Antibiotics, widely used in livestock breeding, enter the environment through animal manure because of incomplete absorption in animals, especially the farmland ecosystem. Therefore, antibiotics may be adsorbed by plants and even become hazardous to human health through the food chain. In this study, a simple, sensitive, and reliable method was developed for the simultaneous determination of eleven antibiotics, including four sulfonamides, two tetracyclines, three fluoroquinolones, tylosin, and chloramphenicol in different vegetable samples using SPE-HPLC-MS/MS. Vegetable samples were extracted by acetonitrile added with hydrochloric acid (125:4, v/v). The extracts were enriched by circumrotating evaporation, and then cleaned through SPE on a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) cartridge. All compounds were determined on a C₁₈ reverse phase column through HPLC-MS/MS. The mean recoveries of 11 antibiotics from spiked samples of vegetables ranged from 71.4% to 104.0%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.06–1.88 μg/kg and 0.20–6.25 μg/kg, respectively. The applicability of this technique demonstrated its good selectivity, high efficiency, and convenience by the analysis of 35 vegetable samples available from a vegetable greenhouse. Antibiotic residues in vegetables have aroused wide concern from the public. Therefore, standards should be established for antibiotic residues in vegetables to ensure food safety and human health.

This research focuses on the effects of the composting process on oxytetracycline antibiotic degradation and the bioavailability of arsenic and copper. A compost experiment was conducted using cow and pig manure contaminated with oxytetracycline, and copper and arsenic salts. The changes in physicochemical properties, oxytetracycline concentration, and the germination index were measured. Copper and arsenic were estimated by sequential chemical extraction. We also detected the effects of compost properties, oxytetracycline concentration, and heavy metal (loid)s on the germination index through simple regression analysis. The results showed that the composting process positively and significantly affected heavy metal(loid)s bioavailability, oxytetracycline degradation, and the germination index. Oxytetracycline concentration declined in all treatments, and the decline was more evident in cows’ manure. The copper and arsenic bioavailable fraction decreased significantly, while the low bioavailability fraction increased. The germination index increased above 50%, which showed that the compost was free of toxic substances. This result also showed that the compost properties had the most significant impact on the germination index, and their regression had the highest R² values (0.84 and 0.99) in the cow and pig manure treatments, respectively. In conclusion, the composting process provides an economical method for oxytetracycline degradation and heavy metal(loid)s bioavailability reduction.

Exploring soil heavy metal sources is of great significance for ensuring the safety of ecological environments and agricultural product safety, as well as for guiding pollution control and management policies. This paper retrieved 452 research papers on soil heavy metal source analysis published over the 2004–2024 period from the Web of Science database. The collected literature was subjected to multidimensional bibliometric analysis using the CiteSpace 6.3.R1. The results showed significantly increasing trends in the scientific outputs and the number of papers on heavy metal source analysis in soils and water over the study period. In addition, related research topics have expanded from single to multiple heavy metal elements in environmental media and have increasingly recognized the impact of water pollution on soil contamination. Research methods have also evolved from basic statistical analysis to complex spatial analysis techniques, covering agricultural and urban soils. Previous related studies have focused on heavy metal pollution in different areas, and related research on heavy metal source analysis has now extended from ecological environments to associated human health risks. The present study provides directions for future related research and guidance for ensuring effective source control of heavy metal pollution and safe utilization of land and water resources.

Kitchen waste (KW) production has risen considerably due to the increasing affluence of populations and a booming catering sector. If not properly disposed, KW can bring serious issues for the environment. Composting is widely used as an efficient method for the resource utilization of KW. In the present paper, the effects of different ratios of ingredients (corn straw: garden waste = 4:1, based on the dry mass) on maturity and humification during KW composting were investigated. The results showed that the nitrogen retention capacity of the treatments with a ratio of ingredients to KW of 1:2.5 and 1:5.0 was higher than that of other treatments. Additionally, it was found that the number of ingredients had an effect on the germination index (GI) during composting, and the final GI values of the four treatments were in the following order: 1:7.5 > 1:5.0 > 1:10.0 > 1:2.5. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) showed that the organic matter (OM) content of each treatment increased after composting, and the maturity of the 1:2.5 and 1:5.0 treatments was higher than the other two treatments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that the maturity and humification were correlated with moisture content, pH and NO₃⁻-N during composting. This study concludes that the treatment with an ingredients to KW ratio of 1:5.0 was much more useful for KW composting, which is of importance to guide the disposal of KW.

Composting emerges as an effective strategy to eliminate antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in animal manure. In this study, chicken manure with the addition of wheat straw and sawdust was used as composting raw materials, and different concentrations of norfloxacin were added to investigate its effects on physicochemical properties, bacterial community, and ARGs during the composting process. Results show that the presence of norfloxacin has obvious effects on the composting physicochemical properties and germination index (GI). A high concentration of norfloxacin influences the succession direction of the bacterial community and promotes the transfers of gyrA, gyrB, parC, qepA, and qnrB. The composting physicochemical properties alter bacterial communities and further influence the fate of ARGs. These results suggest that meticulous management of antibiotic usage and compost conditions are vital strategies for mitigating the influx of antibiotics and ARGs into the environment, both at the source and on the path.