Environmental context. Environmental oestrogens are a type of endocrine disruptor; their variety, wide range of sources and long-term accumulation in the environment seriously harm the environment ecology and human health. The specific identification, adsorption and detection of environmental oestrogens in the environment, food and drugs is of great significance. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have high stability under harsh chemical and physical conditions and involve simple preparation and low cost, which leads to great potential for practical applications. We summarise and discuss recent research advances and future developments of MIP-based monitoring technologies for environmental oestrogens.
Environmental Chemistry
Volume 19 Number 8 2022
EN22107Evaluation of the diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique for measuring nitrate and ammonium in soil
Environmental context. Nitrate (NO3−) and ammonium (NH4+) are the most important soil nitrogen forms for plant growth. However, conventional extraction techniques may introduce artefacts affecting the measurement of plant-available N concentrations following sampling and sample preparation processes. This is the first study of the DGT technique being used to measure NO3-N and NH4-N in a wide range of soils, compared with conventional KCl extraction, and examined different factors that contribute to the plant-availability of these ions in soils. The knowledge would help to optimise soil nitrogen management practices, increase economic benefits and reduce environmental impacts.
EN22107 Abstract | EN22107 Full Text | EN22107PDF (1.6 MB) | EN22107Supplementary Material (462 KB) Open Access Article
Environmental context. Rice straw is generated in vast quantities each year, but although the cellulose structure is stable, only 20% is used effectively. The structure of rice straw gives it high porosity and active functional groups, which means it easily adsorbs metals, but few studies have applied it to metal-contaminated soil. This study showed that composite phosphorylated-rice straw can be highly effective for the immobilization of cadmium in contaminated soils.
Environmental context. Saccharides contribute substantially to dissolved organic carbon in the ocean and are enriched at the ocean surface. In this study, we demonstrate that saccharides are more enriched in persistent whitecap foam compared to the sea surface. The maturation of bubbles at the air–water interface is thus expected to enhance the enrichment of organic matter at the ocean surface and ultimately in the sea spray aerosol that forms when bubbles burst at the ocean surface.
EN22094 Abstract | EN22094 Full Text | EN22094PDF (1.5 MB) Open Access Article