The biotoxicity of heavy metals in water has always been the focus of ecological health research. In this study, the oxidative stress-associated toxicity of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) at environmentally relevant concentrations on the hepatopancreas of Macrobrachium nipponensis was investigated based on multiple biomarker responses in a 28-day indoor exposure study. Changes in integrated biomarker responses (IBR) and their interactivity were subsequently analyzed. No dead individuals were found across any of the tested conditions. The chronic toxicity of heavy metals depended on their type and exposure time at the same concentration. At low concentrations, organisms have a regulatory capacity to cope with the excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by Pb stress over time. In detail, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was inhibited by Pb stress at a high concentration as time passed. The sensitivity of metallothionein (MT) to Cd was stronger than Pb, and the potential for Cd to cause lipid peroxidation damage was higher than Pb. At the same time, Pb had a greater disturbance effect on the nervous system than Cd, especially in the early exposure stage. The contribution of Cd and Pb to the interaction effect varied dynamically with time and concentration of exposure, but mostly showed antagonism. The results of this study have important significance for guiding the diagnosis of ecological water health, the amendment of water quality criteria, and the management of wastewater discharge.

The biosorbent used for removal of Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cd²⁺ from aqueous solutions was rice straw fermented by Aspergillus niger (ARS), and raw rice straw (RRS) was used as a control. When inoculum size, material–water ratio, and temperature were 10⁶, 100%, and 303K, respectively, the optimized spore number was 10⁹. The ARS exhibited a lager pore biosorption, which was better than RRS. The biosorption mechanism was involved in chelation with functional groups such as C-H, C = O, C-O, and C = C, and the biosorption data obtained were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and the Freundlich isotherm model.

Recent work has focused on the removal of Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cd²⁺ by using an organ of Aspergillus niger – spores, which were spherical particles with small diameter (2 µm) characterized by negative charge. Results shown that the biosorption of Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cd²⁺ from aqueous solutions using spores was analyzed at varying biosorbent dosages, pH levels, contact times and initial heavy metal concentrations. The maximum biosorption capacities of Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Cd²⁺ were 23.9, 27.2, and 21.5 mg/g at a natural pH with the initial concentration were 30 mg/L, respectively. The sequence of biosorption capacity for cationic heavy metals was Pb²⁺>Cd²⁺>Hg²⁺. Spores exhibited a short biosorption equilibrium time of 60 min at a pH range of 4.0–6.0, and the main biosorption mechanism was electronic attraction, ion exchanges and complexation(involved in C = C, C-H, C-O, N-H), the data fit well in the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and the Freundlich isotherm. In addition, Spores can grow on many kinds of moist agriculture waste without any added nutrition. The results showed that spores could be considered as a potential biosorbent for the removal of cationic heavy metals from aqueous solutions.