As an important part of the ecological environment, degraded coastal soils urgently require efficient and eco-friendly soil amendment. Biochar and wood vinegar have been proved to be effective soil amendments, and acid-modified biochar has great potential in ameliorating the degraded coastal saline–alkali soil. However, the effects of individual or combined application of biochar (BC), acid-modified biochar (ABC), and wood vinegar (WV) on coastal saline–alkali soil are unknown. Hence, biochar, wood vinegar, and acid-modified biochar were prepared by pyrolysis of poplar wood. The properties of biochar were characterized, and soil incubation experiments were conducted. The results showed that ABC decreased the soil alkalinity by acid-base neutralization and improved the soil fertility by increasing the nutrients (C, N, P). ABC provided a more suitable environment and changed the abundance and diversity of soil microorganisms. ABC increased the relative contents of specific families (e.g., Pseudomonadaceae and Sphingomonadaceae), which had strong ecological linkages in the C, N, and P cycles and organic matter degradation. The results indicated that WV had little effect on coastal saline–alkali soil, whereas individual and combined application of biochar (especially ABC) showed an efficient remediation effect. Our preliminary study demonstrated that the ABC could be a suitable solution for ameliorating degraded coastal saline–alkali soils.

The complex contamination characteristics and potential health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives remain poorly understood. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of 16 parent PAHs and 34 derivatives was conducted in outdoor dust samples collected from a residential area constructed on an abandoned petrochemical site. The results showed that the total concentrations of PAHs, oxidized PAHs, nitro-PAHs, brominated PAHs, and chlorinated PAHs were in the ranges of 75.3–991 ng/g, 9.27–142 ng/g, 1.68–265 ng/g, 15.2–100 ng/g, and 1.23–14.8 ng/g, respectively. Additionally, the non-target screening analysis identified 29 potential aromatic compounds in dust samples. Toxicity assessment indicated that several PAH derivatives and newly identified compounds exhibited stronger acute toxicity than PAHs (ECOSAR model prediction). Incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values of target compounds ranged from 1.54 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.95 × 10⁻⁶ for adults and from 5.08 × 10⁻⁸ to 9.75 × 10⁻⁷ for children. Oral ingestion was identified as the dominant exposure pathway, accounting for 83.5% of total exposure, followed by dermal contact (16.5%). Overall, these findings highlight the complexity of human exposure to PAHs and related aromatic contaminants in petrochemical-impacted residential areas and underscore the need for continued attention to their associated environmental and health risks.

A Ce-doped photocatalytic composite with easy solid–liquid separation capability was prepared and a heterojunction was constructed between BiVO₄ and Fe₃O₄ via a co-precipitation method. A variety of characterization techniques were employed, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), as well as other related methods. Its photocatalytic performance for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) was also studied. The results indicate that the photocatalytic efficiency of BiVO₄/Fe₃O₄ is 1.4 times that of the pure BiVO₄ matrix. In particular, the photocatalytic efficiency of Ce_1.5%-BiVO₄/Fe₃O₄ was 2.2 times higher than that of the pure BiVO₄ matrix, and a 100% degradation rate of RhB was achieved within 30 min. The introduction of Fe₃O₄ not only forms a heterojunction with BiVO₄, increasing the active sites and surface oxygen vacancies of the material and effectively suppressing the recombination of photogenerated electron (e^-)-hole (h⁺) pairs, but it also enables the rapid separation of the material from the wastewater solution by the magnetic properties of Fe₃O₄. Additionally, the partial substitution of Ce for Bi in the BiVO₄ lattice reduces the bandgap energy, which enhances the utilization efficiency of visible light and improves the photocatalytic performance of the composite material. The mechanism of RhB degradation by Ce_1.5%-BiVO₄/Fe₃O₄ composite materials is also analyzed in this study. Quenching experiments and EPR tests revealed that h⁺ and ${·\mathrm{O}}_2^{-}$ were the primary reactive species in the degradation process.

Extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) can move with pore water through soils and sediments. In this study, Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH)-modified biochar (MPC) and sodium-dodecyl-sulfonate-treated LDH biochar (SPC) were evaluated in water-saturated quartz-sand columns. Microscopy, elemental mapping, and diffraction were consistent with an Mg-Al-containing layered component on the modified biochars, while spectroscopy and zeta-potential measurements showed changes in surface composition and electrokinetic charge. Extracellular DNA (eDNA) effluent recovery decreased from approximately 70% in the unamended control to 52% with MPC and 43% with SPC, and the eARG breakthrough curves followed the same treatment order. Electrostatic attraction and metal-related interactions are possible contributors to these responses. Increasing NaCl or CaCl₂ concentration reduced eDNA plateau concentrations in the tested series. Humic-acid and fulvic-acid preconditioning increased subsequent eDNA and eARG effluent recovery, with a larger response to humic acid. The results identify material-dependent transport responses and their sensitivity to solution chemistry in a controlled porous-medium model. The input–output deficit represents DNA unrecovered from the effluent during the collection interval.