Brown et al. at the National Physical Laboratory, UK, follows on from their excellent HOT article featured on the front cover of Issue 3 in February. This Perspective article discusses the consequences of incomplete data coverage and evaluates strategies for making up for such data loss. The authors’ aim is to provoke debate about the best ways to address this problem, so have a read and let us know what you think by commenting below.

Improved strategies for calculating annual averages of ambient air pollutants in cases of incomplete data coverage
Richard J. C. Brown, Peter M. Harris and Maurice G. Cox
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00039G

Issue 5 contains more HOT research, such as this article on E-waste which was highlighted on the blog last week:

Heavy metals and organic compounds contamination in soil from an e-waste region in South China
Ming Liu, Bo Huang, Xinhui Bi, Zhaofang Ren, Guoying Sheng and Jiamo Fu
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00043E

Discover the full contents of Issue 5 here!

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HOT article: The impact of e-waste recycling in China

26 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

The dumping of e-waste is an ever-increasing environmental problem. Individuals and organisations are changing their mobile phones and computers at faster and faster rates to keep up to date with the latest technological innovations. 80% of the world’s e-waste is exported to Asia, with the vast majority ending up in China where the environmental regulations are softer and the cost of labour is lower.

The recycling of e-waste in China often involves environmentally unfriendly processes. Now mostly banned from use, PCBs are still prevalent in the majority of older electronic equipment, which is now e-waste. PBDEs are also used as flame retardants in electronics. These chemicals and heavy metals are released into the environment during e-waste recycling

Researchers at the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, describe an extensive study into the soil contamination levels in an e-waste region of Southern China. They identify which recycling activities emit which pollutants and look at the links between contamination levels in recycling sites and in local agricultural soils.

They find that local paddy and vegetable field soils are contaminated with the same heavy metals found at the recycling sites and this contamination may have been distributed via ponds and streams. This work will inform the reform of e-waste recycling policies and the team plan to investigate the mobility and toxicity of the contaminants in detail.

This HOT article on the processes of an important modern environmental issue is now free to access for the next 4 weeks*!

Heavy metals and organic compounds contamination in soil from an e-waste region in South China
Ming Liu, Bo Huang, Xinhui Bi, Zhaofang Ren, Guoying Sheng and Jiamo Fu
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00043E

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Introducing Editorial Board member David Cwiertny

22 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

The third of our Introducing series of blog posts features Editorial Board member David Cwiertny – we’re very pleased to welcome him to the board and post his profile and research vision:

David Cwiertny holds a BS in Environmental Engineering Science with a minor in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley awarded in 2000. He then received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) in 2005. After completing his doctoral work, he served as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Iowa in joint appointment between the Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chemistry. In the Fall of 2011, he returned to the University of Iowa as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering after serving four years in the same capacity at the University of California, Riverside. His research program broadly focuses on pollutant fate in natural and engineered systems, with a particular emphasis on the development of materials-based treatment technologies that promote water sustainability. This includes projects on the transformation of emerging contaminant classes (e.g., synthetic hormones and pharmaceuticals) in natural aquatic systems, and the development of nanomaterial-enabled technologies for advanced chemical treatment of water and wastewater. At the University of Iowa, he is a core faculty member in the campus-wide Water Sustainability Initiative, developing interdisciplinary research, outreach and education programs intended to increase water awareness at the University and across the state of Iowa.

Here David presents his research vision. Click “Read more” below to find out more!

