The number of microplastic particles in the environment is constantly increasing as a result of the decay of plastic waste, the incineration of which is as

The influence of different types of microplastics (MPs) and ash after burning a mixture of macroplastics selected in the supralittoral of the Barents Sea on the development of traditional test objects of the culture of the green microalgae Scenedesmus quadricauda and a culture of cladocerans Daphnia magna in chronic experiments has been studied. In terms of the inhibition of algal growth at a concentration of 3 mg/L of MPs, the PU sample shows the highest toxicity, followed by HDPE (white), HDPE (red), and contact EPS in descending order of toxicity. PP was nontoxic. Ash in the concentration range of 0.01–1000 mg/L does not significantly inhibit the growth of Scenedesmus quadricauda. For Daphnia magna, a more expressed decrease in the mean linear size is noted with the addition of intact EPS, and the stimulation of fertility is significantly higher in the presence of contact EPS. When comparing the effect of intact and contact PU on D. magna, the death of all individuals under the influence of intact PU is found; when adding PU, survival remained at the control level. MP particles and ash affect the trophic activity of daphnia when fed with chlorella, but this effect does not lead to changes in fertility and growth during long-term observation.

The purpose of the research was to study the combined effect of nanoparticles (NP) of pristine polystyrene and methylene blue (MB) on the cultures of phytoplankton organisms Scenedesmus quadricauda and Chlorella vulgaris (thermophilic strain). A series of experiments was conducted to study the combined effect of 100 nm NP of polystyrene at low concentrations of 10 and 50 mg l ⁻¹ , in the presence of toxic concentrations 0.1 and 0.5 mg l ⁻¹ of MB on S. quadricauda and C. vulgaris . We used different approaches to quantitatively assess the toxicity of polystyrene NP and MB when they are present together in the algae cultivation medium. Synergistic, additive and antagonistic effects of MB and polystyrene NP paired combinations were shown depending on toxicants concentrations and duration of action. A decrease in the toxicity of the medium in a mixture of toxicants was observed for both cultures in terms of cell number. We attribute this decrease to the toxicants’ interaction with the type of antagonism towards all combinations of NP and MB for most observation periods. The efficiency of cell photosynthesis during the growth of the S. quadricauda culture was also investigated as a second criterion of the state of the culture during the experiment. Long-term effects of increased toxicity were found with the combined presence of 0.5 mg l ⁻¹ MB and 50 mg l ⁻¹ polystyrene NP, characterized by a synergistic type of their interaction. In contrast, binary combinations of their low concentrations of 0.1 mg l ⁻¹ MB and 10 mg l ⁻¹ polystyrene NP led to increased toxicity of the medium over time.

Sonoplasma treatment (SPT), which combines hydrodynamic cavitation with low-temperature plasma discharge in water, has been proposed as an advanced oxidation process for reducing biological contamination. By generating physical stressors and reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide (HP), SPT may inactivate microorganisms, but its effects on stress-resistant filamentous fungi remain insufficiently characterized. We examined two phytopathogenic fungi with contrasting pigmentation: melanized Alternaria alternata and hyaline Fusarium solani. Spore suspensions were exposed to direct and indirect SPT at 30 kHz, and viability, biomass accumulation, conidial production, allelopathic activity, and pigmentation-associated spectral responses were assessed immediately after treatment and after storage. Fungus F. solani showed greater susceptibility, with reduced colony-forming capacity and suppressed biomass production, although surviving propagules showed increased sporulation. In contrast, A. alternata maintained viable growth under the tested conditions and showed stimulation of growth-related and reproductive endpoints, together with darker colony pigmentation. These responses are consistent with pigmentation-associated tolerance to SPT-induced physical and oxidative stress, but do not establish melanin as the sole causal mechanism. SPT efficacy against filamentous fungi is therefore species-dependent and may be limited when resistant melanized taxa are present.

Sonoplasma treatment (SPT) combines hydrodynamic cavitation with electrical discharge, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and local mechanical stress in water. In this study, six yeast species (Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis, Naganishia albida, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and Tausonia pullulans) were used as eukaryotic model organisms to assess SPT efficacy in drinking water and to distinguish immediate from delayed ("treat-and-hold") effects. Standardized suspensions (1.0-1.1 McFarland) were inoculated into 9 L of drinking water and processed at 30 kHz using 1-10 consecutive SPT cycles. Hydrogen peroxide accumulated approximately linearly with cycle number (slope ≈ 0.85 mmol L⁻¹ per cycle, R² = 0.995). At 1 h after treatment, culturability was last detected at cycle 2 for C. albicans, cycle 7 for C. tropicalis, and cycle 9 for R. mucilaginosa, while C. parapsilosis, N. albida, and T. pullulans remained detectable after 10 cycles. During holding after 1-2 cycles, all species underwent progressive post-treatment loss of culturability compared to time-matched controls, with the last detectable time point ranging from 1 h (C. albicans, C. tropicalis) to day 5 (C. parapsilosis, N. albida) after a single cycle; all tested species became non-detectable within the 10-day observation window. These observations indicate that immediate tolerance to SPT varied among the yeasts tested, while loss of culturability during holding was consistent across species, supporting the use of yeasts as stringent eukaryotic benchmarks for plasma-activated water (PAW)-based hybrid disinfection.

В связи с возрастающим производством фуллеренов и вероятностью их поступления в окружающую среду исследования эффектов воздействия их на биологические системы, в частности, - на водные организмы, становятся особенно актуальными. В работе описаны эффекты воздействия водной дисперсии фуллеренов С60 и С70 в концентрациях 1, 5 и 10 мг/л на численность клеток, эффективность фотосинтеза и долю живых клеток в накопительной культуре традиционного растительного тест-объекта зелёной водоросли Scenedesmus quadricauda. Наши и литературные данные показывают, что одна из возможных причин стимуляции роста и эффективности фотосинтеза водорослей связана с антиоксидативными и мембранотропными свойствами фуллеренов. Показан значимый стимулирующий эффект на изменение численности клеток и эффективность фотосинтеза. В присутствии 10 мг/л фуллерена С60 или С70 в питательной среде стимуляция величины эффективности фотосинтеза культуры составляла соответственно до 25 и 14% по сравнению с контролем, а концентрации 1 и 5 мг/л не оказали достоверного воздействия. При этом при воздействии 10 мг/л фуллерена С60 и С70 численность клеток водоросли увеличивалась на 27 и 20% соответственно, а при 5 мг/л фуллерена С60 стимулирующий эффект был менее выражен. При добавлении в среду как фуллерена С60, так и фуллерена С70, в диапазоне исследованных концентраций 1, 5 и 10 мг/л в процессе опыта клетки оставались жизнеспособными, при этом доля живых клеток была на уровне контроля...