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Environmental problems - Chemical approaches

Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Chemistry

Environmental Chemistry publishes papers reporting chemistry that enhances our understanding of the natural and engineered environment (including indoor and outdoor air, water, soil, sediments, and biota). Read more about the journal

Editor-in-Chief: Jamie Lead

Publishing Model: Hybrid. Open Access options available.

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Latest

These articles are the latest published in the journal. Environmental Chemistry has moved to a continuous publication model. More information is available on our Continuous Publication page.

Published online 15 March 2024

EN23093Natural cobalt–manganese oxide nanoparticles: speciation, detection and implications for cobalt cycling

Owen P. Missen 0000-0002-2121-9971, Stuart J. Mills, Thebny Thaise Moro, E. Eduardo Villalobos-Portillo 0000-0003-4344-4181, Hiram Castillo-Michel, Thomas E. Lockwood 0000-0001-7030-1341, Raquel Gonzalez de Vega and David Clases
 

Photograph of waste rock dumps and former mine infrastructure at Mount Cobalt, Queensland.

Environmental context.  Cobalt is a technologically critical element due to its uses in the green energy transition, but its cycling is poorly constrained in surface environments. We determined the form of cobalt in naturally enriched soils and found that it is commonly associated with manganese as mixed oxide nanoparticles. These findings demonstrate that the behaviour of critical elements such as cobalt in the environment is in part governed at the nanoscale. (Photograph by O. P. Missen, 11 July 2022.)

Published online 14 March 2024

EN23114Effects of arsenite and dimethylarsenic on the growth and health of hydroponically grown commercial Doongara rice

Hayden P. Martin, William A. Maher 0000-0001-7564-3383, Peter Snell, Kim J. Philpot and Michael J. Ellwood 0000-0003-4288-8530
 

Environmental context. Arsenic’s effect on rice plant health is a critical environmental issue. This study reveals that rice plants absorb inorganic arsenic and dimethylarsenic differently, with dimethylarsenic posing a greater threat to rice plant health. These findings contribute to our understanding of arsenic toxicity in plants, highlighting the need for further research into detoxification strategies for dimethylarsenic.

Published online 29 February 2024

EN23037Effect of wetting and drying processes on ultramafic and mafic tailing minerals amended with topsoil

Lewis Fausak 0000-0003-3701-8653, Anne Joseph 0000-0002-3440-2679, Ana C. Reinesch 0000-0002-2008-8981, Skylar Kylstra 0000-0001-6454-5972, Fernanda Diaz Osorio 0009-0000-7986-5514, Autumn Watkinson 0000-0002-2831-6248 and Les Lavkulich 0000-0001-9654-6574
 

Environmental context. Mine tailings are a mixture of fine materials obtained after crushing, processing and extracting the valuable minerals from ore. Ultramafic and mafic mine tailings have the potential to mineralise carbon, offering a solution to offset greenhouse gas emissions from the mining sector. The study revealed that the effects of wetting and drying ultramafic and mafic mine tailings under atmospheric conditions have the potential for carbon sequestration and acid mine drainage.

Published online 13 February 2024

EN23112Occurrence, spatial distribution, risk assessment, and management of environmental estrogens in surface waters of the Taihu basin

Minhao Wang, Hongran Ding, Guiyu Liang, Xueyin Wang, Luyue Yang, Ting Tong, Dongling Li, Xiao Zhou, Haifei Zhang, Fang Wang, Xiaowei Tie and Lei Han 0000-0002-0839-2032
 

Environmental context. Environmental estrogens can disrupt the normal functioning of endocrine systems, and their occurrence in drinking water sources could cause potential health risk. We investigated concentrations of four estrogens in the lakes from the Taihu Basin, and found that BPA and EE2 were elevated in some sites. However, concentrations of all four environmental estrogens were below the national standards, and caused no health threat to local population.

Published online 22 January 2024

EN23013Molecular composition and the impact of fuel moisture content on fresh primary organic aerosol emissions during laboratory combustion of ponderosa pine needles

Mohammed Jaoui 0000-0002-2728-9137, Shawn P. Urbanski, Russell W. Long 0000-0001-9051-7246 and Matthew S. Landis 0000-0002-8742-496X
 

Image of burning pine needles, filters of the particulate matter collected, and the identity of its composition.

Environmental context. Wildland fire smoke and its impacts on air quality and human health are increasing globally. However, uncertainties in organic emissions from these fires hinder our understanding of downwind atmospheric photochemical processes driving the formation of hazardous air pollutants. In this study, we investigated the impact of fuel moisture content on organic species emission during the combustion of ponderosa pine needles, an important fuel source in the western United States.


Schematic diagram showing arsenic removal using bare nanoscale zerovalent iron.

Environmental context. Arsenic (As) contamination in agricultural soil threatens safe agricultural production. Therefore, an ex situ magnet-assisted soil washing, using different types of nanoscale zerovalent iron was tested as a remediation option in soil restoration. Uncoated nanoparticles was the best tested option, with As removal at 45.5% and the nanoparticles were reusable up to four times.