RESEARCH VISION: A motivating theme for research in the Cwiertny lab is the belief that the unique reactivity displayed by materials within the nanodomain can be exploited to overcome challenges that have long stymied water quality engineers. Indeed, we believe that engineered nanomaterials hold great promise, and are perhaps ideally suited, for moving society toward more sustainable water supplies. Engineered nanomaterials are versatile at a range of scales, and are likely to be particularly relevant in decentralized or point-of-use treatment systems. Inherently, such applications require smaller, more efficient technologies. Building blocks for multi-functional, hybrid technologies can potentially decrease the size of treatment. In addition to being relevant in rural areas and in smaller communities that can often struggle to maintain compliance with existing and future regulations, they also may help to revolutionize water treatment in the developing world. Of course, there remain challenges to the widespread acceptance of nanomaterials in treatment, including finding responsible platforms in application given concerns over their inadvertent release into the environment. However, we believe the future of research in environmental nanotechnology will bridge the fundamental and the practical, allowing nanomaterials to fulfill their promise in the realm of water treatment.

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HOT article: Radiocarbon for remediation analysis

19 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

In remediation of hydrocarbon contamination, it is vital to be able to monitor the levels of the desired relatively harmless end-product CO₂. There are a large number of different ways to check hydrocarbon degradation varying in cost and complexity.

Differentiating naturally derived CO₂ from contaminant-derived CO₂ for accurate measurements is often a problem. Carbon isotope ratios of the contaminant versus the product environment can be used. Radiocarbon analysis can monitor CO₂ very effectively as fossil fuel sources are radiocarbon-free and can be compared against carbon from plants and soil from photosynthesis. Enhanced radiocarbon-depleted CO₂ relative to a background measurement indicates fossil fuel degradation.

In this HOT article, soil gas and groundwater CO₂ radiocarbon analysis is used to assess whether fuel hydrocarbons at a US Navy facility are being removed naturally. Using a two end-member isotopic mixing model the researchers determine how much of the CO₂ comes from fossil fuel. The model includes two components are the fossil fuel-derived and the natural organic matter-derived CO₂ analysed using the one tracer, radiocarbon. The fraction of CO₂ from fossil fuel was 93% at the fuel contaminated site.

This is further demonstrating of radiocarbon as an on-site tool for initial or ongoing analysis to assess remediation method efficiency. This HOT article as chosen by the referees is free to access for the next 4 weeks*:

Radiocarbon-depleted CO₂ evidence for fuel biodegradation at the Naval Air Station North Island (USA) fuel farm site
Thomas J. Boyd, Michael J. Pound, Daniel Lohr and Richard B. Coffin
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00008G

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Introducing Editorial Board Member Young-Shin Jun

15 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

In the second post of our Introducing series, we’re very pleased to introduce Editorial Board member Young-Shin Jun to the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog readers!

Young-Shin Jun is an Associate Professor of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University (St. Louis, USA), where she leads the Environmental NanoChemistry Laboratory. She is a 2011 U. S. National Science Foundation CAREER award recipient. Her research focuses on interfacial reactions in complex aqueous systems. Her research group’s projects include elucidating physicochemical reaction mechanisms occurring during water reuse through aquifer storage, treatment, and recovery to secure underground sources for drinking water; improving our understanding of the fate and transport of contaminants and nanoparticles; and providing more environmentally sustainable CO₂ sequestration strategies. Prior to her position at Washington University, she conducted postdoctoral research in Nanogeoscience at the University of California at Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA. She holds an S.M. and Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry from Harvard University (Cambridge, USA). She received her B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering at Ewha Womans University (Seoul, Korea).

RESEARCH VISION: “In the face of unprecedented demands for energy and clean water, we simply must find ways to secure sustainable supplies of both. At the same time, we must respect and restore the environment and reduce our emission of greenhouse gases. Maintaining a sustainable energy-water nexus is a grand environmental challenge, one which environmental scientists and engineers are uniquely positioned to undertake. At complex environmental interfaces, various combinations of reactions can often occur simultaneously. A full understanding of dynamic interfaces at the molecular scale is essential in predicting the geochemical cycling of elements and the fate and transport of contaminants. This knowledge, in turn, will help us to develop better remediation methods for polluted sites, to design sustainable carbon sequestration and utilization, and to enhance our understanding of biomineralization and our development of environmentally benign bio-inspired materials. To advance our understanding of environmental interfacial reactions, my research group, the Environmental NanoChemistry Laboratory, in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University, has been providing in situ, real-time quantitative and qualitative information from unique experimental approaches. The dynamic environmental systems studied include nanoparticles’ formation and their transformation in natural and engineered aqueous systems, managed aquifer recharge, and energy-related subsurface operations. By providing crucial information for upscaling that is presently not available, we hope this research can benefit the larger scale engineering processes needed to make major impacts.”

