Marine heavy metal pollution has been an important global environmental issue in recent years. Concentrations of nine heavy metals (Pb, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, Cd, As, and Hg) from marine sediments (2015, n = 38) in the Changjiang River Estuary and contiguous East China Sea were determined. The total contents of nine heavy metals ranged from 134.0 μg/g to 357.8 μg/g, with Cr as the most abundant component. Pearson correlation coefficient matrix of the heavy metals, granularity, and total organic carbon (TOC) in the samples were determined, and a preliminary ecological risk assessment was conducted in three aspects. According to the investigation, heavy metals were commonly found in samples and affected by terrestrial inputs to a large extent. Their concentration distributions were significantly affected by granularity as well as TOC. Preliminary ecological risk assessment showed that Cd and Hg were identified as the dominant heavy metals in the sediment samples from the study areas and showed a strong ecological risk. Overall, the situation of heavy metal pollution in the sediments of the Changjiang River Estuary and contiguous East China Sea was not optimistic in 2015, and it is worthy of further investigation into whether the environmental condition has improved with the strengthening of governmental environmental protection.
13 December 2024 in Journal of Hazardous Materials
Microplastics (MPs) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are ubiquitously present in agroecosystems, which can cause varying degrees of environmental damage. This study reports the investigation of the effect of MPs on PFOA adsorption by soil. A comprehensive analysis was performed on the adsorption–desorption dynamics of PFOA by MPs and soil under different conditions. The surface morphology of MPs and their interaction with PFOA were characterized. Irregularly shaped MPs facilitated accurate simulation of real-world conditions, influencing the adsorption quantity of PFOA in soil. Additionally, the peak intensity of various preadsorption and post-adsorption MP functional groups was altered, indicating that MPs augmented PFOA adsorption. The kinetics of PFOA adsorption followed the quasi-second-order reaction, and the isotherm data aligned well with the Freundlich model. This study reveals the mechanism by which the co-sorption of PFOA and MPs in agroecosystems affects their respective environmental behaviors, providing basic research data for the control of pollutants in agroecosystem soil.