Published online 05 January 2024

EN23077Photolysis characteristics and influencing factors of adenosine 5′-monophosphate in seawater

Xiao-Yan Cao 0000-0002-4382-8321, Min Liu, Ling Li and Gui-Peng Yang 0000-0002-0107-4568
 

Environmental context Organophosphorus (OP) is bioavailable to phytoplankton with photolysis can play an important role in the process. The photolysis behaviour of an OP (adenosine 5′-monophosphate, AMP) in seawater was investigated, and AMP can release inorganic phosphate under environmentally relevant light conditions, indicating OP photodegradation might be important in the phosphorus biogeochemical cycle. The results are helpful to further understand the bioavailability and cycle of OP in marine environment.

Published online 22 December 2023

EN23090Characterisation of organic carbon distribution and turnover by stable carbon isotopes in major types of soils in China

Danyang Meng, Yang Shao, Min Luo, Hangxin Cheng, Zhiming Liu, Diandou Xu and Lingling Ma 0000-0003-2676-5952
 

Environmental context Soil carbon sequestration plays an important role in achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. We studied the characteristics of organic carbon distribution and sequestration by stable carbon isotopes in nine types of soils in China and found that macro-aggregates possessed more organic carbon with a low degree of decomposition, while the overall direction of organic carbon transfer between aggregates was from macro-aggregates through micro-aggregates to the grain-size fractions of chalky clay. These results provide a foundation for understanding soil carbon sequestration in China’s cultivated lands.


A diagram showing UPLC‐MS/MS quantitation and photocatalytic degradation of repurposed COVID‐19 drugs.

Environmental context. The consumption of repurposed antibiotics increased due to the management of COVID-19, which in turn led to their increased presence in wastewater and potential environmental effects. This change has created a greater need for their analysis and treatment in different environmental water. This work presents a safe, low-cost method for analysing and treating water samples to ensure their suitability for human and animal use.


Figure showing how the nature of natural dissolved organic matter varies between two lakes and how this affects its ability to bind copper and nickel.

Environmental context. Natural dissolved organic matter strongly influences the biogeochemistry and bioavailability of trace metals in natural waters. Chemical equilibrium models are often used to predict the relative importance of the free metal cation, a recognised indicator of the metal’s bioavailability. Here we show how the nature of the organic matter varies between two lakes, affecting the measured speciation of copper and nickel, a result that challenges existing chemical equilibrium models.

This article belongs to the collection Dedication to Prof. Edward Tipping.

Published online 12 December 2023

EN23033Robust calculus for biotransformation in wastewater generalised across thousands of chemicals and conditions

Tom M. Nolte 0000-0001-8083-0749, Willie J. G. M. Peijnenburg and Peter L. A. van Vlaardingen 0009-0007-7258-338X
 

Parameters of biodegradation, studied and depicted within an idealised graph reflecting energy change with time and space.

Environmental context. Decades of research tried to understand the inherent complexity of biodegradation of contaminants. We describe calculus of biodegradation driven by bioavailability, redox, geometry and acclimation (adaptation) of microbiota. We tested predictions for thousands of contaminants across wastewater treatment plants, explaining up to 70% of the variance in observations. This competes with more intensive methods, and enables more efficient monitoring, experimentation and data interpretation.

Published online 07 December 2023

EN23075A comparison of characterisation and modelling approaches to predict dissolved metal concentrations in soils

Judith M. Garforth, Andrew M. Tye, Scott D. Young, Elizabeth H. Bailey and Stephen Lofts 0000-0002-3627-851X
 

Environmental context. It is useful to know the concentration of ‘labile’, or chemically active, metal in soils because it can be used to predict metal solubility and environmental impact. Several methods for extracting the labile metal from soils have been proposed, and here we have tested two of these to see how well the resulting data can be used to model metal solubility. Such mixed approaches can be applied to different soil types with the potential to model metal solubility over large areas.

This article belongs to the collection Dedication to Prof. Edward Tipping.

Environmental context. The process of ethylene ozonolysis is an essential source of CH2OO radicals, and the latter is an important oxidant for the atmospheric pollutant SO2. The accuracy of a widely used atmospheric chemistry model (Master Chemical Mechanism, MCM) in quantifying SO2 oxidation has not been evaluated. In this study, this accuracy was evaluated, and optimal parameters underpinned by data from smog chamber experiments.

Published online 22 November 2023

EN23087Characterising earth scent

Ryan R. Busby 0000-0001-5900-4864, Morgan W. Conrady, Kyoo D. Jo and Donald M. Cropek
 

Mechanical disturbance increases emission of two biogenic alcohols from soils.

Environmental context. Everyone is familiar with the earth odour that comes from digging in the soil. We measured the chemicals comprising this odour and studied how the environment influences how much of these chemicals are released from disturbed soils. Understanding what conditions affect emission of these compounds from soils could provide new technologies for remotely assessing soil health and what people are doing to soils.

Just Accepted

These articles have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication. They are still in production and have not been edited, so may differ from the final published form.

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