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Critical Review: Measuring the flow of silver nanoparticles through the environment

12 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

This recently published article from Jing-Fu Liu et al. takes a critical view of the current investigations into the effects that silver nanoparticles have on the environment. It was published in January’s themed issue on Anthropogenic nanoparticles in the environment.

Appropriate sampling, separation and analytical methods are vital, particularly for analysis of silver nanoparticles in complex environmental samples. This review covers:

A brief history of silver colloids in the environment
Beneficial properties versus environmental concerns
Analytical techniques, including combinations of different methods, and the different sample sources, such as aerosols and soil
Factors and processes influencing fate and transport of AgNPs
Environmental transformation
Toxicity of silver nanoparticles and different silver species

Each of the above mentioned topics are interesting in themselves, but this article pulls the information together to give one wide perspective of the flow of silver nanoparticles through our environment and ways we can detect and analyse their effects. It highlights how much is still unknown and how complex such investigation will continue to be.

Silver nanoparticles in the environment
Su-juan Yu, Yong-guang Yin and Jing-fu Liu
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30595J

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Antibiotics in swine wastewater

10 Apr 2013

By Sian Evans, Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts web science writer. Sian is a PhD student based in Bath, United Kingdom.

There has been recent concern that antibiotics in the environment may increase bacterial resistance, potentially having consequences on their efficacy. The use of antibiotics on livestock has greatly increased in recent years, estimated by over 50% between 2007 and 2010, resulting in a proportional increase in the amount excreted into wastewater as active compounds.

antibiotics, farming

Ben et al. surveyed 41 swine wastewaters from 21 concentrated animal feeding operation sites in the Shandong Province, China, in both the summer and winter. The group targeted 5 sulfonamides, 3 tetracyclines and a macrolide analysing both the liquid and solid fractions of the wastewater. The sample preparation in brief included ultrasonication (for the solid samples) and Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) followed by LC-MS.

Results in brief showed that all antibiotics, apart from one, were found at concentrations which were largely comparable to other data within this field, although occasionally up to 2.02 mg L^-1, with concentrations generally higher during the winter. The concentrations of antibiotics added to food was proportional to the size of the site, whereas those given at times of disease were much more variable. Partitioning coefficients for each antibiotic were calculated and reported; the antibiotics were largely present in the liquid, although significant proportions were adsorbed to solid matrices, with adsorption vary between seasons.

This paper would be of interest to anyone interested in antibiotic resistance, analytical techniques to detect antibiotics and agricultural practices with regard to antibiotic use. You can download the paper here, free for the next 4 weeks*.

Occurrence and partition of antibiotics in the liquid and solid phases of swine wastewater from concentrated animal feeding operations in Shandong Province, China
Weiwei Ben , Xun Pan and Zhimin Qiang
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM30845F

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Introducing Editorial Board member Nora Savage

02 Apr 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

Beginning a small series of blog posts introducing the newest Editorial Board members of Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, in this week’s post we are pleased to introduce Nora Savage and her research vision:

Nora obtained her bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering in 1992 from Prairie View A&M University, in Prairie View, Texas. She received two Masters Degrees (in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in Madison, Wisconsin in1995, and a doctoral degree in Environmental Science from the same institution in 2000. Her current position is that of environmental engineer at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC in the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Her focus areas include nanotechnology, pollution prevention, and sustainable life cycle approaches for emerging technologies.

Nora is one of the Agency representatives on the Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council that implements and coordinates activities and strategies of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and has served in this role since 2001. Recently she served as Co-Chair of the NNI’s Strategic Plan Task Force, the inter-agency work group that developed the 2011 NNI Strategic Plan. Nora has authored and co-authored numerous articles on nanotechnology in leading journals, including the Journal of Nanoparticle Research and Toxicological Sciences. She was lead editor for the book “Nanotechnology for Water Applications” and has contributed chapters to several other books, including the Oxford Handbook of Nanoscience and Technology, vol. III.

Nora is currently the Chair of the 2013 Environmental Nanotechnology Gordon research Conference.

NORA’S RESEARCH VISION: “Currently the approaches for addressing human health and ecological protection involve assessing, controlling/mitigating exposure to individual contaminants based upon experimental or observed toxicity. Toxicity (hazard) and exposure data are accumulated and risks are assessed based upon single compounds or very simple mixtures. Many scientists and policy makers have called for better approaches for assessing and managing risks to existing and emerging compounds.

The development of “green” compounds is challenged by the creation of engineered nanomaterials with identical chemical formulas yet which exhibit different properties depending upon shape, size, and surface characteristics. As these novel compounds move through and between both environmental and biological media and undergo transformations, attendant properties are often altered as well. Consequently, it is not sufficient to amass toxicity data of the original or starting material if the goal is the protection of public and environmental health. The compound must be characterized throughout all life cycle stages. Subsequently toxicity testing upon the transformed compound or material would then provide more accurate information.

Multi-disciplinary research is required to achieve characterization of compounds through all life cycle stages. For example, engineers can explore processes and offer material mass balances, material scientist can provide detailed data on structure, morphology and other material properties, biologists and ecologists can provide information concerning movement through biological and ecological media, and social scientists can provide critical information on compound or product usages and behavioral patterns controlling exposure. Such research would also derive immense benefits from multi-cultural research teams. As challenges faced increase in complexity, solutions are achieved faster when analyzed by people of diverse backgrounds and experiences and with diverse approaches and perspectives,

By exploiting the novel properties of engineered nanomaterials with multi-disciplinary, international teams examining the resultant transformations as these compounds move through the ecosystem, improved data characterizing the environment will result. As scientific knowledge improves about how altered states of engineered nanomaterials result in altered properties, better understanding of complex mixtures will result. This will enable more accurate correlations of causal links among observed adverse biological and ecological effects, exposure, behavior, and compound concentrations. This knowledge will help usher in the development of true “green” compounds. The ultimate goal would be improved environmental assessments which can then pave the way towards more holistic public and environmental health protection.”

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Issue 4 online today! On-site porewater analysis, reviewing PBDE toxicity and xenobiotics in wastewater

27 Mar 2013

By Helen Bache, Development Editor.

The beautiful image on the outside front cover highlights important research from Beat Müller et al. This research conducted in Switzerland combines convenient technologies to develop a method for speedy, portable sediment porewater sampling and on-site analysis. This article was featured on the blog last week and you can browse the blog or read the post here. As a cover article, it’s also now free to access for 6 weeks*!

Sediment porewater extraction and analysis combining filter tube samplers and capillary electrophoresis
Natascha T. Torres, Peter C. Hauser, Gerhard Furrer, Helmut Brandl and Beat Müller
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00068K

An interesting Frontier review from Xiao-Min Ren and Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts Editorial Board member Liang-Hong Guo on the likely impact of PBDE toxicity on the body, specifically looking at what is known about the molecular mechanism of PBDE in disruption of hormone receptor pathways and how PBDE toxicity is being investigated.

Molecular toxicology of polybrominated diphenyl ethers: nuclear hormone receptor mediated pathways
Xiao-Min Ren and Liang-Hong Guo
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM00023K

Issue 4 also contains HOT articles, two of which recently featured on the blog and both are still free to access* for the next couple of weeks:

Characterization of a portable method for the collection of exhaled breath condensate and subsequent analysis of metal content
Julie R. Fox, Ernst W. Spannhake, Kristin K. Macri, Christine M. Torrey, Jana N. Mihalic, Sorina E. Eftim, Peter S. J. Lees and Alison S. Geyh
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM30906A

Read the blog post here

A case-study on the accuracy of mass balances for xenobiotics in full-scale wastewater treatment plants
Marius Majewsky, Julien Farlin, Michael Bayerle and Tom Gallé
DOI: 10.1039/C3EM30884G

Read the blog post here

Curious to know more about Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts?

View the full issue here today

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Top ten most accessed Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts articles in January 2013

25 Mar 2013

By Aliya Anwar.

This month sees the following articles in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts that are in the top ten most accessed:-

Evaluation of a low-cost commercially available extraction device for assessing lead bioaccessibility in contaminated soils
Clay M. Nelson, Thomas M. Gilmore, James M. Harrington, Kirk G. Scheckel, Bradley W. Miller and Karen D. Bradham
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 573-578
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30789H

Size distribution effects of cadmium tellurium quantum dots (CdS/CdTe) immunotoxicity on aquatic organisms
A. Bruneau, M. Fortier, F. Gagne, C. Gagnon, P. Turcotte, A. Tayabali, T. L. Davis, M. Auffret and M. Fournier
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 596-607
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30896G

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in soil, sediment and dust samples collected from various electronic waste recycling sites within Guiyu town, southern China
Iryna Labunska, Stuart Harrad, David Santillo, Paul Johnston and Kevin Brigden
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 503-511
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30785E

The impact of marine shallow-water hydrothermal venting on arsenic and mercury accumulation by seaweeds Sargassum sinicola in Concepcion Bay, Gulf of California
María Luisa Leal-Acosta, Evgueni Shumilin, Nicolai Mirlean, Francisco Delgadillo-Hinojosa and Ignacio Sánchez-Rodríguez
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 470-477
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30866E

Monitoring the Performance and Microbial Diversity Dynamics of a Full Scale Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment Plant Treating Sugar Factory Wastewater
N. Altınay Perendeci, F. Yeşim Ekinci and Jean Jaques Godon
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 494-502
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30597F

Link fluorescence spectroscopy to diffuse soil source for dissolved humic substance in Daning River, China
Hao Chen, Bing-hui Zheng and Lei Zhang
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 485-493
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30715D

Resolving sources of water-soluble organic carbon in fine particulate matter measured at an urban site during winter
Sung Yong Cho and Seung Shik Park
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 524-534
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30730H

A Portable Analyzer for the Measurement of Ammonium in Marine Waters
Natchanon Amornthammarong, Jia-Zhong Zhang, Peter B. Ortner, Jack Stamates, Michael Shoemaker and Michael W. Kindel
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 579-584
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30793F

Uncertainty models and influence of the calibration span on ambient air measurements of NO₂ by chemiluminescence
Marta Doval Miñarro, Pascual Pérez Ballesta, Jonathan Barberá Rico and Enrique González Ferradás
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 512-523
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30395G

Impact of a snail pellet on the phytoavailability of different metals to cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.)
Sabine Freitag, Eva M. Krupp, Andrea Raab and Jörg Feldmann
Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2013, 15, 463-469
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30806A

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

Fancy submitting an article to Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.

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Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog

Issue 5 online! Bridging data gaps and sampling particulates, E-waste and radiocarbon analysis

HOT article: The impact of e-waste recycling in China

Introducing Editorial Board member David Cwiertny

HOT article: Radiocarbon for remediation analysis

Introducing Editorial Board Member Young-Shin Jun

Critical Review: Measuring the flow of silver nanoparticles through the environment

Antibiotics in swine wastewater

Introducing Editorial Board member Nora Savage

Issue 4 online today! On-site porewater analysis, reviewing PBDE toxicity and xenobiotics in wastewater

Top ten most accessed Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts articles in January 2013

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